Easy Chocolate Covered Walnut Holiday Gift!

When it comes to gifts for your boy friend/girl friend, homemade always says "I love you" louder than store bought, and nothing makes Christmas merrier than chocolate! Here is a easy gift idea that's great for someone your love <3 

My boyfriend loves chocolate covered almonds, and he consumes they like water... so I figured that there is no better way to say "I love you" this Christmas than some homemade chocolate covered nuts.!

The first step is to make a double boilers.. I simply added water to my pot and placed a bigger bow on top. Make sure the bottom of the bow does not touch the water, else the chocolate will burn~

The Birthday Plan on a budget!

December 4th
My boyfriend's birthday is coming up, and I am scrambling to come up with ideas to make it a special day. Admittedly, my boyfriend has always put a bigger effort into my birthdays than I have in his ... It's not my fault really... his birthday always falls during exam time...

His birthday is on December 12th, and since it's a Wednesday, we will be celebrating it on December 8th, the Saturday before the week of his birthday.

Today is December 4th, and I will be updating this entry over the next 4 days as I plan out his birthday.

As a recent graduate, my finances is fairly tight.... good thing my bf is not a big present and fancy restaurant kind of guy. I did have to think insanely hard to come up with low budget, yet special birthday plan! I hope it will give you some ideas for your next creative, low budget birthday for your significant other!

Here is the basic plan I am think of:

Winter Luxe Box SPOILER!!!!!!!

So.. ever since I have joined Loose Button, I have been telling everyone about it!! And it so happens, that a friend of a friend of a friend of my works at Loose Button, and I was finally able to nag him into telling me one of the products that's going to be in the Winter Luxe Box!

Disclaimer: I am not promising anything, he could have lied for all I know..... so do not come back and hunt me if I am wrong!! but be sure to come back and thank me if I am Right!

So he told me that there is going to be a >>>>>KABUKI BRUSH!!!!<<<<<  and supposedly, it's from a really high-end brand!!

It's so awesome, because a good kabuki brushes can be very expensive! Even if you already have one, I think it make for a great gift!!

I hope it's pink... but then again I hope it's MAC.. I love MAC's kabuki brush <3 <3  

I hope you are all as excited as I am about the next winter box.

In search for Mr. Right

The topic of dating seems to have become the topic of choice among my friends! And one of the questions I often get asked is -->> HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT GUY??<<--

Finding that someone special takes both a rational and emotional decision, and it literately pushes the boundary of human capabilities! So do not worry if you have had rotten luck with the whole process... We all do. But sometimes, only when we are really lucky, we find the love of our life... but seriously--->

In honor of my friend Krystle, who recently got engaged, I thought I would share some of the my thoughts on how to find your Mr. or Mrs Right!

Why I unsubscribed to Glymm

My November Glymm box blog is HERE

There are a number of reasons why I have unsubscribed, but the main reason is that I find their products very sketchy... for example, last month we got the H2O Hydration by Cyberderm that had the labels taped on, no ingredient list, nothing! I could have easily made that thing myself...  and the same problem this month with the Dirt body scrub... it was just a plastic bottle with two stickers on it...  I mean did people even clean their hands when they put the sample in????

I actually had a terrible reaction to their  H2O Hydration by Cyberderm. As soon as I put it on, my face begin to feel extremely dry, than it started to hurt! my face feels like sandpaper and it was burning! it was so bad that I had to wash the product off of my face immediately and I never used it again. Just so you know, my skin is not sensitive or anything, it's just average oily skin.

I also think the products Glymm sends out are too unknown.. I cannot find and buy any of the products I have received in the past three months in a physical store!  

I felt like a lab rat! I honestly think companies pay Glymm to distribute shitty products and use us as a tester! I cannot believe I paid for any of it!!!

I was seriously going to sue Glymm if my skin got any kind of permanent or temporary damage. I mean I spend so much money on skin care everyday that there is no way I am going to cheap out now. I only joined Glymm because it claims to distribute high quality, well known products! and so far, I do not know any of the brands other than the johnson & johnson baby oil that's worth $2. 

On top of everything, their customer service SUCK!!! I tried to call to cancel for three days.. but no one ever picks up!! you are just asked to call again, you cannot even wait in line to be answered!! I mean why have a shitty phone line if no one ever picks up. WAY TO PRETEND GLYMM!! I was even imagining that they will never reply me and keep me subscribed forever!!! almost give me a little anxiety attack there.

On top of everything, the November bag is only woth $11... less than the $13 I paid for it... nice job ripping people off glymm... real nice job!!! 

Glymm bag November 2012 Unveil

The November Glymm bags are here!!! 

