Candy Overload

    So, here's a backlog of candy I've been really enjoying.  Everything is from this new Asian market that opened in VA called Hanaro Mart (I think) right next to Spa World in Centreville, VA.  I think it opened last week actually.  It's not as big as Hmart but they have a pretty upscale cosmetics counter and you can tell money went into the decor.  The food isn't significantly cheaper or more expensive than Hmart or Grand Mart and the quality is comparable.  But I can say for a fact their candy is all $1 or more cheaper than Hmart, which is a lot considering each bag of candy runs from $2-$7.   I compared prices and Hmart consistently charges about a $1+ on identical brands of candy than Hanaro Mart.

    First is an old favorite of mine:


    Unican Milkita!  Unican is an Indonisian brand that I think is best known for their Milkita candy.  They actually have this in a Strawberry and Milk flavor as well but I think Melon is the best :)!  The chocolate milk is just...chocolate milk ^^ I actually have to say I think this is my favorite milk-based candy, even better than Peko-chan for me.


    They come individually packaged and are quite chewy...this is definitely not for someone with weak teeth ^^ It has a distinct milk flavor with a strong kick of melon - SO GOOD.  The other three, Chocolate milk, Milk, and Strawberry are quite good as well but Melon is a bit more unusual of a flavor and it's just super good. It tastes like the Asian Melon popsicles.  The only downside is that after awhile they start getting a little hard :( so it gets harder to chew.  But the flavor is wicked and they're usually gone within a few days for me ^^

    Unican also makes Sukoka Soft Coffee Candy...


    This isn't one of my favorites, the milk flavor is too strong for a coffee flavored candy I think. I like to taste coffee in coffee flavored candy, this more like....a frappachino or something, too sweet and milky.  It also isn't any softer than the Milkita, in fact, besides the flavor, they are shaped and have the same texture as the Milkita candy.  In fact, I'm not sure why they just don't market this under the Milkita line.


    This coffee candy is best for people who aren't crazy about coffee flavors I think.  But coffee purists definitely won't like this one too much.



    Now I may not be crazy about the regular Milk Peko-chan but the Milky Matcha Peko-chan is fantastic! I can really taste the Matcha powder and it just goes with the Peko-chan style milk-flavor so well.


    Plus it's just so cute how the milk ball is half green ^^ Peko-chan is chewier than the Milkita, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preference.    The wrapper is very old school wax paper but it's charming in that way.  You can taste the Matcha flavor to the very last chew...so good.  One could say this is a tad sweet but the sweetness comes from the milk flavor, the matcha flavor is pretty pure I think.


    Haitai Crunch Ball Crispy Candy basically has the flavor and consistency of peanut brittle.  Since I don't like peanuts obviously this is my least favorite of the bunch ^^ but my brother loves this.


    The white-ish things are chunks of real peanuts so even though this is a hard candy, you can bite it and it will crumble from all the peanuts and the candy part is peanut flavored too.  It's seriously peanut overload in other words ^0^ great for the peanut lover I suppose~


    I saved my favorite for last.  I didn't know what Nodoni Sukkiri (now I know it's actually a throat candy ^^) is so I had no idea what to expect.  But I was so charmed by the seashell shape and I have faith in the Kasugai brand :)  The official name is Kasugai Nodoni Sukkiri Herb Candy.

    Anyway, I was far from disappointed - although the flavor sounds prosaic (it's a herbal mint flavor) - it's REALLY good, I don't have a cold but I eat this candy regardless.  It's definitely the best tasting cough drop I've ever come across.  It tastes "naturally" minty with a slight herbal flavor.  It's a hard candy and it melts on your tongue so smoothly and slides down your throat (appropriate considering it's a cough drop ^^) - it's a bit hard to describe.  It's just excellent and is already my favorite mint candy.


    If you see this in stores you should definitely give it a try whether you have a cold or not.  I particularly like how it is mint flavored but the taste is truly complex and there is an excellent aftertaste that lingers on your tongue.  The flavor is not overpowering but it is strong and refreshing and hands down my favorite mint flavored candy ever.

