Live long and prosper!

Brown Pocket ; Daorae Tanjung Tokong ; The Alley.

Sephora Collection Color Lip Last N15 (Coral Calling) ; Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream.

I've been hiding in my little house ever since I came back to my home town but things have slightly changed this week - All my friends are back from overseas as Chinese New Year is just around the corner. You know which of them are keepers when they don't contact often, let alone social media or phone apps, but just a few calls and they'll show out and next thing you know, you chat about everything from North to South.

Born in Penang since 1991 but this magnificent island is yet to be fully explored. We went to Brown Pocket @ Gurney Paragon and the waffles are as good as what people said. Also, even after trying out the same dish in different Korean restaurant, Daorae's Kimchi Jjigae still amazed me. Not to mention the manager & staffs are so kind, unlike several Daorae restaurants in KL that seem to have snobbish waiters that appeared to have better things to do than serving customers. Hey, I didn't pay you to be bullied. The manager even gave us a pancake for free! The last time we came (around 2 years ago) he gave us free pancake and steamed egg. Thank you again, kind sir. Highlight of the day is when he gave us Hello Kitty lollipops after we paid our bills... I blushed and I have no idea why. Get a hold of yourself girl!

Now the cronuts... I didn't know the existence of this croissant-doughnut hybrid until I watched an episode of 2 Broke Girls where they queued at 6 in the morning but still got nothing because they were sold out. Well this is not Manhatthan, but I'm glad I still have the chance to try it. Drizzled with salted caramel & nutella, yum yum. Also I bought a coral lipstick (RM45) because my good old Maybelline coral lipstick is used up by my mom. Besides, it's Chinese New Year! Must get festive! :P Some lame excuse I told myself so I can spend money. Glad that I picked up a hand cream (RM19) along as my fingers are all dried up thanks to nail polish and remover. The skin around my fingers even started peeling ohmygod calm down fingers. By the way if you look at my bedsheet, my mom bought it for me because she knows pink and polka dots are my dead spot. Oh mom I love you. It even matches my blankey!

Now the disaster that happened during our little trip on Monday... Girlfriends that I know since my foundation decided to meet up before they leave Malaysia so I picked them up and hit the road. But before we crossed the Penang bridge, one of my girlfriends asked me to turn the air-conditioner a volume bigger. Once I did that the air turned really hot and stuffy. We thought my car ran out of gas but I assumed the air will turn cooler eventually.
But after we reached the town area of the island, I realised I was wrong 'cuz not only did the air was still hot, the temperature indicator moved slowly from C to H. I thought well perhaps it was just an illusion. IT WAS NOT. The needle pointed at H. Panic attack. The needle exceeded H. IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE. Then they asked me stop at the side of the road so I did... And the engine couldn't be turn on. I swear I was about to pee my pants at that moment.
But fortunately my friend has a family friend that has a workshop nearby and the uncle came to the rescue. Apparently there was a hole in one of the pipe so the water tank started leaking and led to overheating. The car was fixed in less than 1 hour. Thank you God.

So today is the last day of Chinese lunar year 2013 and tonight at 12 (technically it's supposed to be 11) we'll welcome the year of wooden Horse. The last day of the year is very important in Chinese culture or at least, my family as it is the day to have reunion dinner with your entire family, more or less like a Thanksgiving dinner. So as you can see, the descendants of Dragon all around the globe return home today to reunite with their families, just like my brother... Although my brother is just 300+km away from home. But it's still an important day for us. After having dinner we are supposed to spend some time with our family to welcome the brand new year and before we hit the sack we'll greet and wish our parents lots of luck (and money, because money is everything to us Chinese). Also the red envelope that is given by our parents is to be placed under the pillow as a good luck.

On a very random note, I'm thinking of picking up water colouring again... I'm a big fan of art and I enjoy painting but honestly I'm suck at it even though my painting won me a 2nd runner up prize in Standard 1 (I have no idea why and how I don't remember a thing). Speaking of which, I'm sadden by the fact that the so-called "painting teachers" that teach children locally teach them how to paint in a standard form that the paintings that are created by (for example) 10 students look exactly the same. They correct them when the children jump out of the box and in my opinion the true meaning of art is lost as the creativity is limited. Just like how adults influence the children on the perception of beauty and when the children grow up and see themselves in the mirror, they tend to have low self-esteem because they found out that they don't look like "one of them".

