Musings while working

Just the fact that I'm updating my blog while at work proves how bored I am at the moment. I am supposed to be coding but I have been doing that for the past 2 hours so I'm obviously getting highly restless.

I'm so highly fidgety that my brain started to think about the future. What do I want in the future?

• I will like to further my studies. Probably a masters in some research related course. The WKWSCI one seems really tough to apply, especially with the stiff competition. 
• I will like to continue working at MTV. I really hope some sort of miracle happens and the executives decide to grant more budget to the research department and so the department can increase its manpower! 
• I will really like to do some sort of OCIP. I know WKWSCI has one this year but it's really too much for a final year student. I am assuming my recess week will be full of FYP meetings so I refrained myself from joining the rather tempting WKWSCI-OCIP :( 
• I will like to increase blog readership to around 25,000 readers a month by 2014. It's now at 8,000 per month and I'm quite pleased at how the numbers are growing every month (I was at 2,000 per month in December of 2011). Of course I can't compare my numbers with top local bloggers but a target is always good, and a reachable target is even better! 
• Marriage is something I have never put much thought of before my 23rd birthday. But now, I'm quite confused because on one hand, I want to work and be financially strong first, and on the other hand, family pressures force me to think about marriage earlier. My maternal grandmother always exclaims on how she would die happily if she could see me walk down the aisle while she is still alive. Such statements are a nightmare. Why do grandparents do that? :( 
• Kengyang tells me that he's going to be an entrepreneur. I was quite against starting up on your own so early in life because of the many risk factors (unless of course you start something while already rich). Now that I think of it again, you really will put in more effort when you work for something that's yours. If all else fails, I guess I can always go back to helping him? HAHA. Backup plans MUST exist. 

I need an organised route. I take surprises and shocks really badly and I need to see the straight path in front of me to feel confident about the future. Obviously, there will be certain situations that I cannot predict, but I prefer most of everything to be laid out nicely. 

And I have written for a good 15 minutes. Let's call it a day and find Kengyang and feast on KFC! :D 

Birthday Fashion Haul (H&M, F21, New Look & Bugis Street)

I think I pamper myself too much when my birthday comes along. If you want a merry birthday, then you gotta make it happen yourself, no? Usually, I will take some time to venture out into the shopping wilderness alone and let myself buy anything that my heart tells me to. 

Of course I don't go crazy and raid every single branded store there is out there. My auntie side still tells me to attack "sale" items and I think getting more items for the same amount of money gives me sugar rush. :D 

The H&M items are all courtesy to the lovely MTV colleagues (Lirong, Lizhen, Rachel, June, Ivan, Aaron, Javior and Aloyscious) who very kindly gave me a S$200 H&M gift card. I went crazy and still have yet to spend everything. Can't wait for my next H&M trip! :) 

The only things I purchased from New Look were these tribal leggings. They were 50% down and were S$9.95 each! I don't know when my tribal obsession will end but I'm going to continue hunting for more quirky tribal prints till I get sick of them. Heh. 

Rings from Forever 21! S$5 each I think. The pretty pair of studs were S$8!

H&M craziness starts now. Some crazy studs for S$3.90. I love how they are studs and not hanging earrings. The bracelets are S$7.90 I think?

My obvious love for tribal prints. O.o

Skirt was S$24.90, and the skinny pants were S$17.90. I don't understand how such an exquisite pair of pants cost S$17.90. H&M really has surprises here and there.

Black lace top for S$17.90, and the floral top for S$5 (on sale)!

Also got this set of ear studs for S$7.90. Reminds me so much of what G-Dragon wears. LOL.

Went out with Chay Teng to Bugis Street and alas I can't leave that place empty-handed!! Confirm buy something one!! D:

Some LUMI accessories at 3 for S$5!

And this ridiculously comfortable tank for S$9!

I think that's around 80% of my birthday haul. More coming in the mail but I can't really remember what I bought. HAHAHAHAHAHAA. Major shopaholic. I NEED TO STOP LUH. CANNOT SHOP FOR 2 WEEKS. ok two-week shopping ban has been set!!!!

