Christmas Presents

Star Wars Christmas Tree

All my friends know I am a huge Star Wars fan. This tree goes great with the blue and silver theme we are sporting this year.

Scarf + Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Cream + Lavender Spray

My friend totally was reading my mind this year because I was totally looking for a green infinity scarf and I was specifically looking for that almond milk hand cream. I mean seriously, she was using some kind of supernatural power.

Cards Against Humanity
The bigger, blacker box plus the 90s nostalgia pack plus the fifth expansion. My collection is growing!

Lunchbox
A new lunch box that even comes with some tupperware! I do bring lunch every day to work to save money so a new lunch box is a must.

Chocolate + 2TB External Hard Drive + Lip Gloss
Dark chocolate with pralines and mint cream filling because I'm a chocoholic. The external hard drive was from my secret santa. A pack of 10 lip glosses from my aunt.

Michael Kors Watch + Tory Burch Flip Flops
A watch was on my wishlist since I do need one for work. I didn't expect to get such a fancy looking one though. And yay flip flops in my favorite color! Gotta wait until the summer to wear those.

Miscellanous Stuff
Some gift cards and some money. I also got this nice lotion from a coworker and a very nice smelling soap from another coworker. The Chipotle and Panera gift cards were also from coworkers :)

Zoolights

This year was the first time I've ever gone to the Zoolights display at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. I mean, I've been to the National Zoo before but not for the Zoolights. Groupon and living social deals have a way of making my family go places. Anyway, the deal was for free parking since parking is expensive probably to offset the fact that the zoo itself is actually free. If you have ever gone to the National Zoo, you will know that getting there is quite a hassle. It's still a bit of a walk from the closest metro stop. Driving there is kind of terrifying if you take Rock Creek, which is like the winding road of death. Taking Connecticut is kind of annoying also since you end up going through Dupont Circle and the National Mall area. But it was whatever to me since I won't be the one driving.

Our deal included tickets for tubing, the train, and the carousel. Before any of the animal attractions closed, I took my brother to see the pandas and the reptile house. We didn't spend too long there. Then we went to go eat dinner at Ted's Bulletin in Mosaic District Mosaic District was also nicely decorated for Christmas.

Christmas Eve

Sadly, I had to work that morning and it was a super busy morning. Afterwards, I went to Clyde's in Ashburn to have lunch with two friends. Then went home to spend lots of time getting ready. I went to church to see my brother perform in the choir but it was so hot that he almost passed out. Then went home where my family was hosting Christmas Eve. We were quite fancy this year.

Photo credit goes to my uncle, Mike Ablaza. He took all the photos for us this Christmas. The theme this year is silver and dark blue so I dressed to match that theme. I can't believe Christmas is over already and now looking forward to celebrating the new year! What presents did I get? Anticipate that to be a whole long post on its own.

Oh Christmas Tree, so silver and blue

This year, the theme of my Christmas tree is silver and white and a navy or dark blue. I just love that combination. The tree is of course, real. My family always gets a real tree. It smells so nice. The tree is from Merrifield Garden Center. Some of the ornaments are also from there and some of the other ornaments were from Michael's. We got all these ornaments on sale when my mom and I went shopping the day after Christmas. By the way, the deals after Christmas on Christmas stuff is pretty amazing. If you can brave the crowds, I highly recommend it. Anyway, do you think my tree is pretty?

Merry Christmas Eve!

Party at the Waterford

I attended a Christmas Party at the Waterford this month. The place was very nicely decorated and I wanted to take pictures because I was pretty proud of my makeup that day. I spend about an hour and a half, I think, on makeup alone. Anyway, the food was great. We had beef kebabs and salmon and rice with mushrooms. Then the dessert table was filled. We did some raffles and a fun gave involving a Christmas song. There were quite a few performances and it really did get lively in the end. Even Santa was dancing "Jump on it" and it was so hilarious. The kids were all so energetic with the games. The downside was that it was on a Sunday so we couldn't really continue the festivities too late into the night. It's too bad though. I think it could have been really fun if everyone didn't have work and school the next day.

Christmas Train

I went on this thing called the Christmas Train with my family. It is basically a way for kids to experience riding a train but Christmas themed. So we got on the train at the Burke station. It was a short train ride, only about an hour, so half an hour each way. Santa and Mrs. Clause come through all the cars giving away candy canes. They then also distribute a coloring book about train safety. In the last half, Santa comes back to say goodbye and then it's over. Then the conductor punches holes in your tickets, polar express style. It's a fun experience for kids if they have never ridden the train before.

Holiday Fun at The National Harbor

This post will just be mostly pictures. Anyway, my family and I went ahead and visited the National Harbor one night. The trip was unplanned. Our previous plans got canceled and since we were in the area, we thought we might as well go there anyway. So they have this new Ferris wheel and it is really nice mostly because of the view and the fact that the cars are insulated and heated. The tickets are pretty expensive though. Also, the National Harbor does get decorated to match the holiday season.

