Super Mascara - Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Mascara

This is one of the best mascaras I have ever tried for my challenged asian lashes!  I discovered Too Faced Better Than False Lashes mascara about 7 months ago from Sephora for $35.  The set comes with two tubes: (1) base/top coat (gold tube) and (2) white fibers (white tube).  

There are three steps for use:

1// Apply a base coat to lashes.

2// While still wet, coat lashes with the fibers for volume and length.

3// Apply another coat of the base to seal the fibers.

Personally I am not the biggest fan of the base formula because I like my mascaras jet black and it makes my lashes stick together.  So for the top coat I usually use a different mascara.  Oh, and ladies, if you expect to cry or in any way get your eyes wet, do not use this on that day because your lashes will really stick together!  Otherwise, I think it is pretty awesome!!

What are your favorite mascaras?

xo. Andrea

This weekend I...

My first “This Weekend I” link up with the lovely ladies from Synfully Delicious and Life of Love!

This weekend I had dinner with eM’s family on Friday: the parents, two younger sisters and their boyfriends. His mom made some rockin’ shrimp cocktail and fish tacos! With all the couples there, we played the Newly Wed game. It should really be called the Divorce Game because a number of times your significant other answers the questions that makes you say “What!?!? So tell me how you really feel!!” It really was outrageously fun! eM and I ended with the most points and took home the jackpot of $8 and a $5 Subway gift card woohoo!

This weekend I finally took the leap and opened my new jewelry shop on Etsy (ULIAs Corner). It is a little sparse now but I am slowly putting it all together. I did a lot of research and read a lot of posts from successful Etsians and already know that it is going to be a challenge to get things going, especially when the market is already inundated with jewelry sellers, but nonetheless I am still very excited about this new happening! Please drop by to take a look (also see sidebar for sample of items), and if you are a follower of my blog you will get 10 percent off your entire first purchase!

This weekend eM and I feasted at Soup Plantation after a rear-kicking circuit training workout.

Then we saw Silver Linings Playbook. It was an awesome movie {Psst…don’t tell anyone but I got teary-eyed at the end!}. Have you seen it yet? We also Redboxed Taken 2. For me it was “eh” only because I’m not a big action fan.

Cooking this weekend was easy: tuna salad.

7 cans of tuna (drained)
2 prepackaged bags of salad greens
3 avocados (diced)
1 can of corn
1 can of jalapenos (diced)
¼ of yellow onion (diced)

Mix everything together, add a little bit of the jalapeno juice, and WALA DONE!!!

How was your weekend? Be sure to link up with Syndal and Sarah!

xO. Andrea

High Five for Friday

Woohoo it's Friday y'all, TGIF!! And this is my first HF4F post linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk. Double Woohoo!

{1} Jumbo Valentine fortune cookie that had the sweetest note and little surprise from eM. I have the bestest boyfriend (I know, we all think we have the best haha)! 

{2} I wrote in an earlier post that bday came early for me this year and I got this awesome Tarte set that I finally got around to using this week. I have the bestest Ma too :p

{3} Saw a behind-kicking episode of Walking Dead and can't wait for the new episode Sunday! 

{4} Some ultra yummy Chinese food from Garden Cafe. 

{5} Belated Valentines dinner with eM at Cheesecake Factory right off the Marina. Strawberry Dacquiri anyone?

