Tag Archives: Beauty

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – April 2018

In the Pacific Northwest area, it’s common if it doens’t always feel like we are in the Spring season until we are long into April. And April is the perfect time to adopt some Spring elements to spice up our daily life. For example, getting some butterfly-inspired jewelries, trying new pink lipstick products, and getting a new pair of sunglasses.

Below are some of my suggestions for this month!

Spring Jewelry

When I think about Spring, I think about blossoms, flowers and butterflies. And for this season, Swarovski released a butterfly-inspired Lilia Ring Set in multi-colors and Rose gold plating. This ring set comes with three rings in different size (bigger, medium, and small) with different colors of crystals. You can interchange the ways you wear the rings to your liking. I prefer to wear the bigger ring and small ring on one hand and the medium ring on another. Or wearing just one of them to match with specific outfit colors.
Swarovski Lilia Ring Set

Dior’s New Lip Product

Dior released a new long-lasting liquid lipstick, Dior Addict Lacquer Plump. This new lip beauty product from Dior comes in 16 shades, and I bought four: Dior Pretty (neutral pink color), Afterparty (raspberry color), Dior Fever (fuchsia color), and Disco Dior (pink color with glitters). After wearing them for a couple of times, my thoughts on the Dior Addict Lacquer Plump are: it is lightweight on my lips, the liquid lipstick colors are pretty and stay on my lips while I eat and drink, it’s hydrating when I first put it on, but my lips get dried after a while. I’d need to put on my Dior Lip Maximizer to keep my lips moisturized. Overall, I like the new Dior Addict Lacquer Plump and give it a thumbs up!
Dior Addict Lacquer Plump

Cat Eye Sunglasses

If you are looking for a new pair of sunglasses for the season, you might want to consider a pair of cat-eye design sunglasses (instead of the oversized sunglasses). In my opinion, sunglasses are one of the accessories that I could never have too many of. To match with your outfits and styles, you will need sunglasses in different shades, frames, and materials.
Saint Laurent New Wave 215 Grace Sunglasses

Saint Laurent New Wave 215 Grace sunglasses

Luxury Goods History

Recently, a friend mentioned a book, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. It is about how luxury fashion goods were transformed from wealthy elites privileged to the general public accessible, and how globalization enables the expansion of the luxury products in terms of production and marketing. I am only on the first few chapters, but I am already fascinated with the history of the fashion houses and how they transitioned from family-owned private shops to the multi-billion dollar conglomerate-owned fashion labels. Reading such book with extensive fashion luxury history really helps me to appreciate the evolution of business.
Deluxe- How Luxury Lost Its Luster

Red Gel Nails

After last month’s light green glitter gel nails, I am back to my usual favorite red glitter gel nails with Swarovski crystals. Even though I get red color gel nails about six times out of the year, my gel nail artist does a great job on making design changes on the Swarovski crystals she put on my nails each time. For this month, she put a large and three small crystals on eight fingers, and a gold color wire kiss with a small crystal on two fingers.
April 2018 Gel Nails

All Posts, Beauty

No Such Thing as Too Many Lipsticks Products

Beauty product brands are constantly rolling out new items each season. And my obsessions for beauty products also have changed from time to time.

In terms of the lip beauty products, I used to be obsessed with lip glosses in light pink and fuchsia colors. Now, I am addicted to lipsticks in assorted shades, especially including bright reds.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Tatouage Couture Liquid Matte Lip Stain

I used to prefer lip glosses over lipsticks because I liked the texture of the lip glosses and the subtle shine effects they have on my lips. But during the recent year, I expanded my lip color choices and feel more comfortable wearing bright red lip products. Many of my favorite beauty brands now have released lipsticks and liquid lip products that are sheer in texture and full of color pigments. Some of these lip products also have some shinning elements like lip glosses. And some of those lip products can stay on lips and last throughout a meal.

My current favorite picks of the lip color products are: Dior’s Addict Lacquer Stick, Dior’s Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain, Yves Saint Laurent’s Tatouage Couture Liquid Matte Lip Stain, Yves Saint Laurent’s Volupté Tint-in-Balm, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Lips Liquid Lipstick.