Anyway it's 7pm now and my brother's flight will arrive at 8:30pm... I should probably get ready now. Till the next time lovelies, happy Chinese new year and enjoy your (short) holiday! x

Fixing splitting nails

Split nail? Problem solved![

My nails are so fragile they're pain in the arse. The nails of my thumb and index finger tend to split for no reason while the others are fine and strong. Lack of Calcium? I have no idea.

Anyway, my thumb nail cracked several days ago after I tried to pile open a drawer using it. I blame my stupidity. And since I have a manicure appointment on the weekend, I opted to fix it (note: attach it back to the nail bed) so the manicurist can trim it nicely 'cuz I normally would just peel it off. F my nail's L.

So as usual I googled the how to and it is fairly simple.
All you need is 1. base coat 2. tea bag 3. scissors 4. toothpick.

Basically what you need to do is

1. Cut the tea bag so a piece of the tea bag fabric is big enough to cover your split spot.


2. Once you're done with that, apply a layer of base coat on top of your nail and put the fabric on it before the base coat is dried off.


3. Next, use the toothpick to even out the fabric to prevent any bubbles from forming underneath it.


4. Apply another layer of base coat (or 2) once it's dry.

More on how to fix your splitting nails: click me!

You're welcome.

x Jess

What's in my makeup bag

"Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark..."Currently listen to Total Eclipse of the Heart. That's also how I feel when 95% of this complete blog post is gone after I insert 1 photo. 1 PHOTO! *RAGE* AND NOW I HAVE TO RETYPE. *extracting words from memory*

Anyway. I guess the title is pretty obvious. Let’s start from the foundation.

Face:

1. ZA Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation SPF20 PA++ in OC10
2. Skin 79 Super Plus Blemish Balm SPF25 PA++ VIP Gold

I have another one that I left in PJ which is The Skin Food White Grape Fresh Foundation that I got from Tami as a 19 or 20? y/o birthday gift (Gosh how time flies!). Anyway, TSF foundation is great. An interesting point is that it is horribly white on my face when apply but it kinda blends and looks natural after a few minutes. Thank God. I don’t wanna scare people away. It also gives me porcelain skin. However it feels heavy on my face and I need to put on loose powder to avoid a sticky and oily look.

Skin 79 BB cream is fine, it’s a gift from my sister-in-law. The downside is that the coverage is medium and it does not brighten up my face… My face looks rather dull even after applying. What's the point of applying a foundation when it does nothing to your face? But I still use it sometimes just for the sake of finishing it 'cuz I hate to waste. ZA two way foundation has been around for ages and almost everyone who used it says it’s good. Shame to say that I only got on the bandwagon recently (a few months ago to be exact) but it has since then became my favourite. Why? It gives good coverage, matte finish, lasts for a long time and not to mention it’s easy to apply. It’s my to-go foundation and I even introduce it to my mom!

Brows:

1. Koji Dolly Wink Eyebrow Pencil in #03 Chocolate Brown
2. Silky Girl Natural Brow Pencil in #02 Dark Brown
3. Kanebo Kate Eyebrow Colour N in LB-1

Concealer:

1. L'oreal True Match Touche Magique Anti-fatigue and Illuminating Concealer - Smoothing Effect in Ivory Beige
2. Revlon Photoready Concealer in #003 Light Medium

Eyelashes:

1. Shu Umera Eyelash Curler

Silky Girl brow pencil is my first brow pencil! *feeling nostalgic* However it didn't match my hair colour after I dyed it a year ago so I got Koji brow pencil in Japan for roughly RM20+ (lower than retail price in Malaysia) to replace it. But my hair got even lighter in the past few 6 months so I bought an eyebrow mascara to make my brows lighter to get along with my hair. Before I bought this brow mascara, I was considering to buy either Kate's or Kiss Me's but eventually I got the current one after seeing Pony using one in her videos.