Musings at 1209am

Sometimes when you get left out too much, you start to wander off to your own lonesome world, where only your thoughts exist. Then you get used to this solitary world that it's hard for you to leave it.

Doing things alone has never been so hard.

Snow Patrol Concert OOTD: Subtle tribal accents

This is such a backdated post! In the first week of August, I was very lucky to have gotten a free ticket to see Snow Patrol at Fort Canning Park (Thanks Lirong and MTV!). To be really honest, I don't know a lot of Snow Patrol songs; I have heard of their bigger hits like Chasing Cars and Light Up, but I don't think I'm a fervent fan. However, I didn't want to limit my song dictionary to just being Top 40 Hits and K-Pop, so I went ahead and I was quite pleasantly surprised at how good the concert was! I already  acquired most of the songs and have been playing them on loop since 6th August 2012! :D I need to have more of such enlightening chances! :) 

Anyway, I planned on wearing something comfy enough for a concert, also it was going to be at a park in which I already predicted massive human traffic and massive humidity. 

So here's my outfit! :) Obviously I'm obsessed with tribal anything now. 

Shirt: Qoo10

Leggings: H&M 

Accessories: Qoo10 + H&M

Shoes: Zalora.sg

I feel like a dog (bitch? haha) when wearing this choker! :P

These shoes came a tad bit too small even though I ordered a size up! :( I didn't want to exchange them though because I couldn't handle the hassle. Might as well just live with it. haha.

WOOHOO THANKS MTV (and Nick? :D)

Queueing up for some mediocre beer that wasn't served ice-cold. Can't complain about trivial things like the specific temperature I like me beer to be at, but such trivial matters kill my beer satisfaction! Blergh.

Yay to my Dora meimei! :)

Please intro me some awesome music people!! I need variety!!! :D

Birthday Haul: My own Dr. Martens!!

My birthday was a good 5 days ago and I had a blast with different group of awesome friends. I will elaborate more on my various birthday dinners on the next few posts. This post is especially dedicated to my boyfriend, who very generously gave me my very own Dr. Martens as birthday + anniversary present! :)) 

I wanted to buy this for myself as a self birthday present, but he offered to buy them instead! For those who are interested in a brand new pair of Dr. Martens, they are available at leftfoot for S$169 and above. 

Thank you to my most awesome boyfriend, keng yang, for this present! :)) I feel like I need to wear this everyday so that I can wear its worth and more!

Yay new pairs of TOMS on their way!

I just purchased two pairs of TOMS! :) More of like a birthday present for myself. Or maybe it's a sad gift to myself for turning 23 years old and being old. Bah. 

Whatever it is, I CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM TO REACH MY SHOE CABINET! :D 

Review: Sephora Colorful Mono Eyeshadow in Choco Express (No. 19)

In my approximately 4 years as a beauty geek, I have never tried Sephora eyeshadows before. I have to honestly say that I was afraid to try them because house brands usually don't manufacture good quality products. Of course the previous statement is highly biased and it's all due to my narrow-mindedness. I was glad that Sephora included their Colorful Mono Eyeshadow in their Summer Set. Finally, I am able to try out a Sephora eyeshadow! 

According to Sephora, their Colorful Mono Eyeshadows are:

• highly pigmented
• long-lasting
• easy-blending

No fancy claims, just the necessary ones. I like! 

The Sephora Colorful Mono Eyeshadows retail for US$12 for a 2g/0.07oz worth of product. Currently, they are having a sale and each eyeshadow now costs US$5 only! Go get them here: http://www.sephora.com/colorful-mono-eyeshadow-P241801 

The shade that was included in the Sephora Summer Set was No. 19 Choco Express. It is described as a "dark chocolate with silver glitter". 

Packaging: Very sleek and I like how the front design is transparent. Somehow the "SEPHORA" logo blends in with the eyeshadow design. Love it!

