Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Outfit of the Day!

Hi Everyone!

I'm back on the East Coast! Left LAX at 7pm, stopped in Dallas, Texas at 12am, left Texas at 6am, and arrived at my place at 10am. Yes, not a lot of sleep involved. =P

Happy New Year Everyone! Have fun and stay safe, don't want to see you in the hospital or as a case study in class. =P

This is what I wore today!



Navy Jacket: Hollister
Gray turtleneck: Express
Maroon cami: Forever 21
Red skirt: street market in Taiwan
Tool skirt: COLZA (bought in Japan)
Gray tights: Uniqlo
Long knee-high black socks: Uniqlo Heattech
Boots: Yesstyle

So, the turtleneck is a little short for me. I have a long torso and uh, my mom put it in the washer and dryer which made it shrink a little =P. So that's why I wore that maroon cami, to layer and keep me warmer as well as not show my tummy. But I love the high collar of the sweater (or jumper if you are from the UK) and the bell sleeves. I think it gives a sort of soft and romantic look to the outfit.

Yes I am wearing 2 skirts, no it doesn't feel uncomfortable to me. The tool skirt has a looser elastic band, it was probably made to be layered, like a petticoat. The tool is not cheap, it's decently soft and there's a layer of cloth on the innermost layer which keeps it from being itchy or scratchy. Also, 2 skirts in 40F weather makes it warmer for me. =P
If you don't like wearing layers of skirts, there are skirts with lace or tool just hemmed to the edge of the skirt, that's a very common thing in Asia.
I feel that a layered look with skirts (or fake layering with hemming) gives a plain skirt more style and looks more fun and cute!

The long black socks, fell a little so you can't see them well. But they just barely go over my knee. They are also too big for me in the foot size (even though it's a one size) so it's a good sock to layer over tights or a more fitted pair of long socks. But they are very soft and good for layering.

The boots are of cheap material and if you are a person with larger calves I don't recommend them. These fit my calves but are too big for my foot, about a half or maybe even one size too big. Luckily since it is winter, I wear layers of socks and/or tights so it fits better. But still it is on the loose side and doesn't give my ankles much support which causes ankle pain after walking a lot.

So I hope you guys have been having a good holiday break! For those of you who attend school, enjoy the rest of your break! I hope that this was a fun post to look at. =D Feel free to comment or ask questions in the comment box below!
Thank you for reading and I will see you next year! Happy New Year! =)

P.S. Yes, I got bangs. =P

Monday, December 29, 2014

Review on L'Occitane 10% Shea Butter Lip Balm and "fresh" Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy SPF 15

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all had an amazing holiday break! Getting plenty of rest, eating good food, and spending time with friends and family, or your patients =)

Today I am reviewing and later comparing 2 lip care/moisturizing products!

I had an embarrassing moment at school before winter break. Someone was waving at me, and I started to wave and smile back, but my lips were so dry and tight, that I knew that if I tried to smile any further, I'd split my skin and bleed, so it looked like an awkward half-smile, and I felt bad.....and awkward, and well, realized that dry skin and lips during the winter on the East Coast is no joke and so I decided to try a couple lip care products!

L'Occitane 10% Shea Butter Lip Balm
This product costs $12 and can be bought online or at the L'Occitane store. It contains 0.5 oz or 15mL of product.

What do I think of this product?
This is a squeeze tube that dispenses product onto the finger which you rub onto the lips. This doesn't bother me but it might bother some people. Especially if you don't like your fingers getting lip balm or any product with glycerin and/or wax on them.
This product has shea butter but also castor seed oil, vegetable oil and wax as the main ingredients. It has a higher amount of wax than other products which creates a good seal against dry air and wind but it also means that you need to heat it up and rub your lips more (with fingers or your own lips) in order to soften the product and apply it smoothly. Especially as the weather gets colder this product becomes more solid and less creamy.
It will also leave a residue when you drink from a cup or something, that is something that does bother me since I use thermoses in the winter and I don't like lip balm, lip color, residues on the rim of the cup, looks dirty to me.
However, it is decently long lasting and good on windy days. I don't reapply too often and it creates a good seal on my lips and helps prevent them from cracking and drying out.
When I brought this to CA, it was obviously warmer than the east coast, by 20-30 degrees and in the 60Fs and 70Fs, the overall climate is warm enough to soften this product so that it applies very easily.

"fresh" Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy SPF 15
This product can be bought online, at Sephora, or in a "fresh" store (yes, they exist). This product costs $25 and contains 4.3g or 0.15 oz of product.

What do I think of this product?
So, I know I'm really behind on this "fresh" or "sugar" thing. I have heard many many people and read many reviews on how amazing this product is. I just didn't like the price. =P
Like, this stick can feed me for 3 meals...XD
But I tried this on in Sephora and almost instantly loved it. I thought about it for a bit and then decided to get it.
So this product smells like sugar and tastes like sugar (but don't eat it haha). I don't mind the fragrance I guess, my lips don't smell like sugar, but it makes me a little worried during the summer. I feel that it would attract insects and cockroaches, especially since it's made from sugar (Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, listed in the ingredients, it is an altered form of sugar derived from sucrose as the main structure).
It's main ingredients are beeswax, jojoba oil, olive oil, castor oil, grape seed oil, and palm glycerides.
This product is very very easy to apply, it glides and applies on very easily and quickly. It is also long lasting but because it's more of a smoother and softer product it won't last as long (for me) and I reapply after I eat and whenever I need to, but I find myself reapplying this more often. It also leaves a residue on cups, which I guess is something I just have to live with.
It has SPF which is great, I guess, haha. I don't usually care much about SPF in lip care, I know friends who have sensitive skin or pale skin and get sunburned lips but I'm Asian, so, I guess that's less of a problem for me. =P
Also, I do really like the packaging, clean, sturdy, with a twist to take off the cap. It is pretty compact and sturdy. Not sure if it is drop proof, have not had that happen to me yet, and I'm not interested in trying.
I have been told by a friend who uses "fresh" lip treatments very often, to only buy this during the winter and not during the summer because then it melts. I can agree with that. The ones at the Sephora store in CA look pretty messed up and malformed (unless someone is really bad at applying lip balm).

