mulzanza { Mi Vida }

Garage Sale!

2012-01-15T01:48:00.004-06:00

Dear friends,

It's time to do a little spring cleaning! If you're interested in any of the items below, please email me at maryttan@gmail.com or leave a comment. ALL ITEMS AT $10 UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. International postage available!

Click on the pictures to for a larger view. Apologies in advance for not ironing these clothes..I promise they're all in good condition!

For reference, I am a size small, (Australian size 6-8, US 4-6, UK 6-8)

BYSI Top (Cotton Dark Green, with silver beads along the neckline) - EU36, UK8, size small

Cotton On Cardigan (Hot Pink with pockets, 100% cotton) - Small

Zara Top/Dress (True Red with deep V neckline, pleats and side ties) - small

Topshop Striped Cardigan (Grey and white, long sleeves with two front pockets, soft and comfy cotton) - UK 10 but fits small

Wannabe Dress (Black, v-neck pleated dress with red petticoat and attached belt/sash. Fraying at the bottom of dress is intentional. approximately knee length)- no size on label, but will fit small-medium ($30)

Forever 21 Mini Tube Dress (Dark blue stretch dress) - label says M but will fit small

Zara Empire-style Dress (White with pleated front, about mid-thigh length) - medium

Bysi Dress (Navy Blue and White striped 'top' and attached orange skirt with belt loops and size zip) - size M

Vintage Printed Dress (approximately knee length with cap sleeves and belt) - Small

Satin Purple Dress (almost knee length with belt loops and cap sleeves) - small

2011-06-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

DEAR READERS AND DEDICATED BEAUTY LOVERS,

Please note that this blog is now closed!

For more travel and lifestyle tips, please head to MARYAROUNDTHEWORLD.BLOGSPOT.COM.

I'll be setting up a new 'Travel Beauty' section soon - so keep an eye out for that! :)

Love,

Mary

Hanging out | Nice, France

2011-01-27T21:19:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of Henrik Blomqvist

As originally posted on Mary Around the World

Mood board for Villians + Lovers

2011-01-27T10:20:00.003-06:00

This weekend, I'll be putting my latent 'beauty skills' to use for the latest collection of Singaporean blogshop Villians + Lovers, the brainchild of my best friend and rad fashionista Jo. If you remember, I did one last month, so I'm really chuffed that she's giving me the chance to paint a stranger's face again!

Inspirations for this shoot include La Roux, graphic prints and gummy bears on smack. Click play on the video below to get into the mood and scroll away.

My first video in 2.5years!

2011-01-26T10:18:00.001-06:00

Who would have thought?!

A new video after 2.5years.... kind of a hi and a goodbye at the same time, with a bit of makeup stuff thrown in for good measure.

I miss all this stuff... but I'm not very good at it anymore! Either way, enjoy! xoxo

Travel Light Challenge

2010-12-16T08:06:00.003-06:00

As part of my new Travel Challenge on my travel blog (Maryaroundtheworld.blogspot.com, for the uninitiated!), I have limited my makeup for the next three weeks to the following items:-

- MAC Mineralize foundation

- NARS Angelika Blush

- MAC A Tartan Tale Eye Palette (Dashing Lassie) - beautiful neutral colours for day or night

- Maybelline Impact Express Smooth Felt Liner in Very Black

- Shiseido Eyelash Curler

- Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara - this stuff totally works; my favourite new drugstore mascara!

- Silky Girl eyebrow pencil in brown

- Dior l/s in Beige Cendre - the most moisturizing, beautiful neutral colour with a hint of sweet pink; absolutely mesmerizing and worth the chunk change!

- The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care

- L'occitane Velvet Hand Cream in Rose - great smell; practically doubles as perfume!

- One medium powder brush

- Tweezers

Reckon I can survive? ;)

Remember to follow me on Twitter @maryttan! More travel, lifestyle and beauty advice from around the world!

What I love right now: Gunmetal Nails

2010-12-05T08:48:00.010-06:00

I got myself a mani/pedi in a wicked gunmetal gray today and absolute love the shade. It feels industrial, luxurious, city-slicking and wintery all at the same time.

***

I played makeup artist for a friend's photoshoot today - check out her online store Villains + Lovers for more! We were going for two contrasting looks. Here is a sneak preview:

Products used: Shu Uemura Liquid Foundation set wit L'Oreal Translucent Powder in #916;black eyebrow pencil, MAC Blusher in Pink Swoon; peache/s from a makeup palette; MAC e/s in A Dashing Lassie; MAC e/s in Showstopped as eyeliner; MAC e/s in Dazzlelight; Revelon Mascara in Grow Luscious; MAC l/s in Skew; MAC l/g in Fulfilled
Products Used: MAC e/s in Soba on cheeks; black and brown e/s from makeup palette on eyes; MAC e/s in Beauty Marked; MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack; MAC l/s in Tanamara, MAC Dazzleglass Creme in Lightly Prancing; Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Flash in #557

A behind-the-scenes look!

Until next time...stay beautiful! :)

P.s I am on Twitter! Follow me @maryttan for more ramblings :D

A facial on the move?

2010-11-21T04:48:00.002-06:00

Read my latest product review at my travel blog, Mary Around the World! Even a backpacker needs to find a way to keep her skin looking goooood on the road. ;)

My favorite travel makeup product!

2010-11-13T07:06:00.003-06:00

Read about my favorite makeup travel product at my travel blog, Mary Around the World!

The direct link is: http://maryaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-lovebobbi-browns-customizable-makeup.html

Chances are that most of you already know about the product and/or own it yourselves, so do share your experiences! :) I haven't personally gotten the chance to get one for myself yet, but I totally intend to.

Unfortunately, I just picked up MAC's Tartan Palette in all these beautiful neutral eye colours while I was traveling in KL, so I know I don't really need another palette... but oooh it's so hard to resist these temptations!

Until next time my fellow beauty lovers...

xoxo

Mary

Back to (Beauty) Basics

2010-10-17T08:26:00.002-05:00

After over a year's absence from this blog, I've decided to take some time to write an update! It's a miracle -- I'm sure most of you have either stopped reading this blog altogether or just given me up for dead.

The truth is I have just been incredibly busy trying to balance a combination of things: family, work and social life, all of which seem to constantly compete and encroach on my alone time! It's hard to find a quiet moment on my own, much less have the time to maintain and upload a fully functioning blog. Still, this is my small attempt.

I went out shopping today for no particular reason and as per usual, returned home with bags full of beauty products that I don't actually need. Ugh! Talk about a serious retail addiction. Anyway, I hit L'Occitane, Dior and Givenchy. For a start, here are some products that I can review:
Voile de lait / Milk Veil (L'Occitane)
I read about this in L'Officiel magazine and for no particular reason, immediately raced out and bought it; no questions asked. (Ahh, the fatal lure of the media...) The verdict? I am in love. The product -- more liquid than cream -- goes on smoothly and feels rich and luxurious. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave any sticky, slimy residue common in other body moisturizers due to Singapore's humidity; definitely a plus! I adore the light scent and the hint of shimmer it leaves on your skin - great when you're headed out and want a little extra 'glow'! Skin feels immediately moisturized and so far, seems to stay that way. No extra applications needed!

Bright Crystal Perfume (Versace)

I was looking for something to replace my failsafe Givenchy Very Irresistable perfume; something I've been using for years, and after an hour of wandering around Sephora sniffing countless perfumes and coffee beans, I finally came home with this. It may be too cloying and sweet for some people, but my favorite scents are a combination of sweet florals and freshness, and Bright Crystal definitely hit the right spots. It hits with a strong sweet mango/fruity scent at first (reminds me a little of Escada's Rocking Rio) but quickly settles into your skin and leaves behind a clean, almost linen-fresh scent, with just a tinge of sweet notes. In other words, it's perfect for all my girly nights out. I can see this becoming a favorite over all the other perfumes I own. :)

That's it for today - I'm still trying to get into the swing of things. I'll be posting an update soon about the Dior products I bought... I'm still trying to see if they actually work! ;)

Until next time! xoxo

Lost Girls

2009-07-30T21:15:00.001-05:00

I'd like to thank the wonderful Lost Girls for posting my article on traveling alone on their blog! You can check it out here and read about other great traveling adventures from women around the world.

I'll be posting some updates on my travel blog so if you're still interested in following, check back soon! I know some of you have been emailing me and I haven't done a good job of replying -- been swamped lately! I promise to get back to all of you soon.

Cheers!

I won't remove my last post.

2009-07-16T05:58:00.003-05:00

You can only run headfirst into a wall and bleed all over the damned floor so many times before you figure out that you've got to find a way around it.

I can't figure out any longer what I'm doing in a relationship that is a train wreck but I feel so numb inside that it doesn't seem to matter very much either way. I find that profoundly sad. I used to have a lot of hope for relationships in general, and was a firm believer in the concept that love must be insane, passionate, riveting, interesting, alive. I couldn't go through another boring relationship, playing the domesticated housewife to a guy that hardly even noticed my presence.

So I decided that I would take that giant leap of faith, and do something completely irrational, like relocate to another country for someone and something that I didn't even believe in just because I thought that maybe, by some sliver of a miracle, there would be magic in the air.

And I get here, and get stomped on again. Hard. Through no fault but my own.

He has taught me to expect only the worst; to expect a slap at every turn, and to steel myself for more pain. That's my reward for my foolishness and naivety.

So here's my ticket out of this childish game, I give what I can when I feel like it, and I take what I can when I feel like it. I will have no lavish expectations or hyperbolic dreams, and when something else catches my fancy, I will simply take flight. Life is a slippery little bugger -- the harder you squeeze it the more it tries to leap out of your hand but the second you relax your grip, it settles in.... so that is precisely what I'll do.

Bouncing Back!

2009-07-03T17:58:00.003-05:00

I met Chris last night and it was an absolute, fucking, nightmare. I wanted to get my phone back (crappy old iPhone that he's using but I want for sentimental reasons) and I had to return this key-thing of his. What should have been a very simple exchange turned into a wretched hour-long sit at a bar and then a fucking horrible dinner experience at an otherwise-great tapas restaurant.

Basically, I don't think I am capable of being civilized to him anymore. He went from being 'grovelly' to annoyingly sarcastic to pissed off at me! What the flying fuck did I do wrong that gives him any right to angry? Ridiculous.

After these two horrendous hours, I finally just told him that all I wanted to hear was a damn good explanation for his cheating and lying on me again, and that he might as well come up with a good lie and make it worth my while because regardless of what he says, I would never want to see him again. His answer?

"Well, whatever, I'm just a dumb fuck to you...."

And that is when I collected my shit and left because I realized that it would be pointless trying to extract a 'reason' for a guy like that. There are no reasons -- what could there possibly be? A cheater is just a cheater, full stop. It's practically in his blood to cheat, lie, and get away with it. He cannot fathom that his behavior is wrong, hurtful, despicable and immoral. Because the bottom line is that he's just out for as much good times as possible.

Let me digress for a second: I don't care and I wouldn't care if I knew that him and I were in a casual relationship where we could see other people. But he acts as though he has to own me, and is blindly jealous of every single male friend I have, and gets upset whenever I was with 'other guys'. He, on the other hand, was absolutely free to do whatever he wanted, and didn't seem to get it when I get pissed off -- how the hell is that fair?

At the end of the day, I don't think he's a very smart person...!

Unfortunately, even after all that lameness, we didn't manage to do that damned exchange!! I am so tempted to just tell him to forget about it altogether but...fuck!

Anyway, I ended up meeting some friends of Giovanni's; all these cool Italian guys who were out for a drink at Oxford St in Paddington [read about that here!] One of them proved to be particularly interesting -- the fact that he's attractive obviously had nothing to do with it at all. ;)

And by the end of the night (or morning I suppose), I finally realized that being single in Australia is definitely the right way to be. Because wasting my time on a sad sack like Chris is only causing me to miss out on fun people, fun times, and doing what I truly want without having to answer to a psycho, possessive bastard!

Hopefully tonight will turn out to be just as interesting as last night -- check back in tomorrow. Cheers :)

Single again

2009-07-02T12:02:00.007-05:00

The bottom line is that people want to feel that someone else wants them; they want to feel that someone else's life is less meaningful without their presence.

But not everyone can give that, and not everyone gets the chance to have that. Talking about things doesn't necessarily change anything. You can't force someone to want you, or to fall in love with you.

Or change for you.

Or do anything, really.

Realizing that hurts, but I think most of all it hurts your pride and makes you think that you are somehow a person who doesn't deserve genuine love, care or concern. I refuse to believe or tolerate that -- I know I deserve better than the treatment I've been receiving.

The first time I discovered his indiscretion, I took an abnormal amount of sleeping pills to try and fall asleep. I was drunk virtually every night and didn't eat for a week.

Today, I cried to my closest friends; people who know me inside out and love me in a way that he never could. They made me smile and laugh ten minutes after I was sobbing in my closet. I will now attempt to pull myself together, salvage whatever is left of my pride and self-esteem and face tomorrow when it comes.

"Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours." Karma may have bitten me hard in the ass, but I'm going to put an end to it. True, I haven't been the best girl, but any number of people will attest to the fact that I am an amazingly dedicated girlfriend -- but for the right guy. And he is definitely not it. I have been lying to myself for the last few months but I can't go down this road any longer.

You'll be my witness; this is the last time I deal with Chris. It is time to live a life that is fully my own, in a completely foreign city. Wish me luck. I think I'll need it.

I'm in Sydney

2009-06-28T23:23:00.003-05:00

So, for those not in the loop, I now reside in Sydney. :) You can keep up with my travelogue at http://maryaroundtheworld.blogspot.com

In the meantime, I have been reunited with Mr. French, and we still have a lot of issues to move through (and move past, I might add) but so far it's been blissful and he has done an excellent job of playing the part of caring, concerned, loving and obsessed boyfriend. I have no reason to complain....! I'm just taking it in stride and thinking of it as starting from scratch, with no history -- it is much harder than it sound but I am determined.

Yes, I know a million people who would love to smack me on the head for returning to someone who's loyalty is in doubt, but they will just have to trust that I know what I'm doing... even when I'm not sure that I do!

Walt Whitman

2009-06-10T21:12:00.002-05:00

"WHOEVER you are, holding me now in hand,
Without one thing, all will be useless,
I give you fair warning, before you attempt me further,
I am not what you supposed, but far different.

Who is he that would become my follower?
Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?

The way is suspicious—the result uncertain, perhaps destructive;
You would have to give up all else—I alone would expect to be your God, sole and exclusive,
Your novitiate would even then be long and exhausting,
The whole past theory of your life, and all conformity to the lives around you, would have to be abandon’d;
Therefore release me now, before troubling yourself any further—Let go your hand from my shoulders,
Put me down, and depart on your way.

Or else, by stealth, in some wood, for trial,
Or back of a rock, in the open air,
(For in any roof’d room of a house I emerge not—nor in company,
And in libraries I lie as one dumb, a gawk, or unborn, or dead,)
But just possibly with you on a high hill—first watching lest any person, for miles around, approach unawares,
Or possibly with you sailing at sea, or on the beach of the sea, or some quiet island,
Here to put your lips upon mine I permit you,
With the comrade’s long-dwelling kiss, or the new husband’s kiss,
For I am the new husband, and I am the comrade.

Or, if you will, thrusting me beneath your clothing,
Where I may feel the throbs of your heart, or rest upon your hip,
Carry me when you go forth over land or sea;
For thus, merely touching you, is enough—is best,
And thus, touching you, would I silently sleep and be carried eternally.

But these leaves conning, you con at peril,
For these leaves, and me, you will not understand,
They will elude you at first, and still more afterward—I will certainly elude you,
Even while you should think you had unquestionably caught me, behold!
Already you see I have escaped from you.

For it is not for what I have put into it that I have written this book,
Nor is it by reading it you will acquire it,
Nor do those know me best who admire me, and vauntingly praise me,
Nor will the candidates for my love, (unless at most a very few,) prove victorious,
Nor will my poems do good only—they will do just as much evil, perhaps more;
For all is useless without that which you may guess at many times and not hit—that which I hinted at;
Therefore release me, and depart on your way."

- Walt Whitman, Whoever You Are, Holding Me Now In Hand

Chanel No. 5 (Audrey Tatou)

2009-05-11T09:26:00.001-05:00

Audrey Tautou's Chanel No. 5 Ad from James Buford on Vimeo.

