Tag Archives: Beauty

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5 Things to Try This Month – March 2020

It seemed like Year 2020 just started a few weeks ago, but we are already in March. During the first week of March I took a trip to Las Vegas. I had the chance to meet my friends for afternoon tea and eat at my favorite restaurants.

Little did I know all of the places that I visited in Las Vegas would all be closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. I’ve been staying home with my family since I returned from my Las Vegas trip.

With everything that is going on, I am grateful that I can be home with my loved ones. Thanks to all the people working in the health care for risking their life to save people. Please be safe.

For the rest of people, if you have no essential business that requires you to go out, please stay home.

Below are the things I did this month, before the pandemic quarantine. I plan to do more cooking and baking while I stay home everyday.

New Nails

Last month I had red glitter nails with gold accessories and one gold glitter nail with red crystals on each hand. (Click here to see the picture.) I think the red crystals stand out more when they are placed on the gold glitters instead of on the red glitter nails, which I had back in November.

For this month, I wanted more gold glitter nails with red crystals than my usual favorite red nails. In additional to red crystals, I have light pink crystals on my index finger and pinky. To showcase the crystals, I decided to go with plain red instead of glitter red nails on my thumb and ring finger.
Gel Nails for March 2020
(My gel nails for March 2020 — I have more gold glitter gel nails with crystals than last month.)

New Coffee

Nespresso just released new flavored coffee and espresso. As usual, I want to try each new flavor. The new flavors for the Nespresso’s Original line are Cocoa Truffle, Caramel Crème Brûlée and Vanilla Éclair. And the new flavors for the Nespresso’s Vertuo line are Hazelino Muffin, Caramel Cookie and Vanilla Custard Pie. My favorite picks are Vanilla Éclair for the Original Line and Hazelino Muffin for the Vertuo line.

Morning Pick-me-up for March 2020

(My morning must-have drink — Nespresso coffee.)

Afternoon Tea

In the beginning of March, while I was in Las Vegas, I met with my friend who lives in Las Vegas. We had the afternoon tea at the Tea Lounge in the Waldorf Astoria. My overall experience of the afternoon tea there was great. Everything was delicious and the company was wonderful, as always.

Afternoon Tea with Friend
(Having afternoon tea at the Tea Lounge in the Waldorf Astoria, Las Vegas. On the right is the dessert portion of our afternoon tea.)

New Beauty

Pat McGrath released a new Opulust Gloss. I bought this new lip gloss in Venomistress (which I wore in my picture below) and Glowing Garnet. The formula of this Opulust Gloss is not sticky, but they stay put on the lips surprisingly well. If you are into sparkles and shimmering lips, you’ll like these as much as I do. I plan on getting more of it in both Lavendering and Dreamcatcher.

Trying on New Lip Gloass

(Picture: Use the latest one taken in Vdara shows the lip gloss.)

Cooking

My family has been making homemade dumplings from scratch since I was a child. To make dumplings, you’d need to make the filling with meat and vegetables, knead the dough, and roll the dumpling skin, then wrap the filing in the dumpling skin. The only thing I I knew how to do was to roll the dough into dumpling skins and wrap the dumplings with filling.

This month, I wanted to learn how to make dumplings from scratch all on my own.
Homemade Dumplings
(These are my homemade dumplings. It’s my first time making them from scratch on my own.)

The Cover Image: I was getting ready for the dinner at Harvest restaurant in the Bellagio hotel, Las Vegas. In the picture I am wearing Pat McGrath’s Opulust Gloss in Venomistress. I think this purple/fuchsia glitter lip gloss matches well with my Self-portrait sequined minidress in black and green pattern.

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5 Things to Try This Month – February 2020

February is always an exciting month for me. It’s the month of my birthday, February 22. Although I stopped celebrating my birthday a few years ago, I still like the month a lot. After all, what’s not to like about February?

Below are some of the things I am doing in February.

New Nails

I really love my last month’s multi-colored crystals gel nails, but it’s time to switch back to my favorite red. I asked my gel nail artist to put red crystals on my ring fingers. To emphasize the red crystals, we used gold glitters gel polish on background. There is a heart on the index finger and pinky finger. These red gel nails are perfect for my upcoming trip and the special events of this month.

Shirley Style Gel Nails for February 2020
(This is my February 2020 gel nails, with red crystals, mini gold heart, and my recent favorite teardrop crystals.)

