Haul: Lip-stuff

One thing led to another and, in the past few months, I've discovered this world of "Beauty Blogging". This, in turn, led to a discovery of "hauls" .. basically a mega-post on a bloggers latest collection.

I confess that I have minor (moderate? Ok, major) obsessions: make up, shoes, accessories. Typical girly stuff really. I won't bore you with a mega-post, partially because I don't even know which brand some of these are, let alone how much they cost.

But this stash is from when I was travelling ... I could have sworn I only packed 4-5 glosses and 1 lipstick. Here's the true total:

I couldn't help but buy even more...the E.L.F. & NYC glosses on top are the latest addition.

I'm REALLY sad they don't make CoverGirl WetSlicks anymore. The lipglosses these days are stupid sticky. Yuck!

Living Life Out of Order

As some of you know, I've been dealings with some health issues. So I'm taking time off and staying at home for the next few months. I didn't want to waste my time here and just stay at home. Instead, I decided to go back to undergrad to finish out my bachelor's degree (yes, after I went on to a med school. I seem to live life in reverse haha).

I'm jumping back in to the English major, which is such a drastic switch from the past few years. Because I like to keep things challenging, I'm also looking for/picking up a job. At this point, all of that combined sounds overwhelming.

And then I think back to about 5 years ago: I was a full time student, an RA which could be a full time job, and a paid student intern (state job) where I was working 30hours+/week. So basically, 2 full time jobs + a full time student. What the who!? I can't believe I juggled all of that. It, incidentally, happened to be my best semester in undergrad as well. CRAZY! Let's hope I can get back into the same groove.

Wish me luck!

2013 Resolutions

I strongly believe in change and always look forward to the new year for a fresh start. It's all about improving to be the best version of myself (cliche? Maybe. But still true.) and to move forward in life (blog post about this coming up sometime in the near future).

Some of these are brand spanking new. Some are recycles, things I want to give another go. And some are WIPs that I'm carrying on from my 2012 resolutions.

2013 Resolutions (in no particular order)

1. Keep up with blogging - I posted 20 blogs (I think...) in 2012. That's a huge improvement considering my past record, but I do want to post even more. If you have any suggestions for posts, let me know in the comments!!!

2. Keep up with reading - I didn't think I'd make it to 4 books, but I managed to read 14 books last year. Let's see if I can beat that record! Any recommendations?

3. Do 4+ photo challenges - because doing the 365 day challenge was a super fail. I think I can keep up with mini-challenges though. If you know of any good ones, let me know! And I'll, of course, update with random pictures.

4. Get a job - because I'm back home for the next few months and going back to school to work on my undergrad degree (probably another post about that).

5. Learn a new skill - again. Yes. Because learning new things is exciting and fun to me. Any suggestions?

6. Stop enabling Person X - because it sucks the life out of me, is utterly unhealthy for everyone involved and I'm not interested in being dragged down in life by anyone. So there!

7. Vacation with Mishal! - Because it's high time we hung out and were crazy together! I have the best times with this girl!

8. Move to Atlanta - All part of moving on with life. Whichever direction things go in, I think it's time I became more independent.

9. Get back in touch with Caitlin - a bestie I haven't met or spoken to in way too long a time.

10. Help Mom out more - Sounds like I should already be doing that, but I think there's always more that I can do. Very unhelpful if/when I move out since it'll all be back on her again, but I'll do what I can while I can.

11. Do at least 1 crafty project - because I have so many planned and lined up and it's high time I finished some up. Painting doesn't count. But I do want to get more painting done. Even try oils, maybe. Eeps!

12. Get healthier - I'm not going to set a weight goal because that didn't work out. I'll keep working on healthier eating habits and just a healthier lifestyle overall.

13. Make myself Priority #1 - bit of a carryover from last year. I need to work harder on this - and figure out an answer for "what makes me happy". Anyone else have a problem answering that? Painting sounds like a silly answer to me.

Yes, 13 again. No silly ones like achieve all resolutions or cross off a bucket list item, because I realized that's just setting myself up for failure. I think these goals are a tad more realistic this time around.

Side note: I've used "high time" more than once through my resolutions. MUST. Learn. New. Phrase! 'Time' has, in general, been a big theme through my list ... hmmm.

2012 in Reflection

I survived 2012 and can't decide if it went by really slowly or flew by quite fast. Some of my 2012 resolutions have been an absolute success, some complete failures and some are still WIPs. Overall, I think I'm pretty satisfied with my year. I look forward to 2013 for another fresh start and more resolutions.

Success

• Read - completed this one early on in the year, which was about the only time I "had" to read. [8]
• Learn a new skill - don't judge: I've really gotten into beauty vlogs and updated/upgraded my make-up application skills. Not quite what I'd had in mind when I wrote my resolutions, but it's definitely something new for me. [9]
• Blog more often - though I didn't live up to the 2-3 times per month expectation, I've certainly blogged more often this year than in the past few. Overall it's a success in my book. [10]

Fail-whale

• Lose 30lbs - well between royally messing up my back (still no clue how) and not having any sort of steady schedule and lifestyle, that's been a flop. [3]
• Scrapbooking didn't happen. At all. But I have collected more things to go into another scrap book. Brilliant ;) [7]
• Let's be honest. The 365 day Photoblog challenge was a fail. I didn't succeed at all. Which means I didn't cross off anything from my bucket list either. Bugger! [11, 12]
• And obviously that means I didn't accomplish all of my resolutions. Not a good resolution to have really. I set myself up for that one. [13]

WIP

• Putting myself first has been a heck of a lot harder than I thought it would be. This will, in some way, be a part of my goals for 2013 as well. [1]
• Technically speaking the personal project is a WIP which makes clinicals and moving to a new city (let alone exploring it), in effect, WIPs as well. [2, 5, 6]

Going to India [4] is so off the books. Unless I absolutely have to. There's just no appeal to going to India. I can meet with my grandparents in the UK, so there are no incentives. My parents recent trip did nothing to encourage me to consider going any time soon.

I will only ever go to India for wedding shopping (whenever that happens ... Mr Right, where are you?) and to show my preteen/teen-aged kids "the motherland". Going to Nainital is also on my bucket list, so that will probably be a separate trip. But other than that, no thanks.

I'm taking time with my resolutions for 2013. I need time to think, reflect, make lists and decisions. There are some "surprises" to reveal as I blog on. 

Best wishes for a wonderful 2013 to everyone!

Day 3, 4 & 5 and my Birthday!

Looks like my efforts are going to push into the New Year at this rate. Dec 3 and 4 were both supremely busy. Day 5 wasn't significantly better. It is much harder to consciously take out time to do an extra good deed (beyond the regular nice things we do anyway). At least it is when my life is unscheduled and hectic and occupied. I will make a more concentrated effort in the next few days.

Fortunately, I've been good about taking season-oriented pictures every day. Just not so much about posting them daily. They'll be up soon!

Meanwhile, birthday was fun. Glutted on Chinese for lunch and Indian for dinner. The hot and sour soup is something extra special. Nom! I had three bowls!

We were too hungry and it was too dim at the Indian restaurant to take a picture. Food was alright. Mum's food is better, always!

I gifted myself some make-up basics and a girls night it. Somebody please remind me that I now need green earrings!

People are getting sick around me. I hope I don't catch anything. Yuck!

Alright, here's hoping for a good night's sleep. Sweet dreams!

Day Two Didn't Go As Intended

I've been completely occupied today. Never did make a chance to perform my random act of kindness for somebody. Does it count if I took the evening off for a much needed (and deserved) girls-night-in of a movie (3 Idiots) and face mask? A manicure was on the list, but we were too distracted by the hilarity of Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi (ok and laughing at Chatur!).

I am keeping count, so I'll just carry on until I make up for the missed days.

We are technically into the third day of December (happy birthday to me!), but I'll post again later with other/more updates :)

I went with the cucumber mask. Sadly, it was not green. I was just as scary in it though. You'll have to take my word for it ;)

My love for December & Plans for 25 Days of Christmas

If you don't know already, December is my favorite month and December 3rd my favorite day. Hmm, I wonder why? ;) I love birthdays and celebrations and holidays and time with the family. It's all so very cozy and fun, full of love and gladness.

I'm away from my family right now and missing them terribly. Granted I'm surrounded by other family, but it's just not the same. That doesn't stop me from being in a festive mood.

In the spirit of the month and infectious giddiness of the online community, I really wanted to do some sort of "25 Days of Christmas" thing. I didn't get any help from twitterverse (thanks guys :P) so I decided to fall back on taking pictures for these 25 days. Something festive/holiday oriented or something that catches the spirit of December. The pictures will be posted daily on my photoblog.

I was feeling really clever when I discovered an even more fantastic idea. I think it's wicked cool to do 25 days of acts of random kindness. I missed the boat on Dec 1, but I'll make it up by going till the 26 (or heck, even longer!). I'll either post a picture related to that (at this blog) or just write about it.

(for anyone counting, that means I'll be doing TWO things....which is only right after such a long lull on both my blogs)

And if anyone wants to get me belated birthday present or be my Santa, I won't say no to a wifi-enabled tablet ;)

Meanwhile, have you ever seen a burger joint this packed!? It's CRAZY! But Five Guys burgers (and fries!) are just that good!

BirchBox Mega Review Update (Boxes 3-6)

Oops! I haven't blogged much and I definitely haven't done as many Birchbox reviews as I thought. Let me try to highlights instead of detailed reviews (though, I think we all know I tend to be wordy).

