CherryTalks: Why I have been on a hiatus

Hello!

I know it has been a long long LONG time...and I realized that a lot of my photos just became "x"s for whatever ridiculous reason!  So apologies while I try and revamp again (I don't have my old photos either because they are on my now dead HP laptop that has been tucked away into storage for a rainy day when my husband is willing to tinker with it)

I've also been pretty busy with life because this happened:

It may have been a year ago but still there's a lot of stuff going on, from moving out of home to our condo and now we are preparing to move to our new house at the end of next year.  I'll be trying to update as often as I can :)

CherryReview: Lush Fresh Face Masks

Recently I tried out Lush's limited edition (ie: only here for the season) fresh face mask Rudolph.

The website states the following:

If you spend your winter outdoors in the frosty air, bring your skin in from the cold with Rudolph! This limited edition Fresh Face Mask soothes and softens dry, irritated skin with nourishing ingredients like calamine, lavender and oatmeal, while fresh mint and cucumber revitalize and replenish skin’s radiance.

CherryTalks: Top 8 MAC eyeshadows to start with

So today I decided that I would talk about what I feel are the best shades to start of your MAC collection, if you decide to start off one (and if you haven't well, that's okay too!)

I'm pretty sure people are going to wonder why I say Top 8 rather than Top 10.  The reason being the pro palette quads - I explained in a previous post (linked here) why I think pro palettes (vs the potted) and the quads (vs the 15 pan palette) are better - and save $$ too.  Obviously 4 may be enough for you (meaning one quad), but I feel like 2 quads will give you enough range to start off with, and be able to do enough looks (plus if you travel, you can bring one or the other, or both!)

Above: my two quads that I use the most (even though it doesn't look like it...hahah, yeah the pans are relatively new since I restocked)

Left quad (clockwise left to right): Blanc Type, Shadowy Lady, Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch

Right quad (clockwise left to right): Shroom, Handwritten, All that Glitters, Woodwinked

CherryReview: My most used MAC eyeshadows

A lot of people always ask that question - what MAC eyeshadows are worth investing in?  While I myself do not own a ton (I currently own 10 with another on the way and possibly a few more to replace that I haven't gotten around to), I have narrowed it down to the few I own/will own (based on usage from a MUA) so that I don't waste my money.  With MAC, it is key to:

a) always go pro - the quad (empty) costs $10 CAD (don't know about the larger version but I prefer the quads because it's easier to travel with and fits better in my drawer dividers - plus the price has gone down) and the pans cost $12 CAD + tax a piece (down $2 from last year, where I bought a pan for $14 CAD + tax), which is a few dollars cheaper than buying individuals.

b) make your money's worth - I've heard people say buy colour you use the most from the drugstore brands and buy "special" colours from MAC.  Okay, there are drugstore brands that can compete with MAC and the price is less steep but in my opinion, if you buy MAC you will technically spend less because there is better pigmentation and you will probably purchase less just because you already spent on MAC and have the right colour (hence the need to choose wisely)

c) buy colours that can work with everything or a lot of the colours you own - when I first started, I got shroom, woodwinked and satin taupe.  Why?  Because I wanted a good highlighter and two colours that could work on their own and separately.  On top if that, I knew that Woodwinked would work with the existing purples from one of my L'Oreal quads, as well as with my matte navy Revlon eyeshadow (I had asked the MUA too)

So here are the 10 eye shadows I currently own - note that I actually don't like one of them, but I'll explain that later.

(Top is without flash, bottom is with flash - these are my three quads (note that two pans are empty) but I only really use the two on the right more)

Colours are - from left to right going clockwise:
Goldbit, Humid, (empty), Li'Lily
Shroom, Handwritten, All That Glitters, Woodwinked
Blanc Type, Shadowy Lady, Satin Taupe, (empty)

CherryReview: Bronzers (Tarte, MAC, Benefit and Too Faced)

I first dabbled into bronzer when I decides that I was getting too pasty white while living in Hong Kong.  Yes, I would avoid the sun in one of the hottest places in Asia just because it was too darn humid outside (and I burned at the beaches...all the time!)  In Hong Kong it wasn't a big thing to wear bronzer because white skin is coveted (it means you are wealthy because you don't have to labour in the sun).  But I was born in Canada and a healthy glow/tan is always better.  I have a small collection of bronzers, so I figured I would do a review on the few that I my opinion on what works (and what doesn't).

Left to Right: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil in Medium, Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess, Benefit Hoola Bronzer, MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Warm Blend

CherryFOTD: office appropriate smokey purple

I decided to step away from my normal neutral look since I am wearing monotone to work today (grey and black) and do something with my favourite colour - purple!