Inspiration

2009-05-09T08:36:00.001-05:00

Read the transcript of his speech here:"http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html"

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
-Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement 2005

Le Love

2009-04-25T09:20:00.001-05:00

From Le Love
Amazing website.
Check it out.
If you're in a relationship, it will make you feel warm and fluffy inside.
If you are single and bitter (like me), you will only want to cry and abuse someone.

A duck-billed platypus

2009-04-24T09:06:00.003-05:00

Some things you can feel coming. You don't fall in love because you fall in love; you fall in love because of the need, desperate, to fall in love. When you feel that need, you have to watch your step; like having drunk a philter, the kind that makes you fall in love with the first thing you meet. It could be a duck-billed platypus.

-- Umberto Eco, 'Foucault's Pendulum'

What a gem. And how incredibly insightful.

I wonder sometimes if I am forever destined to make the worst choices about the most important things in life... and where that would ultimately lead me. Or what I would be if I had done things differently. t's all a bit too Sliding Doors for my fancy.

Travel Advisory

2009-04-14T08:45:00.001-05:00

I've updated my travel blog, Mary Around the Worl d. Do check it out! :)

Thanks to the lovelies who left me some advice on Sydney -- would love to hear more if everyone else has any! I hear the job situation in Australia is terrible at the moment, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I'd be able to pick up some part-time work while I'm there, and an affordable apartment!

Ooooh, I cannot wait to have my own little flat!! :D

Sydney!

2009-04-13T02:09:00.001-05:00

Am off to the land of koalas and kangaroos in July for graduate school!! Dead excited.

Does anybody have any tips on where to start looking for a job or an apartment? I would seriously appreciate any information... especially from all the aussie visitors I get on my site! Pllleeeeeease? :)

Meghan Collision

2009-04-11T03:15:00.004-05:00

My obsession du jour: Meghan Collision. I like the hair (now that I have bangs, I am very attuned to all banged-women! heh), the attitude, the style, the gaze. Tres cool.

The rain outside has been dreary, dreary, dreary. It matches the state of my health -- runny, leaky, wet, constant, heavy, depressing. My sister has taken to dodging out of my room while muttering something about the 'bubonic plague'. She occasionally also tosses medicine at me but I've never been keen on pills.

It was Good Friday yesterday, and I ditched plans to head out because I just felt too ill. All night, I was struck with a ridiculous sense of longing and paranoia -- I was missing a great night out! Everyone is having fun except me! I'm such a loser!

It is ridiculous that one missed weekend night drives me to paranoia. There are so many reasons not to be out, wasted and falling down, and I can plainly list them all: saved money on insane cab fares and late night snacks and tax-heavy drinks, no first or second-hand cigarette smoke translate into better lungs and skin, no alcohol to contribute to beer-gut or liver disease, no need to shout over the sound of bass beats and lose sense of hearing, no hangover or vomiting, no need to bitch about other girls in the club, or dream up ways to avoid ugly men. Able to sit at home and finish the book you've always wanted to. Have some productive me-time. Tons more, really.

So why is it that I friends under cover of night; that we can only talk when half-drunk and lit? Is that what socializing (outside of Facebook, of course) has been reduced to?
It feels like too long since I've done anything 'normal', like sit at a cafe and talk to a friend. Or lie in the grass under the sun and read a magazine, or dream about life. I used to really adore those things...and now, I feel as though they are mundane, as if one missed night means that I am scratched off the social face of the universe and forgotten.

New Hair!

2009-04-03T05:05:00.003-05:00

I got my hair cut!

Ok, it might not look like much, but long-haired girls will know what a difference an inch or two makes. My head feels so incredibly light, nothing tickles my back any longer, I don't get a headache from a ponytail, etc. etc.

I went from waist-length to just over shoulder length, and am now trying to blow dry my hair straight instead of leaving it wavy/curly. As you can see from the pictures though, obviously my blow-drying skills are not quite polished enough... (I actually really HATE blow dryers... damnit)

Yay or nay? Honest opinion now.... it's just hair, it'll grow back and then I can go crazy all over again! ;)

Fret not m'dears!

2009-03-31T09:29:00.003-05:00

Highlights of the week gone by:

Thank god for good friends and sound advice!

Why waste one's time and breath on someone who will matter very little in the near future? These things will play out on their own, whether we push them along or not.

I am quite content to leave things the way they currently are. The sticky strings of attachments and trivial doubt were merely sapping my energy and dragging me down. Who needs that sort of negativity in their life? I've always believed that if you play nice, love everybody and keep things simple, life will be OK. I'm sticking by that mantra from now on.

So in case you thought you would worry for me, pity me or whatever else, I'm here to tell you not to bother. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger! Congratulate me for having wizened up a little more! ;)

A complete mind fuck

2009-03-26T04:07:00.003-05:00

Is there anybody out there who
Is lost and hurt and lonely too
Are they bleeding all your colours into one?
and if you come undone
As if you've been run through
Some catapult it fired you
You wonder if your chance will ever come
Or if you're stuck in square one

I am at a complete lost.

Single

2009-03-24T20:35:00.002-05:00

It's over.
Turns out that he's a lying, cheating, womanizing cunt who deserves to have his dick cut off and thrown to the dogs.

One more thing to cry about

2009-03-22T11:09:00.006-05:00

A Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws song captures exactly how I feel at the moment.

Well, I’m in pain
But I won’t admit it, no
I’m too proud
I want to hide it

[...]

I’ll tango with a glass
Of whiskey in my hand
The only reliable partner
At this moment I can stand
I got the blues
This you don’t choose, no

I just want to press rewind, and take it all the way back to a time when I was stupid, naive, innocent and willing to go along with any game and any lie and not let it phase me.

At least I have the Coldplay concert to look forward to tomorrow. There's nothing like a good cry and a friend's hug to make everything better. And then after that, I'll go back to being the ice-cold happy dancing girl who remembers what it was like to laugh, have a good time, and not feel like she was slowing wasting away inside.

It has been a sour day indeed.

Shopping my Closet

2009-03-21T08:19:00.003-05:00

Economic crisis and money woes have been plaguing me of late, so I drown my sorrows by digging through my closet for old reliables! Then cam-whore for a while with the new camera that my baby boy got for my birthday! Ok, I don't have the greatest body (months of alcohol abuse will do that to you, unfortunately) but give me a few months and I'll be a veritable supermodel! Ha! All 5'5" of me! :D Just you wait and see ;)

Can't go to Australia looking like a lard -- oh wait, did I not mention? I'm off to Sydney for grad school in July! Can't wait! King's Cross, here I come!

My darling boyfriend came and left for a short 10 day trip...it was all a blur and a flurry and much, much to quick...depressingly so.

Square One

2009-03-08T23:01:00.002-05:00

Hello Darkess my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again.

There is way too much doubt going around lately. Something's in the air...smells like trouble.

enjoy it now, because after college it's called ALCOHOLISM.

2009-03-06T22:32:00.002-06:00

Schedule

Monday: Beers at lunch with colleagues to ride out Monday blues. Post-work beers at dodgy pub down the street. Involves a lot of greasy food and munchies. Perhaps a reefer or two.

Tuesday: Girl's Night Out, usually involving a chick flick and lots of giggles and gossip, good dinner and perhaps a glass or two of something calming... (not tea)

Wednesday: Ladies Night Out! Free drinks every where you turn! Shimmying about in our gorgeous dresses and downing those apple martinis! Stumble, bump and crawl our way home! Throw up liberally all over front porch!

Thursday: General feeling of nausea while at work. Whiny Wine Nights and a massive dinner solve that. Averaging at one bottle of red per person. Tongue, lip and teeth well past attractive stage by this point -- start drinking whites instead.

Friday: Let the festivities begin! Exclusive invite-only or the local everyman's club...it's all good and all the same by the end of the night. Begin by ordering bottles of Jack D and Belvedere and end on the floor.

Saturday: Re-enactment of Friday night, only worse. Saturday is for Shots! Who needs mixers?

Sunday: Soon-to-be-closed beach club in a vain attempt to get a tan, but is actually a guise to drink more beer and cocktails.

Wash and reuse as needed.

It is DEFINITELY time for a detox!

Love at first sight

2009-02-27T03:20:00.006-06:00

This is the kind of research I do at work... fun times.

A company found a way to change the individual color of rose petals, and the result is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

I already have a sick love affair with roses; this just makes it even worse.

You can buy them at Happy Roses. I am sorely tempted!

Found at Industrial Design Asia, my new favorite inspirational website...check that out too. They have some amazing stuff.

Now, back to work.

Scarlet Obsession

2009-02-26T00:59:00.005-06:00

My obsession with all things red continues...
SG$42 (US$27) 3" patent pumps from M)phosis.

Lunch break purchases are evil! I reassure myself by saying that each dollar I spend helps to rejuvenate and revive the flagging economy.

And besides, they were on sale! How am I supposed to resist? I've been itching for a pair of red shoes for ages now, and these were perfect!

Just had to share. Everyone loves a good impulse purchase! ;)

I am hooked!

2009-02-23T22:21:00.004-06:00

...on red lips, that is!

It is thick, rich, glossy, femme fatale, glamorous, sexy, and oooh la la!

Unfortunately, it's also very high-maintenance. I guess like all things, you win some, you lose some!

Oh, I found a beautiful pair of diamond studs that I absolutely must have and can't stop obsessing about. Is 22 the age at which you decide to buy 'timeless, investment pieces'? How very boring and grown-up of me!

A Dash of Gold

2009-02-21T22:12:00.006-06:00

Two local clubs were having a themed party ('Dash of Gold') so, having nothing that I really wanted to wear that was gold, I decided to go with headbands... one more step towards solving my hair styling problems, and a way to finally use one of my silly 'indie-kid' headbands!

I know it's a real mess...but I fixed it after I saw the pictures and before I headed out. Haha.

Some kind of Greek chic? Can't say I didn't try... In general, I don't think this style of headband really suits me (too skinny for a round face or something) but it was one of those dreaded bad hair days.

And because it's been a while... a brief makeup guide:

Face
L'oreal 7-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC25
NARS Angelika Blush

Eyes
Some random gold and pale pink mineral eyeshadow
The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Shiseido Mascara Base
Shiseido Lasting Lift Mascara
MAC e/s in Humid on lower lashes

Lips
Bobbi Brown l/s in Burgundy

I genuinely think that this is the most makeup I've used in a very, very, VERY long time... The other day I tried putting on eyeshadow the way I used to for all the videos and either I had gotten really bad at it (out of practice?) or I just wasn't used to it any longer -- it looked so wrong! I felt like laughing at my reflection in the mirror. It felt so out of place, felt too heavy and too much. To think that about 6 months ago, I was freaking out without my arsenal of makeup. Now I feel more secure with less than with more.

For comparison purposes, <-- that is how I normally do my makeup these days. Blush,eyeliner, mascara and chapstick. It might not be the most interesting thing in the world but at least it's 1) incredibly fast, 2) won't start melting off my face in a humid, sweat-drenched club and 3) no one looks at me and thinks that I've been punched by the fairy godmother of rainbow glitter sticks. Anyway, that's that for today. I'm off to lie out in the sun! Might as well enjoy the tropical weather while I can!

p.s. if you haven't yet caught 'He's Just Not That Into You', you should do it soon! I had the best time being giggly in the cinema with my girlfriends. Chick flicks rock! :)

Long Hair Plight

2009-02-20T00:30:00.003-06:00

So today I will be blogging about my hair. The hair that recently went from waist-length to boob length (heh, is there really any other way to put it?); that used to be curly and is now just mildly wavy on a good day...

I have such a strong love-hate relationship with my hair! Or rather, it's length.

As a young girl, I always had incredibly long hair, the kind that almost touched your butt. All my relatives told my parents not to cut it because it was so incredibly thick and beautiful and straight, but it's no fun for a six year-old to be running around in tropical weather with the equivalent of a blanket on her head. And headaches from those too-heavy ponytails I had to wear to school? Nope.

So throughout the most of my teen years, I had short, short hair. A boy cut almost. It was nothing in between -- from long to pixie. Looking back at it now, it was incredibly unflattering on me and it's really no wonder no one wanted to date me. ;)

I've been back to long hair for about 3 years now and I'm finding it to be more and more of a pain. The amount of hair that clogs up the bathroom drain, that I leave behind on the floor and the pillow and on my clothes and even on other people (my boyfriend was taking a shower one day and said that in the middle of it, to his enormous surprise, he found a strand of my hair on his head) is incredible. How can someone lose what appears to be so much hair and still have so much left on her head? It's getting to the point that I'm afraid of even running my fingers through my hair because of how much of it I'll pull out without even trying.

Obviously, need to change my diet to include more proteins and...something else. I don't know. Flaxseed was it? Or fish oils?

And let's not even talk about split ends. I believe I use about half a bottle of conditioner every single day and still that doesn't do the trick. They just seem to happen, whether I like it or not (I don't).

In addition, I never really know what to do with it sometimes. Put it up in a too-heavy ponytail? Roll it in a bun and risk it looking kinky and strange when I take it off? Or leave it down, even in extreme heat and humidity? Braids? Buns? Pins?

Oh, one more thing -- I've actually whipped a lady in the face with my hair when I was salsa dancing in a club once. I apologized madly but she still looked extremely offended... I'm not surprised. I imagine it feels like being lashed by a horse's tail.

But on the flipside, things I adore about long hair include:
- Never having to do anything to it. The most styling I ever do to my hair is wash, conditioner, and air-dry. Occasionally I try to use hair masks and leave-in lotions but I lose interest in those fairly fast.

- It just feels sexy to flip it over your shoulder, or out of your eye, or the way it falls down your back. Long hair makes me feel feminine in a way that even the prettiest dress couldn't do.

- It's not as high-maintenance as short hair, which needs constant trimming and styling to look updated. I see my stylist practically once ever 4 months...much to her chagrin of course. ("Look at all these split ends! Off! We must cut it off!")

- Waking up and not having to do anything to it, and knowing that your hair isn't stick up in a million different directions like it would if you had short hair. Perhaps your long locks are even framing your face perfectly like an angel's dark halo....well, one can always dream.

I imagine that one day I'll snip it all off, in favor of a chic bob or something fashionable like that, but I'm still too stuck on it. I'm still looking about for good haircare products. There are some things out there especially for girls with very long hair but I haven't had the chance to try it out yet...I would really like to be a bit more attentive to my head but lately my life has been the epitome of low-maintenance.

If there are any lengthy ladies around who have any advice or tips for me, I would really, really appreciate it! Under this kilo of follicles I'm still that gawky, bespectacled teenager with short hair who doesn't know what do with herself.

21 and 1

2009-02-17T01:34:00.004-06:00

My 22^nd birthday is in about 3 weeks and I’m dead excited about it. For one thing, this will be the first time in about four years that I’ll be celebrating it with my family and closest Singaporean friends, and on top of that, my boyfriend is flying in from France to spend it with me! I’m not planning on a big soiree, but just a cozy dinner with my bestest friends, the people who have known me for a decade, carried me through thick and thin, loved me for all my flaws and put up with endless amounts of crap from me. I couldn’t be more grateful for their enduring presence, love and infinite patience. What could be more perfect than that, coupled with some good food and drink?

People have been asking me what I want for my birthday, and I honestly have no idea. Since I like to be on the move, it’s quite a hassle to amass a lot of things and have to lug them around with me. I threw out or left behind almost everything (over four years of my life!) when I moved back to Singapore – some of it was a painful experience akin to wrenching of a limb and I had to sit and mourn for a while, but most of it was just trash. Clothes I didn’t ever wear, makeup I never used, piles of magazines I never went through again, all clutter. I had four large boxes ready to be shipped home, and innumerable black trash bags waiting to be tossed out.

So back to the question: What do I want for my birthday? The only thing that I can think of at the moment is a good camera, maybe even an SLR. I’m not much of a photographer but the idea that I could capture something beautiful, even by accident, is very appealing. Ever since my Lumix had its fatal accident in a club, I feel like I’ve been missing a lot of precious moments. A good book would be nice too, or a pretty little journal…

Other than that, I’m at a total lost. Strangely, not a lot of buy-able things appeal to me these days....

p.s. but when all is said and done, a diamond is still forever. *coughboyfriendcough* ;)

Entirely unrelated to makeup

2009-02-14T11:42:00.004-06:00

I'm reading an incredible book at the moment, Diary of a Bad Year by J.M. Coetzee. I don't want to go into it too much and possibly ruin it for some other avid reader, but it's both entertaining and intellectual at the literal and rhetorical level...you'll see what I mean when you pick it up.