I attempted to do the Elsa side braid on my hair but my hair isn't long enough so the braid kept unraveling on the opposite side. Anyway, the view from the Ferris wheel is pretty spectacular. The cars are also very well lit inside so taking pictures wasn't too hard.

After all this picture taking, we went to eat at Rosa Mexicano for some delicious food and that was a good end to the day. We didn't stay very long. It was pretty cold and we were all just so tired. Anyway, other nice holiday sights so see are the Gaylord hotel and the ICE sculptures. If you are every in the area, be sure to check it out!

Thanksgiving 2014

This Thanksgiving was pretty typical for me. We celebrated it at my uncle's house. We had the usual turkey and ham and stuffing and graving and all those other classic dishes. Everything was delicious. Oh yeah, my uncle is a photographer so we also did our Holiday portraits there. My cousin, who is in middle school, is already taller than me T_T so I wore super high heels for the photos so I don't look like a midget next to her. Still, she will probably grow even taller so eventually, heels won't help all that much.

This year, I am very thankful for my job. Even though I did have work on Black Friday, I am very thankful to have a job in the first place. It was a little rough for me after graduation so I'm thankful not only to have a job in an area I wanted, but also to have it so close to home. If you know me, you would know driving gives me anxiety.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with many things to be thankful for!

"Face It" Liquid Liner & Gel Liner

Just recently I finished up my favorite liquid liner, which is a L'Oreal liquid liner. Anyway, that product is shown on my instagram somewhere. I threw out with it the Almay liquid liner that I was also using because I hated that eyeliner and didn't even want to bother finishing it. To replace them, I've started using two eye liners that I got from the Face Shop when I was in the Philippines. The Face Shop is a Korean cosmetics store that is very popular in the Philippines. I've seen one in pretty much every SM I went to, which is saying something. Anyway, the particular one I bought this from was the Megamall.

Face It All About Gel Liner 01 Black

So yes, I'm back to using gel liner. The only reason I stopped using gel liner in the past was that I had a hard time finding a good one on my cheap budget. I'll be honest, I don't know how much this costs since I'm a spoiled kid and my dad bought this for me. Here is the description:

A gel-type waterproof eyeliner with creamy, high pigment formula for precise application and creative eye makeup

I was really glad that this was waterproof. The past gel liners that I have tried (ELF and ULTA brand) were not waterproof. Anyway, this was a surprise to me but the product came with a double ended applicator! It has a brush one one side and a smudger on the other side.

Well the consistency was definitely very creamy, which made the eyeliner easy to apply. The brush that came with it is also of very good quality and very precise. Although it had been a while since I used gel liner, it was easy to use and made a nice fine line on my eyelid. However, you have to make sure to clean the brush off after you use it with some makeup wipes or something of that sort because whatever leftovers are on that brush will dry and harden, making it very difficult to use it the next time.

Face It Lesson 02 Slim Eyeliner Carbon Black

It does say Lesson 02 but I don't know if it is part of some larger collection or not.

"A smudge-proof film for a darkening-free eye appearance
A sharp and slim outer eye line like an idol star!"

That's the description it says on the box. I don't know for sure if the eyeliner is tear proof, waterproof, sweat proof, etc unless it says it somewhere in the Korean parts of the description. It does boast a very slim 0.3mm tip to make it easier to make fine lines (and of course I mean the good kind). Then there is some type of code you can scan on the back which I have no clue what it leads to.

As with all new things, I needed to get used to the different handle and length of this new liquid liner, so I was pretty clumsy with it in the beginning. However, I love that the tip is so sharp and makes it easy to make that precise wing. After all, no one wants to draw detail with a dull pencil right? Since the tip is so small, it isn't very good for making thicker lines and I have to go over the line quite a few times to get the line as dark as I want. The small surface area of the tip doesn't hold much product so it needs to be applied a few times to look good.

Anyway, since both have pros and cons, the use of both when putting on eyeliner kind of cancel each other out. I usually do the initial line with the gel liner and then use the liquid liner at the ends to make that sharp and clean wing. The thickness of the brush of the gel liner makes it hard to do that sharp wing easily. Both stay on very well though. Once on, I haven't really noticed the need to reapply because they have faded or anything of that sort. It's a good combo.

Halloween 2014

I had a chance to recapture my youth this year as I went out trick or treating with my little brother. He is nine years old so it still makes sense for me to accompany him as a chaperone, but my intentions are clear: I want candy. This year, I get to spend Halloween at home because I'm done with college. I think the last time I went trick or treating was in senior year of high school. I can't seem to be able to pass up free candy!

For my costume, I was once again a French maid. I really went all out with my makeup because there aren't many occasions for me to wear such heavy makeup. I also got to pair my costume with my combat boots. I used my Naked 2 palette on my lids. Then I used these ardell wispies, which I think are now my new favorite falsies.