    Kay that's all for now ^_^

DIY Reusing Your Sheet Mask / Green Tea + Honey + Lemon Mask


    I reuse my sheet masks every once in awhile, especially when I've just run out of them.  So, I thought I'd share my method of doing this since it's worked pretty well for me :)


    I started doing this mostly because I am stingy ^^ and wanted to make  kind of mask that would just let my skin absorb nutrients without me having to was it off afterwards.  Naturally my primary concern was making sure the paper mask I reused was sanitized so I just boiled the hell out of it.  The first time I did this I boiled the mask on the stove for 20 minutes and it got all bloated and fell apart xD Anyway, I haven't had any problems doing this :) I don't reuse the paper mask more than once though because repeated boiling causes the mask to lose absorptivity plus the tea base usually stains the mask.

    Otherwise, I treat my "recycled" mask like any other beauty mask. I just stick it on my face after cleansing it, let the mask dry on my face and throw it out. I usually don't wash my face afterwards unless I got overexcited with the honey or egg whites and my face feels sticky :P I especially like refrigerating these in the summer, it feels so nice and cool ^_^


    Neways, I just got a nice bundle of Lioele stuff in today (YESSS) and I am testing them out as we speak wbeheheh I'll post my thoughts about them soon~

Review: TonyMoly eggpore Shiny Skin Soap

    When I saw this in the TonyMoly shop I was so excited because it's so bloody CUTE.   Egg-shaped soap. In an egg container.  I have blackheads I'd love to get rid of so that's a plus too but I have to admit that this is something I picked up on packaging alone.



    I forgot which egg is supposed to be used during the day but I decided white for the morning, brown for the evening.  Besides the excellent, adorable packaging the soap is pretty nice too. It lathers really well, it kind of surprised me.   The white soap has a mild scent...of something. Like Skinfood's Egg Hair Pack, you can tell they wanted to soap to smell kind of "egg-ish" without smelling like food.  It's a really hard scent to describe but it's quite acceptable, it's not bad and smells clean with a sharp oddly floral under-scent.  The brown soap smells significantly stronger.  Same scent as the white egg but 10x stronger with a sharper edge.  It is not the best scent I've ever come across but it's not entirely unpleasant.  Interestingly, the scent of these soaps get stronger when you are lathering them up but once the foam is on your face the scent is pretty mild for both soaps. 

    In an (egg)shell: This soap is supposed to remove environmental impurities and blackheads with deep cleansing action.
    I really love the intense foaming action these little eggs put out.  They look so innocuous but these babies lather so well and dry off pretty quickly so i can see these little soaps lasting me a good while even with every day use. They don't get all squishy and melty, in other words.


    I've only used this for 4-5 days so no word on long term results but my face feels very clean and refreshed after using them.  Very promising indeed and no breakouts in sight.  In fact I'd say this egg soap has been soothing the breakout I got during my time o' month and has a brightening affect.   This makes sense since "real" egg masks are supposed to tighten pores, soothe acne and be a "natural face lift."  So it does seem like this soap has all the benefits of a real egg without the bother of having to deal with real eggs.  

    UPDATED 11/4/2010
    The marks on my nose in the last one are from my glasses ^^
    And you can see my lovely eyebags too :)

    As you can see, I've been using this since 9/28/2010 (actually, I started a little before that).  So the first pic is of my nose before the soap, the 2nd pic is before the soap and the last pic is almost exactly a month after using the soap.  The reason I included two Before pictures is to show how the soap really hasn't affected the appearance of my blackheads whether or not I'm using it.

    Umm, I don't know about you but despite my excitement, the effect of this soap seems quite minimal (if a bit on the negative side)... I can say that the pores on my cheeks have gotten smaller but the blackheads and pores on my nose don't seem to have changed one way or another. I have just about religiously been using the white soap in the morning and brown soap in the evening.  Sometimes I don't was my face in the morning but then in the evening I'll use both the white and brown soap.   On the other hand, it doesn't appear to be breaking me out one way or another and they do seem to be smoothing out my cheeks. 

