What's inside my makeup bag?

This is my lately collection of items in my makeup bag. Being pregnant doesn't leave you much time nor energy to put on makeup everyday, so I have an express makeup kit that takes me about 1 minute to make myself not look extremely tired from nights of insomnia.


I am a big fan of drugstore cosmetics, because all fancy makeup usually comes from the same factory as your over the counter cover girl lipsticks. So here's what I've got inside my bag!

1. Maybeline Colossal mascara This is about $8-$12 at your drugstore, makes eyelashes really black and full! Comes in waterproof and regular. I am currently using the regular one, and it's pretty waterproof, doesn't smudge at the end of the day.

2. Essie Sand Topez nail polish This was in my bag, just for the days that I am bored, and could use a freshen up on my nails! $9.99

3. Annabelle Smoothliner eyeliner Probably the best waterproof pencil liner I have ever used. This is cheap and effective! Goes on smooth and easy, and it really does not smudge! No eyelid crease lines! $6.99 at superstore!

4. Burt’s Bees lip balm 100% natural with kokum butter. It doesn't really condition well if your lips are always chapped. I only got it because of its 100% natural content, so I feel safe ingesting the lip balm.

5. Tweezerman mini tweezer To get rid of those unsightly eyebrows and hairs in odd places....This is a travel size, the mini~! Great to have for those embarrassing growth. $15 at Sephora.com

6. Mac eyelash curler I've had this curler for ages, it doesn't do much since I don't have much eyelash, but it does make it curl and easier to apply mascara! $24 now at M.A.C.

7. Rimmel Pink Sorbet blush I got this at Shoppers Drugmart because of the name! I like the colour, a soft healthy pink tone that looks natural. I think it's about $5-$8. I can't remember.

8. Paul & Joe creamy powder foundation I don't usually wear foundation, mostly just moisturizer and tinted moisturizer and a little powder to set. This is perfect for light coverage just to even the skin tone a bit. My last two powder compacts have been from Paul & Joe because I simply love the packaging and also the soft and natural effect of their powders. I got this from Taiwan for about $35 CAD. This is sold at Sears for $55.. and I just discovered this new website of cheaper cosmetics! http://www.beautyhabit.com/ It is sold on Beauty Habit for $40!! A steal..sort of.

Lastly, I forgot to include an eyeliner sharpener. You need to have it in your bag!! Or else you'd be scratching your eyelids with dull eyeliner!

Diaper Bag!

This is our Skip Hop diaper bag! We choose this one because of the muted colors so that Tien can carry it ALL THE TIME. It also has nice stroller clips on the side, so it is nice and secure without slipping off the handles! It is more compact than most bulky diaper bags. All openings are easy access with magnetic flaps, and one zipper compartment for important stuff like keys and wallets. I am excited to start compiling items to put inside the diaper bag!! Please stay tuned for "what's inside my diaper bag?" post! I am thinking of sewing a diaper and wipe case bag...this will be another sewing project! Hopefully I have time to make this before the baby comes. If not, I will have to make it in March. It's not like we need to use the diaper bag right away, but it's nice to have everything prepared for a nice outing! 18 more days..

New hobby

I learned how to knit a few years ago, and have been infatuated with handmade craft since. Knitting is a relaxing hobby, but it is not as satisfying because it takes a really long time before a project is complete. It takes weeks to make a scarf, hours to make a hat. Every winter I pick up knitting again, because it is cold and I would like to make some warm objects for family and friends! My latest creations this year included 2 popcorn scarves for myself and my mom, a long scarf for husband, and an ongoing baby blanket for my unborn child! It takes a lot of perseverance and free time to knit these suckers. I've recently gained a lot of extra free time (because I am preggers and not really mobile to hang out) so I was reading some craft blogs and decided to learn how to make some makeup cases. One day of blog reading and I was determined to sew! The following day I picked up my mom's sewing machine and paid a visit at Fabricland. Now I am making makeup bags, pillow cases, heat pack, card holders, and more to come! Fabric shopping is especially exhilarating. All the prints and colors are so beautiful! I am going to perfect my sewing skills and hopefully start selling these babies online. I've placed a couple in my store but no one has bought one yet :( This will be something nice to do while I am at home taking care of a newborn baby. Hopefully I can buy some new fabric soon! But first things first, I need to buy more material to make my next invention, ipad sleeves!!!! Stay tuned for my etsy.com store...hehe handmade goodies are coming your way!!!

