Barkbox ~ February 2014

Bmo's first BarkBox. She's was pretty excited when I brought the box in. It almost seemed like she knew the box is for her....hehe. She started chewing on the box before we even opened it. I guess she's happy just receiving an empty box. Silly girl.

Cheese Please $5.49 for 1.7oz!
It's like snacks for people. Made from real wisconsin cheese. I'm so tempted to try one.

Bmo's woof-pinion: Pass 

CUBAN STOGGIE Fetch Stick $13.19
I was looking forward to get toys since Bmo practically destroyed all her toys and we had to keep buying. The fetch stick ain't cute, but it's quite durable and decent size. Dogs need cigars :)
Bmo's woof-pinion: Pass

Mutt Meatballs Treat Mix Dogs $7.49
I'm not sure about this. We're suppose to make our own meatballs mixed with the ingredient from the pouch. It's an interesting idea, but too much work for my liking. I'll probably keep it until I find the time to try it out.
Bmo's woof-pinion: Fail

Superior Farms Pet Provisions lamb biscuit $9.99
Good quality lamb biscuit. Great ingredient list - gluten free.  Bmo ain't picky when it comes to treats.
Bmo's woof-pinion: Pass

Barkworthies bully sticks $3.15
I think this is advertised as odorless bully stick, which ain't true at all. It stinks, but the furry gal loves chewing on it.
Bmo's woof-pinion: Pass

Total value: $39.31

Overall, I'm quite happy with this month's box. It's a nice treat for Bmo to chow on those cheese crackers. 

Snippets of our honeymoon ~ Bangkok, Thai Day 2

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Gong Hei Fat Choi! Wishing everyone is having a good time welcoming the year of horse.

Travel date: 2/7/2013

The hotel breakfast was not doing anything good to our weight. I could have congee for breakfast anytime.

  

A food stall under pedestrian bridge.

Mr. Adventure loves the "tuk-tuk" ride. It feels like you're in a theme park besides inhaling carbon monoxide. 

Agenda for the day - Shopping at Platinum Mall.

This is a wholesale shopping at this mall (you'll get a better bargain the more you buy from a particular seller). You'll see a ton of clothes, shoes, belts, accessories, purses at every corner in the mall. It can be overwhelming, but at least it's indoor shopping with A/C. We did some serious damage here. You'll understand once you see the estimated pricing below.

There are hundreds of these shops in the mall.

Of course we had to try the food court at Platinum Mall(there are 2 buildings next to one another. The food court is inside the 2nd building with all the accessories). I had a hard time choosing from the vast selections, I finally opted for some good old Pad Thai. Mr. Adventure had a herbal soup with a lot of meat (had no idea what's it's called). We also had Bird Nest soup, Sticky Rice and Guava juices.





Food Pricing:
Entree: $1.50-2
Bird Nest: $3.3 crazy!
Stikcy Rice: $2.6
Fresh Juice: $1.60

After unloading our haul and rested in our room(my feet was killing me), we head out to MBK mall. There are a ton of vendors along the street between the BTS station and MBK mall. Take your time browsing these stalls as you will find some good bargain. I prefer shopping here than Platinum Mall for accessories. They are cheaper for exactly the same items.

Food and shopping galore!

MBK mall is for the tech and jewelry junkies. We went to the international food court inside MBK, which was unintentional. The food was fantastic, but the price was more expensive than the local food court. The seafood fried rice was delicious with a ton of spices.

Food Price:
Entree: $6-8

HAUL TIME!

Pricing:
Shoes: $13
Tops: $6-8
T-shirts: $2.50-3
Dress: $7-9
Earring: $4.20 for 5 pairs
Bangles/Bracelets:  $3-4
Phone covers: $6

The clothes and shoes quality are not great. For the price, it's amazing for fast fashion pieces. On the other hand, the accessories are much better quality than Forever21. They still haven't tarnished after months of wearing them.

After a long day of shopping, we ended the night with a foot massage. Ahh~~~I can walk again :)

And a late night snack. The popular MAMA instant cup!