    I don't remember how much this cost but no doubt prices will be jacked up for those not in Korea.  Thus my final verdict is that even though this is a very cutely packaged soap, I don't think it would be worth buying this especially since I am sure you can find comparable products locally.  I certainly won't be purchasing it again once I am done these soaps :(  So I guess it's back to the real egg....:P

Review: Equate Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover

    This was another item I picked up when I went on my little Walmart spree for $3.67.  To cut to the chase, I've only ever used Neutrogena Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover (I'll review this later,  $6.47) and now I know why.  I was feeling adventurous (and poor) so I decided to save a couple bucks and try this one out.


    Well, what a big fat disappoint that was.  I've actually already returned this and picked up my good old Neutrogena after using this once.  As soon as it got near my eyes, I started tearing, which totally caught me off guard.  Equate's makeup remover does remove makeup but it actually stings my eyes and smells suspiciously like rubbing alcohol.  And it doesn't even remove makeup particularly well I dunno if it's my imagination but it takes longer to soak in.  This makes it's difficult to use this to spot remove mascara and eyeliner mistakes quickly and accurately.

    Nonetheless, it does work and got off my waterproof mascara and Koji Dolly Wink liquid liner well enough but I gotta hand it to Urban Decay, their pencil liners are pretty stubborn.  After rubbing off about 90% of my eye makeup with a cotton swab, I had to go into my inner corners and waterline with a Q-tip to get off the Urban Decay pencils.  My eyes were watering the whole time.  On the upside I didn't get an oily residue, which I sometimes get the from the Neutrogena one but honestly, I think it is because of "alcohol"-like vibe.  Unsurprisingly, I found this a little drying as well. 

    Needless to say, I don't recommend this and suggest shelling out an additional $2.80 and just get Neutrogena's makeup remover.

    P.S. If anyone's had a different experience, let me know. I'm a little curious to know if it's just me ^_^  since it got a decent rating of a 4.2/5 on MakeUpAlley.

Review: Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow (Twilight Rays)

    This is Maybelline's Expert Wear Eyeshadow Twilight Rays Palette. I picked up this palette last week because....the colors were pretty ^_^  I loved the midnight blue (2) and 6-8 especially and had high hopes for this since I am a devout user of Maybelline's Linen (my highlighting staple).  This was $6.48 from Walmart.


    Despite my high hopes, I was to be disappointed.... The colors are quite lovely in the pan but applying them is another story. I'm not sure if it was just this particular item but the colors were so chalky.  Almost crumbly and thus very difficult to get an even application.  You can particularly see this in the lovely midnight blue (2) and 8.  The colors are also rather on the sheer side.  The sheerness if forgivable for 1, 3, maybe 4, 5, maybe 6, and 7.  But I expected the midnight blue (2) and plum purple (8) to be at least somewhat pigmented and dramatic. The sad thing is, is that I think they tried to make them pigmented but the formula was bad hence the reason the darkest colors were the most chalky.  All of the colors have glitter specks in them that reflect silver.

     The following swatches were with me swiping the color with my finger 3-4 times and they turned out alright; I dunno what it was but I just couldn't get this kind of color onto my eyelid.


    On the plus side, the lighter colors are quite acceptable for everyday wear and oddly enough, less crumbly then their darker counterparts.   But that's not saying much, even the lighter colors are hard to apply evenly.  I think the biggest disappointment for me was the overall weak color payoff when you're putting it on your eye.

