Food, food, and food.

Very short post today...

I went to my aunt's house for Thanksgiving, and I had a blast. :D 
I helped out a bit with the cooking, and of course the food was super delicious. and for dessert we had guava cheesecake (my dad makes this, it's SO good), pumpkin pie, apple pie, and ice cream. I only have the cheesecake though, and some ice cream.

And today I cooked some more. So much food, huuuuu.

I wish I had money to do some Black Friday online shopping, but I don't. :u Keeping in mind for next year that online stores also do BF deals.

Review: Shiseido Perfect Whip Facial Wash

First of all, happy November! I've decided to do another product review, because this wash has been doing wonders for my skin, but not many people seem to know about this product. 

It is...

Shiseido Sengansenka Perfect Whip Facial Wash!

A mouthful, I know.

I ordered this on Amazon after reading some good reviews, even though I was a little hesitant about actually using it. (Although I know Shiseido has really good products.) My skin is really sensitive, and I've tried at least 4 different cleansers these past 5 months alone, and the last thing I wanted to end up with is contact dermatitis. But I needed a new cleanser that I thought would actually work, so I bought it anyway. 
As it turns out, this cleanser is actually working very well for me! Unlike other cleansers I've used in the past, this one doesn't make my skin itch after I wash it off. 

The fact that the entire bottle is in Japanese shouldn't deter you, because it's not like it's difficult to use a cleanser. I'll start out by saying that the name is just a little bit misleading. The cleanser itself isn't very foamy...

and no, my nails aren't dirty. it's the glitter polish i'm wearing.

It looks like this, straight out of the tube. It can almost be considered sticky and just a bit stringy. However, if you put it directly on your face like this, it's going to be pretty uncomfortable. You should dab your entire face with some water, just to dampen it a bit before applying the cleanser. This makes rubbing it around much easier, and it feels better, too.

This is what the cleanser should look like on your face.

It's still not quite foamy like the name implies, but it does the job. I like to rub it around in little circles for a few minutes, wait about 30 seconds, then wash it off. It's not gritty at all, so your face will be nice and smooth. I like to apply my green tea cleanser afterwards, just in case my skin does get a little dry. 

All in all, it's a very good cleanser and I highly recommend it! I have to say, it's probably the best cleanser I've ever used, and that's coming from someone who's tried out over 10 different cleansers over the years. It's gentle on the skin, has a pleasing little scent to it, and doesn't leave your skin feeling itchy or gritty.

Life updates...

I never can think of decent post title names, it's such a hassle. I'm really bad when it comes to naming anything, hence why this blog has already gone through one name change. Knowing me, I'll probably end up changing it again...I don't know to what, though!

Anyway...

I haven't really talked about school since it started up again. It's been going well, I suppose, though I think it could go better. It's kinda frustrating, because I consider myself an ambitious person because I have a lot of goals, but the motivation just isn't really there? I know I have to change that! 

I think my favorite class that I have would actually be history, because I love learning about history. My favorite class should be painting, but I can't really say that because I can't love a class that has a bunch of annoying loud ang moh's, as much as I love painting itself. Seriously though, these girls are SO annoying...it sounds petty and stupid, but excuse me for not finding their high-pitch voices, laughs, and obnoxious behavior pleasant. They're always talking about their silly boy problems...maybe they wouldn't have such problems if they weren't so toot. 

On Tuesday I went to the open-house event for a school I'd like to go to, for their cosmetology program. It does sound rigorous (which I already knew), but it's something I'd like to do. Besides learning the obvious (hair, makeup, massage, nails, etc.) you also have to learn about anatomy, which is what I'm most worried about, since I don't handle medical things well at all. (Seriously; I've fainted a total of four times in life because of needles. Even going to the doctor scares me.)
Their dance program also sounds very fun, but the cosmetology is what I'm most interested in right now. I can always just do dancing on the side.

Review: Nymph Aura Boosting Primer

Hey, everyone!
I know I haven't blogged in a while, due to having a crazy workload with school, but I'm back. Now, I just got this product in the mail about two weeks ago, but I've been dying to do a review on it because I absolutely love it. Today I'm reviewing....

