Heart Attack

Never break a sweat for the other guys

when you come around I get paralyzed

and everytime I try to be myself

it comes out wrong like a cry for help

So I'm putting my defences up

'cause I don't wanna fall in love

If I ever did that

I think I'll have a heart attack.
♬♪

I'm in looove with Demi Lovato's new song. Whenever I become obsessed with a song, it will be played on full repeat until I absolutely cannot stand it anymore. Then I result myself in this frustrating dilemma on which song I should play next on my iPod (aka my next song victim       -insert evil laugh here-). Does this apply to anyone else? Or is it only me..
And because of my addiction to the song, I got inspired to do this outfit post haha. It's also my excuse to finally pull out my heart-patterned tights.

collar necklace topshop

shirt H&M

lace shorts hollister

tights cube inc. @crystal mall

Due to being hindered by the cold vancouver weather, I haven't worn a somewhat girly outfit in awhile. And by girly, I mean having to trade my tights for jeans, and blouses for chunky knits. Being all bundled up gets sorta boring outfit-wise after awhile, as you probably have to end up wearing that same jacket over everything everyday. Fortunately, spring's fast approaching, which means generically cuter clothes .. oh my logic hah. I'm waving my early hello to pastel colours, lace, and crop tops!

'til next time! 

--karena.

Lip Popper & OOTD

Wearing: Geo Princess Mimi Almond Brown, Banila co Prime Primer, Lioele Dollish Veil Vita,  Holika Holika Luminous Silk, Lioele Highlighter BB Touch, Etude House Lovely Blusher in Orange, Etude House Surprise stick concealer shade 01,  Majolica Majorica quad eyeshadow, Kiss me pencil liner in brown and Kiss me Mascara

Ever felt like there is something missing to your look for the day? 

You want to keep your look simple but still want to add a little 'popping' factor into the equation? 

Well I got just the little trick for you!

All you need is a lip balm, a nude pink lip gloss and a lipstick!

I will be using my favourite Smith's Strawberry Lip Balm, Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple and a lip gloss I got on Sasa (it is from some brand called Mai Doll, I got three for a cheap price). 

First, coat your lips with a lip balm. I usually like to do this before I start on my make-up.

Two, coat the upper and bottom of your inner lip with your lip butter/lipstick,

And three, coat and blend your nude lip gloss with your lip colour!

This gradient lip look is great for a everyday wear and can also be fabulous for a more dressed up event. I like to play with my colours; coral makes it more fun and flirty while red/pink makes the look a little more docile and sweet. Have fun with it ;)!

- - -

My OOTD

Forever21 contrast peplum jacket, Forever21 scuba knit skater skirt and Hollister lace tank

See ya'll next time! 

--eva.

Cake in a Mug

Hey guys ! How has your week been so far ?? School has been quite stressful, as it's nearing the time for final projects for the semester ! I usually don't handle stress very well, & I tend to withdraw from many things when a great deal of stress is in my life ( like skipping class :$ and not doing assignments ...) Also, when I'm stressed I tend to eat more, since it comforts me hahah ( such a fattie ) So on one of those days where I just had a huge craving for cake, this is something I tried out for the first time!

I thought about baking a whole cake, or maybe even a whole batch of cookies, but I'm never capable of finishing the entire batch myself ( since no one else in my family will/can eat it ). & it's such a waste to throw it all out 'cause it's gone stale. So, I decided to go on the hunt for Cakes in a Mug! Something that will fulfill my cravings without having leftovers!

I got this recipe from Pinterest which is my favourite site to look at delicious food :D Simple Ingredients, and only takes about 5 minutes to complete and to top it all off, it tastes delightful!

recipe from http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2012/03/chocolate-peanut-butter-mug-cake.html

Here are the Ingredients :

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons chocolate chips

I personally thought it was going to be too chocolateyy so I only put in 1 tablespoons of chocolate chips, but feel free to play around with the amounts, as this recipe is pretty flexible.

Add egg, sugar, baking powder and flour into your mug and mix well! I had a very slim and tall mug so it was a bit more difficult for me to make sure everything is mixed properly. Be sure to tilt the cup and see if there's any remaining flour pockets at the very bottom!

Add in the cocoa powder, carefully mix in. If you mix too fast, you'll just get cocoa dust everywhere haha.

This is what the batter should look like after everything is mixed thoroughly. Nice and rich in chocolatey goodness.

Next, in a separate small microwave safe dish, melt the butter then mix well with the peanut butter. I only have crunchy peanut butter at home, so there was some chunks of nut in my cake, but i didn't really mind. You can use whatever type of peanut butter you wish. Don't enjoy peanut butter? You can defs opt out of this and just have a nice and rich chocolate cake (:

Then, pour that mixture into your mug and mix until combined.