    Colors 3, 5, 8.  #8 had NO color payoff.  The dark purple at the ends is actually from another palette.  The inner corner white highlight is also Urban Decay Yeyo.  In other words, the only "actual" color you're seeing from this palette is the white glittery part in the middle.
    The chalkiness of the Maybelline palette affected the additional eye shadows I added to make it more pigmented. Hence the slightly blotchy application.  In summation I'd say this palette was not worth the buy.  It was a disappointment, the colors were too light, the texture chalky, and application difficult. I shall be returning this :(

    Pros:
    - colors are pretty in the pan
    - lighter colors are nice for delicate washes of color

    Cons:
    - chalky texture
    - low color payoff
    - hard to apply darker colors evenly

    P.S. I tried this without any kind of primer. Maybe that would make a difference but the truth is that I just recently started using eyelid primer and my other eye shadows weren't this crumbly even then.

Award + Randomness

    Siwing really made my day when I woke to find this earlier this week:


    :DDD!!! Thank you, Siwing!

    The Rules:
    1. Thank the blogger who gave me the award.
    2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five words.
    3. Pass this on to 10 other bloggers that you feel have a substance in their blogs.

    I'm really, really touched that Siwing thought of me....I'm such a small fish in the blogging world so it was just wonderful to know this little burp of a blog is enjoyable to read ^_^ Which leads to why I even blog in the first place (in 5 words): Blogs bring people together everyday.  Even though there are limits to how well you can really know a person online, when I see FOTDs, OOTDs, personal posts and reviews, I feel that I am seeing a part of them.  It may not be all of who they are but it is still facet of someone out there in the world you would've never known existed before you came across their blog.

    This is just a small slice of the few blogs I have frequented for quite some time now  :} If you're not here it's probably because I've just started reading your blog within the last few weeks or I think you've already been tagged in this award ^_^ Anyway, I hope you find these as enjoyable as I do.
    Queen of the cupcake pops. She was on Martha Stewart ^_^ 
    Takes sinfully adorable pictures.

    I really like her makeup style ^^;; Fresh and clean looking....

    Love her eyeshadow swatches!

    kpop + high fashion + dramas + scathing commentary + awesome photos

    One word: shoes. I dunno, I really like her taste in shoes.

    Her review on Koji Eye curlers just blew me away.

    SO CUTE. The adventures of two baby teeth :)

    Love her makeup picks and she just has one the prettiest layouts ever.

    Her FOTDs are practical and pretty :)

    #10 - everyone on my blogroll ^_^

    And some random weekend weirdness...

    My new favorite socks.
    Of the many passing fancies I have had...this has been THE longest lasting hobby for me....

    Living room of my dollhouse.
    Yes, dollhouses.  Dollhouses fascinate me - the REAL ones made to look like true to life miniatures, not the fake Barbie-house kinds.  I think my favorite part of dollhouse building is wallpapering, make staircases, and gluing on crown and base moldings.  I have one dollhouse, it's a 7 room one that my dad made for me in...4th grade?  It sounds big but it's really quite small ^^ It only has windows on one side ;)  I just played around with it through elementary school but in high school I took to it seriously and started researching on lighting and flooring techniques.  Sadly, dollhousing (is that a word?) is rather an expensive hobby :P so I work on one room at a time...now 10 years later I've finished 6 rooms ^_^. Still have 2 more rooms to go, the attic rooms.  It's been a labor of love for me and all the pillows and curtains were made by my mom so needless to say, my dollhouse is one of my most prized possessions.... eheh maybe I'll post the finished house one day :)

    These little figurines have been sitting by my bed for years.  They have dust-hair ^^;;
    And last but not least....

    Bakerella's Hi Hat Cupcakes
    More Bakerella goodness. I love how she takes cross-sections of her baked pieces of heaven. It must be my lab rat side coming out ^^  While I imagine there are a few people out there barfing over the ridiculous amount of icing on this thing....to me that thing is heaven on earth *YUMMMMM*

    On that note, what interesting (and little known) hobbies do you guys have and who are your favorite food bloggers?  (And please leave a link to your fav food bloggers, I'm always on the hunt for more food porn).

    Have a good weekend peeps!

