DIY: Under the Sea Ear Cuff Part 2

Hello! How has everyone been? Busy getting into the holiday season I hope ;) So I finally posted the second part to my ear cuff tutorial. I know...it's been 4 months *hangs head shamefully* but better late than never, right?

In addition to the original "under the sea" theme, I also added a simple and girly version that I made for my friend. She loved it!

I'm so glad it turned out really nicely~

Here's a photo of her wearing them :) She has pretty ears.

Anyways, this is what you need:

• Ear cuff (premade from part 1)
• Fine chain
• Crystals, charms, pearls etc.
• Eye pins
• T-pins (for charms)
• Earring posts, hooks etc.
• Jump rings
• Round nose plier -Hong Kong
• Flat nose plier -Hong Kong
• Cutting plier -Hong Kong
• Pencil
• Ruler

You should be able to find all the supplies and materials in your local craft store ex. Michael's

And if you haven't seen part 1, it would be awesome if you can check it out! Have fun and be creative with this project kekeke~

Also, for everyone who's busy with the holiday season, be careful when you're on the roads and in parking lots! There are quite a lot of aggressive shoppers out there!

Happy Mid Autumn Festival with Maxim Mooncakes! 中秋節快樂 with 美心月餅!

 To everyone who celebrates this cultural festival, I hope you had a great time with friends and family. Did you go look at the moon? Or if you're the mischievous type, did you play with fire and candles in the metal mooncake boxes? Haha. When I was younger, I would do these things but my favourite part would always be going to the park when it was dark-when the mosquito were biting-to play with lanterns and glow sticks. But obviously, it would go against tradition if you didn't have a bite of a mooncake. Traditional mooncakes are made of sweet lotus paste with one or two salted duck eggs nested within. I find them too heavy for my liking, so this year, my parents bought some ice mooncakes (bing pei) for us to try!

Mango Pomelo/楊枝甘露

 Maxim is a famous brand for mooncakes in Hong Kong and my family prefers this brand. According to my mom, it's the best lol. They have many flavours for these ice mooncakes and my parents specifically bought the mango lover set. There are two of the following: Mango Crunch/芒果脆脆, Mango/皇牌芒果, Mango Chestnut/芒果栗子, and Mango  Pomelo/楊枝甘露(which Google decided to translate to honeydew toothpick).

 I've only tried two of the four flavours but I'm really enjoying the Mango Pomelo. The outside layer tastes like mochi but the juicy flavour of mangoes is in the yellow puree centre.

 The white surrounding the centre is a green bean paste that is slightly sweet. The white jelly-like substance is suppose to be the pomelo but it has no distinct flavour. It just adds a separate layer of texture to the mooncake. Yummy! 4.5/5

Mango Crunch/芒果脆脆

 The Mango Crunch is an interesting combination. The brown outside layer has the rich flavour of cocao which overpowers the mango puree in the middle. 

 The puree and green bean paste is the same as the pomelo one. The only difference is that there are crunchy chocolate biscuit balls embedded in the white which adds a unique twist to this semi-traditional treat.

This slice looks like a creepy smiley face with a missing eye... Nonetheless, I found the Mango Crunch to be quite enjoyable as well. 4/5

Here's a cute way of advertising. Props to you Maxim! This definitely caught my attention when I was in Hong Kong last year and it probably contributed to me buying their fondue dip ice mooncakes. 

Demon Crunch/魔鬼脆脆& Angel Crunch/天使脆脆 

 In the kit, there were two Demon Crunch/魔鬼脆脆 and Angel Crunch/天使脆脆 ice mooncakes, a heart shaped silicon mold, a bag of sprinkles and chocolate chips.

 The Demon Crunch is milk/dark chocolate whereas the Angel Crunch is white chocolate. I remember these being disappointing as they didn't have much flavour. They are similar to the Mango Crunch as they have the crunchy chocolate biscuit balls inside.

I just really liked the dipping concept. And sprinkles. Who doesn't like sprinkles? 

I hope you enjoyed this post! And no, I am not affiliated with Maxim at all. It's just a big part of my childhood ^^ *rushes a wave of nostalgia* If you've never tried mooncakes, I really suggest you in giving them a chance. Sometimes, it's the cultural experience that's really worth it :) Good night~!

NEW DollyWink Eyelashes Out Sept 5, 2012!

