Chinese New Year in Hong Kong?!

Hello~ Sorry for being MIA!  I actually took a little vacation and went to Hong Kong with my best friend.  We also went to the Philippines, because we both have relatives there.  Actually we had decided to go to the Philippines first, because we thought it would be cool to be there at the same time, since we had never been able to meet up there.  Hong Kong was our side trip...and we just happened to be there a few days before Chinese New Year so it was totally decked out in decorations!

In addition to pretty decorations, Hong Kong has yummy food! We had HK Cafe food, Chinese food, Thai food, and even McD's (because nothing else was open...)

baked porkchop from a hong kong cafe gets an A+ from the bestie

hole in the wall thai place my cousin took us to...really good food!
tom yum was especially delicious!

When we weren't eating, we were doing touristy things.  It wasn't my first time to Hong Kong, but it was my first time seeing all the tourist sites, and it was a lot of fun~!  Stuff like...

Watching the Symphony of Lights!

HK island at night

Going to the Peak!

ride the tram...

...to reach this gorgeous view!

Riding a Cable Car to Ngong Ping!

there is a trail to hike instead of taking the cable car...but it's a pretty long hike...

and at the end, you reach ngong ping village...

...where you can see the big buddha!

And going to Hong Kong Disneyland!

disney also decorates for chinese new year! :)

red envelopes!

a cute display window on main street~

even the mtr line to disneyland is disneyfied! ^^

In addition to Hong Kong, we also set aside a day for Macau.  I had never been, so it was a nice experience. We did more touristy stuff, and I took quite a few pictures, so I'll do a whole separate post for Macau.

And of course, can't forget a haul post! I did do some shopping at Sasa.  Can't stop by Hong Kong without going to Sasa!  Literally.  It is on EVERY corner! lol

So, I didn't actually celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.  Actually, it would be kind of hard, because I think everything is closed there on CNY since it's a holiday.  I celebrated it in the Philippines instead.  It was interesting to experience Chinese New Year there!  My first time!  Lots of noise, with all the firecrackers being set off and lion dancing on the streets.  But my family didn't actually do anything special, lol.  I did get a red envelope from my grandpa though. :D (And if you are wondering, my family is Chinese, but from the Philippines! ^^ There is actually quite a large Chinese community in the Philippines. However, we don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese...we speak Hokkien/Fukien. :])

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any pictures in the Philippines, because I kept forgetting to bring my camera out with me. =.=;;  Sorry~ I'm not really in tourist mode when I'm there, so I forget to bring it...

Alrighty~ See you in my next post!  Either a Sasa haul or Macau post~ Whichever pictures get edited first, lol.

IN THE RING: Physicians Formula Universal Shimmer Strips in Nude vs Eye Candy Shimmer Strips in Hazel

Today I have a comparison post for you!  I think this is my first one...and I really wanted to do this one right away, because it includes a clearance item.

When I saw the Physicians Formula Eye Candy Shimmer Strips in Hazel was on clearance at CVS, I went to check it out.  After seeing it, I immediately thought it would be a dupe for the Shimmer Strips Nude palette that I recently reviewed.  So I bought it to swatch and see if I was right, since this one would be a cheaper alternative.  Unfortunately, it wasn't!  But I think it's still a pretty palette.

Both of these palettes are quite neutral.  The main difference is the undertone of each palette.  The Eye Candy one is cooler, while the Nude one is warm....even the black shades!

top is eye candy, bottom is nude palette

I haven't tried out the Eye Candy palette, so can't say how well it holds up or anything right now...I'll probably do a separate review for it on it's own.  But from the swatches, I am leaning towards liking the Eye Candy one more.  I just like the colors more...except that pink one in the middle.  It just seems like such a random color to include!  Plus, it's very chalky...definitely a con to this Eye Candy palette.

Availability: CVS
Limited Edition? Yes, Eye Candy in Hazel is on clearance
Price: $10.99 for the Nude one & $3+ for the Hazel one

New Years Resolutions

So, the start of the year means it's time for some new resolutions!  Here are some of mine:

1. Eat healthier (more veggies!) and drink more water.  I really want to aim for 8 glasses, as I usually don't drink 8 a day.

2. Save more, spend less! I want to aim for a $100-a-month budget for clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, and dining out all together.  I hope I can keep with it!  It would definitely save me a lottt of money.

3. And in that direction, I want to shop my stash more!  I have quite a few products that I've pushed aside, as I use the same products over and over.  It's time to give those forgotten products some lovin'! ;)

4. Finish my in progress knitting and crocheting projects.

5. Read at least 1 book a month.  I really want to get back into reading more books and book blogging.

6. Blog more!  I have a whole list of future blog posts that I hope to get out soon. :)

7. Make more progress on my Day Zero list!  Because time is ticking, and the days to complete the list are half gone already!

That's it for now!  I might add a few more later, but these are my main ones.  I especially want to concentrate on the eating healthier and getting healthier one!

So what are your resolutions? :)

SWATCH+REVIEW: China Glaze - Lorelei's Tiara (Eye Candy Collection)

Well, hello 2012!  Here's the first post of the new year!

Lorelei's Tiara is the perfect polish for ringing in the new year.  It's silver, blue, and shiny!  This polish is one of six from China Glaze's Eye Candy collection, which was inspired by Marilyn Monroe and released for the holidays.  This particular polish is a clear base filled with small silver glitter and more dispersed bigger specks of round blue glitter.  I used two coats to reach this opacity, and it applied really nicely!  Dried really fast too!  I didn't use a top coat, so not sure how well it does (i.e. if it's a top coat eater)...

