I ❤ Summer Tag

Hi everyone!  I had a long nap today after so long. It was really nice. Earlier today, I attended a firm event. This was my company's 2nd annual golf scramble. I've never picked up a golf club ever in my life nor I've gone to a golf course before. I'd always thought golf is fancy smanchy sports. Some people might hate me for saying this, but I'd never thought golf as a sport. But today, I can see it as a sport for walking almost 2 miles carrying my golf club sets. I was told that I was a natural, but I don't know. I don't really like it. It's a lot of waiting time, and I prefer a more upbeat, heart-pumping sport.

Anyway, I wasn't sure what to do for a blog post. But then I remember of Ingrid's (missglamorazzi)
I ❤ Summer Tag  video. You can check out her video here. Let's get started!

1. Favorite bronzer for summer?
 I am matte bronzer kinda gal. I don't really like shimmery bronzer. It just makes my face looks like a disco ball, especially during the day when the sun hits my face. It's just too much for a daytime look. Lately I've been using Rimmel Sunny matte bronzer, but to be honest, I don't love it. It does the job, but I prefer TooFaced Chocolate Soleil matte bronzer with its deeper tone and chocolate scent.

2. You're relaxing in a hammock, on a tropical island. What are you sipping on? 
(Favorite summer drink)
Most likely coconut water. I love love love coconut water, especially during hot days like now. My favorite is from this Vietnamese dessert place called Bambu and it's dessert #1. It's so yummy!

3. Favorite summer lip product?
I prefer moisturizing tinted lip product rather than full on lipstick. Lately I've been using Revlon Kissable balm stain and Revlon lip butter. They're just so easy to apply and feel comfortable on the lips.

4. Pool or Beach?
I'm kinda in between with this one. I like hanging out at the beach, but I like swimming in the pool better. I gotta admit, I'm a little bit of scared to swim in the sea. It's just beyond my scope of swimming ability to stand against the waves. Haha. I like both, but if I have to choose, I'll choose beach regardless.
More natural, more freedom.

5. Summer = crazy hair! What's your must-have styling product?
I don't really have any issue with crazy hair. I naturally have fine straight hair, and they are mendable, in most times. But one thing that I now can't live without is dry shampoo. I just love spraying them on every other day when I have my "second hair day" to absorb the excess oil. I love Suave dry shampoo. The scent is really refreshing!

6. Sun bathing or fake tan?
I am definitely a tanning virgin. Haha. I don't sun bath and I don't fake tan. I haven't touched base on any tanning or whatnot. But I gotta say, I don't like sun bath to get the color. I don't like sun-bathing period. I guess, coming from Asia, especially from where I'm from, sun-bathing is not what we normally do. Instead, it's something we avoid. People in my hometown prefer porcelain looking skin. Different country different perception of beauty. Interesting, isn't it?

7. Favorite summer nail polish?
Wet n Wild "I have a Refresh-mint". Fun, bright pastel color. Looks good on anybody!

8. Any summer traditions?
I 'officially' started to have summer in 2009. Indonesia doesn't really have summer. It's tropical season all year round. So, every summer, I got 12 weeks of holiday and I went back to my hometown and just hang out. Now, after I started working, the only summer tradition that I can think of is camping. I have it every year now with my friends.

9. Favorite summer scent?
I love floral scent. The perfume that I've been using is Daisy eau so fresh by Marc Jacob. The scent doesn't get old!

10. Favorite BBQ food?
Might be a boring answer, but I love meat. As long as it's meat and it's bbq, i'll eat it!  lol

11. What's your favorite summer-proof product?
Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray. It keeps my makeup in place. At first I thought this product was kinda a joke. Why would you spray liquid to a perfectly made-up face? But I see it now. It just sets the makeup products on your face and locks them in place. It doesn't 100% prevent smudging, but it reduces oil and what not. It's extremely important especially during the hot summer weather.
I also have my handy dandy facial sunscreen from my dermatologist. Sunscreen is important! Prevent aging, sunspot as early as possible guys!


12. Any summer vacation plans this year? No plans? Tell us about your dream summer trip!
Nope, no vacation plan except for a weekend camping trip in late August. I'm saving my PTO for Christmas. So excited! I don't really have a dream vacation, but I did enjoy my trip to Avilla Beach. I think it's a perfect place for a summer getaway. The place is just so quiet and relaxing. I'd love to go there again soon.

❤❤❤

4th of July Getaway: Skunk Train and Botanical Garden

Happy Friday everyone! Finally I have time to post this lovely photos from my trip last week to Mendocino Area on 4th of July. My boyfriend took me to Mendocino area, which is about 3-hour drive from where we live. It was a long drive, but really it was worth it. 