Happy Friday >_~

Rise & Shine - Tips for Waking Up

{doot doot dooot...doot doot dooot} THAT is the sound of my iPhone waking me up at 5AM letting me know that it is a workday! I consider myself a morning person but ironically have the hardest time rolling out of bed, especially at the crack of dawn. Despite that, when I read this article on Fitsugar to wake up 10 minutes earlier for an energized and positive day, I was inclined to give it a shot. The 10 minutes should be spent doing something you enjoy, whether it is morning exercise or drinking your coffee in silence. My time would be spent reading some of my fave blogs, including "The Small Things Blog" "Sparkle Your Life" "A Beautiful Mess" "Monica In Heels" and so much more.  Well, my first attempt was an EPIC FAIL...I snoozed ZzzzzZzzz. Unwilling to give up, I thought (and consulted Google) on tips for waking up:

1. Get Up// set your alarm where you have to get out of bed to turn off. If you're afraid of waking up your bed buddy, set a quiet alarm next to your nightstand and a secondary {LOUD} alarm at a spot where you have to get up to silence before it goes off.
2. NO Snoozing// we all know this is an absolute NO-NO but we are all guilty. Snoozing actually makes you drowsier so don't do it! 
3. Have a Drink// have a bottle of water (add some zesty lemon!) on your nightstand. Drinking water as soon as you wake up will help stimulate the body and get your metabolism going. 
4. Work It// even if you don't normally workout, do some quick exercises for a few minutes like yoga stretches, jumping jacks, or jog in place. This will loosen your muscles and get your blood flowing. 
5. Something to Look Forward To// Maybe it's a cup of coffee or breakfast, reading, or even staring out the window, have something to look forward to in the morning. It will help for a positive wake-up experience.

So now I'm ammoed up, round two tomorrow!
Any other tips you suggest on helping this sleepyhead wake up?

xo, 
Andrea

Sparkly & Pink - Mani Time

So after cooking another feast for eM this weekend, my mani was completely out of whack (uneven nails, chipped polish, dull color, blah blah) so it was time for a quick mani! This is not from OPI’s latest but it is one of my greatest-OPI DS Reserve! What I love about this polish is this unique pink that looks warmer in low lighting and cooler in bright lighting. It also has tiny shimmery particles that gives it a cool effect between holo and glitter. Another perk is that it dries super-fast. Two thumbs up!!

For this look I did a slightly thick coat layered with a copper/bronze glitter (this one is from Gia Vernis Color).

Thanks for stopping by! xo, Andrea

Tarte 'Journey To Natural Beauty' Collection Review

Birthday came early for me this year, aww thanks Ma!  Ah tarte, one of my favorite cosmetic brands, has come out with a new collection on QVC! Journey to Natural Beauty is a 6-piece collection that includes:

*Amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation

*Airbrush finish bamboo foundation brush
*Cosmetic bag

*NEW Brow architect shaper, liner, definer

*NEW Lights, camera, flashes! statement mascara

*Amazonian butter lipstick

*Amazonian clay blush

What I love about this collection is it mixes some of its tried and trued bestsellers and a couple of new essentials.  Now let's get started and take a closer look!

The cosmetic bag is generously sized so you can pack a lot more of your beauty essentials with you on the go!  On one side it has a beautiful multi-color chevron pattern and the other side is a hemp-like fabric with woven gold sprinkles.  The Amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation is one of tarte's best-selling products and is personally my foudnation of choice.  The texture is a little thicker (think whip cream) than most traditional foundations but it gives a nice coverage without feeling heavy/cakey.  Even better is that it seriously lasts all day!  It is best to apply the foundation with the included airbrush finish bamboo foundation brush.  The brush looks a bit stiff in the picture but don't be fooled!  The bristles are actually very soft and plush and makes application extremely fast (helps with those Monday mornings when you are almost late for work o.O)

This is one of their new innovations and I have absolutely fallen in love with this 3-in-1 eyebrow shaper!  First you hide strays and shape your brows using the concealer.  Next make those brows defined and lush with the universal pencil (in brown).  Finally comb them out and make them stay in place with the definer.  

As an asian girl with troubled (sparse) lashes, I adore their newest lights, camera, flashes! mascara.  The brush has shorter bristles to give your lashes the right dose of mascara to give them a volumnious look, and longer bristles to lengthen and separate.  Also, the formula is a nice jet black that does not make your lashes stick together.