Last thing! Stir in your chocolate chips. Here I'm using some fanccy chocolate chips ( JK ) it's a swirl of white and milk chocolate ! But honestly, any chocolate chips works and will taste just as great!

Now all you have to do is pop it into a microwave and heat for about 1 minute. It depends on your microwave. Mine is 1000W and I did exactly 1 minute and it was done. If you like your cake more moist, you might want to cover the top of the mug with plastic wrap or something as I found the top of the cake to be slightly dry. Separating the heating time should also work so if you do 30 seconds first then another 30 seconds. 

Poof! There you have it, a 5 minute chocolate cake that... you cannot share with anybody else hehehe. This will taste EVEN BETTER if it had some freshly whipped whipped cream with it or some ice cream ! It's such a versatile recipe that I will be sure to remake in the future. Im thinking of trying a coffee version, or even a greentea/red bean version as well (: what do you think? yess ? 

Hopes this helps anyone that's having a tough week !
Till next time ~

--em

REVIEW: Physicians Formula Gentle Cover Concealer Stick (Yellow)

I can't even begin to remember when the last time I slept before 1 am was. And because of that, I have unfortunately gained myself some permanent eyebags. Since high school, concealer has been one of my best friends haha. 

I've always wanted to try out coloured concealers since I'm intrigued by the concept of how a certain colour can cancel out other unwanted colours present on your face. This is probably what attracted me towards purchasing this concealer in the first place as it seems more benefiting than regular skin-toned concealers. As you can see on the colour wheel, the purple-ish shades of your eyebags gets cancelled out by the colour yellow. 

Swatches

Physician Formula's Gentle Cover Concealer Stick in yellow claims to "colour correct under-eye circles", and instructs you to "dab yellow concealer onto problem area" and to then "pat on a light concealer" afterwards. 

No Concealer

Concealer Applied

Concealer Spreaded

Regular concealer / powder applied on top

 Packaging: 4/5

I don't love it, but I don't hate it. The overall plastic/aluminium packaging feels pretty cheap, but at the same time, I love the convenience of a twist tube concealer. You can easily apply it on-the-go, and with your fingers. 

Colour: 3/5

Personally, I don't see much of a colour difference between the concealer when it's applied, and my regular skin colour (since I'm pale and yellow myself #asian lol). Hence, it simply justs brightens my undereye area a bit. 

Quality: 2/5

It doesn't apply on too smoothly, and gives off a slight cakey look. By mid-day, it also feels thick on my face, where the feeling of having makeup on the undereye area is pretty evident. For a $7 (neither cheap nor expensive) drugstore product, I expected a teeny bit more.

Lasting Power: 4/5

I don't know whether it's because the concealer colour is so close to my actual skin colour, but it stays on for a good majority of the day as long as you finish it off with powder.

Overall: ✮✮1/2

Despite the pretty high ratings I gave for it's packaging and lasting power, overall this product didn't do much for me. It did help brighten my undereye area more as compared to using just regular concealer, but because of the thick/oiley feeling it gives off, I would much rather stick with using regular concealer on my eyebags instead of both products at once. As a result, it'll be a no to repurchasing.

--karena.

Aloe Honey Tea for You and Me

For all you coffee junkies out there (and those who are not), I will introduce a new and refreshing little concoction for your mornings! All you need is:

Your favourite mug

A teaspoon

A bag of green tea or white tea

Some honey

&

Aloe Vera

These ingredients are all easy finds and can be pretty open ended. I like to use raw honey just because my mom buys it (har har) and you can find aloe vera at any local nutrition/health store. 

What are the benefits for this little brew?

First of all tea is a great jumpstart for the morning (as all of you already know) but more importantly aloe vera is wonderful for the skin, relieves intestinal problems, stimulates immune system and assists lung cancer prevention! Of course most of us don't think that far to lung cancer prevention, but if it does it's job isn't it a plus? 

Let's get started!

Step one:  Make your tea! 

Step two: Add two teaspoons of honey. 

(add more if you like it sweeter)

Step three: Stir until the honey melts and by now the bag of tea should be removed. 

Step four: Add two teaspoons of aloe. 

Step five: Now you can enjoy! 

Try this healthy and delicious Aloe Honey Tea and tell me what you think ;). Till next time!

--eva.

Get Ready With Me!

hello peeps! How was everyone's valentines day ? I had a very good one with two of my single lady friends haha. I think whether or not you have a special someone to spend the day with, Valentines day gives you the perfect excuse to dress up, pamper yourself, and of course indulge in chocolate :D Without further ado, I'd like to share with you how I get ready for a night out! p.s excuse all the messy-ness of my bathroom ! 

I usually only take about 30 mins to get my makeup, hair and outfit done. But on a night out, I prefer jamming to some music so between me singing my heart out and trying to put my face together, I like to give myself some extra time. I'll be using L'oreal Infallible in FlashBack Silver & also my Physician Formula Nude eye shadow palette. Yes, Ellie Goulding is one of my favourite artist at the moment !

