The Shortest Flight Ever

DONE the oral!!!! WHEW. It went alright. Definitely did much better than my first oral.

I can't believe tomorrow is almost here. I actually don't feel like this is anything special at all right now...

Currently packing. J'aime packing beaucoup! Xept.. this time it's reminding me of how my wardrobe is lacking in so many ways. I have a lot of summer casual clothes. That's basically it. How sad... You'd think that me, a person who constantly blogs about clothes/fashion, would have tons of things in her closet for every occasion... but nope. Maybe I'm too picky on what to wear or I don't feel comfortable wearing a couple pieces.. or I've worn them too often... but I feel a bit panicked that I have nothing to wear to the Junos. I'm looking forward to adding a couple pieces to my closet this weekend... and maybe extending my (and creating Nad's) makeup collection! I have an eye on a Clinique Mascara Primer and Shu Uemura blush.

I'm thinking of bringing my laptop to work on my English essay. I will probably bring it... let's hope there's internet @ the hotel. If not, I'll post my experience Monday afternoon if I have time ('cause my essay is due the next day!).

OMG I just found out that my friends in Japn went to sing karaoke with sensei after they came back to check their oral marks... and he's apparently really good!! Wow.. that'd be such a highlight to see. Too bad I had to go home to get ready for my trip.

Almost Free

I MISS MY BROWN HAIR!!

I'm a bit disappointed -- my hair doesn't seem to like dye.. it's still black but now it has a tinge of brown/red. Otoke?? How sad.. now I can't do those extensions. Poor hair. It's been under so much stress. Anyway - nothing creepy really happened TG. M came with me and the salon was busy. I had to pay $18 for the hair dye.. but didn't have to pay for the service... but when I paid, we rushed out there so quickly (even though both M and I looked back to check if we forgot anything) and then when we reached Vancouver, I realized he didn't give me back my Visa! M thinks it's another tactic but I highly doubt the 1st one (where the dye didn't show up on my hair) was anyway. Luckily, I'm getting my friend (who lives in Richmond and also goes there to get his hair done coincidentally) to pick it up tomorrow on the way to class.

YAY today was the last day of lectureeeeeee for this term!! I'm free until the Fall!

Statement Jewelry!
Fabric jewelry is becoming popularrrrrr
Rachel Leigh Chain Ribbon Bracelet [$60 @ Tobi]
Available in 4 other colours.
I LIKE!
MARNI Two-tone Fabric Link Bracelet [$174 (@ 50% off)]

Alex Sarang

I'm definitely the type to develop crushes on decent-looking guys that can SING.
Ahhh Alex! (Nooo this section deleted!!) He's a Canadian (he 's fluent in English!) (1979) from Clazziquai. If he were a little younger, he'd be right up there with TIM! (Tim Sarang!) but love has no age, no limit, and no death, right? I just saw the new clip of him and Shin Ae in this Korean show, We Got Married where they act as a newly married couple in a new house. There's this scene where Shin Ae locks Alex out of the house while he was getting a table for them to eat dinner on... and then he fogs up the sliding door with his breath and writes messages to her in it. So cute. He seems to have a great personality and temperament... and his voice!

Alex's rendition of Kim Dong Ryul - Like A Child

I'm maeowting lol - I've listened to this almost 15 times in the past hour...
I love how he connects the notes.

I realized I want to go to a Clazziquai concert! Do they even have them? They should! It'd be a nice 'n mellow one... hopefully no crazy fangirls.

You know what's weird? I think probably the only habit I've picked up from this Korean fascination (since 2006) must be covering my mouth when I laugh! It's so weird... I don't think I've ever done that before I noticed Jaejoong cover his mouth all the time... don't know why I do it. I've caught myself a few times within the last week.

To do list for Thursday: wake up at 9:30.. shower, get big envelope, 3Q for English, oral practice 1 hr, bring extensions, hair dye again... EEK pack...
Weekend: trip, ENGLISH essay due Tues! Pick up exam Q Tues, Sun Run pickup, bring that + do Take-home exam due Thursday (11 pages!).. eeeeek. I guess I'll be bringing some work to do this weekend...