Birchbox #3 - July 2012

From BirchBox website

• Ada Cosmetics Bronzer sample, which I mistook for a full-sized eyeshadow pot at first. Heck, I used it as eyeshadow the first time. Oops! Pigmentation is light but the color is nice. On my skin tone, it'll best for winter when I'm not very tan.
• I haven't tried the GLOSS Moderne High Gloss Masque for my hair yet, but I'm looking forward to it. It's got all sorts of yummy sounding ingredients and smells like coconut. It should be enough for at least 3 uses, if not 4-5. If I really like it, and it works well for my hair, I might splurge $39 for the full size.
• Harvey Prince Hello perfume sample was light and summery and nice. I recommend it for people who like the not-overly-sickly-sweet floral perfume, but still like it light and sweet.
• Larabar uber Bananas Foster was yum.
• Stila It's Go Time Lip Glaze - I got a lovely, brownish shade which is in my comfort zone. I have decided I adore Stila products. If I ever splurge on makeup, it will definitely be either a Stila product or a BareEscentuals product.
• Birchbox Extra Birchbox Exclusive Earbuds...always good to have an extra pair of buds hanging around and these come in fun, bright colors. That said, the buds are cheapy and the sound quality isn't brilliant. These will be the emergency pair for desperate times.
• Overall, money's worth and more for sure. I'd be willing to pay full price for some of these products. Definitely a good "we're sorry" box..enough so that I went ahead and got the August box.

Birchbox #4 - August 2012

• DDF Brightening Cleanser works well, but wasn't "wow" different enough to justify shelling out $38 for a facewash
• Foil packets are a waste and that's basically what Stilla All Day Foundation, Concealer & Brush kit was. Too dark for my skin tone and not enough for me to judge fairly
• A free razor is awesome and a free $10 Schick Hydro Silk Razor is an awesome deal. Plus a coupon. 
• Unfortunately, I was missing 2/5 samples: Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy La Fleur, which I would have been meh about and ShowStoppers Designer Fashion Tape, which would have been cool and useful.
• I notified Birchbox and received a very prompt, apologetic and helpful email. They gave me bonus points and comp'd my September box, which is good because I was planning to skip September after missing items in 2/3 boxes.
• Overall, got my money's worth. The products were nice, but I'd only get the Schich which was a Birchbox find, not a typical sample.

Birchbox #5 - September 2012

From BirchBox website

• Have I mentioned my dislike for foil packets? I got a two-fer in this box. The first was a Benefit foamingly clean facial wash and refined finish facial polish duo. Haven't tried it yet. I'll get around to it when I run out of my regular face wash. The reviews have been meh, nothing spectacular ish.
• The second foil was a Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Treatment Trio. Absolutely useless for me because I actually don't have a split end problem. Just because I have dry, frizzy hair doesn't mean I have split ends. And my hair isn't even all that dry. Just not that silky or anything either.
• Youngblood Mineral Primer is something I got a little excited about. I've been wanting to try out primers and I finally got a sample. I've used it a few times but haven't noticed any difference in my makeup application. Meh. At least I got to try it.
• Ooh tea! Ok, I'm not that much into teas, but hey, tropical green teas (Mighty Leaf Tea) are interesting. I'll try it soon.
• Color Club Custom Collection "Status Update" nail polish is out of my comfort zone since it's a grey. BUT I've been wanting to deviate from my normal pinks, pearls & maroons, so the timing was perfect. It's a nice slate grey kind of color and one coat is opaque enough for my taste.
• I did not receive the twistband that I was supposed to. Come on Birchbox! Not that I cared for an overpriced piece of knotted elastic, but I should get what you promise me.
• Overall, $10 was more than covered, but I wasn't impressed with the products at all. Half the stuff wasn't usable and the rest was meh.

Birchbox #6 - October 2012

• This box was a week late in getting sent out (usually ships out on the 10th of the month). It shipped from Edison, NJ and took a week to get to me .. could've gone and picked it up myself in one day haha
• LA FRESH acetone-free nail polish remover ... 2 sachets. Ok, cool. I'll use it on the go... or give it to my mum when she's travelling.
• LUNA Fiber Chocolate Raspberry bar. It's a hefty size for a bar, so that's good. But Birchbox, please stop sending me food! I signed up for makeup/beauty stuff!!!
• Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lip Gloss. 0.008oz sample size. That's like 4 drops of water. Ok, enough for 10ish uses. Would I pay $26 for a full size (0.1oz)? Hell no! I can get better formula & variety of colors from CVS.
• willa Clear Face Moisturizer is a nice travel size item. I'm not particular about products being natural but it's an added bonus. I'll see how good it is after a few uses. Thankfully it's not a foil sample ;)
• theBalm cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer .. the name makes me feel like it will turn me into a man! LOL It's supposed to be a highlighter-eyeshado-allover shimmer in one. It's a light yellow-golden color that will work best as a highlighter. Cute packaging and I'll get a decent number of uses out of it. But I wouldn't buy it because I adore my Stila all-in-one way more (I'll blog about that later).
• Overall, utterly disappointing box. The samples almost didn't total $10. The products aren't things I would invest in; they don't seem tailored to my needs/wants. I've given it the 6 months I promised I would and have been disappointed more times than not. So because of that, and I can't afford throwing away $10/month right now, I'm cancelling my monthly subscription.