Colour: They are definitely not kidding about the silver glitters. Those are not shimmers, they are chunky glitters! A rather foolproof combination, I must say. Dark chocolate + silver glitters = major contrast + obvious blingbling. However, I was rather skeptical about the use of glitters at the beginning because many of the glitter eyeshadows I own have the tendency to fallout very badly. I would have a river of glitters on my lower lid areas after I was done blending. Sometimes, some glitter particles would even make their way into my eyes! Ouch!

To my surprise, this was not so bad! (More on this below)

Swatch with camera flash

Swatch with camera flash - LOOK AT THOSE PRETTY GLITTERS :D 

Swatch with normal sunlight 

Pigmentation: This eyeshadow does not go on as smooth as it should be. Hence, for the colour to come out similar to the pan, you will have to build up the colour through numerous applications. Not a hassle for me but if you are in a hurry and you want some major colour on your eyelids, then maybe this can prove to be quite troublesome.

Application: As I stated above, I really detest glittery eyeshadows because of the mess they make, and because of the risk they put on my poor eyeballs. Hence, I usually try to avoid glittery eyeshadows altogether. For this Sephora Colorful Mono Eyeshadow, I was surprised that none of my worries occured. I think the main reason why I had no glitter mishaps was because the glitter didn't come out well. When you swatch it with your finger, the glitters do come out (like the photos above), but when you use your eyeshadow brushes, they don't really pick up the glitters and so the amount of glitter on your lids is almost non-existent. Is that a good or bad thing? Good for me because I don't really like glitters, and I like the colour. So it's a win for me!

Maybe this is not a good eyeshadow for glitter junkies.

Longevity: This product is long-lasting. That I am very sure. I applied it in the morning before I met Yinghui for Lacepipe Warehouse Sale (which was a complete disaster) and it lasted me till 11pm at night!!! Crazy long-lasting! No creasing as well! I used my NYX eyelid primer and the combo worked their magic!

Blending: I'm quite agreeable with the claim that Sephora made on how this is easily blend-able. It was just as it claimed and I had no ugly straight line of eyeshadow on my eyelids. Another yay!

Will I buy it again? Yes! Why not? I'm looking at the other shades right now and kinda into Marie (rosey brown shimmer) and Retro Powderpuff (peach shimmer). Time to make a trip down to Sephora! :D

Thanks for reading and hope this has been helpful! :)

For Sale: Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser from Philosophy

Hi guys, I'm letting go a BRAND NEW and UNOPENED Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser from Philosophy. It's retailing at Sephora Singapore for S$34 for 240ml and I'm selling it at S$20. This bottle expires on July 2014 (Just bought in May 2012!). 

If you are interested, please do leave a comment with your email, or email me at fitrinalim@gmail.com. 

This is only open to Singapore residents! Thank you so much! :) 

Review: Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Natural Waterproof Mascara

The Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Natural Waterproof Mascara has such a catchy name! I was so silly when I got it in the Sephora Summer Set, and I went all "Lights...Camera...SPLASHES!" in my bedroom. My sister very timely came into the room and we both burst out laughing. So silly. HAHA. 

A nice addition to the Sephora Summer Set - I was planning to try non-Japanese and non-Korean mascaras for a change because those mascaras are so difficult to remove! I always end up using one of trustable Maybelline mascaras. 

What I have here is a mini trial version of the mascara. The actual mascara is SO GORGEOUS. Please visit Sephora.com or Tarte Cosmetics Website to see the photo of the actual product - SIMPLY GORGEOUS. 

The full sized product retails for US$19 on the Sephora website! 

Packaging: Just based on this sampler alone, I'm satisfied. It's in that pleasant dark eggplant shade which is oh-so-pretty when you combine it with tiny tiny silver shimmers. You can't really see it in photos, but under sunlight, the packaging rocks my socks. :)

Brush: Nothing special about the brush. It's the typical mascara brush, with a tapered design. This brush is a stiff one and not those filmsy plasticky type which can bend around. I like stiff brushes, I find them more sturdy than the latter types of brushes. The thing about this brush is it's not easy to apply, especially if you have shorter lashes. It just doesn't get much product on your inner lashes! Kind of messy when I tried to do so.