   

(Photos taken by my iPhone...yeah for some reason one eye looks bigger than the other - guess my blending wasn't super good since I was trying to hurry up)

What I'm wearing:
*Grey top from In & Out in HK (has the poofy sleeves and grey rhinestones scattered on the front)
*Black blazer from one of my suit sets (Mastina, brand in HK)
*Heart necklace - gift from bf
*Banana Republic earrings - bday gift from a friend (my bridesmaid!)

CherryReview: MAC pro palette quad - new vs old model

Hello yes I am back!

I know it's been more than 4 months since my last post and I haven't got much of an excuse aside from that I have just been having writer's block on what to review or write about!  I'll be trying to pick back up the pace soon :)

Also - apologies for the poorer quality of photos.  My laptop died and I haven't gotten a new one yet, and my standby one doesn't like reading SD cards (on top of that, I need to figure out how to work Photoshop CS since I lost my PSP8 CDs grrr...).  This post's photos were taken via my iPhone since I was over at my boyfriend's.

Today I'll be talking about the new MAC pro palette quads.  Here is a photo comparison:

(Old on the left, new on the right)

Left is the old version with my existing eyeshadow pans (shroom, woodwinked, handwritten and satin taupe), right is the new one.  The size is essentially the same, although the new one is slightly thicker.

CherryReview: Blushes (MAC and Tarte)

I'll admit it has only been in the past 2 years that I started using blush, mainly because a bad reaction to a powder blush in my kid days (was for a dance recital) left me believing that I should never wear it.  Plus I used to always have a natural flush no matter when.

However recently I've been more pale face than usual.  Since I wasn't ready to venture into powder blush at the time, I decided to go with a gel blush...and later on I ended up with powders that didn't react with me face.  Hurray!

(The blushes I will be reviewing from left to right: MAC's powderblush in Mocha and Melba, and Tarte's 12 hr Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface.  Not pictured is Tarte's gel blush in Tipsy)

Swatches of the powder blushes - from top to bottom: Melba, Mocha and Dollface

CherryReview: BareMinerals 4.0 eyeshadow palette

I got the BareMinerals 2.0 eyeshadow duo in The Perfect Storm from Sephora because I'm a VIB.  I liked the lasting power and the creaminess of the pressed powder eyeshadow that I decided to buy The Dream Sequence palette as opposed to buying Fig 1 from MAC (and other complimentary purple shades).

I purchased the palette during my recent visit to the States (refer to my travel entry here and the haul here) since I knew I'd have lower taxes and a lower price point in the US compared to Canada.  I think the quad is around $4-6 more expensive in Canada, and that's excluding the taxes.

CherryHaul: Shopping in the USA

So as you all know by now, I was in Jersey City for two weeks in business.  Being the only person from my team there meant that I had a lot of time to shop after work on my own :)

Cross border shopping is always fun because the prices are cheaper in the States compared to Canada not just because of sales taxes (which can get higher than 10% depending which province) but mainly because items are marked up when they come to Canada.  My beloved argan oil at Sephora is a good example: $30 in the US vs $36 in Canada...that's practically a 20% markup!!

Anyways, without further procrastination, here are the details of my lovely haul...I didn't get to take a picture of everything together because of packing and the fact that I shoved all my clothes in the wash right when I got home!

CherryTravels: Jersey City

   

My trip to Jersey City via Instagram - Starbucks on the way (Matcha green tea latte) - Kogemashi Too's Chirashi Royale - Complementary Miso soup & Edamame from Kogemashi Too plus a glass of plum wine - Getting my nails done at Polish Me Spa in Newport - a highlight of my dinners from Michael Anthony, Komegashi Too and Fire & Oak

Hello everyone!

I realized that it's been a LONG time since I last blogged - I am seriously sorry about the lack of updates, but when a new job comes and I just haven't had time to really take photos and properly review products, I just don't bother writing some random filler material.  Some people might think this is a bit of filler (it's all to do with my business trip...) but seeing that I had done a similar post for my business trips to Toronto and Halifax, I figured this would be appropriate nonetheless.

I ended up going to Jersey City in the state of New Jersey by myself rather than with my team because I got hired about a month after my team.  The North American head office is switching over to Canada instead so the knowledge transfer is taking place now.  Anyways that bit of background aside, I went there for two weeks though I had to come back the weekend because I had some prior appointments on the weekend I couldn't get out of (bummer)

CherryFOTD: Lazy day face (and a surprise in the mail!)