L'oreal concealer pen is expensive, don't think I'll repurchase after finishing this as it does not worth the price. The brush is stiff and the application is lousy... The liquid doesn't come out after a few rotations. I only use it under my eyebags and above my cheekbone as a highlighter, when I feel like it.

As for Shu Umera eyelash curler, everyone says it's a must buy and I didn't understand all the hypes about it until I own one. It's really amazing! It fits my lids so well that I have no problem curling all my lashes. I got it at Haneda airport at 1800 Yen (RM57)... Wait for it...2 pairs! Which means it was only RM28.50 for one! How can I not buy it??

Eyelashes:

1. Dejavu Fiberwig Paint-On False Lashes Extra Long

Eyes:

1. Silky Girl Big Eye 2-in-1 Eyeliner in #02 Brown Milk
2. Dejavu Perfect Liner
3. Anna Sui Pencil Eye Liner WP in #500 Chocolate Brown
4. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel

I once owned a gel  liner from Maybelline (I think it's Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner) and it was good as the colour was intense and long-lasting but I got tired of cleaning the brush every time I finished using it so I gave it to my friend. Since eye liner is a part of my "shit I just woke up! Must put on makeup within 5 minutes!" routine, gel liner was a hassle for me and hence my obsession with pencil/liquid eye liner.

Anna Sui pencil eye liner is the bomb! I normally use it to tight line my eyes and it doesn't smudge even after a long day. I bought it in Haneda airport for 1500 Yen (RM48) under my friend's persuasion. Now I see why she strong recommended it. As for the 2-in-1... I bought it solely for the white tip. Yep. I have not use the brown end even for once. *guilty* Perhaps I'll use it the next time. Anyway, I use the white tip to draw my lower eye lines as taught by Michelle Phan to make my eyes look larger. Because Chinese has small eyes. Or I have small eyes. Boo. :( I have another white eye liner from Maybelline but it doesn't do anything not to mention it is blunt so I kinda gave up on it.

I bought Dejavu mascara on my friend's recommendation. She said it enhances the lashes and makes it longer and it really does! An eye liner came along with the macara for free and I loved the eye liner initially - The tip was sharp and flexible not to mention the colour was rich, making the drawing of wing eye lines so much easier. But then it turned me into a panda, also the eye liner dried up only after a couple usage, I had to apply a few strokes for a jet black line. Boo.

Eyes:

1. MAC eyeshadow in Gesso
2. Shiseido Majolica Majorca Frozen Splash Eyes in GD821 Reflection

Cheek:

1. Revlon New Complexion Loose Face Powder in #02 Translucent
2. The Body Shop Baked-To-Last Bronzer in #01 Golden Bronze
3. Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Healthy Luminous Blush in N00 Soft Mauve

Since I already have an eye palette, I only own two extra eye shadows. Gesso is normally used as a highlighter for my brow bones and nose bridge while I apply MM frozen splash eyes all over my crease before I put on the other eye colour. However it is too shimmery for my liking so I only use it once in a blue moon. Okay new year's resolution: Apply more of this golden shimmering cream eye shadow!

TBS bronzer is my first bronzer ever and it's rather expensive (RM69). However it can't seem to hit the bottom after so many years of usage so I guess the price is okay-ish. It's quite shimmery so it kind of scares me a little. I've been eyeing a matte one (ie. MAC) but then I thought it's kind of unnecessary to purchase another one since the current one takes forever to finish. On the other hand this Maybelline blush that comes in a mauve-pink tone is my absolute favourite! The colour gives a natural glow and makes my skin looks so healthy. I also bought one in a similar colour at TBS when I purchased the bronzer but unfortunately the blusher didn't last for a long time and the colour kinda disappeared after a few hours so I gave it to my mom since she needed one. As for the loose powder... Urgh, where to begin? First off, I hate the packaging. The powder flies out every time I open it and the powder ends up on everywhere! My hair, clothes and even the table. Messy messy messy. But all loose powder kinda come in this form so perhaps I shouldn't complain. Secondly, the puff! Hate it! Unhygienic and only gives minimum coverage. I have then replaced it with a kabuki brush I got from TBS at a discount price (50% off!). I love the powder nonetheless, it performs its job wonderfully by giving my face a matte finish and it lasts a long time.