Tips: It's faster to take the BTS instead of Tuk-Tuk or Taxi during rush hour.

Best of Beauty 2013 ~ Makeup Edition

January is the month of awards ceremony. The SAG, Golden Globe, and Grammy's had past and the Oscars is coming March 2nd. There are many predictable and surprise winners. Nevertheless, the awards are handed out and the chapter is closed for 2013.

Let's switch gears to Makeup shall we. This is my 2nd year for my annual "award" series. Click here for last year's award. It's getting harder and harder to decide on a "winner" as there are so many good quality products out there. The "winners" do not necessary launched in 2013, but products that I've used and enjoyed in 2013 and have consistently reach for. 

Let's begin!

Face category:

Best Sunscreen: Biore UV Tint Milk SPF30 PA++

This is a favorite over and over again. It's lightweight, non-greasy, absorbs quickly and has no scent. Added plus for it's affordable price!

Best Primer: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

This is a luxurious face primer. I've only have a sample size but I was able to get a lot of uses out of it. You'll only need very little product to cover the entire face. It very lightweight, smoothes out your skin, soften the looks of pores, and creates a beautiful canvas for your next step. Also, it's not silicone base like most primers are. 

Best Foundation: Cover Girl Stay Fabulous 3 in 1

I have a feeling this is everyone's favorite and I totally agree. I used this on days when I'm in a hurry It's primer, foundation and concealar in 1 product and shortens my "get ready" time by 3x. It's also long lasting and has good coverage. 

Best concelar: Maybeline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer 

It's easy to use and blends beautifully.

Best Setting Powder: Maybeline Matte Powder

This helps my face to stay matte longer (I have oily skin). It's not "cakey" and gives a nice finish. 

Best Setting Spray: UD De Slick Oil_Control Setting Spray

This is a major must have when I'm going out for a long time and want to have a long lasting makeup. It helps my makeup from "sliding" and "slipping" and definitely help with my oil control. 

Best Blusher: Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

I had such a hard time choosing a winner. Blusher has a special place in my heart and there are so many gorgeous blushes out there. So, I went with picking the blush that I used most often through the year. I love that it gives a beautiful peachy glow on my cheeks. 

Best Bronzer: NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny *2nd time winner

I need to try more bronzer this year as I keep purchasing the same one every time it runs out. However, it's great, it's very affordable and it works well for contouring.

Eyes Category:

Best Eye Primer: Milani Eyeshadow Primer

It goes on easily, doesn't crease, and makes my eye makeup last longer.

Best Cream Eyeshadow: MUFE Aqua Shadow 

This glides on buttery, stays on and has pretty colors. 

Best Eyeshadow Palette: LORAC Pro Palette

This is an amazing palette with 8 matte and 8 shimmery shadows. So versatile, great color payoff, buttery, great color variety. This palette is able to give any kind of looks from neutral day time to smoky night look. I love the garnet and deep plum as a slight branch off from neutral. 

Best Liquid Eyeliner: Physician Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum *2nd time winner

I'm still sticking to this liquid eyeliner as it's easy to use, sets quickly, doesn't smudge, and easy to remove. Not sure about the lash boosting serum part though.

Best Pencil Eyeliner: Rimmel London Scandaleyes

This is great to line my waterline. It stays on and doesn't smudge

Best Gel Eyeliner: CAILYN Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner

It comes with a brush which makes it great for traveling. The formula is great as well. 

Best Mascara: Maybeline the Falsies Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara

My lashes are very fine and they point straight down naturally. This mascara keeps the curl and gives volume to my lashes. 

Best Brow Product: None

Lips Category:

Best Lip Balm: EOS Lip Balm 

They're easy to reach for and moisturizing with delicious fruity flavor. I have one on my work desk, my vanity, and my bedside table although I don't carry it with me on the go because it's too bulky for my purse.

Best Tinted Lip Balm: Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment
Cult Favorite! It has spf, very moisturizing and comfortable on the lips. The rose tint gives a quick pretty color on your lips. 

