No internet for me in China!!

Blogging in China just got 100 times harder.

1. My room internet does not work anymore for some reason... AND the lobbyman (dorm security guard?) doesn't know how to fix it.
2. There are two computers rooms in this dorm with 4 computers each. Some how 7/8 computers now do not work at all or the internet is broken... therefore there is only ONE working computer for almost 200 students.
3. My camera does not respond when plugged into my computer... aka I don't know how to transfer pictures onto my macbook.

Sigh... until I get these problems fixed, blog posts will be sparse and mostly text posts. I'm in the midst of getting my camera/laptop connection fixed so hopefully pictures will be up soon!!

In other news, I went to Shanghai metro city mall yesterday. There's a Skinfood and The Face Shop there. For anyone who wants to go there, it's at Xiuliuji (??) subway station exit 10 -- on the red line. Anyway, SF and FS are obviously more expensive in China than Korea but I was surprised to find that they have basically the entire product line. I bought a banana yogurt mask and oil blotting sheets from Skinfood. The banana mask smells like banana milk! I used it today and it made my skin feel very smooth. Total for both came out to be around $14 USD. FS, SF, and Missha seem to be very popular here. Even cute little street boutiques all sell various products from these three brands... it's odd to see that Etude House is kind of rare here.

I realized that shopping in Shanghai can be cheap if you go to the right places. Many department stores have cute clothes on sale for less than $50, but prices can go pretty high too for certain brands. I just bought a pair of cute mid-heel black patent heels with a bow on the back for about $35. I'm trying to limit the shopping though... I still have Korea and Hong Kong for shopping! And I need to be able to bring everything back in two suitcases =X

Overall, life in China hasn't gotten much better... the dorms are unbelievably cold in the hallways and I just discovered there are only 3 washers for 200 students, which will make laundry a hassle for the next 3 months. Nightlife here is nice though, although expensive. I went to Sin and M2 last night... not a big fan of M2. Also have been to G-Plus and Windows and I have to say G-Plus is my favorite. The whole Xintiandi area is a favorite of mine!

Since my internet hasn't been working, I haven't been able to download any new kpop songs. Getting kind of sick of the same songs over and over again! And I haven't been able to catch up on any music shows or dramas!! >.<

This is getting to be too long of a post now! I'll stop the ramblings now and give you guys another update as soon as I can!

First update abroad

I can't seem to figure out how to get my camera to work with my computer, so for this blog post, it'll be a short story.

The first several days of Shanghai were quite interesting for me... my school is in a more quieter and run-down section of Shanghai. It feels like I'm living the in the 1960's with dingy buildings and old taxis in every color. I thought to myself "where is this amazing Shanghai city that I've heard so much about?!". I finally went to the city part of Shanghai today where I had amazing dumplings. The nighttime view is also amazing and the weather here is nice enough that you can walk around at night without feeling cold.

Purchases-wise, I bought cute mix-style earphones today. Can't seem to find a picture online, but they're white in-ear headphones with little black stars. It was only the equivalent of $4 USD! Hope the sound quality isn't terrible... The store also had the big mix-style headphones with the star on each side. Only about $8 USD... maybe they're fake but they are cute! They only had blue so I didn't buy them... will check again in a few days for other colors.

Speaking of fakes... I went to a cute little shop and saw a bunch of benefit makeup. I wanted to buy the discontinued Gilded eye pencil, but it was fake! The funniest thing was a box and a tube labeled "bad gal lash" but was actually just a black eyeliner >.<  Discovered recently that every cute little shop has a bunch of makeup, especially MAC, The Face Shop, Skinfood, Missha, and some Japanese brands. Some are obvious fakes, but others look very legit! I bought a couple of Skinfood mask samples and a Missha fruit mask.

Before Shanghai, I spent 2 days in Korea. Most of the time was spent visiting relatives, but I did get a chance to go to the Lotte duty free shop. There were SO MANY PEOPLE THERE! It took me 40 minutes just to get inside the LV store. But I did finally get the bag I've wanted for so long!

