cushyblushy

jewelmint winner + vday

2012-02-23T23:37:00.001-06:00

a pleasant surprise came in my inbox early february from tara. I am notified as the lucky winner for her Jewel Mint giveaway. i would jump in joy as i read the words "congrats" if i wasn't at work. i wouldn't want my colleagues to think i'm weird. do check out her blog for creative and cute nail art, beauty reviews, DIY projects and much more.

i received the package the day before Vday and naturally i wore it right away for Vday. Yup, we celebrated a day earlier on Feb 13 to avoid the crowd and the exorbitant price restaurants take advantage off.

Jewel Mint Duo, The Baltic Gem Earrings and Calypso Necklace

if you're wondering why i only have 1 earring in the photo, that's because shimo(my cat) was messing around with my accessories holder the other day. i'm pretty sure it fell into one of the drawers unless she swallowed it and i'll have to cut her open.....jk.

i absolutely love the blue/purple stones. the different hues give an interesting appearance to the pieces. the tier chandelier earrings creates a elegant look to the entire outfit. i'll be having fun experimenting casual outfits with them.thanks tara!

downside eating at fancy restaurant: dim lighting + awkwardness using flash == bad photos

we went to truluck's for their all-you-can-eat florida stone crab.

i had 9 claws. yum. i think i did pretty good. the chocolate shopping bag is to die for. not really, but it was really good. it was filled with chunks of cake, berries, nuts covered with warm melted chocolate topped with whipped cream and strawberries. what's not to like??

dreamy cinderella carriage

to end the night. mr. adventure brought me to all our "first" adventures in austin. the photo above is where we watched and listened orchestra for the 1st time in austin. joshua bell was touring with his 4 million dollar violin.

brunch + black riding boots

2012-02-16T11:27:00.001-06:00

happy belated valentines to all cushyblushy's visitors! we had unlimited florida stone crab. a blog entry for another time perhaps.

end of January is the best time to buy boots. why? department stores are eager to clear their shelves and make room for spring collections while shoppers are excited to buy them at a discounted price. i call it a symbiotic relation. winter ain't quite over and boots are here to stay for many more weeks. anyhow, a classic black riding boots are timeless for the next winter and the next and the next.......

the only good outcome from the cold weather last weekend was being able to wear my brand new boots without feeling out of place.

grey cashmere sweater

h&m faux tomato red leather jacket

gap skinny pants

vince camuto black riding boots

nordstrom rack black messenger bag

mr. adventure and i had a long brunch at east side cafe. it's one of those house turned into cafe/restaurant type of place which seats maybe 20 tables. we waited for 30 mins to be seated. in order to justify the wait, we ordered way too much food as we were famished. it was a bad idea. we ended up not finishing everything and not having dinner that day. do not follow!!

the corn bread and blueberry muffin were warm. the poched eggs were cooked to perfection. the ham and salmon crab cakes were covered with juicy egg yolks. the strawberry were sweet not sour. the belgian waffle was great. i'm usually not a fan of whip cream, but i didn't mind it with the waffle. overall, it's a great place for brunch. nice ambiance, but not good for huge group. make a reservation to avoid wait time!

do you get holidays for president's day? i don't, but mr. adventure does. life is unfair.

shopping tip: 7th avenue pants

2012-02-12T14:07:00.001-06:00

flipping through march glamour edition, i came upon a neat coupon inside. $10 for any 7th avenue pant by New York & Company. i believe it's their new collection.

photos from huffingtonpost

i don't usually shop at New York & Company, but with the coupon i thought why not pick up a fun spring color pant? there are several different styles; bootcut, wide leg, straight leg, ankle pant and slim crop.

i picked up the 7th avenue luxe stretch slim ankle pant in enduring gold. color pants are so trendy right now and this cutting is a bit of a challenge for me to pair with. for $10 i'm excited to try and create a cute outfit. the pant retails for $54.95.

they do have other more work appropriate colors and cutting as well, if you prefer that.

happy shopping!

jason wu for target adventure

2012-02-06T22:35:00.003-06:00

sunday morning diary

7:15am alarm rang. brushed teeth with half opened eyes. threw on sweat pants and sweater.
7:30am out the door and embraced the chilly rainy winter morning
7:40am arrived at the parking lot. 10th person in line
8:00am doors opened. overwhelmed by people running towards the rack
8:03am started grabbing clothes, sifting through the racks for my wish list. the blue A-line dress were all gone by the time my hands reached that rack #$@&
8:26am tried on some pieces and settled on 4 items
8:40am paid the cashier, came home half happy and sleepy.

it was my first experience waiting in line before store hours. everyone was queuing orderly until the doors opened and they turned into hungry sharks attacking pretty tuna. however, i didn't see any ebay re-sellers grabbing a whole cart load at my target.

shame on the persons in this video.

i came back with 4 items. the blue flowery print top and skirt, polka-dot peach blouse with white ribbon and the black lace clutch. no milu scarf at my target and the blue A-line dress in my size was sold out. lesson learned - i need to turn into a hungry shark next time.

mr. adventure's comment at target, "i could be a designer. red stripe, blue stripe white stripe."

quick preview. excuse the heart face and blur picture. no time to re-take before the smash preview. so far, i'm liking the show.

a simple date night

2012-01-31T00:27:00.001-06:00

yup, we’re in texas. such a romantic evening for this couple.

school bus trailer food. creativity wins!

our pick for that evening, mighty cone. I got fried avocado and it was so crispy, juicy and delicious. “EAT MORE CONES””

what better way to end the night with than CUPCAKES!

my choice, red velvet cream cheese. one word…..YUM.

milu is coming to target

2012-01-30T13:55:00.003-06:00

5 more days until the launch of jason wu for target collection. are you pumped up? i adore this collection a lot more than previous collaborations. thanks to milu and jason wu's kitty muse. yup, i have a thing for anything cats related and i personally think this collection is more wearable than others without screaming "BRAND X"

here's my wishlist. would love to hear what you'll have in your cart this sunday.

photos from nymag

happy lunar new year!

2012-01-23T14:29:00.003-06:00

welcome the year of dragon! wishing everyone good fortune, wealth, health and great success this year. not to forget, lots of happiness in the year of dragon.

wednesday

2012-01-18T00:02:00.000-06:00

it's wednesday!

i bought a beaded peter pan collar from asos, but it stayed in my drawers for months not knowing how to wear it. last weekend i decided to give it a try and this is what i came up with.

on first sight, mr. adventure said, "are we going to a costume party? why are you dressed up as wednesday from addams family?" i looked at the mirror and started laughing. it was totally unintentional. now i have a backup costume for halloween :)

walking down the red carpet

2012-01-04T23:11:00.000-06:00

not for real, although a girl can always dream, eh.

i received a couple awards from beautiful penny Inspired by beauty. thanks again! it was long dued, but better late than never.

sharing my top 10 current favorites

naruko niaouli(am i the only that always misspell this word) & tea tree balancing moisturizer. i love the light texture and it absorbs quickly. i have oily skin around my t-zone and this helps keep the shine under control. i don't get as oily as i usually do after 4 hrs, but i still need to blot to avoid being a disco ball. i'm not a fan of the tea tree scent, but the naruko niaouli line have a very faint scent that doesn't bother me. the scent goes aways after a couple of minutes.
naruko niaouli & tea tree clay acne clay cleanser
a great cleanser that helps balance my oily skin without stripping. i usually let it sit on my skin for 10 mins before rinsing off. plus, the light herbal scent doesn't bother me at all
l'occitane cherry blossom solid perfume. the scent is amazingly refreshing with a subtle hint of cherry blossom. i literally feel stress free every time i put this on. reminds me of spring surrounded by flowers. i have this with me all the time
jack black lip balm
i'm using this every day to protect my lips. a great find especially in winter
rimmel airy fairy lipstick
a lovely random find. the golden rose color looks great on the lips. i broke half the lipstick on my first week. lesson learned: never put the cap on without looking at it. it's creamy. i don't like the vanilla scent, but will live with it.
becca mineral blush in flowerchild
i love this blush of my cheeks on any eye makeup. the shimmer is fine and it looks natural without walking around town in a doll like face
kiss me heroine make volume & curl mascara (black)
pro: clump free, stays curl all day, gives volume, shape of the wand(easy to apply to every single lash) waterproof
con: hard to find, waterproof(hard to remove)
maybeline mineral power natural perfecting concealer in light
it provides good coverage, easily bendable, great match for my skintone, great drugstore find during CVS beauty sale
milani liquif'eye metallic eye liner pencil 01 black
pro: extremely black, very creamy, easy to find
con: too creamy(need to sharpen after every use, look how short it is now)
majolica majorca eye shadow quad in BR799
great for everyday look with fine shimmers that highlight and make the eyes more awake

on to the next award.

i have to list down 7 things about myself for this award. i cracked my head having to come up with 7 things that i want to share about yours truly.

i never have sweet fairytale dreams ever. all my dreams involve fighting, zombies, screaming, monsters, falling and yes i do scream out loud sometimes. dreams can be so real.
if i can only eat one type of food in my entire life, it would be ramen (not those instant ones). slurp~~~
i have a thing for zombies. call me weird, but i like watching zombies shows (any "the walking dead" fans out there?) and playing shooting zombies games. maybe related to my dreams??
i used to dislike cats when i was younger because they always steal my food (poor stray cats), but i have ms. shimo sleeping next to me everyday now.
i don't like eating the same food twice in a week when eating out. i could never succeed in the subway weight loss challenge.
i just put up curtains after moving in for 1.5 year (not very interesting, but that's what come to mind when i look up)
i love watching coke's ad. they are so creative, fun, new and refreshing. i would love to meet the person behind it one day though i'm not a coke customer (not a soda drinker)

happy new year to all! one of my resolution is to blog more often. shame shame for not doing so (red face).

the winner goes to....