HG

I'm gonna really really miss my Japanese class... =(
Today was the last lecture. I still have the oral this Friday and a couple of exam help sessions next Thurs and Fri @ Harbour Centre... and we might go out for karaoke this Friday, but it's not gonna be the same! I've never enjoyed a university class as much as this one. Two semesters together - the same enjoyable 6 (minus a couple (from 1st term) and plus a couple (from 2nd)). We got to know each other's personalities... inside jokes... tons of laughs. It reminded me of the mini - how close-knit we are.

I'm surprised at how many ppl think I look like I'm in 1st year... at least they say I act older.

Anyway, I wanted to rave over the award-winning Crabtree and Evelyn hand therapy collection!
Crabtree and Evelyn originated in 1973 in Massachusetts.
I used to always think that store was for old people who liked potpourri. When you walk in, you'd be hit with a floral stench (as I thought at the time). BUT Nad got me La Source Hand Therapy cream from the airport during Spring Break and I was so surprised at how well it worked! These creams have shea butter in them "to soothe and help protect hands". What I like about them is how little you need and how the cream is instantly absorbed into your hands - no grease at all! Your hands feel supple and moisturized.. and it's not one of those creams you have to keep creaming yourself with throughout the day in between washes - just right after you wash your hands. And it's not just for hands! The other day, I noticed my feet were looking very unloved... so I slathered some cream on. The next morning, all the dead skin disappeared! Whala.
La Source Hand Therapy 1.7oz [$7]
I loved it so much that I went to the store to see what other scents they had. The employee was a bit annoying in trying to sell me the products, but she did introduce me to the Gardener's Hand Recovery! I'm no gardener but WOW. I tested it out - it's a dry, grainy scrub and it really exfoliates your hands and makes it look younger, smoother, and SO SO SO soft. You rinse it off with water and do it once a week. Then she said for best results, use the Gardener's Hand Therapy (same as La Source xept a different scent and for dry hands).
I think this is pretty much on the same level as L'Occitane's classic Shea Butter Hand Cream [$25~30] except it's a fraction of the price and that L'Occitane claims that the cream creates a protective barrier on your hands that even lasts through a hand wash. From my experience, either the soap I use to wash my hands is too powerful or something else b/c it didn't work. Plus, I find that this cream is a bit less concentrated than L'Occitane's so it doesn't take as much effort to rub the cream in. As for the packaging, it's practically the same as LOccitane's. It's made of a thin metal tube with a plastic twist on cap. You can roll the bottom easily like your used toothpaste tube. Some ppl have a problem with it - they don't like the dents that are created when they put it in their bag... they don't like the look of it, saying it looks too old-fashioned (I happen to love the look), and they don't like how it's a twist-cap b/c they lose it. I don't have a problem with it at all. I think the metal is great to keep the cream cool, and when you take some of the cream out, it sticks to your hand so you can take your time in screwing the cap back on.
Gardner's Collection - Most moisturizing out of the Therapies
This is the Hand Therapy 3.4oz that retails for $14USD.
On MakeupAlley, they have 69 reviews. 94% would buy it again.
And this is the Hand Recovery 3.5 oz that retails for [$20]
I think this scrub is very overpriced and wouldn't buy it regular price.
So together, it'd total to about $34USD not including tax if I were to buy them at regular price.
Luckily I didn't buy it then (though I was really tempted to despite that employee) 'cause when I went down to Seattle Premium Outlets, they had C&E store! I totally forgot. This was practically the only other thing I bought down there. I got both the Gardener's Hand Recovery (for $11) and Therapy (for $9) - so I got both for $20!! Saved over $14 woot wooot. Great sale -- I was surprised at all the young and old people in that store buying these creams. They were buying 10 at a time (10 was the limit) in all different scents! They must have known how great these were all along - I felt like such a newbie haha.

So now I have the Gardener's duo sitting next to my sink in my bathroom, and the La Source Hand Therapy on my bedside table. How lovely.