True to its name, the amazonian butter lipstick does drench your lips in moisture making them soft and kissable.  The color is also a nice plummy rose that would suit most lip colors.  However, my only con about this lipstick is it does not last very long.  I have only used it a couple of times so far but the color and sheen seems to disappear in about 20 minutes after application.

The amazonian clay blush is a warm pink shade (fearless) and adds a nice touch of color to the apples of your cheeks.  It has fine gold flecks but unfortunately you can't really see it once applied.  But it still looks nice in the blush if that counts (haha)!  The blush also has a nice staying power and kept me looking rosy throughout my 9-hour workdays!

That wraps up my review, hope y'all enjoyed!  Have you tried this collection or have any other products you would like to suggest?

A Year of Dates - Valentines Gift 2013

I am finally almost done with putting eM's gift together! It is not as perfect as I would have liked but damn myself for procrastinating for  so long to put it together! So I first saw this awesome idea on Pinterest and subsequently on many other blogs as I was doing research for ideas.

What is it? A planned, mostly prepaid, date for each month for the entire year. I created a packet for each month containing a piece of paper explaining our date (wish it was printed in color, damn my procrastination again!) and some other goodies like snacks for a movie date. At the beginning of each month, we would open the packet together and decide on a date for the event.

There are a lot of date ideas out on the Internet whether it is a fun night out on the town or just cozying up at home. Here is what I have planned:

March: Arclight theater. 

April: Los Angeles Gun Club. 

May: Flying kites and picnic at the beach. 

June: Drive-in theather. 

July: Stroll/picnic at the park with board games. 

August: Orange County Fair. 

September: Mexican dinner with margaritas and Redbox. 

October: Dining experience. 

November: 2014 Brazil vacay planning over delivery food. 

December: AMC Dine-In Theater.

I know, 4 of 10 dates are movie related. What can I say, this guy reall likes movies! Some other ideas I really wanted to include were a baseball or basketball game and a concert, but sadly I couldn't include anything that is on a set date because of his difficult and unpredictable work schedule. Plus I could switch up some of the dates later in the year if I change my mind because I prepaid most of the events by using giftly.com instead of purchasing gift cards from the actual venue. In a nutshell, giftly is like a gift card that could be used anywhere. They do, however, charge a nominal fee for each transaction.

So that wraps up my 2013 Valentines gift. I hope you enjoyed reading!

Andrea o.O

Healthy Lemon Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

This past weekend I decided to be kitchen-adventurous and put my amateur cooking skills to the test with a new recipe: Lemon Chicken Stir Fry!

Ingredients:
1 lemon
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, marinated in oyster sauce for about 30 minutes.
1 bag vegetable medley
1 canned corn
1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

I actually used 7 chicken breasts and just doubled all the ingredients. Looks like I'm cooking a feast but it is just for two people lol! Bon Appetite!

Valentines Nails - OPI No Spain No Gain

I wish d more time to fancy up my nails for Valentines but had to go Plain Jane because, well, I am extremely behind in putting my gift together for eM! I chose OPI's No Spain No Gain, and a reddish-plummish color and spiced it up with OPI's What's Your Poison.

Chinese New Year 2013 - Snake

Kung Hee Fat Choi or Happy Chinese New Years! I consider this is my second chance at a "new year" and new beginnings. I have been going through some challenges that revolve around different aspects of my life that I have been continuously reflecting on, but I think today is the milestone wherome to terms and accept things. Hence, a new blog is born!

So let's see what the year has in store for the dog in the year of the snake: 2013 should be a good year as friendliness and loyalty is rewarded. Take the opportunity to make new friends and build on existing friendships. It can also be a good year for the career if the dog applies themself to the task and does not get distracted. This year should also provide opportunities for romance (o.O), but be careful of people who will take advantage of your good nature so be careful in choosing your partner!

Hmmm, sounds pretty good to me...please follow me on my journey to see what's in store. On a parting note, I saw this inspirational quote on Pinterest:

So let's give it your all!!