2011-12-13T17:10:00.001-06:00

i finally got around to pick a winner(via random) and packaged everything. sorry for the delay(i'm so embarrass, red cheeks) and thanks to all for joining the giveaway.

CONGRATULATIONS to AMY!!

happy decorating, shopping for gifts, planning for christmas makeup/outfits/recipe etc.

"it's beginning to look a lot like christmas"

what's in your current playlist? i have buble christmas 2011 & charlie brown christmas

I’m back from california

2011-12-06T23:25:00.001-06:00

I forget how beautiful the bay and the pacific ocean are. my last trip was probably 6 years ago. I had several goals for this trip(besides meeting all my friends there, ultimate goal) and let me sum them up in photos.

goal #1 see the ocean. one flaw living in central texas – no ocean around. it’s amazing to see the ocean every single day while I’m there.

Big Sur

Natural Bridges State Park

goal #2 see big trees. it’s actually mr. adventure’s goal

muir woods. tall redwoods

goal #3 lombard st. lame, but I missed it last time.

it was packed with tourists. I wouldn’t want to stay there despite the gorgeous view.

goal #4 palace of fine arts. I saw tons of bloggers took their OOTD there and had to have my OOTD taken there. lol.

I was pointing at the fountain. my photo didn’t turn out well >_<
blue sweater with bow prints – pacific mall, markham
burnt orange tank – h&m
black ripped lace leggings – m’sia
camel lace up boots – m’sia
black/grey infinity scarf – f21
round necklace – nordstrom

goal #5 golden gate bridge. not really a goal, but a must visit when in sf

leaped for the ggb. not a prefect day for photo.

goal #6 FOOD. should be goal #1 instead.

San Tung Chinese Restaurant – crispy, sweet and tangy chicken wings

noodles in black bean sauce aka jajamyun. this was more delicious than the highly rave wings. if you know malaysian food, this is similar to hokkien char without the fragrant fried pork fats.

fishermen’s grotto – monterey. seafood pasta. it’s hard to get good seafood being in central texas

banana leaf – milpitas. out of the dishes we tried, only “char kuey teow” and “huat tan hor” tasted authentic. being a m’sian, I have to hunt for m’sian food anywhere I go.

santoka ramen – mitsuwa, san jose. if I can only eat one type of food for the rest of my live, it would be ramen. slurp~~~~~

In-N-Out Burger. sorry californias, I prefer five guys. I love my burger with grilled mushroom, grilled onions and bacon!

yummy dessert. dessert republic café and beard papa’s

goal #7 hauling. part of vacation is shopping!

beauty – I’m loving the essential hair mask which I got from sasa and decided to try the shampoo and conditioner. moving back to the good old dhc cleansing oil. kose softymo deep cleansing oil doesn’t work for waterproof mascara. trying the sana hanadomy collegen lotion for winter and the gatsby hair wax is for the mr.

daiso – random stuffs. I’m all set to make a bento box. shimo being an inspector

fashion – part of my haul from h&m.

magazines – I always pick up japanese magazines whenever I can for the freebies. lol

that’s to all your wishes. it’s going to be a busy year in 2012 planning for the day!

magical question

2011-11-16T15:07:00.001-06:00

mr. adventure popped the magical question on 11.11.11. why on that particular date you ask? that's because mr. adventure is horrible with dates. he even has formulas to remember my birthday and our anniversary. 11 is also my fav #. that date works for us and i'm engaged! we've been together for 7+ years. sounds long, but every day is filled with amazingly fun and happy adventures with him :)

i apologize for not picking a winner yet for my giveaway. november is a busy busy month at work. also, we'll be going to san francisco for thanksgiving and i've been running up and down shopping for "early christmas presents" for friends there. i'll pick a winner when i get back!

shimo, our newly adopted kitty is curious about our christmas tree. 5 ornaments broke so far. i think we're going to have an "ornament-less" tree by christmas. if any of you are wondering, mantao is still out there ruling the cat kingdom. have a great thanksgiving everyone~~~~

my first jewelmint

2011-11-08T23:11:00.001-06:00

i got to admit i was intrigued by jewelmint the first time i saw it. their pieces are unique and fashionable, but i was reluctant to pay $29.99 without looking at the pieces in hand before purchasing. after watching tons of youtubers and reading blogs featuring their jewelmint purchases, i became more and more impress by them. when they had a 60% discount for 1st time buyers, i jumped at the opportunity, signed up, looked through my showroom, added to bag, checked out, and waited impatiently for the box to arrive.
more info about jewelmint
JewelMint is an online subscription based jewelry boutique with pieces designed by Kate Bosworth and her stylist Cher Coulter. Upon signing up, you will take a style quiz and each month your personalized jewelry selection will be available in your showroom for $29.99 per item.
i present you cavelier crest pendent nicely packaged in a mint box with a bow.
notes from Cher regarding the design from the website
"While I was home in England for Christmas, I went to my favorite vintage shopping town, Hitchin. I came across a great jewelry repair shop and found a unique shield piece that inspired this necklace! I love the way it's masculine yet light, and fits in with our love of chunky jewelry. Wear it against a floor-length, solid colored outfit, or mix it with other necklaces over a washed out printed tee and jeans. "

why i picked it?
i love the intricate, edgy details and the story behing it. it’s hard to say no to the engraved fleur-de-lis and I’m on a quest to collect chunky/statement jewelry. trivia, my breakfast nook is inspired by a parisian cafe.
how i styled it?
paired it with a vintage inspired dark blue stone ring from nordstrom
the outfit. yup, I don’t have 20/20 eyesight.

army green tank: esprit
black knit: forever21
camel faux suede button down scallop skirt: forever21
grey boots: steve madden
white and black striped messenger bag: thrifted
unfortunately the necklace is sold out right now, but they might bring it back later. do check their website if you’re interested. also, I like jewelmint so much that I ordered the mystery bag. it contains some randomly selected pieces for their halloween promotion. can’t wait to see what I got.

referral link http://jmnt.me/sw7TZg

thanks everything for entering my giveaway. I’ll announce the winner soon.

happy halloween

2011-10-30T14:16:00.001-05:00

since halloween falls on monday this year, we went out partying on saturday. we’ll be giving out treats to little goblin and ghouls in on monday instead. the entire 6th st was closed for the night and tons of people flooded the st in monster, zombies, skimpy, superheroes etc. costumes. I love checking out creative DIY costumes. sharing some photos with you all………….

cool futuristic robot

gruesome venom

huge dancing robot/montster?

can you find waldo?

facebook profile. pretty creative

can anyone tell us who the green guy with yellow eyebrown, nose and mouth is? we have no idea.

ghostbusters crew

us(rare face appearance)! I’m a leopard. ear hairband from h&m and leopard print scarf from asia. mr. adventure is a zombie with a gunshot wound on the forehead and scar on the cheek. my first attempt on zombie makeup and received some positive compliments. thanks youtube! haha…..

join my giveaway ending tomorrow! giveaway.

have a great trick-or-treating

fall pickings

2011-10-24T16:58:00.001-05:00

it's pumpkin time. i love this season as i can get almost anything pumpkin flavor. pumpkin ice-cream, pumpkin doughnut, pumpkin latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin you get the idea. while i don't particular like pumpkin, but a change once a year is great. mr. adventure and i with a few other friends went to the nearby farm for pumpkin patch, corn maze, flowers, scarecrows, goats, etc.

big mac pumpkin. they’re huge. I can’t even lift them up.

pumpkin patch. we spent quite some time to pick the prefect one.

flowers makes me smile. yippee~~~~~~~~~~~

it was a cloudy and rainy day, but we stopped at nothing to conquer the maze.

my picks!

reminder: my giveaway is still open. enter here giveaway. thanks to those who have joined . good luck!

giveaway ~ my blog is 1 year old (ended)

2011-10-08T00:31:00.001-05:00

hurrah!!! it's been a year since i started cushyblushy. i'm patting myself in the back for not abandoning this blog. trust me. i have had several zombie blogs. what's better than to have a giveaway and spread the joy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the winner will get (frame not included)

rimmel london glam ice shadow
rimmel london sexy curves mascara in black
too faced eye shadow duo in erotica and silk teddy
physician formula happy booster blush in rose
caudalie lip conditioner
crabtree & evelyn lavender hand therapy
benefit a little bit bad girl mascara
kiss french toenail
japanese shoubu bath salt
missha green tea sheet mask
missha pearl sheet mask
MBD japanese cherry blossom sheet mask
skinlite re-energizing green tea masque
escada into the blue eau de parfum sample
forever21 and a kitty earrings

rules

open to everyone with a mailing address
please get parents' consent if you're below 18
winner will be chosen at random
must be a follower of my blog
follow me on twitter for (+1) entry cushytweets
mention this giveaway in your sidebar for (+1) entry
blog about this giveaway for (+2) entries
giveaways ends on trick-or-treating night (October 31st)

how to enter

leave a comment below with all your entries
answer the following question, "what are you going to be for halloween?"

halloween decoration above my mantel. printables from twotwenty-one

have a good weekend and good luck!

