My Filofax Week 13/05 - 19/05

I had such strong cupcake cravings on Monday it was crazy! Friends and I went to Knox to hang around a little - namely at Toys R Us. It's strange... every time we go and hang out somewhere, we always end up with children's toys...
I also had a pretty strong cupcake craving. To be perfectly honest, I personally don't like cupcakes. I like the idea of cupcakes. Most of the time the cake is far too dry for my liking. I like things like almond blondies where the cake is moist and dense.

I watched Bubzbeauty's Bra Fitting Video and I've gotta say, I never realised I was wearing the wrong bra. I mean, my bra was a little uncomfortable, but I thought the next cup size would be too big. I took advantage of Chadstone's VIP night to buy some new bras. I came out of Bras n Things very happy and pleasantly surprised. My 12C/14Bs were actually 14Ds! It goes to show that the cup alone doesn't really say how "big" you are. It's because of how breasts are portrayed in media that a lot of girls underestimate their size.

Saturday was a huge day. I played paintball with a few friends and we had a coupon for cheaper paintball. It still wasn't all that cheap ($40) but seeing as I've never been, I decided to give it a try. And what a terrible idea that was. I'm someone who bruises like a peach and has a very low pain threshold. I got hit a few times in the head (above the helmet!) and twice in the thigh. Unfortunately, one of the paintballs that hit me didn't explode on impact, so it hurt a lot more. I now have a bruise that is larger than a 50c coin.

I also went to see Oblivion - spontaneous decision. I'll write about this more in a few days.

How was your week?

Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

While I was at Singapore, I decided to purchase Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation in 20 Beige. I had always been meaning to purchase this foundation, but never really had the need - until I found out my mother had thrown out most of my makeup back in Melbourne (which included Urban Decay Anniversary and Naked palettes, Too Faced Naked and Dior foundation). 

It was far cheaper in Singapore than it was in Melbourne, but that may have also been because it was duty-free. 

The packaging is a plastic opaque bottle. I dislike the fact that the bottle is opaque and not transparent as you can't tell how much foundation you still have left. It contains 30ml or 1fl.oz. Since the bottle is a rectangular shape, it fits nicely into bag pockets or makeup storage units without it looking awkward. 

You'll need to shake the bottle up well before you squeeze some out otherwise it will come out separated. After shaking well, when you squeeze it out, it comes out feeling very light.

I apply this to my face using my fingers. I prefer applying foundation with my fingers as it blends better than brushes and uses up less product. More often than not, brushes eat up some of the product and for that reason I'll use brushes only when I need a truly flawless application. 

The coverage is light to medium. It serves well for those who have blemishes that are fading and need minimal coverage. It is buildable to the point that you can cover slightly darker blemishes, but I would just use concealer instead. 

It doesn't look cake-y - even when another thin layer is applied and is wonderfully light on the face. I use this almost everyday - even more than my BB creams. 

I would repurchase this when I finish this bottle, but I have other foundations I'm interested in trying!

Restaurant Review: Kaneda Japanese Restaurant

Last Saturday, a few of my friends and I dined at Kaneda Japanese Restaurant. Our initial plans were to  have hot pot but due to miscommunications with the restaurant, we couldn't get a table large enough. So four of us left to eat something else (not to mention it was quite a warm evening!).

We settled for Japanese food. We wanted to try Sushi Hotaru since quite a number of my friends have raved about it, but the line was way too long!

Kaneda Japanese Restaurant was close by and I had yet to try it.

Kaneda is located in the CBD in the Mid City Arcade on Bourke St. It's quite a small restaurant but it wasn't very busy when we arrived (~7:30 pm). The interior is lovely - plenty of Japanese deco.

We ordered the Kaneda Deluxe Sushi Platter, yukke, soft shelled crab and other individual dishes for the boys (because they eat a lot).

Yukke is a personal favourite of mine. For those of you who don't frequent Japanese food, it's raw beef with raw egg yolk on top. The yukke at Kaneda is alright at best. It's not their best dish but it's not terrible either. I would probably skip it since there are places that have better yukke.

The Kaneda Deluxe platter comes with about 15 slices of sashimi, california rolls, maki rolls (shown in the photo below) as well as nigiri sushi. It's priced at $38 which is about what you'd expect for a platter this size. There isn't much to complain about this - the fish was good, presentation was excellent. The only bad thing is that it comes with only one of each of the nigiri types - which may make it a little difficult to share, but we managed fine. 

