loving your skin, part 1 of 7: clean it real good

(you can catch the start of my skincare regimen rant here).

i was pretty acneic when i was a teenager with those pimples lingering into my early 20s. i wasn't always like that. no baby is born with a face full of pimples right??? so when your mom tells you "when you were a baby, you had such beautiful soft pale skin like an egg shell (trust me, sounds better in chinese)" you feel the sting. ugh. but of course puberty had to happen and bless my parent's hearts for taking me to the dermatologist and the herbal doctor when puberty REALLY HAPPENED. holy shit that was no fun. nothing i did seemed to work and that kind of constant defeat just made me not care about my skin.

 
up until my wedding i held this same attitude. i cleanse with whatevers, i put whatever lotion on, and sometimes i used sunblock. SOMETIMES. my skin must have been a mess cuz my MIL actually purchased a facial package for me to use before my wedding, OK, I GET IT. dang.

so after becoming inspired by my wedding make up artist and also after acknowledging that science has advanced so much that there are many quality products out there that can make your skin become the best it can be (giving a nod to your gene pool of course), i went to search out the best for me and my combo asian skin.

cleansers: i've tried all natural jurlique ($23), shiseido purifying cleansing foam ($30.50), shiseido extra gentle cleansing foam ($30.50), and murad essential-c cleanser ($35).

jurlique is a good natural alternative. takes off your make up, but can leave your skin feeling tight. i use this in conjunction with my clarisonic. after finishing this tube, i'm not sure i will repurchase because of the tightness i feel in my skin after using it. however, i do appreciate the natural aspect of it.

shiseido is a great brand that's been around for a long time. i love their foaming cleansers but do not love that it's chocked full of parabens and artificial crap. their purifying cleansing foam has tiny exfoliation beads. their extra gentle cleansing foam is great if you have skin conditions that require a little tlc. my husband started developing a rash near his eyes and now uses this cleanser which has worked wonders for him. this is a good line to "fall back on" when my search for more natural alternatives takes a hiatus.

murad is paraben free and full of vitamin c. the cleanser has a nice orangey scent and works well as a morning cleanser. if you use it to wash off make up, you will find that it still leaves a trace of your bad behavior from last night. it also does NADA for eye make up removal. i will repurchase this cleanser to use as part of my morning cleansing routine.

Nailed

i think i went slightly nuts with the nail lacquer acquisition. got some sephora, OPI, and deborah lippman nail polishes to occupy my finger tips and toesies all within the espanse of....a week. i also have a deep fascination for gold and glittery nail polish so i picked up a gorgeous shimmery set by deborah lippman and "it's real" real 18k gold top coat from sephora by OPI. can't wait to try them out!

happy new years!

happy new years!! 2013 will be fabulous!

christmas 2012

christmas is definitely a retail holiday for our family. we don't go to church nor do we decorate a christmas tree, but we do hang up little stockings and buy teeny weenie gifts for each other cuz getting gifts is plain FUN don't you think?

i'm trying to start a tradition of making waffles for my fam (meaning my hubs and my sis). this year, it's whole wheat waffles and MERRY CHRISTPY bacon. you need energy before you rip into packages....rawrrr.

then the dogs get their pressies after we eat, spoiled pooches.

charlie's auntie made him a bill cosby inspired sweater and he got a chew toy with a bone hidden inside. he likes to destruct his toys, ass first apparently.

lucy got a whole new outfit from her auntie and chew toys from us. pretty in pink with a touch of mrs. claus. she ripped into her chew toy fast...there's a little rawhide dog bone hidden inside. fyi, that toy is DEAD the last time i checked. her teeth is just plain ruthless. you should see our pathetic sofa, it is a freaking MESS. thanks lucy....grrrrr.....

then of course, there's our biggest bear, bronx aka "donkey" as i fondly call him because of his huge badonks. he got a new kennel liner and chew toys. he is pretty darn handsome don't you think? GQ baby.

they were pretty excited about their toys and got uber tired after running about stealing everything from each other. *sigh*

we also found a reindeer gone AWOL. he must be tired from his flight today...christmas is a tough business.

my hubs got me an early christmas pressie....aka he-couldn't-keep-a-secret-for-the-life-of-him. it's an ipad minnniiiiiiiiii! and he personalized it with a little sweet message engraved on the back. i love it, a useful tool to be productive AND to waste time.

feeling grateful for all the mini and big things in my life. i hope you're having a wonderful christmas too!!

was it a steal at stila?

the stila sample sale waaaaassss....fruitful. i guess after standing in line for almost 2 hours, you HAVE to pick up something, don't you think? smh. oh man! the line inched really slowly and it felt like waiting for a bus that you have NO IDEA when it would actually arrive, so you wait and wait worried that if you give up and leave that it will magically show up just as you turned the corner. yup, that's my long version of saying we waited so long, we HAD to be "all in."

here's some "while we waited in line scenes" which was quite interesting since it was held at our local roller derby training facility. can you spot "ghetto stilleto" or "gori spelling?" muhahaha.

.....and back to the sale. needless to say, organized mayhem. lots of full boxes held by folks stocking up. perhaps to be given as gifts, to be resold at another venue, cuz their mugs be needing it? there was everything you can think of, eye shadows, blushes, foundation, eyeliners, brushes, etc....but you really don't need all that, right?

i went a little crazy, but not THAT CRAZY. a lion's share of the budget went to buying gifts. it's the little make up pouch and set of lip glosses you see on your left. i'm giving them away as a christmas set. for myself, i purchased the products on the right: lip gloss set, glitter eyeliner (yes, i am way too old for that), liquid liner, eyeliner, mascara, a small bottle of foundation, an eyeshadow brush (not pictured), and some lip liners. if they rock, i will blog about it. till then peeps, have a super wonderful, safe, and beautimous holiday!!

Stila sample sale, ftw?

How glorious is technology to be able to blog in line...a horribly long line, in the cold (god this better be good). Hello stila sample sale!

If I purchase anything, I will post. Also I'm on vacation for 3 weeks! It's totally ok to do dumb crap like this. Totally?

a healthy bite of apple!

there are some things you wait long for. like looooooong. for me, waiting to get an iphone is up there with waiting for hell to freeze over. ok look, not trying to be dramatic here, but ever since i anted up to pay for a smartphone and the subsequent outrageous phone bills that the move entailed, it was CLEAR to me that i was going to end up with an iphone sooner or later. it only took 2 years, 2 months, and a cracked droid screen later for me to finally get the phone that i've always wanted.

helllllooooo white iphone 5. i know i already dropped you once right out of the box OOOOPS, but baby, i'm going to encase you in the rubberyist, most protective phone condom ever so that you don't get brain damage like my old droid up there. besides, i used up all my piggy bank money on you so i'm committing myself to a looooong ass relationship. do you love me? cuz i really, really, really love you.

and you know what is the best part?! I can finally blog on the go too! ecstatic! like this post!