Anyway, I wanted to type out some bits from my favorite chapter so far, entitled 'On the Afterlife'. He retierated exactly what I've felt for a long time about the notions of heaven and hell, except with much more clarity than I could ever have.

"[...]Christianity gives only the most tentative accounts of the life of the soul after the death of the body. The soul will be eternally in the presence of God, Christianity teaches; more than that we do not know. Sometimes we are promised that in the afterlife we will be reunited with our loved ones, but this promise has little theological backing. For the rest, there are only vague images of harps and choirs.
[...]
"Doubtless the theologian, as theorists of the afterlife, will reply that kind the kind of love we will feel in the beyond is unknowable to us as we are now, just as the kind of identity we will have is unknowable, and our mode of association with other souls, therefore we might as well cease speculating. But if "I" will in the next life have a kind of existence that "I" as I am now am incapable of understanding, then Christian churches should rid themselves of the doctrine of the heavenly reward, the promise that good behaviour in the present life will be rewarded with heavenly bliss in the next: whoever I am now I will not be then.

"The question of the persistence of identity is even more crucial to the theory of eternal punishment. Either the soul in hell has a memory of an earlier life -- a life misspent -- or it has not. If it has no such memory, then eternal damnation must seem to the soul the worst, most arbitrary injustice in the universe, proof indeed that the universe is evil. Only the memory of who I was and how I spent my time on earth will permit those feelings of infinite regret that are said to be the quintessence of damnation.

"It is surprising that the notion of an individual afterlife persists in intellectually repsectable version of Christianity. It so transparently fills a lack -- an incapacity to think of a world from which the thinker is absent -- that religion ought simply to note such incapabity as part of the human condition and leave it at that.[...]"

His argument is obviously a bit longer than this, and better padded out, but I just latched on to his main points.

I apologize if it offends any Christian (or even just religious) readers, but Coetzee makes plenty of sense. This is not a matter of whether there is heaven or hell, but the idea that perhaps religion is just going about teaching it the wrong way. I clearly remember spending my childhood days terrified that I would die and be flung in hell to pay penance, which drove my Christian fanaticism to the point of insanity. And then spending my later, more formtive teenage years wondering about Heaven, and who would be there, and who exactly were my 'loved ones' -- would they be the actual souls of those I loved, or just some sort of ideal memory of them from my (soul's) subconscious? What if I was a baby and had died before I truly loved anyone? What if I got to heaven and found it empty because I never actually knew how to love, per se?

All that happens in bad theology is a lot of futile questions,a slew of bad answers, and an entire generation of confused people who feel like their life on earth is meaningless in comparison to their future, supposed life in Heaven (presuming that they arrive there). And even worse are those who believe they have some 'mission' to rescue as many people from the bowels of hell as possible, because they will somehow be given more 'crowns' when they get to the pearly gates -- what exactly are these metaphorical crowns? More people you loved while on earth (perhaps including pets)? More love from God? A bigger golden-studded mansion (MTV-style)?

I don't presume to have any better answers, or any at all. But if all we have are our little brains to crank out these 'intellectual' musing, then we might as well put them to task. It is never a bad thing to be someone who asks questions to discover the truth, whatever your individual notion of that may be.

Thoughts? Am just writing off the cuff here.

Embracing the Tan

2009-02-11T20:59:00.004-06:00

Faithful old readers from my days as a mad makeup fanatic will remember my obsession with being fair, fair, fair. Not just pale, but white as a sheet. Part of it was maybe the Asian thing (Fairness = beauty and wealth!), and also due to the fact that horrid freckling and pigmentation runs in my family and I didn't want to deal with it when I got older.

Behold, a picture of me and one of my friends right after I graduated college in May. Anti-sun, anti-tan, and it shows. I spent most summers hiding indoors in air-conditioning and wearing long-sleeved shirts and jeans. I could practically count the number of freckles I had.

And three months later in August, just before I left for Singapore, I was as tan as all my Hispanic/Latin friends (the same friend from above is on the extreme right in this picture)! That's what you get after a summer on Californian beaches and water-skiing, lying out on the river and having barbecues under the boiling Texan sun every single day. I was literally toast.

When I arrived home, my best friend (who is a bit of a tanning fanatic herself) actually said I looked 'burnt'. I think it was a pretty apt description. However, I actually felt good. I always thought I would look really bad with a tan but I actually felt really healthy, glowy and beautiful. UV rays are addictive! It was a liberating experience -- you have no idea how long I've had hang-ups about just being able to run around under the sun, paranoid about getting sun burnt or whatever.

Also, has anyone ever realized that the more tan you are, the less makeup you have to use? Seems like a good tan covers up most flaws...

I'm somewhere in the middle now, having lost most of my tan. Strangely enough, it takes me a while to bake but not so long to fade. I'm not (and will probably never be) as fair as I was before, but I don't think I could do the McScorchy look again either. I'm not so keen on skin cancer so instead I picked up...

The Body Shop's Everyday Summer Body Lotion!

I've only been using this baby for about 3 days but I already notice a difference. It's not an instant-tanner but a gradual one (sort of like Jergens but apparently they don't sell that in fairness-obsessed Asia).

What I like: You see results quickly, the formula really is moisturizing and the color isn't weird and orange but rather nice and cocoa. It doesn't leave any color (the lotion itself is white) or stain and it's virtually fool-proof. The bottle is pretty massive considering how fast it works, so I guess I'm getting my money's worth which is nice!

What I don't like: It's sort of sticky, even after it sinks into skin, and the smell is less than attractive. It's supposed to smell like chocolate but hmmmm... after years of using chocolate-like things, I know that only chocolate smells like chocolate. Anything else just smells like synthetic crap, and this one is no exception.

But overall, it's worked out pretty well. No skin cancer, but a nice tan that I can control. I'll use it for a while longer and see if it continues to impress me. Otherwise, I suppose I'll just have to start hunting for a store in Singapore that sells tanning products, not lightening ones!

Things I Love Right Now (Reviews)

2009-02-10T05:46:00.002-06:00

By popular demand... I'm crawling my way back into the beauty blogasphere. Don't expect too much from me at the moment though -- I'm swamped at work, don't have a camera so I can't take pictures or make videos, and most of my makeup was totally annihilated during the move back to Singapore. That means goodbye to most of my MAC collection, and anything that was remotely powdery.

Quite the tragedy, it's true. Just thinking about all that money I spent...gone down the drain... *shudder*

Anyway, enough depressing talk. Here are some of the things that are getting me by on a day-to-day basis:

Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer plus Touch of Foundation

My go-to foundation/moisturizer at the moment. It has SPF 15, and a slight hint of foundation and is (thus far) the best foundation-moisturizer I've found.

Other products I've used before either don't moisturize enough, or don't provide enough natural coverage. Olay seems to have a happy balance. To my knowledge however, the foundation only comes in one shade but it is supposedly suitable for a whole range of skin tones. I'm M.A.C. NC25, and it's perfect for me -- I doubt it would work well on considerably darker skintones.

Downsides? It seems to get a little greasy as the day goes on, which is weird because I have typically dry skin! Might want to nix this if you are prone to oily skin!

Angelika Blush by Nars

I've been hooked on this since May 2008. Believe it or not, I'm still working on the same compact despite using it on a daily basis for the last 6+ months! This beats Orgasm any day!

It's a gorgeous bright pink with blue/lilac undertones and gold shimmer. The pigmentation is fairly intense, which explains why I don't really need to use a lot of it to get the color I want. A light dusting gives me a rosy, babydoll glow and honestly, bright pinks perk up any face in an instant.

I'm so glad Sephora has finally made it's way to Singapore...now I can replace this whenever I need to. You have NO idea how obsessed I am with this blush...I carry it with me everywhere! *grins like a happy child*

I use this with M.A.C Frost Lipstick in Skew, which I also have on-hand at all times. It's described on the M.A.C website as a "soft coral duochrome with pink opalescent shimmer" and is literally the most beautiful lippie ever. Apparently it's been discontinued :( Why do they never keep the good stuff around long enough?!

Lavender Hand Therapy Lotion by Crabtree & Evelyn

A colleague bought this for me for Christmas and I haven't been able to stop using it since. Other hand creams are horribly greasy or not effective at all, but this moisturizer is so light it soaks right in, smells like a dream and literally within days my hands felt so much softer and better.

I went back to the store after I ran out, and bought the rose version (I'm obsessed with rose-ish things), and so far it's been just as good. I'm a new fan of Crabtree & Evelyn!

The Body Shop's Moroccan Rose Reed Diffuser

Continuing my rose-loving habit, I picked this baby up at The Body Shop, part of it's new Moroccan Rose collection. It's right by my bed and scents up so beautifully! It's not overwhelming at all; most of the time I barely notice it but every once in a while, a soft, subtle waft of roses floats across the room and ahhhhh.

It seems to last ages as well, so it's worth the SGD$40+ I paid for it. Am very tempted to decorate the holder, since it's just white and rather plain but art is really not my forte...I'm happy to just enjoy the welcoming smell of roses everytime I step into my bedroom!

And some other things I love...
Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie -- both the song and the video are incredible!

My lovely boyfriend! I am completely nuts about him. I know what I wrote in my last post, and it still stands (long-distance relationships = pain in the arse!) but there's nothing that hourly Facebook messages and sweet phone calls can't fix. He actually called me all the way from France while I was at work today, and I answered giving my routine, chirpy 'Hi, this is Mary can I help you?' lines, and one of his first comments was that I sounded like I was selling french fries or something. Heh. But it absolutely made my day and I still can't stop grinning.

However, he also hates me writing about him in public. ;) So I'll stop gushing here.

I think that's a rather good start to things... Feel free to leave a comment with your new loves! Would love to hear about it and maybe get back in the groove of things. :)

Ok, let's play by ear.

2009-02-08T05:18:00.004-06:00

Long-distance relationships are seriously hazardous for your health. Misunderstandings abound, cock-ups and the wrong words and distrust all smash together to create one big, unsolvable, painful disaster, and there is nothing that you can do except hope that what you say is enough to heal a deep wound...when you know that it isn't.

There is no sense of touch, sight, taste, smell. Just hollow voices that bounce around in your ear and try to make their way to your heart. Funny how it's always the barbed comments that get there first and rip you apart isn't it? By the time 'I'm sorry' or 'I love you' makes its sluggish way down, you're already in pieces and in no condition to absorb it.

I don't think I'm a bad girlfriend. I think I just cannot stand to be apart. The past week has been hard.

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it...It really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more."
- Erica Jong

The unwanted return

2009-01-29T05:10:00.001-06:00

Please check out Mary Around the World for more :)

Quick thoughts

2008-12-05T02:40:00.004-06:00

Why am I finding it so difficult to let my heart go? If this could be all that he says it could be, and his beautiful words are sincere, why do I always feel like there is someone on the other side of my head whispering "Don't you dare dream it."

Oh Doubt, how you plague me.

I don't know what happened between then and now, but I think somewhere along the way I traded in my ability to love for my ability to live.

I'm going to France.

2008-11-16T07:52:00.000-06:00

Cheers to that.

The End as I Know It

2008-07-10T11:22:00.004-05:00

Funny how life can change in the blink of an eye.

I have been really bad about updating this blog lately, and here's why.

I know that my parents read it, which is why I never go into very much detail about my life, my personal feelings or what I really want to say. Sad, but true. If they knew the half of what goes on with me, they would probably be very upset and it's my duty as a child to keep them in denial. Sorry Mum and Dad, but it's true. I'm not a bad person and I'm not a liar, but there are some things that I do that you will never understand, so I don't write about it publicly.

Rolando and I have broken up; we actually broke up the week after graduation. It's for the best; I realize now how different and wrong we were for each other. I've been thinking about doing it for a long, long time so it hurt me less then it did him, and that's the one thing that I do feel sorry about. I didn't handle the break up well, nor the post-break up effect. I went on and started dating someone else barely days after we broke up as a form of rebound and it ended up turning into something else. In the process I hurt a lot of people that I didn't mean to, but I guess they just got in the way of the crossfire. Rol and I still talk once in a while, and I know we will always love each other as friends and be there for one another if something happened.

California was amazing -- I met so many cool people, made amazing new friends and saw a beauty in life that I haven't seen in a very, very long time. For once, I actually felt like I had a reason to be around and be happy, and I wanted to just keep on traveling and disappear into the world. It was a magical moment in my life, full of laughter and carefree, no-holds-barred living and crazy moments. I loved every moment of it, scraps and all.

I"m back in Texas now, but not for long. I need to go back to Singapore because my Dad is having some serious health issues and I want to be home for him, and for my family. A big part of me wants to be selfish and go back later, because life is too good for me here right now, but I can't do that, considering the uncertainty of everything right now. So it looks like my Texan adventures are over for a good while. I don't know when or if I'll be back, and I know the circumstances will be completely different when I finally do. So I'm just using this last month to tie off loose ends and say goodbyes, and have a big blowout every night. I want my last memories here to be happy :)

I also got a bad-ass tat for my Dad. That's probably like the opposite of what he wants (he hates tattoos) but it's symoblic to me. My first tattoo means "Freedom" and it represented a time in my life when I felt like I flew the coop and I was on my own and free. And the one I got last night is a beautiful phoenix, a bird that is significant in Chinese and other mythology, and represents immortality, life after death, invincibility, a cycle of change and rebirth, and because it's a bird, I like to think that it represents a soaring kind of freedom too -- it can just lift its wings and go anywhere it pleases.

Even if he doesn't like it... it's for him and my way of remembering a huge, somewhat traumatic event in my life, and knowing that there's still beauty to come out of it.

LIve. Love. Laugh

2008-07-07T13:36:00.001-05:00

Two weeks in California and my life has changed completely.

I have never been happier :)

Idiots

2008-06-17T11:25:00.001-05:00

Bah. Two days before I leave for LA, and the fun-nest night I've had, my camera gets stolen.

Bloody thieves. You shall get your come-uppance!

Overweight

2008-06-13T11:47:00.003-05:00

Dallas all week for more salsa and a final job interview,
LA on Thursday with my best friend,
back in two weeks.
Three weeks living out of a suitcase;
how much (clothes) is too much?

Sore Legs, Sore Heads: The Weekend in a Nutshell

2008-06-11T13:39:00.009-05:00

Thursday :

Warehouse...girly talk...boy bashing... happy hour drinks and obnoxiously loud laughter.

Continuing it at Guitars for cloves, beers, hip hop and (dear god) country music.

Friday:
Awesome people, awesome salsa dancing, margaritas, chilling with friends.

Saturday:

Sushi dinner and wine, italian gelato, and yet more salsa dancing! (my feet were killing me... that's 12 hour of dancing three nights in a row and I love it!)

Sunday:
Bri's Birthday Bowling Bash.

It's college life all over again.

It's been a long time since I've felt excited about getting up everyday and doing something new and different. For a while back there, I was just living my life in a circle, stuck in a rut, doing the same old shit with the same old people everyday. Somehow I had talked myself into believing that I could live the rest of my life like that.... but I'm glad I woke out of that dream.

I'm 21 for crying out loud, not 50. I need to live a little, laugh a lot more. Be a child and finally give myself the chance to be happy doing what I like to do. And I know there are plenty of people out there who don't see eye to eye with me right now, but that's ok. We're all moving along and growing, and we don't always have to do that together. One day things will click back in place and we'll be ready for it then. But for now, live and let live.

Day Out in the Country

2008-06-05T07:42:00.005-05:00

Good lord, I feel like I haven't learnt anything about what it means to be in Texas even after four years, and I'm only just finding out right now what it's really like.

Went out jet-skiing and u-tubing yesterday with a bunch of guys, and it was massively fun. Particularly because they all owned their own gear and had pretty much an entire lake to their disposal. Obviously I didn't take any pictures of the festivities..but suffice to say that I have something of a tan. Happy now, Jo? ;)

the guys hauling and hitching things to the back of the truck...while the token girl just sits in the cab, takes pictures, and doesn't help. Not that I would have any idea what I was doing anyway.

Post jet-ski, when it got to dark to really do anything safe. We went back to Trace's land out in Clyde, and it was pretty much amazing. I think after a while, being out in the country does something to you. No, I obviously don't want to become some kind of farmer... but it seems like such an awesome getaway place if you live in the city. Nothing for miles but your own land, bonfires and horses and cattle and quiet peace.