Best Jumbo Lips Pencil: Neutrogena Moistore Smooth Color Stick

The scent is delicious and it's very moisturizing.

Best Lipstick: Maybeline Color Whisper

I love these more than the Revlon Lip Butter. It feels better on the lipstick and I prefer the thinner packaging.  

Best Lip Gloss: Nyx Butter Gloss

Great color selection and it doesn't feel sticky on the lips. 

I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for us makeup "junkies."

Snippets of our honeymoon ~ Bangkok, Th Day 1

Travel date - 2/6/2013

We took a shuttle from Koh Lanta to Krabi Airpot and it was the most terrifying ride in my life. The driver sped through narrow roads at high speed, crossing over the oncoming lane to overtake when there's a car coming in less than 1 mile. Also, he had a machete next to his seat(who knows what it's for?!!) We were relief to arrive at the airport in one piece. Phew~~~~~

We booked a 1 bedroom suite with Cape House Apartment. We chose this hotel mainly for the Parisian chic decor, the huge living space and it's location (1 block from Chit Lom BTS station). It's nicely decorated in modern french flair with tufted buttons upholstery and stylish furniture. Also, it has a washer in the apartment which is much needed during our stay. They even gifted us a cake for our honeymoon.....sweet!

We went to Siam Paragon on the first night for dinner. There were so many choices and my hungry tummy pointed us to MoMo Paradise for Sukiyaki.

Sights on the way to Siam Paragon - Erawan Shrine

I manged to pick up a small haul from Boots and Watson before calling it a night.

Boots No. 7 Whitening Eye Gel & Cucumber Cooling Eye Gel - quite moisturizing and cooling, but didn't notice any whitening effects.
Majorlica Majorca LE Eyeliner - Brush Tip Eye liner - It's difficult to draw a straight line with this (bristles are too long), not waterproof and takes too long to dry.
Biore Light Tint UV protection SPF 30 PA ++ - I always like Biore sunscreen. They're cheap, non-greasy, absorbs to the skin quickly and no "sunscreen" scent
Renu contacts solution - just because I need it :)

Brilliant JewelMint Mystery Box

I have a feeling the JewelMint craze is slowing dying down as there are mystery box offers in my inbox almost every month. I've only been visiting JewelMint website once a month to skip my monthly subscription. Most of the time I didn't even bother to checkout my showroom. Anyhow, I have 1 credit available and decided to spend in on the Brilliant Mystery Box which is supposedly for the new year. In my opinion, the mystery boxes usually contains unpopular past seasons items, which I don't mind this time around as I like to be surprised. The box promises at least 4 items.

I was pleasantly surprise when I received 10 items in my box. I've order mystery boxes in the past and I've never received more than the promised minimum. I was psyched when "unboxing" and revealing each piece. 

Meet Backstage Necklace - Sparkles and Gems. I wish I've gotten this earlier as it would have looked great over the holidays. Keeper!

On Safari Necklace - I probably won't choose this piece given a choice, but after seeing it in person it's gorgeous. It accesorize well on a simple t-shirt or sweater. Not a fan of the white rope though. 

Amber Drizzle Earrings - Nice weight and well made

Orion Bracelet - This is one of my favorite piece. It has a nice weight and those 3 black gems spook me. 

It's A Cinch Bracelet - Meh!! The worst item of the lot. I can't believe them charging $29.99 for this. It looks like it's made from scrap material. 

Moto Chic Bracelet - The quality aren't great. It's pretty but not worth $29.99. 

White Cobblestone Cuff - Better quality than the Moto Chic Bracelet, but not that unique. 

Flash Forward Bracelet - I guess this is supposed to be a "futuristic" bracelet. I don't think I'll get a lot of wear out of it. I'm not into huge bracelet. 

Rebel Rouge Bracelet - Spikes!! Decent quality and a keeper. 

Bare Bones Earrings - Another edgy punk piece. I do love skulls and have quite a bit of collection. Keeping it for Halloween.