Comparison and Recommendations
None of these products irritated or reddened my lips or the sensitive skin around my mouth. I like both and use both.
To be honest, I like the "fresh" one better. I am a busy person who needs to do a lot of things with a limited amount of time so I like convenience. I am willing to pay for convenience if it saves me a significant amount of time because time is the most important thing for me.
"fresh's" lip treatment lets me apply product quickly and then I'm good to go. I don't have to work the product in, warm it up and spread it around and check in my mirror to make sure I don't have any balm residue chunks remaining.
I will still use the L'Occitane one. I leave it in the bathroom and right after I take a shower (which steams up and warms up the bathroom which helps to warm up and soften the lip balm), I put on lip balm so my lips don't dry out. But I don't think I will be repurchasing it.
I'm not sure if I will re-buy the "fresh" lip treatment, it is pricey and I will just have to see if it is is worth it for the rest of this winter. =P

I think that both of these lip care products work well in terms of providing good moisturization to my lips, preventing my lips from cracking, drying, getting chapped and peeling skin.
Of the 2, if I had to chose one, I would recommend the "fresh" one. However, it is double the price and if working in the product during application isn't a big deal for you then I think the L'Occitane one is a very good one to try out. =) If you have skin that is sensitive to the sun, of course, "fresh" would probably be a better choice. =P

So I hope this review and comparison were helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment box below. Thank you for reading! Continue enjoying the holiday mood and Happy Early New Year!
I will be flying back to the East Coast tomorrow to get back into study mode so I don't get screwed over when classes start on the 5th. XP But once I'm back, it's just me, myself, and I so I will have time to write more reviews before classes start again!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Review on "The Body Shop" Vitamin E Moisture Cream

Hi Everyone!

I'm almost done with school! Finished an exam this morning and last day of class is tomorrow! Then I'll be flying back home for the break!

Today I am reviewing "The Body Shop" Vitamin E Moisture Cream
This product cost $17 and contains 50mL or 1.7 fluid oz of product. It is said to be a fast absorbing yet moisturizing day cream to keep skin hydrated.

What do I think of this product?
So, this product did not react well with my skin at all. First, it has a pretty strong rose fragrance. I usually don't like fragrances, especially in creams and moisturizers, and I also am not that fond of rose fragrances.
This product also burned and stung my sensitive skin around my mouth, nose, and eyes. >.<
Especially after I exfoliated, it would irritate my skin a lot more, and the burning sensation would be stronger.
It is true that is it is lightweight for a Vitamin E cream, it absorbs quickly, and kept my skin well moisturized. (Vitamin E is a fat-based vitamin, which means in order to make it dissolve into a product, it needs to be bound to a fat molecule, which can tend to make products, heavy and sticky)

So I stopped using it (after using it for 2 weeks), took a 1 week break, and decided to try it again. Surprisingly, the irritation was less, less stinging and burning sensations. However, it still hurt if I used this after exfoliating my skin. Also, I'm not sure if it's because it is getting colder and dryer, but it doesn't keep all of my face well moisturized. The dryer patches around my mouth began to show halfway through the day =/

The only good think I can say about this, is that it does not irritate the skin on my neck and keeps it well moisturized. So, I guess I will be using this for my neck only. Which is probably not a bad idea, since it's cold and windy now, and I wear a lot of turtle-neck tops and/or scarves, and this prevents my clothes and scarves from getting sticky and heavy creams on them.

Other than that, this was kind of a disappointment, sadly. I usually like a lot of "The Body Shop" products, but I guess this didn't work for me. Even when the product decreased in irritation, I would rather be cautious and not use it. When you feel pain, I think your body is trying to tell you something, that something is damaging it, so I'll listen to my body. =P

Do I recommend this product?
If you do not have sensitive skin and you are looking for a lightweight moisturizer, I think this is a good product to try. I don't recommend it because of my negative experience, however, everyone's skin type is different, so it's up to you. =P
This might be better for those who have non-sensitive oily skin, if they want something to maintain hydration and moisturization, but doesn't want to use creams that are too heavy and sticky, which might make their skin oilier.

So I hope that this review was helpful for you! Let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment box below! Thanks for reading!
Have a great winter break, stay safe, warm, and healthy =)

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Review on Origins Clear Improvement Active charcoal mask =D

Hi Everyone!

Today I am reviewing the ORIGINS Clear Improvement Active charcoal mask
I do not own this image, credits and thank you to "herworldplus"
The full size product costs $25 and contains 3.4 fluid oz or 100mL of product. The travel size product costs $17 and contains 1.7 fluid oz. or 50mL of product.