Today I'm going out to study with the boyfriend (well he's studying, I'm going to be reading my E-book, which he got me for my birthday a few years ago).  Because it's going to be a pretty laid back day, nothing too special...just a really lazy make up look because the boy's coming to get me soon (and we're just hanging at a coffee shop anyways)

Full face (my hair was 80% dry which explains the slight frizz)

What I'm wearing:

*Old Navy white round neck t-shirt (with picket)

* Heart necklace - anniversary gift from bf

*Blue crystal earrings (the ones I got when I pierced by ears - not visible)

*AE Skinny jeans

CherryBlog: On having not posted for a while (and some career advice)

Hello everyone!

I realized I haven't managed to post anything recently - I'm so sorry!  It's been an extremely busy few weeks with lots of stuff going on.  I've just started a new job so the transitioning in, the training and just running around for my IT accesses is driving me nuts (and draining me too).

The weather got a lot colder - from beautiful summer temperatures back to winter temperatures.  Talk about drastic change.  However, it is the least to say that having my new job has made me a lot happier.  And stemming from this, I will just give me two cents on career advice.

CherryReview: Bleu Vintage Box

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posts - I was down the whole of Monday and the past few days have just been a matter of recuperating.  Not sure what happened, but I woke up with the worst headache of life and then mild fever later on.  I slept probably 12 hours, barely ate and just felt like my brain was replaced with a bowling ball!

The last time I felt like that, was the time I had food poisoning in 2009.  Not a good feeling.

Anyways, I finally have a post for you guys!  I recently felt like spoiling myself a bit so I decided to try out a subscription box called Bleu Vintage.  From the review that DSK Steph made, it seemed like the box was pretty promising - three pieces of jewellery and a scarf/accessory, all for $27.99 (well that was because it was USD converted in to CAD and then shipping included).  Not a bad price for what you are getting?

Disclaimer: I purchased this box with my own money and I am not being asked to make a review, nor am I being endorsed or paid to make this review at all.  This review is 100% my own experience and my own thoughts.

YAY!  Surprise in the mail...actually no, I was anticipating it coming today.  Contact lens case is there to cover my postal code :P

CherryTalk: Hair Removal Part III - Tweezing your eyebrows (a tutorial)

This is Part II of my CherryTalk on Hair Removal.  For Part I and II, check here and here.

Tweezing my eyebrows have been a part of my life since I was 16, but probably would've been part of my life earlier if my mom had her way.  As a young teenager I had pretty bushy eyebrows (thanks to my dad's genes).  This did not necessarily mean I had a unibrow (thank goodness) but it meant I had thicker than normal brows.  My mom would tell me how much better my eyebrows would look if I would "just let her pluck out a few hairs".  Uh yeah I was not stupid - I knew it would be more than "just a few hairs".

Comparison of my eyebrows - you can tell that my eyebrows are much thicker in the older photo, and also a little less refined.  From far you can see the little fuzz in the middle.  

Tweezing your eyebrows is important if you have really thick eyebrows because it's always possible for your eyebrows to end up losing their shape.  Ever since I have been tweezing my eyebrows I have NOT shaped them - I simply follow the natural arch of my brows and "tame" out all of the stray hairs.

Another thing - well groomed eye brows frame your eyes much better and give a more mature look to your face.  I know that the whole "thick" eyebrow is in, but I don't particularly like it.  I think nicely groomed eyebrows that are arched appropriately for your face (FYI: I hate high arches) are very sophisticated and feminine.

CherryFOTD: Quick neutral look

Saturday is the day I meet up with the boyfriend and we go out...nowadays to do furniture shopping, some times groceries to cook dinner, afternoon coffee dates and maybe some window shopping thrown in there for good measure.  This past weekend we ended up going to the bank to sort out some things, and then headed to IKEA to check out some bed frames that we potentially wanted to do.

And out of the blue, dearest boyfriend also decided that he wanted to wash our car.  Ok no worries, I can wash a car in my skinny jeans with a face full of makeup, right?  Yep.

Full face

What I'm wearing:
* Dusty rose Forever21 knited top

* Old Navy racer back tank in White

* Swarovski hoop earrings - birthday gift from bf

* Heart necklace - anniversary gift from bf

CherryCooks: Custard Mochi Cake and an oven mishap

An instagram picture...always enticing - you can see the top crusty part, then a centre of "egg custard" and then a layer of mochi cake mmm

I had some time off yesterday (phew) and I decided to tackle an interesting recipe that I had bookmarked a while back - custard mochi cake.  Mochi is a Japanese rice cake - most people know it in the form of sweet mochi with crushed peanut filling, black sesame filling, red bean, green tea flavoured and even strawberries.  I loved mochi since I was a young girl - my brother and I loved it the most in the form of mochi ice cream, which were packs of two balls of ice cream covered in a thin mochi skin.  I love the chewiness of mochi, it's just so much fun to eat!

