Saturday, March 29, 2014

Graduation Makeup and Outfit Breakdown (OOTD & EOTD)

I graduated last Friday... again!

So... I might've spent 6 years at university, the first 4 years studying Psychology - mainly because I was  fresh out of high school, experiencing social/identity perplexities and was on the hunt for meaning, purpose, reason....  you know, the usual developmental stages of a teenager.  This bachelor's degree worked better than counseling or going to see a Psychologist. With 20k of HECS debt... I really did expect results. Eventually, I realised it wasn't something I can develop into.

Off I went, back into the wood works for 2 years of Masters. I learned more about empathy than I did in Psychology. I earned countless acquaintances and not enough friends to count. The first semester consisted of 4 days of work per week and skipping a lot of classes. By the time I began to attend uni studiously, cliques were formed and groups were established. Sprinkle some anti-social behaviour and Voila! I graduated with Distinction average - not that it matters in a Masters degree...

I told my mum that I'll go back to do my PhD one day, she threatened to throw all my make up away and told me "NO MORE UNI!!!!!"





I ordered two standard sized photos for $66 (by standard, I mean the ones you usually get developed for 10c at a photo shop) highway robbery? I'm still waiting for the photos to be delivered... so here's one I ripped off the online preview.


Now to the makeup breakdown....

Here's a picture of everything I used



Face
Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation - I20
Revlon Concealer - Light
Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder - Soft Sand
Bobbi Brown Bronzer - Natural 01


Eyes
 Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Colour - BL711
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
Dollywink Mascara

Lips
Shiseido Perfect Rouge - RS612
The Natural Source Camouflage Colour Crayon - 037 (Used as a lip pencil)





Another gorgeous dress from Review Australia (http://review-australia.com/)

Shoes from  Rivers Australia (http://www.rivers.com.au/) - I swear they have really comfortable shoes!



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Lust Have It! - March 2014

I saw a small package outside my door as I arrived home, LHI are still putting together the new box. I don't mind receiving my products in bubble wrap.




Bloom Secret Weapon Concealer Kit
$20
FULL SIZE 

The most anticipated product of the box! I was happy that I selected the concealer kit instead of the eyeliner! There are 2 colour correctors, 3 different shades of concealer and 1 illuminator. I'm putting this in my purse!

 

Aveda intensive Hydrating Mask
150ml for $79.95
Received 7ml

A face mask for dryness and stress.. I've become rather oily as of late. But wouldn't mind giving this a try. This sample would probably last 1 use.

Gatineau Refreshing Melting Scrub 
75ml for $58
Received 15ml

Melting Scrub?! lol. That sounds appealing. It's an exfoliator, which I do need.


Klara Kiss Proof Lips in 03
8ml for $29
Received 1.2ml

YESSSS I didn't receive bright red! Love the colour, but it's so small!

Orly Nail Lacquer in Hottie
18ml for $18.95
Received 5.4ml

Never tried Orly before, very pretty pink colour. Happy to give this a go.


Recoverlyte

Hmmm.. I don't really have late nights anymore... I'm usually in bed by 9:30PM....I think I'll pass this onto someone else.



I didn't get any of the lucky dip again :( I wonder if the quality of the boxes are impacted due to the commencement of the lucky dip... I'm having mixed feelings about this box. There were a few products I'm relatively keen on, but they are so small and only 1 full size product :(

Better luck next month?

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Event Review: Taste of Sydney - Centennial Park - 2014

 Taste of Sydney is a yearly event where a variety of well-known, prestigious restaurants and exhibitors come together at Centennial Park. You will literally experience a "taste" of Sydney. There were LOTS of samplers.

This has become one of our most anticipated event of the year - Yes, we will attend religiously, rain or shine. Click to see last year's review.

There were tickets at the door as per usual, I was smart this time and purchased their early bird tickets from Ticketek (as we all know, Ticketek is studious and often goes the extra mile to charged an additional $5 for printing my own tickets); $35 for 2 general admission tickets. $1 per crown. We bought 60 crowns ($60).

Thunder and storm greeted us upon arrival. Thankfully, the good people at Taste provided everyone with recyclable ponchos! Within an hour, the gloomy weather eased as we continued our food safari.








Aki's Indian Restaurant
Dahi Sev Poori
$6

Crispy wheat pockets with spiced potato and yoghurt. You'll get flavours bursting into your mouth. Hands down, the best dish out of everything we tried. This came 3rd for the best dish... it should be 1st, or at least 2nd..people must've had one too many cocktails when voting for the best dish.




Longrain
Crispy King Prawns with Green Chilli and Lime
$12

First time I've tried green chilli puree. The prawns were tender, but the shell around the prawn's head was quite tough.