What do I think of this product?
I first bought the full size product and have been using it for 2 months for about once a week and I love this mask. Hands down, the most effective mask I have ever used!
I was looking for a mask that when it dried would not make my face feel like I dumped it into a bucket of ice, because now it is winter and it is getting cold, highs in the 40s and lows in the 30s, definitely not as warm as California.
I heard this had good reviews and tried it out. And wow, it works really well. First, it did not irritate or redden my sensitive skin. A little goes a long way. It comes out with a sort of sticky and glue-like texture, and I just need to spread a thin amount all over my face. (Unlike previous masks that I used that I needed to put a thicker layer on my face, which used a lot more product). The more product you put, the longer it takes to dry, so for me, it takes about 30 minutes for everything to dry. It goes from a shiny black color to a matte dark gray color and then I wash it off. I would like to say, it is a little difficult to wash off, so if you don't like taking a lot of time over the sink, probably do this before you shower, and then wash it off in the shower. It will dry and harden, which probably means you shouldn't be eating, talking, or laughing when wearing this. =P
It is very good at shrinking my pores, amazingly good! My pores look non-existent after use! It is pretty good at clearing my blackheads and white heads. Not as good as I had hoped, but still pretty good. =) I mainly bought this to shrink my pores, and I am very happy with that result!
I recently bought the travel size to take with me when I go back to California for winter break! And then I might leave it there till when I come back or give it to my mom (since I have my full size here).
The price did bother me initially, not that I doubt Origins products, I have used some before and benefited well from them. It's just that I don't like to spend more if I can. =P But, this was definitely worth it for me, and I will continue to use this until I either find something better or that works just as well but cheaper. XP
 I was so impressed, honestly, I usually don't expect much from products that say they shrink pores, because most of the time, the effect is not very significant, or long lasting. But I have found the effects of this product to be decently long lasting!
As for my acne, it helps cool down and shrink inflamed bumps and pimples. I would not advise you to put this on broken skin, scratched skin, or popped pimples. Charcoal is a strong absorptive product and if it takes out all the moisture from the inside (or underneath your skin) when you have damaged skin, I don't think the outcome would be good. Most likely what will happen is that it takes all the water out of your cells, essentially drying them out and killing them, and now you are more likely to get scarring and scarred tissue. So, yeah, I don't advise putting this on broken skin. =P

Do I recommend this product?
If the price is okay with you, I highly recommend this product. Especially if you are looking for something to help clear your blackheads and whiteheads and shrink the size of your pores!
If you are not sure, then try the travel size, especially if you don't use masks that often, perhaps the travel size would work better for you, since you don't need to apply a lot of product,a thin layer on the face is all you need.

I hope that you enjoyed this review and that it was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment box below! Thank you for reading and I will see you later! ^_^

Friday, December 12, 2014

Review on Diorshow Iconic Overcurl ;P

Hi Everyone!

Long time no see! I'm sorry for not posting much. If you have not known, I'm in one of my most difficult med courses now, so I really need to focus and my exam is next week!

I will also be flying back to California for the holidays, I was not able to go back for Thanksgiving because $600 tickets for 3 days was not worth it to me. So I will be taking a nice break and I will try to make time to post reviews, but no guarantees, sorry. When you get a break from med courses, you really want that break, because we study at least 6 hours a day and when it gets near exam time, around 10 hours or more.

Anyway, today I am reviewing the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara!
I do not own this image, thank you to "Prettyshinysparkle"
The full size product contains 0.33 oz of product and costs about $29. Yes, very expensive. I was lucky and got a "free" mini size from Sephora from my Sephora points. (There's no such thing as a free lunch)

What do I think of this product?
This mascara is waterproof and the color is black but not a super black color. It does curl my eyelashes, I applied it to straight lashes and it does curl the ends of my eyelashes upwards, but not the entire eyelash. So, still need to use an eyelash curler. But it does hold a curl very well, all day!
This product does not irritate or redden my eyes or skin around my eyes.
The brush is kind of large, especially for my smaller Asian eyes, but if I'm careful I can make it work. It is also curved which I love! I find it much easier to apply mascara if the wand/brush is curved.
If I zig-zag/wiggle the brush through my eyelashes, the product will not clump or stick my eyelashes together.This product makes my lashes darker and is very good at separating and defining every eyelash. It doesn't give volume to my lashes and does lengthen them, but not as much as I had hoped.
It gives my eyelashes a natural flirty look. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic, as in the lashes a little longer, not too dramatic. But that's okay. My lashes are super soft and fluttery and I really like that.
I've gotten compliments from friends on my mascara on how naturally cute my eyelashes look, which is good. I don't like mascaras that look too obvious and/or dramatic.
I have tried to take pictures, but my camera just does not have good enough definition to show how well this separates and makes my lashes look so nice and flirty. So sorry, I have no pictures. =/
I will say that this being waterproof makes it very long lasting. For most of the day around 8am till 5pm, I only get a little smudging on the outer corners of my eyes and slight flaking. If I keep on wearing it after that, it starts smudging, =(, but I realized that if I use a translucent powder under my eyes, there are very faint smudge marks at the end of the day, like till 9pm.
Overall I really like this mascara. I would not purchase the full size just because first, it's too expensive for my tastes, and second, I'm more of an eyeliner person than a mascara person, and I usually wear eyeliner with no mascara. But for a lazy or busy day or when I want to look more natural, I'll use this without eyeliner and it looks great! Makes me still look fresh, awake, and cute. ;P

Do I recommend this product?
If the price is not a problem to you, I recommend this product! Just remember it is waterproof, so you need an appropriate makeup remover for it and that the brush is quite large so careful not to poke yourself. But it makes my lashes naturally longer, well separated, and flirty and is long lasting!
If this product is out of your budget, try to get a sample or mini size if you are a Sephora member to try it out before you get it.
If you want another alternative that is a little cheaper ($20-25) There is the Fairydrops mascara, a Japanese brand, that is very good at holding curls and lengthening lashes. My pictures in the Fairydrops review look similar to the Dior mascara, but the Dior does a better job of separating eyelashes, less clumping, and better at keeping my lashes soft and fluffy.

So I hope that this review was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment box below! Thank you for reading and I will hopefully see you soon! =)

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Mini Reviews~

Hi Everyone!