I was going to tackle a Madeleine recipe (I wanted to eat them in Paris but sadly didn't have time to get any or find any), but decided to go with something simpler.  Also, I had bought the Mochiko flour from the Asian supermarket a few months back so I figured I better use it.

I've been baking ever since I was allowed to bake on my own, so that would be around 12 years old.  I've made countless of cakes for birthdays, Christmas dinners, Valentine's days...as well as cookies for all occasions.  I've cooked up a dinner for 12 people in the past, as well as dinner for 2 with my boyfriend.  So to say I have no experience in the kitchen is really not true.  I learned most of my recipes and techniques from my mom, my dad as well as my grandpa, who used to own several Chinese restaurants before he retired several years ago.  If I cook Chinese food, it's always always a recipe from my grandpa.

Anyways, I decided to get everything ready for the cake and just when everything was ready and I was about to grease my 9x13" pan to pop into my oven, which I was about to preheat since I was almost finished with the batter...the worst thing possible could happen.

The oven did not turn on.

CherryTalk: Hair removal Part II - Veet vs Nair

This is Part II of my CherryTalk on Hair Removal.  For Part I, check here.

Today I will be comparing two waxing products:

(Disclaimer: I was in no way asked to review these products, nor am I getting paid for these reviews.  I have purchased these products with my own money and the following reviews are purely based on my own experience)

Veet ready-to-use wax strips (green box for legs and larger areas, little blue box for upper lip vs Nair Brazillian Spa Clay Roll on Wax

CherryTalk: My hair care routine

(For my skin care routine, click here)

Ever since I was a little girl, I always liked to play with my hair.  My mom used to do my hair every day when I went to school in elementary school - braids, pigtails, pony tails...half pony tails and the works.  When I started going to high school, I was always sporting the high pony, and then later I let my hair down.  I've cut my hair super short (hated it...and it was because my then hair dresser was so slow that I had started bobbing my head since I was falling asleep, and he ended up cutting it lopsided!) and I've also grown out my hair super long (one layer to the small of my back).  I had highlights previously (and had a mishap in my last time getting highlights - I always get a sandy brown colour but the hair stylist gave me blonde.  Yep.  BLONDE.  On dark Asian hair, that looks so trampy...the worst is that I was working in a professional environment too!) but now I stopped and I've tried dying my hair a semi-permanent medium brown to no avail...some how my hair doesn't take colour quite well...or maybe I just need to try a different brand.

That aside, hair care routines (or routines in general) seem to be a topic of interest for a lot of people, so I figured I might as well discuss the products that I feel work best for me.  My hair is pretty thick (thicker than your average Asian hair), much to my mom's surprise considering I had....no hair when I was a kid!  My dad begs to differ - he just tell us that my hair was "fine" back then, therefore looking "non-existent".

Anyways, back to my hair profile:

1) I have thick, dark hair.  It's not coarse and generally does not require much styling for it to be straight (if any at all)
2) My current hair cut (and the one I've had since I was 15) is long layers with it being shorter in front and longer in the back going in a "V" shape.  I prefer long layers because it is easier to manage and for me, requires no styling at all for it to look good.
3) My scalp is not that greasy, and as such I wash my hair only every other day.  I can go 2 days without washing it in the winter because it's cold, but once it's summer, every other day is a must or else I feel gross with shiny looking hair, in a bad way.
4) I at times get dandruff in the very cold seasons due to dry weather, or if my scalp/pillow case are not clean or greasy.  I will discuss some of my quick fixes for this problem that I have been using and are effective (and inexpensive).

CherryTalk: Hair removal Part I

First off - I am in no way an expert on hair removal, nor do I claim to be.  What I have written below is purely based on my own experience as well as what I find convenient for myself.  Hair removal and pain tolerances are different for every person, so sometimes you just have to try for yourself what works best for you (and your skin and hair as well).

With summer (and spring) just around the corner, every girl is probably getting ready to put on those shorts and skirts, tanks and camisoles.  Painting your nails, fingers and toes, busting out the florals, neons, and all those colourful clothes are fun, but warmer weather tends to mean that any unsightly hair is going to be aired to the world to see.

I think for any girl, hair removal is one of the worst things to do.  It can be expensive (think: laser treatments), especially painful (think: waxing), or just too damn time consuming (think: tweezing).  I'll be honest - I hate waxing purely because I have a low pain tolerance.  But I have done it a couple of times in order to ensure that I don't get myself into any embarrassing situations.  To get a little insight on what I tend to do: