what are the odds

This exchange experience has made quite a significant impact on my life, both positively and negatively. I remember when I was in Year 2 of Junior College, I had to attend a motivational talk by a really loathsome economics teacher who taught us elasticity through a song (yes, it's still on youtube, ohmygod), and he mentioned how going for exchange had made him understand himself better. Since then, I knew I wanted to do my own soul-searching as well.

Approximately 2 years later, I said my goodbyes to my close friends and family and was excited to live in a foreign land for 6 months.

Excitement soon turned into disappointment, which soon turned into homesickness, which later made its way back to being extremely happy about the upcoming traveling opportunities. Now, there is a turmoil deep down my heart. I want to leave and be back to my old life, but I can't leave Stockholm without missing it.

6 months here, and Stockholm has become my comfort zone. Everytime I travel out of the country, I cannot wait to get back to my student accommodation because it is so much more convenient and safe.

Moreover, the fairy-tale image of Europe that I have in my mind has been completely replaced by sheer reality. When you have travelled to 21 European cities, you can't help but find everything similar to everything else. Cathedrals, Pantheons, ruins and museums - nothing surprises you that much anymore, well maybe except Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

In 4 days' time, I will be back in Singapore.

That is what I have been looking forward to and now, I'm completely engulfed with anxieties. It's just like 6 months ago when you start to feel like cancelling everything and just stay put. However, Singapore is where I want to live in and hence, no matter how worried I am, I'm still home bound.

I feel like a completely new person already. I cook better, I clean MUCH better, and I pretty much have become a domestic goddess. Call me thick-skinned, but I think my toilet-cleaning skills can rival those cruelly-trained maids from Bukit Timah Shopping Centre.

And then there's my old flame who has made me a stronger person despite the numerous adversities. It's funny how we took almost 3 years to make that facebook conversation. True that facebook did not get popular till a couple of years ago, but the point is, plucking up the courage to be honest takes time and I'm glad I went through that period.

Will I ever come back to Stockholm again? This question remains unanswered.

But friends, welcome me back in 4 days' time! :)

Hugest pore-clogger EVER

I squeezed this badass out of my nose just yesterday. HOW DID THIS PORE-CLOGGER EVEN SURVIVE THE 23-DAY EUROPE TRIP?! I felt it way before the trip, and thought that it would go away sooner or later. Yesterday, I got sick of it, unrolled some toilet paper, and started squeezing, and ohmygod, this hugeass thingy came out (to make it clear that it's huge, I photographed it with my ear studs). AND THERE WASN'T EVEN BLOOD! O_O

I apologise if I'm grossing you out, but this is super amazing to me. I MUST SHARE MY AMAZEMENT.

Anyways, shopping day tomorrow! *excitedddd* Stockholm is having SUMMER SALES EVERYWHERE and this shall be my final round of shopping before I leave for Singapore! WEE.

Accessories Haul from Europe Trip! :D

To make things easier, here are the past reviews that I have been churning out like a machine the past 2 days. :D

Review of Rimmel Foundation: http://fitrina-inamorata.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-rimmel-lasting-finish-25-hour.html

Review of 17 Photo Primer: http://fitrina-inamorata.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-17-photo-flawless-skin-primer.html

Review of Yves Rocher Eyeliners: http://fitrina-inamorata.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-yves-rocher-stylo-regard.html

And onto the exciting part! HALO NEW ACCESSORIES FROM ABROAD! :D

Accessorise was having a 50% off sale at Madrid and oohlala I wanted to buy everything! :) This was I think 2.50 euros?

Xiangyun, Emery and I went crazy at this Cotton-On look-alike store in Madrid and everything in the store was on sale, EVERYTHING. Had to grab some accessories because the jewelleries were all 2 euros each! :D

Dainty necklace for 2 euros!

Love this necklace! 2 euros also!

I got this at H&M in Barcelona I think. It was 4.95 euros for all 3 rings. :D

From the same store as the necklaces, these rings were all 2 euros each! :D

From accessorize, this was also on 50% off sale, so it was 5.95euros I think? It's an anklet! YAY to wearing slippers to school next semester! :D

I finally got a new wallet too! This was 9.90 euros from Blanco, a local Spanish aparrel store, where the accessories are damn cheap, but the apparels damn expensive - i don't know how that works out. But yeah to chio new wallet! :D

Shall take a break from blogging and edit my photos! GAH! 9 MORE DAYS TO SINGAPORE! :D

Review: Yves Rocher Stylo Regard Waterproof Eye Pencil & Yves Rocher Couleurs Nature Eye Liner

I heeded my French friend's advice and went into an Yves Rocher store at Champs-Elysees in Paris and I was quite surprised at how affordable the products were!

This is the Yves Rocher Couleurs Nature Eye Liner - a basic black liquid eyeliner with a little bit of fine silver glitters.

And this is the Yves Rocher Stylo Regard Waterproof Eye Pencil - just a normal black eyeliner witha texture that is similar to UD's eyeliner.

A swatch of the products - top line is the liquid eyeliner, bottom line is the pencil eyeliner.

After running the tap on my hand.

The liquid eyeliner is not waterproof, which explains why after I rubbed the two lines together with water, the top line starts to run.

Bottom line still going strong even after vigorous rubbing (sounds so wrong. heehee)!

I'm really quite pleased with the two products, and I wish to buy more to stock up, but I didn't find anymore Yves Rocher stores after Paris. :(

As of now the pencil eyeliner has officially replaced UD's 24/7 because I ran out of the latter, and it works just fine, or even better! :D And when I feel like doing a winged eyeliner on my lids, the liquid eyeliner works awesomely because of how pointy the tip of the wand is, giving precise control during application.

One word: LOVE.

Emma Watson on the cover of July'11 Vogue

This is rather mindblowing.