Beauty Products

When it comes to taking care of my skin, I was never as diligent as some of my friends who pamper their face with masks on a daily basis. One of my new year resolutions is to take a better care of my skin and use facial masks on weekly basis. Below are some of the facial masks I am using now.

Facial Masks for February 2020
(These are the facial masks I am currently using. My goal is to use them at least once a week.)

New Restaurant

On the past New Year’s Eve, Bellagio hotel opened a new restaurant, The Mayfair Supper Club. The restaurant is a modernized classic American restaurant with entertainment. The CNN Travel has named The Mayfair Supper Club as one of the twenty best new restaurants in the world!

I am going to Las Vegas with friends this month and we will try the new Mayfair Supper Club. I can’t wait to find out more about the restaurant. Click here to read about my dining experience at the Mayfair Supper Club.

Mayfair Supper Club Entrance

(Here is a picture of the Mayfair Supper Club entrance I took during my recent trip to Las Vegas.)

Special Event

As I get older I no longer celebrate my birthdays because it’s just another regular day to me. However, on my birthday this year my best friend is going to get married and have a small wedding reception. I’ve already gotten a perfect new dress for this special day. Since it’s a intimate family-only reception, I will wear a bright pink Alice and Olivia a-line mini dress with my silver glitter spiky Christian Louboutin stilettos. As for the accessories, I still have time to think about what bag to bring and what jewelry to wear.

Dress for February 2020 Special Event
(This is the dress I bought to attend my friend’s family-only intimate wedding reception.)

Baking

I recently bought a new bread machine. I’ve been following the recipe making French bread and white bread. So far, the result are good. I am excited to try making other kinds of bread, such as brioche, oat bread, and whole wheat bread.

Homemade Bread for February 2020
(This is one of my homemade white bread.>

The Cover Image: I was eating at the Mayfair Supper Club restaurant in Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas. My beautiful friend, Ying, captured this picture while I was touching up my lipsticks in the restroom. I was wearing the Chanel’s matte liquid lipstick and a Self-portrait dress.

All Posts, Fashion

The Dress with 80’s Fashion Vibe

The off-the-shoulder fashion style was popular in the 80’s, and it has made a come back in the past few years.

I think when it comes to picking a dress for evenings or parties, the off-the-shoulder style is an ideal choice for a fun and sophisticated look. If you pair the dress with the right accessories, you can transform the look with plenty of sexiness.

Shirley in off-shoulder dress

The self-portrait’s Black Sequin Embellished Ruffle Mini Dress (above) is a good example of a off-the-shoulder dress. It is made with black sequins with a asymmetrical top. The dress has fitted bodice with golden zipper on the front and ruffle trim skirt.

Shirley in the off-shoulder dress
(Getting ready for dinner.)

This off-the-shoulder black sequin embellished ruffle mini dress is one of my favorite dresses. The design of the dress is intended to fit to the body perfectly and it flatters the figure. The asymmetrical top shows off just enough shoulder to add some sophistication to the look.

How to Complete the Look?

In general, to complete a 80’s outfit, it’s ideal to wear a pair of statement earrings, intensified/bold makeup, and a red lipstick.

To complete my evening off-shoulder silhouette outfit for dinner, I wore a cocktail flower ring, a pair of the chandelier earrings, and suede heels with crystals around the shoe platform.

For the lips, I wore my favorite YSL lipstick in bright red. And for my eyes, I used both purple and blue eyeshadow.
Accessories for the off-shoulder dressAccessories for the off-shoulder dress
To summarize, I think getting a silhouette with a classic 80’s vibe, like my off-shoulder dress, is a great investment. This kind of dress with timeless fashion style will always be in style.

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5 Things to Try This Month – January 2020

Just because the holiday season is over, it doesn’t mean we can no longer have a festive mood. In fact, I think the best way to start a new year is to carry on doing fun and new interesting things that involve glitters and red.

Below are some of the things I am doing in January.

New Nails

Back in November, I had my gel nails done in pink glitters with full-on clear crystals. For years, I’ve always had some crystals on my gel nails, but I had never tried full-on crystals on all nails; I though it would be too overwhelming. It turned out that I liked the look of full-on crystals so much that I decide to make this design as the new alternative to my all time favorite red nails.

Below is my new gel nails for January 2020. It has red, blue, purple, pink, and clear crystals over gold glitters. This, for sure, really elevates my festive mood. It’s definitely perfect for the beginning of a great new year!
Gel Nails for January 2020

(Gel nails for January 2020.)