Etude House's Nymph Aura Boosting Primer!

This was actually a little difficult to get my hands on. It seems production of the Nymph Aura line (primer, 'volumer', and powder) has been discontinued. Anyway, I'm in love with this baby right here. It's perfect for those days when you want to look good, but either don't have the time--or don't feel like doing--or makeup. Or if you're having a sick day and look a little pale, this primer will add some color right back into your skin.

It comes in this pretty little tube. Just be sure not to squeeze the tube too hard when you're first trying to get the primer out, because you'll end up with a giant glob of peach primer on your fingers. A few gentle squeezes will be enough.

Here, I've put the primer on my hand. As you can see, it's a peachy color that looks pretty bright against my skin tone, but watch...

A few seconds of rubbing the primer onto my hand, and you've got a nice, airbrushed look! You can probably see the subtle line of demarcation on my wrist between where my real skin color starts and the primer fades, but hopefully you know that when you put this on your face, you should always blend down under your chin and probably a bit of your neck, as well.

I read some other reviews on this product, and people were complaining that the smell was too strong, or they didn't like the glittery effect it gave. I, for one, actually enjoy the light floral scent, and don't find it to be overwhelming or strong at all. And I also didn't notice any shimmer in the primer, so I'm not sure what people are talking about there. I've really been swearing by this primer lately, because it's basically half-primer, half-BB cream. You get that whitening effect you would get from BB cream, but you also get the polished and slightly-colored look of primer. It's perfect! 

If you're looking to purchase this or other Nymph Aura products, I recommend eBay or Amazon. From what I've seen, none of the online Asian beauty product stores carry this line. Maybe the Etude House website still has it, though I'm not sure, since the website won't load on my computer for some reason.

I also got a free sample of the Nymph Aura Volumer (which I'm fairly certain is supposed to be Volumizer...), but it's not really enough to do a product review on. I definitely plan on buying a full bottle of the volumer at some point, so expect a review on that, too.

Birthday!//Trip to Little Korea & Chinatown

Today is my birthday! Happy birthday to me. I love seeing all the 'happy birthday' messages on Facebook, even from people I don't talk to that much...ah, anyway. It was somewhat of a boring birthday, actually. I just stayed at home, played video games, watched some TV, nothing special. But I'll stop talking about my birthday now, and get into the highlight of my weekend; Saturday's trip to Little Korea and Chinatown in NYC.

I love taking long drives. I love listening to music with my headphones and imagining myself as a rockstar. We passed by this really nice area in the city, I believe it was around 42nd street? Though I could be wrong. I've never learned how to navigate around the city, I just let my parents do the driving. But it was so nice! Lots of shops and bright lights. I bet it looks even better at nighttime. 

There were even some people dressed in bad-looking costumes walking around! I saw Batman, Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Dora, Woody...but seriously, the costumes were pretty shitty looking. Moving on...the first place we went to was Little Korea. It literally is quite little; only a couple of blocks long. But there's a lot to do! These buildings are loaded with shops, restaurants, noraebangs, you name it. And when I saw a little store that said "The Face Shop", I was practically knocked off my feet. 

For those of you who don't know, The Face Shop is one of the most popular Korean cosmetic brands. They're right up there with Etude House and Skin79. I seriously only the thought the only place I'd see one of The Face Shop stores is in Korea. I was hoping that there would be one, but I wasn't really expecting it! It was pretty small, because it was shared with this large...gift shop? I don't know what to call it. They had DVDs, books, CDs, all sorts of little things like pens, stickers, Korean flags, etc. It was so nice! From that gift shop I only ended up buying the Action CD by Nu'est. From The Face Shop, I bought a rice foam facial cleanser. 

