Life at 30! What have I learned so far?

Hi guys! Once again, I am back and I know it’s been far too long. Since my last blog, many things happened – a career change (again) being the biggest. I guess deciding what my focus should be for this blog and what people are interested in reading have been an on-going question for me. I mean, are people even reading my beauty/skincare products posts? Should I continue to share interesting drink recipes? Should I try to share my Taobao hauls since I shop there frequently? Should I share my travel trips? Etc etc.

Recently, I decided to make a list of things I’ve learned in life. Now, I am not proud or keen on the idea to announce to the world that I’ve hit the big 3-0 because 1) I dislike all the social pressures that comes with entering this new phase and, 2) I actually feel much younger than I am. I am actually not very open about my personal life but in order to make this list more applicable, I must be authentic too, right? To be very honest, the last couple years have been a really tough and difficult time for me. A roller coaster and a combination of grief, pain, disappointments, discouragements, adaptations, resentment, and simply a lot of changes in many aspects of my life. In a nutshell, life was messy, hard and dark. At this moment, I am definitely in a much better position in life so I am able to share with you what I’ve learned in hopes to encourage you if you’re struggling or going through in life.

Things I Learned in Life

– Don’t ever compare yourself to others. (If social media is one source that is causing you to draw those comparisons with others or feel depress, have the strong will to withdraw from social media or at least do a temporary detox on it. One thing I do is put my Facebook app that is not readily viewable when I open my phone and it has been really helpful.) Everyone is born with different gifts, talents, strengths and weakness; and that is what makes us all uniquely different. We are meant to walk a different life. What works for others may not work for you. If you are not sure what your gifts, talents, and strengths are, I encourage you to go and try different things!

– Be nice and kind to others. You never know what others are going through. It is also nice to make someone else’s day – random act of kindness. Spread love and not hate – that’s how we make the world a better place and that begins with ourselves. Volunteer in an area that interests you and help those in need. I don’t know about you but I always learn a lot and get a lot of joy from volunteering.

– Be grateful and thankful about people and things in life. People in your life aren’t in your life forever and lives are very precious, appreciate the moments. Be intentional in your relationships.

– It’s totally okay to say no to people and invites. There’s no need to say yes to things just to please others. It is completely okay to want to spend time alone. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting quiet time to self reflect and replenish your soul.

– Do more of what you like and enjoy. Life is really too short to waste time doing things that makes you unhappy.

– Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Those who don’t mind will stick around. Treasure them. If there are toxic people in your life. Stay away. I hate to admit but there ARE people who do not want the best for you and could care less if you fail. Surround yourself with positivity.

– Don’t be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Taking the first step will be hard but once you step out, I promise you – you will feel a bit braver each time. Even if you are afraid or feel fearful, do it with courage. If things fail, then so be it. At least you know you tried, gave all that you had, got the experience and have no regrets. I hate to say this but at the end of the day, realistically, you only live once. YOLO!

– Spend wisely. (I admit, this is a hard one for me!)  Self-control. It is easy to get caught up on the latest beauty products, fashion item, tech gadgets but remember, at the end of our life, we can’t take these items with us. Yes, we can pass them on to our loved ones but really, when you leave this world – think about what you want to be remembered for? Focus on those stuff.

– If you have the time and savings, go out, travel and explore. Be exposed to another culture and expand your horizons. Don’t be stuck inside your own world and culture. (No, I don’t mean go on a 5-star all-inclusive vacation… well, yes, you can but here, I mean go… travel)

– You can’t control how others feel or treat you. However, you can control how you react to it. And this here, is probably the key to happiness in life but also a tough one because you have to be very strong and at the same time, know how to filter out those negativity around you.

That’s my list for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this and have a blessed day!

Tokyo Capsule Hotel Series: Akihabara Bay Hotel

Hey guys!

In early July, I went on a very spontaneous solo trip to Tokyo. I was itching to escape Hong Kong but didn’t know where to go. I was looking for a budget friendly and a place that is safe for a solo Asian girl to explore.

I ended up picking Tokyo because when I went this past December, my time spent there was so short that I barely got to experience Tokyo and Japanese culture. I mean, it left me a good impression but I wanted to experience more of it. When I was researching on accommodations and what not, I came across something very interesting – capsule hotels. After browsing at it for quite some time, it totally sold me and I was certain that I wanted to go to Tokyo. Yes, just because of capsule hotels!