We went on this 1-hour experience on Skunk Train. It usually a 4-hour round trip, but due to a landslide on one of its track, they cut the trip short, which honestly for me is enough to relax and just enjoy the ride in the nature. The fare is $20 per person. I admit it is a little bit much for a 1-hour train ride, but we paid for the experience. 

Inside the Skunk Train

An open wagon where most people just stood there enjoying the view and the very nice weather. 

The train singer who kept us entertained. Very nice guy!

Finally got someone to take a picture of both of us. The train wasn't that long, but it was packed!

From the skunk train, we drove for about 30 minutes to Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. I gotta say, this was by far the best garden I've ever been to. It's not just a garden with flowers and everything, but you could actually walk to the ocean. I didn't expect the garden to be that huge, but it was. The walk was amazing. I love garden, and want to have my own someday in the foreseeable future. It's funny to think back now that my mom was always buying flowers to pretty up her garden and I kept telling her to stop. Now I can't wait to have my own. 

The beginning of the garden. There was entrance fee of $14 per person, but it you go in a group of 12 or more, it's $7 each. 

Behind me is a rose garden. It was not as exciting as it sounds, but I really like this entrace-gate type of thing. It reminds me of Secret Garden.

Random giant stone eggs in the middle of our walk

This place is really popular for weddings and many events. The site is just really beautiful. You have colorful flowers surrounding the area and just behind it is the ocean. 

The ocean view. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was a breathtaking view.

Never Stop Dreaming

Happy Friday! I was looking forward for the 4th of July weekend, and now I don't want it to end. It's already Friday and soon it's gonna be Monday again.

Excuse my whining, i don't mean to spread any negativity.

Yesterday, I went to the beach with my boyfriend, enjoying the view and the sun, and unfortunately, the wind. We didn't go into the water beause it was really cold despite the bold sunshine. I kept holding tight my jacket and walked on the beach paying attention to how majestic all of this view in front of me. 

                     

      We saw crab shells everywhere. RIP crab family. 

I've been watching Private Practice on netflix. It's not as good as my favorite Grey's Anatomy, but it does take my mind off when I'm taking a brea. Addison, the main character, lives in this gorgeous ocean-view house. She literally can see the beach from her patio. I wish i could live there. Someday, maybe. Never stop dreaming, cause when you stop that's when the hope dies.

Would You Rather: Makeup Edition

Happy weekend everyone! I'm trying to find some inspiration of what to blog about, and I thought I'd do some tag here =)

1. Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

Gee, it's painful for me to even think to lose all of those, but if I really had to choose, I guess I would rather lose all my eyeliners. I can always use my black or brown, even purple eyeshadow as my eyeliner. 

2. Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Oh man, this is an icky question to imagine. I can't imagine having rapunzel-length hair. My fine hair would be all unruly and weighted-down. I would rather chop off all my hair. My hair can always grow back, right? ;)

3. Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

Hmm, both are pretty much the only blush shades I use (is there any other shade?). I would rather have coral cheek all year round. I think it's more attractive especially for my skin tone. Coral is more versatile and youthful and natural looking whereas pink sometimes could seem more made-up. 

4. If you had $1,000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

This is a surprisingly hard question for me. I know I post mainly about makeup on this blog, but I do have sometimes-uncontrollable passion in fashion/shopping longer. It's not that I like clothes more than makeup, but I just like them longer if that makes sense. So, to choose an impossible here, I would rather spend the $1,000 on clothes. 

5. Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner or eyeliner as lipstick?

The first thing that came up in my mind reading this question was black lips as in using eyeliner as lipstick. I am a no black-lipstick kinda gal. But if I had to choose, I guess I would use lipstick as eyeliner, especially dark shades like which was once in season. I imagine something like vampy-eggplant shade as gel eyeliner. I know I might seem to always justify my answer with shades. It's just hard. =p

6. Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

This is an easy one. I love the fancy idea of all MAC makeup collection, but I would choose Sephora in a heartbeat. There's just much more variety or variety period. I am one who easily gets bored and wants to try different brands. MAC wouldn't be sufficient to 'fulfill' that for me. 

7. Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?

Another depressing question! I would have to say one eyeshadow color. I love using all kinds of lip colors and can't really imagine just sticking to one. I can't really imagine just one eyeshadow either, come to think of it. I would say I'd just use one eyeshadow color- then I'd work to formulate some sort of product out of random ingredients that isn't technically eyeshadow, just so I could get around this question and continue using different eye colors and lip colors :) 

8. Would you rather wear winter clothes in the summer or summer clothes in the winter?

I really don't like heat. The idea of wearing thick sweater on a hot summer day is just devastating for me. But wearing summer clothes in the winter? Gee, taking consideration of living in California, I guess I'd wear summer in winter. 

9. Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Bright nails definitely. I generally prefer bright colors. They just cheer me up and make my mood, err, brighter. 

10. Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

I would rather give up my favorite lip product. I just wouldn't feel comfortable with smudgy eyeliner and clumpy mascara or powdery eyeshadow. Eye makeup had made me conscious in rubbing my eyes in the middle of the day. It took a while until I finally found my trusty combo, I would be fine with just any lip balm. 

11. Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

Messy bun. I never really like to wear my hair in ponytail. I do it only when I'm at the gym. But for day-to-day, I prefer messy bun. It looks more put together despite of the name. You gotta know how to do the right kind of messy bun ;P

12. Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip gloss?

Easiest question so far, I would never paint my nails again. I generally don't paint my nails anyway, so it wouldn't be a struggle for me. But human that I am, I would always feel tempted to do something that I'm not able to. But hey, aren't we all are?

13. Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or Sharpie them in everyday?

Me without eyebrows? It ain't pretty just to imagine, but Sharpie them in everyday would be worse. 

I would look like Sin-chan, this manga character from japanese comic book. The question doesn't say if I shaved them I couldn't fill them in with other brow product. So, I'd shave them all. #loophole 

14. Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

Same question and same answer as #12. I would rather live without nail polish. Makeup forever!

Thank you for reading. Now I'm tagging all of you readers to do this tag! 

♥♥♥

Beauty Review: My ZPalette & Depot How-To

About a week ago I finally placed my very first order of Zpalette on zpalette.com. I looked at my makeup collection, and realized how small palettes have been accumulated to piles and piles that take quite some space. My experience purchasing from zpalette.com is really great. I am pleased of how fast they shipped my order and how fast I received the palette. I ordered on a Thursday and received it on the following Monday.

I chose this limited-edition cherry blossom large palette I love how the palette looks like, but to be honest, none of the design on the website really looks elegant nor expensive. So if you're looking for expensive-looking palette, this is not it. But if you're looking for a fun design and useful palette, Zpalette might be right for you.

The palette comes with 20 magnetic stickers that you can put on your makeup product pans and they will stick to the palette like no other. I would assume the palette would've been more practical if it had a built-in magnetic base so we don't have to put sticker to attach the product into the palette. Regardless, it's a smart idea and really saves a lot of space and time. I no longer have to dig through my stuff to get the product I want. And with everything laid out on you in a single palette, you are more likely to use them and not forget about them.

The palette doesn't come with separator which allows for flexibility. You're not limited to put only round-panned product like MAC eyeshadows. You can depot almost everything.

Here's how I depotted mine:

Despite what I did in the picture, I find the best way to depot is using a candle. That way, you don't make a mess on your flat iron like I did. If you prefer to use a flat iron, do it mess-free by placing a wax paper or any regular paper in between the straightener surface and the back of the plastic palette (I learned the hard way, and didn't use paper in the picture). This way, the residue of the melted plastic won't be stuck on the straightener.

Here's what's mine look like now

Hope you enjoy this post. Have a great week people!

LOTD: Idyllic and Romantic Wedding

Last Saturday, I attended a wedding. Both groom and bride are my friends, and I'm happy they've found each other. It was a a garden-type wedding at Brownstone Garden, Oakley. The place was idyllic. I don't know why, but that's the word that comes up in my mind to describe the place - with the outdoor setting, garden, shady trees, falling flowers.

The ceremony and reception was held at the same place but different are. The ceremony area was naturally decorated with this falling flowers from the trees all around. It was really beautiful except for the fact that the sun was really bold that day and heated up only one side of the seating areas. I heroically sat on that side because nobody else sat there. Boy, do I regret that decision. 

The ceremony was blessed by our very own church pastor. He mentioned how here in the States we can easily buy something and return it when we change our mind. As if it wasn't obvious, this doesn't apply on marriage. I just thought it was funny and so true. Marriage is forever. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I believe in "one for a lifetime".

The bride looked really gorgeous. I love everything about the dress. It was not too overwhelmingly heavy for the bride's super petite frame, but the simplicity really made it even more special. The groom wore a tan blazer with black vest underneath and the best man, groomsman, maid of honor and bridesmaid all wore aqua which was the them color. The wedding incorporated neutral and pastel colors which was very lovely.

After the ceremony the guests were led to a "mingling" area. There was a photobooth which was really popular. It was an instant photo which I think is really a smart idea. *noted*. There was also open bar which I personally got a note from the then bride-to-be to take advantage because they'd paid really expensive for that. I'm not a drinker but I did take advantage and tried out several different drinks. Awesome!

Bride and Groom Table

The groom ready to throw the garter

 For the makeup, I decided to go with my go-to trio, Wet 'n Wild Walking of eggshells. I just love the eyelid color. I used dark brown shade to contour the outer corner of my eyes.