When I am fond of a particular lip product, I like to get it in several colors, such as light pink, fuchsia, and red. It’s always fun to decide which lip color product I want to put on, based on what I wear and what mood I am in. Sometimes I’d put on one product on my way out and bring a different one for touch-up during the day.

In my opinion, there’s no such thing as having too many lip color products! This is especially true when each of my favorite beauty brand continues to roll out new kind of lip beauty products each season. If there’s any beauty products I allow myself to indulge in, it would be the lip beauty products.

I don’t usually put any foundation and eye shadows on my face on daily basis, but I love to put on lipsticks when I am out and about. If I absolutely have to, I might put on some concealer around my eye area (to cover the dark circles) and around my mouth to enhance the lip color. And my go-to cover-up product is Yves Saint Touche Éclat Radiant Touch.

YSL_Touche Éclat Radiant Touch

P.S.The Yves Saint Touche Éclat Radiant Touch is a multi-purpose beauty product. You can use it on the bridge of your nose, the brow bone, forehead, and more. If I can only have two makeup products for the rest of my like, this would be it!

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – February 2018

February is one of my favorite months, because it’s the month many of my dear friends and I were born. I will celebrate the special days with my friends and travel to Mcminnville, Oregon, for wine tasting, and to Palm Springs, CA, for vacation.

Below are some of the things I will be doing this month.

Dior New Lip Sticks

I’ve been using Dior’s Addict Lip Glow Color Reviving Lip Balm in both Pink/Glow and Lilac/Glow colors for years. This Dior lip balm is designed to moisturize and enhance our lips’ nature color. I am really glad that Dior is releasing new colors – Raspberry/Glow, Pink/Holographic, Purple/Holographic, Matte Pink/Matte, Raspberry/Matte. I plan to get this Dior’s Addict Lip Glow Color Reviving Lip Balm in both Raspberry/Glow and Pink/Holographic!
Addict Lip Glow Color Reviving Lip Balm

Something Red for February

This year’s Lunar New Year falls in February. Red is the lucky color for Chinese and it’s one of my favorite colors too. To celebrate for the holiday month, I will switch my monthly gel nail color from last month’s pink to red.

New Job is the Best Birthday Gift

I am starting a new job in February. It’s a senior program manager position for an Artificial Intelligence training organization. I am fascinated with the role Artificial Intelligence technology plays in our current world and I am glad I have the chance to learn more about the technology. To me, starting a new job a few days before my birthday is the best gift I could ask for.

Vacation in Palm Springs

I will join my friends at Palm Springs, CA, for a few days this month. This will be my first time to Palm Springs. I am very excited. This trip will be my mini get-away from the chilly weather in Seattle. And I can wear the Summer dresses every day!
Palm Springs

Manila Blahnik documentary

I love to watch any fashion related documentaries. I found a documentary (on Netflix) on the legendary shoe designer, Manolo Blahnik. The film title is “Manolo The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards”. It’s fascinating to see how his passion for shoes grew since his early childhood, and how his life experience transformed him into one of the world’s most famous shoe designers!
Manolo The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – January 2018

January is the beginning of a new year. There are plenty of things to experiment with (i.e. adding a new skincare routine or reading a new book to refresh your statistics knowledge). Below are the five things I’d like to do in January.

Replace Gel Nail Color for Fun

I go to the nail salon to replace my gel nails every four weeks. I usually get my nails done in red and change the designs and decorations (i.e. pearls and crystals) each month. For this month, I wanted to try a different color. I chose hot pink color with silver glitters, crystals, and pearls.