Damier Azur Speedy 25 = my new baby! <3 <3

Also bought Missha and Etude House BB creams. I'll do swatches and reviews when I can.

I discovered it's going to be hard to blog here. The internet is incredibly slow... and Blogger (along with Facebook) is blocked in China. I got around using my school's VPN, but it's still so slow. I will try my hardest to keep everyone updated though!

Beatuy Review: bliss vs. The Body Shop Body Butters

I recently received a sample of Sweet Lemon body butter from The Body Shop. According to the sales associate, it's a new upcoming scent that will be released soon.

$20 (regular), $8 (mini)

I've never tried any of The Body Shop's famous body butters before, but I've heard plenty of good things so I was expecting a lot. It's definitely very moisturizing and smooth. The only thing is the scent. It's a sweet and citrus-y lemon scent, but after smelling it on my skin for awhile, it was starting to make me feel sick. After awhile it starts to smell like plastic dolls or playdoh. The scent lasts for awhile too and it's a bit strong.

I also got a few small bumps on my skin after using, which was weird. I've never had any reaction to a skin product. It wasn't major though, but I probably won't purchase because of this.
Rating: 4/5

 

$35 at Sephora

I also tried bliss body butter in vanilla and bergamot. Some people say they dislike the smell, but I actually love it. It's like an herbal vanilla smell. I like it because it has that vanilla scent without being too sweet. Also, bliss' formula is thicker and has less of that oily "just put on my lotion" feel.
Rating: 3.5/5


Lately, I've been having terrible dry winter skin on my arms and back of my hands... so to compare the two, I did a little experiment.

Night 1: I applied The Body Shop body butter on the back of my left hand and left arm. When I woke up in the morning, I still had smooth moisturized skin. Even days later, I still had smooth skin and the dry scratchy winter skin didn't come back for almost a week!

Night 2: I applied bliss body butter on the back of my right hand and right arm. I woke up and it was still slightly moisturized and skin was smooth. The next day, the dry winter skin came back. Even as I am typing this, my left (Body Shop) hand is smooth while the right (bliss) is dry and scratchy.


Even though I love the vanilla and bergamot smell, I prefer The Body Shop body butter. It's cheaper and more effective. I'll just have to try a different scent next time :)

Beauty Review: Ole Henriksen + The Body Shop

Before I left, I made a few skincare purchases and now it's time to review them!

Ole Henriksen
Herbal Day Creme with SPF15

 

$35 at Sephora

I bought this because Juice Beauty SPF15 moisturizer was out of stock and I needed an SPF moisturizer asap. It can be a little heavy, so I do not recommend for oily skin. Even for combination, you need to be careful to use a thin layer or else it'll be too heavy. It takes a little time for it to completely sink into your skin so I would apply this about 15 minutes before you do any face makeup. However, it does moisturize well, it has SPF, and it's a reasonable price.


Overall though, I do like this cream. Many people say they dislike the smell, but I don't mind. It's kind of an herbal smell that might take some time to get used to. The jar will last me awhile since I only had to use a little bit for my entire face. I'm not sure if I will purchase just because I'm worried it's too heavy on my combination skin, but I'll happily use this jar until it runs out!
Rating: 4/5


The Body Shop
Vitamin C Skin Boost

 

$26 at The Body Shop

I've heard so many great things about this, so I just had to try it out. It's a good alternative to pricey serums. The first thing I noticed about this is the smell! It's very very strong!

The effects are great though. Until recently, I've never used serums, but now I don't think I can live without them! They immediately brighten your face and smooth out the texture. I've already been using a serum before this one, so the immediate effect wasn't as big as I'd hoped. But it's still a great product and I recommend it for all skin types.