Lastly, 2 Estee Lauder palettes that are given by my sister-in-law.

On the left:

All Over Face Powder
Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick - #161 Pink Parfait
Go Pout LipColor - #04 Pouty Plum and Golden Shimmer

On the right: 

Pure Color EyeShadow - #10 Ivory Box, #13 Pale Moo, #60 Tea Biscuit, #63 Mocha Cup, #23 Berry Ice, #55 Chocolate Chip, #42 Mint Ice, #44 Camouflage and #32 Blue Sphere
Blushing Natural Cheek Color - #08 Potpourri Passion and #18 Tawny Desire

The face powder contains glitters (deal breaker!) and the lip colours are too bold for my liking not to mention the shades are a little bit frosty (another deal breaker). I kind of hid this palette in one of my drawers until today much to my horror. I guess I'll try to use it now and then to stop wasting things. :(

The eye shadows look gorgeous (and the names are so cute!) but the colours are too bold for daily usage except for a few neutral shades. Sadly they aren't long-lasting on my lids so I don't use them often. The blushes on the other hand, are among my favourites especially #08 Potpourri Passion. The colour reminds me of summer and Miami plus the tangerine tone makes me look like I have just stepped from of a sun-tanning session. Love love love!

Okay, here goes my what's in my makeup bag post. Hopefully Wordpress won't fail me and make my post magically disappear again. Till then!

x Jess

Panic kitchen: How to make Japanese soft boiled egg

Ever wonder how the soft boiled egg that comes along with a bowl of Japanee ramen is made? Them smooth and silky egg white with sweet and savoury runny egg yolk inside... It goes along with basically everything and 10 out of 10 people will go cray cray upon seeing the egg. I even squeaked a little when I saw the egg packed in a in 7-11 Japan. Yup. They sell this kind of stuff in the convenient store. Food technology + business brain = amaze-balls.

Be amazed. *proud to be a Food Scientist*

(Source: http://dearangeloffood.wordpress.com/)

Well anyway, the mystery of the yummylicious egg is solved thanks to the Internet. It only involves several steps and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. I had 3 attempts before getting the almost perfect egg. You'll see why.

1. First, boil a pot of water. Make sure the water is sufficient to cover 2/3 of the egg.
2. Put the egg into the water once the water is boiled. It is crucial that the egg is to be in room temperature so if you normally keep the eggs in the fridge as I do you'll have to take it out in prior for "thawing" or else...

ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

Your egg will start squirting wtf. No kidding. It happened to mine (1st attempt). The egg shell cracked. I guess it has something to do with thermal expansion.

3. Leave the egg in the boiling water for 6 minutes. Remember to move the egg around in the water from time to time.
4. While waiting, prepare a bowl of ice water. Transfer the egg from the pot to the ice water when the time is up. Leave the egg in the ice water for at least 10 minutes.

According to some blogs, apparently 6 minutes is the "golden minute" as shorter or longer than that will result in a half boiled completely-watery egg or a hard boiled egg.
For the 2nd attempt, I forgot to time after I put the egg into the boiling water so I guess I took it out too soon (5 minutes?) and hence getting a half boiled egg. .__.

My exposed egg white. 囧

A closer look.

5. After 10 minutes, remove the shell and cut the egg into half.

Voila! Behold! My soft boiled egg after 3 attempts!

*touched* T____T

Ok perhaps the egg yolk is not as runny as you think but hey I swear the yolk was runny irl!

I'll get it right the next time anyhow!