Some other things we ordered were sukiyaki (not pictured) and soft shelled crab (pictured above). The boys enjoyed their individual mains so don't hesitate to order their hot dishes!

Service was good - not excellent, but about what you'd expect from an Asian restaurant. Food comes out at a reasonable pace. We left quite satisfied! My share for dinner came to about $22 - including green tea and the Japanese marble drink - so it was pretty okay priced too. They do have lunch specials I believe (from what I've seen of the menu).

If you're in Melbourne, definitely check this place out!

Squats

In a bid to become more healthy, I've decided to do something.

Every time I die in League of Legends, I have to do 5 squats. Sounds pretty easy no?

Well, when you're a person who plays about 3-5 games per night, dying about 10 times in really bad games, it all adds up.

It's day 5 and my thighs and bum are permanently sore it seems. I had to do 200+ squats on Day 3 (Day 2 and 3 quota combined.)

T thinks I won't last a week and a half (about 10 days). Well, I'm halfway through those 10 days. I'll get there and beyond.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres 39 Raffinement Review

While I was travelling, I picked up a few goodies at the airport (Duty free!). If you're travelling through or to Singapore, definitely have a look at the cosmetics. Changi Airport offers many brands and is a lot cheaper than Australian prices. 

I've had my eye on this quad since it came out in the Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Makeup Collection. I myself, now have a tiny collection of Chanel makeup. I do want to pick up a blush at least from Chanel, but that's later on down the road.

This quad, 39 Raffinement was released as part of this collection, however it is a permanent item. The overall feel of the quad is very neutral, all year around appropriate. 

Unfortunately, I can't upload the picture of the swatches for some reason. Temptalia has close ups of the swatches if you're interested.

THE COLOURS
The lightest color ( top right ) is a light shell color with warm undertones. It has a frosted sheen finish. I like using this for the inner third/inner corner of my eye. It's not too light as to draw too much attention which I like. 

The top left color is a medium brown with very fine glitter. Has a slight purple hint to it, but its not too noticeable. 

Bottom left is a bronze shadow, and similarly to the top right colour, it also has a frosted sheen. Of all the shades in this quad, the colour payoff is the best. Highly pigmented yet not too frosty. 

Bottom right is a matte dark chocolate shadow. Nothing particularly special about it, just your standard dark brown shadow.

The palette as a whole has a mauve undertone to it.

THE EYESHADOWS

With Chanel products in particular, there are regional differences. In Asia, Chanel eyeshadows tend to come in a baked shadow format, while in the US the eyeshadows are the standard pressed eyeshadows and are much softer in texture. Given this, the Asia region style shadows are still pigmented and relatively soft.

Anyone who has used baked eyeshadows would know that they tend to be hard and more difficult to pick up with a brush. However, the Raffinement quad doesn't pose that kind of challenge. I imagine the US region style to be a lot softer though. 

I've had bad experiences with baked eyeshadows - with pigmentation and the way they're used up. Sometimes after using them for a while, it becomes more difficult to pick up with the brush. Sponge applicators work well if you're finding that brushes won't cut it. The sponge applicators that was provided in this palette felt cheap though. I feel that the Dior 5 Couleurs have excellent sponge applicators and that these Chanel ones just don't compare. They are better than the drugstrore ones though. 

I think it's a lovely quad and worth the pretty penny you pay for Chanel. However, it's not a must have. If you already have good quality neutral eyeshadows then you can probably skip this. If you're like me, and you don't like to go into half a dozen palettes to do your eye makeup, then this is a good quad to buy. It's also a nice quad if you're looking into buying your first high end designer palette. 

My Filofax Week #8

More 5AM adventures with the boys.

Also met up with more friends during the week - for Laser tag at Sidetracked, a Melbourne Runners meetup as well as more movies.

Very social week, despite how empty my Filofax looks. I kinda want to fill it up more, but it might get too crowded. Plus I don't want to use messy hand writing in my Filofax. I probably will have to though.

My Week #7

This week.

I'm finally back in Melbourne! After 24 hours of travelling, I finally made it home. With some duty free in hand. If you're Australian, and you're stopping at Singapore - check out their luxury cosmetics. It's a hell lot cheaper than it is in Australia.

This week, I've moved into my new Compact Osterley! It's beautiful, I love it. The day after I arrived home, my mum took me to the Buddhist temple. Apparently it's a bad year for those born under the Monkey zodiac. 

Valentine's Day was a non-event for me. It's a pretty depressing day every year. As much as I say that I don't like receiving flowers, I would like to receive roses just once in my life. Not even a whole bouquet, a single rose is fine too.

Oh boy, Friday. I enquired at work about whether or not there's possibilities of me returning before meeting up with my friends. My bros! After badminton, we went and watched Django Unleashed. My friends were all warning me about it being a Tarantino film, that maybe I shouldn't watch it. But I was insistent. 

It was a good film, but I covered my eyes when blood was flying everywhere and body parts were shot in the most painful way possible. 

That night ... well, you can refer to my last post for that.

Blessed

Last night, I saw my friends again for the first time in 3 months. They're my closest friends, my bros. We've kept in contact over Skype, but it not quite like seeing them in person.

We did our usual Friday hang out - badminton followed by food, movie and pool.

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Friends that truly do care for me, friends that go out of their way for me. Friends that make me feel like I'm almost half decent.

These are the kind of friends I will never ever let go of. They're the friends that inspire me to be a better character and in turn, a better friend.

From the bottom of my heart, I'm truly thankful. 

You know who you are. 

My Filofax Week 5 + The Influence of Games on My Life

Unfortunately I didn't post my Filofax Week last week. I didn't do very much that week since all I was doing was studying and gaming and napping. It sounds boring, but it's actually my ideal way of spending time.

It makes me sound like such a no-life geeky moron, but in all honesty, gaming is one of my biggest interests in my life. Ever since I was about four or five years old, I've been playing games. From basic dress up games (which I played for hours funnily enough) to strategy games to MMORPGs (which are my favourites), it's been a constant presence in my life.

I was never an extremely social person. I didn't know how to interact with people and I'm just awkward in general. Gaming was the one way I could escape the reality where I lost friends and was bullied almost constantly. I never had it as bad as some people did, but it did make me feel crappy and alone.

Online, people didn't judge you by your appearance, your background or anything else. They judged you by your actions and behaviour. And besides, gaming was a fun and engaging way to kill time on the weekend instead of mindlessly watching television.

So needless to say, gaming was my solace in my childhood and still is to this day. I'm lucky that my friends all like gaming so I'm never really lonely anymore - even when online.

So, to the post that you're all interested in, last week's Filofax pages.

It's the 2nd last week of the Winter semester here at SNU and of my time here in Seoul, Korea. So I've got a lot on my plate with packing, study and last minute shopping.

Next week will be more interesting. Most probably.

Chanel Le Blanc Fond de Teint Compact Review

Being in Korea, I'm able to access some really great cosmetics - from Korean street brands to high end designer. From even before I came to Korea, there was one thing that I knew I absolutely had to get - the Chanel Le Blanc Fond de Teint Compact Powder Foundation. 

I had first heard of this foundation from Catalina from CL2425 (who is one of my favourite beauty bloggers!). It's an Asia-exclusive foundation. The foundation shades are more catered toward Asian skin tones and there are a vary range of shades for Asians. If you are more tan, then you may not be able to find the right shade. 

The trouble I find when looking for foundation is that often I'll be in between shades. Even when at a department store, it's really hard to find a shade that matches me. While they have a broad spectrum of colours, they offer very little in between colours. 

 I often use a shade that's a bit lighter just because my chest is a bit lighter. My neck is a little darker - from shadows and a skin condition I had as a child, so I'm not too concerned with my face matching my neck. Therefore, I purchased B20 Beige. 

Since this is an Asia exclusive, the packaging it comes in is white as opposed to the classic black. 

The powder gives a matte finish and it stays looking for a few hours, even with my oily skin. I don't expect powders to last very long on me, to be honest. I use a sponge to apply this rather than a brush. I find that while the brush gives a lighter coverage, it doesn't achieve the effect I want when I use it as a foundation. I use a brush to apply this when I want to use it as a setting powder. 

The powder isn't chunky at all which is great. It doesn't give a cake-y look even when you use the sponge to apply it. I like to use it on top of my BB Cream. I also like to use it as my compact mirror. It saves me from putting an extra mirror in my bag and it looks kind of nice when you pull it out.

I paid about $70 AUD for this, which is about what I would normally pay for a high end foundation back at home. I would repurchase this without a doubt. 

And since I'm in Korea - the land of beauty samples - the SA gave me two samples (which I consider quite generous from Chanel). 

My Filofax Week - Week 3

I present to you, this week's Filofax pages!

On Monday, I ate at another Korean BBQ buffet with Jade. The place is called 'Meating' which I think is the cutest name for a Korean BBQ restaurant. You're meeting with a friend to eat meat.

Tuesday was a day I had to myself. I went to 홍대 to explore it on my own. That was also the day I was late to class - by an hour! I was so frantic in the morning that I even forgot my homework!

Strawberries are normally ridiculously expensive in Korea. However, recently they've been reduced to half their price! I couldn't resist and bought a box. I had to eat them pretty quickly though (so much sugar!) but so worth it! I've been missing summer fruits.

Thursday saw a trip to 명동 with my friend Andy. He was pretty set on getting a pair of skinny jeans, as he's never owned any (!). This time of year in Korea, there are huge sales! Up to 50% ~ 70% off. I picked up a knitted cardigan that I had my eye on since the start of this trip for half price. It wasn't as flattering as I had hoped - but that's only because of my misunderstanding of my body.

My STYLENANDA package arrived on Friday, and I immediately used the nail polish that I ordered. It's a beautiful grey-blue colour. I'm seriously considering buying more - as backups, but I don't want to ship it back and who knows if I'll fall out of love with the color by the time I finish with it.

The weekends for me, are pure laziness. Overindulging on eggs and just gaming and sleeping my way through the weekend.

Review: STYLENANDA - Lip Color #501 Bella

I recently paid a trip to the STYLENANDA store in Hongdae. I've been interested in Stylenanda's cosmetics line for a while now and only just managed to go to the store and see. 

COMPANY HISTORY

STYLENANDA started in 2004, selling only clothes. The name STYLENANDA roughly translated means "My Style". It quickly established itself as a favourite brand among women. Since STYLENANDA began, it has won awards from various websites and received the  "The Best Fashion/Clothing Award" by Web Award Korea in 2009. In the same year, they launched their own cosmetic line - 3 CONCEPT EYES.

Current models for STYLENANDA include Park Sora and Kwon Su Jeong.

I've purchased a number of things from the 3 CONCEPT EYES line, but I'll review the other items at a later date. 

THE LIPSTICK - LIP COLOR #501 BELLA

Before I went to their Flagship store in Hongdae, I had a look at their website for what items I wanted to purchase. The one item that caught my eye immediately was the Lip Color #501 Bella. 

Source: Stylenanda

Bella extremely different from any other lipstick offered by STYLENANDA. 

Description on the site: "This Vampire Burgundy Color transforms dull makeup into a unique and chic makeup."

This lipstick certainly is vampire-esque. It follows the vamp-lip trend that has been really popular in the last year or so in terms of winter colours. The colour of the stick may be off putting, but as a rule with any lipstick - never judge a lipstick by the colour of the stick! More often than not, a lipstick will look different on your lips as opposed to the stick and even the swatch on your hand. 

Source: Stylenanda

I have a yellow undertone to my skin that's quite noticeable. Hence, I can't wear many pink or peach lipsticks well. In fact, any bright colours don't suit my skin tone well. I find that wearing darker lipsticks more favourable and to look better on me than a pale lipstick. in fact, the lightest lipstick that I wear on a regular basis is my Chanel Coco Rouge in 05 Mademoiselle. 

APPLICATION

I like to apply this lipstick with a lip brush. I feel like with any darker coloured lipstick, using a lip brush is a must. Not only does it spread the colour more evenly on your lips, but it can help you achieve a more defined lip and make your makeup look more polished. After applying an initial layer, if I want it to be more pigmented, I'll apply the lipstick straight onto my lips in small strokes and then use the lip brush again to spread it more. The lipstick itself is creamy and it's fine if you just want to apply straight onto your lips.

The finish is slightly glossy but it dries fairly quickly to an almost matte texture. This also means that the lipstick can feel a bit drying, It has no sparkles or shimmer of any sort, so it doesn't define how dry your lips would like a shimmery lipstick would. There's an easy solution of just wearing lip balm before or after applying. 

After eating and drinking, this lipstick leaves a lovely burgundy stain on your lips. So while the initial effect is gone, you're left with stained lips and it looks very nice. 

This lipstick is a lipstick that I like to wear when I want a bold lip look. It doesn't look overdone - like some bright lipsticks can look. I wear this on a semi-regular basis.

There aren't a lot of bad things to say about this lipstick overall. I would definitely buy it again when I run out!

Source: Stylenanda

WHERE TO PURCHASE

In Korea, there is the STYLENANDA flagship store in Hongdae and the makeup counter in the Myeongdong Young Plaza. However, in order to obtain in if you live overseas, then you can buy it from the STYLENANDA website. They ship worldwide for a small fee. 