This is definitely my new HG hand cream and hand scrub. My mom likes it a lot too.. in fact, she just sneaked (lol I was gonna write 'snuck') into my bathroom to take some. I always wondered what HG stood for in makeupalley.com... I just found out that it means "Holy Grail" hahaha So when someone says their product is HG, it means that the product is their favourite/absolute ideal. Japanese class is my HG class haha

Back to Japanese.... AH I need to pack and think of 3 questions for English tutorial tomorrow!
Oyasumi.

I Sniff A Surprise?

Crazy almost 300 people on Soompi are waiting to see who the final artist list will be for Hollywood Bowl 2008. I'm already satisfied with the list so far, but I'd also really like Big Bang, SNSD, Epik High, Tim, and/or Sung Si Kyung to come.

Ohhhh some good news and some bad!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 4/1/08

THE NEW BATCH OF ARTISTS ARE:

SOHN HO YOUNG (FROM G.O.D.) (I've never heard of him...)
SO NYO SHI DAE (SNSD)

MC:
BRIAN FROM FLY TO THE SKY (yay!)
OCK JOO HYUN

ARTIST CHANGE:
DUE TO A CHANGE IN BROADCASTING COMPANY:
LEE HYORI & WONDER GIRLS WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL. (awwwwwwww to Wonder Girls)

THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT WITH 1 OR 2 ADDITIONAL ARTIST. KHYPE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE NEXT ARTIST RELEASE.

Whyyy do they do that! This was supposed to be the last batch of artists!
I'm happy with SNSD but I was really looking forward to see Wonder Girls so I'm a bit disappointed that they aren't coming anymore. Lee Hyo Ri and Wonder Girls aren't coming anymore b/c they switched broadcasting companies from MBC to SBS.. and there's some conflicting schedule. Lee Hyo Ri was supposed to MC (and possibly perform).
There's still hope for Big Bang!

This is funny - Khype categorized this for us:
Performing for OLD: Shin Joong Hyun, Tae Jin Ah, Yoon Hyung Joo, Kim Se Hwan, Choi Baek Ho, Jung Hoon Hee
Performing for YOUNG: Dong Bang Shin Gi(TVXQ), Super Juior-T, Sohn Ho Young, So Nyo Shi Dae(SNSD), Fly To The Sky, SG Wannabe, Ock Joo Hyun, Eru (1~2 artist TBD)
MC: Brian & Ock Joo Hyun

Tralala
Yesterday I checked my agenda at 10:30PM (to check if anything else was due b/c I realized while I was washing the dishes after dinner that I had to read 2 chapters and an article for my Geo class the next day!!) and saw that today was the last day to apply for the Business faculty! Luckily, it was a quick online application so I did that on time... but they said they won't consider me for the summer application period if I didn't take a summer course... which I didn't plan to take anymore... and the course I was considering (if I had to) was a distance ed. course that's all filled up so boo.
YESS last Geog 389: Political Ecology class + tutorial! Very harmless today. TA even gave us chocolate.
M picked me up from the skytrain station and got her oh-so-precious autographed Lang Lang CD back and then B came over for dinner and to show me the extra extensions I might buy from her sister! Ohhhh I wanna get extensions so badly! I hope they'll look alright - my hair is definitely a lot more damaged than the really healthy extension hair.. and it's at a short length so there might be quite a big difference. It seems that once you succumb to the world of hair dye, it takes so much patience to get super healthy hair again (to grow it out or just chop it all off). I've gotten really used to brown hair on me and I think it looks way better than black. Planning to dye it again on Thurs.

I never used to be a perfume girl. When my mom had to go to Sears or The Bay when I was young, we'd have to pass by the cosmetic counters and I'd always have to plug my nose b/c I hated the smell so much. So strong. So old-lady like. Never thought I'd ever like perfume. I even gagged when I'd flip those vogue-type fashion magazines with those tabbed scents. I used to say I was allergic haha
Eventually, I got into scented non-fruity lotions like Victoria's secret's Love Spell (purple) lotion (haha ok not really perfume, but it's a start!). Then I discovered Anna Sui's Secret Wish perfume (the blue one) and fell in love! I even splurged the $60 and bought it but eventually returned it b/c I found out that it didn't have much staying power.

Now, I'm absolutely in love with 3 fragrances. (All prices are in USD)
1. Burberry's The Beat (lol B, it is actually called The Beat!) Eau de Parfum
This scent is new to the Burberry line and is aimed towards a young audience.
With model Agyness Deyn as its face, Beat is targeting a young, urban and hip crowd, said Burberry's creative director Christopher Bailey. "The mood of the fragrance is young, modern, energetic, dynamic, expressive, fun, vigour, verve and spiritedness ... All words that describe the mood, inspiration and sense of ebullience that we wanted to evoke." (via Cosmetics International, 12/14/2007)
Agyness Deyn is so cool. I found it the Elle mag scent-tab Nad got me. The smell is definitely not for a 50 year old.
This is the regular spray. [1oz = $50/ 1.7oz = 62/2.5oz = $80]
This is the Intense Elixir Parfur [$130]which is basically a more concentrated version of above. Such a luxe bottle! I love the little Burberry tag that hangs from the side.
2. Burberry Burberry Classic (since 1996)
I actually sprayed this on a card in the Burberry store in Seattle Premium Outlets the other week while I was waiting for ppl to meet up. I was VERY pleasantly surprised with the smell! I couldn't stop smelling the card all the way home. It's been a couple weeks and the smell is only slightly less fragrant, but the staying power seems pretty darn amazing. It has a clean, feminine, and sweet scent and is practically timeless - any age can wear it. Maybe that's why it's a classic.
It comes in a 'contemporary pebble-shaped design'. 1.7oz = $55/3.3oz = $72

Too bad I didn't check how much this bottle was at the outlets.
3. Abercrombie FIERCE Cologne [$30-75]
What? What? Did I just say I wanted a Cologne??? But... that's guys perfume! YUP I couldn't believe it was a guy's cologne but it smells SO GOOD!! This is apparently the stuff they spray on all their clothes in the store. The staying power seems really good b/c the clothes I buy keep their smell until I wash it... and the scent even fills my room!
The scent is so seductive lol I can't stop smelling it!
I saw a few reviews on AOL by some guys that own it. I'm so glad A&F isn't popular up here! It seems like A&F and American Apparel are wayyyy too popular.... and cult-like like Aritzia.
Anyway, the bottle seems sturdy - it's made of glass and the rest of metal (plastic cap inside though)
Only thing is that their bottle is embarrassing to own to say the least.... but I just might pick up a small bottle next time I'm down there.
I think it's ridiculous to pay full price for a scent. I'm really wary of buying scents off Ebay b/c I've heard many stories where ppl just get water-downed versions of the perfume or didn't get the real scent at all. I'm also quite envious of those accessible to stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls (a sort of Winners in the States) where ppl seem to get Burberry scents for $20/$30 USD!

Anyway, I think I'll just keep sniffing along.

RIP Elliott Yamin's mom (65)...
What is with the obsession with Miley Cyrus? I only half get it. She's a happy 15 year-old.
And she really makes me wanna get the AA Raglan (gray) from this pic. So cute.
Her hair, on the other hand... not so cute.

Everyday Minerals

Website: www.everydayminerals.com

Mineral makeup is all the rage these days. I'm sure you've seen the (in)famous Bare Minerals I.D. (AKA Bare Escentuals) that's popular in Sephora. Actually, in Bellevue Square near Seattle, there's a whole store dedicated to Bare Escentuals (BE)! After much research and many testimonials, I found Everyday Minerals (EM) to be the clear winner. Those who started off with BE and switched to EM never went back. Those who started with EM didn't even bother trying BE because it's much more expensive and those with sensitive skin developed a reaction (an itch, they claim) to BE.

OK here's the promised review!

I ordered:
1. Free Sample Makeup Kit: This includes 3 foundations, 1 blush, and 1 concealer
2. Kabuki Long-Handled Brush [$10]
3. 3 Eyeshadows/eyeliners [$2.50 each]
4. Cosmetic Wet Wipes (80 biodegradable for kids and adults, lightly scented Lavender and Grapefruit) [$3.75]
I ordered this much because I realized I had to pay around $7CDN for shipping and the Free Sample Kit didn't seem like it was worth $7...