Jealous of her beauty. GAH.

Review: 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer

Another item that Huiling helped me purchase from London. This retails for 4.99 pounds in Boots.

17 is a brand that is not available in Singapore, and I suggest Watsons BETTER GET THIS BRAND IN. After hearing so much about the brand on Youtube, I cannot help but buy something from the brand.

I was not disappointed! :)

The only flaw that I can think of is the miniscule size of the primer. For 15ml, it seems like an eyelid primer rather than a skin primer.

The semi-liquid texture of the primer can be quite intimidating when you first squeeze it out of the container. It's like as if it's going to stay being so thick in consistency after you spread it all out. However, to my very pleasant surprise, the primer spreads out nicely and easily just with your fingers.

After application, my skin looks matte-r, and the pores that are very much visible around the nose area were subtly concealed. This primer is not a miracle-producing machine, but I'm quite happy with the subtle effects.

Another matter that is worth applauding is how this primer really make your foundation long-lasting! I tried this in Madrid, the epitome of hot sunny weather during my Europe trip, and my usually-will-melt-in-3-hours foundation lasted a great deal longer!

If this was available, I WILL STOCK UP! Go get it! :)

Review: RIMMEL Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation

The sweet Huiling (konkon/chanmychoon) helped me purchase this from London because RIMMEL is cheaper in London, relative to the prices in Singapore! I think it retailed for either 9.99 or 10.99 pounds.

What made me want to buy this is the ultimate long-lasting formula that the brand promises. 25 hours is a hell long period of time for foundation to be on your face (unhealthy too). However, if this works, then it will be an excellent foundation for those who starts their days early and ends late - minimal touch-ups always attracts the ever-so-lazy modern woman.

Another convenient factor about this foundation is that you can pump out the liquid, hence you have good control over how much you want to use on your face. I hate foundations that require you to pour out the liquid on your hands - what if I pour too much? I can't possibly use it on my body or my siblings right?

In this photo, the foundation looks so much lighter than my hand colour, but that's because I was badly burnt during my Europe trip. The colour is still perfect for my face. I bought it in shade 200 Soft Beige.

When I read about the 25-hour promise, I was quite skeptical, because I was highly convinced that the consistency is going to be very thick. And yes, I was right. I applied it twice during my Europe trip, once in Paris, during a really windy and cold day and another time in Barcelona where the heat started to kick in.

Both applications were extremely painful because of how thick the foundation felt on my face. The initial feelings were like as if I was applying clay on my face.

In Paris, the wind and the coldness kept the foundation from melting, so it was fine. However, when I was in Barcelona, I could feel the foundation move on my face slightly two hours after application. I have oily skin, and I guess that's another reason why the foundation melted to fast.

Though the application and the feeling of the foundation on my face were unpleasant, I must say that the foundation truly delivers its 25-hour promise. After a long day out in both cities, I came back to see my skin still flawless (concealer and all) when usually my pimples and scars would already be visible.

Kudos to staying power! Boo to the clay-like texture!

I will only use this foundation for important events like photoshoots or for events where I'm quite sure that I will be in an air-conditioned room. Thinking of using this foundation in Singapore already made me shudder.

BACK FROM 23-DAY EUROTRIP! :D

Finally survived the various ordeals from the EPIC 23-day europe trip. The other guys are still around Eastern Europe and will only be back a week from now.

Tales from my Europe trip will be told when I finally finish editing my photos (I have 1400+ photos to filter and edit. ARGH) and so I shall post about my past travels! :D

Still can't forget about my Santorini experience. BEST ISLAND EVER.

Wang and I outside of Skansen, waiting for the other guys to finish touring the park/zoo. And I realised I was wearing my glittery TOMS in this photo, which sadly has been thrown away in Madrid because it has fallen apart. RIP chio TOMS.

I met Mervin in Venice. This meeting is purely coincidental. I was asking him to meet somewhere in Paris because we were there at the same exact period, but didn't so I figured we will meet in Singapore. We went to Venice, stayed for a night at Ostello Venezia, and then when I went up to konkon's and alan's room, I realised eh got Singaporeans! (I saw Eugene - Mervin's friend) Then the three of us went down for breakfast and Emery was telling us how Ellen saw her friends in the hostel also. I turned my head to my right, and TADAH MERVIN WAS THERE!!!! What the hell seriously. The odds were too small, still can meet. Mervin and I upz our friendship already. HAHAHA.

PS: ya, even my friends call him Wu Zhun now. hahahaha. SIASIA AND LILY TELL LENNY THIS! :DD

The moments before I got pooped on by the stupid donkey. STUPID RACING DONKEYS. The donkeys look cute in this photo right? NO, THEY ARE MENACING LITTLE POOPING MACHINES. And another one had diarrhoea, its poop was RUNNY. EEEEEEEEE.

We made it to the highest point of one of the many volcanic islands in Santorini. Major shag, but the view made it all worthwhile.

Athens hosted the Summer Olympics in 2004 and so we decided to visit the stadium. I guess it's similar to all other countries that have hosted the olympics before; the stadium was mad silent with only immigrants occupying the place, graffiti was everywhere, it was just a waste of money. :(

We tried to get into the stadium but we can't so erm, just camwhore outside lar!

From my eastern europe roadtrip! We were outside the Berliner Dome!

I forgot where this was. I think it's Munich?

Trying to write as many blogposts as possible! Konkon helped me buy some UK cosmetic stuff and I got some eyeliners from a local French brand. Reviews coming soon! :D

HALOOO from ROME!

My blog stats scare me. It's going down so sharply because I don't update often. AIYOH!

Anyway, greetings from ROME! :D We are still safe and sound, taking every possible precaution to outsmart the pickpockets. :D

Shall update like a mad dog once I'm back! YIPPYYAY!