I stayed in Tokyo for a total of 5 nights and I stayed in 4 different capsule hotels. This whole trip ended up became more of a capsule hotel hopping adventure for me and it really was one of the highlights. I had such an awesome time and experience! I definitely recommend trying this out!

So in this first post, I want to introduce you the very first capsule hotel I stayed at – Akihabara Bay Hotel. I stayed there for 2 nights because the first night, I didn’t check in until past 12am and I had an early day the next morning. So I really wanted to experience and explore the capsule hotel a bit more.

The Akihabara Bay Hotel is fairly close to the Akihabara train station and is located on a small alley but with the help of Google Map, I had no issue finding this place. It is located within walking distance from the center of Akihabara and to a lot of other places, even to Ueno Park! Ok, I admit, it is slightly far – maybe a 25-30 minute walk but since the temperature was good enough, I didn’t mind walking around and exploring the city this way.

lounge area

lockers for your personal belongings

 

This capsule hotel is female only, so knowing this, I felt quite safe already. When I arrived and saw the exterior of the building, I was quite astonished by it. Apparently, this is a fairly new hotel so the interior was very new and clean. The design had a very girly theme to it and it actually reminded me of Etude House, with the white and pink combination going on.

The shower and washroom area was actually way beyond my expectations. When I first decided to stay at capsule hotels, I knew the showers and washrooms were public so I didn’t have much expectation. I’ve seen far worst conditions! I really felt like I was in a hotel or an upscale club house/gym facility. Everything was really clean and there were a lot of privacy for each shower and bathroom stall. In the sink area, there were even skincare products, curling irons and straighteners. So amazingly cool!!

The capsule itself wasn’t bad at all. It was spacious enough that I could sit up straight and bare in mind, that I am tall for an Asian girl. Previously, I’ve read about people who stay on lower decks had a hard time sleeping because of the person on the upper deck tossing and turning, or there were loud nearby snoring. Luckily, I was on the upper deck. I slept fine except for the second night when there were a lot of shuffling noises very early in the morning due to people packing (which I think they could’ve done outside in the locker area…) but again, this is a capsule hotel and public place, so I really wasn’t expecting to sleep too well.

I think because Japan is an overall very clean country and Japanese culture stresses on cleanliness a lot, therefore even budget friendly capsule hotels are well kept too.

 

SunnyHills (微熱山丘) – pineapple pastries

When I was in Vancouver, I would occasionally share a restaurant review post but ever since I moved to HK, I never bothered. Well today, I finally found a blog worthy place and really want to share my experience with my readers!

This rainy afternoon, my friend suggested going to SunnyHills (微熱山丘). Since I had no afternoon plans, I thought why not and just tagged along. I am no foodie expert and when it comes to Taiwanese pineapple pastries, I am really clueless. I was just expecting to arrive at an interesting Taiwanese tea house/café of some sort. Apparently, SunnyHills is well known for its premium quality pineapple pastries and there are 3 locations in Hong Kong. The one we went to was hidden in a quiet alley on Chancery Lane in SoHo.

I was astonished with the ambiance. When you walk in, there is one big wooden table and a reception area. The wood interior brought a very urban and eco-friendly vibe yet very calming. The whole atmosphere made me feel like I was in a resort or something… totally did not seem like I was at a place selling pineapple pastries!

After we sat down, we were each given a tray with a cup of oolong tea and a pineapple pastry. SunnyHill pineapple pastries use ingredients from around the world – butter from New Zealand, flour from Japan and organic pineapple from Taiwan. I am actually not a crazy fan of pineapple tarts but I must say that these were really good! The crust was dense like a cookie, as some can be very flaky and the pineapple taste was not overpowering at all. Everything was just right!

Again, I am a noob and really didn’t know the tea and pineapple pastry was a complimentary/sampler until I was done. I was about to make my way to the reception to pay! After learning this was merely SunnyHills’ business model, I was amazed because the whole time, no one tried to sell anything to me especially in HK, right?! It all made sense now why there wasn’t a menu where I can order other items. This is truly a hidden gem in HK! I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for some quality pineapple pastries and have some time to just sit down to enjoy the relaxing ambiance at SunnyHills.

For more details, you can check out Openrice (not sponsored).