My skin: I have very dry skin (non-sensitive) with a light to medium complexion, freckles, and the occasional annoying zit. In the summer, I tan more than I burn. My blood vessels are also very close to the surface of my skin (a genetic thing) so you can see the red lines and dots on my cheeks... and this hinders me from ever having a totally clear complexion because it looks like blemishes when they really aren't. As for my eyes, I never get bags, but I do have semi-dark circles... and hereditary dark outer corners.

OK so let's start with the foundations! It's difficult ordering shades that suit your face online - especially because you're just looking at pictures and some monitors (like those w/ no glare) distort the colours! EM does a great job in describing every shade so you will eventually discover which one is perfect for you.
I've redboxed the ones I chose. I have a beige and olive undertone so I chose (from top to bottom)
- Warm: Medium Beige (Matches really well - ideal for those w/ light tan complexions and peachy undertones)
- Golden: Medium Tan (a mistake - it's waaay too dark. It's for those with medium tan to tan complexions and deep warm yellow undertones. When I chose this shade, I was thinking of me in the summer so I might try it again later on)
- Olive: Golden Medium (my favourite - a versatile soft golden shade ideal for light to medium complexions)
It did take me almost 2 hours to find my 3 shades before I YouTubed this and found a girl with the exact skin tone as myself. She said she was an NC35 (MAC) and so was I. I confirmed my shades. The girl said a lot of people mixed the shades together to create their perfect shade. While I can see how, I was lucky enough to have 2 of the shades to match my skin perfectly. Each shade is actually much more versatile than you'd think. Someone darker than you could actually use the same shade because it covers a wide spectrum of face shades as long as you choose the right tone (ie. Olive, Warm etc.)
You can also choose your formula choice.
Semi-Matte Semi-Matte Foundation formula, ideal for normal to combination skin types, gives you a creamy matte finish with a subtle shine while controling oil. I chose this one mainly.
Matte Matte Foundation formula, for normal to oily skin types, gives you a essentially shineless yet silky smooth matte finish while it controls oil.
Intensive Intensive Foundation formula, for all skin types, provides an extra boost of lasting intensive coverage with a silky near-matte finish. This rejuvenating formula controls oil where needed, without drying your skin.for all skin types - almost matte.
Original Glo Original Glo formula is ideal for dry to normal skin types, providing you with a dewey glow and youthful appearance.
Anyway, I totally recommend EM's foundations because they give you an air-brushed finish without looking cakey. The only thing is that if you have dry skin like me that flakes, you gotta really exfoliate before you use it or your dry flakes will really show and that's just gross. Of course, the more coverage you want, the more you add.

I bought this little Kabuki Brush that's recommended to apply the powder with.
So cute and so soft (maybe too soft?)!! It does a really even job when you just buffer it all over your face. Plus it takes literally less than a minute and is super easy. It's a great price for a brush this quality. I did notice about 5 stray hairs coming out when I used it, but I think the shedding has stopped. I do think it'd be better if the bristles were a bit shorter so I can have more control over where I'm applying the powder.

The concealer. I actually don't use this at all. I chose the formula "Intensive" for it - maybe the wrong choice? I think the concealer is unnecessary. It's just a bit more dense/concentrated than the foundations. I got Intensive Medium which does match my skin.

Blush was fun but hard to choose because of all the variety! I love blushes and wanted to choose more than one. I chose Waffle Cone. It's a bit darker than the NARS Orgasm shade I'm used to, but it's a nice colour and I think it suits a lot of skin tones. It does have a bit of a light shimmer to it too.

Oooo Eyeshadows. On Makeupalley.com, these eyeshadows got GREAT reviews - especially because they don't fall off over time. I actually haven't used them yet except to do a light test. I'm waiting for A to show me how to use them. I got:
- Matte: Smokey Eyeliner
- Matte: Emerald Eyeliner
- Pearl: In The Garden ('cause it got really good reviews)
I'm happy with them all of them xept the In The Garden is probably best for non-Asians. It's a dark mauve with some sparkle, but it makes me look like I have 2 black eyes... but I'm probably just not applying it properly hahaha

