I'll be back shortly

It's the weekend and a start of a new life for me in a new suburb *wink*. Apologies for being "missing in action" for 2 weeks now as I have been swallowed by my huge "to-do list". I mentioned in twitter weeks ago that my parents are flying over here for 2 reasons, 1) it's their 29th wedding anniversary *sweet sweet* and 2) they want to help us (me and my bro) move to a new and bigger unit.

I never realised moving is that hard until my mum told me last night that my bro only has a box of clothes and I have 5 black bags plus a suitcase. Thank you Ma and Pa for helping us pack our things while we go to work. Poor parents. I better give them a good massage tonight and cook a good meal don't you think?

Once I have settled down in my new place and my new room *hurray*, I will definitely be back in action.

*photo credit: google

2011 K-POP Music Festival in Sydney

Get yourself ready for the Korean wave is about to hit Australia! On November 12, we will witness a showcase of pure talent in the 2011 K-pop Music Festival. With their killer line up, who would want to miss it? Surely not me. Performing artists include: TVXQ, SNSD, SHINEE, SISTAR, SECRET, MISS A, MBLAQ, KARA, CNBLUE, B2ST, 4MINUTE & 2AM. I can see your jaw drop! *lol* Here's the official trailer:

K-POP Music Festival Trailer

During the Korea-Australia Friendship Concert 2011, JK Entertainment brought with them SHINEE along with  Shin Seung Hun and Son Ho Young. I thought I'll be able to see them perform before my eyes hence I made a decision to buy a Sony HD Camcorder. To my horror, only 2000 lucky ones will be given the chance to see them. Fear not this time as this concert is open for public. The concert will be held on the 12th of November 2011 at ANZ Stadium - Olympic Park Sydney. Show starts at 7:00pm. Ticket Prices are as follows: VIP standing $289, VIP seating $289, Gold $189, Silver $139, Bronze $89. You can purchase tickets through Ticketek online, Ticketek agency, or call Ticketek Call Centre at 132 849 and quote K-POP. 

Now who's with me in this epic Korean concert Australia has to see?

See you all there!=))

*photo and video credits: official website

Sale Alert: Laser Clinic Australia is having a laser sale!

Happy Sunday everyone! =D

I just thought of sharing this to all of you who might be interested in getting your unwanted hair permanently reduced. Laser Clinic Australia is having a massive laser sale in all their laser clinics.  They use medical grade laser - Candela GentleLASE and Candela GentleYAG.  Good news is - their prices start as low as $9!

Laser Clinics Australia's massive laser sale

Laser hair removal is nothing new to me since I've been doing this treatment for the last 3 years from 3 different clinics.  Why did I decide to choose laser versus other forms of hair removal? It's safe, easy, fuss free, long lasting, and (almost) painless. I know you have a question in mind, "I thought it's supposed to remove the hair permanently?" Not quite. Though it stopped the hair growth for most parts (underarm and upper lip), some fine stray hair grows back. At the moment, I'm on the maintenance phase and only have it done it every 10 to 12 weeks. Regular price of upper lip and underarm on most clinics would cost $70, but with this sale, it's only $28! That's a discount of $42 or 60%!

While this works well for me, it might not work for others specifically with blonde hair. If you are still interested to have your hair zapped, please consult first with the professionals.

How do you remove unwanted hair - tweeze, shave, wax, or laser? Have you tried laser?

Have a great week ahead!

Weekend Blog Hop

Hurray for the Weekend Blog Hop! =D


Thanks to the gorgeous Sarah The Science of Beauty for initiating this blog hop. Pure awesomeness!

What is a blog hop?
A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS.
When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog.

Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list. The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides.

Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!

So basically, its an awesome way to discover new beauty blogs or have new readers discover yours. The only rule is that your blog must have some beauty content. That's it! Once you have joined, why don't you check out the other blogs in the list - you may discover a new 'beauty' to follow - haha awesome pun! Please Tweet or share a link to your Facebook account as the more blogs we can get to on the list, the better the Weekend Beauty Blog Hop will be! If you would like to do a post about this on your blog, by all means grab the code below. Feel free to lift any content from this post, all I ask is that you link where you got it from. Hop away my friends, hop away! This link will be open from 5.00pm on Friday 7th October until 5.00am on Monday 10th October (Australian Eastern Standard time).

In addition to the Weekend Beauty Blog Hop, Sarah has also set up a Beauty Blog Directory. If you would like your blog added to the Beauty Blog Directory leave a comment on her post here.