I don't think I will repurchase though... only because the smell is so strong! I don't want people to smell my face from a mile away... -_-
Also, I feel that with Juice Beauty antioxidant serum, you use less for your entire face compared to one. So even though it's almost twice the price, Juice Beauty may last you longer.
Rating: 3.5/5

Goodbye!

This is my last post while I'm in America!
I'm leaving in the morning for Korea and will be going to Shanghai on the 21st.

There will be no clay art/tutorial posts for the next 6 months. The blog will mostly be about beauty reviews, fashion, and my travels.

I'll be bringing back some goodies for you guys though! Beauty goodies from Etude House, Skinfood, etc. And any other cute things I find there. If you guys have any suggestions for giveaway goodies, leave a comment. I'll be doing a mini-giveaway at 60 followers and a bigger giveaway at 100, so please continue to support and spread the word about my blog!

Essie Van D'go + OPI Parlez-vous OPI

New nail polish colors! I haven't bought a new nail polish in forever, but I've been craving some new nail polish recently. Bought these two at Ulta for $13.

 

Essie Van D'go

Essie Van D'go is a color from their new "Art of Spring" collection. It's a peachy pink that is a great color for spring. You can apply several layers for a bright peach or apply one light layer for a slightly sheer pink. I love this color because it's a great peachy color that's not nude or beige. The above picture is three coats with Etude House top coat.

The consistency is thick and kinda gloppy. A little bit difficult to apply but not terrible.

 

OPI Parlez-vous OPI?

I also purchased OPI Parlez-vous OPI. I've been looking for a gray-ish purple for awhile. I was considering between this, Sephora by OPI Call Your Mother, and Sephora by OPI Metro Chic. I'm really glad that I decided on this one. It's like a dark purple with gray tones... it's dark enough and not too gray. The above picture is two coats with Etude House top coat.

The consistency is lighter than Essie Van D'go, much easier to apply yet it's not streaky. 

Currently wearing the Parlez-vous OPI... I don't normally wear dark polish so it took some time to get used to, but I love it (:

New layout + new clay charms + my first deco box

Made another new layout! This one will be used for awhile.

Also, here are a few new clay charms I made recently.

 

Valentine's Day chocolates

 

Latte with whipped cream and a wafer

 

Fruit tarts

Also made my first deco box! I made a few mistakes, but I like it (:

Clay Lollipop Tutorial

Here's a tutorial on how to make polymer clay lollipops. I think these are one of the easier things to make and they're so cute! You can make lollipops in any colors you want. You can also use as many colors as you want in one lollipop, but I think 2-4 is best. I'll be making a light blue and white one.

Materials I used:
- White Premo polymer clay
- Turquoise Premo polymer clay
- Ecru Premo polymer clay
- Eyepin
- Wire cutters

 

1.  To get a light blue color, mix white and turquoise clay together. The picture shows the approximate proportion I used. 

2. With your light blue and white clays, roll out two snakes of equal length. Keep them semi-thick since you will have to roll them again later.

3. Hold your two snakes together and twist in opposite directions until you achieve an effect like the second picture above.

  

4. After you have a twisty snake, keep it on the surface and roll with two fingers. This will make the snake's surface smooth while maintaining the twisted colors effect. Make sure to roll a few times, twist in opposite directions, roll again, twist again, etc. The more you twist, the more of a swirly effect you will have.

You're done when you have a snake that looks like this.  

 

5. Keeping the clay on the surface, carefully roll the snake into a circle. I cut the end at a diagonal so it looks cleaner. 

6. Take your ecru colored clay and roll into a small thick snake for the lollipop stick.

7. With your wire cutters, cut your eyepin. 

8. Take the end part of your cut eyepin and stick it in your lollipop stick about halfway. Make sure the end that is peeking out is not too short so the stick and lollipop can stay put together.

9. Insert the stick into your lollipop. Insert it straight in and slowly to make sure the eyepin doesn't stick out on the other side of the lollipop.