Makeup for Chuseok / Natural Makeup Tutorial

    Gahh... I've been scrabbling to upload this even though it's the middle of the week because today is Chuseok or the Harvest Moon Festival! Chuseok is, roughly speaking, the Korean equivalent to Thanksgiving but with much more cultural significance.  Besides giving thanks for the year's good harvest, it is also to commemorate their ancestors by "inviting" them to visit with delicious foods and a little ceremony (jesa). You can do jesa at your ancestors' graves or at home with a little table of food set out for your ancestors to partake. For this ceremony, many chicas wear hanboks, since it is just about one of the only times of the year to wear it ;)

    Traditionally, hanbok makeup required red or dark lipstick to give that 'formal' air with your hair tightly pulled back in a low bun with no bangs. I went the traditional route with my hair just for kicks...it was a pain getting all those unruly strands pinned back :P You can't see it but I have about 20 bobby pins in my hair.  Nowadays, though older women and performers still wear hanbok makeup this way, girls in their twenties and teen usually go for the "naturally wholesome, healthy and innocent" look - big surprise there huh ;)? Hanbok hairstyles have gotten more lax too but personally I think it's best to wear hair pulled back at least a bit to show off the hanbok :] Lots of girls do braids now with their hanbok.

    In honor of Chuseok I put together a vid where I attempted to roll Chuseok trivia and a makeup tutorial into one...so it's a lot longer than I'd like :P But I hope you guys like ^_^v!

    [I'm not very happy with this tutorial, as it was the very first one I recorded.
    I'll redo this look some time soon.]

    The look I do in this tutorial is basically a very natural look or as Koreans like to say "bare face makeup." Hence all the contouring and highlighting :) (though I think I may have gone overboard with the contouring *sigh*) and I also just realized I forgot to highlight my browbone :P I must practice this filming thing more~


    I got this hanbok made at Namdaemun Market in Seoul, Korea for a pittance :D  I like it a lot although I wish I picked more cheerful colors...I must have been in an emo mood when I picked the fabric ^^

    I can never get the bow right :(
    Chuseok can be a pain for wives (especially the wife married to the eldest son) in 'really' traditional families though because they have make a buttload of food for the ceremonies and families coming over. And some have to make all this food in a hanbok - yeah, imagine sweating all day in the kitchen in a floor length dress :P  In fact, it was once said that Chuseuk was "a man's holiday."   Thankfully, in modern times you can often pre-order most of the food and wear the hanbok for just the ceremonies :) Despite the patriarchal overtones, overall, Chuseok is about family - even moreso in Korea than in America.  In Korea, the three days are spent not just eating delectable traditional foods but also tidying up your ancestors' graves (aka trimming the grass, doing jesa etc) and just chillin' with family you may only see once a year :)

    Here's a pretty good read about what Chuseok is like for the curious and bored ^_^ Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good week.

    추석 잘 보내세요!
    (Have a good Chuseok!)

Glico Pocky Chocolate Dessert: "Custard cake of strawberry"


    Another quick snack review :DDDDD I love these. I could probably eat 20 boxes of these a day.

     

    They're basically a very decadent Pocky with two layers of chocolate-y goodness...in this case custard cake and strawberry.  Or as the box says, "Custard cake of strawberry" :\ 

     

    Each box has 4 pouches of 3 sticks...which lasts me all of 10 minutes :P  The custard layer is not quite as green as it looks in the pics, it's really a nice mellow yellow >_> but regardless, it's quite a pretty little snack with cute lil crisscrosses going willy nilly. This could be too sweet for some but the classic Pocky has way too little chocolate coating for me....so I really like these more :) plus they have more "exotic" flavors like Chocolate Banana Cake, Hazelnut, Chocolate Formage, Double Chocolate, Tiramisu, Marron White, Chestnut, Strawberry Shortcake, and Orange.... I've only ever been able to try this and Chocolate Banana Cake, both of which were wonderfully creamy and decadent.  It's too bad the Asian markets around here don't carry the full range :(

How to: Dress with Broad Shoulders 101

    Hey everyone! This is my first Youtube video eva~so I hope you like and definitely know what you think :}


    Also here are some extra tips that I did not include in the Youtube video:

    PART 1: MORE "FORBIDDEN" CLOTHING
    1.)  Although dolman, off-shoulder and V-necks tend to be the most universally flattering on broad shouldered chicks, don't let that stop you from trying on halter tops, ruffled tops and blazers. Halter tops such as these are perfectly flattering because of the deep V-neck balances out the shoulders.