the matcha challenge

2011-10-03T22:03:00.001-05:00

the health benefits from green tea is not news to everyone. this antioxidant drink helps reduce risk of several cancers, heart diseases and stabilizes cholesterol. it helps reduces acne scars and inflammations as well as slows down aging and prevent wrinkles. many beauty products have incorporated green tea as one of their ingredients for its multipurpose properties. the only negative thing i have to save about green tea is the insomniac effects. i hate lying down on the bed until 4am and feel like a zombie the next day.

mr. adventure and i was strolling along whole foods(it’s like a "chanel" grocery store where everything is more expensive and better quality). we always go there for their salad bar. they have "real "food like pulled pork, grilled chicken etc. which are delicious. one evening when were at the tea aisle, i was intrigued by the domatcha silver box. this box cost $17 for 20 sachets, which is very expensive. mr. adventure was like, "no way i'm paying 85 cents for a cup of homemade tea when i can get one for 10 cents or less". he wouldn't believe me when i told him it'll definitely taste better. anyhow, he agreed to get it if i'll do a blind test.

so, here we go. the challenge!!!
4 different green tea bags (the other 3 from asian market or local grocery store), 4 cups of hot water.

check out my self painted red tray. things I do when I’m bored.

mr. adventure put the teabags in the hot water for 11/2 mins(i was looking away while he was doing that) and the challenge began.

the winner. drum roll…………………. domatcha, cup C. it has a rich green tea flavor, slightly bitter with lingering sweetness aftertaste and a bit of fine ground texture like what you would get from an actual matcha. not bland at all. the sachet is made of high quality material that doesn’t tear easily. it’s annoying when the string attach to the sachet tear and I have to use a spoon to “fish” it out.

will I purchase again? maybe, but I’ll probably try others and look for cheaper alternative. right now, I’m enjoying my remaining sachets

anaheim work getaway

2011-09-25T23:06:00.001-05:00

reason for being mia….I was at disneyland. the happiest place on earth!! not so fun when you’re there for conference though. anyhow, I got to enjoyed downtown disney and world of colors show at the adventure park. (click for bigger pic)

showing what my beauty pack for 6 days.

lots of random samples! they’re travel friendly.

josie maran palettes, bobbi brown concealer, missha BB cream, milani eyebrow pencil, milani liquideye, dollywink eyeliner, josie maran nude lipstick, urban decay eye primer, majolica majorca mascara, shu uemura curler, clinique sharpener, and brushes(not shown). I think I travel light. what do you think?

I took the opportunity to shop at h&m as austin has none.

disneyland hotel. check out the sleeping beauty castle headboard. lots of mickey!

random pics of disney area. who knows duffy? I know his huge in japan, but not so in america. anyone knows his origin?

we had a private show of world of colors where water, fire, laser, and lights come together for an amazing show.

yup, I envy you all for being able to pop in to a h&m anytime. some highlights. you can tell I’m in love with burnt orange and dusty rose.

flying home with mini duffy and mickey’s glove

mr. adventure surprised me with hydrangeas at the airport :)

have a good week ahead!

i got sleek + cushy's threads

2011-09-12T00:27:00.001-05:00

nothing new about sleek except i got my hands on them. happy dance~~~~ thanks to a friend who made a trip to uk last week and made a stop at superdrug. yes.....sleek is available online, but that would defeat the purpose of cheap and quality makeup as you factor in the shipping cost.

moving on to the photos of my mini lot (didn't want to weigh down my friend's luggage).

i wanted Oh So Special palette, but it was sold out. she picked up Storm i-Divine 578 palette instead which I’m loving.

Pixie Pink 936 blush

Powder Pink 942 Pout Polish SPF15

the pout polish smells like cocoa butter. I haven’t tried them out yet, but so far I’m happy to have in my collection.

my outfit over the weekend.

graphic shirt: rue-21 (one of those random hauls)
red flair skirt: forever 21
purse: asos
high heel sandals : nine west

the city recently put up a lot of longhorn statues around downtown and i couldn’t help, but pose with one. the girls on my shirt are wearing matching flair skirts as me!

how long can a skirt go?

2011-09-06T21:59:00.001-05:00

the floor's the limit. maxi skirts are so amazingly versatile for all seasons. it all depends on how to mix and match with your top and accessories. here are a few looks from asos

for long maxi skirts, i opt for light fabric instead of thick and woven materials which can look heavy. my thrifty find for $3. all i need to do is dig around my closet and find some matching pieces for a summer to fall outfit.

tax free haul

2011-08-31T21:09:00.001-05:00

2 weekends ago was texas tax free weekend for back to school shoppers. i'm not in school anymore, but who says i can't take advantage of it....(evil grin).

i went to san marcos outlet (if you're in the area definitely check out this outlet). it's huge with a lot of designer brand stores if you like them (i.e. gucci, tory burch, fendi, ferragamo, and prada(coming end of this year)). as expected i wasn't the only one taking advantage of the tax free weekend. there were so many people that we had to spend 30 mins just to park. texas heat ain't helping either.

i was hoping to score a pair of ferragamo low heel chucky pump, but found none ~~that i like~~ at the price that i like. there were some discounted ones for cheaper, but not what i wanted. it's always a hit or a miss at the outlet. that's the price to pay for not wanting to pay retail.

side story.....mr. adventure read somewhere that some goods(probably low-end to mid-range) that are made in italy are actually made by chinese immigrants living in italy with low wages and poor working conditions. you would think "made in italy" are goods made by highly crafted artistic italian, but that's not always the case. what are your thoughts?

showing some of my favorites.

from bcbg, thick black blazer (so ready for fall). think this will be nice to wear over bright colored dresses.

from banana republic, high heel sandal (surprisingly pretty comfortable)

from forever21, off white blazer (love the W cutting at the bottom)

from cc0, l’occitane and crabtree & evelyn

rose 4 reines hydrating face mist. very light with a lovely scent.
body foam wash in mango and pomegranate. smells yummy but doesn't lather as well as i like. more bubbles-> more fun!
hand therapy in lavender(i'm loving the faint scent and the mini tube that fits in my purse)
hand therapy in citron honey & coriander
boobi brown concealer in beige. great match and great coverage.
l’occitane cheery blossom solid perfume. the floral scent is sweet and not too overwhelming.

mcdonald’s smufs toys are over and I only have 4. kicking myself for not making the extra turn when I passed by one.

I’m going to anaheim mid-sept for a conference. any recommendations for places to pick up japan/korean beauty items around the area? not sure if I have the time, but just in case ;P

haul ~ josie maran

2011-08-23T22:08:00.003-05:00

one boring afternoon, I browsed the web as usual and ended up looking at josie maran website….opps. I heard good things about their 100% pure argan oil, but not so much on their makeup. when I came across the “good buys” section, I knew I had to get something…..double opps.

my fav item,wildflower argan powder palette.

Swatches without primer
L2R: Eye Shadow in Pearl (shimmering white), Cashmere (shimmering taupe), Magic (deep grey), Plum (shimmering plum), Lilac (shimmering lavender), Blush in Little Kisses (soft peach), Shimmer Powder in Posey (shimmering pink) and Blush in Baby Cheeks (soft rose)

I’m in love with this palette especially plum and lilac. some of the colors are soft, but definitely buildable for smoky eyes. the texture is smooth and easy to blend. this palette is great for travelling as it as 5 eyeshadows to mix for a soft day look or a night mysterious smoky look. the blushers and highligher is a huge plus as you don’t have to carry any additional makeup. I don’t know about you, but I like to travel light (more space for shopping?)

natural wonder argan powder palette

Swatches without primer
L2R: Eye Shadow in Daydream (shimmery apricot), Hope (bright iridescent blue- purple), Desire (iridescent teal), Trance (shimmery gold), Think (shimmery copper brown), Blush in Illusion (deep rose), Bronzing Powder in Beach No. 1 (bronze), Blush in Fiction (peachy pink),

this palette has interesting colors, such as hope and desire. I don’t own any of these colors, so they are good to have in case I wake up one morning and decide that it’s going to be a colorful day. i ‘m loving the blushers and bronzer. again good for traveling and smooth and fine texture as well as easy to blend.
argan oil lipstick in birthday suit

L2R: Lipstick in Birthday Suit, Lip Liner in Peach and Natural
birthday suit is a sheer nude beige color sort of like a milk tea color. as for the lip liner, they don’t look peach nor natural to me. the swatches doesn’t wow me at all. they seem too dark. hopefully they’ll look ok on my lips.

I believe they’ll still on sale in their website josiemaran

la la la la la la~~~~ la la la la la~~~~

I’m collecting the smurfs toys from mcdonald’s. I know I know. it’s supposed to be for kids. but hey, they bring back childhood memories. do kids know about smurfs anyway? I doubt it. boy…I feel old now. during my quest, I learned that you don’t have to purchase a happy meal to get the toy. you can just buy the toy. have you watched the movie? heard it’s a flop.

review ~ eyeliner pencil

2011-08-16T22:12:00.001-05:00

liquid liner and gel liner are great, but when I’m in a hurry(i.e. woke up late for a 9am meeting) I rely on my pencil liner for a quick, error free tight line around my lashes and waterline.