And man, I was honestly kinda surprised by all the stuff Trace had in his place. For one thing, it is a ridiculously beautiful house, and has the most incredibly up-to-date tech stuff in it.. all kinds of hi-def flat screen TVs and what-not. For some reason, I kinda figured that country people just lived in a shack. Haha. I know that's a horrible thing to say, but it's true. I'm a city girl with no clue about any of this.

The guys checking out catfish in the tank. Apparently "tank" here does not refer to anything that I would personally call a bit of glass with goldfish in it. It is synonymous with "bloody massive lake with 3 feet long, 40lb fish."

Soemone's got to feed those fishy monsters.

Totally trippy experience. I'm glad I had it. Although I'm quite ready to put an end to all the redneck in my life at the current moment. Going to have a normal glass of wine now.

A Redneck Night

2008-06-04T07:44:00.005-05:00

Proof that I do things other than sit around at home:

The wonderful, lovely, amazing Grace hung out with me all evening... hurrah! We hung out at Bri's for a little while, then went and got drive-thru "slushies" (i.e. margaritas) for Dustin's softball game. His team won, although it looked like one of their guys got a nasty concussion --he was throwing up and bleeding and totally disoriented. Bad stuff.

Anyway, Grace and I went back to her apartment with some Sam Adams and wine and were halfway through a hilarious British comedy ("Stiff Upper Lips") when we got a call to go down and play beer-pong and hang out for a bit....so even though we both think it's a ridiculously stupid and juvenile game (no offense), we went anyway for the sake of it. Besides, it was just one block away in the same apartment complex.

Needless to say, it was really trashy.

Everyone there looked about 15.Grace thought they should all go home and watch Hannah Montana, haha. People were wearing Keystone Light and beer mug hats and the girls were being bitchy and loud-ass country music was playing, Didn't take long before we had to head outside to get away and take a breather (and a clove). We comiserated on our confusion and distaste about the Texan culture and did our best to seem sociable for a while before heading back to finish up the movie.

Honestly, this stuff is so. Not. My. Scene. I'm gonna quit trying. It would be really nice to have something classy to do once in a while.

Damned Abilene.

Two days to Austin!

p/s 10lbs down in one month. What happened?? I guess college is bad for your waistline.

Sex and the City Night Out

2008-06-01T13:23:00.005-05:00

Altogether an exciting night :) Complete with phone numbers, long drags, wonderful drinks and friends and me feeling nauseous for most of it. Sad huh? Haha. It's safe to say that I looked a whole lot better than I felt that night...

Now-infamous Dustin. ;)

Our favorite bartenders, Carson (that flirt) and Lauren.

Man, life is trippy right now.

People I Love

2008-05-30T10:19:00.006-05:00

Thursday night at the Warehouse Martini Bar with friends!

Trespassing.

You can't love someone into changing for you.

2008-05-28T11:19:00.004-05:00

No kidding, I've lost about 6lbs in a week. I don't know how it happened; might have something to do with the fact that I have a) no food in my house, b) no pots, pans, microwaves or anything remotely normal to cook with, c) I'm often too lazy to go out and get food on my own and end up just drinking some water. The Lazy-Ass Diet. That's what it is.

Friday is my last day of work on campus (yay) and then I have two weeks to whittle away before my BFF from Singapore comes up to visit me (Hello Jo!) and we go on some massive clubbing binges all over SoCal! If any of you lovely readers are from the L.A. / San Diego area, please leave a comment and let me know where the good places to shop/eat/club are at! I just want to meet interesting people and have a good time and have a REAL vacation..and personal references are always tons better than guidebooks anyway!

I've been having a blast lately...girlfriends, Sex and the City-type nights out, "interesting" parties and even more "interesting" new people. I feel wonderfully free and happy to do my own thing now that I've cut loose... independence is hard to recover when you've stuffed it under a rock for so long, but I think I'm well on my way there!

The Current Situation

2008-05-22T13:56:00.004-05:00

Apart from being AWOL for the longest time, I have:

1) Graduated with my BA

2) Visited family and friends in New York

3) and hung out at Rol's new apartment in Dallas

Oh and yes, did I mention? In between all that, I'm trying my best to get a job. It's proving a lot tougher than I originally expected, but I think that just goes to show how damned naive I am about the work place in US.

It's a discouraging process -- I feel either under or overqualified at everything. I suppose with my English degree, I could go anywhere because everyone needs writers right? Well, there's isn't a shortage of writers out there, and it's hard to prove that you're the best, or that you have what it takes. And the truth is, I'm still not entirely sure that I'm any good as a writer. I do it for fun but I don't know if I could do it for work.

There's a lot going on in life right now, so you may have to forgive me if I go missing yet again. Relationships, money, a job...there's too much to figure out. Bear with me and maybe when I come back I'll be gainfully employed, living somewhere that I actually like and having the time of my life. :)

A little optimism never hurt anyone...

Diary of a Flight: From New York to Texas

2008-05-19T11:13:00.009-05:00

I am not that sharp or quick-witted with words, which is why I like to esconse my one-liners in mere dreams and literary ramblings. In reality, I am often caught off guard by strangers, situations, salaciousness. When confronted by the unexpected, I stumble about bewildered, hoping that my body language is telling enough without me ever having to verbalize "fuck off."

He called himself Joe, a dirty-looking, stubbly man wearing a too-tight lemon yellow polo that gripped his wobbly curves and faded jeans barely concealing an erection. He had oddly flat features and lookd far too old to even consider chatting me up. He approached shamelessly as I waited to board my flight back to dusty Dallas, ignoring the two white lines that connected my ears to my iPod and Goldfrapp to my brain; my blank face that announced to everyone that I was in no mood to socialize. Obviously, he misread the signs and took my withering, barely-polite smile as an invitation to go on jabbering. He spoke in ridiculously low, suspicious tones, like a small boy telling me a secret -- only he was an overgrown lout trying to draw me into his vile, ill-cologned Venus trap. It made me feel sick.

I refused to acknowledge him during our long trek through the suffocatingly plastic tunnel ironically called an air bridge. Bridges are engineering miracles of metal surrounded by scenic views, not a stagnant-smelling bit of polymer with travel ads plastered around small cut-out windows. Still, I looked at them rather than the awkward lump in front of me who kept turning back to catch my eye as if maybe I would decide on his fifth try that I would have a sudden change of heart. No such luck. My eyes stayed resolutely glued to empty space.

***

19D was my seat, a friendly, economy-class aisle seat. A chubby father and son duo across the aisle chattered excitedly about their upcoming trip to California. A thirty-something businessman lounged in the window seat, his bags and legs filling up the empty one between us.

It was an hour after take off that my new found friend returned to hound me. a tap on the shoulder broke me out of my musical and literary reverie. Annoyed, I pulled out an ear bud and tried to figure out what he was saying. He seemed oblivious to the fact that we were now thousands of feet in the air and in a roaring tin can and insisted on talking in the same low, indiscernible tones. I could barely make out something about the back of the plane being too loud and noisy because it was by the engines and an abrupt request to sit by me. I looked over at Mr. Sleepy on my right, legs stretched carelessly, luxuriating in the someone else's missed flight.

"I think he's asleep -- " but I spoke in vain for he was already shuffling across me and making himself comfortable, grinning a Chesire cat grin at me. Mr. Sleepy shuffles in his sleep, irritated by this new and invasive presence and draws his legs away quickly the way men do when there is uninitiated physical contact. He snatches his bags out from under the once-empty seat and loads it on his lap, looking pissed.

I, on the other hand, am at a total loss. Decorum states that I should try to be polite as he obviously means to talk to me so I make to turn my music off and put away my book, but that would imply that I want him to linger when the truth is clinging to the far opposite wall of that. I do it anyway, because he would not shut up his low mumblings and like I said, I am no good at impromptu performances of my own. I might as well try to figure out what he wants (apart from a good time) since I am fairly certain that any number of passengers would be willing to help me should he become a problem.

Mundane small talk. I hate it even with my friends, much less with a complete stranger. I'm barely even bothering to speak, allowing him to propel his own words forward with no help on my part. He asks me to guess where he's from, smiling uncertainly, his bright brown eyes uncharacteristically unsure for a brief moment.

"I have no idea."
"You should guess."
"I don't know."
"Do you know where Israel is?"
"So you're Israeli."
"No, next to it."
I pause.
"Palestine?" My geography is shit. I make a mental note to know these things.
"No, further than that." He doesn't look miffed that I have not clue what the hell he is referring to.
"I'm from Beirut."
"How nice."

And then all of a sudden -- horribly, irrationally, I wonder if he's going to blow us all up to high heaven with virgin maidens. After all, who knows these days what a terrorist is supposed to look like? He has the two-day old stubble, curly dark hair and brown skin to fit any profile and I am gripped by anxiety for a moment. Stupid, but true. I hate myself for thinking something as narrow-minded as that and I attempt to be nice to him to compensate.

Before I could say anything, Mr. Not-So-Sleepy-and-Mostly-Just-Mad taps him on the shoulder and asks him if he will please get the fuck out of the seat? They have a low, rumbling conversation and I turn away, inwardly rejoicing that I don't have to tolerate his come-ons for another four hours.

"That man wants me to leave. Haha. He's so rude."
"I think he's right, you should probably go."
"Oh."
He gets up slowly and awkwardly, while my hero of the hour glares at him. The instant there is room, he jams his bag onto the seat, signaling clearly that no one will be sitting there, period. Relieved, I plug my earphones back in but not before Joe makes one last attempt:

"Do you want to come sit at the back with me?"

I give him what I hope to be my own scathing look, and say no.

He returns to the back of the flight, wounded, but as I find out later, not fatally enough.

***
I text my boyfriend, begging him to drive as fast as he can to get me as I wait impatiently for my bags to come sliding out the carousel. I don't see a yellow shirt anyway, and I almost convince myself that he caught a different flight but all of a sudden he appears and slides right up beside me.

Oh, for the love of God! Take a hint!

"Hello, that man was rude huh?" Cue weird snicker, one that implies I should join in his revelry.

I don't respond but inch away slowly, trying to act as though I am totally fascinated with the still-empty baggage claim. I spy a row of chairs by the door, filled by a bunch of loud, chatty women and one empty seat in the corner. I plop myself down thinking that maybe the loud gaggle of females will prove a deterrence although by this point, I know that nothing short of a swift kick in the balls would put him off.

Seconds later he's back, sidling up to me so silently and unobtrusively that I jump when his head appears behind my book.

"mumblemumble"
"What!?" I tear my earphones out, ready to strangle him with the thin chords.
"I don't mean to be rude, but do you mind if I get your number or email or --"
"Yes! YES! I. BLOODY. MIND!"

Should not have said that; he looks elated. Many people still don't quite know how "Do you mind?" works as a question.

"OK, so --"
"Please, just leave me alone. It would really be best if you did not talk to me anymore, OK?" I say this so civilly that I surprise myself. Where in the world do I get this patience from?
"Oh, well, OK, are you sure -- "
"Yes, I'm sure, please leave me alone!"
"Oh OK I'm sorry I just wanted to be friends, I won't bother you..." His voice fades as he backs up and scurries away.

The women next to me are alternately giggling and staring at me in wide-eyed horror, and one of them reaches out and pats me on the knee. "Oh, you poor dear!" she coos.

I grab my bag; for the first time in my life it's the first to appear and promptly collapse into the warm arms of my frantic boyfriend, paranoid at the thought of his defenseless little paramour being stalked by strange middle-aged men.

"Oh. My. God. I have never been so fucking glad to see you."

-END-

I have a tentative online writing portfolio.. yes, still on blogger because I'm too cheap to branch out. Plus, I want to make sure I have everything together before I launch an actual site with cool graphics et al. I'm still working on it and building it as I write...check it out and let me know what you think!

Edit: Seville in November & singlehood

2008-05-05T14:57:00.006-05:00

Honestly, this is all I've been playing in my car. Reyli's "Bueno del Amor" over and over and over again... and dancing to this the rest of the time.

My only grouse? These stupid music videos. It seems like all Latin musicians need better video directors to stop making silly, sappy music videos with pretty couples and/or people walking around... c'mon! you guys can do better than that!

Anyway, I had my telephone interview with the certification school from Barcelona.. I think it went very well..it basically consisted of me asking a TON of questions about job placement, and cost, and accommodation, and them asking me to explain the difference between:-

1) I must go to work OR I have to go to work;
2) I have been here for 10 years OR I have been since 1998
3) He's funny OR He's being funny.

And that was about it. We also talked a little about Texas because apparently he used to be from Austin...

Anyhow, I hope they send me the acceptance forms. At least I'll feel like I've gotten accepted somewhere! :) If so, I'll get to leave in November...I'm really hoping to take an intensive Spanish language course before I start the teaching certification program, just so I'll at least be able to wander around Seville on my own and not make a complete fool of myself.

I got my acceptance email today, so I just need to mail in a deposit to reserve a place and I'll be on my way in November. :)

I'm actually really looking forward to this program. I feel like it's about time for a huge change in my life :D a new scene, new people, new country, new life... hopefully things will work out!

Two more makeup videos!

Enjoy! They might be my last for a while...

Rol and I talked a bit last night about breaking up after graduation (it was, I admit, catalyzed by some other stuff.. chasing, and my phone. Only Casey was there to witness it). So I guess in a week, I will be single again, for the first time in two and half a years. I don't really know how to feel about it; this is what I want right? This is a good thing, right? He said we'd still be friends, and I'm still probably going to be at his place in Dallas a lot, especially if I have nowhere else to go... so that's good; it's amiable. I still love him tons, and I know he loves me too. You can be sad, and tired, but still love each other.

We'll see where this goes...

Senior English Banquet and a failed night out!

2008-05-03T12:12:00.019-05:00

preparing for the english banquet...we wanted to do something indian!

trying to get the henna all around casey's leg... a real glamorous task ;p ps wine helps.

headed to the senior english banquet!

Our degree plan adviser Nuria...she's pretty much amazing, and probably the best adviser in ACU :D she's the only reason why we're graduating in time!

Right after we told Bri that people with light-colored eyes have no souls.

Mark Twain and his companion :p aren't they adorable???

Ryan blessing the evil out of me.

pretty indian ladies...

...or the three goddesses..aphrodite, diana and athena. Bri looks like she's trying to off herself.

boys playing frisbee.

we went for a walk around the lake...

Fixing Bri's sari emergency...I think it was in the process of unraveling, which would have been fine I suppose, if she had not been wearing nothing but a sheer pair of tights underneath :p

my fav picture of the night!

Will = Waldo!!! Perfect!

Thomas terrorizing children.

Dear Thomas...my favorite walking almanac of random trivia..and incidentally, my ex-housemate from junior year :D

Headed over to Casey's for some drinks and dancing before Melina's party...salsa and hip hop!

Right before we turned the lights off and started dancing around the room..the downstairs neighbors started to complain so we left :D

At Melina's..we thought we were going to be late but there was NO one there when we arrived... and NO music. Bah! So obviously...we just camwhored more.

Jessica and I attempting to do... something. I didn't really know what was going on at this point. I think someone finally put on some kinda of Latin music...

Then Ryan's car broke down a couple of miles outside of Melina's place so Casey and I went and got him...what we thought was a simple no-gas problem turned out to be a bigger deal, so we ended up spending an hour waiting for a tow truck to arrive, and missing pretty much the entire party.

No biggie though..there's always tonight..tomorrow.. and at least we had fun dancing around casey's and catching up in the car :p

My fam is flying in on Thursday for graduation! Can't wait!

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Edit:
We went and saw Ironman tonight...IT'S AWESOME! Go see it! (Robert Downey Jr. is soooooo sexy...)

Thursday Night Poetry Sessions

2008-05-01T23:10:00.005-05:00

Edit:
I recently applied to get TOEFL certified in Seville, Spain and I'm going to have a phone interview on Monday! Basically, that will allow me to teach English as a foreign language and I'll have a much better chance at getting a job abroad, which is fantastic for me because I'll get to travel and possibly be paid to do it :p

It's a four week course and if I'm accepted, I'll start in November and be back by the beginning o December. Tough part? It'll cost 1,400 euros, or US$21560.20. Ouch. It's done through Trinity University in England though, so I can kinda understand why it's so steep. I'm definitely going to be asking if they have job placement programs, so I don't just end up stuck in a foreign country with no where to go and no way to earn a living!