Red Accessory

Although I don’t have red gel nails with crystals for this month, I have the red strappy suede heel with crystals to keep me company. This is my latest addition, bought during the holiday season. I didn’t get to wear it earlier, but it’s definitely perfect for the upcoming Lunar New Years celebration on January 25.
Giuseppe Zanotti Harmony Sandals
(Giuseppe Zanotti Harmony sandals in red suede and crystals.)

Lipsticks

Chanel recently released a new limited-edition Rouge Allure lipsticks in eight shades (four velvet and four slightly shimmering textures). When I first tried on these new Chanel lipsticks I was in the mall with my friend. The new lipsticks had just arrived to the store for display/testing only. Nothing was available for sale. I was so glad that I found them on the Neiman Marcus web site right after I got home. I’ve ordered them in a couple of shades and can’t wait to get them in the mail this week.
New Lipsticks for January 2020
(Picture of the new limited-edition Rouge Allure lipsticks.)

Daily Adventure

For the past holiday season, a friend of mine, who knows I like shoes, gave me a page-a-day shoes gallery calendar. The calendar features one shoe design for each day of Year 2020. I’ve scanned through the first couple of days in January. It’s interesting to see various designs of shoes. I can’t wait to reveal what’s in place for each day.
Year 2020 Shoes Calendar
(The new page-a-day shoes gallery calendar for Year 2020.)

Cooking

We recently bought a new air fryer. I’ve been testing the new electronic appliance by frying pre-seasoned fries and buffalo wings bought from the grocery store. It’s amazing how we can make crispy food without adding any oil. To take the experiment further with healthy ideas, I made chicken drumsticks by adding the Himalayan pink salt, garlic powder and grounded black paper only. The result was unexpectedly delicious.
Homemade Chicken Dish using Air Fryer
(My first homemade/seasoned chicken drumsticks cooked with the air fryer.)

All Posts, Beauty, Travel

The Must-have Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm

(DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the product links and make a purchase, we may or may not receive a commission for the referral.)

When I travel, I like to bring skin care products that have plenty of hydrating elements, which is especially important when I travel or stay in hotels with air conditioning blasting on all the time.

For years, I’ve been using some of the Sisley’s skin care products (see my blog post for more detail) when I travel. Recently, I added another beauty product to my travel essentials. This beauty product is called Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask, and Balm for Baby Soft Skin by Charlotte Tilbury. (The product is packed with vitamins, floral extracts and antioxidant ingredients.)
Charlotte Tilbury Multi-Miracle Glow Cream

As the Charlotte Tilbury’s Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm for Baby Soft Skin product name indicates, this cream-based skin care product is for multiple purposes. You can use it to clean your skin by massaging it on your face and rinsing it out. You can also use it as a facial mask by massaging it on your face, leaving it on to let the product penetrate into your skin, then rinsing it off after 10 minutes. Or you can simply leave it on your skin overnight as a skin balm.

What’s even better about this Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product is that it can also be applied to your body to moisturize your skin and add some healthy glow. (I use it on my arms and legs when I go out.)

The Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm comes in a 3.4 oz. container. When I travel, I like to transfer some of this product into a small jar. I’d use it as the second cleaner after I wash my face with Shu Uemura cleaning oil. When my face gets really dry, I’d also use the Multi-Miracle Glow product as a mask and balm for overnight. The floral smell of the product is so pleasant; I found it very soothing. I also use this product on any area of my skin that feels dry.

Of course, I use the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product whenever I want to at home; it’s not only limited to traveling. But if I was stranded on a island and ould only have one skin care product, the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product would definitely be my choice!

For more skin care products I recommend you to try, visit Skin Care page.

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5 Things to Try This Month – December 2019

Year 2019 has been a very eventful year for me. There were some unexpected ups and downs. There were a lot of emotional and frustrating moments, but what matters are that I survived the hardest time in my life and I have my dear family and friends who helped me to get through.

I am not ready for the year to be over, because I want to squeeze in more fun memories. However, I can always look forward to a new start in Year 2020.

Below are some of the things I’d like to do in December.

New Nails

No holiday is complete without festive red nail colors. After a full-on crystal gel nails last month, it’s time to go back to my favorite red glitter gel nails. I like the teardrop crystals I had last month, so I asked my gel nail artist to include it on this month’s gel nails. Instead of using clear crystals on most of my fingers, I have red crystals this time.