Use the first shade all over the lid as a base color. Add a little more on the inner corners to give a brightening effect.

Next, I used the fifth color in the palette on the outer half of my eyelid. Not exactly the outer corner, just the outer half to give a nice gradient. blend blend blend away ! & Finally, I used the infallible color on the outer corner to really add definition and shape to my eye, blend in a little V motion and take your time blending, its worth it!

I was debating for the longest time which eyeliner i should wear. Am I the only one that has this problem ? In the end, I went with the Brown 'cause I wanted a softer look. Just line close to your upper lash line and wing it out a little at the end. If you want a slightly more dramatic look, or if you plan on putting fake lashes then thicken the line a bit!

I have a weird order of putting on my makeup, eyes first, then face. That's because I really don't enjoy ANYTHING on my face, even lotion...actually ESPECIALLY lotion haha. So if I wear face makeup, i'd put it on last. I'm using my favourite "foundation" : Clinique's Moisture Surge tinted moisturizer. The formula is so light that it's really not a foundation, and even someone like me who hates stuff on her face can handle. It gives light coverage which may not work for some people though. For my under eyebags, I'm using the Garnier skin Renew Anti Dark Circle Roller. & just a stifling brush to apply the tinted moisturizer.

hehe, my eye bags are virtually uncoverable, I was just born with them. Trust me, i've tried A LOT of concealers, it just... helps, but it doesn't get rid of them entirely. The Garnier concealer is one that i've stuck with using for about ... atleast 1 year already! I would definitely recommend it, super convenient, lasts forever, decent coverage ( unless you have super eye bags like meee ).

Sometime around here, I think I went to get a snack LOL. I mean.. it is a night about pampering right ?? So go ahead and apply your preferred face makeup. For me, I like to squeeze about a pea size amount on the back of my hand, and then dab it on my forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Then using my stifling brush, just blend it out !

On to my outfittt! As much as I would love to stay in my hoodie and sweats, It's nice to have an excuse to dress up to eat at a fancy restaurant too. I'm wearing a black dress from Bauhaus, I love the details of this dress, the slits on the sleeves and the little fold on the skirt. It's still pretty cold here in vancity so I had to wear tights under.

Don't forget to accessorize! My favourite necklace from Hong Kong is this double ring one! Of course, what's a night out without perfume ;) Dot by Marc Jacob was my choice for the night, nice and floral-y!

To finish off the entire look, I used benetint on my lips to add a nice flush on my lips. Popped on a jacket, and I'm all ready to go out and enjoy the night!!

Hope you enjoyed my night out routine hehe
*winks* have a wondeeerful weekend lovely people !

--em

Lovestruck

Did I just use this post as an excuse to have a reason to take pictures with my heart patterned bedsheets? Probably ;)

But with that aside, Valentine's Day truly brings love in the air. I miss the childhood days where giving each of your classmates a Valentine and chocolate made up the entire school day, and I especially don't miss how it's now replaced by papers and midterms (grrr). Those were also the days where the entire class was your Valentine, and no one was singled out. However, whether you have a Valentine this year or not, the day should be celebrated with love, and by feeling loved. 

Who says I can't have fun despite not having a tall, dark, handsome man (har har) to come home to on the 14th? Below are some tips I plan on implementing into my day to make it feel like any other day of the year .. with just a bit more love for myself.

Laughter

2+ years ago :')

Gather up your friends, and have an amazing time. Laughter really is the best medicine, and never fails to cheer me up everytime. During my lunch break at school today, a little game of truth or dare came up to help pass the time. As a result, I dared one of my friends to go up to a stranger and ask her to be his valentine. We had a huge laugh out of it cause public embarrassment is simply hilarious haha. I also love to look back at old pictures and relive the memories all over again. Another way is to watch the funniest movie you know. Mean Girls anyone?

Fooooood

image via

Go on Pinterest or Google and search up all those tasty Valentine's Day recipes. They look amazingly cute, and gives you something productive to do. Those, by the way, are fortune cookies made with fruit roll-ups. I'm sold. And marrying the next guy that makes me those (jk.. maybe).

Retail Therapy

Anyone else a hoarder of pretty shopping bags?

Sadly, I get a bit too excited from buying things, and spending the money I don't have lol. But having a few new things once in a while really helps brighten your mood. It's sort of like having a new routine in life, instead of sticking with the same ol' same ol'. It's also an excuse to buy cardigans that just happen to be full of hearts and pink all over ..

Music

Shall I even explain? Music has the ability to completely foster one's mood. Below is a song that brings me up everytime, due to my inability to not sing/dance along. 90's music ftw :)

My amazing Valentine for the year

So for those of you who are single this year, and even those who are not, remember to become lovestruck with the all the little things around you

xoxo.

--karena.