After that, my parents and I headed to this little restaurant I forgot the name of. It was small, but it was packed to the brim. We had to wait a few minutes to get a table. This was one of my first times trying Korean food, so I was a little nervous, but it actually turned out to be very good! I ordered fried dumplings (which I thought would be meat-stuffed, but was actually filled with vegetables along with very little meat cubes). Until the waiter started bringing out all these side dishes, I forgot that having a ton of side dishes is common when it comes to Korean cuisine. There were little plates of kimchi, seaweed, a few other things I forgot, and the crown jem; Steamed egg in an iron pot. It was absolutely delicious! 

After that, we headed off to Chinatown. Honestly, I was really disappointed. It was mostly a bunch of knock-off jewelry stores, doctors, and food markets. Very little shopping stores. Right next to Chinatown is Little Italy, so we went there for a while, too. From there I bought an adorable Hello Kitty phone case, and a bracelet. (I was browsing keychains at one of the stands outside, but then this lady comes up and starts yelling at me in Arabic! Did she think I was gonna steal one or something? Seriously, if they're so worried about that, they shouldn't have things sitting on stands outside.)

The loot. Plus the two free samples of some...cream or something TFS gave me.

While Chinatown and Little Italy were kind of disappointing, I would love to visit Little Korea again. I had such a blast and felt right at home. 

Quite possibly one of the coolest weddings ever.

Yesterday I went to my dad's friend's wedding, and let me tell you, it has to be one of the coolest weddings ever. It wasn't just the ceremony, reception, food, and go home. It was ceremony, party-reception, food, more dancing and awesome music, food, cake and coffee, then going home.

Taken in the car on the way to the beach. Before my hair exploded due to the wind.

The ceremony was on a beach. When we got there, we met up with some of my dad's coworkers, who were actually really nice. One of them--a girl I'll refer to as C--stayed with us the entire time throughout the wedding and reception. She was totally awesome! 
I was introduced to the groom, who I'll call A. He and his best men looked so nice in their tan vests, pink roses pinned on them, fancy pants and sandals! Not the mention the fancy little Spanish hat.

We were lined up in two rows along either side of these cute little decorations in the sand--

--and then the music started to play. 
I didn't even realize until I got home how many photos I took. The bridesmaids (there were only 2) looked very pretty in their pink dresses. And when the bride (K) came out, everyone started taking pictures and videos. Her dress was so pretty, and she looked gorgeous! Seeing how happy she and A looked during the ceremony even made me happy. And the coolest part? It was kind of cloudy for the whole day, until they started to exchange vows. That's when the sun came out directly over them. It was awesome. 

After that, we headed back into the car and drove to the place where the reception would be at. (I don't know what to call it; A hall? Ballroom? House? It was very big and had numerous rooms; there was another party going on in the other ballroom but you couldn't even tell unless you went out into the hallway. I guess the rooms are soundproof, unless you leave the doors open.) I was mortified by my hair; I had gotten it done at the salon before we left, but because of all the wind at the beach, my hair literally exploded. It got SO puffed up, and I have having puffy hair. I tried brushing it down as best I could, but it really didn't do much.

First was the cocktail hour, which was inside a decently large room with a nice bar and tons of bar tables and stools. The caterers brought in these huge platters of food; One with cheese, fruit, and crackers, and the other platter had loads of meat on it. Salami, pepperoni, you name it. They also went around serving little finger foods; I had two of the pigs in a blanket, which were super delicious. The bread was lightly crispy and melted in my mouth; sooo good. After an hour of this we went into the ballroom, where the actual reception would be. It was even colder in the ballroom, unfortunately. But instead of it being a formal dinner with little chit-chat, there were all these lights and 2 DJs who were pumping out all these awesome songs and remixes.

I managed to take a photo of everyone gettin' down. Plus the photographer. :u

 I didn't join in on any dancing unless I was literally taken by the hand, which I was at least 4 times by some mysterious man who appeared to be in his 30s. *shiver* Oh well, doesn't matter who it's with; dancing is fun! Though it was kind of awkward to see other adults dancing and grinding while you're sitting with your parents. But I got to dance with the groom a little bit when Gasolina came on, which I sure as hell didn't mind, because he is pretty cute. My parents decided it'd be cool to try and dance with me, and I just casually moved away every time. I wasn't even really dancing; just awkwardly moving back and forth. Had I not been the only teenager there and had my parents not been there, well, it would've been a different story.