Caveat: I do like the concept and BB has introduced me to a lot of products I've liked or would like to try. I will come back to it eventually, but only after they've worked their way through these growing pains (terrible twos) and up their standards a bit. I'm not the only one complaining so they clearly have to change things. They can't afford not to, especially with Ipsy as competition.

I'm actually quite sad leaving BB. It was fun getting a box of goodies in the mail every month.

If you're not deterred by my somewhat bad experience, and you want to sign up for BirchBox, you can head this-a-way to sign up.

2012 Progress Report #4

*peeks out* Yes, I've failed quite miserably at many of my goals for 2012. But I've learned a lot along the way and grown a bit as well.

So let's see:

I've been pretty decent at putting myself first. I haven't turned into a selfish brat or anything, but I do remember to consider my own feelings more often and I've stopped holding myself responsible for things that really are not my problems at all. That's a big improvement for me. Yay :)

Personal goal + some medical set backs (back still hurts!) got in the way of Goal 3. The good thing is I've noticed a change in my eating habits that is more standard for me now. No, I haven't given up on rice & roti completely, but I watch the portion size very closely. I snack more healthily as well.

I'm not sure I really want to go to India any more. My grandparents are here, visiting, and they were the primary reason for going to India. Things are as bad or worse in India and it stresses me out just thinking of making a trip there. I'd much rather travel nearly anywhere else.

I think I'd much rather go to Atlanta for clinicals now. My bestie lives there and it'll be a new city to explore.

I still haven't gotten around to a Bermuda Cruise Scrapbook. But then, I've been busy. Maybe I'll get around to it now. Maybe.

Any book recommendations peeps? I want something light but juicy.

Does painting count as learning a new skill. Granted I haven't learned much, other than self-teaching. Well I've got a few things in mind, so we'll see how all of that comes out.

I clearly dropped the ball on blogging more often. I blame it all on Goal 2. It really took all my attention and energy. So, again, maybe now I'll be able to refocus on the goal. The photoblog challenge was an even bigger fail. I've taken pictures over the past few months, though not daily and definitely haven't posted them. I guess you all can expect a mega post for that as well.

*scratches head* I don't really remember what's on my bucket list. Oops! I'll have to go back to my diary to see if I accomplished anything.

Does making an attempt at accomplishing all goals on my resolutions list count as a success? I have a feeling that's a big NO! Darn!

In other news, I have extra wisdom teeth. I got the one that was bothering me removed today. Does that mean I have less wisdom, or more? ;)

I take it back!!!

I take it back! I like Stainiac. It's a brilliant product. The first that I've tried that really doesn't feel like anything on my skin. It's so lightweight and sheer that it's utterly natural looking. I love love love that it doesn't feel like I have lipstick or gloss on. Even on my cheeks it feels like nothing: no stickiness, no heaviness, no nothing!

My lips look like I've been eating berries or a popsicle and my cheeks have a natural flush.

I doubt I'll spend $17 for the full size, but this little tube will be set aside for special occasions.

The only thing I don't like is the slightly off putting, bitter-chemically smell and taste to it. But those kind of disappear after a while.


I also tried the Yu-Be moisturizing cream last night. Woah mama! It's quite amazing. My feet have been horribly dry and cracked this summer - blasted heat! I tried the cream for the heck of it, before passing out. I woke up to much improved, nearly 100% healed feet. And I only used one pea size dab for both feet! Definitely a great product. Might even be worth it at $16 for the 1.25oz tube if you have really dry skin issues (my sample size is 0.1oz and will last me a long time).


I'm not too excited by the sneak peak of July, but since Birchbox has partnered up with Glamour, and they don't talk about absolutely everything they're including in the different boxes, I am really looking forward to my July Birchbox. I really hope I get the Stila One Step Bronze. *fingers crossed*

I think I'll give Birchbox one or two more months. If I don't get a single 100% satisfactory box by 5 months of trial, I'll switch to checking out MyGlam, Cravebox, Sindulge, LookBag, or Glossybox ($21/month, but it seems to have more full-size and high-end products). Honestly, there are so many of these subscription services, it becomes a luck of the draw with what you get with each per month. But I think 5-6 months a service is a reasonable amount of time to decide whether to stick with it. And at $10 a pop for most of these, I don't feel too guilty or overindulgent (especially since the value of the box exceeds $10 every time).