10. Take the top part of your cut eyepin and insert into the top of your lollipop. Bake according to the package and now you have a finished lollipop charm! 

p.s. - on an unrelated note... RIP Alexander McQueen.

Urban Decay Hall of Fame Set

I just received the Urban Decay Hall of Fame set that I ordered online!

 

 $20 at Urban Decay.com

 

This set is such a good deal considering the XL potion is $23. With S&H, it came out to be $25. It includes a large size Primer Potion and mini sizes of Skyscraper Multi-Benefit mascara, Pocket Rocket in Timothy, lipstick in Midnight Cowboy, and 24/7 liner in Zero. I only use 24/7 liner and potion regularly, but it's nice to try out the rest of the products. The lip products are smaller than I expected though.

 

Here's what Midnight Cowboy lipstick looks like in the tube. It's a glittery nude beige color. 

Midnight Cowboy lipstick, Pocket Rocket in Timothy

(without flash)

Midnight Cowboy is hard to see in the picture. It's a nice color for summer nights as it'll give you a shimmery nude color with some glitter. Pocket Rocket in Timothy is a shiny pinkish coral color. I probably won't use this since I rarely use lip gloss.

Definitely happy with my Hall of Fame set. If you're running out of primer potion, this is an excellent buy! 

EOTDs and new eye makeup

I experimented with a couple of different eye makeup styles the other day.

The first is a very light smoky eye. Light enough for daytime wear. The open eye pictures don't really show the colors well. It's darker in real life... I'll have to take pictures with natural sunlight instead of flash next time!

 

What I used:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- MAC e/s in Naked Lunch
- MAC e/s in Nighttrain
- MAC e/s in Black Tied
- MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
- MAC 209 mini brush
- Sephora eye pencil in white
- Shu uemura eyelash curler
- YSL Faux Effet Cils Mascara


The second one is a sparkly daytime look. The flash made it look a bit pinkish, but in real life it is more light brown.

What I used:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- MAC e/s in Naked Lunch
- MAC pigment in Shimmertime
- Victoria's Secret e/s in Private Beach
- MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
- MAC 209 mini brush
- Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero
- MAC e/s in White Frost
- Shu uemura eyelash curler
- MAC Zoom Lash mascara


I also bought Victoria's Secret eye shadow in Private Beach yesterday. I used a $10 coupon and got it for free! I love the shade. It's a shimmery taupe color. Depending on how much you apply, you can wear it for day or night.

And I used MAC pigment in Shimmertime for the first time yesterday. I received the MAC holiday eye bag as a Christmas gift and haven't used it until now. Here are the swatches for Private Beach and Shimmertime.

 

VS Private Beach, MAC Shimmertime (with flash)

Both are gorgeous colors but also very sparkly. Need to make sure not to overuse either of them!

Beauty Review: Juice Beauty

I finally tried out some of the Juice Beauty products for the first time!

Cleansing Milk

 

$22 at Sephora

After taking a shower, I washed my face with this cleansing milk. My first thought was that it was creamy, yet very light! I hate cleansers that are way too thick, so this lightweight milky cleanser was great for me. It's very gentle and makes you feel refreshed. I don't use facial cleansers to remove makeup, so I don't know how well it does with that. As for the scent, it's made with raspberry and white grape juices with aloe vera and grapeseed oil. I was expecting more of a very sweet and fruity smell, but this one is more like a herbal raspberry scent. I didn't mind, but some people will dislike it. I would definitely repurchase this one!

Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Hydrating Mist

  

$22 at Sephora

Instead of spraying directly on my face, I sprayed a few pumps of this onto a cotton pad and applied all over my face. Immediately my face felt refreshed. It's made with white and red grape juices, aloe vera, rosehip, and grapeseed oil. It has a floral scent, which is not really my favorite scent, but the smell isn't strong. I might repurchase this if I don't find a better toner. 