And the cake was delicious! It was served at around 10:00, along with coffee.

I was too lazy to move the coffee up close to the plate. o well.

If this doesn't qualify as an awesome wedding, no wedding does.

2NE1 - Live @ Prudential Center, NJ

Now that I had a good night's sleep and I don't feel so exhausted, I can blog about the 2NE1 concert I went to last night! 

With my official 2NE1 bracelet and unofficial YG Entertainment bracelet! Ordered these online a few months ago.

First, let me start off by saying that I'm kind of surprised they picked such a ghetto area for the concert. Newark is definitely not a place I'd want to stop by on a world tour, but I guess all the other venues were booked. Everyone was super trendy, too! I even saw a girl in the line who recreated CL's infamous Jeremy Scott pony dress. Anyway, everything before the concert absolutely sucked. And here's why. 

1 - My dad and I got to the center at 3:15, because there was supposed to a flash mob at 3:45. After getting some shitty tasting pizza and waiting until 4:00, there was still no flash mob, so we decided to get in line.

2 - The waiting was absolute bullshit. We got in line around 4:00, and at around 4:30, they made all of us non-VIP ticketholders move to the other end near the doors, and we ended up forming a massive blob because the stupid security people didn't tell us exactly where to go or line up. 

3- At around 5:30, they announced the doors would open at 6. Come 6:30, all of us (not sure if the VIPs were already in or not, but I think they were) are still waiting outside. Mind you, it was hot as hell and it was raining a little bit. And the fact that we were standing all so close together made it unbearable. I seriously thought I was going to faint, and I was even starting to get a headache. I was chatting with a few girls next to me, who were just as cranky and pissed off as I was. Finally, at 8:30, they let us inside. My dad and I  bought some fries, popcorn, and chicken tenders (which were ridiculously overpriced btw; 10$ for some shitty-tasting fries and popcorn? And 4$ for a bottle of water? Seriously). Then we got to our seats and eagerly waited.

I wanted to hurry up and take the picture so I didn't really smile or anything, LOL.

The concert, which was supposed to start at 8, but thanks to the security/technology screw ups started at around 9:15, was amazing. Before the girls came out on stage, we were entertained with some of their videos, including Gangnam Style by PSY! The VIPs on the floor were dancing to it, and we were all singing along. It was great! 

Then finally, 2NE1 came out, and it was incredible. The music, their performance, everything! I have to stay that I had more fun in this 2 hour concert than the 4-hour SMTOWN concert last October. With SMTOWN, it was literally just like you watching the artists perform. But with 2NE1, they were interactive with the audience and it felt like a massive party instead of a concert. These girls have such an amazing stage presence. They didn't show any signs of fatigue, and they didn't lip-sync at all. Also, I have to say that these girls are beautiful in person! Seriously, they are so gorgeous. I only took a few photos, everything else was videos.

L to R - Dara, CL, Bom, Minzy

We were seated kind of far from the stage, but I didn't mind. At least I got to see these amazingly talented girls in person. I did feel kind of bad for the VIPs, who had to stand for the whole concert after standing outside for so long. 

My dad went back into the food area during 'Scream' and picked up these. They were SO GOOD.

"I'm going to make this show worth the wait," CL said near the beginning of the show, and they sure as hell did. All the fatigue we felt from waiting in the heat and rain completely disappeared when we got to our seats and during the show. I'm so happy I got to see them in person!

Galleria Mall Haul

I was too tired when I got home to blog about it, but yesterday I went to upstate New York with my parents, to the town I used to live. A lot of things have changed, but a lot of things were also the same. Some places I remembered perfectly! It was so nice, seeing all these places and some old neighbors that I hadn't seen in over eight years. I even got the phone numbers of some of the people I used to play with when I was a kid! 
We went to our old house, which looks completely different, because whoever lives there now has painted it and royally messed up the front yard with way too many plants and ridiculous decorations. My school was right down the road, and it was pretty painful to see it all closed up. (Windows and doors barred, tapped, and shut.)