I’ve never tried any milani makeup, although I passed by the aisle every single cvs visit. since I’m not liking my current pencil liner and they are having a buy 1 get 1 50% off sale, I picked up milani liquif’eye metallic eye liner pencil in 01 black and I’m not regretting it. read on to find out why~~~~

all pencils were sharpened before swatches, so no foul play

test drive 1: pigmentation

no primer with a single stroke
R to L: Milani Liquif’eye, Dior Crayon eyeliner in black, MUFE Aqua Eyes in matte black and L’oreal Wear Infinite Soft Powder Eyeliner in ebony

clearly milani is the most pigmented. it’s also very creamy and soft. 2nd place goes to MUFE. Dior is last here as it’s very dry and hard.

test drive 2: “smudginess”

rub once. again, the winner goes to milani. it barely smudged.

after rubbing pretty hard for more than 10 times.

winner! I wore it today without any primer and it started to smudge a little in the outer corner after 4hrs. I wonder what can this baby do with primer on.

ironically, it’s the cheapest and it outshines the others. if you’re interested, get it now from cvs as they’re having buy 1 get 1 50% of this week. I picked up 3D Glitzy glamour gloss in 40 as my other item.

sephora has jack black lip balm set for $10 (save $5). it comes in black tea & blackberry and grapefruit & ginger. can’t wait to try this highly rave lip balm.

cushy’s threads + seafood

2011-08-09T23:34:00.001-05:00

updata on mantao: he’s still lost. I’m not giving up, but I really wish he’s having fun roaming around becoming king of the cat’s world. I noticed there are a few missing cats around my neighborhood. mantao must be recruiting his army. think positive! thanks to all your sweet and encouragement comments

mr. adventure took me to a seafood restaurant, pappadeaux for a little cheer me up. we don’t have a lot of good seafood restaurant being in central texas, so pappadeaux is pretty decent.

fresh oysters all to myself. sometimes it’s a good thing when your bf don’t like the same food.

fried seafood platter. the batter was light and crispy. I have a sore throat now. blaming this and the heat wave.

my threads for the day.

comfy floral dress: aerie (showed in my haul post)
black messenger bag: nordstrom rack for $10
gladiator sandals: ross
eiffel tower and bow necklace: gifted from shanghai

to everyone and myself, “drink more water to combat the heat!”

will he come home?

2011-07-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

i've been feeling really down lately. my cat mantao went out last week and didn't come home since. i've done everything i could, but still no signs of him. i dreamed about him coming home almost every night.

cycled around my neighborhood every evening
putting out food and water outside only to find my neighbor's cat enjoying free snack
putting up posters
going to the shelter
report lost with the microchip company
talked to my neighbors

if you can think of anything else please let me know

i really do miss him and hope that he'll be home soon

fashion haul & cushy’s threads

2011-07-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

circus is in town!!!!!!!!!!!! woohoo~~~~I’m going to see the elephants, lions, clowns, acrobats etc this wednesday. super excited. I feel like a kid again

my weekend was filled with doing the greatest therapy when one wants to get away from thinking about work. shopping!!! I went through my closet and have 3 bags of clothes to sell/donate and 1 bag of shoes == more space for new ones == happy dance~~~~~

sharing my OOTD and lunch.wore something comfy and easy to try on clothes.

yup. took this in a fitting room. those giant spotless mirror are great for selca.
black toga top: guess
flower skirt: american eagle
brown shoulder purse: thrifted
black gladiator sandals: either marshalls or ross

cat ring on my ring finger: ebay
cat ring on my index finger: gifted from taiwan
nails: revlon minty and revlon french lilac

bulgogi burger. juicy meat with sweet tomato. the fries are delicious. I think they’re fried with batter which made them extra crispy. this burger joint is owned by a local korean family.

knitted see through cream top: delia’s $10
tiny flower shorts: aerie $20

grey flower print dress: aerie $12

tank top with ruffle detail: a&f $9
black flair skirt: delia’s $15

see through polka-dot shirt: cotton on(aussie brand) $7.2
necklace with feather charms: cotton on $1.60
crackle stone bracelet with heart charm: cotton on $1.2
knee high socks: delia’s $2 (getting ready for the winter)

are you a harry potter fan? I read all their books and watched all their movies, but I don’t consider myself a fan. just like to finish what I’ve started. I watched deathly hollows part 2 on saturday and it was satisfying. I’m a little disappointed that the ultimate fight scene wasn’t epic enough, but I’m cutting it some slack since it’s a kid’s movie. I’m glad they made a conclusive ending unlike LOST(the tv series. any fans out there?). overall, a great movie. mini poll: which is the worst harry potter movie? both mr. adventure and I think the goblet of fire is the most boring and cheesy. what do you think?

beauty organization

2011-07-14T22:39:00.001-05:00

I’ve seen a lot of posts about how bloggers/youtubers store their makeup/beauty products on their vanity table. I love to see other people’s vanity table and pick up some clever ideas. but, what about the extras? how do you store those samples/backups/freebies/extras that are not currently in your routine or you don’t use daily. do you put them on your vanity table area or do you put them somewhere else?

before ~ I store mine in boxes next to my dresser as I prefer not to clutter my vanity table with more stuff. the boxes are free from origins, l’occitane and shoe boxes and I built a mini tower

samples. use them when I travel

masks. can never get enough

falsies. still need practice

soaps/bath bombs. sorry they look a tad bit disgusting.

nail polishes inside a shoe box.

after and better ~ I saw this gorgeous parisian box at homegoods, I picked it up and dashed to the counter. it’s prefect

how do you store yours?

cushy’s threads

2011-07-11T22:26:00.001-05:00

mantao(my cat for those who are new) jumped over the fence and disappeared last thursday. we looked for him around the neighborhood, calling him, but his shadows were no where seen. he was out all night and I was getting extremely worried. it felt different without him jumping on me in the middle of the night. I was so relived when he turned up in front of our house on friday evening. he came back with a tick on his neck and an empty stomach. he makes me angry and happy.

sharing my outfits aka cushy’s threads

hat: malaysia
blue shirt with bows: thrifted for $1
tank top: zara
denim shorts: american eagle
purse: recent haul from asos
pointy floral shoes: top shop

delicious saturday brunch. cuban sandwich…..very meaty.

have a great week ahead. I just want to dip myself in a pool right now~~~~

review ~ clarisonic mia

2011-07-05T22:11:00.001-05:00

you probably read/hear positive reviews about clarisonic mia from magazines, blogs, youtubes, friends/family, beauty websites etc. here are my thoughts!

the good
i use it with caudelie gentle cleanser(not the most suitable for my skin type, but using it since i have a travel size) almost every evening after my cleansing oil. i skip it if i'm exfoliating with st. ives apricot. it buffs my face gently, removing all traces of dirt and dead skin without over exfoliating. my skin feels soft and smooth after every use. I do notice my pores shrink a little. it’s very easy to use as it automatically shuts off after 1 min. it rarely needs to recharge, maybe once every 2 months or so. I love that I can use it in the shower.

the not so good
i have acne prone skin :( wish i have flawless skin, but i don't. mia didn't help in controlling my acne. i still have break outs every now and then. still playing detective to find the cause of my acne. mia didn't help in reducing my post acne scars and hyper pigmentation either. I have tiny bumps on my cheek area. they are extremely stubborn, even extraction wouldn’t help. I was hoping mia would get rid of them. I’m going to keep using and hope eventually one day those bumps will disappear.

overall, I don’t think it’s a must have tool. it’s definitely convenient to use and cleanse very well, but don’t expect miracles. I kinda suspect those who gave excellent reviews already have great skin to begin with. I could be wrong :P I got mine from skinstore.com. they have 20% discount almost all the time.

I made Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) or japanese pancake on saturday with leftover ingredients that I have. 1st attempt success!! I had to zoom in as I already took a huge bite.
`

ingredients for 2 okonomiyaki:
3/4 all purpose flour
1/2 water
4 eggs
baby spinach
smoked turkey cut into cubes
diced onions
diced mushrooms
kewpie mayonnaise
okonomiyaki sauce
furikake

haul from sasa

2011-06-30T21:48:00.001-05:00

sasa had free shipping above $25 a few weeks ago. great timing as my cleansing oil is running low and i didn't want to spend $75 for the usual free shipping offer. the package takes ~14 days to arrive.

mask! can never get enough of them. i've been seeing this cold stone MBD masks in several blogs. i miss cold stone. used to have them all the time when i was in pittsburgh. fortunately, there's amy's ice-cream(similar to cold stone, but local) whenever i need a cold creamery fix with crush-in. what’s your fav ice-cream flavor? mr. adventure always chooses chocolate with almond, which guarantees delicious. i on the other hand, always choose something new and 50% of the time ended being a bad choice…lol can’t imagine the scent of this mask. i’m so curious now. think I’m going to use it after posting this. picked up japanese cherry blossom mask as i love the scent and whitening benefit.

pssst.........although, i love MDB masks, but my hands down fav is silk whitia masks. they are very generous with the extra essence and they really moisture/whiten my skin. the whitening masks are currently out of stock and they are slightly more expensive than MDB.

kokubo funny face sponge is too cute to pass up. supposedly it has unique fibers to remove dead skin effectively.

kose softymo deep cleansing oil. in my cleansing oil review post here, i mentioned that i want to try this. hopefully it's as good as laneige or DHC. did you haul anything from sasa recently?

have a great 4th of july people!!! we’re not going to have fireworks this year because of the drought. anyhow, I’m going to enjoy the long weekend. one extra day of holiday makes a lot of difference. agree?