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Nutrient Moisturizer

 

$36 at Sephora

For me, moisturizer is the most important part of my skincare regimen. The main thing about this product is that the consistency is very thick! It felt like I was putting sunscreen on my face. You really need to rub it into your skin to make sure you don't have white spots. The instructions say to warm in your palms before applying, but I didn't read that part until later... oops! I applied again at night by warming in my palms and it was still too thick. However, since it is quite thick, a little will go a long way. Made with grape juice, carrot juice, and essential fatty acids, the smell is not terrible. You can definitely smell the ingredients... like I said before, some people will love the scent and others will hate it. I don't think I will repurchase this one as it was way too thick for me and it doesn't have SPF.

Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

Green Apple Peel - Sensitive Skin

 

$39 at Sephora

In my opinion, this peel smells terrible. It's made with apple, lemon, grape juices and raw cane sugar. To me, it smells like a V8 fruit juice. After washing my face with the cleansing milk, I applied a layer of the peel onto my face and washed it off after 10 minutes. The peel turns into a smooth film on your face so it takes some time to wash it all off with water. Afterward, I followed up with the hydrating mist, antioxidant serum, and the nutrient moisturizer. This product definitely makes your face feel so smooth. I never use peels or masks, so I didn't know what to expect. But you can see the effects immediately. Sometimes I have red areas near my nose and this peel lightened those areas and improved the texture of my skin. The effects are amazing after just one use. I'm not sure if I will repurchase though, because I don't normally use peels and $39 is a bit pricey for me. 

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Antioxidant Serum

 

 $52 at Sephora

I love this product! This serum immediately brightened my skin. I could see the effects right away. It gives my skin a healthy radiant glow. The smell is not bad, but the price is quite expensive. I think the next time I use this, I'll try it without the peel to see the effect of the serum by itself. I'd love to repurchase, but it's a bit expensive.

Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Overall I love that all their products are natural and organic. If you want to try out Juice Beauty, I recommend getting the Organic To Go set. It's a good value and a great way to get introduced to their products.

AF fails in Japan

Just read this online and thought it was interesting...

Abercrombie & Fitch fails in Japan.

Why? (from the article)
1. Tokyo AF prices are double American AF prices
2. Japanese customers don't want to see naked men
3. Staff is mostly American
4. Salespeople act like buffoons
5. Store reeks of cologne

Read this entire article here.

How embarrassing for AF... what a BIG FAIL.

Latest purchases

I bought some things at Ulta last week with the 20% promo coupon.

 

- Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

- Ardell LashGrip Adhesive

- Ardell Fashion Lashes 108

- Urban Decay Primer Potion

- EcoTools Eye Shading Brush

I bought the Neutrogena wipes and UDPP just to stock up for going abroad. I've never tried false lashes before so I thought I'd try it, especially since everything Ardell was buy one half off. Most of them looked extremely long or obviously fake. #108 was the shortest and most realistic looking ones. I bought the eye shading brush because I literally have no eyeshadow brushes. I heard good things about EcoTools and I love that it's environmentally friendly. 

EDIT: I just decided to purchase Urban Decay Hall of Fame set so I'll be returning the UDPP soon.

Just bought some more stuff yesterday too.

 

$29 at Sephora

I purchased Juice Beauty's Organics To Go set which includes:

- Cleansing Milk

- Green Apple Peel

- Antioxidant Serum

- Hydrating Mist

- Nutrient Moisturizer

- Bamboo washcloth

and also purchased MAC brush cleaner and a travel pillow from Brookstone (: 

I will do a review on all these products once I get the chance to use them!

White watches

I LOVE THIS WATCH.

 

But I don't think I could ever spend $3395 on a watch. Looking for a white watch these days, but should I even buy one? Honestly, I don't even look at a watch for the time, but I love wearing them. I feel like nobody really uses them to tell time anymore.