Hope you had a great weekend and now it's back to work or school, or both, yay! XP

Here are a few "Mini Reviews". I call them mini because these are product that I bought that either
1) did not use often enough for a proper review
2) or in general, I don't have much to say about them

And therefore, I would not call them a full review. Because it would be too short and sad. Anyway, here we go!

Make Up Forever Lipstick Rouge Artist Intense #24
This was something I bought over the summer and loved! Unfortunately, I don't wear lipstick often, as in less than a dozen times per year, and so this ended up expiring and I barely used it (maybe 5 or 6 times). It dried out really fast, dried out after 5 months. It made me sad that I wasted money =(. Also, I'm not sure because of drying out, or because my skin has become so pale, but initially this was sort of a warm, mauve peach nude lipstick, but now it looks like a dark pink mauve color. I'm exactly sure what happened =/.
Anyway, overall, I did love this lipstick. I think if your skin is on the tanner/warmer tone, then this would be a good nude lipstick to try. It is a nude lipstick in an everyday sense, you could wear this out during the day and not look too pale or sickly. But to warn you, it can dry out fast, so buy it only if you wear lipstick often.
I am sorry I do not have any photos, I recently broke the lipstick (yes, I'm a noob, that's how little I use lipstick) and threw it away. However, I checked online photos and it does seem that the drying and/or oxidation has darkened the color considerably to the point that if I took a picture, it would look like a different shade of lipstick. But, I'm sorry, no pictures. =(

Sephora DUO Brush-On Adhesive with Vitamins
I bought this recently, and I really like this way of applying false eyelashes. I do not like the tube first because the evaporating glue always irritated and stung my eyes, and second because it would get messy and annoying for me. However, this glue does not irritate my eyes or the skin around my lashline and application is much faster, cleaner, and easier.
About the Vitamins, honestly, I don't think it does anything, and it's just a marketing trick.

Sephora Individual False Lashes
I wanted to try individual falsies for a long time. I think they look much more natural than full or half false lashes that are called natural. I've only tried these on once, but I do think they look much more natural and are not as heavy on my eyes. The issue I have with this particular set is that the lashes are very long. Maybe on a Caucasian person they would be a more normal length, but for my smaller Asian eyes and much shorter eyelashes, these are very very long and look unnatural unless I trim them. So that's what I did, and they work out much better. =) I can wear them without eyeliner or eyeshadow, my glue is clear and you can't even tell that I have false lashes, even when I close my eyes! Before you jump to it though, while I found it very easy to apply individual lashes, I have heard that it can be difficult for some people, and all you need is a little patience and some practice, so be prepared for that. =P
My left eye has the falsies that have not been trimmed. My right eye have no falsies and both eyes have no mascara. Sorry, I know the makeup is distracting, it was my first time trying them on and I wanted to try them ASAP. Looks weird, looks like I had eyelash extensions and they started growing out and looking crazy!
No makeup (but weird eyelid fold going on with my right eye). Mascara on both eyes. My left eye has trimmed falsies my right eye has no falsies. Look at how natural it is now! (also note my non-existent eyebrows XP)

Hope that you got something out of these reviews. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading and I will see you later! =)

Review on Sana Nameraka Isoflavone Facial Cream

Hi Everyone!

Today I am reviewing the Sana Nameraka Isoflavone Facial Cream!

This product cost about $16. It is sold on Amazon Prime and probably at Japanese stores such as Marukai Living, Takashima, and Mitsuwa. It contains 50 grams or 1.8 fluid oz of product.

What do I think about this product?
So a little while ago I reviewed another Sana Nameraka product, their eyecream. And I loved it so much that I decided to try another one of their products.
Winter in the eastcoast is here! And it has been getting very cold and dry, especially when it is windy, my skin can dry out easily.
I've used this cream for at least 2 months. There is not added color and no fragrance and not oil-based. My sensitive skin has not been irritated or inflamed in any way. This cream does not clog my pores or cause breakouts or rashes. Also, it is also great to use with Biore Sarasara Sunscreen because it is able to work with the water-based sunscreen and not start solidifying or polymerizing.
This product is interesting in a good way. haha. The cream looks very light and gel like, but actually is quite dense. The jar looks small, but actually has some weight. When I start applying it, it does feel like a heavier, stickier cream, but once it is fully absorbed into the skin, it feels light-weight and not sticky at all! It has kept my skin nice and moisturized without feeling heavy, getting oily or shiny, and lasts all day long! My skin always feels soft and well moisturized whenever I use it.
I would say this is between a light to heavy moisturizer, somewhere in the middle. If you apply more, it starts becoming more heavy and thick and that might work better for those who have very dry skin. Or if you tend to have oilier skin, maybe you should apply less.
I find it best to put on when my face is still damp after washing so that it makes it easier to apply and spread out the cream onto my face.
While it says online to use it at night, I haven't had problems wearing it during the day. When I use it at night, I will just apply more product than I do during the day and it works great!

Do I recommend this product?
In general I recommend this to all skin types, but especially if you have dry skin and/or live in an area with a dryer climate or when it becomes seasonally dry. This is a great moisturizing cream, but if you are looking for more things in your facial creams (like for fine lines, SPF, brightening, etc.), then maybe you want to try something else. This cream just focuses on moisturizing skin and keeping the moisture in there, it is simple and straight forward, and if you are looking for that, I highly recommend this product. =)

So I hope that you liked the review. Feel free to write any questions or comments in the comment box below! Thank you for reading and I will see you soon. =D

Friday, November 28, 2014

Outfit of the Day and Updates!

Hi Everyone!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! (If you live in North America).
Also, it was Black Friday today! Hopefully you guy got some good deals =). (And real deals, not the kind stores try to make it look like it's a good sale but it's not, I hate that) I bought 2 items of clothing, one of them I've been eyeing for a while and I'm so happy that I got it at a reasonable price. I'll wear it in another outfit post.