Gel Nails for Holidays 2019

New Beauty Product

I can never say “no” when it comes to glittery eye shadow, especially from my favorite makeup brands. Dior’s Holiday 2020 eye shadow has all my favorite eye shadow colors with glitters in one.

Beauty Makeup for Holiday 2020

Reading Material

I came across the book, “Emotional Intelligence 2.0”, in the bookstore recently. This book reminds me one of the classes I took in my business school. The “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” book will be a perfect reading material while I am on my flight to California this holiday season.

Ready Material for December 2019

Holiday Tea

I will be visiting my brother in Orange County for the holidays. I’d love to try the holiday formal  tea with my family. This will be a great experience for my nieces.

Afternoon Tea with Family

Baking

I’ve been baking pumpkin cranberry bread for the holiday season for many years. It’s one of my specialties. For this year, in additional to making the pumpkin cranberry bread, I’d like to bake pecan-pumpkin cream pie. (Recipe from the Food & Wine magazine.)

Baking Recipe for November - from Food & Wine

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5 Things to Try This Month – November 2019

As we are getting closer to the holiday season, it’s time to think about what dessert I want to make for the Thanksgiving and stock up on glittery makeup for the celebration days.

Below are the things I’d like to try this month.

New Nails

I just got my nails done the past weekend. I was so tempted to do red glitters again, but I decided to hold off on my favorite nail colors until December. I went for full-on crystals with light pink and silver undertones. The result is a different kind of flashy effect than red glitters. I think it’s a great alternative for this month!
Gel Nails for November 2019

(Crystal Gel Nails for November!)

Beauty Event

On the first Saturday of this month, my girlfriend invited us to the Nordstrom beauty event. At the event they showcased the new beauty products and the current makeup trends. We got our makeup done and had a lot of fun shopping for makeup products!
Eating lunch with girls after the beauty event

(Lunch after the beauty event!)

New Beauty Product

When it comes to holidays, one of the many good things is that there are plenty of glitters to shop for.  For someone who’s obsessed with beauty products that have glitters, it’s the perfect time to shop. Among many new eye shadow palettes I got this month, there’s NARS’ Inferno Eye Shadow Palette (which has ultrafine blends of shimmer, glitter, and pearl reflect light for eye-catching effects).
NARS Eyeshadow

(NARS Inferno eyeshadow palette!)

New Coffee

Nespresso released its holiday limited-edition coffee. As usual, the holiday coffee is offered in both the Original line and Vertuo line. My favorite pick for the Original line is the Nordic Cloudberry. The aroma of the Cloudberry reminds me of the Summer time. And my favorite pick for the Vertuo line is the Nordic Vanilla Princess Cake. I like the way the Vanilla Princes cake adds a hint of sweetness to the coffee.
Nespress Coffee for 2019 Holidays

(Nespresso Nordic coffee for this holidays!)

Dinner

Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki is a new Japanese restaurant that opened in Spring 2019 in Seattle. There are only nine seats at the sushi bar. A reservation is hard to get. My dear friends made a reservation for us two months ago. We ate there during the second Sunday this month. In my opinion, everything exceeded my expectations. The food was delicious and the services was great! I highly recommend it.

Read about my dining experience at the Taneda Sushi in Kaiseki.
Taneda Sushi in Seattle

(Watching sushi chef Taneda preparing our food!)

All Posts, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – October 2019

There are a couple of things I wanted to do in Summer and didn’t have the chance to do. One of the things was go to the Victoria, BC. I am glad that we still have some sunny days in the Northwest before the cold raining season kicks in.

Below are the things I am doing in October, which includes the afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria.

Afternoon Tea

I enjoy having afternoon tea and I always wanted to try the afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, BC. I finally had the chance to experience the afternoon tea when I visit Victoria, BC, in the beginning of this month. I love the atmosphere of the lounge where the afternoon tea was at, and all the desserts that came with the afternoon treats.

Afternoon Tea at Empress Fairmont Hotel

New Beauty Product

As we are getting close to the holiday seasons, many beauty product brands are launching their holiday products. One of my favorite makeup artists, Pat McGrath, just released her holiday eye shadow products – Blitz Astral Quad. The Blitz Astral Quad comes in three palettes. One of the palettes, Nocturnal Nirvana, has all my favorite eye shadow colors – green, blue, and purple. Of course, this item goes on my “5 Things to Try This Month” list!

New Sequin Dress

Recently I am into full-on sequin dresses. As we are getting close to the holiday season, there’s no better time than now to start shopping for the sequin dresses. My recent addition is the Kooples’ Epaulettes and Pink Sequins short dress. I can’t wait to try it on when I receive it in the next few days.