After all that, we went to the mall, which again, I hadn't been to in over 8 years, but very little has changed! I remembered the food court perfectly; mint green chairs and tables facing this huge window that gave you a nice view of outside. Needless to say, some awesome shopping was done, and I was sure to take pictures of everything I bought when I got home.

Plaid shoes from H&M, only $15! 

I saw these jeans in Wet Seal and I HAD to have them. The flower designs are sooo pretty!

Also from Wet Seal, a varsity-style jacket. I've always wanted one of these but never could find one. So happy they had it! It's also really comfy.

I'm really into the whole cross trend, so I picked up these two shirts from Forever 21. The tanktop is super glittery and pretty, and I plan on cutting the black shirt in half to make it a crop top. Also, see those two accessories there?

Those earrings seriously are some of the prettiest I've ever seen! They had another pair where the roses were red, but I wanted the pink ones. The bracelet also has super gorgeous white flowers on it, along with this diamond design. Forever 21 always has such pretty accessories.

I love the little black tie that came with this blouse! The color may appear different on your screen, but the blouse is this really nice shade of pale pink. I think pairing this with the black flower jeans along with those earrings and that bracelet is a killer combination!

Some other shoes I bought. I'm so glad the moccasins came in my size; After playing Final Fantasy XIII, I knew I had to have a pair of shoes like Vanille. Therefore, I shall call these moccasins my Vanille shoes. 

The mall where I live actually has more clothing stores that I would shop in. At the Galleria, I only went to H&M, Forever 21, Wet Seal, and Payless. But still, it was so nice getting to visit my old hometown. I definitely want to go back sometime soon.

Review: 'Electra Heart' - Marina & The Diamonds

I only discovered Marina & The Diamonds (real name Marina Lambrini Diamindis) a few weeks ago, but I've had an obsession with her music since. For this review, I'm going to be talking about her latest album Electra Heart. I might review The Family Jewels some other time. Both are great albums, but I would like to review this one first.

                                                      

Track Listing:

Bubblegum Bitch

Primadonna

Lies

Homewrecker

Starring Role

The State of Dreaming

Power and Control

Living Dead 

Teen Idle

Valley of the Dolls

Hypocrates

Fear and Loathing

Radioactive

Sex Yeah

Lonely Hearts Club

Buy The Stars

First, just look at that track list. 16 songs is a lot for an album, since most albums typically have between 10-13 songs. But I'm definitely not complaining, because every single song is enjoyable to listen to and has you coming back for more. The main thing that drew me into her music is her voice; It's very versatile. She can swing from opera falsettos to the low-lows of singing.

The first track, Bubblegum Bitch, is a catchy pop-rock song that's pretty reminiscent of indie pop, but I don't really want to classify Marina's music as indie. It gets stuck in your head pretty easily, and is one of the more memorable tracks on the album. (You know how it is when it comes to albums; Some songs fade a bit into the background, even though they're still great, whereas others are the first songs that come to mind when you think of the album.)

Primadonna is my favorite song on the album, without a doubt. This was the first song I heard by her, and it made me go and give her other songs a listen, then download both Electra Heart and The Family Jewels. This song is a perfect example of her excellent vocal range. It starts out in a wispy tone, then switches between her opera falsetto (as I call it) to that wispy voice for intro. Throughout the rest of the song, she goes all around her vocal range, from the lows to the highs and in-between. Another very memorable song.

Lies is a bit of a slower song than the two upbeat ones that come behind it. She doesn't move around her vocal range as much, sticking mostly to the middle and high pitches, which is perfect for this type of song. The simple drum and piano beat blends really nicely with her voice, as well. Not as memorable as Bubblegum Bitch and Primadonna, but still quite on the list.

Homewrecker, another hit from this album. You might be a little turned off at first by the spoken lyrics, but don't let that stop you! As soon as that first verse ends, we're treated to another beautiful example of her falsetto. I know I keep saying that, but I've really never heard any other voice quite like hers. (Sure, Mariah Carey has a nice voice, but there's a strong difference between high-pitch and opera.) The song rotates between spoken lyrics and higher notes throughout. A song I'd definitely consider memorable.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about Starring Role and The State of Dreaming. Both are good songs, but don't really hook me like the others. However, these songs provide a nice balance. The album doesn't have too much pop or too many slower songs. Everything is balanced out very well.