OOTD ~ vintage

2011-06-26T15:50:00.001-05:00

my 1st attempt to vintage style

top: banana republic
skirt: thrifted
belt: don’t remember
purse: samatha thavasa from my tokyo haul
earrings: singapore
flats: malaysia

I also colored and trimmed my bangs. I was so stressed at work that I needed to do something different and changing my hair seemed to do the trick!

sharing some photos that I took while jogging around lady bird lake

lost and found

have a nice last weeks of june

something floral

2011-06-20T22:08:00.001-05:00

picking up some floral theme items from random corners of my cottage to beat monday blues

fridge magnet from amsterdam

vintage necklace from estate sale

floral tank from gilly hicks

purple lily in a jar

what's your fav flower? i love hydrangea

cross stitch made by mr. adventure’s mum

Japan Day 4

2011-06-12T23:39:00.002-05:00

travel date: 1/29/2011
japan day 4 == 1st day of hauling warning pics heavy
best way to start the day with delicious instant ramen. the bean curd is oh so sweet

we didn’t plan to enter parco, but samantha thavasa counter caught my eyes and we ~~forcefully~~ happily made our way in. the sales persons were very helpful and polite. although she spoke very little english, she tried her best to serve me well. she even brought magazines out to show me the bags is a collaboration with a model(don't remember who). i picked up my official 1st haul for japan. a nude purse with a chic lock. mr. adventure thought it's funny to have parco 1, parco 2 and parco 3 next to each other. shibuya is a shopping heaven.
me hauling happily in streets of shibuya

we saw power rangers protecting mankind from evil monsters on our way to harajuku. thanks to them everyone is safe on planet earth.

meiji-jingu is so tranquil. it's hard to believe it's located right in the middle of harajuku. those hundreds years old trees shield the shrine from the bustling streets.

colorful sake barrel

witnessed a traditional wedding. everything is prefect for this couple may they have a happy married life ahead.

lots of ema

one of my fav shot. the couple looks so much in love. feels like watching a movie.

efficient oji-san. on the way/on the way out.

next stop harajuku for some serious shopping and people watching. we were on the bridge on sunday afternoon and spotted some cosplayers. they’re like real life characters from anime. kakoii-desune.

tohoshinki duo promoting their new album. their music blazing loudly at busy harajuku. no wonder they have so many fans in japan. I miss them as a quintet.

fairytale like harajuku station

the famous takeshita-dori of harajuku. it started snowing a little as we entered. everyone was so surprised by it. spent hours here.

glimpse of takeshita-dori. mr. adventure thought the shoehorn is hilarious. got to admit, it looks kinda obscene….lol. I heart daiso. everything for 100 yen!!

the famous crepes at harajuku. 2 competitors fighting for customers. fret not, both had long lines. we chose marion crepes. I was going crazy looking at the display. my mind was going to explode from deciding which one to try. my final pick, cheesecake + strawberry ice-cream + whipped cream. so filling and satisfying. I think it would be better if everything is mixed together.

after harajuku, we hoped on the subway towards akihabara. lots of gadget stores, arcades, gashapon, pachinko, maid cafes, anime shops. too bad most of the gadget shops were closing when we get there. why do stores close so early?? lost some money in those UFO machines. I just envy those people who won. it’s impossible!!!! took a purikura. the machine is amazing. it fixes all your blemishes, scars, uneven skin tone etc. everyone looks like a star.

'
dinner at coco curry. a local franchise

that’s it for day 4. hope y’all have a great week ahead. btw, dallas mavericks won 2011 NBA championship. gotta root for my neighbor.

almost free drugstore haul

2011-06-05T23:13:00.002-05:00

my local grocery store heb is giving out an awesome coupon for $3 off any revlon cosmetics. the regular nail polishes(top speed is $4.50 each) are $3.74 each, which comes out to $0.74 after coupon. they are practically giving them away :) look at my massive haul.run to heb if you're in texas! the offer last until next week I think. [correction: the offer is over :( ]

cvs is known to have great clearance sale on cosmetics periodically. i was lucky to went in and found rimmel having 75%off + $1 off coupon on the shelf. everything comes down to below a dollar except for mascaras. no idea why i got those mascaras, since i'm sticking to majorlica lash expander for now. maybe a giveaway? physician formula was on sale for 60% + $5 off coupon. picked up something to try.

short getaway ~ houston

2011-06-01T00:39:00.002-05:00

mr. adventure's parents were visiting, so we decided to make a short getaway to the 4th largest city in US, Houston. we made a stop at Lockhart for Kreuz Market BBQ. absolutely delicious. the brisket was so yummy with all the fats and burnt meat (i sound like a glutton...lol).

Yup, that’s how we eat BBQ in texas. no fancy presentation on plates. it’s all about the meat! (sorry if you’re a vegan. don’t mean to disrespect).

we stayed at residence inn by marriott located right in front of the galleria. a very nice english style inn. we then invaded NASA's Johnson Space Center. tip: get a coupon from McDonald's right next to the space center for half of the admission ticket(if you ever want to go). overall, it's a ripped off if you pay full price. all the stimulator rides are not included in the admission ticket :( blah!!

cute girl wondering around while waiting for our tram.

since kemah boardwalk is near the space center, we went there for seafood buffet dinner. the service was terrible. we waited pretty long to be seated when there were available tables right in front of us. the food was decent for buffet. it was nice to walk on the boardwalk next to the ocean. i miss the ocean breeze.

fav shot of the night.

downtown houston had an awesome art car parade. all the cars were fun, wacky, unique, creative. i wish i'm in a parade like this one day.

last stop chinatown. found a "daiso" like store. i want to live in houston just because of this store.

had korean food for late lunch before we start our journey back. work is getting busier. feels great to have a mini getaway to recharge before diving into heaps of work.

award ~ the versatile blogger

2011-05-19T17:34:00.012-05:00

doing a quick award post. my "award presenter" is amy. she's a sweet and nice girl. thanks amy for awarding me :) she does tutorials, reviews, swatches and all that good stuff. head over to her blog to find out more.

rules......
1. thank the person who give you the award, and link back at them.
2. tell us 7 things about yourself...
3. nominate 15 recently discovered Blogger for this award.
4. contact these bloggers and tell them they received the award.

7 things about me

1. those word verification box annoys me, but i do it anyway(i think it's enabled in my blog as well :P). thanks to spammers!!

2. fresh laundry makes me happy

3. i hate washing dishes. the only dishes i'm willing to wash is mantao's bowl. how lucky he is.

4. i'm attempting to plant my own vegetable garden. wish me luck!

5. i don't really like sweet treats, but i enjoy looking at them especially those cute ones.

6. i subscribe to tons of magazine, but i hardly read any of them. should really start flipping those pages.

7. i like anything with zombies (resident evil, plant vs zombies, the walking dead, left for dead etc.)

i'm awarding anyone who read my post, has a blog, and feel versatile :)

Japan Day 3

2011-05-17T19:47:00.003-05:00

travel date: 1/28/2011
couldn't sleep the whole night. not sure if it's jet lagged, or i was too excited, or because i'm sleeping on tatami. i woke mr. adventure at 7am and said "let's go for a dip." he was groaning while waking up....lol. we went for a refreshing onsen dip. aaahhhhh~~~~~~~
breakfast is next. everything was yummy except nato beans. i have no idea why japanese like to eat this. maybe it's like stinky tofu to the chinese. my fav dish, congee with sour plum great combo.

after breakfast we went back to our room to rest and get ready for the day's adventure. playing around in our ryokan

hiding inside doraemon’s bed

the streets in hakone is extremely narrow (reminds me of london, but worst). the drivers here have all my respect! we took the tozan railyway train up the mountains. it was a saturday and we had to squeeze in with all the tourists. hakone is a HOT spot ^_^ .

1st stop gora. met a really nice ojisan selling hot red bean snacks. he volunteered to take our photo. arigatou-ne. made a quick stop at gora park since it's included in the package.

beautiful manhole.

2nd stop owakudani. we took the ropeway(cablecar) to the active volcanic zone with sulphur mines. we hiked up the trail to eat black eggs and inhale sulphur(bad idea).

smart way to transport crates of eggs

3rd stop lake ashinoko. took the ship across the lake for a beautiful breezy ride. it was cloudy==no mt. fuji insight.

too bad I didn’t have a zoom lens to capture the red tori in the middle of ashinko

4th stop hakone-machi. had lunch there in a random restaurant. curry rice and curry udon.
5th stop back to ryokan. collected our luggage and took the train back to shinjuku. the hotel manager was so nice to drive us all the way to hakone-yumoto station since we had huge luggage.

took the subway to shibuya and hunt for our hotel. shibuya is very confusing for the first time. took us 30 mins to find it (got lost…haha). it’s easier the 2nd time once you got your bearings and some landmarks.
hunting for food in shibuya is not a problem at all. it’s available every corner. we picked the famous ichiran ramen for dinner located opposite maruicity. most delicious ramen I have ever tasted. thumbs up!! it has a pretty cool setting. tiny cubicles for each patron.

fashion haul: accessories

2011-05-10T23:55:00.001-05:00

hauling accessories from ebay is fun, but waiting for them to arrive is a pain. they usually take around 3 weeks to arrive from china/hong kong/taiwan/korea. if you're impatient, it's probably not the thing for you. most of the time i forget purchasing them, so it’s always a little surprise for me when they arrive. haha....yes, i have bad memory.

ebay haul. you can find accessories for really cheap. i think they are around $1 each.

forever21 haul. everyone knows forever21 is an accessories galore. $1.50 each. cheap, but thumbs down on quality. they'll rust overtime. I like anything cat and pretty food . in reality I don’t really like sweet dessert that much. I just like looking at time.

ulta haul. spring/summer hair accessories. very girly with soft colors.

urban outfitters haul. military hat and big glasses. big glasses are so trendy in asia.

macys haul. pinkish beads bracelets and a studded bow ring.