My brother was dressed as Link from Legend of Zelda. I actually made his shield myself with some foam board and construction paper. For his sword, I just modified the hilt of a sword he already had by using that blue painters tape and some construction paper. The rest of his costume was home made too. He used my old forest green scrub top and then we cut up my old forest green pants to make the hat. Then he borrowed my fake uggs for boots.

We went out trick or treating around 6:30 pm. It was kind of cold but it was tolerable. I only needed one coat. We did A LOT of walking. My feet were hurting and my brother was super tired. We passed by this one house that had really awesome decorations. They had this one with like a little girl behind a fence that is whimpering "help me!" but when you get close, she goes all exorcist and jumps at you. Then they also had this doll thing on a swing on a tree that starts singing creepy songs when you pass by. My poor brother was terrified.

Anyway, when we got home, my mom had a Halloween themed dinner for us. For appetizers was this hot dog wrapped in dough bandages made to mimic a mummy. Then we had some green apple juice. For the main course was spaghetti with meatballs made to look like eyeballs paired with bread sticks made to look like fingers. Then for dessert, we had a "dirt cup" made of a waffle cone filled with chocolate pudding and a gummy worm, topped with crushed oreos as dirt.

We got a good amount of candy. My brother loves to trick or treat but he actually doesn't like candy all that much. So the ones who will eat most of the candy will be me and my parents. We actually had to large packs of candy for trick or treaters but we were only able to use up one. So yay more candy for me!

Fall Lips, Darker and more Subdued

It is officially fall which means my makeup will be much darker and more likely heavier than before since the burning heat won't make me sweat it off. Anyway, the past trend for me was always vibrant lips. Hot weather meant vibrant pink and cold weather meant vibrant red. This time around, I'm not going for vibrant lips *gasp*. I don't know why but I'm just more fond of more subdued and neutral colors this time around. Here are three lip products that will probably be my staple this fall.

It Cosmetics Your Lips But Better Waterproof Lip Liner Stain "Blushing Nude"
My friend and I were swatching things all over ULTA for a nice lip color reminiscent of the Kylie Jenner lip color (whatever you may say about her, you can't deny that her lip color is fab). I was specifically looking for something that was pinkish brown, a little bit like my lip color but better type of thing (how fitting considering the name of the product). Anyway, this fulfilled my kind of specific criteria: something thin for a more precise line, pinkish brown color, an automatic liner (aka something I don't have to sharpen), and within my budget of $20. This was right on the max of my budget at $20. The sales lady also recommended the product as she says it is one of her favorites as well.

Anyway, this product sure boasts a lot of things. It is waterproof and also a stain. It is paraben free and no animal testing. It has collagen, peptides, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, argan oil, jojoba oil, and avocado oil for an easy to apply creamy consistency and hydrating/nourishing effect. It also has anti-aging anti-oxidants like vitamin A, C, E, acai, green tea, and white tea. You can read the long description on the ULTA website here. All of that is nice but to be honest, I only bought it because it fit my criteria above. This is all really just a lucky bonus.

Unlike what they claim, I don't find this lip liner very hydrating. It feels just as dry any other lip liner. It does dry with a matte finish which makes any peeling dry skin much more obvious. You really need to exfoliate or do some type of lip scrub beforehand. However, the lip color does last really long and does leave a stain even after you try to wipe it off. It only faded a bit even after a meal. Obviously, the middle faded more than the edges. So far, I really love this lip liner.

Clinique Different Lipstick "A Different Grape"
My mom gave me this after she saw me sporting the It Cosmetics "Blushing Nude" since she said the darker colors look good on me (a rare show of approval). I don't know where she got it nor do I know much about the product but I usually like Clinique products. It's a good brand.

It's a little hard to be precise with this lipstick so definitely use a lip brush. It is very creamy and easy to apply. It is very pigmented and it doesn't dry out my lips. Despite having the word "grape", it doesn't really have a purple hue. It is more like a cranberry red and brown mix.

Mary Kay Liquid Lip Color "Cherry Coffee"
This is another hand-me-down from my mom. At one point in time, she was super into Mary Kay products but now she has moved on to Younique. Anyway, I believe this lip gloss came in a set that also had three eye shadows, a blush, and a double ended brush.

The applicator of this lip gloss is nice and makes it easy to really draw on the edges of the lips. The color is very pigmented and it doesn't dry my lips out. It has a shiny, glossy finish. This is also a mix of a red and brown but the red is more prominent rather than being an even balance. Rather, it has just a hint of brown.

Sometimes, I like to use all three of them together. First, I use the "Blushing Nude" lip liner to give then Clinique "A Different Grape" then Mary Kay "Cherry Coffee" for a shiny finish. I think the three look pretty nice combined.