Power and Control is another key, memorable song. On the vocal range scale, it's a little more downtoned, which I consider to be a good thing. Like I said, there's a very nice balance. Living Dead takes us back to the more upbeat songs we heard at the beginning of the CD. Though some might find the lyric repetition annoying, I personally enjoy it.

Teen Idle is a very interesting song. It's one of the much slower songs, but it's a bit difficult to describe. It involves concepts like depression and what sounds like wishing things could have been different instead of how they actually were. Teen Idle is a fitting name; The song portrays a feeling of being stuck; therefore, idle. Valley of the Dolls, while it's still enjoyable, might be one of those songs you skip over. There's nothing really outstanding about it, but nothing bad, either. Such is the same case with Hypocrates and Fear and Loathing. Out of those two, Fear and Loathing would be my favorite. It's another display of Marina's impressive vocal range, and it's one of those songs you'd want to listen to on a rainy day.

Radioactive is another poppy, memorable song. It's even a little bit fun to just move around and dance a little to, because of the techno beat in the background. Sex Yeah...I'm not sure where I stand on this song. It's catchy and gets stuck in your head easily, but it doesn't really draw me in completely. Lonely Hearts Club is another song to get you moving a little bit, and is nice and easy on the ears. Buy the Stars is a pretty, slow song that wraps up Electra Heart quite nicely. Marina's light and delicate vocals occasionally dip into lows here, and that makes it all the prettier.

All in all, it's a very good album that doesn't disappoint, but you may find yourself thrilled at certain songs while not-so-thrilled at others. It's still definitely worth a listen, and is probably one of my favorite CDs, ever. Even with the songs that aren't a hit, they're all still enjoyable to hear anywhere, anytime.

Hiking trip!

Yesterday I went hiking with my parents for the first time! It was a complete spur-of-the-moment thing, apparently. My mom woke me up yesterday around 1 and said my dad wanted to go out to this hiking place all of a sudden. I didn't really want to go, because I've never had an interest in going hiking, but I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed anyway. 


It took forever just to find the place. The GPS got the location all wrong, so we had to go and look for it ourselves. It's actually a very easy place to miss; the turn that takes you into the parking area is very small and practically hidden. It was a bit crowded, but because the actual hiking area was so huge, it was a little uncommon to run into anyone else.


On a little noticeboard before you head towards one of the trails (I believe there were three), there was a map of the area, which was huge. But there were also two notices about things to be wary of; Snakes and black bears. Naturally I totally started freaking out, because I wanted to hike and enjoy nature, not be attacked or even have to see snakes and black bears. Thankfully, during our hiking, we only came across a lot of daddy long leg spiders. No snakes or bears! (Though we did run into a family who said they found a huge snake on one of the other trails.)


The trails were very scenic, obviously. The higher up you went, the better views you had of what was around. Our first destination was to get to this thing called a pillar rock near the top of the mountain, but my mom didn't want to walk up that high, so we turned and went down the orange trail, towards a reservoir. We also didn't make it there, even though we were close, because honestly I was starting to chicken out a little bit. I was tired of all the bugs and I was terrified about running into a snake or bear. 


The downside to the entire trip was that because there were so many rocks and trees and shit to watch out for, I could barely look to see what was around me. I was basically looking down at the ground in front of me the entire time, unless I stopped walking. Which I tried not to do, because I didn't want some bug crawling up on me. This resulted in me being able to get only two photos of the entire thing.

That was a really pretty river towards the start of the hike.

Look at that awesome quality! *sarcasm* I'm not sure what I was trying to take a picture of. But a photo is a photo. Even though I wasn't all that thrilled at first about going hiking, it turned out to be a pretty decent trip. And then we put back on the 300 calories we burned walking by going to get some Dairy Queen.