I really love getting these subscription bag every month, but unfortunately this will be my last Glymm bag, I have unsubscribed >.< I actually did not want to get this bag either, but I could not get in touch with the company to unsubscribe before they charge me for the November month. 

I have since subscribed to Loose Button's Luxe Box, from what I have seen I think they truly offer high-end products, and a better value, aka great bang for my buck!  I especially love how their boxes a personalized!! cannot wait to get my box in December!!

There are a whole bunch of reasons to why I unsubscribed, and I will write a whole separate blog on it.. the bottom line, I DO NOT LIKE GLYMM!!!

Anyways, here is the link to why I unsubscribed -->> Why I unsubscribed from Glymm

 

So the theme for this month is small... no.. I mean tiny! Again, there is no full size product, I think that's another theme they are having for all of their bags.  (I know last month's mascara is full size.. that's like the only one in 3 month of products..)

There were five products this month..

LYS Parisien Professional shampoo: 60 ml, worth $2.50 (full size 500ml/$24)
LYS Parisien Professional moisturizing balm: 60 ml, worth $2.50 (full size 500ml/$24)
Dirt sugar body scrub: 15 ml/0.5 oz: worth $1.80(full size 12 OZ/$45)
The New Black nail polish: 4ml/0.125oz: worth $5.00 ($15 or a set of 3, these are normally sold in sets)
The Beehive perfume: 0.7ml/0.024oz: worth: approximately $0 (full size 100ml/$35)

So in conclusion.. I paid $13.56 for my Glymm bag, and received $11.80 worth of product... nice job Glymm, real nice job!

LYS Parisien Professional shampoo: 60 ml, worth $2.50 (full size 500ml/$24)
LYS Parisien Professional moisturizing balm: 60 ml, worth $2.50 (full size 500ml/$24)

The New Black nail polish in the colour Gold Grenade.. it's about 1/5 of my full size nail polish. I do not want to say anything about the colour... let's just say I would not buy it myself.

Dirt sugar body scrub: 15 ml/0.5 oz: worth $1.80(full size 12 OZ/$45)
The New Black nail polish: 4ml/0.125oz: worth $5.00 ($15 or a set of 3, these are normally sold in sets)
The Beehive perfume: 0.7ml/0.024oz: worth: approximately $0 (full size 100ml/$35)

I do not like perfume so I do not care about the size, but I dare you to find a smaller perfume sample! These three items are too tiny to have a picture of their own...

Overall... what can I say...I have learned to not expect too much...  I already unsubscribed and I have no regrets...

Good luck to all your guys who are still with Glymm...I truly wish they can stop ripping everyone off. As for those who are on the fence of joining, I hope you fall outside of the Glymm fence, I had to battle my way out...

Outfit Of The Week [Minty Green]

Finally, another Outfit of the Week! I was really sick this past week, and did not have the energy to blog or smile in photos… so sorry for not posting anything for a while..

But I went shopping this past weekend and bought a beautiful white leather jacket from Danier, and 2 beautiful cardigans from H&M!! One of which I am wearing in this OOFW!

I hope you all enjoy this look!! let me know what you think in the comment section below, and be sure to follow me by clicking on "join this site" on the right hand side!!

I actually pulled together two looks, the first is a chillax look, I then transformed it in to a more dressed up look by adding a skinny belt and a long necklace.

The mint green cardigan I am wearing is the pieces I got from H&M, and my current love!! The colour immediately jumped out at me when I went into the store. The cardigan has this furry look to it that was just sooo cute and sooo pretty!

I also got it in coral colour~

 

I am wearing a thick black panty hose/ legging (I am not sure what they are called) with a long black shirt, or a short, short black dress, you know, ones that are long enough to cover your ass, but too short to be wore alone.

One of my biggest pet peeves, and I am sure you have heard of it before, is people wearing legging as pants. THEY ARE NOT PANTS!

I can be a little lenient on people who have a nice figure, they can show off as much as they want as long as it’s appealing... But I hate it when I see people wearing legging that are clearly too tight for them, and you can see their fat rolls being squeezed out, and ugly underwear linings, yuck! That just ruins my day. 

So for the casual look, I let the cardigan hang loose, only buttoning the last button, a baggy feel <3 I think the look is perfect for hanging out with family or with a boyfriend, very cozy, very comfortable!

I am not wearing shoes here, but I feel a fluffy UGG would look perfect~

To transform it into a more dressed up look, I buttoned up the cardigan, pulled out my black skinny belt that I have also wore in this outfit to give me a waist >.< I also took out my beautiful jade necklace that matches the colour of my cardigan to add a subtle detail.

A nice pair of leather boots or  heels would go nicely with this outfit!