Experimenting with a New Skincare Device

It’s the beginning of a new year, and it never hurts to try a new skincare routine. I’ve being hearing about some benefits of the microneedling process on skin. This process involves penetrating the skin with tiny needles (by a dermatologist or licensed aesthetician) to induce the collagen built-up and improve the skin complexion. But the treatment is pricy (about $500 or more per session). The potential benefits of microneedling is enticing, but I am not sure if I want to spend quite a bit of money for a session just yet. For starters, I’d like to try an at-home microneedling device to see if the professional microneedling treatment is worthy to invest.
GlowPro Microneedling Regenration Tool

Watch the New TV Show Versace

In December I saw a commercial for the new TV series, The Assasination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”, and I was intrigued by the story. The series is based on an actual event. And it’s released in January.

Read a Book to Refresh Knowledge

When I read any article that includes any statistical information, I try to keep an open mind on how likely the numbers actually represent reality. I know there could be some bias with the author’s intention to persuade the readers to agree with their point of view. Recently, I came across a book, “How to Lie With Statistics”. The book is light reading and helps to remind me how there can be bias in statistics information.

Shop For Sales

January is a good shopping month. A lot of stores (especially e-stores) are offering additional sales, up to 70 percent off of the original price.

All Posts, Beauty, Holidays

Your Under $29 Holiday Gift Guide for 2017

One of the holiday parties I will be going to this month requires each guest to bring a gift under $29 for the white elephant game. While I was looking for gift ideas, I came across some products that I think I could bring. See below for the suggestions.

Fun Wine Glasses

Looking for a gift for cat lovers? Consider giving them some wine glasses decorated with fun statements related to cats.

If Your Cat's Home Wine Glass
‘If Your Cat’s Home’ Stemless Wine Glass, $12 each, or $24 for Two.

Bath Salts

After a long holiday shopping trip, nothing serves you better than a long rejuvenating bath. Try the sea salt blended with chamomile flowers, rose petals, and lavender.
Bath Salts
Bath Salts, $26.

Beauty product

Lip balms are essential for the Winter season. Instead of the normal pink color of lip treatments, what can be more fun than trying the clear flower balms? The flower comes in three flower colors (yellow, green, and pink).
Flower Balm
Flower Balms, $14 each, or $28 for two.

Makeup Kit

When it comes to makeup kits, we can never have too many makeup brushes. For this holiday season, try the MAC’s Snow Ball Mini Brush Kit. Included in the kit are a power brush, foundation brush, shadow bush, smudge liner brush, and brow groomer brush.
Snow Ball Mini Brush Kit
MAC’s Snow Ball Mini Brush Kit, $29.

Skin Ointment

Last month I tried various body lotions to see what works best for me during Fall and Winter. I came across the Lucas’ Papaw Ointment. I massaged it into my hands, legs, and knees. And I was surprised how great the product works on my skin and protects it from drying out!
Lucas Papaw Onintment

All Posts, Beauty, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – December 2017

We are now finally in December. Needless to say, most of the things I’d like to do in December involve some sort of holiday celebration. See below for my list.

Nespresso Holiday Coffee

Each holiday season Nespresso releases its holiday limited-edition coffee and espresso. For 2017, they offer three flavors for the Vertuo line and three flavors for the Original line. My favorite pick for the Vertuo line is the Peppermint and for the Original line is the Liquorice. You’d be surprised on how great the Liquorice flavor tastes with the steamed eggnog.

Luxury Hair Treatment

I don’t usually do much when it comes to styling my hair. The most I do is to put Moroccan oil on my hair after I wash it. A friend recently suggested to me to try the hair brush by Mason Pearson. Since I have long and thick hair, I bought a Mason Pearson’s Junior Mixture Nylon & Boar Bristle Hair Brush. After brushing, my hair instantly became shiny and fluffy. I love the way my hair looks.
Mason Pearson Junior Mixture Nylon & Boar Bristle Hair Brush

Invest a Velvet Jacket

Velvet is one of the big fashion trends for this season. Since it’s the holiday season, it is the perfect time to invest in a velvet jacket that you can wear to special events or holiday parties. The two most versatile colors of the velvet jackets are black and red. But you can always add some sophistication to your outfit by wearing a bordeaux velvet jacket.
Stella McCartney Velvet Blazer

Christmas Brunch by the Fountain

I’ve been to Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve before and had a great time. This year I will be joining my family in Las Vegas for Christmas. It will be my three-year old niece’s first time to Las Vegas, and I think it would be fun for her to eat brunch by the Fountain of Bellagio. I know just the right spot for the gorgeous fountain view and it’s one of my favorite restaurants in the Bellagio hotel, Lago by Julian Serrano.
Lago by Julian Serrano

Holiday Celebration in the Theme Park

Last year’s New Year’s Eve I visited Spain and watched the fireworks from our W Hotel in Barcelona. This year, I will be in Orange County, California, visiting my brother’s family. And I plan to watch the fireworks from one of these theme parks in California.
Disneyland Holiday 2017

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – November 2017

November is the beginning of the holiday season. It’s time to think about what to do for Thanksgiving and where to shop for the Black Friday sales. It’s also a perfect time to update your wardrobe and bundle up for the cold weather.

Below are some of the things I suggest for November.

Update Beauty Product Collections with Glitters

As we are getting closer to the holiday season, beauty product companies are rolling out items with glitters and shimmery. It’s time to get a head start on building your Year 2017 holiday beauty collections. My suggestion is to start with the MAC’s Snow Ball Gold Pigment and Glitter Kit.
MAC Snow Ball Gold Pigment and Glitter Kit

Kick Off the Holiday Season with Nutcracker

Last weekend, my friend invited me to watch Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. I watched the Nutcracker Ballet a long time ago, but it was in December. Although I wasn’t ready for the holiday season before I watched the show, with the holiday decorations I saw and the music I heard during the Nutcracker Ballet, it all definitely got me into the holiday mode.

Bake Dessert for Friends and Family

The only times I’ve baked desserts have been during the holiday season. In the past year, I’ve mastered my baking skills for a couple of desserts. For this year, I’d like to add a new dessert to my baking list, so I can get ready for the holiday feasts with friends and family. And I am planning to bake a lot of cheesecake from scratch.

Invest in a New Warm Jacket

Last year when I visited Spain in December, I knew I would be sightseeing in various cities on daily basis and I’d need a warm jacket to help me get through the trip. I bought a Canada Goose jacket for the trip and it really served its purpose. A warm jacket like the one I bought was a good investment. For this year, I am looking into getting another down jacket in a different style and color.

(Picture taken at Toledo, Spain.)

Upgrade to New iPhone

My first iPhone was the 3GS, which I purchased in Year 2009. I love using iPhone so much, so I’ve been getting a new iPhone every two years. This year, Apple released two iPhone devices: iPhone 8 or iPhone X. I know I want the iPhone X and can’t wait to get mine!
Apple iPhone X

All Posts, Beauty

Natural Vitamin E Cream by Blackmores

Natural Vitamin E Cream by Blackmores is one of the recent, very popular moisturizing creams in Asia. The Natural Vitamin E Cream is a rich moisturizing cream that helps to protect dry and cracked skin. Blackmores is an Australian company that specializes in making vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements.

I had never used the Blackmores’ Natural Vitamin E Cream before, and I was curious about how effective the cream is in moisturizing skin. So I searched it online and purchased one for experiments.

Upon receiving the Blackmores’ Natural Vitamin Cream, I put a thin layer of the product on the back of my left hand and gently massaged it using a small circular motion. I was surprised how fast the cream was completely absorbed into my skin, and how smooth my skin became. By comparing the back of my left hand (with the cream) and right hand skin (without the cream), I could feel the left hand skin was very smooth and moisturized.

I also applied the Blackmores’ Natural Vitamin Cream to a small area on my face, and it smoothed my skin immediately. I have semi-sensitive skin, and so I was really glad that I didn’t have any negative reaction after applying the cream to my skin.

Based on my personal experience with using the Blackmore’s Nature Vitamin E Cream, I would recommend it for daily skin protection usage. I also like the fact that the cream is fragrance free and non-greasy.

All Posts, Beauty

Three Sisley Paris Beauty Products You Need

(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.)