Formula: This has a rather watery formula. But it's rather unique because despite it being watery, it dries quite fast and that means building up the layers is quite easy! Rather surprised that I like the formula of this mascara because usually I detest mascaras that have an almost liquid consistency.

Does it do its job?
Tarte calls this the "4-in-1" mascara and claims that it will "lengthen, curl, volumize and condition" your lashes.

• Lengthening: it definitely adds some length to my lashes. Not extremely lengthening but it's alright. 
• Curling: this mascara holds curls like a dream. I curled my lashes before I used it (one of those rare times haha) and it held the curls for the entire day! Even when I was about to remove my makeup, I noticed that the curls were still existent! Amazing!
• Volumizing: I don't think so because it clumps really bad. I would not recommend more than 2 coats for this mascara because after that you will need a good lash separator to get them lashes back into good shape. 
• Conditioning: I can't really comment on this because I don't use the mascara that often. However, it's always good knowing a mascara is good for your lashes, eh?

Will I buy it again? I'm a mascara collector (or more like a hoarder), so I don't think I will get it when I run out of it. But it's a good mascara if you have the extra moolahs to spend! :) 

Thanks for reading and hope this has been EXTREMELY HELPFUL!!! :D 

Review: Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment

At first when I saw this product, I thought the brand was SUGAR. How silly. I guess bigger fonts captured my attention more. But nope, this is actually from Fresh! I have never heard of this brand before and that is why I love the Sephora Summer Set! It introduced me to so many new amazing brands! :) 

The Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment is certainly a product with a stellar performance! It's available at Sephora.com for US$22.50 (0.15oz) and there are many colours available, like Sugar Coral and Sugar Plum. The one included in the Sephora Summer Set was Sugar Rose and it's described as "sheer berry rose in pink case". 

You can get it on the Fresh's website too! (http://www.fresh.com/skincare/agedelay/sugar-rose-tinted-lip-treatment-spf-15) 

This is the description to what it does from the Sephora website:

Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 blends reparative oils and waxes with real sugar, a natural humectant, for delectable and dependable moisture. Sweet and tart black currant oil, rich in plumping essential fatty acids, cushions the lips while antioxidant grapeseed polyphenols and vitamins A, C, and E provide protection from wrinkle-causing free radicals. It also provides essential, year-round protection from damaging UV rays. 

So how does it fare?

Packaging: This is one pretty product. I looked at all the other packagings (different colours have different packaging) and I still like this Sugar Rose one the best. So simple and delicate, yet it oozes a certain profesional vibe. Lovely!

Smell: The smell of vanilla mixed with licorice is very faint but definitely present. I have no problem with such a concoction.

Pigmentation: You can't really expect a majorly pigmented product since this is supposed to be a tinted lip balm, and I enjoy the slight berry tint from it! Adds a little health to my otherwise deadly bare complexion. :)

Longevity: This lasts a good 4 hours on me. Without food and just some water. Pretty good but definitely did not live up to the 6 hours that they promised on the Fresh website.

Moisurising? Definitely moisturising and the moisture factor lasts! Some lip balms dry your lips out. Irritating products. But this! This was moisturising through and through, until you need another application! Yay to this! :)

Swatch with camera flash - I like this berry tint! :) 

Will I buy it again? Perhaps not. This costs US$22.50 for 0.15oz, which is quite pricey. I will stick to my more mediocre lip balms for now and maybe will splurge when I have the means.

Thanks for reading! Hope this has been helpful! Woots! :D

Review: Guerlain L'OR Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold

Another product that was included the in the Sephora Summer Set - Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base. 

I received the tiny sample set - 5ml/0.18 fl oz worth of product. The full-sized product (1.1oz) retails for US$71 on the Sephora site (http://www.sephora.com/l-or-radiance-concentrate-with-pure-gold-make-up-base-P197413). That means, this sampler that was included cost an approximate of US$10? 

Of course, to part with US$71 for a full-sized makeup base is quite agonising for my rather thin wallet, so having a sampler to try is excellent. Good on you, Sephora! 