Let me know what you guys think of this look~ and I will post again very soon <3

Lancome Haul, on a budget!

Hey markup lovers! It was my birthday a few days ago and I decided to splurge a little bit, just a very little bit, and got some awesome stuff from Lancome!

 Here is an overview of everything I got! I got a total of 10 products for only $40, unbelievable??? too good to be true??It's because they are having a really awesome promotion!!!

Not everyone can afford everything one wants in life, which is why I like to shop for deals. Lancôme is not a brand that is in my budget range, but department stores such as The Bay, Sears and Macy's often puts out promotions such as gifts with purchase that makes them much more affordable! So the next time you want something a tad pricy, perhaps there is a promotion for it~ Shop smart!

This is the list of things I got:

1) Large black makeup bag, (full size)
2) Creme radiance cleanser, 125 ml/4.2 oz (full size)
3) Colour design lip stick in colour Natural Beauty (full size)
4) Colour design Ombre Mono effects eye shadow (full size, I think)
5) Lancome mascara(sample)
6) Double action eye makeup remover (travel size)
7) Geneifique Eye cream(sample)
8) Bienfait multi-vital(sample)
9) Visionnaire serum(sample)
10) Teint Idole Ultra 24H foundation  (sample)

I do not normally buy anything from Lancome because their stuff is way out of my price range, but they are currently running a promotion at the Bay where you get 8 delux samples when you spend $35 before tax.

The promotion end Nov 4th 2012!! you still have time!!!

I am all for buying high quality products, but I also love money, and would like to save as much as possible!!! So I definitely would not miss out on a great deal!

So this is the reasoning that I told myself, just think about it, some of the make up subscription services out there charge you $12-$20+tax to send your 5-6 samples every month, you get some hits and misses, but I am sure the products are not all up to Lancome's quality! So I spend $35+tax, and got 10 Lancome products of my choice! that's a awesome deal to me!

So after some research online I decided that I will purchase Creme radiance cleanser that retails for exactly $35+ tax which totaled to $40. I would never normally spend $35 on a cleaner, but if I have to spend the money, I rather spend it on a product that improves the quality of my skin rather than a make up product.

This is the promotional ad I saw that tempted me to make the purchase! I love that I can customize the sample selection! 

I chose between two serums, a skin care routine that includes an eye cream and a moisturizer, a makeup routine that includes a lip stick and an eye shadow pallet, as well as a make up remover and a mini mascara. 

O~ almost forgot, I also get to choose an awesome awesome make up bag. It's a quite large bag, I can definitely use it just as a regular bag! which is great cause I have a tone of make up bags already! btw, you can choose between a pink bag or a black one~

Bienfait multi-vital moisturizer and  Geneifique Eye cream: I have been using these two for the past few days, I do not know if it's psychological or if its super effective, I see some minor, minor improvements on my eye area!!!  I hope the bottle can last me a very long time.. cause it's too expensive for me buy >.<

 Colour design Ombre Mono effects eye shadow. I have yet to use it, but I do like the colours, and am very excited to try it out soon, I have never used a high end eye shadow pallet before  @.@

  Visionnaire serum. I have been using this, it is quickly absorbed by my skin, but I have yet to see any visible improvements, the effect will probably be more visible in the long term.

The make up remover and mascara, have not use it yet~

 I also got a full size lip stick in the colour natural beauty.

 Aside from the 8 piece sample set, I also got a small sample of their Teint Idole Ultra 24H foundation from a offer on their Facebook page. I even had the dermatologist match the colour for me, so it has to be good~ 

In conclusion, I am very very excited about the huge amount of new products I get to try!!! YEAH~~ I am so excited!!!!

Happy 4th Anniversary

My birthday was 3 days ago on October 23, and I simply had the most wonderful birthday this year! big thanks to all my friends and family for making it so special! <3

Not only was it my birthday, it was also the start of my fifth year relationship with my boyfriend. I have told him to not read my blog, but in case he does, happy anniversary baby.

I met my boyfriend in my first year university, on Sept 19th, 2008, my COMM 103 professor announced the grouping for the course projects on that day, and it was the first time I knew who he was. I still remember that he had really bad hair at the time, which I still tease him about to this day.  I remember I found out later that he was flirting with all the Asian girls in the commerce program when we first met, though he probably would not admit it.

We studied together for our first university mid term exams, and on my birthday, also the last day of our exams. he asked me not to leave him.

There was no big confession or anything, so there is no precise date of our anniversary, but I thought I would let it be on the same day as my birthday. This way, it's easy to remember and we would always celebrate it.

We have had our fair share of problems over the past four years, but we were happy for the most part.