From Tsubasa's blog

To all the DollyWink lovers out there, creator Tsubasa will be releasing 3 new false eyelashes on September 5th, 2012. The new ones are labelled 15, 16, and 17 as I do not have the names yet. These are top lashes as far as I can tell. Also, the old "cutsie" packaging will be replaced by the current minimalist packaging that came out not too long ago. The lashes will obviously be available in Japan and hopefully, online stores will carry them very soon.

I Need Your Help!

Hi lovelys! I entered Essence's Share you Experiece Contest and I really need everyone's help! In order to qualify, I need to get 25 votes before 11:59pm EST on Friday. Please give me a chance~ 

I want to win the trip to Toronto so that I can bring my mom there and let her relax. I'll bring my dad too, via my own wallet. It's another stop motion video that took a while to film and edit. But I hope you enjoy it! Here's the link. If you like it, please vote for it and you can vote daily until the deadline which is Friday. Thank you!

FOB: Arrr! I think I see me some Holika Holika!

I went to Toronto a few weekends ago. While I was there, I dropped by Pacific Mall as usual. They have really good and affordable bubble tea that are made with real mangoes. The mall also carries clothes, purses, skincare, and make up that I love. I bought this cute nautical shirt-it literally screams "aye aye captain"-from a store called Voir. To my surprise, the mall managed to get a Holika Holika store! I was jumping from the excitement when I saw it. It was perfect timing since I needed a facial cleanser. The annoying thing about the store was that there were these four SAs that kept squealing and yapping in Korean while I was in there...Not exactly professional because it automatically made me feel like they were talking about me -_-;; Unlike the stores of the same brand in Korea, this one did not give out samples. Prices ranged depending on the product you buy. Some coloured cosmetics cost $20CAD+ while my Snow White cleanser only costs $16CAD. From T&T (a popular Asian grocer), I bought the Mandom Cleaning Express Moist that the muse raved about. I don't own any cleansing oil so this was a good choice. Hopefully, these products live up to their name~

DIY: Under the Sea Ear Cuff Part 1

Hi everyone! How have you been? I'm guessing that many of you are busy watching the Olympics :) Although I enjoy watching the games, I've also been doing some DIY projects. I keep seeing ear cuffs dominate retail stores at prices that are unrealistic. I decided to make my own and customize it to satisfy my inner hipster! Haha. I filmed a tutorial which is broken up into 2 parts. The first part shows you how to make the basic cuff and the second part shows you how to decorate it. I wanted an "under the sea" theme and I had a seahorse charm lying around which was perfect. So without further ado, here's part 1 of the tutorial and some photos.

Here's what you'll need:

• Jewelry wire -Hong Kong (I used 0.5mm)
• Round nose plier -Hong Kong
• Flat nose plier -Hong Kong
• Cutting plier -Hong Kong
• Pencil
• Ruler

You should be able to find all the supplies and materials in your local craft store ex. Michael's

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Feel free to leave any questions below ^^ 

Check out part 2 here!

Sneak Peak: DIY Ear Cuffs & Pastry Cellphone Straps

Hi everyone! How have you been? I just wanted to show you what I have been doing in the DIY department. Sorry for the bad quality but I promise that I'll have better photos and an ear cuff tutorial posted soon.

Good night! x.

In the Mail: Etsy, May 2012 Costco Brandsampler, Romwe tights & samples

My awesome friend got the Kutsuwa DIY clay charm set for me as a birthday gift. She was going to order from another website but they never restocked it. Fortunately, we found it on Etsy and she ordered it from the seller melovewholesale (lol). This store usually has only one kit in stock but they restock quickly. The specific kit that I have here is out of stock at the moment.

I got another packet of Downy Unstoppables In-wash Scent Booster in Fresh. This stuff actually works! It made my laundry smell really good and you only need a little bit (1/5 of the pack) to make the whole load smell great! I think I might actually purchase it ^^ I love it when my clothes smell nice keke. Walmart had Kotex sample kits so I decided to give it a try. One thing for sure, the colourful packaging will lighten your mood during those crummy days xD

 I won a small Valentine's Day giveaway on Nivea Canada's facebook page and received this super adorable tin of Nivea cream!

 May 2012 Costco Brandsampler:

• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
• Venus Embrace Razor
• Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex
• Always Infinity heavy absorbency pad
• Tide Pods
• Scope Outlast Mouthwash

 Multiple samples from Dawn, Gain, Woolite, Cascade, Speed Stick, and Dentyne.