Enjoy the Blog Hop this weekend, beauty lovers! This is a Blog Hop!

Santa visited me twice: ABBW Part 1 - IMATS haul

I know it's only early October, but hey it certainly feels like Christmas has arrived a tad too early for me! We all feel giddy inside whenever we unwrap "Santa's" gifts on Christmas day, but I wonder how ecstatic you'd feel if there were two gifts waiting for you to open?! Pure bliss I tell you! Puuuure blisss! :) I got to experience this sensation just recently when I went to not one... but two make-up and beauty event over the past few weeks.

Those who have followed my recent post got know how I madly squealed when I finally got the tickets to attend the PRIMPED look book event. And three days later, I got an email from Kimmi Nissen of Plastic Diaries that I will take part in the inaugural Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend. Two amazing events to attend, in a span of a week... Santa really knows I have been a good girl this year!  *wink*

We were given 5 hours to attend IMATS as the first part of the ABBW itenerary. So what is IMATS really? Think of it this way... it's like a make-up mecca where all girls go ga-ga over cosmetics! OK, this might give light to those of you who have no clue.

"The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show is the make-up world’s biggest event. Thousands of make-up artists, manufacturers and enthusiasts discuss, display and collect the best products the industry has to offer. Make-up professionals from fashion and film (including Oscar, BAFTA and Saturn award winners) provide education and demonstrations at IMATS, and new products often debut there. IMATS also features a make-up museum and an Afterglow party, where trade-show guests can socialize." - description from their website


I have seen some crazy videos of IMATS Los Angeles showing a jam-packed venue full of rabid women trying to haul as much products as they can before their favourite brands sell out. So in that spirit, I came to terms that I must do the same or something even crazier in IMATS Sydney. Like a soldier going into the frontline battle, I devised a "battleplan" in mind and listed them all down on paper in order to not forget. As the venue doors opened, all chaos broke loose! Everybody rushed in frantically and started looking for their brand's stalls and be the first in line. So what did I end up getting?

MAC haul

This is probably one of the hauls I'm very pleased of since I've been coveting most of these for several months now.

Fix + 

Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle 

Eye Kohl in Fascinating

Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved

Chromagraphic Pencil in NC42/NW35

Opulash Mascara Volume in Bad Bad Black

Eye Shadow pan in Arena

Travel Bottle 1oz/2

Stackable Travel Jars

Illamasqua haul

Most of the items in the Illamasqua store were the ones from their past collections.  I've seen most of them during their massive online sale not long ago.

Powdered Metal in Ether

Powder Blusher in Disobey and Tweak

Cream Blusher in Libido

Medium Pencil in Bait

Nail Varnishes in Victory and Propaganda

Makeup Forever haul

Makeup Forever in Australia is like digging for gold in a gold mine, it is very hard to source!  

HD powder

HD Primer in 0

UV Prime SPF 50++

Aqua Eyes 23L

Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot

I have been wanting to buy this Auto Pilot Primer for months now and when it was offered with 20% discount, I just bought it. I didn't mind having 2 primers in my haul at all.

Inglot blush

I got 2 Inglot Face Blush in #21 for myself and a lucky reader.

Royal Langnickel brushes

Yeah I can hear you say, "Whadda?! 4 identical brushes! What was she thinking?" Well I got one for myself, my gorgeous sister, a good friend and a lucky reader. To celebrate my 1st year blogging-versary next month, I will be holding an awesome giveaway for a lovely reader very soon. Yay!

4 Silk Pro Foundation flat top brush C141

Silk Pro Taklon Blush C165

Silk Pro Synthetic Powder Brush C101-S

Silk Pro LG Smudger C445

Silk Pro Complexion C185

Master Pro Metal Lash Comb BPRO-147

Crown Brushes haul

Contour Blush C405

2 Flat Sponge Blender C161

Deluxe Crease SS012

Precision Detail C431

Deluxe Synthetic Retractable Kabuki Brush KB9

Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist

"Effectively cleans, rejuvenates and removes bacteria from pressed powders, eye shadows, cream foundations, etc."

Unii Palette

This is perfect to simplify your life in storing your eye shadows and blush refills.  I love the large mirror inside and how compact the size is.

Empty round containers

Sometimes when I travel, I try to avoid lugging a whole bottle of foundation or my favorite 1 litre lotion with me. Solution? Little air tight jars. Clever.

After this haul, I guess I'll be on a haul ban for quite some time. ^^

Have you ever been to IMATS? We're you like me who hauled until your heart got satisfied?