老公，谢谢你知我，懂我, 爱我

Outfit Of The Week [Classic Chic]

Hey fashion lovers~another week, another outfit of the week!!! I know I promised to post it every weekend, but this week has just been so crazy >.<!! Also, be sure to stay tuned for another OOTW next weekend <3

For this outfit, I was going for a look that's classy, yet chic by combining a lot of staple pieces you might already have in your closet!!! Keep reading to see how I pulled this look together <3

 

Here is the look I put together, let me know what's you initial reaction in the comment section below ~

I think layering is the best way to show off your awesome summer pieces in the fall or winter. In this look, I am wearing a fitted white sleeveless shirt that I purchased from H&M in the summer. What I love about this shirt is its collar, so by laying a wide collared, cropped sleeve cardigan over the shirt, the classy collar detail is revealed.

I purchased the cropped sleeve cardigan  from Banana Republic for $83. This has to be one of my favourt shirts ever!!! The print is a grape leave pattern in the colours black, nude and white, therefore, the cardigan matches great with dark, white or nude coloured outfitts! I buttoned up the cardigan to give it a more clean and well put together look.

While the cardigan a tad expensive, I think it's important to purchase a few really good, high quality pieces instead of buying a lot of cheap shirts that last you no more than one season.

The Canadian weather is getting a little chilly these days, so I pulled out my blazer that I got from Zara, another great buy that I have loved for a long time, to keep me cozy and add that chic factor to look. <3

I paired what I am wearing on top with a skin tight, light pink skinny jeans. I think a well fitted pair of jeans is a staple fashion piece that everyone should have in their closet, and recently I have come to love light coloured jeans instead of the traditional navy ones. 

When I think classy, I tend to think of white, laced, Victorian dresses, so I feel a pair of light coloured  jeans looks more girly and classy~

Since the cardigan has pops of black colour to it, I added a basic skinny black belt to balance out the colours and pull the whole look together.

As for shoes, I am wearing this really cute classic pointy toe pump that I got from Nine West~ it's such a classic pair of low heel, it will look great with any outfit. The added touch of black also balances out the dark blazer I am wearing on top.

And that's it, the whole look! Let me know if you love or hate this look, and stay tuned for another Outfit Of The Week next weekend (I promises I will try to post it on time next week) <3

Lighting Lash X Femme Couture

Hey my lovelies~ as you may or may not know, I recently received my October Glymm bag. Click HERE to read the product unveil blog. For the past few days, I have been eager to try out all the products that came in this month's bag~

One of the products I really like from the bag is the Lightning Lash by femme couture! 

I have never heard of the product or the company, but, after some digging, I found on Sally Beauty's website: "Femme Couture is a fashion inspired color cosmetic line with luxurious textures, broad shade ranges and eye catching palettes. Their high-quality, advanced formulas along with professional make-up artist tools offer infinite combinations with professional results. Femme Couture helps skin look naturally flawless, and the coverage is perfectly weightless."

Glymm claims that the product is worth $14, but it only retails for $8.99 online, which is very reasonable the price for a mascara.

 

I have used this mascara for the past few days, while it does not live up to Glymm's promise of amplified lashes, IT DOES NOT SMUDGE UNDER MY EYE and give me raccoon eyes!

Let's bitch about shitty raccoon eyes in the comment section below! 

I have combination skin, and is naturally oily around the eye area. I have struggled for years to find a mascara that does not smudge!!!! I even stopped wearing mascara for a long time to avoid the awkward  moment when people tell you that your mascara smudged again.... But with the Lighting Lash mascara, I wore it all day to work for two days, and it did not smudge at all! A huge huge bonus! So if you too struggle with the same problem, you may have just found you new LIFE SAVER!

The brush is skinny to say the least, and the brush does not have the bristles that a volumizing mascara would have, and I did not find the brush design to have any particular benefits.

 I have decided to use myself as a test subject to show you the full effect of the mascara. I started off with a clean face, no makeup, so that you can see the sole effect of the Lightning Lash mascara.

 And I just wave my little mascara wand to get beautiful lashes.

Here is a look at my lashes after applying the mascara. As you can see, it does look slightly lengthened, but the result is average, I have definitely seen better performing mascara than this. The mascara does clump a little, but I was able to comb through it with the brush. The formula is very pigmented and quick drying.

Here is a direct comparison of before and after~ In conclusion, I think it is definitely a good mascara. While it does not give an amazing lengthening result, it does make my lashes look somewhat volumized and lengthened. But the fact that it does not smudge is a big big bonus for me !!!

One last picture of me with my eyes open~ he he.. XD Let me know what you thought of the mascara~