1. Juicy Couture 'Rich Girl' Watch - $195

2. Juicy Couture 'Her Royal Highness' Jelly Band Watch - $195

3. TOYWATCH 'Plasteramic Collection' Watch - $225

4. Michael Kors Ladies' Chronograph Resin Band Watch - $225

I'm liking the #2 the best, although I don't like that it doesn't have numbers...


p.s. Thank you to the Beading Gem for including my tutorial in her blog post! Check it out here.

Donuts, fruit pie, and lollipops

Some recent polymer clay creations. I'm leaving to study abroad in Shanghai in a few weeks and there's no way I'll have room in my suitcases for my clay tools nor will I have the time to make these cute creations. That's why I'm trying to make as much tiny clay food as possible before I leave!

After I leave on February 18, I won't be back until August so the blog will mostly be about beauty/fashion for those six months. There will be no new tutorials or pictures of new crafts during that time, however I'll post some tips and techniques for jewelry-making and polymer clay crafts.

But... before I leave, I'll be sure to post some tutorials and plenty of content for everyone to enjoy (:

 

 First time making donuts... they're easy to make and so cute!

  

I always eat this certain fruit pie from Whole Foods market and wanted to re-create it with clay :)

 

Lots of colorful lollipops. I like the pink ones the best... will probably use one of the smaller ones as a cellphone charm.

Drugstore Makeup Staple Items

Similar to my eye makeup staple items, this post is going to be about my drugstore brand makeup staple items.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

 

$6.99 at Target

I recently stumbled upon these wipes when I went out of town and forgot to bring my Clinique Take the Day Off remover. Only to remember at midnight, I went to the nearest drugstore and bought these wipes... and now I don't want to go back to my Clinique remover! These wipes are super super soft and take off all of my makeup, even waterproof eyeliner. The scent is supposed to be "night calming" aka make you feel sleepy, but it has no effect on me; however, the scent is nice and refreshing. I'm hooked on these and will keep buying this instead of the expensive department store makeup removers!

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara

 

$7.29 at Target

Seems like everyone has tried or at least heard of this mascara. It's definitely one of the best drugstore mascaras I've tried. The big brush was kind of odd at first, but I've grown to like it. It does extend and volumize my lashes, however minor clumping can happen if you apply several layers. I usually just swipe one layer on though, so it's fine most of the time.

Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF15

Photo Credit: Makeup Alley / $12.99 at Target

I don't normally wear any face makeup, especially foundation. But I wanted to find a light tinted moisturizer to give me some coverage without weighing down my face. I read many good reviews about this TM so I searched endlessly at Target for this product. It was completely sold out in 3 different stores for at least a month! I finally got my hands on this over the summer and it's excellent! The SPF15 is a major plus and the formula is lightweight and gives you a light coverage that lasts all day. If you have fairly good skin, but want some coverage for minor areas, I recommend this. 

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Reniew Anti-Puff Eye Roller

$13 at Target

Okay I'll admit it, I cry often. I'll cry at movies, tv shows, and basically anything that is sad or touching. So I've had the puffy eye syndrome one too many times. This eye roller is the best product I purchased for those crying days. Simply roll the metal ball around your eye area and instantly, you'll feel a satisfying cooling sensation. I also use this in the mornings when I don't get enough sleep the night before.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner

 

$7.49 at Drugstore.com

This eyeliner lasts all day without smudging or fading. I love the black-brown color because it's dark enough to define my eyes, but not too dark so that it looks intense against my pale skin. This was one of my first liquid liners, so I had some trouble applying it, yet it seemed easier to make straight lines with this than other liquid liners. The only thing is that over time, I realized it's a bit difficult to make thin lines with the applicator. 

Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner

$6.49 at Drugstore.com

Like the Colorstay liquid liner, this one is long lasting as well. This liner is very soft and easy to apply. So soft in fact that sometimes, it actually breaks :( But it has a built-in sharpener on the other end which is a plus in my book. So convenient! Also this liner has the same, if not better, staying power as UD 24/7 liner. Although the UD liner is more pigmented, this liner is still comparable and will remain my makeup bag forever!