Bloodwood
Polenta Chips with Gorgonzola Sauce
$6

I was hesitant with the gorgonzola sauce, but it was well balanced. Such a simple dish, such a hit! Oh, I would like the polenta chips to be a bit more crunchy.


Edible Bug Shop
Pistachio and Chocolate Cricket
Ant Sorbet
$8

My extremely brave, pescatarian boyfriend decided to try some novel delicacies. I wasn't too convinced at the idea of Ant Sorbet... especially since I have a mass ant infestation at home, so I guess it would have been counter intuitive of me spending money to eat Ants when there are so many at home... Am I right?!

As my boyfriend was eating his frozen insects, my curiosity took a bite.. maybe two.. or three... believe it or not it was quite nice. Couldn't really taste the bugs, the cricket was just crunchy and the ants in the sorbet were like a smaller and crunchier version of passionfruit. Don't worry guys, these bugs are farm grade and safe to eat.


Chow Bar & Eating House
Beggar's Chicken
$12

Here we have the Beggar's Chicken  with silken lemon tofu and vinegar red peanut. An infamous Chinese dish, the name itself was adapted from ancient Chinese folkore about a beggar roasting a chicken. How do you differentiate a beggar's chicken from a typical chicken? Well, a beggar's chicken is wrapped and roasted in clay.

Voted 1st for the best dish at Taste. To be honest, this didn't quite fulfill the numero uno spot for me. Some of the smaller pieces of the chicken was quite tough and dry. Not enough zest in the lemon tofu. The cabbage and peanuts were nice though. Maybe I didn't receive the quality dish? Or maybe I'm just extra picky?




Propolo
Fregola
$16

Fregola, calamari, cuttlefish ragu, prawns and mussels. My boyfriend got this dish, he said the tomatoes and calamari were the best bits. Otherwise he didn't like it. I personally wasn't too keen on it, mainly because of the fishy after taste... won't be a bad idea to put some ginger in it.


I got this gorgeous little cup cake just for entering a competition ^_^

***Probably a good idea to read before preceding***

We attended a few sessions at Dilmah Chef's Skillery. The first was with head chef Robert Taylor from Swine & Co. As indicated by their restaurant's name, their specialty is pig, especially suckling pig. Robert bought a friend with him, a 9 week old piglet for demonstration.

I was really glad that he bought the pig along, we're entering an age where our meat is so processed and industrialised, we forget where our food comes from. So, I think it's really important for people to see the source of our meat and the form it took before it got onto our plate. We need to acknowledge the fact that we are eating an animal... and not a flavoured cube of soft bits.





The second class we attended was with Peter Ridland, head chef from Jonah's. He introduced us to smoking a piece of cooked salmon with woodchips, tea and a smoke gun. The taste was "smokin"!




And some signature signs and what not from Taste of Sydney. The "Taste" sign bombarded with climbing children as per usual.




And some freebies ^_^





Did you go to Taste of Sydney this year? Thoughts?



Sunday, March 16, 2014

Review: Shiseido - The Makeup - Stick Foundation SPF 15 ~ O20 & O40



Product Information

 "A creamy stick foundation that glides on effortlessly providing versatile coverage and a comfortable long-lasting lustrous finish while offering exceptional skincare benefits."

Shade: O20 and O40 (one for winter and one for summer!)

RRP: $67 AUD

Size:  10g

                  Shade: O40                                                        Shade: O20                                
O20                                                    O40

O in the shade represents Ochre; ideal for olive undertones. As the numbers goes up, the shade becomes darker (i.e., 00, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100). If you are unsure of your shade, head to a Shiseido counter, the consultants are all trained to provide exceptional service. Even after leaving the company for a couple of years, I would still repurchase their products. I also plan to try their Maquillage range! ^_^


Application

I like to draw horizontal lines (as shown below) with my foundation stick across my cheeks, chin and forehead. Vertical for the space between my eyes and nose.

If I'm using this at home, I'd blend it with a flat top brush. Otherwise fingers will suffice.


Verdict:

Pros
  • The creamy texture is great for dry and sensitive skin 
  • Easy application - can be used "on the go"
  • SPF 15
  • Sleek packaging, easy to store in handbags
  • Initially light coverage, but you can layer to build up coverage. Although, I would recommend this product for "good-skin-days"
  • Covers redness
  • No off-putting chemical scent
  • Dermatologically tested

Cons
  • You'll receive a little over half a pinky's length of product. I find myself to use up stick foundations faster than liquid.
  • It will not cover your freckles or heavy blemishes
  • $67 is a fair bit to pay for a foundation, but I'm happy to pay for quality products.

 Have you tried this product? Which type of foundation do you prefer - liquid, stick, powder?