             

Face

Rimmel Fix Pro Primer
Revlon Whipped Foundation - warm golden
MAC Mineralize Skin finish - medium+
TooFaced Chocolate soleil bronzer
Milani baked blush - Rose D'oro

Eyes

TooFaced shadow insurance
Wet n Wild trio - walking on eggshells
NYX nude matte eyeshadow - Tryst
Kat Von D tattoo liner - trooper*
Covergirl Lash Blast volume mascara*
Katy Perry lashes - Sweety Pie

*no smudge at all all day!

Lips

Anna Sui Lip Rogue V (review)  

As for the dress, I wore a different dress earlier in the ceremony, but thanks for he super heat from the super sun, I had to change. Thankfully I brought a spare dress. Why? I'm just indecisive and weird like that. So this dress is from Urban Outfitters. I got it last year when it was on sale online. I paired it with Ann Taylor Perfect pumps in sweet biscotti which I got as a gift from a friend. 

My accessories were only a disco wrap bracelet from BaubleBar and a little pendant necklace which was a no-occassion gift from my boyfriend. =). I went for simple because it was so very hot earlier that day, and I really don't manage well with heat.

Thank you for hanging out at my blog.

 Come again soon!

May Favorites

Hi everyone! May is finally over. I know I'm about two days too late, but it's better late than never for May Favorites! 

This is my very first monthly favorites post, so hope you enjoy reading this!

In the makeup department, I don't really have a lot. I didn't buy any new makeup products to try. This month I had given my skin a breather from all the beauty products. I really think it's nice to take a break and let your skin be once in a while.  

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation - 202 Nude
Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer - 002

These products are old favorites of mine. I like these, but I just sort of forgot about them until a friend asked me to do her makeup for a photoshoot. I swatched all my foundation and found this one to be a match for her skin tone. The foundation itself already has a great lasting power, but on top of the primer, the makeup doesn't budge! She told me how impressed she was how the makeup managed to stay all day and night. 

I never really go for a a primer on day-to-day basis, but when I do, I totally believe this Rimmel Fix & Perfect is a great one to use. You don't have to pay a lot of money for a good primer. This gives you smooth and clear canvas of your skin. Really great product!

Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer - Reserve your cabana

Don't be fooled by the name. It says bronzer, but it definitely is not. This shade of 'bronzer' from Wet n Wild actually acts more as a highlight than a bronzer. For a really affordable price, you get a humongous amount of product and pretty highlight without the look of a disco ball. It has a light reflective finish without crazy shimmer. 

    

Wet n Wild Trio - Walking on Eggshells

I have been using this trio for my go-to look for quite a while now. I really love how the pinkish champagne color has the satin finish with a bit of shimmer which makes your eyes look really pretty everytime they catch the light. I use the bronze color to contour the crease. 

Wet n Wild shadows are known for their high pigmentation and creamy texture. This is really a great quality product with affordable price. Nothing can beat that!

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner - Trooper

This is literally the only eyeliner I have been using for the last couple of months. The staying power is awesome and it doesn't smudge on me. I've posted my review on this baby before if you want to learn more. 

Anna Sui Lip Rogue V -361

You might recognize this from my last post. Awesome lipstick and shade. Thanks mom!

Shu Uemura - Karl for Shu eyelash curler

Shu Uemura's eyelash curler is really popular. I didn't think it was worth it to spend a little more just on an eyelash curler until I use this. It really gives my lashes nice upward curl. It's really awesome. 

I knew this product from watching MakeupbyTiffanyD's skin care routine video. This product is really great in moisturizing my skin without feeling heavy. The consistency is so light that'd make you wonder if it does anything. Trust me it does. I use it mainly on my face, and it hasn't had any dry patches ever since regardless of frequent drastic weather change. 

               

Two of my favorite scents from Bath and Body Works. Cherry blossom is old favorite of mine. First Bloom is from the new line they launched this Spring, Fresh Picked. It smells amazing. I almost want to get everything in the scent. But I didn't. Only the hand cream and the hand sanitizer. And the shower gel. =p 

Daisy Eau so Fresh by Marc Jacobs

Last but not least, I really love love this perfume. The scent is really unique and nothing like any perfume out there. You can totally recognize this perfume. The floral scent is perfect for a fresh and sweet Summer days. 

Favorite TV Shows for this month are Grey's Anatomy. I watched Grey's Anatomy in the past up to season 4, and just started watching it again, and I'm totally addicted. I still remember the time I was inspired to become a doctor, but I guess blood and corpses are still too much for me. 

Shoutout for Orphan Black. A new TV show on BBC America that premiered last March. It's sci-fi series about several identical women who turns out to be clones! If you like dark/sci-fi/mystery type of drama, then you might enjoy this as much as I do. The main star, Tatiana Maslany is brilliant! She can portray different characters and all have their own unique identity. Bravo.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!