So sorry I have not be posting  lately. I am in a very difficult class block now and it's eating up my time and my brains. =P

This is what I wore today! (Sorry, I know there are no side views or back views, but there was nothing on my clothes that I felt was significant to show, like a design or something)



I wore this out today. Yes, and if you like to know, it was a high of 42F and a low of 31F today and I felt fine. =P Well, maybe except for my nose and hands, I don't like wearing gloves.
So if you are a person who gets cold easily, you might want to change things up.

Pleather jacket: Forever 21
Turtleneck long-sleeve: Uniqlo Heattech Extra-Warm turtleneck long-sleeve
Cami: Uniqlo Heattech
Skirt: some street vendor in China
Knit tights: Uniqlo Heattech ribbed knit tights
Boots: some random no-brand store in Japan

This is a more youthful, punky?, rock? look. At least it's more on the edgy and on the playful side. Obviously, today there was no class and that's why I wore this. =P Not sure how the rest of the med and grad students would think of this. Medicine is conservative and my school is also affiliated with a more conservative religion =P.
What I did not take a picture of was the sleeves which have zippers that are parallel to the arm.
The sleeves of the jacket are pretty long and that's how I like them (also keep my hands warm-ish, better than nothing XP)
Also, the belt in front is a fake. It is sewn into the sides of the jacket, closer towards the back. Not important to me, glad I don't have to worry about twisting or folding it when I sit down against something, but if you don't like that, well, I'm telling you about it now, haha.

I recently got the jacket and I love it! The images above also show what it looks like zipped up all the way. Whenever I see a jacket with interesting designs that looks great in a certain way (like not button-uped or not zipped-up all the way), I always make sure to see what it looks like in different ways (fully open, partially or half opened, fulled closed). Because sometimes it can look bad, and then....I don't want it anymore. =P
The jacket itself is actually a size medium, which is surprising because usually a medium of anything in Forever 21 is kind of baggy on me. The lady at the store says the sizes run smaller for this jacket. Also, it still being a little bigger than a small allow me to layer up inside so that I am still able to move my arms freely.

So I hope that you liked this look. Perhaps it can help you if you're looking to find something more edgy and different!

Have a great weekend and I will talk to you later! Thanks for reading. =)

Monday, November 10, 2014

Outfit of the Day! ;D

Hi Everyone!

So, sorry I haven't been in touch with you guys! I have a couple of exams coming up and I've been very busying study. One class only is determined by one exam and the other exam will probably have a higher average so I need to make sure I'm ahead! After that, I have some great things to review for the coming winter, so please be a little more patient! Thank  you =)

This is what I wore today!




Long-sleeve turtleneck: Uniqlo Heattech
Sweater dress: Banana Republic
Navy tights: Uniqlo
Boots: Can't find the brand name, I bought them in Japan

This is a much more mature and sophisticated look. Especially when wearing Banana Republic, it's an older women's brand. I'm not saying this for old women okay, But this is for women who are probably in their late twenties and onwards. Granted, I'm not even at my mid twenties, but I'm starting to find more mature clothes more appealing. Maybe I'm just growing up! Or growing old....lol. XP
Anway, this is not a super-tight sweater dress. For my desired profession, I think it would be too much to wear tight clothes top to bottom. Besides, a looser fit lets me eat more! XD I also attend a med school, and sorry, but you are judged by what you wear and we are not here to show off, we are here to learn and learn how to help others. I can still have my sense of style while I'm at school, but in the real world, I'll probably wear even more conserved and simpler things on the job. But if I'm going out to an event, I don't have a problem with wearing what I want as long as it's still appropriate. (yes, sadly I'm not a teen anymore)
If you're in a situation where looks don't matter or you just don't care, you can make it sexier with tight boots or stilettos (or if it's not that cold, bare legs). I chose boots because well, it's colder here now, I'd like to be good looking and comfortable at the same time.
Honestly, I would have preferred dark red (like a maroon, oxblood, or burgundy) tights, but I don't have any, but I wanted to wear something other than black, because I was wearing so much black already. Of course black tights look good with this outfit too, but it's a little too safe and I like more color sometimes.

For those of you who want a more mature and sophisticated look, or want to dress older, maybe this will give you some inspiration!

So I hope you liked the look!
Feel free to comment or ask questions in the box below. =) Thanks for reading and I'll see you later!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Outfit of the Day! =)

Hi guys!

I just go back home about an hour ago and it was 55F. X( Kind of cold, but it hasn't gotten that bad yet. =P

This is what I wore today!




 We have entered fall season! Well, we've been in fall for a month, but now the leaves are really starting to change color and literally fall down. It's also getting colder too. >.<

Many of you have seem some of these things before, sorry =P. But the coat is the new thing, haha, which is what I wanted to show you guys!

Trenchcoat: Rosegal
Black turtleneck: Uniqlo heattech
Skirt: Lowrys Farm
Tights: Uniqlo heattech
Wedges: BCBG

This is sort of a simple but elegant look, it becomes more flashy with the coat, but I believe that it brings some warmth and color to the outfit. I especially love how my skirt peaks out from underneath the coat. It was so cold today (even inside the lecture halls) that I didn't bother taking the coat off, so in a sense, that was how people saw my outfit today (and not what was underneath).

Hope this gave you some good ideas. You can always make your look pop with just a brightly color coat, a red or bright blue looks amazing too! =D If you're not comfortable with bright colors, go for a darker more dull color, such as maroon or burgundy instead of red, or navy instead of royal blue, but try to retain that essence of color, to keep your look from being too plain or boring.

So, I hope you liked my outfit. Let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment box below! Thanks for reading! I'll see you later! =)

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Why is it so hard to lose weight?