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Travel with Me: 你好中国!~ Hello China! Nexus Holiday Review + My stay in Shanghai

 I spent 3 weeks in China, the first week was spent with a tour group. I booked a 7 day tour around Jiangnan district with Nexus Holidays in Australia. I couldn't believe the deal... it was $180aud per person (including airport pickup, tour fee, entrance to various sites, performances, 5 star hotels, 3 meals per day - excluding the first and last days). If we went with any other tours, it would've been at least $2000aud. We had great tour guides who taught us lots about Chinese history  - and tried to sell us products.

Day 1 - We arrived at our hotel, took a stroll around the close vicinity and watched tv for most of the night. Dinner was not provided.

Day 2- Shanghai



City God Temple @ Shanghai

These temples were dedicated to various spiritual gods in Chinese culture. However, since globalisation City God Temple is now a well known tourist destination with countless stores and stalls. Perfect place to go for little kitsch things. This place was packed with people and beautiful lights during the Luna New Year.

It's wonderful to see this aspect of the culture, yet partly hindering to know that multiple cultural means and customs are discontinued alongside global and economical progression. I would love to see the maintenance of cultural heritage in each district. China is such a beautiful country with numerous cultural values and customs running simultaneously within the nation - this is beyond fascinating. While I was on the plane to Shanghai, there was a father with his teenage daughter sitting in front of us. For a good part of the hour, the father was reading a Chinese newspaper, however, when the air attendant came to ask for his meal preference, he all of a sudden lost the ability to speak his native tongue and started blabbering an earful of broken English. I can't decide whether this man is worthy of pity.



 Shanghai Museum

Great place to go for a slice of history. Here you'll see various traditional Chinese art works, ancient pottery, old currency, 20th century furniture, minority's clothing, jade, calligraphy, ancient weapons and much more. Chinese characters fascinates me, especially ancient characters, they reminds me of hieroglyphs.

Day 3 - Hangzhou



Tea Plantation

I enjoyed being here, the tea was beautiful, the view was beautiful. Everything was jolly until they wanted us to buy tea leaves. It was some ridiculous tourist price. I think it was a bag for 800yuan (approx $153AUD)





West Lake 

We arrived near the dusk of a cold and foggy day. 

Hangzhou's West Lake is a hotspot for tourists and couples. This lake inspired many poets and artists, the lake was loved by Emperor Qianlong from the Qing dynasty.

We went on the West Lake Cruise, but it was so cold we had to stay inside.


Night of West Lake Show

At night we were provided with a spectacular show. Hangzhou was my favourite destination during the 7 day tour. 2-3 hours from Shanghai, the West Lake in particular was worth the visit.


Day 4 - Nanjing


Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

Here's the view of Nanjing from the Masusoleum. Sun Yat-Sen is commonly known as the "Father of modern day China". After the revolution, he founded the "Republic of China". The 392 steps he built to his tomb symbolised the 392million people within the nation at the time.


Day 5 - Wuxi



Grand Buddha Scenic Area - Lingshan

This was a HUGE complex full of various Buddha statues and palace. The giant Buddha on top is 88m tall. You can probably spend a whole day in here. It's probably the size of a small suburb.



Day 6 - Suzhou




Suzhou was my least favourite. Mainly because we didn't see anything worthy of historical value. As soon as the tour guide got on the bus, she'd started talking about "Gucci, Armani, Hermez....". When we got on the boat to look at the lake in Suzhou, we were asked to sit inside the boat she we can listen to more Gucci, Armani and Hermez products. We were then transported to a silk factory, it was interesting for the first 15 mins. The next 2 hours, my boyfriend and I wondered around aimlessly, as we watched the tour guide attempting to hard sell replica Gucci, Armani, Hermez silk doona and blankets, this was worse than solitary confinement.

Day 7 - Breakfast was provided. Transport to the airport was provided as a part of the tour. We spent another 2 weeks in shanghai, so ended our own way.

Overall, I enjoyed the tour. It was value for money. However, their endless sales pitch to increase their profit margin was borderline heinous. On the bright side, beautiful 5 star hotels, 3 meals per day, we also had some fantastic tour guides who spent hours telling us about local customs, different dialects and the historical underpinning of each site.

Alright, no more talking.. I'll leave you with some photos of Shanghai (AND YES!!! SNOW!!!!).










 Oh by the way, I've been having heaps of trouble loading disqus, so I haven't been able to comment on a lot of blog :( I'm trying my best to rectify the issue!

Featured Post

Skin do’s and don’ts this holiday season

So, the holiday season is upon us! However whilst you're out there enjoying the summer vibes, it's crucial not to let your skincare ...

Popular Posts