I tried them out really quickly (as you can tell haha)... mainly b/c I needed to see if I could do my own make up for the Junos or not. I need so much help with makeup...
This is my first attempt of the "smokey eye" using the emerald and smokey eyeliner from EM... and of course fake lashes. The 'shadow' really stays put and blends really easily I think. I also sort of lined the bottom of my eye with sparkle to try the rocker look (LOL) but it ended up being a glob. I think next time I'll wing my eyeliner a bit more out. I forgot to put any foundation on beforehand which is why I cropped the pic so.
Showing more of my eyelid crease so you can maybe see the gradiated effect... not so much...
On my right eye, I used my mom's Physician's Formula "Bake series" tri-pack. It comes with a light ivory shimmer, a gold-bronze shimmer, and a dark brown shimmer. Wow what a hurried mess this is - I didn't use any mascara here... and I even forgot to curl my eyelashes!
Both eyes: haha my eyes look uneven! It's almost a Paris Hilton. One has a nicer crease than the other. Anyway - You can't really tell much of a difference between them makeup-wise xept the eye on the right is darker... and the eyelashes are put on better.

Lastly is the cosmetic wipes (see above) -- they're alright. As a somewhat environmentally conscious citizen, I feel good that they're biodegradable and that I can throw them in the toilet. However, I don't recommend them. They're so cheap though! The smell is a bit alcoholic-like. I can see how they're good as a wipe down in the summer. As a makeup remover, it only does 3/4 of the job. It only takes away all the heavy stuff. When I use my toner, I can see the rest come off.

Customer service is exactly what it should be. They add a lot of smilies too. I accidentally bought the baby kabuki instead of the long-handled one (b/c the long-handled one was on backorder) and so I e-mailed them to cancel my original order and they e-mailed me back right away and took note of my request.

So IN SUMMARY: I love the foundation, kabuki brush, and eyeshadows and recommend it to everyone (xept those with really bad acne...)

Did I miss out on anything? Leave a question if I did.

[Edit] I forgot to mention that mineral makeup is for virtually every type of skin from super dry to super oily.. and there's a shade for every skin tone too!

Simple Is Best

Did you know that the Japanese version of American Apparel is Uniqlo? It's also known as the GAP of Japan... There's stores in China, HK, Korea, UK, and the States (well, NY). I think they have a bit more going on than AA though. Uniqlo has the same simple aesthetic, but their clothes aren't as basic. Check it out here.
Here's a quick tour of their store in Harajuku, Japan. Those tennis-ball looking containers are different colours + types of tees. That's easy to keep things neat...

**

AA is coming out with a few new things! Don't know the details yet, but this one is the Four Way Stretch Twill High waist Zipper Pant. It looks almost exactly like my Miss Sixty's skinnies xept it's high waist.. and probably a lot more black.
They're also coming out with a Pinpoint Oxford Button-Up Shirt for guys. I think it'd be great for guys with slim builds.. which is who AA seems to cater to.
I totally didn't know/realize that AA makes clothes for kids too!
California Fleece Raglan. Awwww.
A couple of things that'd be fun/nice to have are:
Lame Ruched Front Tube Bra [$16]
in Smoke
or Purple
I don't really know what I'd wear it with, but it's kinda funky.
I'm a biiig fan of their tri-blend collection -- SO soft and comfy!! But they need to come out with more styles man....
DIE medium stripes. Big stripes or thin stripes aren't as widening.
Unisex Striped Fleece Zip Hoody [$50]
Aaaahhh I feel like I've done NO work today! Again... I didn't do much yesterday either.
Tomorrow I'm going to do my exercise (I realize the last couple weeks have been very slack... mainly because things were due and the Seattle trip bounced me back a couple run-days), wash my hair to REALLY confirm that it's not gonna get any lighter (my hair dye)... then call the guy up and book another hair appt for 5:30. Mom is coming w/ thank goodness. Theeeen I gotta finish my Japanese script (for SURE) and write my English... omg maybe I shouldn't exercise tmr and just wake up early to do English... or maybe write it now since I won't be going to bed for another half hour or so... decisions decisions... no. I'm too tired to write English. Will definitely work hard tomorrow. No exceptions! Must go to bed now then...
Joy.
Oyasumi.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my Everyday Minerals review!