Before I start talking, let me tell you what medical courses I have taken related to this topic.
I have taken my MNE block, Metabolism, Nutrition, and Endocrinology.
Here we learn all about how the human body takes in food and makes it into energy, store energy, how hormones play a role in that, and the importance of nutrition in promoting positive development and growth as well as maintaining the body.

Certain classes from this block include: Diabetes, Obesity, and Bariatric Surgery.
(While I am not specifically talking about diabetes and bariatric surgery today, there are a lot of things related to the human body, especially hormones and other things my professors talked about in those classes that are important for understanding about weight.

Another important thing is that. There is a lot data, charts, graphs, research papers in my courses that I can't put onto this post because it would make it way too long and crazy. I just ask that you believe what I write here because all I'm telling you is what I learned and I am looking at all of my lecture sides, notes, and data as I write this post, so I won't make any mistakes (even though I have this all memorized)

Okay, so let's get down to it. This will be long. Feel free to take breaks in between or read more at a later time. I'm sorry if this is dry or boring. =P

So, when I was younger. I thought that it was mainly the person's fault that they could not lose weight. As in, they were lazy, not motivated enough, The reason being, I happen to have many friends who were on the heavier side and they changed and lost weight over the years and I saw their progress and attributed it all to hard work and determination. Of course, that is a very important factor in the goal of weight loss, but I was ignorant. Because, it's actually very hard to lose weight.

So, why is it so hard to lose weight? Why is it so easy to gain weight? The core of the matter is that we really don't know. There are factors that can contribute to weight loss and weight gain, but no one has found the ultimate answer for why it is easy or difficult for some people to lose or gain weight.

Here are some things to think about:
There's that homeostasis theory right? The set-point theory, that your body will maintain a certain weight and try to keep it that way, try to keep it in a stable range. Why? Because to drastically gain or lose weight would put so much pressure on your body's system, it won't be able to adjust in time and you would probably die.
But if we have set-point, why are people, on average, getting larger/heavier, every year? Shouldn't our bodies maintain that set-point and keep you in a decent range? But, apparently not, people are getting bigger and seem to not have a set-point. (However, in recent literature, it says we are gradually tapering off at a set-point that is much higher than it was a generation ago)
Another thing to ponder is, okay, fine. I want to lose weight. Should be like physics right? The more I eat, the more energy I consume and store, so what I should do, is just eat less. A decreased/lower input than normal will decrease my weight. Not that easy actually. For some people it works, but research shows that you end up not losing as much as you wanted and also, if you don't maintain that decreased input of food/calories, and go back to what you were eating normally, you'll gain all that weight back again. So, in reality, it's not as simple as eating less.

To the facts:
So for the most part, people do have a set-point for their weight (why that set-point is changing and increasing so easily is the current mystery) and it is really difficult to get out of that set-point to make a permanent change in weight (hence, it's not as simple as eating less).

A lot of what controls weight is unfortunately out of your control.
Energy Expenditure is what our body does with the food we eat and it consists of:
1) Resting metabolic rate/RMR (normal body maintenance to survive) = 60-70%
2) Thermogenic proccesses (energy used to digest food and is used as heat) = ~10%
3) Growth (further development of the body, especially for children and adolescents) = ~2%
4) Physical activity = 20-30%

So, this list means, that the majority of your body's control of what you eat is in RMR and how you get your RMR is from your genes, your genetics. And so you can't change your genetics (at least for now you can't), and so if your metabolism tends to be very efficient and break down food really well, it's going to produce more energy than a person who has a poorer metabolism (who can't digest and absorb nutrients very well) and have more energy to store. OR, if your metabolism tends to use up energy very quickly, it is easier to take energy out of storage/fat and use it, than if your metabolism is slower and takes more time to burn calories.

There are also many people with genetic predispositions as well as genetic mutations that may make it easier to gain weight or keep the weight (such as Leptin hormone or Leptin receptor mutations) However, for the mutation part, that is relatively very rare.

There are some people with hormone problems or "glandular problems" and over-produce or under-produce hormones that cause them to gain weight or keep weight easily (such as hypothyroidism and cushing's disease or syndrome). However, that too is relatively very rare.

And so, the problem that most people seem to have is that they tend to over-eat on high-calorie processed food in larger portions, somehow break their set-point, and with all that extra energy, store it in fat.

We also have the "starving/conserving hypothesis" (that's not the official name, I forgot it) that the human body was made to store food because a super long time ago, ancient humans didn't have much to eat, so it was best to be able to store as much food as possible to survive. And I believe that, that hypothesis still stands strong today and is probably a strong contribution to why people tend to keep the weight they gained.

Big Picture
So overall, a lot of things are pre-determined in a way from genetics. Your resting metabolic weight really determines how well and how much process, absorb, and store energy. We all have a set-point that is very hard to change, and our bodies naturally want to store energy. And since about 20-30% of physical exercise influences Energy Expenditure, that means you really have to work hard in your physical exercise, to overcome that 60-70%. It's not impossible okay, if you want to change, you can do it. It's going to take a lot of patience, will-power, hard-work and time, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can make changes in your life.

Other advice
Exercising is good for your but of course, it's not the only way to lose weight. Usually the best way to lose weight in a healthy manner (and also to lose weight to be healthier) is a combination of exercise and appropriate nutrition and (depending on your age and circumstances) eating less.
The best way is to work with your doctor and/or nutritionist and/or dietitian to make a plan that works best for you and stick to that plan! This is not some temporary diet for a bikini body okay, this is a life style change for your health and well-being.

I hope that this post was informative and helpful to you! Feel free to write any comments and questions in the comment box below! Thank you for reading and I will see you later! =)

Monday, October 27, 2014

Review on Biore Sarasara Uv Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf 50+ Pa+++ for Face and Body

Hi Everyone!