I guess what I could do is just work my butt off for the next couple of months until November comes around, and have enough saved up to live there comfortably just for a month, and then keep my fingers crossed for a teaching job.... I'm really picky too; I don't want to teach kids because I find them really annoying...hopefully, I'll get some cool business people who want to learn to say things like "marketing integration." Haha :D
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On the road..headed to Korie's for The Office!

Us at a light. I love my new sunnies! Haha :p Believe it or not, they only cost $5, making them the cheapest sunglasses I've EVER had... and they rock! I'm going to go back and buy 10 pairs...

Girlies at the Black Tulip, ACU's annual poetry reading session. Aren't these girls freaking gorgeous??

Incidentally, the poetry session was incredible. I was too busy painting stuff and cheering for poets to really take pictures but it was a really awesome night...heartfelt poetry, talented musicians, a canvas to paint on and food and drinks and beautiful friends -- couldn't ask for more!

In case some of you wonder what exactly goes at poetry slam sessions..here you go! This is possibly my favorite slam poet to date (well, maybe Taylor Mali too...)

Obviously, this wasn't held at our school. This is the ridiculously amazing Suher Hammad from Def Poetry Jam.

But anyway... I have some school to catch up with, so I guess I'll check back next time. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

10 Days to Graduation!

2008-04-30T12:29:00.005-05:00

New FOTD..I actually tried today. Pretty makeup makes me feel better when I'm feeling kinda panicky...not to mention the fact that I'm kinda tired of wearing nothing but black eyeliner and lip gloss everyday!

Face:
- Benefit RebeLite with SPF 15
- MAC StudioFix Powder NC25
- MAC Sheertones Blush in Pinch Me

Eyes:
- MAC Bare Study Paint Pot
- MAC Goldmine e/s
- MAC Parrot e/s
- MAC Blue Storm pigment
- MAC Minted Eye Kohl
- L'oreal Voluminous Eye Marker in Black
- Shiseido Lasting Lift Mascara

Lips:
- MAC Plink!

CAMWHORE! :D haha...

My bangs are still growing out from the last time I hacked them off, so my hair looks a little odd. :-/ Hopefully it'll look halfway decent by the time graduation rolls around!

My favorite new vest from Zara ;) I wore it in honor of the "OVNI" discussions my spanish class has been having lately...This is a pretty horrible picture, but it's the only one I have that shows the entire vest and how wonderful it is. For the record, this is probably the only thing I own that has some semblance of frills on it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've bought my plane ticket for NYC..I'll be leaving for a week immediately after graduation to see my new nephew (who's due in like, 3 days!) and meet with Women Management modeling agency... ahhh! :D I've been applying for other jobs in the new york area like crazy, just to see if maybe I can line up more interviews while I'm there...

God, ten days to graduation. 10 days to pack up 4 years of memories and stuff, 10 days to say goodbyes. It's just weird. As much as I complain about the hick-ness that is Abilene, I'm going to miss it a lot. All my wonderful friends, professors, classes, books, amazing Southern food, driving down bumpy back streets under beautiful skies... ah. I wouldn't have it any differently.

There are papers to write, and finals to turn in, and all sorts of things that need to be done, but all I'm thinking about is going shopping with my girls, dancing in clubs and having picnics and banquets; banging away on our respective instruments, singing and composing songs, having BBQs under a starry sky and drinking Rol's fabulous frozen margaritas. Honestly, I think that about sums up my senior semester here... it's nothing like what they show in the movies, and nothing like what it would be at a bigger public school I guess, but I really love it. And yes, I am certainly going to miss the safety and security of college; of knowing that there's always a friendly face around the corner, or a warm home to go to.

But like I said in a paper.. home is merely where my next plane ticket takes me. :)

The Second to Last Weekend of a College Student

2008-04-27T23:07:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone, so thanks for your advice about Rol and I :) I really do appreciate it and I've been doing a lot of thinking and talking with friends about what to do.... but more on that later... :p when you make your way to the end of this post. haha.

So Thursday I head out with some of my favorite gals to some abandoned warehouse party that tone of our friend's had rented out...I left my bag in the car because I didn't want to deal with it all night so all I have are pictures from before!

Amy slacking on Casey's couch, refusing to get ready.. haha :p

Casey, me and Amy waiting for a friend to show up and just jamming out in the car...

It was actually a pretty OK dance party.. not nearly as good as I would have expected! A bit too much techno and scary looking guys standing around, but after a while the music was kicking so we definitely worked up a good sweat on the dance floor!!
"She moves her body like a cycloooone..."

Anyway... ok.. so..Friday! school..work..work..work...senior art show competition where Rol won yet more awards...! :p

My FOTD for Friday evening...I got MAC's Blue Herizon eyeliner, which I love because it's this glorious bright blue shade...

I also have on Benefit RebeLite tinted moisturizer which is working pretty well so far, but doesn't provide a whole lot of coverage. So if you're looking to hide breakouts (like I am right now! Stress..you know...), you'll probably need something a lot heavier. But overall, I really like it :)

We left for Dallas on Saturday morning because Rol's getting his apartment there and we went to scope it out. I have on MAC Rebel Lipstick (pro color) here! It's awesome!!

Outside the apartments after signing the lease.

So in case you guys were wondering, no, I didn't sign the lease with Rol. Because I didn't want to make anything concrete and definite.

Thursday night he was kinda in a foul mood, especially when I left for the party, but I really didn't feel like pandering to his needs all the time, and I honestly just wanted to have fun. Good 'ol fashioned fun with my girlfriends. So he stayed home with his boys and played video games (lol) which cheered him up considerably so by the time I came home it was all good.

He has actually been really extra, super-sweet this last couple of days... and he didn't say anything when I decided (on the spot) not to sign the lease with him...but later, while we were shopping in the Galleria, we stopped by some store and he stopped to look at rings in the glass cases and asked me to pick out the design/settings that I liked and see if they matched the ones he thought I would like. A bit unnerving. I made it absolutely clear afterwards though, that we (or maybe I) were nowhere ready for a commitment like that, and he seemed to know that...

I promptly went on to spend $300 on clothes. Retail therapy. Felt soooo good afterwards. :)

Anyway... in case anyone is at all interested..this is my tentative, sort-of plan for after I graduate:

-work for my current boss until the end of May, or until he finds someone new and I can train him/her
-travel around texas with lovely Casey, who will be in Abilene all summer to finish up some scholarship project she has
-visit rol in dallas, pick up Jo, go to the Death Cab concert, have a blast and travel with her!
-move to cali? austin? and find a job :p and figure it all out from there.

Yeah...horrible planning right? I've really never been good at that kind of thing, and I'm really in a kind of twilight zone moment right now... one week to graduation... WEIRD!

NIX THAT for now. Women Management Modeling Agency just asked me to come in and interview for an internship, but they're located all the way in NYC...but holy cow, that would be an AWESOME job. I would walk to New York to interview if I had to (but luckily I probably don't. lol.)

Women Management has models like Carmen Kass and Natasha Poly and heck, I believe they even had Kate Moss and Elle McPherson and other amazing models...

Oh my gosh. This is awesome. I really, really want to work out. Keep your fingers crossed for me... maybe I'll get to go down the week after graduation to talk to them and convince them that I'll be the best ~~slave~~ intern they'll ever have...!!!

It's not all dandy

2008-04-24T13:39:00.004-05:00

My next door neighbour's son flushed a wash rag down the toilet and now all of our bathrooms are clogged. Ugh. Just what I need at this point. Toilets gurling and tubs backing up sewage everywhere... great.

There've been a lot of break-ups recently... two of my friends called off their engagements in the past month, which was rather bittersweet. I was never rooting for either of them to get married at such a young age (even though it's ridiculously common and even expected here) so it's quite a relief to see them get out of it now, when they still can, before they actually get married to boys who probably aren't mature enough in the first place. But on the other hand, heartbreak is never easy and making a decision like that is really difficult...especially when you have all these expectations riding on it.

I don't know why, but lately I've been feeling really discontent in my relationship. Initially I just put it down to stress, or PMS, a serious attack of senioritis or some other myriad of factors but lately I feel like it's been more than that. Don't get me wrong; I still love him madly, and there's plenty of moments when I look at him and I couldn't imagine being with anyone else, and I could see us going all the way. But other moments (with increasing frequency) I've been feeling lost, like maybe this is all going wrong. And maybe I need to jump ship now before we both sink.

To be quite honest, I feel like I'm sabotaging my own relationship. That I've subconsciously already given up on us, so I'm just letting go and not even trying anymore. Someone once told me that my relationship with Rol looked perfect, but that's such a lie. We're not bitter or twisted or fighting all the time, but we carry our fair share of problems around, we just don't feel the need to advertise it. I've never really divulged any of my problems online, and the truth is I don't really tell any of my friends about it either, even those near and dear to me. It's partially got to do with the fact that I feel a need to keep up a perfect facade, like those creepy Hollywood couples. I want us to work out and prove all our pundits wrong... all those people who told us 2 and a half years ago that we were wrong for each other.

I don't think we're wrong for each other, but I do think that we're moving into different phases of our lives... he's probably going to go to Dallas, settle down, try to get a green card, live in America, earn money, support his parents in their dotage, etc. I'm most definitely nowhere near that settling point. I want to travel, live a bit, have a mad fling, dance in the rain, do crazy and cliched things. Maybe earn a little money while I'm at it... but money isn't my priority right now (weirdly enough). Being happy and fulfilled in my life is. In other words, this isn't really his fault...the fact that I'm feeling somewhat dissatisfied with my life as it is right now is only a testament to what a fickle person I am.

Of course, it seems impossible to end this relationship. We live together and share almost every aspect of our lives, and we're graduating in two weeks, so there's no reason for me to boot him out my existence all of a sudden, nor do I really want to. I have a feeling that we'll both need the extra emotional support and stability in the months to come, what with all the big post-graduation shifts. But at the same time I feel like I'm dragging a dead weight around, delaying the inevitable and making it harder to say goodbye later.

In some ways, I feel like I'm being a real coward staying in this relationship because as long as I have him, I don't really have to take any responsibility for my own life. There will always be two of us, and two people always feels safer than one. He's basically my comfort and my security blanket and all things familiar, and so many of my happy memories are attached to him. And yet, I think I owe it to myself to get out there and experience things that I've never felt like I could when I was with him... like be impulsive.

Man...I hate making decisions. :-/

To everyone who's been leaving comments, thank you! I do read them, I just never get around to replying! I know someone asked me about the dresses I was selling; please email me (mtt04b@acu.edu) and tell me which dress you meant because there were two on that post I think... I'm a lot better about replying emails than comments!

An awesome weekend with Juanes & friends!

2008-04-20T12:02:00.016-05:00

New Video!
Smoky Purple and Blue Eyes for makeupgal16

Eyes:
-Hard Candy Delusional (replacing MAC Platinum Pigment) with 219 brush
-MAC Clarity
-MAC Beauty Marked with 239 Brush
-L'Oreal Lush Raven (replacing MAC Carbon)
-Lancome Daylight
-L'Oreal Voluminous Eyeliner in Black
-Curl lashes with Shu Uemura Curler
-Shiseido Lasting Lift Mascara

Face:
-MAC Studio Fix Powder C25
-MAC Soba for contour
-Milani Bronzer Blush in Medium #2

Lips:
-L'Oreal Color Riche in Amber

Song:
-Kiss Me by Robbie Williams

-------------------------------------

This weekend was awesome!

Rol and I left for Dallas early on Thursday and had dinner at our favorite sushi place (Deep Sushi on Elm Street). Seriously, if any of you ever get the chance to be in that area, check that place out. All we ever do is sit down, and ask the waiter to bring us rolls he thinks are good...and we'll just vaguely say that we want salmon, or tuna, or crab, or eel, etc., and he'll come up with something. We have yet to be disappointed!

Anyway, then Friday rolls around and Rol is in interviews with different companies all day, so I just end up shopping at the Galleria and catching up on some reading and homework...but at night, Amy and Casey join us and we head off for the...

JUANES CONCERT!

(screams a little bit inside)

We bought the cheapest tickets and at first, we were sitting at the very, very top of the American Airlines Center which is a MASSIVE indoor stadium, so we could hardly see Juanes himself except for the screens...but I'm still excited.

happy concert-goers!

5 minutes before the show and still nobody, But you know, latin people are always running late. ;)

The man himself!!! opening song: A Dios le pido

And then something awesome happened; we got moved down to the first floor!!!!! For free!! Fue gratis!! For no reason!!! So Casey and I definitely RAN all the way to get to our new seats and man, the place was packed so we couldn't get very far, but it was better being in the last row of the first floor then the first row of the fifth floor, for sure!

mas emocionadas!

The Aliens are coming!

Yeah the place was packed!

It was such a good show! Some of the videos from that night are below (from youtube) and I"m so glad I went! we had a blast just dancing and singing along for three and a half hours... oh Juanes....! He looked soooo cute with short hair!

Saturday morning in Weatherford....casey, rol and I head back.... but not before we grab some Indian food! and then rol needed to get his computer fixed at some dude's place so we played in his backyard.. lol

playing with the worms

When you've been in the car for too long

playing catch in the yard

Casey...our poster-girl for nature

negative reaction to the sun

Oh and Rol and I caught The Forbidden Kingdom last night, with Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and I have to say that it's BRILLIANT. I really thought it was going to be shit but it wasn't! It's a terrific movie..if you get the chance, you should definitely catch it..
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Youtube videos I snagged off other people! hehehe... these were basically my favorite songs and I was too busy singing along and dancing to bother recording any of my own.... but you get the idea. Juanes is soooo freaking awesome live! He actually sounds the way he does on CDs which is pretty rare for anyone singing live...

a little snippet of A Dios le pido, the opening song:

Mala Gente

Gotas de Agua Dulce off his new album..

La Paga!

Sexy ol Juanes talking and forgetting about Mexico...haha

Ok...so if anyone knows of a reputable and trustworthy beauty school, I would love to know :) I'm thinking of taking some classes (not like, a full-blown 2 year makeup course or anything) just to have a feel of what it would be like to do makeup professionally....maybe get certified. We'll see... but until then.. I need y'alls recommendations!

Maybelline Hi-Shine Lip Gloss Review!

2008-04-15T20:21:00.007-05:00

Just for fun (and a way to relieve boredom).... 5 things I wear all the time!
1) Tights -- cliche as it may be! I have them everyway and every color.. stirrups, footless, cropped, opaque, sheer, etc. and a bunch of crazy colors, and I can't stop buying them. It's like a really bad addiction. I wear them most of the time, regardless of the weather conditions! I really like Topshop's tights.. pity I can't get it in the US!

2) Dark Skinny/Straight-leg jeans -- I only ever get these in dark blues or blacks (although I do have one white pair that's very rave...hmm). They're dressy enough when paired with heels for a night out, and casual enough with flats for class and work and the weekend. My favorite pairs are from Mango.

3) Empire/Babydoll Dresses -- Great for fat days. Forever 21 makes great and affordable ones that are really comfy yet stylish, as does Mango and Zara. Actually, I don't really have a favorite brand here, I just buy them wherever they strike my fancy!

4) Flat Pumps -- My toes haven't seen daylight in a LONG time. My last two pairs were from Zara and I wore them daily, to the point that my dad told me to throw them away because they had holes in them! They were soooo comfortable though... but I'm in the process of breaking in a new pair, so I'm not too worried ;)

5) Structured Jackets -- I have a black tuxedo jacket from Forever 21 (again, cheap!) that I wear over everything to up the ante a little, and a military jacket I picked up at a thrift store that is pretty much amazing, and gives my body a great shape. I have soft, flabby arms so having a jacket that has a shape is great, and a nice way to offset all those babydolls I wear ;) (p.s. I like hoodies from Victoria's Secret...I just hardly wear them!)

and....5 things I despise:
1) Frayed, Denim Miniskirts -- First of all, I don't have the legs for it so I avoid it like the plague. It just doesn't look flattering at all. It's one thing to wear a mini-dress, but a miniskirt always looks kinda ridiculous and childish. For tweens only. And for the love of god, NO UGGS.

2) Muffin-top -- On you, on me, on anybody, it's just gross. Eww. I feel sorry for the bigger girls who have a hard time finding sizes that fit but honestly, so many brands out there have started making jeans and pants that are cut specifically for plus-sized women, and there really isn't any excuse. If there is anything remotely hanging off you, you should probably change and leave the nightmares at home.