OOTD

romper: unknown malaysia
straw hat: unknown malaysia
sandals: ross dress for less (have it since last year?)

wholes food was hosting a free show on its rooftop. a pretty smart gimmick since everyone who went ended up spending $ on food, snacks, drinks (including me...lol). if you have not watched the princess bride, get it on dvd and watch it. it's hilarious. everything from the script, the actors, the plot etc. it has romance, comedy, action, adventure and family genres all in one movie.

funny story: instead of searching for rotten tomatoes, i searched for rotten potatoes. i was sleepy as it passed bedtime already. a great laugh to end the night.

i won!!

2011-05-03T23:41:00.001-05:00

i won a few giveaways recently. yay! me likey giveaways

dollywink falsie case. it's so girly with a huge bow. thanks to with a hint of guilt. check out her blog.

sinful colors nail polishes. they are pretty decent nail polishes for cheap. won from thenailventuress. she does interesting nail art and features lots of beautiful nail color.

stila smudge pot black gel liner. once can never have enough gel liners for smoky look. won from @theglamourist. she's a makeup artist that does bridal makeup for your prefect FOTD on your prefect day.

toms’s movement “with every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for one.” I’m digging the colorful prints. they kind of remind me of kung fu shoes have you been spotting these around? toms

spotted these cuties up for adoption. reminds me of mantao when he’s little.

Japan Day 2

2011-04-27T21:13:00.001-05:00

travel date: 1/27/2011
resuming my japan trip post……heavy pic

woke up early - jet lagged!! not all bad since our 1st stop is tsukiji market. we wondered around the dry and wet market for a long time before we found our main destination....sushi dai. after several "sushi dai ni wa doko desuka" and some tamago we finally saw a bunch of people queuing outside sushi dai. after 2 hrs, several photos and some snacks it was finally our turn to enter the famous sushi dai which sits only 13 patrons. we ordered one special set and one normal set.

after a heavy brunch (should have order 1 set), we made our way to sensoji temple. the friendly sushi master. he knows a bunch of languages.

tokyo is very very safe. kids go to school by themselves. no kidnappers in tokyo?

kaminarimon (thunder gate)

nakamise shopping arcade leading towards sensoji. i had so much fun exploring this street. lots of snacks and souvenirs (my kinda thing).

skewered kibi-balls covered with soybean powder

ningyoyaki - small cake with red bean paste filling

the 2nd gate, hozomon

got a bad fortune mikuji :( tied a knot on the metal wires hoping the bad fortune will not attach to me.

fanned the smoke from the burning incense for purification and luck.

threw a coin for offerings and made a prayer.

after all the religious and cultural activites, it was time for foood. we went to daikokuya for their famous tendon. it's on one of the streets by nakamise-dori. pretty easy to find. there were a lot of people and we had to wait for 30 mins to be seated. the tendon is darker and the batter they used is different from what i usually have. definitely something different to try.

after lunch, we made our back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head to shinjuku-odakyu train station to catch our train to hakone. we bought the hakone free pass(5000 yen) and got upgraded to the romance car(870 yen) since we want to get to our ryokan in time for dinner. warning!! there are no luggage space in the romance car. we got to stuff our luggage in our legroom area and put our legs on top of the luggage. it was an uncomfortable ride.

we missed the bus to our ryokan by seconds and decided to take the cab instead. cabs are expensive. they charge you 710 yen once you get in. fortunately, the ryokan is nearby and the meter didn't tick at all. hooray!!

funny story. we didn't want to wear our yukata to dinner since we weren't sure how to put it on. thinking we should observe how people wear them first. then we walked out the room with slippers provided. on the way to the dining hall, we realized that we didn't know about the slippers either. were they meant to be worn in the room or outside?? we quickly looked at people's feet to check. yup, they were meant to be worn outside the room. phew~~~

our kaiseki dinner. very ornate and incredibly delicious.

after dinner, we rest a bit and wore our yukata ready to try out the onsen. i was a little wary being naked in front of strangers for the first 5 mins.but, i totally enjoyed the experience. it was so tranquil dipping in the outdoor onsen with bamboos and trees everywhere. it felt therapeutic, but that might be my brain acting up.

thoughts: japanese are very polite. a lady tried to open the door to my washroom cubicle. when i got out, she was very apologetic (all i could made out was "sumimasen") and all i could say was daijyobu ^_^

happy earth day + good friday + easter nails !!

2011-04-22T23:20:00.002-05:00

happy earth day! i believe each of us can make a difference if we change. do you?

some reminders:
1) trade plastics bags with reusable bags
2) trade coffee cups with reusable mugs
3) trade plastic utensils with reusable utensils (especially at work)
4) trade conventional light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs
5) trade bottled water with filtered water in reusable bottle
6) trade regular batteries with rechargeable
7) trade your vehicle with hybrid/electric vehicle (that's a big one)

finally RECYCLE :)

easter nails

china glaze for audrey
china glaze lemon fizz

picnic on lazy sunday afternoon. perfect tree for our blanket.

seedless grape keeps you hydrated under the sun. it’s probably my fav fruit. no peeling, no cutting, no slicing and it’s almost always sweet.

mantao is a gentleman. he sits cross-legged.

but guess what he did. major attack on my leg. any recommendation for a good scar healing cream?

review ~ cleansing oil

2011-04-19T21:20:00.001-05:00

i want to thank all my new and "old" followers for filling up my "jar of hearts". blogging is more fun with more hearts.

i didn't know cleansing oil exist 2 years ago. that was the time i didn't care about my skin. bad bad bad idea. now i have to pay for all the damages from before :( message to all the young girls out there, "start taking care of your skin." i think the main reason why i had bad skin last time was because my makeup was not removed completely. still had residue after cleansing (smack my head for being ignorant).

cleansing oil came to my life and i was ecstatic. it's so easy to wash off makeup without rubbing, tugging too hard on your skin. it's such an effortless step.

1st one i tried was the famous DHC cleansing oil. it's a great product. the 6.7 fl. oz. bottle lasted me 5 months. a single pump is enough to wash off everything.

2nd one i tried is fancl mild cleansing oil. it washes off eye makeup, but not waterproof mascara like majorlica lash expander plus(my current fav) or dolly wink eyeliner without heavy scrubbing(which is not a good idea on your gentle eyes). won’t be repurchasing. (photo below is part of my haul in tokyo)

currently, laneige cleansing oil is what i'm using right now. i got it from incheon airport(previous trip to asia) for ~usd21. this works great! gentle messaging around the eye area strip off all makeup and residue. i used it for 1 months and still have 90% left. I do double cleanse with my clarisonic mia to ensure I face a clean squeaky face without too drying.

next, i would like to kose softymo deep cleansing oil. it’s cheap from sasa.com.

trailer food

2011-04-15T22:55:00.001-05:00

I received my Josh Duhamel’s tokidoki for relief run t-shrt. 100% profit goes to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Tesunami Fund. out of stock == lots of profits ==

mr. adventure got the t-shirt designed by mike shinoda(from linkin park). the profits go to music for relief to help survivors of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan and subsequent tsunami.

austin is well-known for trailer food. read my previous post. the weather was great and i was craving for trailer food. they're cheap and usually yummy. so, we headed to east 6th street and discovered some really quirky looking trailers and yummy food.

spring is in the air

i had fish and chips. it was good except for the tartar sauce. not sour enough in my opinion (i'm the kind who dips everything in sauce).

mr. adventure had philly cheesesteak. it was tasty and juicy. much better than the one i had from geno's 6 years ago. well, i had it cold....long story.

there's a trailer selling takoyaki. i'm going to try it next time as my tummy was already full that day. probably the only takoyaki place in austin.

there were tons of people in jumpsuit. i think it's something to do with the new "bigger" mini cooper launch. saw a couple there as well. also, a photography group was there. i would say 50/50 between nikon and canon users. i'm in the canon category. what about you?

sometimes I wonder what mantao is dreaming…….

concert + shatter

2011-04-11T21:57:00.001-05:00

wonders of the younger. what's that??? the new album by plain white t's. i went to their concert tour 2 weeks ago in austin. why?? cos' their songs are catchy and i like "rythmn of love". it gives me a happy boost every time i hear it on the radio. their tour is opened by andy grammer and parachute. honestly, i haven't heard of andy grammer, i looked him up on youtube before the concert and his songs are great. he's very talented live as well. parachute's "she is love" rocked the concert. of course everyone went wild when plain white t's came on stage. they did a lot of songs from their new album and some hit singles. they have lots of teenage fans. some of them came with their parents. makes sense since the concerts didn't end until past midnite. it was a fun night cheering, singing, jumping and dancing, but the waiting time in between bands sucks. we literally stood for 5 hrs for the entire show cos' we didn't want to give up our good spot. it's almost as long as standing at times square for new year's countdown minus the cold. if you're interested, check out plain white t's tour. they may come to your town.

some videos and photos. pardon the quality. s95 is a great pocketable camera, but not the best in taking concert videos. the mic is incapable to capture heavy bass.

with will anderson from parachute

with andy grammer

plain white t’s is too big for after photos

moving on to NOTD. OPI shatter is so hyped up that i had to get it on my trip to ulta. verdict: love it. it's so quirky, fun and easy. it gives the nail texture without cumbersome nail art.

ulta professional last fling
OPI shatter
seche vite top coat. it's the best! dries within seconds.

spot some interesting new products at ulta

butter london. this baby is almost twice the price of OPI. anyone tried this?

eylure falsies. apparently they’re #1 in UK.

review ~ bodyshop VS burt’s bees

2011-04-05T22:24:00.001-05:00

burt's bee VS bodyshop showdown.

i fall into the unlucky group where i have acne prone skin :( my goal is to have flawless skin with no spots, no blemish, no scars and no redness. i know it sounds impossible, but every girl can secretly wish rite?

anyway, i'm constantly looking for something that will control my breakout, which i get all the time not just totm.