My Filofax Week - Weeks 1 and 2

Having invested in a Filofax late last year, I've decided to participate in Angela of Paperlovestory's 'My Filofax Week'.

My Filofax week started out as an exclusive series of posts by Angela, who would take a picture of her Filofax week and post it. It's become so popular among Filofax aficionados that she's hosting it on her blog. 

Since I'm two weeks into 2013, I'm posting up two weeks worth of Filofax pages. 

My Filofax pages are a lot emptier since I'm using another diary to record the homework I have to do. I've discovered that with the workload that comes with university, that the Filofax days just don't accommodate well. 

The Filofax I currently own is the Metropol personal in Raspberry. At the time I bought it, I was eyeing the Filofax ranges and it so happened that there was a sale on the Metropol. I managed to snag it for about $35 AUD! The problem I have with this particular Filofax is that it doesn't lie flat. The fake leather just doesn't accommodate. 

My Filofax is extremely empty. I only have about 4 months of 'Week on Two Page' diary and about 10-15 other pages. 

I have another Filofax on the way - the Compact Osterley. It was previously owned by Angela, but she decided to put it up for sale. I was lucky enough to purchase it from her. It's currently sitting at home. In Melbourne, so I'll have to wait till I get back home in order to actually get my hands on it.

I'm a person who can't remember things in a chronological way. I often forget the order in which I've done things, much less which days I do things. I keep a blog and Filofax for this reason. I also need to write things down because it feels like all my thoughts gather in my head and I feel all cluttered and dizzy. 

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

Stationery Haul { Artbox, Morning Glory & Others }

Being in Korea, there is little excuse not to explore the stationery options that stores provide. 

Personally, I absolutely hate the stationery you can get in Australia. The Western idea of "cute" is a far cry from what Asians consider "cute". Western style stationery usually comes in a variety of bright garish colours that attempt to blind you as you pull them out of your bag. The paper quality of these colourful notebooks are abysmal - they're grainy and thin. Also anything that is absolutely adorable is extremely overpriced (I'm looking at you, Kikki.K).

So imagine my delight when I come to Korea and cute, affordable stationery is everywhere!

ARTBOX & MORNING GLORY

I loved these two stores when I was young. There used to be one of each of these stores in Box Hill in Melbourne, but their products were so expensive! Due to their price point, they eventually closed down (Morning Glory about 6-7 years ago, and Artbox in 2012). However, they are still very popular in Korea. Their products are still a little bit more expensive than the Alpha Office stores but the things they sell are so cute!

Credit: Miss Loi

Artbox in Korea sells a variety of things from cosmetics, home products, clothes to stationery. Morning Glory on the other hand has fewer selections but has more Rilakkuma and Hello Kitty merchandise. 

At Artbox, I found Moleskine note books! I wanted a plain notebook because I want to improve my artistic skills. However, Moleskines are expensive and I couldn't really justify paying that price. Fortunately, I found something better!

A brand called Mimesis makes notebooks and how it works is that you choose the cover you want - colour and size - and choose the type of notebook you want inside. There are lined notebooks, plain and also diary type monthly notebooks. The paper is on the thinner side, but it's so smooth. 

Artbox also sells a variety of letter sets. I think they're completely adorable and plan on picking up a few to send back home. I love letters, especially love letters. I want to write a love letter for somebody this year!

At Morning Glory, I couldn't resist the temptation of these Rilakkuma Stamps! They really brought me back to my childhood. I used to own a Hello Kitty stamp kit and I loved it to pieces. Mind you, I never had such a huge selection - and I only had four! So to have this stamp kit brings out the child in me.

PENS

I love pens. I love colour. So it should be no surprise that I have since bought what I can only call a generous supply of pens since arriving in Seoul. 

My primary goal was to buy Muji Pens. I think the packaging of these pens are so sleek and they don't look childish. I have a thing for having sets of pens so that they match in my pencil case. I don't like to buy individual pens when you can buy them in a set. 

I also bought a box of Monami Plus Pen 3000. I used have a full set with all the colours and I really liked the felt tip. I definitely won't run out of these any time soon.

I love felt tip pens so much, I bought these too. They're dual ended - felt tip at one end, and a thick highlighter-esque marker at the other. I really like using the lighter colours to match with the Muji gel pens. 

In fact, I love them to the point that I bought a set of 36 more.

Crazy? Just a little. 

PEN SWATCHES.