What did Santa bring for Christmas?

So it's finally over! bye bye 2012!! Hello 2013! I think it's time to do some gift bragging from Christmas?! Tien got me a set of pajamas! Always a great gift, because who can have too many pjs? I also got goodies in my stocking, a Hello Kitty cup along with a small Hello Kitty Charm! Got two soft jersey knit shirts from the Gap, these are good for pregnant peeps because it's soft and long enough to cover the belly. Got a Hello Kitty bobble head! Also got budget busting pearl earrings for my lonely earlobes, I like them!!



I got Tien the Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray dvd combo, I watched it with him, I think it was a pretty good gift. I also got him some socks! A lot of socks actually...A pair of iPhone compatible gloves, these are useful in the winter time and for playing words with friends. His favourite gift was the iPhone case I got him at the bargain bin at Futureshop! $4.99!!!


And of course the greatest gift of all is that giant belly I've been carrying around...please come out soon. I am feeling relentless! bahahahah

Holiday Gift Inspiration

It's almost that time of the year to start shopping for your family and friends! Christmas shopping can be stressful, but with the convenience of online shopping, there is no need to hit up the crowded mall! Hope y'all have a nice Christmas and happy shopping! I've complied a list of things under $50 to inspire your holiday shopping!

Black Friday Deals!!!

Are you looking for good deals?!?!

This Friday at your local Home Depot, is a 7' Nobel Fir Pre Lit Artificial Christmas Tree!! 1000 tips with 550 clear lights, for only $79 One day only!!

If you need a Christmas tree, this is the time to buy :)



If you're into arts and craft, Michaels has great sales from Wednesday - Friday, with loads of sales and coupons online. They also take coupons on your mobile phones! Many of the coupons are 25-50% off regular price items, with several coupons 20-30% off entire purchases including sales items (these are subjected to be used between 9:00am - noon)

Also, I recently stumbled upon awesome internet radio! I was searching for some Christmas tunes to listen to while I admire my Christmas tree. Check out Accuradio for a wide selection of genre and awesomeness! I am currently listening to channel "Boy Bands and Blondes" http://old.accuradio.com/player/slipstream/hitkast/101/ Britney Spears - Oops I did it again!!

New Wardrobe inspiration (Things that I want to wear but can't, because I am preggers.)

How about this silky button top, along with an embellished necklace/collar? I would love to buy a few of these, and just throw it on top of some skinny jeans (something else I have not worn in a couple of months)


Coloured jeans! Skinny jeans! I want I want all the colours of the rainbow!!

On to other things, we got a Christmas tree last week, and are planning to decorate it this weekend! Off to metro tonight to find some cool ornaments for the tree! This year's tree is...RED AND SILVER!!

Housewife Practice round

So lately I've been staying at home since our store has yet to finish moving, I spend most of my time at home, brushing up on housekeeping skills! Here's what I did today. -Ate breakfast -Watched the morning news -Nap -Did dishes -Cooked lunch -Knit a scarf -Vacuum -Cut up pineapples -Made freshly squeezed orange juice -Laundry -Watch more TV not exactly an eventful day!! But tired nonetheless from doing all the chores! The small tenant inside my belly has been active today, kicking and screaming inside I bet. Don't worry, I want you out of there as much as you want to come out...please stay calm for a few more months..... One of the perks of being at home is a lot of extra time to learn wordpress. I finally got started yesterday, and made some pretty good progress. :) Hopefully this weekend will be nice, I want to do some walking, I desperately need the exercise! Also, I need to think of a gift idea. Tien said he will reward me with a push gift once the baby comes! Please help me think of a gift idea :)

I'm gonna wreck it!!

Following date night at Trattoria Italian Kitchen (which was a trendy restaurant with mediocre food at its best, but good ambiance if you enjoy the lively night life!) we had a movie date on Sunday afternoon! Tien's been wanting to see Wreck it Ralph since the previews came out. I was someone intrigued but only because I wanted to see all the old school game characters. We had no idea what the movie was going to be about, and surprisingly it was a beautiful film about overcoming challenges and friendship beyond borders! It was quite enjoyable! It took my mind off the stressful things lately! Hopefully things turn around and we can all get back to normal...that's all we want, is normal!