These free vertical stripe tights are from Romwe when they had their giveaway.

In the Mail: May 2012 P&G Brandsampler, Biore & John Frieda

 Hello everyone! I just wanted to show you what came in the mail today ^^ This is such a nice way to start off the month of June which makes up for the poor weather. It was pouring today. I received three separate things: May 2012 P&G Brandsampler, Biore sample, and a coupon for a free John Frieda hair dye.

May 2012 P&G Brandsampler:

• Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex
• Scope Dual Blast Mouthwash
• Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Floss Pick with Scope Outlast flavour
• $3.00 off coupon for any Oral-B Battery-powered toothbrush
• Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo & Conditioner
• $1.50 off coupon for any purchase of two Pantene products
• Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor
• Frebreze Car Freshener in Hawaiian Aloha
• Downy Unstoppables In-wash Scent Booster in Fresh

Biore:

• Biore Combination Balancing Cleanser
• $2.00 off coupon for the cleanser

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

• coupon for free hair dye foam

I hope the weather becomes nicer over the weekend! Have a great one ^^

NOTD: Mint Tea for Two

 Here's a super quick post on what I did to my nails over the bright sunny weekend ^^ I really have an obsession with mint nails. It's like what...my 3rd nail post with the same colour?

I totally love pastels for spring and because of the somewhat recent British-you know who I'm referring to- invasion, I tried the British flag on my nails. Boy was it difficult, even with tape. >< It took a whole day including drying time and such. The heart that you see on my thumb happened by accident. I was being my clumsy self and poured the white nail polish onto my pants. It just so happened to create the perfect curve~ The heart was used to add some cutesy to it. ^^;; 

Since it's British inspired, I added "tea" to the title...hopefully that somewhat captures the English culture. heh~ Just in case you didn't know who I was referring to. Please don't hate me for this xD These boys can sing unlike some of the kpop boy groups out there.

Products Used:

• Joe Fresh Nail Polish in Mint (3 coats)
• Migi Nail Art pens in pink & white
• Essie To Dry For Topcoat (1 coat)

FOB: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

 Shoppers Drugmart had these Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters on sale this Sunday and Monday. Since I already own one in Peach Parfait which I love, I grabbed two more shades.

 075 Lollipop is a fuchsia with fine blue shimmer while 015 Tutti Frutti is a tangerine coral with no sparkles. They are both great for the spring and summer season ^^

Last but not least, Shoppers had them on sale for only $3.99CAD! They usually retail from $8-$10 dollars so these were a steal. If you have time before this sale ends, I would reccomend you to grab a few. The lip butters aren't usually this cheap =]

I want to congratulate Cutielippi on reaching 242+ followers! Blogging is not exactly easy and I admire her for all the hard work that she has put into her blog. Be sure to check out her blog for uber cute posts and reviews. You can join her giveaway here which ends April 15th, 2012.

Woahoho! Two consecutive posts in two days. I'm on a roll~ Haha. Thanks for reading!

Spotted! Essence Cosmetics in Canada

Hi everyone! I must first apologize for my loooooong absence but I'm finally back! I hope you've all been doing well ^^

If you haven't heard already, affordable European brand Essence has finally hit Shoppers Drug Mart across Canada. Not every Shoppers carry this line so I suggest going to locations that have higher traffic (i.e. malls). I was super excited when I saw the small but abundant display stand. The items cost $1.49CAD-$4.99CAD each! So far the quality is awesome and with its price, Essence cosmetics is comparable to some WetNWild and NYC products although I favour Essence at the moment.

First Essence haul :D

 I couldn't resist the colours and prices so I hauled the four angels. The nail polishes cost $1.49 while the Tint it! Colour Changing Lipgloss cost $2.99. Any product with "colour changing" properties immediately catches my eye. The shade that I got is 02 Turn to Lucky which changes from a tangerine to a pink.

From left to right:  43 Where is the Party?, 38 Choose Me!, and 86 A Lovely Secret. I've tried 38 and 86 so far and they are fantastic! They dry quickly and you only need two coats for a full opacity. I will definitely buy more shades one Shoppers restock them ^^ Another note, I haven't seen any special/limited edition displays but I'm positive that we'll be getting them. 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your lovely Sunday! It's only March and it already feels like summer~ It's 21 degrees outside! Toodles~~