The highlight of this product is obviously THE GOLD FLECKS. Give me a product with gold flecks, and I'm highly and definitely intrigued. 

Benefits of gold on your skin:

• stimulates collagen & elastin production
• increases radiance
• reduces appearance of fine lines & wrinkles
• reduces discoloration of age spots

(Source: http://www.busy-moms-online.com/4879/four-benefits-of-gold-skin-care-products/ and http://www.beautyfacemasks.co.uk/blog/benefits-of-gold-for-your-skin/)

What Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base promises:

• retains moisture
• smoothes fine lines
• tightens facial features
• even finish under makeup

(Source: http://www.sephora.com/l-or-radiance-concentrate-with-pure-gold-make-up-base-P197413)

So is the product as fantastic as it seems? I'm not quite sure if I don't like it because I don't have fine lines and wrinkles or because this product is too oily on my already really oily skin. It's not horrendous but I'm quite thankful I see no need for me to splurge a hefty US$71 for the full-sized product. 

Packaging: Beautiful, simple and classy packaging for the sampler bottle. I love it when brands give as much attention to sampler products as their full-sized products! Also, this is random but I have always liked Guerlain's font. HEHE. 

Product consistency: It is definitely not runny, but it's also not cream-thick. It's a pleasant consistency, much like a hand sanitiser? That's the best way I can describe it. 

Application: Shockingly pleasant. I only used the tiniest bit of product and it applies evenly on my face!  Also, I felt this really amazing cooling sensation. I was a happy girl that day because application was so great! 

How does it fare as a makeup base? I don't really use liquid foundations now because of my current skin condition, but it really helped my concealer go on smoother and easier. Maybe it's placebo effect going on (gold flecks and all haha) but I was quite sure my pores were reduced in size. 

Longevity: This is the category that disappoints me the most. This product actually made my skin MORE oily than before, which is always not welcome in my books. After a short 1.5 hours, I felt like my concealer+loose powder combi was melting, and as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was in shock! My T-Zone area was SO OILY. I was rather disgusted and I had to blot several times that day. WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME! :( 

Will I buy it in the future? No. Why should I buy a product that makes my oily skin more oily? 

This is how the full-sized product looks like. Kind of classy and beautiful eh? Pity I will never buy it. :(

Review: Lioele Nail Colour

Recently, I made a purchase for some nailpolishes on Qoo10 just to try them out. In all, these Lioele Nail Colours have been nothing less than impressive and I have newfound trust for Korean brands now! 

Here's the link to those who want to try them out as well! http://list.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=406276895 

I bought them at S$1.90 each due to a timed sale. Currently, they are retailing for S$3.90 each. 4 bucks for a great nailpolish is still too good to miss! I actually like them better than China Glaze nailpolishes! :) Nothing beats Deborah Lippmann nailpolishes though. I had the fortune to try one out last year during exchange and OMG I NEED THEM IN MY LIFE. But of course with a price tag like that, I can't get Deborah Lippmann nailpolishes without feeling sorry for my wallet. :'(

Back to the stars of this post! 

Here are the colour selection for Lioele Nail Colours. I bought #18, #28 and #37! 

Thanks mysune.com for the photo! 

#37 left, #28 middle and #18 right

I realised they have English names haha. So it's lavender (left), modern mint (centre) and blue purple (right)

Swatches under camera flash

I don't normally do nailpolish reviews because I'm not as professional as the real-deal nailpolish reviewers on the blogosphere, but for these babies, I'M GOING TO BREAK MY OWN RULE.

Pigmentation was amazing, two coats did the trick for me and they were not streaky coats. Smooth and no sights of those disgusting tiny bubbles. The brush was also very pleasant to use, much more pleasant than China Glaze's irritatingly rough brush that make application a nightmare.

I know this is a really slipshod and amature nailpolish review, but please do get them if you want to try on Korean brand nailpolishes. Simply amazing!

I hope this has been helpful! :) Thanks for reading! HAPPY NATIONAL DAY SINGAPORE!