3) Blouses that don't fit around my boobs -- I don't think I'm incredibly busty or anything (34C) but for some queer reason, I have yet to find button-down shirts/blouses that fit around my chest! It's fucking annoying because I have to go tailor it and I really can't be arsed to do that. So all I have are buttons popping or little peep-holes for leery old men. It's days like those when I wish that I had those straight-up-and-down body types and not curves. For now, all I do is borrow my boyfriend's shirts...and they actually look kinda cool.

4) Anything I need to iron -- I'm just lazy. A lazy college student. It's not a very hard one to figure out. I wear tons of wrinkled stuff because I don't want to throw it away. Plus, I don't have an iron anyway.

5) Frills and/or lace -- Believe me, I tried. and I do own things with frills but in general, I'm a very un-girly girl when it comes to clothes. I just can't pull it off. There's an inner rocker chick waiting to explode and she simply cannot handle anything pink and feminine... sad but true.

So... what do you guys like/dislike? i'd love to hear it! and maybe expand my own wardrobe a bit..hehe..

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I can never leave a drugstore without picking up something... it's really sad and pathetic! It is especially tragic when I'm on my own, because then I just wander the makeup section for ages! :p

I picked up Maybelline's Hi-Shine Lip Gloss in Candy Desire (#130), a light bubblegum pink shade with gold reflects in it. It was about $5 and comes in a little pen-like, clicking container as seen below. You have to twist the bottom to get the product out, which dispenses through little holes on the top of the slanted plastic applicator.

Here are my really nasty, chapped lips before chapstick, lipgloss, anything! Gross huh? No one ever believes me when I say that I have really horrible lips...so maybe now you will! Haha :D Also, my stupid monroe piercing is trying to heal but it isn't faring so well... I cropped as much of the grossness out as possible!

After about 2 coats of Candy Desire...pretty lips! If you look carefully, you can see the little gold bits in it, and my lips are obviously a LOT glossier.

Stuff I like: Moisturizing as heck (my lips were sooo super soft when I wore it, and even after I took it off); seriously high-shine, especially if you pile it on.

It got slightly sticky after 15 minutes or so, but nothing that was too annoying (unlike L'oreal's Infallible Lipgloss, which was like putting glue on your lips) and in fact, it still felt quite slick and glossy. It did a great job of filling in the all 'lines' in my lips so they look softer and plumper.

What I dislike: It's kind of 'wet' and thus tends to migrate all over the outer corners of my lips making me look a bit drooly. I figure a way to solve the problem would just be to concentrate the gloss in the middle of lips and not in the outer corners.

I also want to pick this up in a different shade because it's not very pigmented... something either lighter or darker. I think Candy Desire was a bit too close to my natural lip shade. Either way, it's a great clear gloss, and I''m giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars! For such a low price, I feel like I could afford to get a ton :p Maybe something in like a really deep red/wine color... mmmm...

Comments:
I'm glad you guys liked the swatches...I may do more in the future for other products like eyeliners and lip colors! If you have a particular swatch request just let me know!

Also, despite all the gunky stuff going on with my monroe piercing, I really love it :) My boyfriend has started calling it 'Kevin' because he says it stares at him the way Kevin from The Office does. *rolls eyes* So now he asks me "how's Kevin? Kevin looks angry. Kevin looks sad." haha.

ja_ne: I'll do my best with the tutorial for NYX Cherry, but I'm soo back-logged on requests right now that I may forget to do yours; remind me sometime if I haven't gotten to it yet!

AkiMoRiKo: I don't really know how to make a video on everyday life. haha! My daily existence is pretty mundane, especially now that I'm going to be graduating...but maybe I will in the future, when someting interesting happens. Who knows? :)

tons of MAC and NYX Swatches!

2008-04-13T17:07:00.012-05:00

But first... a little photoshoot some of did as a favor for a friend who manages Heartbeat Clothing, a line of shirts that help countries and people in need all around the world...

We did a ton of pictures but Matt put up just a couple on Facebook..so I stole my favorites off :)

Ok, anyway, on to the swatches! I usually never do these, but I feel bad about not doing anything makeup related in a long time, and I thought this might be helpful. I know that personally, I"m always trying to look for swatches!

Please note:

There is some overlap because of the way I took the pictures.. just for clearer comparison purposes.
These were swatched over UDPP and regular skin (you can see the difference.)
these are ALL MAC unless otherwise stated.
All pigments and loose eyeshadows were swatched dry. They would obviously be more vibrant and less crumbly when swatched wet.

I've put a little * next to the colors that I really like!
Blues and Greens

L-R: Lancome Personal Style*, NYX Baby Blue, Sky Blue, NYX October Sky, NYX Pacific, Parrot, Big T*, Clarity

L-R: NYX Pacific, Parrot, Big T*, Clarity, Electric Eel, Freshwater*, Blue Storm Pigment

L-R: Blue Storm Pigment, The Make Up Store Midnight Sailor, NYX Turquoise Pearl, Teal Pigment*, Bio Green*, Wondergrass*

L-R: Bio Green*, Wondergrass*, Newly Minted, NYX Chrome Eyeshadow in Green, NYX Serengeti (third color) ...don't mind that random blue smudge there.

L-R: NYX Chrome Eyeshadow in Green, NYX Serengeti Trio (third color), NYX Serengeti Trio (second color), NYX Lime Green, Femme Noir

Pinks and Purples:
All the colors below....

From L-R: Fuschia Pigment*, Rose Pigment, NYX Prune, NYX Spring Flower, NYX Cotton Candy, NYX Baby Pink, Anna Sui #302*

From L-R: Sketch, Lancome Trendy, NYX Deep Purple*, Parfait Armor, NYX Purple*, Fuchsia Pigment*, Rose Pigment

From L-R: Beauty Marked, Violet Pigment*, Sketch, Lancome Trendy, NYX Deep Purple*, Parfait Armor

Yellows and Oranges:
All colors below

From L-R: Golden Lemon Pigment, Chrome Yellow*, NYX Serengeti Trio (first color), Melon Pigment, Chocolate Pigment, Fab n Flashy*, Orange, NYX Sunset

From L-R: Orange, NYX Sunset, NYX Tropical, NYX Cherry, NYX Redhead, NYX Rust

The Tans:
These are kinda harder to see, especially the lighter shades on the right, so I upped the contrast a bit.

L-R: Ricepaper, Dazzelight*, Pink Opal Pigment*, Lancome's Daylight*

L-R: Amber Lights, NYX Golden, Goldmine*,NYX latte Foam, NYX Suede, Soba*

L-R: Antiqued, Bronze, Amber Lights, NYX Golden, Goldmine*,NYX latte Foam

Hope you enjoyed! I swatched mainly MAC and NYX and some others for comparison purposes but I might do the rest of my eyeshadows at some other point... we'll see! :)

Also, I'm looking into getting Ben Nye products, but I'm really confused as to how to purchase them! Do they have a legit website someplace? Help!

....and it was only Thursday.

2008-04-10T23:20:00.014-05:00

Heading over to Korie's to watch new episodes of The Office! We got the time mixed up and were all prepared at like 7pm central..when it started at 8. Oops.

(I like my monroe! Unfortunately, it's starting to swell up a bit, which is a natural but annoying part of having a piece of metal in your face.) For some reason, the sun was hitting my face such that my nose was all bright and highlighted.. kinda weird.

Jana's brother's dog.. a chihuahua-shitzu mix..which makes it a shithuahua? or chizu? anyway, it's a really pitiful looking creature.. apparently one day, it's eye popped out of its socket too. weird. the vet said it had "shallow sockets". what a poor, mangy little creature.

us waiting for the office to start and being force-fed cookies by joel, who apparently made a bit too much (like, 100 cookies).

Baxter and Beau, facing off. Watching two dogs fight sleepily is hilarious.

After the office... we head to Kathryn's Awesome, Quentin Tarantino themed birthday surprise!

Lara explaining the "rules"...

Kidnapping The Bride and presenting her with her sword (which incidentally, was totally real and kinda scary). She is obviously thrilled with her gift here.

Enter the backyard for..a..Blood fight! We made blood out of corn syrup and food coloring.. gross, I know. But it really works. and got everyone sticky.

Kelly as Gogo, definitely the best dressed of all of us!

Rol didn't want to get blood on himself so he took the following pictures... don't ask me what those white specks are... I realize you can't even see what's going on here... basically everyone's' just running around with baggies of blood, smashing it on other people.

trigger-happy

Alabama..she's a brave one

all dead... The Bride and Bill face off..in the distance..

seth the dj..and a random mexican.

Gogo got her ball and chain stuck in her hair. It was not pretty.

The Bride, victorious!

awesome stolen pics from lara ;)

Stabbing "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", her least favorite movie of all time. hahaha.
"I HATE YOU MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY!"

Oh, Gogo. :) You're badass.

Bill and the bride

you probably can't really see it here, but my hair was actually completely congealed in front of my body so I looked like I had a lion's mane. haha :)

Lara, the fabulous party planner looking wicked freaky. I think she was supposed to be a character from Sin City (the one who goes on about cutting yer pecker off)

Poor Jordan had to slice his shirt open because it was literally stuck to him...damned corn syrup!

Post insanity... $5 Pulp Fiction milkshakes in the house!

Yeah, that was a pretty awesome night, I gotta say :)

Monroe Piercing!

2008-04-10T09:36:00.003-05:00

Yay!

I actually really liked how it turned out! It was a bit more painful than I expected (my piercer being an asshole probably didn't help...grrrr...) but it looks great right now! Still getting used to it clanking about my gums and eating with it... but yeah. :)

Bri and Casey went with me and they were pretty much just standing there in horror, watching it happen. Watching piercings on other people is probably a hellalot scarier than actually getting it done yourself, heh heh. I love hearing the needle pop out of flesh. Sick, I know, but awesome fun.

So MAC is having yet more free shipping, and I have a huge question: What MAC product do you ladies think is an absolute MUST-buy? If you could only have one MAC item, which one would you keep? I'm wanting to buy something, but I don't know what. So I wanna hear what you guys have to say :p

Oh, and yeah, I totally bought front row tickets to a Death Cab for Cutie concert in Dallas come june... am I excited? YES. They were soooo cheap too, it's unbelievable! If you guys live in the area you should definitely check it out!

Remember: The Office tonight!

A Post on Lists

2008-04-09T09:40:00.006-05:00

Boring Things I have done recently:
...drunk too much red wine before going to bed, which in turn makes me incapable to getting up in the morning and getting to class
...tried to make hot spiced wine with my boyfriend (like the one we drank in San Francisco!) and failed terribly -- apparently, you need to do more than heat up red wine and pour cinnamon in it. Who knew?
...played tennis, and I don't suck as much as I thought. Right side of body still aching though. Also, severely dislike chasing balls around.
...forgotten to wear SPF in the last 2 days because I am just. So. Out. Of. It. Also, I've been leaving my entire makeup stash out in the living room because that's where I do all the makeovers, and I'm to tired to haul them back into my bathroom!
...not updating my youtube, or doing tutorials because frankly, I'm getting kinda tired of it (lol) and I absolutely hate editing videos. It's like the worst part of making them! :( But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop altogether..just taking a break for a while!

Exciting Things I will be doing soon:
...dress up for a Quentin Tarantino birthday party! Rol and I were going to go as Mia Wallace and Vince Vega, but that is apparently already taken, so we're either going to go as Sin City characters (like Miho!), or just show up and be random Asian/Mexican extras. Because Tarnatino loves those.
...Watch new episodes of The Office. I can't begin to describe how excited I am about those.
...get a monroe piercing! I'm almost 90% sure that this is going to happen.
...Juanes concert! Juanes concert!
...Deep Elm in Dallas for yet more sushi and maybe lebanese food. and shopping.

P/S I'm really chuffed that so many of you liked the last batch of makeovers... :p for some reason, I feel a lot less creative on other people's faces than on my own..I guess a part of me is kinda afraid that they'll hate it and think I'm a horrible MUA, etc. etc. And even though I am doing this mostly for myself, I still want my friends to like what I'm doing to their faces! To date, the only successful 'artistic', 'creative' look I've done is for Rol... still too unsure of myself to really go all out on anyone else!

Oh, and about that mod look? yeah. I'll do a tut some time... :p it's kinda boring really. but i will.

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on a side note, L'oreal's Infallible lip gloss pretty much sucks. Disappointing, but true. I love the two colors that I got (Barely Nude and Modern Mauve) and they're somewhat pigmented (nowhere near MAC, obviously) but they turn sticky almost immediately after application which is really revolting and annoying. Leaves practically no shine, no matter how many layers I apply and I don't really see how it's Infallible if all it's doing is sticking to everything but my lips (my hair, cups, bottles, silverware, my boyfriend).

Kinda annoying.

boo on you, Infallible.

I give you 1 out of 5 stars!

More makeup fun

2008-04-04T19:36:00.014-05:00

APOLOGIES for not updating youtube in a while... been really busy so please bear with me!

Wearing MAC Lippie in Violetta (pro), this gorgeous magenta-purple shade that is my new favorite thing!! It's super intense in real life (looks kinda washed out here but whatev) and a deep rosy purple.... I love it! I also picked up Rebel lipstick, but I liked this one a lot more :)

*just had to share! :p
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Thursday Photobooth fun.

I borrowed Casey's hair to see what I would look like with a bob. I actually rather like it!

my beauties

look who joined the fun for a nanosecond!

Lurve, you always liked my lips right?

Pelicans.haha. this picture cracks me up..

Singapore-style

lovely Thursday... and more makeup experiments on pals...

working on Dayami... the light in the corner is just a clip-on halogen lamp that I clamped on this ceiling hook... and it's really the only way that I was going to get all the light I needed :p

girlies in the car. Kim in the background looks like an X-Men character, I know... lol. It's totally my fault.

Ok... beautimous lady #1, Stephanie!

Kim...kimby...kimbers....

dayami!

leriam

girls chilling... that mac? yeah. we definitely spent like an hour on Photobooth taking ridiculous pictures...as you probably know by now.

My look thursday.. 60s mod! In defiance of the law that says monolids can't wear big-crease looks. haha :P

We spent the weekend in Dallas for Rol's job fair and I definitely went over to the MAC counter at Northpark Mall to do my back2mac stuff, and pick up some new products, and I am soooo excited about them because they're absolutely gorgeous! Will definitely do some tuts when I get the time.... :D

Alienman: We should totally have a monolid blog ring! How awesome would that be?? You're gonna have to help though, because I'm pretty much clueless about anything techy :D

The last push

2008-04-03T12:30:00.004-05:00

Feet out the window. I'm gonna do it all I want until I move to a big city and people give me weird stares.

Also, did I mention? I cut my bangs (I just missed them a lot). Which means that I've really been slacking off on the eye makeup lately... I can barely be bothered to slap on eyeliner..what's the point? No one can see my eyes anyway! :)

I'm gonna be in Dallas this weekend for a job fair..it's mostly for Rol because it's a design fair, but I think I'll take a look around and see if anyone's looking for a writer :) I'll probably just spend the rest of my time at a mall... buying things I don't need... and recycling those overdue MAC packaging! So i guess...if any of you are in the area..wave if you see me!

A Requested Look...gold, orange and copper :)

Comment Replies:
I'm really glad so many people liked the mad smurf makeup! I was kinda tetchy about at first but I really like it now :) Experimental makeup is sooo freaking fun; I only wish I were more creative!

No kidding though, Snowkei inspires me a ton! First of all, she's a gorgeous Asian woman with either really small creases or monolids and she still does gorgeous makeup on herself and other people. she uses all these ridiculously bright colors and does all this amazingly artistic and avant-garde looks... yeah. I wish my Chinese were good enough that I could figure out what the heck she's writing on her blog..but for the most part, I just like looking at pictures. haha :P

siokngi: I'm from Singapore originally :)

Sasakichild001: my sunnies are from Coach and I love them to bits too! I'm probably going to get new ones though, because these are kinda falling apart from all the wear-and-tear...

Shmexy Smoky Videos and awesome makeovers!

2008-03-31T00:18:00.013-05:00

This pretty much sums up the day.

I finally got to do my first batch of makeovers for my friends! :p It was heap loads of fun and they were all really good sports! So anyway..less talk and more show!