I change some of my core skin care products from time to time, based on the season and on my mood. But there are three beauty products from the Sisley Paris brand that are not part of my regular core skin care regimen, but yet, I like to keep them in stock and use them occasionally to boost my skin hydration level! (See below for more detail.)

Eye Contour Mask

This Eye Contour Mask is designed to reduce undereye puffiness and add hydrating around the eye. The instructions say to put a thick layer of the eye mask on the eye contour and eyelids, wait for 10 minutes, then wipe away excess without rinsing. But I occasionally use it as an eye cream for hydration purposes at night. When I use it, I put a thin layer (instead of a thick layer) of the eye contour mask around my eyes, as well as the area around my lips. This product is one of my must-haves when I travel to places with drier weather, such as Southern California and Las Vegas.

Botanical Eye & Lip Contour Balm

This Botanical Eye & Lip Contour Balm is designed to smooth and moisturize the eyes contour and lips. This eye and lip balm is a gel. I don’t use the product everyday, but if I use it, I usually put it on right after I apply my SK-II Essence on my eyes and lips.

Hydra-Flash Formula Intensive

This Hydra-Flash Formula Intensive mask is rich in natural plant extracts and essential oils. It helps to hydrate the skin. You are supposed to put a thick layer of this mask on your face and neck as frequently as 2 to 3 times a week. However, I use it as facial moisturizer when I get too lazy to put serum on.

I’ve used the above three Sisley Paris skin care products for years and I am still loving them! Next time when you are looking for additional skin care products to bring on your trip, you may also consider giving them a try!

Beauty, Fashion, Food, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – May 2017

May is the perfect time to embrace the Spring season! Among many things I planned to do in May, are: a family trip to Universal Studios Hollywood with my nieces, improve  my makeup techniques, and indulge myself for endless crepe desserts.

Listed below are my five things to try list for May. Hope it will inspire you to enjoy the season of Spring.

Improve My Makeup Techniques

During the first weekend of May, Nordstrom in Bellevue, Washington is hosting an event to promote the beauty brand, Charlotte Tilbury. It is created by the famous celebrity makeup artist, Charlotte Tilbury. Before the promoting event weekend, one of the celebrity makeup artist, Kate, from Charlotte Tilbury, was giving a master makeup class on May 4th. I attended the session and had a great time learning the makeup brand’s new products.

Indulge in Layers of Crepes

I love to eat desserts and my recent sweet obsession is the Mille Crêpes cake from Lady M Confections bakery. Each Mille Crêpes cake is made of more than twenty thin layers of crepes and filled with light pastry cream between each layer. My favorite flavor from Lady M is the Green Tea Mille Crêpes cake. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I ordered the Mille Crêpes in Green Tea and Strawberries (seasonal)  to share with my family!

Break In the Summer Sandals

After the record rain in the Seattle area this winter, we finally got some long-awaited sunshine, This is the perfect time to break in your summer shoes. Try something with 3-D flowers, like Charlotte Olympia – Tara Embellished Metallic Leather Sandals.

Charlotte Olympia Tara Embellished Metallic Leather Sandals

Family Trip to the Universal Studios Hollywood

I don’t usually go to theme parks, but when I do, it’s always with my nieces. In the beginning of May, we went to the Universal Studios in Hollywood, CA. Our first stop at the theme park was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. To avoid the long line, we arrived to the theme park right at 8:00 am when it was first open. We had the luxury of riding the rides (twice) before the crowds came in. I also took the photo right in front of the Hogwarts Express train with a cast member.

Expand My Reading Topics

I learned some basic Blackjack strategies in the past, but it was all based on the memorization of the Blackjack strategy cards. Every now and then I would play a few hands of Blackjack game in Vegas for fun (but I would only play it when I am with my experienced friends).  This month, I plan to go to Vegas with some family friends and I though it might be interesting to read up on the famous “Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One” book, by Edward O. Thorp. I am only half way through reading the book, but I am already fascinated with the explanations on the game strategies. I don’t plan to play a lot of Blackjack while I am in Vegas, but it would be great to understand what I am doing when I play!

Beat The Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One