    Bad:
    This is also an example of how NOT to wear ruffles.
    Unfortunately, these probably wouldn't look too good since not only are these high-necked, they have all sorts of embellishments around just the shoulder and chest area.  Since the focal point is the shoulder area, these types of halters should be avoided.

    2.) Wearing ruffles is totally fine but be sure they do not sit around the shoulder or too close to the neckline.  Ruffles should draw the eye down the body (visual elongation) and/or follow a deep V-neck shape.



    Bad:

    The large ruffles just sit right on the chest and shoulder area AND they are high collared, all which emphasize the upper body.

    3.) I didn't have time to include blazers in the video but I want to say I actually think blazers look BEST on people with broad shoulders.  Albeit, make sure you take out the shoulder pads but since the structure of a blazer is meant to look competent, bold, and strong - I really, really think that blazers are pulled off the best by people who have the shoulders to pull it off.  Broad shouldered peeps should selected one-button blazers that cinch between the bust and your belly button.


    Seriously...blazers on broad shouldered peeps are the shize.  Also if you leave the blazer open it basically slims your body line.  Generally darker or neutral toned blazers would probably work best.

    Bad:

    This is not so good cuz there is a horizontal seam right across the bust, a high neck and ruffles everywhere.  But the worst thing is really the general boxy cut of the jacket which would make almost anyone just look....boxy.

    PART 2: SHOW YOUR BACK
    Usually broad shouldered people have gorgeous backs.  Play it up!  Look for unusual back designs to draw attention :)  Plus there are few things sexier than being modest in the front then BAM sexy in the back :D


    PART 3: SHOW YOUR CLAVICLE 
    The same goes for strapless dresses. I've read everywhere that broad shouldered peeps should just forgo strapless dresses altogether. But, like spaghetti straps, just wear a cardigan or wear your hair down :)




    Anyway, the focal point of a strapless dress is a beautiful clavicle and usually swimmer chicks with broad shoulders have a well-defined one. So show it off :D! 

    PART 4: A few (ok a lot) more tips:
    1.) Long necklaces are your friend, they act as a deep V-neck.
    2.) Wear either long hair past your shoulders or roll it up in a high bun.  The latter style on only makes you seem taller but also visually lengthens your body.  Generally, hair that sits right at the shoulders aren't so good.
    3.) Tops with gathers right underneath the breast are quite flattering because if you have small bust (like me *sigh*), it gives the illusion of boobage ;) and draws your eyes away from your shoulders. (*grrr* it sucks have wide shoulders and ribs yet a flat bust...such a cruel irony :\)
    4.) Skirts that flare out balance the shoulders.
    5.) Bad posture makes broad shoulders seem huge, not shapely, so stand up straight!
    6.) There is one thing that I honestly think will never work with broad shoulders: Cap sleeves :P
    7.) Explore the men's section!  Men's shirts are cut to "work with" broad shoulders and make them structured and dramatic, not huge.  Many of my favorite dress shirts and hoodies are from the men's section.
    8.)  Fyi I'm hardly an authority on how to dress :} and as you can see my style can pretty much be summed up as simple and generally uncomplicated with minimal (or no) jewelry.  I'm all about complete wear-ability and comfort ;) (sans the heels, I have a weakness for those). Fashion is secondary to fit I think.  I'd say I'm a believer of "whatever looks good on YOU is the most fashionable thing to wear."  Basically, if you look good, your clothes will just look fashionable.....and this is my fashion philosophy in a nutshell. 

    Love your shoulders and make them work for you not against you :)

    And yes...for those curious, I am (was) a competitive swimmer for 10 years ;) My favorite stroke was bfly. I hope these helped :) Let me know if you have any questions!
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