Baby talk

So...IT'S A BOY!!! Such a spoiler alert! It's gonna be a baby boy. We can finally start to make some purchases without having to buy all gender neutral colours. That also means I cannot buy any super frilly hello kitty items...maybe I'll sneak one or two in there :) I didn't know babies were so expensive. With all the things we need to buy! Crib, changing table, stroller, infant seat, clothes, diapers, formula, bottles, and the list goes on and on. My most excited purchase is the stroller! I can't wait to put it together and use it. After some research and serious considerations, we decided on the Baby Jogger City Select. It's a single stroller that can also accommodate a second child. So you can extend the life of this stroller and use it for 2 children! We bought one in red :)

Now I am searching for a nice car seat, here I come Craigslist!!!

Long overdue post :)

So, I have not written a blog post in forever it seems. I got spammed with comments from spammers today, so that's why I've decided to take a better maintenance of my blog! Where shall we start? It seems that the last time I wrote an entry, I was still a sexy single gal! I am no more! I got married to my awesome husband in June, and we went on our honeymoon to Europe in July. It is already September, I am starting to get used to the idea of "being married" There are certainly a lot of things to adjust and to learn as a new couple.





After we came back from our 3 week honeymoon, we had a housewarming party! Finally all settled in and ready to live in our new home :) We recently purchased a new vehicle that's family friendly. Welcome to the family Mitsubishi RVR in silver!



onto other exciting news! We are expecting our first child! That's exciting, the most exciting part is buying all the miniature clothing! We are looking at strollers today! Hopefully we will find a suitable candidate :)

Technology killed the human interaction

As technology advances, it supposedly brought people closer on a level, because it is now easier to contact via the internet or mobile communication devices. We're all so plugged in all the time, that we are slowly forgetting the importance of human interaction and face to face communication.

At restaurants I often see tables of friends and couples sitting in silence because everyone is on their mobile devices. The world is increasingly growing quieter as people minimize verbal conversation, and it is reduced to electronic communication by email, by social media. I must admit, at times I fall into the same situation, instead of having small chats before the food arrives, I too, stare at my phone, hoping to connect with a friend or two through facebook, when there is already a friend who sits across the table.

Technology has blinded us, it has inhibited our ability to communicate, to connect. We are so connected to the internet and the world wide web that we hadn't realized that we've lost immense connection with the ones around us. I am so tired of being connected.

Quality time no longer meant having heartfelt conversations, it meant watching television together, while surfing on the iPad, and reading news on the iPhone. We've gotten so good at multi-tasking that we've forgotten what it is like to do one single thing wholeheartedly.

From now on, I will make an effort to connect with those that I love and care for, and reduce the usage of electronic devices. I don't want to be a slave to technology. I need to regain and reconnect with the world without being dragged around by the internet. I was starting to lose grasp of what it meant to be a human being.

Year 2011 in recap

Over the past year I haven't dedicated enough time for blogging, mostly because the business is busy moving and life has been really hectic. Here's some of the highlights of 2011.

Nothing much happened in January and February...

March
Started my lookbook account, and took several outfit photos! This did not last long...since it was very time consuming!




March was also a devastating time for Japan and Libya.

April
My LG phone died, so we had to charge it old school way.


And Tien bought an iPad!


Also the month that I found out I am now lactose intolerant....

May
We took a trip down to Bellevue and watched an awesome Canucks playoff game there! Also went to eat dumpling at Dim Tai Fu, and dinner at Wild Ginger! Really fun trip :)

June
I got an early birthday present in May! It was iPhone 4!!! Thanks hunnie :)

June was also a really sad month, where we lost in game 7, the stanley cup finals :(

People were kind enough to clean up the street after the terrible riot.


July
We decided to start project 365 to document 1 year of our lives! This project has deem to be quite successful!

My cousin came to visit us in July!


And we took our annual EVO convention trip to Las Vegas :)


Where I saw the world's top street fighters and also Celine Dion!!!!

August
We took some baller photos in August.




We celebrated Tien's birthday with some camping and picnicking around the park!


It was a beautiful summer.

September
It was a really long summer, it didn't end until last week of September. We still had gorgeous sunshine.


We also discovered tasty cheese fondue, where we would visit many more times over the months.


October
This halloween we were beauty and the beast!


We also had a nice high tea to celebrate Lilly's engagement!