Note: This is just a plain soft boiled egg (hanjuku tamago). To achieve the flavourful egg that we normally have with ramen (ajitsuke tamago/nitamago), additional steps must be taken to marinate the egg. Perhaps I'll talk about it in the future if I ever had the chance to as the ingredients are not easy to get. :/ Till the next time! x

Things you can do to your hair

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Clockwise from upper left: Waterfall braid (2 strands), waterfall braid (3 strands), fish braid, the French braid.[/caption]

Having long hair had been my dream when I was a kid since my hair was short for almost 17 years of my life (no kidding) due to some strict rules in my primary and secondary school. I always felt envious when I saw girls with all kinds of fancy braids at church. Few years ago when I finally had chest length hair, I felt that I can finally do something to my boring straight hair but sadly I didn't know how to braid (except the basic braid of course). 'Fraid not, there's a lot of blog/video tutorials available online. Thanks Internet, thanks Youtube.

The first challenging braid I learnt was the classic French braid. It was a torture - my hands were numb, my brain was confused, my fingers had no idea what they were doing... However it is fairly easy once you get the idea. Now that I can braid my hair within 5 minutes, French braid is usually what I do to my hair when I'm too lazy to wash my hair.

If the French braid is too hard for you, 3 strands waterfall braid is your alternative choice. It is simple and easy to master as long as you know how to do a basic braid. I often wear this braid when my fringe annoys me or turns oily.

You can also try 2 strands waterfall braid. Very, very simple and cute plus all the steps are uncomplicated. At the time when the photo above was taken, I was a novice in braiding and my hair was braided by my talented friend Joanne.

Fish braid must be the hardest braid among the mentioned braids above and the other common ones. The steps are confusing not to mention tiring especially when you have thicker hair. But I guess it's all worth it considering the outcome. In the photo above my hair was braided by another talented friend Dhameera.

Other than all that are mentioned, there's also the Dutch braid (which is quite similar to the French braid except that the braid is kinda... inside out), ladder braid, bow braid, mermaid braid, etc. Also, instead of braiding just as what is shown in the tutorials, you can also jump outside the box and improvise to spice things up, like doing a side French braid, tying your hair into a bun at the end of the braid instead of letting it down or braid into ponytail. What's most important is to have fun right!

Anyway, this is my current favourite. Casual and elegant, suitable for any occasion.

I still need more practice though... Oh well, I guess practice is the key to success. Till the next time.

x Jess

My lips collection

Fine. I'll admit it. I'm a lipstick hoarder. And I got it from my mama. So technically... It's not entirely my fault. *self-convincing*
Some of them are gifts while a couple of them were bought by me.
I used to put them on depending on mood and occasion. But around 1 year ago my lips started chapping real bad and it got worse gradually over time - even the area of skin above my upper lip turned dry and "peel-able" (fml). As a result I was force to put on nothing but petroleum jelly and lip balm. Boo. :(
Despite my hesitation, I've finally agreed to visit a skin specialist some weeks ago after my parents' constant persuasion. Hopefully my lips will revert to a healthy and "unpeel-able" state soon.

So here it is. Hmm. Perhaps it's just a "mini" collection & maybe I'm just a "mini" lipstick hoarder... (Good news? Ngehehe) I have actually mentioned some in my previous posts. Such as Tony Moly Fruit Princess Gloss.

1. MAC Cremesheen - "Creme D'nude"


2. Maybelline Moisture Extreme - "Loving Red" #820


3. Sephora Rouge Shine - "Soul Mate" #46


4. Nutrimetics Magix - ”Green Mint“ N2040003


5. Marvella Karo Chi - #8 (マーベラ リップスティックカロチ)


6. Silky Girl Moisture Max - “Pink Lady” #02


7. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter - “Smoothies” #50


8. Maybelline Color Sensational - "Coral Pink" CB41


9. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain -"Precious" #50    

Swatch under fluorescent light #1.

Swatch under fluorescent light #2.

You might wonder why #4 is green. Well... It's a "magic" lipstick and my mom bought it for fun and gave it to me. The sheer transparent colour will turn to pink once it is applied on my lips even though it is colourless on my hand. Again, just for fun and I hardly use it, the colour is awful on me due to my chapped lips.