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Primped look book 2011 and the goodie bag

GAAAAAASPPPP! *holds breath* GAAAAAAAAASSSSPP! My words exactly --- speechless. I finally got my early Christmas present, and what's inside really left me dumbfounded, shocked and in awe rolled into one. "Congratulations Primpette! You've nabbed a seat at the Primped look book!" Wait... what... me of all the people?? I looked at the email again ten times just to confirm that it's not a hallucination. Reality finally sunk in, and my initial reaction, other than to scream ecstatically, was to call my bestie to bring forth the good news and force her to tag along.

On the day itself, we were both nervous but equally excited for the look book event. It's our first time!  Before heading out, we had to stop by a toilet to do a quick touch up. My gosh!! The newly renovated toilets in David Jones are sooooooOOO awesome*you have to check it out*! They have an area where you can sit down comfortably and do your makeup. It actually reminded me of toilets in a 5 Star hotel lobby, only heaps better.

Me and my bestie Mei at David Jones toilet for a quick touch up

Right, we can't just stop taking photos. ^^

We couldn't stop taking photos while waiting for the first batch to finish.

Location : David Jones Elizabeth St. Lower Ground floor beauty section

I finally got to meet in person Eliza Ashe the acting editor of Primped.com.au .  She is soooo gorgeous! Her skin looks so healthy from my seat 4 rows away, and almost divine up close.

Opening remarks by Eliza Ashe the acting editor of primped.com.au

The key speakers of the night:

Paula from Comvita

Amy from Invisible Zinc

Invisible Zinc Environmental Skin Protector

Invisible Zinc Foundation stick

Laura from Rimmel

Michael the Animation expert for Lancome

Lancome doll eyes

Louise from Burt's Bees

Burt's Bees sugar scrub and body butter

Justin from Prive

Prive products

Gina from OPI

Sample swatches from the latest collection of OPI

I really dig how they flawlessly organised and introduced their products to us. They meticulously demonstrated everything on their model's face and hair. Though it may seem to be a bit of info-overload for newbies, I found it very easy to follow. Along with giving industry-grade secrets, they also gave away valuable insights and tricks that I found really helpful for us consumers.

Here's a picture of me and Eliza. I know, I know... I look like a midget beside her hehehe. Oh well! I should've worn heels. Hehehe.=))

Me and the gorgeous Eliza

And of course, would I forget to show you what's inside our goodie bag? Tada!! *eye candy for me but might be an eye sore for you* lol!

Thank you Primped for such an awe-inspiring evening! My bestie and I surely had a blast!  Hope I'd get picked again for next year's look book event. *fingers crossed* :)

Have you been to a Primped look book event? How was your experience? Or perhaps, you've hauled-in some awesome freebies you'd like to talk about. Please feel free to share with everyone. 

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PS. I hope I've got all the names accurately.  If I made an error, please forgive me as I was just jotting them down as to how I heard them.  Feel free to correct me.

Disclaimer: I was randomly chosen to attend this event, hence they didn't know that I blog.

Think premium samples: Lust have it! is finally here

Hola!

Have you heard of your favourite beauty gurus rave about Birchbox from the US or Glossybox from the UK? Well don't wait any longer 'cause Australia has Lust Have It! They handpick 5 to 6 hair, beauty, and skin premium samples and deliver it right at your doorstep for $14.95.

My first Lust Have It

A welcome card

All of the products for the month of August

The first box contains :
1. Dermatologica Daily Microfoliant
2. Bioeffect EGF Serum
3. Burt's Bees Lemon butter cuticle cream
4. Naked Tan Goddess Bronze
5. Mirenesse Velvet lip plumper
6. Giorgio Armani fragrance Sport Code for your man

I was a bit skeptical at first since they are just about to launch their company.  "What if this is a scam?", were some of the thoughts at the back of my head. And to clear that, I emailed them while on a bus to Townhall on a Sunday afternoon.  Less than an hour later, to my surprise, I got a reply from Nicci Herra. Wait? A reply on a Sunday? That's cool man! She happily answered all my silly questions. And that sold me - a simple act of customer service.

I personally don't go to makeup or skincare counters in big department stores and ask if they can give me a sample.  In my numerous previous attempt, often times I get a stare of disbelief - then asks if I have a voucher. Well I don't.  The reason I ask for one is because I'm very much interested in the product but afraid to burn my pocket with a product that doesn't suit my skin.

My two cents:
Pros:
- delivered right at your doorstep anywhere in Australia
- price is right $14.95
- sample sizes are huge
- EXCELLENT customer service!

Cons:
- products may not be for you eg. like tanning lotions (an Asian like me would never use it)

Recommend for those:
- who live far from a city to get their hand on samples from the stores
- shy people who hates asking samples from dept store ladies for the fear of being pushed too hard in buying something they wanted to try first (I find that shops in Australia is not generous on samples compared to the US and Korea where they happily give it out to you)
- if you're the adventurous type who would love to discover the holiest of the holy grail

I'm impressed with the first box and have used all of them except of the tanning lotion. Try before buying the full size before finding out it's not what you want or not suitable for you.

Have you heard of Lust Have It?  Would you be interested in paying for premium samples?

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The nail bug finally caught me: How to do newspaper print nails!

Don't you love painting your nails, making them glittery, crackly and colourful?  I love doing my nails on a weekly basis and my toes every two weeks.  But here's the deal, my right hand does a wonderful job in painting my left hand nails but the left hand - pretty much stuffs up the other hand most of the time.  Here's one nail design that's fool proof for those with feebly hands like me. Newspaper Print Nails!  I thought it was so cool to recreate when I first learnt about this easy trick from Yaz Turker of Primped. So here's what you'll need:

1. Any type of alcohol (isoprophyl or the regular one). Here I used regular rubbing alcohol. You can even use vodka if you like. ^^ 

Regular rubbing alcohol

2. Nail polish remover

Bobbie Nail polish remover

3. Newspaper cut or torn into small pieces

Torn newspaper - small pieces

4. Some Qtips or cotton buds

Qtips or cotton buds

5. Your favorite nail polish

Your favorite nail polish

So let's start. Make sure you apply  your favorite base coat to your clean dry nails to protect your nails from turning yellow and to make your lacquers last longer.  Then apply your polish as you'd normally do.  Let it dry well.  I can't decide that day which polish to use so I tried 5 different ones to see which one will stand out.

Apply 2 coats of nail polish after your base coat

After 5 to 10 mins, dip your finger in the alcohol for 2 seconds (I tried spritzing them with an atomiser and it worked out just as well).

Dip into the alcohol

After dipping your finger into the alcohol, wrap the newspaper clippings onto the nail. Press it firmly for 10 to 15 seconds.

Press firmly for 10 - 15 seconds

The ink from the newspaper will be transferred to your nails and fingers.  At this point, you can now use the cotton buds and nail polish remover to clean the sides of your fingers or put a topcoat first to each nail then clean it afterwards.  I chose to do the latter so I could hit 2 birds in 1 stone by removing the newspaper ink from the sides of my finger and the excess nail polish marks on the side of my nails.

Tada! Finish with top coat then clean the sides

Hihihi.. I decided to play with my toe nails too! ^^

Hahaha! My foot with newspaper print!^^

This easy trick was on Mx (free newspaper) the day that I had fun with my nails. How cool is that?

Mx Newspaper

Isn't this very fun and easy to do?  C'mon, try it and tell me what you think.

Have a great week ahead! =))

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Get your freak on TAG!

I know I probably shouldn't be doing this now but I still am - currently at work *butt hit*.  This will be quick and fun.  The lovely Jyz did a tag post and I decided to give it a go so we can get a chance to know more about each other.  Shall we? 

Questions: 

#1. What's a nickname only your family calls you? 

Yaking. There's a cute story to it. My lola (granny) wanted to call me Inday - my Dad's family 
is originally from Cebu - but my mum refused for me to be called that name since she already
gave my lola the liberty to name my brother Dodong.  And since I cry a lot when I was a baby,
 they called me Yaking = Iyakin = Cry Baby.  Trivia: My older brother and I are only 363 days
 apart so there are 2 days in a year that we have the same age.

#2. What's a weird habit of yours?

I  make sure all the lights and power plugs are off before I leave the house. I'm trying to 
save a bit on electricity you know.

#3. Do you have any weird phobias? 

Flying cockroaches!  Yikes!

#4. What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone? 

Ring Ding Dong by Shinee.  I'm not Korean so I just sing the lyrics the way I hear it and the 
dance move is 'daebak'.

#5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves? 

When I hear someone saying, 'tsk tsk tsk'.

#6. What's one of your nervous habits?

I shake my legs or crack my fingers.

#7. What side of the bed do you sleep on? 

It depends if I have my period but most of the time on the left.