Very pretty!!  Unfortunately, I didn't get to wear this to ring in the New Year, because I didn't have time to do my nails until now.  But wearing it on the first day of the New Year is just as nice. :)  Hope everyone had a fun and safe time celebrating last night!  I went to a dinner party thrown by my old roomie, and then went to my family's shindig to countdown to the new year.  All in all, had a very fun time at both parties!

Sorry I haven't been swatching much because winter doesn't treat my skin very nicely, especially my hands!  I look like I have elephant skin on my hands...very unattractive, lol.  You can see in these pictures that my cuticles are very dry...But I've got some other posts coming up. ^^  It's the start of a new year, so there's lots of new things to come!  One of my resolutions is to blog more, so please stay tuned~!

Availability: Sally Beauty Supply, Ulta, Nail Supply Stores, Online
Limited Edition? Yes - Eye Candy Collection (Holiday 2011)
Price: $4 - 7

Merry Christmas~!

It's Christmas!  How do you like my little Christmas tree?  I got it from Walmart for $9 and it sits on my dresser.  It already has lights attached to it! (The bright white spots, lol.)  Got the little ornaments on sale at Walmart too.  I think this is a great color combo!  Not your traditional Christmas colors, but still very pretty! ^^  I hope everyone is having a fun and safe holiday~ Relax and be merry! :)

I'm so excited for the upcoming weeks and next few months!  First off, it's the prime of holiday season!  Love this time of the year.  So festive!  And then, I interviewed for an internship on Monday and got it!  So happy and excited for that!  It gives me a feeling of accomplishment to know I'm finally on my way to a future career. :)

Next, I've got to work on my New Year's Resolutions list...Hmm...Well, that's still a few more days away! :P

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

my dog, Jello, dressed in her Christmas pajamas wishes you good night! isn't she so cute? ^.^

HAUL: More Jewelmint! (exciting news for CANADIAN readers!!)

I have some more Jewelmint pieces to share with you!  I debated posting this, because I am quite disappointed with Jewelmint at the moment due to their Reserves sale fiasco (more about this at the end of the post, if you're interested).  But, I thought I would share anyway, because I do like the jewelry and have become quite addicted. O_O  I try not to buy without a promo code though, because I still feel like $29.99 is quite pricey and that I could probably find a similar looking piece of jewelry for cheaper at F21.  But I guess, also, JM's pieces are more well made than F21 ones...

Here's the Silver Swan bracelet I mentioned in my previous Jewelmint post:

These are the re-released/re-done version of the popular Golden Goose bracelet.  I have since also acquired the much-wanted Golden Goose bracelet. ^^  I love them both!  They both have a satin-y finish, instead of a super shiny one, which I love.  The fit is kind of loose as I'm able to slip it on without undoing the clasp, though I don't worry about it slipping off.  The only difference between the two is really just the color.  Both are definitely a great addition to any arm party! :)

Kind of loose...
I did the string/ribbon test, and my wrist measured 5 1/2 inches, if you were wondering.

My next piece is the Wonderland Earrings that I had on my wishlist!  I really liked these when I first saw them, but hesitated on buying them because I wasn't sure how it looked on a person.  The model pictures weren't that great!  But after seeing HollyAnnAeree wear them, they looked gorgeous and I decided to give in and buy them on Cyber Monday, when Jewelmint had $10 off everything.  Even though I haven't worn these out yet, I fell in love with them!  It's kind of Christmas-y to me, because the top looks like and oranment and then there's the bow that reminds me of a present, lol.  I think I might wear them for my family's Christmas shindig. :)

And for the exciting news for CANADIAN readers?  JEWELMINT IS NOW SHIPPING TO CANADA!! Shipping to Canada will start on December 26.  So if you're interested in Jewelmint and from Canada, YAY for you!! :D

If you'd like to know about my Reserves experience, click below:

SPOTTED: New Maybelline Products - Color Tattoo by Eyestudio

So the end of the year means a lot of products for the upcoming year!  I've been following Nouveau Cheap to get the scoop on new collections, and I'm really interested in the cream shadows that the drugstore brands are coming out with now.  I'm wondering if it'll be a cheaper alternative to MAC paint pot.  However, I'm looking for a Painterly type color and have yet to see a neutral/skintone colored one...so we'll see?

Anyway, I have spotted the L'Oreal Infallible display at Target, though it was almost empty.  I did manage to pick one up and will hopefully be able to do a post on it soon.  And today I spotted a big endcap display at CVS holding a bunch of new Maybelline products!

In this display there is a new mascara, new brow pencil in 3 colors, a new liquid liner (?), eye color tattoo in 10 colors, and new Super Stay lip products (lipstick and lip stain).  I didn't really get a close up look at everything, because I was just quickly passing through CVS, so not sure about colors and everything.  I was most interested in the Color Tattoo by Eyestudio.

It claims to be a 24-hour gel cream shadow and, like mentioned, it comes in 10 shades.  I was tempted to pick up the taupe one, but decided not to since I hadn't read any reviews on it yet.

What do you think?  Will you be trying any of these new products out?  

I'm curious to see how these Color Tattoos compare to the Infallible Eyeshadows!