Sitting around chillin'..and after Casey straightened Rolando's hair (because he was afraid of her curling it! haha)

I'm so glad I have hot friends :)

Brianna: She has these really deep-set eyes so I wanted to pile on something really dramatic because I knew she was the only one out of the three girls who could pull off that look without look completely crazy!

I used:
Face: Her own Mary Kay foundation, blended out with foundation brush. Fuschia pink blush on apples of cheeks.

Eyes: UDPP, L'oreal Lush Raven in a thick line directly in crease and smoked out, NYX Deep Purple and MAC Sketch on lid, NYX Baby Pink as highlight, silver eyeshadow in inner corners,MAC Blacktrack along lash lines, Maybelline Volum' Express Mascara

Lips: MAC Impassioned Lipstick and MAC Lip Gelee in Glosspitality

Lol I like this nutjob picture. After Casey and I teased her hair to bits (and it still wouldn't fluff up!)

Lynn: And her huuuuge eyes! She has these amazingly attractive eyes so I though I'd just try to bring them into focus more and add some interest, since I really thought she could pull it off

Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC25, MAC Soba eyeshadow as a contour shade, rose color blush on apples

Eyes: UDPP, mixture of MAC Soba and Parfait Armor in crease, MAC Freshwater along lower lashes and blended out, Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Cobalt Ink along lash lines, Clinique Mascara

Lips: L'Oreal Color Riche in Amber

Casey: This was more of my experiment on her because she always wears darker eyeshadows and I really just wanted to see what it would be like to have her in lighter shades (and she totally hated it! Lol...)

Foundation: Mixed up some bronzer and translucent powder to match her skin tone, dark rose blush on apples and bronzer to contour

Eyes: MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot as base, MAC Antiqued along outer crease, MAC Goldmine and Chrome Yellow on lid, Black Pencil Eyeliner along lashes, Benefit Bad Gal Mascara

Lips: L'oreal in Tropical Coral

(isn't her hair ridiculously lovely? she curled it herself in like, ten minutes or something. Jealous.)

Working on Rolando..seeing as he is my boyfriend and a boy and so I have less fear aboutscrewing up on him, I decided to go ballistic on his face. Or at least for just an hour (because it was late at night by this point and I really wanted to go to bed, haha!)

All I used:
-a wedge sponge and MAC Freshwater all over as the base color (no moisturizer, primer or anything! I just wanted to experiment and see how it would turn out),
-a white eyeliner pencil to trace out the basic shapes I wanted
-a random silver shade (from my Wales Palette), making the appropriate 'slash' lines and fading them out.
-applied mad falsies on one eye (poor baby could barely open his eyes!)

I'm so ridiculously proud of this :) haha! I don't really know what I was going for...at first it was like a cross between Braveheart and a smurf but I think it turned out well. If I had more time I could probably have amped it up more :)

Anyway...after all that excitement..it's back to lil 'ol me! my own vids over the weekend...

Dramatic Asian Eyes

Smoky Sweet Pink Look

Hope you guys enjoyed :) I'm in the painfully slow process of publishing/uploading and editing other videos and trying to plan for future shoots so... yeah.... will keep y'all posted!

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I never really know what to do with all the tagging stuff going on, ahah! But Alienman tagged me so I guess I'll list my 5 Beauty Crime Confessions:

1) My eyebrows have seriously been tortured to death. I don't do anything that I'm supposed to (like use white pencil to draw an outline and all that that); I just kinda pick up a pair of tweezers and go at it. This usually has some disastrous results...but lately I've been controlling myself quite well :)

2) I rarely get zits but when I do, I pick at them. Ohhhh yesss I doo. I'm lucky I don't get zits with more frequency because my face would be scarred to death; I just can't keep my itchy-fingers away from them!

3) I don't know if this is a good or bad thing (probably bad, erring more on the side of 'crime' and 'vice' than 'virtue'), but I wash my face multiple times of day. And not with a gentle cleanser either. Morning..afternoon if I feel gross... evening before dinner..after dinner... before I go to bed. OK, granted, I don't do that everyday, but I like having a clean face. But I also scrub the living heck out of it.

4) I don't floss. Enough said. I'll start tomorrow.

5) I can never take care of my nails / polish... I'm horrible to my hands. Things chip and flake and I don't really care until somewhat drags me to get a manicure...

Alright. well, i tag everyone else who hasn't got the chance to do it! (not being lazy, I just genuinely don't know who has or hasn't done it..)

Nights out + Makeup Videos

2008-03-28T12:35:00.011-05:00

Girly night on Thursday... complete with cooking attempts and a chick flick (Becoming Jane!)...

Kicking off the evening with a trip to Wallymart to get some groceries..it was quite an experience. Thank god for Anneliese (our very own Top Chef) and her mad culinary skills ;)

Picture happy outside Walmart? Yes ma'am. It's a big deal in this redneck town; didn't you know?

leriam and casey: bonitas! (how beautiful are their eyes? estoy celosa!!!)

Speeding around in Dayami's BMW..wheee!

We rented Disturbia and Becoming Jane and only got around to watching the latter because we were too busy playing the piano/guitar and singing to get the movie started... and even though I know how the movie was going to end (Jane Austen fan, hello!), I still wanted to cry.

Goddamnit. How can someone with such a sad life write such beautiful stories? I want to have a beautiful life and write sad stories. Seems a whole lot better.

Leftover homemade pizza (which was ridiculously amazing, even though it looks disgusting here) and mini brownie bites drowned in Kahlua! Unbelievably, I got carded in the liquor store and told that they didn't accept my ID (because it wasn't a Texas ID) and that no, they don't accept Passports either. What the hell? Who doesn't accept passports?! I mean, are they not the one, single, most reliable form of identification ever made in the world? And mine is like all jazzed up and shit, biometric and full of official stamps from all these random places...it's not like I could've forged that. But whatever. I digress.

Me and Dayami, possibly my favorite mexicana ever :)

"Oh my god, what's that in your phone?"
"That's me!"
"Nooo way that looks nothing like you -- let me see!"
"What?! What's wrong with how I look?!"
"Was this in Mexico?"
"No! It was here!"
"...I think you're lying... Abilene is not that pretty."

The dangers of genetically-modified strawberries (even if they taste so damn good)

After seeing how ghostly pale I look compared to everyone else in these photos... I've decided to start using a bit of bronzer :p so don't be surprised if you start seeing that in my videos and photos! While I most certainly do not want to get a sun tan (pigmentation nightmares abound), I might start investing in a healthy 'glow'..so I look less like Michael Jackson and more like an actual human. haha!

Friday night.. a belated birthday dinner (for meee! hehe) with Korie & Joel at Red Robin; where else?

boyfwen and me

Joel coping a feel of Lady Liberty. He swears it was an accident but we all know better.

Apparenty, Rol and I go to Red Robin so often that wait staff and managers have begun coming up to us and chatting like we're old friends...last night, our server even brought us our usually appetizers without even asking and said "Well, the guys at the back said this was y'alls favorite so I brought it!" Lol!

At Korie's...messing with the fidgeting dog!

Children. Lol.

And then we proceeded to watch The Office all. night. long. I love that show!
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Neutral Eyes & Lips as requested by Spanishpie

This is quite possibly one of my favorite neutral looks so far...It's so ridiculously simple that I felt obliged to try and do more to make it worth everyone's time. Haha! I honestly feel quite limited on neutral looks because I can't think of using anything other than browns and tawny golds.. this one worked out really well (I used some MAC Antiqued) so I'm very pleased :)

I'm also trying to go easy on the eyeliner in these videos because people have been commenting that I put on too much, etc. Ok, whatever. :) I ~~like~~ love my eyeliner! And I honestly feel that it makes my eyes look like the round, gorgeous orbs that they are not! Plastic surgery without the pain or months of recovery! What I've ended up doing is applying it in a thin line like most people would do, and then when I'm done with the video I look in the mirror and think "eurhg, crappy small eyes!" and apply a whole bunch more, un-documented. haha!

But since no one but me gets to see that, no one will have anything to complain about!

(I have very odd lower lashes. They never curl down but like to stick straight out. Does anyone else have this problem?)

Silver & Blue Smoky Eyes for ThaLoveDino

(I look like I have crazy buck-teeth in this picture. Weird! need to remember not to ever open my mouth like that!)

Aren't those colors sinfully beautiful? Nothing MAC in here either!

I used mainly Lancome's Color Design Eyeshadow in Personal Style which is this mad metallic aqua blue. It looks gorgeous in the pan, but takes a life time to apply properly and make it show up. Such a shame! A sponge applicator was the best way and it kinda worked but still... I wish it were more pigmented!

I also used another Makeup Store product (Microshadow in Midnight Sailor) and I friggin love it! First of all, it's like 3 times the size of a MAC eyeshadow (it's literally the size of a standard blush), highly pigmented and easy to blend. I bought it over Christmas break, used it once, and then completely forgot about it..so I'm glad that I finally got the chance to dig it out from my stash, hehe :)

A picture of Marianna with the same eyeshadow, who had originally requested for this look!

I'm finally going to own MAC Pigments!

2008-03-27T09:58:00.003-05:00

I ordered some MAC Pigment samples from Starsmakeuphaven.com...finally! I don't own any pigments whatsoever, but everyone and their mum seems to be using it with great success and my curiosity has finally gotten the better of me :)

I bought a pack of 10 samples... it has Fuchsia , Rose, Tan ,Melon ,Golden Lemon ,Chocolate ,Brown,Teal,Blue Storm ,Violet, and Pink Opal. I love that rainbow feel :D Originally I was just going to pick up Golden Lemon and Vanilla but I figured heck, if I was going to buy some I might as well get a whole bunch of 'em and have fun right? Plus I wanted to have as much variety as possible for all the upcoming makeovers I'll be doing :)

It seems so silly being excited over pigments..everyone else is probably like 'psssssh pigments, what's new?' but I never felt like I needed them because I got on fine with just regular eyeshadows and maybe once in a while some mineral pigment powders...but nothing that was madly high-intense as these should be. So I'm really looking forward to them!

What do you think? Are these good colors to have? What others should I pick up? Any suggestions on how (not) to use them? I don't think I'm really going to bother with mixing mediums right now (I'm such a novice!)...maybe just a damp brush :)

Ok..but seriously. I need to stop spending money on makeup. Stop it Mary!

Comment responses:
Ethereal Prey: Thanks for the tip; I actually have a Sephora spray cleaner that could possibly work in between uses so I'll give that a shot :)

Mayaari: I'm glad that I'm not the only one who feels kinda lost! I guess I always assumed that by the time I'm a college senior I should have my shit together but..apparently not!

Christy: Thanks! I took a peek at your blog and all I can say is..you don't need a makeover of any kind! You're too darn hot already! :D And purely on that basis, I'm gonna link you. Heh heh!

ilurvemakeup: That's hilarious that you thought my curls were natural! I can't imagine any Chinese girl with naturally curly-whirly hair... does that happen? (Lucky them!) and I'll definitely look into NYX lipsticks! The only problem is that I don't think they're sold in stores in my area, and I hate looking at dumb gif. pictures online on their websites... I can't get a good sense of what they're like at all!

When you have too much time on your hands...

2008-03-25T21:21:00.008-05:00

Last night I got to doodle all over my pretty little roommate's face! :)

I'm actually lining up a series of 'makeovers' for some of my friends to include in my makeup portfolio..for the day when I finally decide that I want to be a makeup artist / work for a makeup store / go to cosmetology school! But until then, I'm just gonna have fun practicing on as whoever I can catch :p

I'll probably post most of the makeovers here, just so any of my readers who aren't Asian won't feel left out :D Plus, I feel like I could use more practice on face types other than mine!

Here's Amy sans makeup and still looking all glowy and pretty:

I used:
Foundation....L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in Neutral and set with some translucent powder to set.
Blush...a dark rose color to contour, and a bright pink on the apples of cheek from my Sephora palette.
Brows...Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Brown.
Eyes...UDPP as a base, NYX Spring Flower all over lids, NYX Deep Purple to contour and MAC Beauty Marked as an accent color on outer 'v' of lids, The Make Up Store's Purple Attraction Pencil Eyeliner to line eyes, Maybelline's Define-a-Lash on upper and lower lashes.
Lips...MAC Lip Gelee in Glosspitality.

Isn't she the cutest? She was going to go out for dinner with a mutual friend so I didn't want to go all ape-shit on her face. haha :) and she has the most incredible lashes..they're like all long and thick and curly! *seethes with jealousy*

Anyhoo, I'm gonna be doing 5 girls on Sunday so I'm kinda nervous :p 2 of them are Hispanic and the other 3 are White, and they all have totally different eye and face shapes so..it's gonna be quite an experience! Hopefully I don't screw up totally :p In total I'll be doing over 20 girls over the next few weeks (before I graduate) so it'll be quite a schedule!

(Apart from Rol..those are the girls I'll be working on in Round 1, plus another totally gorgeous Hispanic chick not pictured!)

Any tips on how to keep my (few) brushes as clean as possible in between faces? The only thing i can think of is to wipe them off on a damp kleenex or something... which doesn't seem all that effective. And I don't really want to buy more brushes... oh well!

I'm thinking of doing a couple of neutral looks, night looks, and then some totally outlandish, mad-ass artsy-fartsy type things. The only problem with the latter is that I don't really have the equipment to pull it off (like face paints, crazy lashes, etc) so I'll really have to just whip it out of thin air I guess!

Anyway...on to actual things that relate to life..which is weird because I generally try not to go into my personal life too much here :p

I'm feeling really torn about my future. I guess most of you know by now that I'm not American, and I'll be graduating in May so if I get my temporary work visa (OPT), I'll get to live and work in the US for a year. My (Mexicano!) boyfriend is in the same position....

the only way we're going to be able to stay any longer than that is to find a job that is willing to 'sponsor' us...that means they have to 1) prove that no American is qualified to do our job, 2) pay thousands of dollars through a corporate lawyer or hire a lawyer to 'fight' for a visa. Doesn't that sound bloody impossible? The only companies that can afford to do that are mega corporation types..in other words, companies that I have absolutely no interest working for.

Of course, the other option is to be illegal. Lol. No, just kidding. I don't really fancy the idea of being deported. (Although honestly, it's overall easier right now to get a green card and become a citizen by being illegal and hanging around for a couple of years undetected, than it is to be a skilled, educated legal alien. How fucking cracked is the system? But that's another rant, for another day.)

I guess I could also go to (grad) school and then get my doctorate and pssssh, who could turn me down then? But I don't really know what I want to do in grad school...it could be more English lit, or maybe an MBA, or something completely different. And in between then, I still want to get licensed as a cosmetologist at some vague point in life, and maybe open a store of my own (in what? I don't know. Clothes, makeup, books, silly knick-knacks?) and I still want to write for underground fashion magazines.

A lot to do...and no place to do it :) I don't seem to be qualified enough to do anything, and I'm really getting kinda frustrated. I wish I could figure out once and for all what the hell I'm going to do with my life, and just head in that direction and bloody focus, but I have the attention span of my chipmunk on crack and I lose interest in everything after a while.

Bah. I'm not going to think about it. And I'm not going to force you guys to read all this anxiety! I just needed to vent :)

...aaaand, I'm off.

Review: L'Oreal Color Riche in Tropical Coral (444)

2008-03-25T10:04:00.005-05:00

I went on a lovely Walmart mini-haul yesterday, to make up for the fact that I didn't do any shopping whatsoever over Spring Break! :) I've actually been in the mood for lots of lipsticks lately, so I went in and picked up a couple (from L'Oreal) and some cheap eye pencils that I needed (white and silver) and a Revlon Brow Fantasy pencil/gel in Dark Brown.

I'll probably try to do a little review on each of the products (especially if I like them!) as I get a chance to try them out...I've never been one to do haul videos anyway, so I'll just be posting my little reviews here.

Ok, so up first: L'oreal Color Riche Lipstick in Tropical Coral (444)

Here's what the swatch online looks like, and the lipstick itself:

And here's me wearing it (I'm at work and was taking a picture from the bottom up, so I know it looks like one side of my makeup is considerably darker, but it's just the shadow from my hair!)

What I like:

I think the color is great, and I've been looking for a pretty coral tone for a while. It looks a bit orange-y in the photos above, but in real life it's a lot darker and more on the pink side, which suits my coloring fine.
The color payoff is great! I have pale pink lips, and a very thin coat of Tropical Coral went on great and pigmented so this will definitely go a very long way. I think if I applied more coats and maybe some gloss over it, I would have a much more dramatic lip, but on it's own like this, it looks fine for the day.
Seems pretty smudge-proof (so far) and long-lasting.
I like that it's matte..I'm not good with glosses because I tend to get it all in my hair and everywhere but on my lips! Even so, it's not a flat matte shade; it has the slightest hint of shimmer so your lips still look 3-dimensional!