Long time no see/talk. =P Sorry, I had exams and needed to focus, but I finished them today and so I have a bit of time before my next exam in 3 weeks! yay....haha,...no, not fun actually =P

Today I'm reviewing Biore Sarasara Uv Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf 50+ Pa+++ for Face and Body
For anyone who can read Japanese. =P
This is 50 grams of product for about $10. It is a water-based sunscreen.

What do I think of this product?
So I finished my Anessa sunscreen and started using my Chanel sunscreen. I like having 2 sunscreens at all times, just in case I need to bring one out to go, on a short trip, etc.
I like really light-weight, easy to apply sunscreens and I saw this on Amazon (for free shipping!) with great reviews.
I have used this product for over a month and hmm...overall I really like it and I use it everyday, but, there are some limitations. It does have a light scent, I personally don't think it's floral (but, it says it is), and I can't describe it, but it is very very faint. The product also doesn't irritate my skin, or even the skin around my eyes.
So, because it is water-based, this is a very smooth, light-weight product with a water-like texture that makes it very easy to apply and spread onto the skin. You also don't need to use a lot because it can spread out so thinly. It also feels light-weight, non-sticky, and looks much less oily for a longer period of time than waterproof sunscreen. And yes, it is less sticky and oily feeling and looking than the Anessa or Chanel sunscreens. (But overall, they are still very good suncreens).
But the problem is, that because it is water-based, if you get wet or sweat a lot, it's going to come off quickly and easily. So I wouldn't use this if it's raining heavily and I know I'm going to get wet. Also, would not use this at the pool or at the beach if I'm swimming or in hot weather when I'm sweating a lot or in humid weather because the water in the air will just make this melt off my face.
Also, because it is water-based, if you wear an oil-based, or highly-emollient moisturizer, serum, facial cream before putting this on, it won't stay on as well, and sometimes might start solidifying/polymerizing and just sheds off. For instance, if you use the Aveeno Baby moisturizer, and then put this on, as you are spreading the sunscreen on your face, it just starts becoming solid, and becomes these little soft balls, and then you need to wash your face to get rid of the little white stuff on your face.
So if you like using oils or heavy creams, this product probably won't work well with them. I can use my hyaluronic acid serums before applying this sunscreen and my aloe vera gel underneath this as well. This makes a lot of sense because these products are polar, aloe vera is mostly made up of water (which is polar) and hyaluronic acid is highly negatively charged (it has a charge, so it's polar, so it can make weak polar, or dipole, or hydrogen bonds with the water components in the sunscreen. However, heavy creams or oil-based creams are non-polar, and like dissolves like okay, so non-polar doesn't mix well with polar. Sorry, went on a chemistry lesson here. =P
So pro's, very light-weight, a little goes a long way, not greasy or oily in touch and appearance. Con's can't use it if you're going to get wet or will sweat a lot and can't use it with heavy creams or oil serums.

Do I recommend this product?
This kind of depends on your preferences and what you need. If you tend to have more oily skin, you might like this because it is so lightweight and non-greasy and I highly recommend this product overall. Just be aware of the drawbacks and maybe having to compromise with a more water-based moisturizer or something.
Note: If you are wondering why this will stay on people with oily skin, my hypothesis is that you not only produce oil from your skin but will produce other substances that are polar. Also, this product isn't 100% water based, it still has some oil components in it, so it will work with other products of varying levels of non-polar structures/bonds. If you put this in a cup of water, you can't see that it won't dissolve completely. You just need to find out which combination works the best. So if you use light moiturizers, well, they are going work better with this sunscreen than heavy moisturizers that have a great ratio of non-polar to polar molecules.
Also, let's learn so more science and explain why it would slip off more easily when your face gets wet. (This is just my hypothesis okay, not proven) Let's say you use a moisturizer that works with this sunscreen and it's going to have a good enough intermolecular strength to bind to the moisturizer and not solidify. But, it's not going to be that strong of binding strength just because all moisturizers have a good amount of nonpolar molecules. And when water comes into contact with your skin, it's going to very easily pull away the polar bonds of the sunscreen that are bound to the moisturizer because water is much more polar than the moisturizer and will have a stronger attractive force. Hence, it slides off your face.
If that just made you really confused, then don't worry about it, and just refer to what I said previously. =P Sorry for the confusion.

So I hope that you found this review helpful and not too overly informative. Feel free to comment or ask questions in the comment box below! Thanks for reading and I will see you later!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Outfit of the Day! =)

Hi Everyone!

This is what I wore today =).

The two pictures look almost identical, but I realized my hair was blocking the whole body image, so I took another. XP
I'm sorry if I'm looking a bit awkward =P. One of my neighbors walked by and I just stiffened up and got kind of shy, haha. I'm more used to taking pictures in a private area, like my own front or backyard. Not in public places.....hopefully my landlord doesn't mind....=P



I actually then thought about it, and decided to tuck the top in and it looked like this (but I didn't wear it like this today):
You can tell that this makes me look much skinnier (not that I need to, I feel like a little unhealthily skinny like this)
Nevertheless, I do think that it does look a little more presentable tucked in, or fitted...well..this is fitted, but how do I say, more structured?

What do you think? Which look do you prefer? =)
Personally I like what I wore today (not tucked in), just because I'm a more laidback person (lazy) and I don't like that constricted feeling of a tucked-in shirt. It's more formal and presentable and much more common on the East Coast than California in the US, but I guess I'm not that used to it =P. Though I'm trying. As a future health professional, I do have to tuck in shirts at work and even now at school, haha.