BAD: i tried the bodyshop tea tree oil and it didn't work at all. it's didn't control future blemishes and it didn't help combating existing blemishes as well. it's a yucky product and deserves to be thrown away.

GOOD: burt's bees natural acne solutions targeted spot treatment works wonders. my acne dried up the very next day and the scars are minimal compare to what i usually get.

packaging is horrible on both cos' i can't control how much to pour out. dislike the scent on both, but i'll bare with burt's bees since it works.

received samples from target. i think they ran out.

sonia kashuk pouch, federic fekkai shampoo + conditioner, pantene shampoo, nivea lotion, neutrogena natural lip balm(can’t wait to try this), revlon lipgloss.

everything bows

2011-03-25T16:43:00.009-05:00

i'm delaying my japan trip post for now. moving on to my posts about bows. everyone like bows and ribbons. who doesn't?!! they are cute, fun and girly. naturally, i fall for them too.

welcome to my collection :)

fun chart. do you agree?

hope this post brightens up your day and gives you a jolt of "girlyness"

japan nite + b’day

2011-03-21T22:40:00.002-05:00

last week was sxsw in austin. formore information about this event, visit their website. basically, it's a set of music + movies + interactive festivals and conferences. i did not purchase the wristband (it's $500-$700 0_0). it's expensive and i had to work. you have to be there from day to night to make your money worth. anyway, we went to japan nite tour. the bands are from japan and they are awesome. some of the merchandise profit will be donated to help japan and they were people collecting donation as well. one of member from lolita no.18 is from sendai. it was very touching to hear her first-handed story. please pray for japan! gambare! the crowd was pretty wild as people shoved, jumped, and screamed whole night. my ears were ringing so badly.

2 weekends ago was my birthday. is birthday a reminder that you're getting older? i like to think that it's a day for a reason to eat! mr. adventure cooked a lovely breakfast and baked a mantao cake. then, i cleaned up the house. i know i'm weird. but, i think cleaning is therapeutic and i always feel great when i'm done and everything is in order. after cleaning, we went for a bike ride. great to be outdoors on a lovely day. at night, we went out for food and fun with friends. we had way too much food and was super stuffed.

mantao giving me a present?

went out for a spring break fun although we have no spring break :(

picked up birthday present from sephora and victoria secret

mr. adventure got me a clarisonic mia. so, far i'm loving it!

thoughts and prayers to japan

2011-03-14T17:20:00.005-05:00

everyone was shocked by the devastating news on friday, march 11th 2011. it's tragic and saddening to everyone in the world. it's amazing how japan absorbs disaster with admirable calm and fortitude. please pray that family and friends are able to get in touch with one another and give your thoughts to those that were taken by the earthquake and tsunami.

the estimated lost was $180B. please help through your employer matching charity or other legit charity.

shibuya crossing aftershocks.

shibuya crossing goes dark to maintain power reserves. taken by tokyo resident brian scott peterson. (Reblogged from pureaesthetic)

shibuya crossing when i was there a little over a month ago.

kite festival + fashion dupe

2011-03-10T22:14:00.012-06:00

austin weather is so unpredictable. i have to check the weather every morning before planning my OOTD making iphone a plus to have. last saturday was austin's anual kite festival. they had competitions, food vendors, and basically people just lay on their blanket or attempt to fly kites. the weather was great, but more wind would be better.

it think more than 1k people showed up. we had to park very far cos' they had the parking full sign up. it was pretty empty as we walked past. lesson learned....ignore those signs.

OOTD. hat and shoes from malaysia(love shopping there). top from mng. skirt from japan. purse from longchamp. necklace from dior.

my 2nd fav carnival treat. no.1 fav is churros. yum :P

jumbo corn dog.

love this colorful frog kite.

a giant blue teddy bear kite. it took them a long time to fly it.

i was browsing zara website and saw this beautiful embroidered dress which look so similar to the one i bought from malaysia. zara version: $99.

http://static.zara.net/photos//2011/V/0/1/p/2678/045/712/2678045712_1_1_3.jpg?timestamp=1297447307241

my version: $12. i love shopping in asia :)

it's friday tomorrow. yippeee...........have a great weekend and happy spring break!

Japan Day 1

2011-03-07T00:52:00.000-06:00

travel date: 1/27/2011

long flight from austin->la->narita. one of the things i dislike living in central texas. nevertheless, korean air made it comfortable for us. the flight was pretty empty and we got the whole row to ourselves. we occupied ourselves with the in-flight entertainment (watched 4 movies) and cozied up until we arrived at narita. the food was blah. in my opinion, flights from asia serve better food than from US.

arrived at narita without a single yen on us. good thing we saw a bunch of atm at the airport. grabbed the nex+suica package from jr counter and we were off to tokyo. nex is incredibly comfortable.

we experienced the busyness at tokyo station during rush hour. it's almost impossible to walk across the flow of people. the key is to just keep walking and avoid knocking anyone.

finally, arrived at our hotel. the room is tiny as expected, but it's clean and had a great view. i love the bidet. it's one of the greatest invention ever. wish i could buy one home :)

after showered, we went to ginza. to my surprise, everyone wore black, grey or white. it's not as trendy as i though japan would be. maybe because it's a weekday and i'm only seeing the OL and salarymen getting off from work. it's almost closing time when we got there. they close at 8-9pm? we wondered inside matsuzakaya and saw lots of hime stuffs on the ufufugirls level. i refrained from buying anything since we will be going to hakone and i don't want to increase my luggage weight. finally, had laduree macaroons at mitsukoshi. wanted to get my hands on them ever since my paris trip got cancelled last year. the macaroons and cake were super yummy.

we decided to head back to our hotel since everything was closed and we were very tired. stopped by a convenience store near our hotel to grab some snacks and drinks. curry noodle is the best instant food on the planet.

zzzzzz.................................................

79 cents shoes

2011-02-28T15:58:00.000-06:00

dsw had a coupon out last weekend for $5 off anything. also, i had a $10 gift card because dsw screwed up my last order. obviously, i went to the store to pick something. who's going to say no to free money and a new pair of shoes. not me!

i'm on a no shopping mode now since i spent a fortune on my previous trip to asia. 30 pieces of clothing, 4 pairs of shoes, a bunch of skincare + makeup + accessories. it's going to take me awhile before i'm back on shopping mode. so, i was on a hunt to find a pair of shoes for $15 or less at dsw.

this is what i came home with

original price: $70.00

discounted price: $49.94

after 70% discount: $14.98

after $5 coupon & $10 gc: $0.79 (for tax)

after exiting the store: a pair of gorgeous strappy platform bootie

nails from ulta professional: bare it all

ps: asia trip post coming up. still editing the photos

mini haul from sephora and vs

2011-01-19T13:43:00.000-06:00

another haul post from sephora and vs

vs is having their semi-annual sale. it's a good time to stock up on your lingerie (not going to show what i got in that department). i got tons of vs body spray and body lotion. they smell really good and they are great as souvenirs and presents. i'm giving them out to my cousins on my coming trip. i also got a nice long sleeve sleep shirt with studded stars.

my nosy cat - mantao

sephora haul is for stellarvixen. i got the korres brightening & anti-aging rose collection rose set and the primer with skincare benefits duo(on sale for beauty insider).

i'm going to asia next week until feb 20th. look out for my travel journals blog entries (if i'm not lazy)

itinerary:

austin - la - tokyo - seoul - kuala lumpur - ipoh - melacca - johor - singapore - kuala lumpur - seoul - la - austin

if you know of a good places to eat/shop/hangout/party in any of these cities, please comment! :)

sharing a pic of mantao sticking his tongue out with mr. reindeer

cco day 3 & 4

2011-01-07T14:31:00.001-06:00

this is a post for 12/29/2010 and 12/30/2010. I got so busy doing nothing that I’m even lazy to write a post . plus, i was sick last week.

day3

11:30am - woke up. I know it’s late, but I stayed up late the night before.

12pm – ate sushi rolls that I made last night. mental note, put more japanese mayo next time

1-6pm – watch korean drama (sungkyunkwan scandal). it’s extremely addictive. love to see korean traditional settings and clothing. the show reminds me of my high school days. there’s always competition and adventures.

6:30pm – cooked ramen. mr. adventure came back late.

7:30-10pm – showered, fold/hung my laundry, sort out my closet, clean my bedroom, clear my vanity table (found lots of expired lip balm).

