Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Life: Quick Saving Tip!

From my New Years Resolution post, I vowed myself to be a better saver and to rekindle my relationship with my bank account. The last year, I had a terrible relationship with understanding the purpose of my savings account, but not anymore! So far, the year has been good and I just wanted to share a quick tip for y'all!

Grab a jar. Any jar. I use an old coffee bean jar and every time I have spare change (except for loonies and toonies), I throw it in the jar. Once the jar fills up, you can roll them up or bring them to your bank to get it deposited into your bank account!

The last time I got my jar filled, I went to the my bank's coin counter and it added up just a little over $91!

Small change makes all the difference!

<3

Susan

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Beauty: THE BLOGGER/VLOGGER MADE ME DO IT TAG

When I read this tag on Brittany's blog (Life, Set Sail), it made me realize that probably a good amount of my purchases were from other's recommendations and raves. I was an avid YouTube junkie a few years back, which really got me into my beauty obsession in my old high school days and I slowly merged into blogging...since it's easier to sneak reading during my lectures.

Who are you most influential bloggers/vloggers? Who are the ones you really rely on for reviews and swatches?

Christine from Temptalia is one of the most extensive and informative bloggers I know. Her blog has almost everything and anything you want and need to know for the beauty sphere - from foundation matrix to swatches to product reviews and some big giveaways, it's my go-to blog for high quality content.

Do you buy a product solely as a result from one review from your favourite bloggers, or do you look for more reviews from others?

Usually I don't. Even for my favourite bloggers/vloggers, I will do another round of research to get different opinions before putting the item in my cart!

What is your most favourite item that you have ever brought as a consequence of blogs?

I've been a huge skincare junkie the last year and nothing will beat my love for REN Skincare. It's not as hyped on Youtube, but it's slowly gaining huge recognition lately on blogs. Definitely a great natural skincare line. As a result, REN products have slowly pushed all the other skincare products out of my washroom shelves!

What is your least favourite item that you have ever brought as a consequence of blogs?

NARS blush - Amour to be specific. There was a period of time, a couple of years ago, that NARS blush got a lot of hype on Youtube. It's either way too pigmented, which prevents me from getting that natural look I always achieve for, or it's too shimmery/glittery.

Name 5 products you have brought recently as a result of blogs?

Bobbi Brown have been recognized for a long time; but something about watching EssieButton's video on Bobbi Brown products really itched me to get my butt out of the house to get some.

-Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation
-Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer
-Bobbi Brown Corrector
-Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder

After looking into cream eyeshadows, I found many blogs loved them as an eyeshadow base. That led me to Sephora and I got one before the New Years.

-Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit

Have you ever given into blogger hype? If so, which hype?

The NAKED fever. And my heart still pounds fast when I walk into Sephora and see the whole Urban Decay's NAKED palettes. I did give in and got the NAKED1 when it first came out, but gladly I resisted and had some self-control on the other palettes.

Have you ever avoided blogger hype? If so, which hype?

Not one that I can think of! I think it's because I read a variety of different blogs (beauty, food, personal, etc.) that I'm always reading something different each day that I didn't take notice of blogger trends!

Is everything you buy based on blogger  reviews or are there some items you buy without without checking a review?

I definitely have a problem with impulse buys the last year, so a good amount of products were picked up from my own curiosity.

I hope you all enjoy this little tag!

<3

Susan

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Squat Challenge Update #1

So far, so good! Did three days of the squat challenge and today is a break day. A totally of 165 squats in the last three days and my knees have cracked one too many times! I'm ready to get back to the challenge tomorrow with 70 squats!

Susan

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

SQUAT CHALLENGE.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

The other day, I came across a blog post about a 30-Day Squat Challenge. My boyfriend loves to lift and is basically in love with squats. Right after I showed him the post, of course, he convinced me to try it out. And I agreed only if he was going to do it along with me.

So, how does this work?
Chart from http://www.dailyhiit.com
Just like that! I'm starting tonight and I'll definitely do updates for ya'll throughout the next 30 days.

Have any of you done this before?

<3

Susan



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Beauty: Hair Oils!

The new year started off cold in Canada and unlucky me, I didn't get snow boots again this year! I went to the mall a few days ago hoping to get a pair after Boxing Day, but little did I realize, every possible store will be sold out. Walking to campus is not fun with my old UGGs as it just gets soaked the moment I step out the door and that's pretty unfortunate I'm stuck like this for probably the next 2 weeks.

On another note, the weather has not only soaked and freeze my feet, but it really taken a toll for the rest of my body as well. In particular, my hair hates this weather. Naturally, I have very coarse Asian straight hair. And of course, along with that, I shed like crazy and you can see it all over my bathroom floor. I tend to opt out of blow drying my hair and the use of other hot tools is a rarity for me as well. Yet, my hair loves to frizz and shoot out those small "fly-aways" all across my hairline. Avoiding the use of hairspray, I try to use hair oils instead to nourish my hair along with taming (as much as possible) fly-aways and frizz. 

The first time I was ever introduce to hair oils was over the summer when my hair salon have just got Moroccan Oil. My hair stylist was raving about it the whole time and of course, I gave in and brought a bottle myself. And since then, I was in love. 


The Moroccan Oil Treatment ($43CDN for 100mL) comes in a glass bottle with a pump. I absolutely love the scent of this oil - it has a very sweet, vanilla like scent. It's quite thick in consistency and has a light amber brown colour to it. The thick consistency may be difficult for some people to evenly distribute through their hair, so you have to make sure you spread it all over your hands, spread it through your hair with a light hand to avoid concentrating all the oil in one spot, and then comb it throughly to evenly distribute it throughout your hair. I know people with fine hair tend to only focus the oils on their bottom half of their hair, but with thick hair, I find I can apply it anywhere on my head and it won't be a grease ball (I guess that's a +1 for thick hair!). I really like Morrocanoil and will continue to repurchase it over and over again, but it doesn't tame my frizzes as well; it just softens my hair and makes it smell good. Plus, it's providing the nutrients my hair is lacking!