Top: Uniqlo heat-tec turtleneck
Necklace: Swarovski (gift)
Skirt: H&M
Tights: Uniqlo
Wedges: BCBG

Here are a few close ups of the outfit:

Very pretty necklace that was a gift from a family member. It comes with two kinds of cords/chains. One is the black cord and the other is a silver chain. I think the black cord makes this outfit more sophisticated and subtlety beautiful. ^_^
Overall, I think this is a good outfit for those of you who don't like to wear or match colorful outfits, or colorful things are just not your thing. I understand that very well. I wore black for most of my life because I didn't know how to wear color, patterns, and textures, and I did not feel comfortable with them initially.
I personally would have worn dark-red tights. I believe that it would give this outfit a warmer color (not as cold). But I don't have dark-red tights or anything like that, so =P. I wanted to have some sort of color so I chose a navy blue. It actually looks black most of the time, until there's enough light to actually see that it's navy.

So I hope that you liked this outfit and it gave you some ideas! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions in the comment box below! Thank you for reading! I will see you later!

P.S.
You should checkout Uniqlo's heat-tec clothing. I really recommend them! They are relatively affordable, the material is soft, stretchy, easy to wash, light, thin, breathable and keeps you warm. Because it's thin, it's easy to layer on clothes as well! (I am not sponsored by Uniqlo fyi, I just really like their stuff). Today I only wore this top (no cami underneath) and a fall jacket, and I was fine for the whole day!
Also, I'll be MIA for a bit. I have 2 exams next week a few days apart from each other. I'm used to taking an exam every two weeks. But these are 2 exams after 3 weeks of class, so it'll be a bit rough. X(
Also, my hair has grown! I don't know if it's the environment or weather here. Or maybe I'm studying so much that all the blood and nutrients is going to my head, haha, but it has grown so fast! I cut my hair in march, and it's been 7 months since then, and I've gotten a trim in between and 7 months is still a long time, but...I don't know, it feels like it's grown so fast! =P
Anyway. Gotta go sleep! Bye!

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Review on the Lorac Skinny Palette ^_^

Hi Everyone!

It's a 3 day weekend for some of us, yay!

Today I'm reviewing the Lorac Skinny Palette!
yes, that's my cell phone, and no I do not like hello kitty, the case was a gift
This product costs $15! It was sold on Nordstrom first and was sold out very quickly. I got this palette on Amazon with Amazon Prime, so free 2 day shipping!

What do I think of this product?
I first saw this palette on Fromheadtotoe or Jen's Youtube channel, she raved about this product and I wanted to get it. Unfortunately, it was sold out and had a huge wait list, so I kind of gave up, and was like meh, it's okay.
When the Naked Basics 2 palette came out, I was seriously considering to get it. I don't have a lot of matte eye shadows, and as a now older person who goes to graduate school I meet patients, doctors, professors, etc. and it's not that appropriate to wear glittery and  shiny things on my eye. I also prefer a softer shimmer and more matte colors as I age, because they look more natural. =)
But, then I thought about the Lorac Skinny and checked to see if it was available and yes it was, on Amazon! I chose the Lorac over the Naked mainly because of the price and because in my research, it does not seem like the Naked Basics 2 palette would work well with my skin tone. (Though I have yet to go to a Sephora store to check it out, so I may take that back once I do, we'll see haha)

So, overall, great product and I love it!
The palette is very slim, it's 1 cm in thickness, 14cm in length and 6.2cm in width. It is very light, slim, and portable. I also really like the mirror. I usually don't like mirrors on smaller palettes just because I find them unusable or difficult to use, but this one is big enough for my to use as I apply makeup, so that's great! It has a magnetic closure which has a good amount of strength. It might not survive a fall but in a purse or a bag, it won't accidentally open and spill product.

It has 7 colors, all of them warm toned. From left to right:
-matte very pale bone-pink color
-shimmery gold-copper color
-matte orange-tan color, kind of like a classic Spanish terra cotta tile color
-matte medium brown color
-shimmery orange-copper color
- soft shimmery green-brown olive color
-soft shimmery dark reddish brown color

I think all of the colors are beautiful, with great pigmentation. I have no problem applying them or building up layers of color. Though the matte medium brown shade is a little chalky, but again, I don't have problems with it (that was something I notice when I was doing swatches).

Personally I think that because these colors are on the darker and warmer side, they look best in the fall and winter. They can really give your eyes some depth and warmth without looking too dark and dramatic. I like using this for everyday light smokey eyes, but if I want to be more natural, I can just stick with light layers of the matte shades. The shimmer is not too strong, but you can definitely build it up and it will become very strong.
The colors I use the most are all of them except for the lightest and darkest colors at opposite ends of the palette. Being Asian with a darker undertone, the matte highlight color is too light for me. And because I use this for everyday looks, the darkest shade is too dark for day use, but would fair better for night event such as parties, bars, clubs, nice dinners, etc.

Here are some swatches:
(I know that my palette pictures look different than my swatches, the colors look more cool-tone in the palette photos, it's just an issue of lighting. Sorry. =( If you want a more accurate idea of the colors, I say go with the swatches.)
please use this photo as a reference for direction, I will always be referring the colors from the lightest to the darkest, so, from left to right, thanks

top to bottom, in

top to bottom, in direct light
left to right, in indirect light
left to right, in direct light
Do I recommend this product?
If you don't have anything similar, I recommend this palette. I think this is a great investment if you are looking for a light and portable palette, with a mix of shimmery and matte for everyday wear. It is also very affordable! (that's the best part haha).
This is not a must have item, but I highly recommend this for those of you who are new to makeup or don't have something like this and want to save money.

So I hope this was helpful to you! I'm not sure if I'm getting the Naked Basics 2 palette, still hovering on the price, and it's not like I really need it. =P So unless my visit to Sephora really blows me out of the water, then for now, no, I won't get it.
Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to ask any questions or say anything in the comment box below. See you later =)