#8. What was your first stuffed animal and it's name? 

Oh this is a toughie. I seriously can't remember.

#9. What's the drink you always order at starbucks? 

Mocha Frapuccino please.^^

#10. What's a beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?

I always wash my face at night to remove makeup but there are times that you are so tired, 
you literally just have to crash and sleep.

#11. Which way do you face in the shower? 

I face the shower where the water is coming from??

#12. Do you have any 'weird' body 'skills'? 

I can make my ears move! =D

#13. What's your favorite comfort food that's 'bad' but you love to eat it anyways? 

Cadbury Caramello and Chips with gravy from Zac's chicken at Edgecliff.

#14. What phrase or exclamation do you say alot? 

I say 'Ay kokoy kang bata ka!' when I drop things or get shocked. If you ask me what it 
means, I honestly can't answer that - it's plain rubbish.  Ask a Filo friend, I'm sure they'll
give you weird looks.

#15. Time to sleep, what are you actually wearing? 

Pj's are the best!

I am tagging all of you, yes you!  Please feel free to do this and don't forget to let me 
know about it.

*excited to read yours soonies!*

My Top 5 Hand Creams

I wash my hands frequently, so frequent that it has become dry.  Hand creams are one of the prods I can't leave the house without.  And out of a bunch of hand creams that I've tried, I'm sharing my top 5 of all time.  Ready to see what topped my list?


In number 5: Rosken Skin Repair Dry Skin cream

Rosken Dry Skin Cream

Information from the tube:
Clinically proven to:
-  Significantly increase moisture levels
-  Double skin moisture levels in just 4 days
-  Help skin retain its moisture from first application


It truly does what it claims.  It is enriched with olive extract and dimethicone. However for those allergic or not a fan of silicones, this may not be suitable for you.  As for me from the first use, I definitely noticed my hands are softer. It is not sticky, absorbed easily, and its suitable for use on body, hands and face.
Price: around $5


In number 4: Missha Moist 24 Hand Cream

Missha's Moist24 Manuka Honey Hand Cream

Product description from Missha's website:
"Containing Moist 24, an extract of Imperata Cylindrical Root, this hand cream provides long lasting moisturizing effects for 24 hours."


I'm not sure what 'Imperata Cylindrical Root' is but this is definitely a winner.  I stumbled upon this product when I was trying out their nail polishes. But I didn't buy it at that time, it was too expensive for me.  So when I had a date with mum in Seoul last April, I grabbed 4 of these. ^^ It was only around ₩4,900, roughly $4.50 aud.  Like Rosken, it's easily absorbed, not sticky, doesn't leave an oil film, and the scent is really lovely.
Price: $10.90  from Missha Shops


In number 3: Neutrogena Norweigan Formula Hand Cream

photo credit: www.neutrogena.com

Product Description:

"Neutrogena® Hand Cream delivers effective relief for dry, chapped hands. This clinically proven, highly concentrated formula rapidly heals dry hands. It noticeably improves the look and feel of your skin." 

There was a time when my hands were really dry and patchy then a good friend of mine recommended that I get this. Upon my first use, I instantly fell in love with it. Just like my top 4 and 5, easily absorbed and it's not greasy.  It healed chapped hands and left a feeling of a thin film on top of it. Absolutely a winner!

Price: around $7 from Priceline

In number 2: Crabtree and Evelyn

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy

Oh gosh! This is what I'm currently using and I'm totally in love with it! It has shea butter rich formula that restores the softness of my hands.  And the smell, i like it. I don't know how to explain the smell but I really like it though some of my friends don't. Maybe by now you know the criteria of what I like in hand creams: absorbed easily, not greasy, and gives a long lasting softness.

Price : $18.95 for 50g

And the best of the best, 1st place: Ahava Mineral Hand Cream

photo credit: www.fragrancesandcosmetics.com.au

This extremely rich hand cream ticks all my criteria and much more. It soothes dry skin, gives that satiny softness and doesn't leave any greasy feeling. It is approved for sensitive skin, hypoallergenic, and it's paraben free. It is worth every single penny.

Price: $21 (at the time of purchase)

You might notice that none of them has SPF in it.  That's because I prefer to put a separate non-greasy sunblock underneath the hand cream.  I've tried a couple with SPF but I just find them too greasy.  It's like I slathered olive oil on my hands.  No likey.


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Have a lovely day!


Stay tuned for more posts about my trip and recent hauls!  Stay happy!
*Every products mentioned above were all purchased by my own money.