I got the MAC nude & Silky Girl shocking pink from my friends as gifts, bless their souls. I often use the nude one as a base to create gradient lips. However I felt that MAC was too dry for me (due to my lips condition) while the pink is just... too pink, obviously. Perhaps I can use it for gradient lips too, if I'm feeling... I dunno, pinkish(?).#2 and #3 are definitely my statement lipsticks while #5, #7 and #9 are simply MLBB. Very big thumbs up for them, they have served me well!


My current favourite is without a doubt, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter (#7) because it is amazing. It is so moisturising and all the available colours are absolutely gorgeous... Not to mention it's cheap given that the pigments and hydrating level are so good! I have actually bought "macaroon" too (another colour), sadly it was a little bit too maroon red-ish for my liking and I look horrible with it . Come to think of it, what should I expect? It's named ma-ca-roon for a good reason even though the colour was only a sheer nude pink shade on my hand when I swatched it at the drug store before purchasing. Perhaps I thought that the name was macaron when I saw it for the first time... My brain's interpreting skill was unbelievable... If you know what I mean smh. Anyway, so I gave it to my mother and guess what? She loves it. I will most certainly repurchase more but in the other colours once my lips are in good condition to "paint" again.
Did I tell you I'm a lipstick hoarder? While I already own a bunch of lipsticks, lip balms and lip gloss, I'm still eyeing for more... The top 2 lipsticks that are in my purchase list currently are 3CE famous "Daily Lady" and MAC Taupe. Tsk tsk tsk someone please stop me!

Anyhow, this was supposed to be a "what's in my makeup bag" post but I left some stuff in PJ. Perhaps next time. Till then. x

“

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

So I'm on my semester break right now and I have more time at home with my parents.

Mom has been complaining about many things that happened while I'm gone, not that I'm protesting - She has no one to talk to except a friend that comes over to help her with her chores every week. She gurmbles about the dogs, her husband... But one that grabs my attention is what she said about my eldest brother.

I have been away from home for about 4 years now - 1 and a half year over the island for my foundation and 3 years at the capital city for my degree programme. The island is only 1-2 hours journey from home and I returned home on weekends. But the past 3 years have been different. 300+km away from home and not able to go back often, being in a totally unfamiliar surrounding, out of your comfort zone, no warm meals and kind smiles to await you when you return to your "new home"... That has shaped me into a  more independent individual but most importantly, makes me appreciate my parents more. How they love me by showing action rather than telling (typical Asian style), how much money, time and effort they spent on me.

It has been the same with my 2nd elder brother. He left home to pursue a career also at the capital city, met "the one", married and is currently raising a child together with his wife there rather at his home town. My 2nd elder brother misses my mom's home-cooked food A LOT - He's actually 1 step away from breaking into manly tears when we talked about mom's cooking. Besides, who doesn't like to be taken care of by people you love, who raised you from a toddler to a full grown man, every day especially when you're mentally and physically tired and sick?

This emptiness, the feeling of missing your family and your home amplifies when we are away and it expands even further as time goes by. It sucks that you want to be here and there to be a part of something but you can't because you're all tied up by responsibilities, duties, etc. I guess it's right when people say you gain some you lose some. And that Hannah Montana's "you get the best of both worlds" is just plain fiction (can't believe I'm quoting Miley Cyrus' song).

Often I wonder, if I stay at the capital city or even leave for somewhere else in future to "pursue a better life", will I end up like my 2nd elder brother? And I'm afraid this thought will have a great impact on most of the choices that I have to make in the future.

Right, back to my eldest brother. My eldest brother is married and has 2 adorable kids, he's an engineer, attends church on Sundays and lives next door. However along with other "complaints", my mom has also protested that my eldest brother does not wash the dishes after he had his meals, doesn't appreciate her effort and won't acknowledge her hard work on taking care of him, doesn't pay an effort when mom instructs him to do some easy jobs (eg. bring her lunch when she's lazy to cook or help her to buy some stuff), etc.