10-4am – continue watching drama

the day was very unproductive. well, at least I did complete a small task in my bedroom.

day4 was very similar to day3. spent most of my day time watching drama. it’s been a while since I had so much free time just lazing around. I did clean up more. rearranged my living furniture.

so, what do I think about stay-at-home-wife? it’s not easy. it’s very exhausting both mentally and physically. you have a huge list of chores, you have to figure out a good way to fill up your time(not watching drama), you’re waiting at home for your hubby to come home etc. to those wives/moms out there, you totally have my respect. I don’t think I’m ready to join your team yet. it’s easier to stare in front of the computer and typing the whole day.

pretty flowers to brighten up my week!

cco day 2

2010-12-29T00:41:00.000-06:00

2nd day of being chief cottage officer. rainy day. I wonder what time does real housewife wakes up? 6am? 7am? that is way to early for me. I need my beauty sleep

10:30am – woke up. yawn~~~

10:45am – set up my laptop on the kitchen counter, so that I can follow the youtube video below and started preparing for my bento lunch boxes.

11:00am – still cooking

11:30am – still cooking

12pm – still cooking…….who says making bento box is easy?!!!

12:30pm – finally done. packed the boxes. changed to a relax outfit.

1pm – saw the postman pad. passed the sephora package to the nice postman (save me a trip to the post office!). drove to the mr’s workplace

1:10pm – had lunch with the mr. the bento boxes are yummy. it’s hard work. I need to get some cute bento boxes on my trip to japan in january.

1:30pm – went to walmart to get some cleaning supplies while the mr went back to work. was a busy day for him.

2:20pm – went to tjmaxx. didn’t see anything I wanted except for some hangers.

2:45pm – went to homegoods. got some baskets and a starfish since I’m planning to re-organize some stuff at home.

3:30pm – went to michael’s. got another basket for mantao’s toys (they’re everywhere. he made a huge mess in my house!) and some ornaments on clearance.

4:10pm – came back home (no harassment this time). passed some snacks to my neighbor and chatted for a while.

4:30pm – browsed the web. played with mantao. watch judge judy again. hid under the blanket (it was cold).

7pm – the mr came home. heated the food from yesterday and today for dinner.

7:30pm – watched the walking dead ep3.

8:30pm – did the dishes. cleaned the bathroom sink and shower.

9pm – showered

9:30pm – surfed the web and played with mantao. got a huge scratch from him

11:30pm – made sushi box lunch for the mr

12am – ate an apple while dancing around the kitchen. that’s my workout

12:15am – wrote this post

verdict……being a housewife ain’t easy. lots of physical activity compare to being at work where I spend 80% of the working hours sitting in my cube. tomorrow is chore day! lots of cleaning, washing, wiping, vacuuming etc.

nite peeps!

cco day 1

2010-12-28T01:44:00.001-06:00

cco == chief cottage officer
my company shuts down for the whole week until new year. yippee~~~~ the mr. has to work aww~~~~~~ taking the opportunity to feel what it's like to be a housewife. hmm......will i like it? will i feel bored? will i hate going back to work? will i want to be a housewife? we'll know when the week ends and when we greet 2011.

i decided to write a daily blog entry to capture my week as a "housewife." ^_^

10am - woke up. fed mantao. put on some makeup. changed pjs to casual outfit

11am - left house. missed exit while daydreaming. made a u-turn.

11:30am - found a good parking spot in the mall. shopped for the mr. christmas present (i know christmas is over, but we agreed not to exchange gifts this year, but the mr. still surprised me with a gift. so, i have to get him something even thought it's late, rite?) apparently, a lot of people have the same idea. the mall was packed!

12pm - still looking for the gift.

12:15pm - found the perfect gift. give the mr. a call

12:30pm - met up with the mr. for lunch. he's office is 5 mins away from the mall

1:30pm - head over to sephora to exchange for a wrong item. i ordered a nars blusher, but they sent me a lancome concealer @_@ sa said i have to exchange the item by mail :(

2pm - shopped in forever21. got 2 scarfs and 2 winter beanie hats. they're having buy 1 get 1 free sale. next stop, body shop. they're having mother of all sale. got a set of skincare from the tea tree oil range. getting some acne lately. no fun :(

2:30pm - hopped in express, banana, abercrombie etc. didn't find anything there. final stop, pottery barn. i love everything in this store. picked up some holiday decor that were on sale.

3pm - left the mall (i only shopped at one wing of the mall). head to the grocery store

3:50pm - reached home. harassed by door-to-door salesman as i was getting out of my car. they are selling meat??!!!

4pm - played with mantao while watching judge judy lol..........wrapped the gift. not easy with mantao around.

5pm - put in fresh flowers in a vase and started preparing for dinner

6pm - done cooking. fed mantao.

6:30pm - the mr. came home and we had dinner (everything tasted good)

7pm - the mr. hunt for his present. hid it in mantao's tent. the mr. likes his present. hooray!!!! watched house and lie to me. played with mantao. cleaned up.

9pm - showered. surfed the web. chat with my family on skype.

12am - watched the walking dead. got it from amazon $4.99 for the whole season.

1am - wrote this entry.

so far, i'm loving this role, although i think i will spend more being a cco :) good nite peeps.

merry christmas!!!

2010-12-20T16:42:00.001-06:00

the year is coming to an end. time to wrap up 2010 and highlight the cheers and jeers of this year

2010 cheers

a new homeowner (cushycottage for my home projects)
got a promotion (yay more $ to spend)
adopted mantao (my one of a kind feline)
celebrated our 6th anniversary
traveled to toronto, canada (for work, but it was fun)
finally started biking again
started a home decorating blog
revamped my beauty/fashion blog

2010 jeers

got my first traffic ticket for speeding
lost a family member (dedicate to my dearest aunt)
celebrated b’day alone (was away for work. I did give myself a huge treat)

can’t wait to see what 2011 has install for me!

2011 wanna-achieve

eat healthy and work out more
contribute back to the community
finish up my list of projects on cushycottage
smile and create more memories in 2011
forget about the sad things in the past

gift of gold

enjoy your holidays!

christmas is in the air

2010-12-16T13:35:00.001-06:00

got a l’occitane gift set from a friend. love the quirky christmas packaging. 3 bars of soap and a huge tube of hand cream. no excuse of having dry hands this winter!

mini ulta exclusive OPI christmas haul
all the berry best, gift of gold, plum full of cheer & a topcoat I’m not the best in applying nail polish. in fact, I sux at it

sneak peek of my neighbor’s house. all theme up for the season

and my christmas tree

have a nice mid- week!

gypsy picnic trailer food festival

2010-11-08T13:18:00.001-06:00

austin had its first gypsy picnic trailer food festival. not idea why they call it gypsy…no one dressed like a gypsy in the festival. trailer food is everywhere in austin. they’re usually cheap, good and yummy. you can find all sorts of trailer food i.e. bbq, coffee, japanese, korean, vietnamese, greek, snow cones, slushies, desserts, sausages, cajun etc. it’s a BIG thing here.

OOTD

top: 1 of the shop in markham’s asian mall(love the cat prints)
shorts: american rag
tights: primark
shoes: steve madden
bag: mulberry for target(loving it as it fits my laptop)
necklace: ebay
regret not bringing a scarf or jackets as it got pretty cold at night

bird cage necklace. isn’t it lovely?
pictures of the festival

so many people turned up for the festival. we had to wait in line for ~20mins at each trailer before we can sink our teeth in them.

dessert…cake balls
coffee fix

austin evening downtown view. they had live concert too!

my sephora haul is here

2010-11-03T23:52:00.001-05:00

finally, the long awaited day has arrived. 3 boxes greeted me when i came home. thanks UPS guy!
i made 3 orders from sephora with their recent 20% f&f discounts. it’s so hard to choose what to get. i wish i could just buy everything from the website. but, nah! i’m not that greedy :) btw, this is my early christmas present from the mr. will i get more present on christmas day? i hope so. wink ;) box #1
Nars Orgasm Lip and Cheek set
Sephora favorites Glitz & Glam Shimmer and Shine Makeup Deluxe Sampler
3 freebies

box #2
Benefit Some Beauty to Love
DiorShow All For Your Eyes
3 freebies

box #3
DKNY pureDKNY – surprisingly the scent is centered around vanilla and i dislike vanilla. the mix of floral scent somehow make it simple and pure.
Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick – Champagne Blush
3 freebies
freebies – beauty insider 500 points

freebies – tarina tarantino pearl glow primer (download the sephora app and show it to the sales associate for this freebie)

the whole haulage family
did you get anything from the recent sephora sale?

1st OOTD

2010-11-01T16:47:00.001-05:00

i would like to introduce my 1st OOTD(Outfit Of The Day). i love dressing up when i’m not going to work. in general, my work entire is BORING. i work with “geeky” people. i don’t think anyone will notice if i wear the same top 2 days in a row. so, i tend to dress down when i’m at work. occasional i’ll wear a little nicer depends on my mood.

ladies and gentlemen, i present to you my 1st ever OOTD! obviously, not taken from a work day. my quick and lazy halloween decor in the background. just print, cut and paste :Ptop: unknown
skirt: forever21
tights: primark
shoes: topshop
necklace: ebay(it’s a bird cage. i’m loving it)

blushyowner

2010-10-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

welcome to cushyblushy!! i started blogging about beauty and fashion, but i switched gear to home decorating and furnishing on cushycottage i miss blogging about beauty and fashion and decided to revamp a new blog related to these two important elements of my life(still is) :)

i'm just an explorer. trying out new products&brands, mix&match, cheap&expensive. one thing in common is i always love a good bargain. who doesn't?!!