I went into Trade Secrets to get a new bottle of this liquid gold since my last bottle came flying off the shelf and shattered all over my bathroom floor (a story I do not want to get into, it was quite a sad moment). As I was checking out, I noticed they were selling these small travel packs of Macadamia Natural Oil products for $4.99CDN - it includes a packet of the Deep Repair Masque, a packet of their Rejuvenating Shampoo, and a mini bottle of their Healing Oil Treatment. This brand has been compared as a cheaper dupe to Moroccan Oil and I have tried their Deep Repair Masque and LOVED IT. So, of course, I couldn't resist but to pick the travel pack up.

I have used the Healing Oil Treatment a few times and absolutely HATE the smell of it. Others have described it as a Sandalwood type of scent, but I think it just smells like medical ointment. It's an absolute strong smell to begin with and I must admit, it really turn the product off for me. I might have been misled a bit, because the Deep Repair Masque does not smell as strong as this and I really don't mind the smell of the masque. As I went with my day, I still noticed the smell...but, my hair was SUPER soft and semi-smooth. The consistency is much be liquidly, if you compare it to the Moroccan Oil treatment. However, I find it easier to apply evenly throughout my hair and it absorbs a lot quicker. 

I really liked the outcome of the Macadamia Oil, but the smell is something I'm not willing to invest in. I think Moroccan Oil wins me over and I would pay that extra few dollars for it any day!

Do any of you use oils in your hair? Let me know in the comments below!

<3

Susan

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Life: New Year "Detox"

As 2014 slowly settles in, I found myself re-evaluating some interests/goals/etc. that I had the last year. I came to the point that these are what I need - they are pretty much like check points to make sure I'm not going insane again.

1. Diet - I tend to put anything and everything in my mouth, which may be a good thing for me since I'm skin and bones for the most part, but at the same time - I know I should be getting myself to eat healthier. Not going to stop eating, I just know I have to be more informed about what I'm stuffing my face in. This one will be a hard one.

2. Procrastination - I know...bad habits are hard to die; but, I'm going to try to get my routine back in schedule. No more excuses for me for not blogging anymore! 

3. No more turning a blind eye on my bank account - My name is Susan and I have a spending problem. I tend to buy small things and they all add up in the end. This year, no more impulse buys and budgeting is something I need to learn to do!

4. Drink more tea - I love tea, but I really slowly neglected it last semester. Back to my daily dose of tea. It truly is happiness in a cup!

5. Open my heart to learn to love everything again - Last year had many ups and downs, especially the last few months really took a toll on me. Being homesick constantly is really unhealthy for me, which really made me depressed. To make myself happy again, I love making those around me happy....just like the good ol' times! So 2014, I'm choosing love.

I feel pretty good about my NY Resolutions. They are sounding pretty reasonable!

Let me know in the comments below what your New Year's resolutions are?

<3

Susan


Beauty: Revamping my stash with Bobbi Brown

Back in the day...

I loved trying new products as I tried to figure out what I liked. As the young self-conscious Susan, I did have a phase where I had my morning routine before I go on with the rest of my day. 

But, those days are now gone - I've come to accept the no-makeup approach everyday. This certainly backfired on me as I stared at my makeup stash in disgust the other day. There were just so many products that I only touched once and products that I haven't looked at again for probably a year or even years. And..at this point, the makeup is definitely not going to be touched.

Came to the conclusion that I really need to reduced the size of my stash for someone who doesn't e"ven use it on a consistent basis. Ended up clearing out a good handful of products (especially my beloved NARS Sheer Glow foundation that went bad...in other words, "gloopy" and thick). And of course, I found that I should just revamp my stash with products that I'll only use when I do use makeup.

To begin this process of finding my makeup-go-tos, I really wanted to try Bobbi Brown's products. I heard quite a lot of rave about this makeup line and Bobbi, herself, is a very strong women character in this industry. A women who supports a girl's natural beauty and always reminds females that they are beautiful without makeup. While, makeup is just used to express yourself. This is exactly what I believe in, so I really geared myself towards the Bobbi Brown booth at the department store. 




The hardest thing about foundation is finding your shade. It was actually really confusing when I went to the Bobbi Brown booth the first time and was actually matched to 4.5 (Warm Natural). When I went back 2 weeks later, they matched me to 4 and after a long while of deciding, I settled with 4. It is the winter and I'll probably lighten up from the summer tan that I got. But, the best part of this foundation is the flexibility and convenience. Similar to many, the idea of stick foundation usually ends up being very cake and thick. But, this is different - you can apply it lightly and it blends into your skin flawlessly or you can layer it for a full coverage and it will not cake up. This seriously is heaven in a stick.



I really don't have anything special to say about this powder other than it's sheer enough to use on most skin types. No colour payoff, it's just for the purpose of setting your foundation to last longer than it would have without it. 



A great combination - you moisturize under your eye with your favourite eye cream , apply the corrector with a concealer brush focusing on the inner corners of your eye, and you overlap it with some concealer to blend into your skin tone. It is recommended that you use the sheer powder to set it as well. 

Excited that I've got some new set products for my face base. Even if I won't be using it often, it's nice to know that I have limit to a smaller make-up stash. Plus, it'll make my decision a lot easier to decide what to use.

I hope you all enjoy this new makeup haul.

<3

Susan

New Years!

2013 was a big year, but...

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

I hope ya'll had a safe holiday and new year. 

Now, we're back to routine.

See you all through 2014.

<3

Susan