I think on this case we all can agree on 1 thing - We often take things for granted, especially when you have been getting it for a long time. You're used to it, you're numb to it, you're coated with it, you don't have to give extra effort to get it. Does my eldest brother love my mom? Of course he does. But when you're in a picture, you can't see the picture from the outside. You get what I mean? I'm sure if he were to spend some time or years away from mom just like me and my 2nd elder brother, he'd appreciate mom as much as we do. It's like you start to appreciate things less when you are given constantly, no matter it's love, physical needs, money, Mother Earth... Everything. Just like the song lyrics...

You only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hates the road when you're missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go

If I told my brother that, he'd probably feel insulted. How can you accuse me of not loving my mother? How can you think that I, on the other end, did nothing to repay our mother? Perhaps he does, in his own ways, but maybe mom doesn't feel it, or that she's numb to it too. I'm sure if they spend some time away from each other, they'll miss and appreciate each other more too. Just like how my mom used to complain that I'm the pain in the arse and that my 2nd elder brother is rebellious and uncontrollable... But now that when we're just "long term guests" in her house we are the most behaved kids and all. Haa.

I guess what I want to say today is, appreciate your loved ones before they're gone 'cuz nothing lasts forever. But hey, we're only humans. Sometimes we need a couple of harsh lessons before learning the naked ugly truth.

Stila: In The Light

Stila smudge stick waterproof eye liner - damsel.

Bad bad swatches without primer on.

Whaddup people? Can't believe it's 2014 already! Feels like high school life was just yesterday. God I'm old. Please slow down, time!

Here now, a long overdue post - I've actually drafted this ages ago. Procrastination huh? Guilty as charged... To get rid of the habit of deferring and postponing was my new year's resolution 2 years ago I think. Jeez, I even procrastinate eliminating procrastination...  Unbelievable!

Back to the topic - I've been contemplating to buy an eye shadow kit or palette for a long long time. I previously used a Maybelline eye shadow kit but sadly the colour couldn't stay long on my lids and worst of all, the shimmers even dropped on my cheek. I know - Perhaps I need a primer. But I didn't feel like wasting RM50 or more on a primer that I'd probably used not more than 10 times in a year since I don't really put on makeup as often as I thought I would.

Naked was on my to-buy list since forever (by the time I was "considering", Naked 2 and even 3 were not released yet wtf procrastination) but it was too expensive and way out of my budget even though it contains 12 gorgeous eye colours. However Naked has too many shimmering colours and sadly I'm not really a huge fan of glitters as 1. I prefer an effortless, "less is more" look. Plus, smoky eyes? Totally not my thing, at all. 2. Glitters kinda make my eyes look puffy. 3. Come on, would you seriously use 12 of the available colours? ALL?

So I was at Sephora with my girlfriend a few months ago, and I was struggling to get either Naked Basics Palette ($27) that consists of 6 matte eye colours or a Stila palette as their palettes have received many many great reviews... In the end I got Stila In The Light Palette ($39) and I absolutely love it.

It consists of 10 matte or shimmering eye colours along with an eye liner. Fortunately the shimmers are not too over-the-top and they are not as glittery as I dread they would be.

After few rounds of experimenting with the colours, I now use the colours as follow:

1. Bare over my lid as a base and to highlight my nose bridge, nose tip, cheek bone & brow bone,


2. Sunset/Glided gold on my crease,


3. Sandstone/Luster/Ebony to fill the top of my eyelines,


4. Kitten to highlight my center lid in the last step,


5. Sandstone to contour my nose & eyes.

A multi-function palette. How amazing is it?

Besides, the eye liner is wonderful as well. The eye liner is not only long lasting and waterproof. the texture is not too hard that it may hurt my eyes nor too soft to break into pieces while applying. I normally use it to tightline my eyes and the smooth texture makes the application easier and faster. However the downside is that the applicator is flawed - No matter how many times I turned the applicator, the core would just come up a tiny little bit and it was very, very frustrating. I gotta say, the applicator is even worst than a typical drugstore twist-up eye liner. Also, apparently I'm not the only one with this issue after going through Sephora's product reviews. Boo, what a major let down.

Am thinking of getting Soap & Glory shower gel next... Clean On Me? Or Sugar Crush? :P
Haa! Till the next time dearies. x



x Jess