November
Tien's surprise proposal!


Even though we had plans to get married, and we already booked a venue, I was still quite shocked and surprised when he popped the question and showed the ring! LOVE YOU!





saw lots of friends and talked about wedding details!

December
Finally, last month before the new year. This was an eventful year. We had a really good Christmas with lots of gifts. Even though we did set a budget and a shortlist of gifts, we ended up with more than we were expecting!


I thought it was a portable harddrive! I didn't even bother to open it! but it was a sweater!!!


Christmas day on Whistler!

There some good and sad moments in 2011, and hopefully the new year will bring us strength we need. Family, friends, and loved ones will give you the strength you seek, and in turn we shall support them all the way. 2012 is a new year for new beginnings and new adventures. Let us embrace 2012 and say thanks to all the challenges and experiences that 2011 had given us.

Please train your employees better, Bonnie Brooks!

I love the Bay for its vast variety and selection of brands, and its occasional sales, but lately I have not appreciate their customer service!!!!

On two separate occasions I have had to deal with incompetent cashiers and misleading sale signs that indicated otherwise.

Tomorrow I will attempt to visit the Bay again for my price adjustment, hopefully I can find someone who is able to understand what the meaning of Price Adjustment is.

Anywho, I wrote a complaint email to The Bay, hoping they will train their staff and educate them better to service the customers' need.

Below is a letter to Bonnie!!

"I was at the bay twice this week, and both times I had very difficult experiences with the cashier at Surrey BC, and Metrotown Burnaby BC. First time at Surrey was the fact that sales signs indicated 40% off hudson room pyjama set, but at the cash register it came up only 30%. I went into the store 3 days later to find the items I had purchased were marked down, brought in receipt for price adjustment, but cashier was incompetent and could not complete the price adjustment, because she was simply scanning my receipt and refunding my original purchased price, telling me, "no the item is not on sale, look it's the same price." I am visiting the bay again tomorrow to find a different cashier and hopefully she will complete a correct price adjustment. I have been utterly frustrated with your services."

Open house + wishlist!

Open house is one of the things you do not go to if you don't want to trigger the inner shopper. Once you step into a beautifully designed room, you'll start to envision yourself in the space, and all the furniture and accessories that you want to buy and make the place feel like home.

Thing I like for the home decor!
Sun Jar $35


Tree wall decal $28


Awesome Jewellery box for all the goodies $148


Cute dishes for all the fun accessories! $29


Hello Kitty sewing machine


Since I was on the urban outfitter website, I decided to venture over the clothing section!

Pretty Dress $32


And the Keds ($29.99) that were on sale at the bay one day, then not on sale the next day! Is on sale at urban outfitters.com

nostalgia

It is the Christmas season, which is also the season to reflect on the whole year, and what we are grateful for, and look forward to the new year with new hope and wishes!

Speaking of Christmas, first thing that comes to mind is the holiday drinks at Starbucks!



So my favourite drink is the creme caramel brulee latte! I was waiting patiently in line the other day for my favourite holiday treat, as I waited for him to top off my latte with whipped cream and caramel bits, I had noticed there was a lack of golden sparkles on my mountain of whipped goodness. I saw the barista searching frantically for that magical bottle of caramel salt!! He didn't tell me that they were out of caramel bits and I could feel sadness grow inside me. As I reluctantly picked up a lid and moved towards my not-so-brulee latte, a light of hope came from the back room! Someone yelled and said, "here are some caramel sprinkles!!" IT was a Christmas miracle!! My barista soon came over to my already covered drink, and said he is glad I stuck around, because it isn't a caramel brulee latte without the bits!!!! He then sprinkles generously on my latte! It was the best day ever!

Back to nostalgia....I miss all the olden day stuff, like Sega genesis..Someone lend me their console so I can play World of Illusion, my favourite game as a child! Also Aladdin!


Remember Rocketmail?!?! Subspace? All the old stuff made life so fun and exciting! Facebook is no longer fun and exciting for me.... :(

Planning

After the proposal, I've been busy catching up with friends on the details of wedding planning. It is more hectic than I thought, or I just lack serious time management skills! Anywho, it's been nice meeting up with friends and giggles over gossip.



Here are some inspirations for the wedding, it looks like it's about time I start shopping for a dress...or else I won't have enough time!






Ideas...ideas...