What I didn't like:

Wasn't as moisturizing as I had hoped. I have other Color Riche products and they felt better... this one seems pretty matte and kinda sank into the lines in my lips after a while so it wasn't as 'plush' as I had first hoped. (You can kinda see it in my second picture when I'm not smiling as much)
The color didn't go on as smoothly as some others -- I'm guessing it's because it's more matte than glossy so it felt like it was skipping slightly, but only slightly, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
You could really 'feel' it... I know this is subjective, but I like lipsticks that go on and I'll just forget about it. But I really did feel like there was a layer over my lips... not a biggie, but still something to consider if you have attention problems like me ("study study oooh my lips feel funny *rub rub smack lips* I wonder if it's coming off/smudging? I should go check...")

I give it a 3.5 out of 5! Moisturizing lipsticks mean a lot to me since I have very dry lips to begin with, so I guess this will just need a lot of chapstick to go with it...

What L'Oreal says about this product:

La creme de la creme of lipcolor.

Nurtures lips to keep them soft, smooth, and supple with ultra-hydrating Omega 3.
Protects against moisture-loss with the conditioning power of Vitamin E.
Creamy, anti-feathering lip liners coordinate perfectly with Color Riche lipcolors.

Ingredients:
Lanolin Oil (Lanolin Liquida), Sesamum Indicum Oil (Sesame Seed), Oleyl Erucate, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), PPG 5 Lanolin Wax, Acetylated Lanolin, Cera Alba, Beeswax, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Fragrance (Parfum), Tocopheryl Acetate, Rosa Canina (Rosa Canina Fruit Oil), Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Arginine PCA, BHT, BHA, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Methyl 2 Octynoate, May Contain +/-: Mica (CI 77891), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77492), CI 77499, CI 77491, Iron Oxides (CI 15850), Red 7 (CI 15985), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 45410), Red 28 Lake (CI 77163), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 42090), Blue 1 Lake (CI 45380), Red 22 Lake (CI 75470), Carmine (CI 19140)

Oh yeah, my hair FAQ video is up! so all those questions everyone has had about my (unnaturally) curly hair should be answered here!

back from my wonderfully short break!

2008-03-24T00:29:00.016-05:00

I'm back from my whirlwind Spring Break in California! :) It was so short that I barely had time to do anything, much less shop (boo!) but that's ok, because I spent most of my money on food anyway. Haha!

So here's my little tourist-y guide of San Francisco :)

Before hopping on our plane. We had to get up at like 4am in the morning to catch our flight in Dallas so yeah, we both look bleary eyed for a good reason...

So pensive. So modelesque.

Not so much.

This is my travel makeup: No foundation and pasty skin from lack of sleep, some NARS Orgasm Blush, MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot and chapstick. Oh yeah, and all the hair out of my freakin' face!

Wandering around Houston's airport. Still sleepy.

our adorable rental car in California from Avis... a red toyota prius! seriously this car was awesome.. I think we only had to stop for gas twice even though we drove over 1000 miles! Oh and seriously, never pass up the chance to get a Garmin in a rental car.. especially if you're gonna be on the highway as much as we were... it's too good to be true, and much better than Rol and I yelling at each other about which exit to take.

99 mile per gallon? heck yes!

Ok so we headed straight down to Fisherman's Wharf Pier 39 to stare at the Boudin Bakery, and the disgruntled Hispanic bakers who look entirely bored having to show us his latest bread-bear creations...

But of course, you don't get to Fisherman's wharf without first trekking 90 degrees up and down all these bloody hills!

pumped at first..

...still going for it..

totally.fucking.exhausted. I think we walked vertically for about 10 blocks.

the coast!

pre-ferry ride! We got these totally cheap and amazing tickets (with a student discount..get an ISIC card if you're a student!) to go under and around the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as around Alcatraz.

approaching the bridge

it was freezing cold up there on the highest deck. Should definitely have brought a coat or two! Rol was whimpering like a little girl. Ha! Him and his T-shirts!

the underbelly of the golden gate bridge!

approaching Alcatraz...which was pretty damn creepy.

The home of the original clam chowder at Chowders@pier 39. The perfect way to soothe those cold bones! And I was seriously starving...

Ok so...we headed down to Chinatown to look for our cute little friends! We found Lynn and Bri chugging sake ein a cornr restaurant and getting hit on by wannabe rockstars!

Apparently the only place open till midnight in Chinatown. Boo! But they had pretty good food... so head down to Great Oriental Restaurant at 848 Washington St for some pretty intense and funny service and huuuuuuge portions of food. Ooh and try their sake..it comes in large vats of hot water so it stays warm and goes down great on those cold nights...

Friday... we headed down to Japantown for sushi first thing in the morning... yes, it was madly sunny. Restaurants only open at around 11.30 am, but everything else starts up at about ten..so we had a good time wandering around funky comic and toy stores, cool book stores and interesting boutiques.

Then we were off to Alamo Square! Can you tell I love taking pictures of everything but the stuff around me ?

There were all these cute little houses. These two were my favorite!

In front of the Full House houses. But I liked the people sitting in front if it more..and their adorable dog... hehe.

We went down to Kan Zaman at 1793 Haight St in the fashionably hippy district of Haight Ashbury for some incredibly authentic Lebanese food. Quick and cheerful service, the best pitas around and some great meat pies! We trotted around the area after that, but it was close to 9pm so lots of things were closed but there were so many people milling about, dodging in and out of clubs and late night shops. It had such a great vibe...I would love to go back and shop up a storm!

Friday, and our last breakfast in SF... at Toast Eatery (1748 Church St) , one of the city's best breakfast joints, which serves fabulous, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, the best hashbrowns I have ever had and...

...a mimosa first thing in the AM! Woohoo~!

evil breakfast but SOOOO good! Our meal cost around $30 with tips which was decent, considering the massive amount of food we were served.

us trotting around the streets looking at garage sales in the neighborhood. I am ecstatically chirpy thanks to the alcohol and carbohydrates in my veins. haha!

We started our 8 hour drive back to San Diego and half way there the sun started to set over the gorgeous coastline..so we pulled over to enjoy it for a little while...

the marshmallow man in the sunset. hehe.

our last California dinner... in a little city right before San Diego at an amazing Indian restaurant called the Star of India ( 3860 Valley Centre Dr, San Diego). The chai tea was to die for! And the curry dishes were absolutely incredible..I am actually getting hungry just thinking about it now. I have most definitely gained any weight I lost from stress this semester in a few days... haha! Oops... I guess there is a diet coming up soon...because I dont want to be a fat ass during graduation!

The end of a trip that was waaaaay too short.

Oh, we also got home and realized that Amy had bolted the door and our keys didn't work right, so Rol had to break in through the back and go crashing through one of the doors. Very heroic.

I hope everyone else's break/week was good! I'll be back next weekend with some new videos.. because I have a lot of request catching-up to do.. :-/ But I will strive on, valiantly!

Veedayoz..before I leave for break!

2008-03-16T22:52:00.006-05:00

Enjoy!

My Skincare Regime (Dry Skin)

Bright Green St. Patrick's Day Look!

Day to Night Transition Part 1

Day to Night Transition Part 2

My Favorite Lip products for dry lips

A Year in Pictures or....fun with onetruemedia.com!

My lovely 21st birthday!

2008-03-13T22:25:00.008-05:00

awww I have such lovely friends!

(So... blogger won't let me upload anymore pictures, which is totally retarded and I don't know how I'm supposed to get any more.. so.. here are some random pictures!)

After a full day of work and class, Rol and I went out to dinner at some quaint little Italian restaurant and it was really lovely, and even his mum called me and left the cutest voice message in Spanish.. hehe.

Then anyway.. Rol starts acting a bit suspicious and says that he wants to get pie...(our friends have pie nights every Wednesday night but we haven't been going in a while), so I kindA wondered about why he wanted to go..but we did anyway, totally overdressed, and when we walk in everyone busts out singing happy birthday.. lol!

So it turns out that they had planned this surprise birthday party and almost all of our loveliest friends were there, on a Wednesday night no less! And Casey even got my chinese name, a little picture of me and a little picture of the school on my cake. hahaha. It was pretty hilarious.

Aaaaanyway..cue some pictures. Im putting the rest on facebook, so if i can find a way to publicly share those, I will!

Us leaving for dinner...all gussied up, pretty, and ready-to-go!

at the restaurant! It was a great place, and huge amounts of food... I was totally stuffed.

And then..here's my cake!

Me: There's so much cake! Why didn't you tell me we'd be having cake? I wouldn't have eaten so much at dinner!
Rol: What could I say!? "Er babe, you should probably lay off on that pasta..."!?

my best girlies!

Chums!

and karate kids!

streamer fun

waaaaaar

my beloved pie maker Kathryn!

It was a great night... I'd get more pictures up but I'm feelin kinda lazy right now. Haha.

ohh and this is the shirt my brother got me for my birthday! hahah~ I opened the package in the middle of English class and all my fellow English majors started talking about how the heart totally needed an 's' so it would be 'loves' instead of 'love'.... lol. Yeah don't mind the face.. I'm not wearing anything besides moisturizer so I look extra 'glowy'. ha!

Oh, did I mention that we'll be in California for Spring Break? woooo! We're flying into San Diego but we're going to drive straight up to San Francisco because that's where some of our friends will be (plus Rol's never been to SF and I know he'd love it!)... since I'm 21... this is gonna be a great Spring Break. haha!

Thank you Lbel! *Edit: JUST KIDDING!

2008-03-12T00:21:00.003-05:00

wow... so...remember a little while ago, when I posted about my hunt for those Ebel or Lbel makeup removers?

Well.. yesterday, I actually received a package from an area manager for Ebel from California, and she sent me three lovely new bottles of the magic stuff!!!! along with some beauty consultant stuff...

but...YEAH. i was so chuffed!! i guess blogging about things pays off sometimes!

so... hey MAC. I really love your products. I like em all. Send me some. You too, Benefit. And you too, Clinique! Send away!!!!!

On a creepier note...how did they get my address ? ? ? did I unwittingly post it somewhere ? ? eeek.

It's actually a birthday present from my darling sister!!! That's crazy (and I feel better now knowing that no one can stalk me online! hehe.)

THANK YOU! I wonder why L'bel didn't put like..a card, or some kind of notice saying that I had actually received this from a person I knew!

still very cool :)

Still waiting to actually receive real swag. I will, someday, just you wait. muahaha!

Rol's art show! and FIVE new videos!

2008-03-08T18:43:00.013-06:00

So this was the moment Rol had been waiting for ever since he knew he was going to be a graphic designer... his senior art show!

making his speech...

before people started arriving..

chilling out with friends and well wishers..

and the best part is that he actually got a freelance job out of it :) some guy came up to him and asked if he could design something for their company... pretty sweet :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Video Time! Man... I have really been pumping them out this week!

1. Rainbow Eyes

Eyes:
~MAC Bare Study
~MAC Chrome Yellow
~Bella pierre Yellow mineral powder
~MAC Wondergrass
~MAC Freshwater
~NYX Deep purple
~Black Liquid Eyeliner
~Shiseido Lasting Lift Mascara

Lips
~ MAC Lip Gelee in Glosspitality

2. Orange, Red & Black

Eyes:
~MAC Rubenesque
~MAC Fab n Flashy
~MAC Orange
~NYX Rust
~Loreal Lush Raven
~Maybelline Expertwear in Brownish Black
~Maybelline Volum Express

3. Smoky Mermaid Eyes

Eyes
~MAC Bare Study
~NYX October Sky w. MAC 224
~ Bella Pierre Mineral Powder in Blue shade w. MAC 217
~ Ebay Palette Medium Blue color
~ Ebay Palette Indigo or Navy Blue color
~ the Makeup Store Purple Attraction Pencil Eyeliner
~ MAC Handforged Eyeliner
~ The Makeup Store Eyedust in Hot
~ MAC Goldmine
~ Maybelline Volum Express Mascara

Lips
~ Loreal Color Riche in Orchid
~ Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in I Want Candy

4. Green & Bronze Forest Eyes

Eyes
~MAC Rubenesque
~MAC Amber Lights
~MAC Femme Noir
~NYX Spring Leaf
~NYX Golden
~Lancome Daylight
~MAC Blacktrack
~The Makeup Store Glitter Eyeliner in Spunk
~Clinique Mascara

Lips
~ Urban Decay Sparkler pen in Bombshell

5. My late intro video!

A lil bit about who I am...and also featuring my sweet little kitty!

A busy, busy week :)

2008-03-07T14:29:00.002-06:00

Things I need to do:
- Send all those resumes out to all those jobs I wanted (and those I dream about)
- Line up interviews for Spring Break
- Get those plane tickets
- Help Rol with his senior art show (which is tonight! ee!)
- Find time to build that portfolio
- Write all those lovely papers

Mmm. yeah. Nothing like a good case of stress to motivate me...

Q&A on my eBay Palette

My weekend gone by...

2008-03-03T15:40:00.008-06:00

Rol and I met up with our favorite married couple John and April to see the movie Jumper, because the boys wanted to *rolls eyes* I could have seen Juno but nooo..i had to watch some dumb action flick with terrible lines and terrible acting. At least Rol paid AND got me popcorn to placate me so it wasn't so bad :p

It's snowing! Flurries and flurries of it, but they're not quite sticking yet, hence it just looks like dandruff all over grass in this picture, but it will...just you wait... I'll get to make snowmen tomorrow... ;) Edit: Just kidding. It's 80 degrees out today. Damn schizophrenic weather.

My boy and I had quite the adventure last night. We were sitting in Red Robin, finishing off dinner and noticed crazy lightening and thunder all of a sudden -- it had been bright and sunny all day yesterday. So we leave and find out that it's absolutely pouring buckets out, and as we drive home it starts to freaking hail. Obviously, the useless weathermen in Abilene didn't catch this, because it took everyone by surprise and brought out the worse in Texan drivers (which is pretty damn bad, I'll tell you.)

So everyone is busy trying to find shelter and most of us end up pulling into a gas station and since space is so tight, there were a couple of close calls, but it turned out ok. 5 minutes later, it stops and we race home. And now it's snowing! (and tomorrow it's supposed to be ridiculously sunny... stupid West Texas weather)

It hails pretty often in Abilene, but I've never been out and about in it. And we don't get cute, small hail either; we frequently get golf-ball or baseball-sized hail, which is really dangerous, not to mention incredible bad for the car!! But my little Honda looks ok so I'm not in a bad mood and ready to yell at people :)

New vids over the weekend as promised!
My 5 minute smoky eye

Pink & Green Eyes!

It's been a helluva weekend... my friends are all going a bit crazy with stress and taking it out on each other...add to that some bad communication problems.. yeah, all around a sticky situation. Sigh. You'd think that when we're 'adults' you wouldn't have these issues but there you go... it's like pre-school all over again.

And I'm really tired of hating my body. There, I said it. I've come a long way with accepting my monolid eyes but after so long, I still feel like the fat girl no matter where I am or what I do. I don't want minor weight fluctuations to ruin my entire day..I feel like I should be over that by now. Anyway, I've taken to eating all those frozen Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice entrees and I really like them! They're not the cheapest thing, but you can't beat the convenience! I tried cooking dinner everyday for the sake of 'saving money' and I just don't have all that freaking time! And I feel a lot better knowing the exact calorie content of what I'm putting in my body :p Now all I need to do is find the time to work out, and not be such a lazy bugger and driver everywhere when I can walk....
I'm also really keen on going on a fruit fast, but obviously Rol thinks this is a heinously stupid idea and says that he will have no one to eat burgers with, which is true. But I'm really into the idea of a 'detox'... or fast weight loss, whichever. ;)
Ah, the plight of being the fat girl! Haha.
--------------------------------------
Ok so! based on y'alls comments, I'm really excited about the Neutrogena makeup remover, and I'm gonna try that the next time I run out of all my stuff...ah heck, I might just buy it tomorrow :P And the natural oil thing is really interesting; I might try it someday and see what happens... I already have aspirin in my bathroom, I guess adding olive oil isn't a big deal :)

and..this is just creepy. What's up with religious nutjobs??