Freaknight Festival

Freaknight is an annual Halloween related event in Seattle. It’s basically a large party for adults where almost anything goes. A friend of mine has asked me to go with her to this year’s Freaknight. My mission now is to find a costume for myself!

Entertainment Obsession

My recent comedy-drama television series obsession is HBO’s Succession. The show is about a dysfunctional family who owns a global media and hospitality empire, and how they fight for control of the business. I’ve heard that the show is very interesting to watch and I finally started to watch from the very first episode.

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5 Things to Try This Month – May 2019

Among all the exciting things I did and am going to do in May, the highlight was a trip to watch Celine Dion’s final show in Las Vegas with my girlfriends and experiment with new gel nail design.

See below for some of the other things I am doing this month.

Gel Nails

After having fun with the purple glitter gel nails last month, I am still in the mood of experiencing more design and colors before I switch back to my favorite red. My latest gel nail design is brightly colored with sequins. The sequins on each finger are arranged from lighter to darker shades.

5Things_May2019_GelNail_

Celine Dion Concert

Celine Dion has been performing her show in Caesar Palace Las Vegas since the year 2003. She is ending her Las Vegas show residency in June 2019. Celine Dion is my favorite music artist and I am very happy that I watched her final show in Las Vegas this month.

5Things_May2019_CelineDionConcert
(An up-and-close picture I took while she was on the stage.)

Beauty Product

Charlotte Tilbury launched a new makeup palette for face and eye. This palette comes with blushes in peachy and pink shades, and contour colors. It can also be used as eye shadows.

5Things_May2019_EyeFacePalette_

Coffee

Nespresso launched a mild and fruity coffee, Esperanza de Colombia. This coffee is part of Nespresso’s Reviving Origins program created to partner with Colombia farmers to improve their infrastructure and agricultural practices.

5Things_May2019_Nespress_

Reading Material

I came across a new book written by Melinda Gates, “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World”. I’ve always admired both Melinda and Bill Gates and the philanthropic work they do. I am looking forward to read about what Melinda has to say about her personal experience and the inspiring people she encountered in her life.

5Things_May2019_MelindaGatesBook

(The feature picture of this blog post was taken at Caesar Palace, right after I watched Celine Dion’s performance.)

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5 Things to Try This Month – April 2019

When I think of April, the first thing comes to my mind is the image of blossom flowers in various color. The second thing I associate April with is starting of the longer daylight time. I love waking up to the morning light shinning through my window blinds!

Below are five of the things I’d like to do for April.

New Facial Toner

I have a dry combination skin so I need to exfoliate my skin regularly. I recent found a new facial toner which has lactic acid and salicylic acid. The product is supposed to exfoliate, hydrate, and balance the pH of the skin to prepare the skin for the skin regimen. The toner is called Lotion P50 Original “1970” by Biologique Recherche. I just bought a bottle of this toner and can’t wait to use it tonight!

5Things_April2019_Lotion P50 Original

New Gel Nails

If you know me, it would be no surprise to you that I have my gel nails done in glittery red most of time. After having glittery red gel nails (with different design and accessories) for two months, I am forcing myself to switch to something else. For this month, I decided to go with glittery purple and white colors.

Nail for April 2019

Seasonal Mille Crêpes

For the month of April, Lady M is offering a seasonal Mille Crêpes in pistachio flavor. Pistachio is one of my favorite nuts, so I had to try the pistachio mille crêpes. My verdict on trying the pistachio mille crêpes is that I really like it. The pastry cream in the cake is made with pistachio paste and it goes greatl with a cup of my Nespresso coffee.

Lady M Pistachio Mille Crêpes

Michael Bublé Concert

Michael Bublé is one of my favorite music artists. He will perform in the Seattle area this month and I can’t wait to see him. I’ve been thinking about what to wear to Michael Bublé’s concert, and I have it narrowed down to a couple of choices. I probably will wear my blue velvet blazer with a lace dress.
Michael Bublé Concert 2019

New Marvel Movie

After watching Marvel’s Avengers: The Infinity War last year, I’ve been waiting for the next Avengers: The End Game. The movie release date is April 26. I bought the pre-sale tickets to watch the movie on the night before the release date. I can’t wait to watch it!
At the Theater for the Avengers: Endgame Movie

(The cover image for this post was taken at the Michael Bublé’s concert.)