Detox Water: Lemon, cucumber, mint leaves

In my previous beauty & makeup post, I mentioned about trying to take better care of my skin through using more suitable skincare products and cleaning my skin more thoroughly. That is one way. Another way is to be more cautious of my diet and drinking more fluids. Recently, after browsing through Pinterest, I decided to give detox water a try! I’ve already gone through 2 weeks of experimenting with different ingredients and so far, I’m loving this whole idea. It makes drinking water so much more exciting and hey, I get to buy all sorts of cute water bottles!

What I do is prepare the ingredients the night before, put it in the water bottle and refrigerate it. Then in the morning, before work, I fill it up with water. Throughout the day, depending on how much I drink, I just fill it up with more water.

One recipe I want to share and recommend is this one! I just love how refreshing it is and the combination of this taste. How much you put for each ingredient is really up to you, but I simply try to put an equal amount. Remember to wash each product as it may include pesticides and what not.

Enjoy!

May Favorites 2016

Hello all! Howdy doody! It’s been nearly a year since I last blogged! Life has been keeping me busy this past year… there’s always something going on and when there’s nothing, I just want to spend some alone time and relax. Looking back at my previous favorites post, my favorites have changed quite a bit… so to kick start my blog again, let me share my May favorites!

1. Kate eyebrow

This is my recent go-to brow product. The texture is more of a densed powder, so it is easy to work with. I also love the black sleek design.

2. Etude house brow pencil

I’ve had this for years so I am not sure if this is still available but this pencil is quite dense and because I prefer using gray to shade my brows… so sometimes when I need to achieve a slightly darker look, I used this to fill in my brows after using the Kate eyebrow product.

3. 1028 liquid eyeliner

This is a Taiwanese drugstore brand and when my friends went to Taiwan for holidays, they stocked up like crazy on this. So I needed to try this out myself too. As raved, it was indeed a good eyeliner. The tip is really fine so it does take some time to get used to (if you normally prefer thicker tips/brush) but in terms of wear, it is long lasting and that’s very important for HK weather!

4. Etude House Proof 10 gelquid liner BR401

This is more of my weekend go-to eyeliner because this eyeliner is very liquidy and the brush is quite thick, so it does take me slightly longer to work with but nonetheless, still an awesome eyeliner! Before applying it, I just have to make sure it’s not too liquidy and with just one stroke on each eye, I am good to go.  I love the shade of brown so much, it is just lovely! This eyeliner is also very long lasting as well. I would definitely re-purchase this after and in fact, I prefer this one over the Etude House O m’eye line (which I previously mentioned in my March 2015 favorites).

5. Dr.G Total Active Dual BB Cream

I’ve had this BB cream for quite some time now and it’s still my go-to BB cream especially in the summer because of its SPF 50+ PA+++. I need the highest protection for my skin under this sun! This product is on the thick side with good coverage so a little goes a long way.

6. Body Shop Tea Tree gel cleanser

So it’s officially summer – the hot and humid weather – in HK now. For someone who doesn’t have good skin and also very oily skin, it’s quite a headache! So after doing some research, I read gel cleanser is good for oily skin so I decided to purchase this and give it a try. This is now part of my morning skincare routine. What I do is squeeze about 2-3 pea size of gel on my palm, rub it together so it forms foam and gently smother it on my face. It is actually quite refreshing in the morning and I guess I’ll see if I can see any changes overtime.

7. Body Shop Tea Tree toner

This is from the same series that I bought to try and to control my oily skin. Like the gel cleanser, this is quite refreshing though the after sensation of this has a slight sting to it. It also has a very strong scent to it but I am ok with it.

8. Shirochasou cream cleanser

As mentioned, I’ve been trying to change my skincare routine – in terms of both products and how I take care of my skin. I’ve never heard of this Japanese brand before and it was just a random purchase at a local drugstore. In my night skincare routine, after I use my Shu Uemura cleansing oil, I would use this product along with the face cleanser brush to do a deep cleanse. So far, I feel like my face is cleaner after double-cleansing.

June Favorites 2015

Once again, I had a lot of uncertainties about whether I should share a monthly favorite this month. These days, when I do not have appointments, I just want to chill at home and be lazy. It is that time of the year again in HK – hot weather… and well, crowds + hot humid weather and I just don’t mix. But this weekend, I’ve spent a bit too much time at home and I just had a sudden itch to post a June Favorites! So here it is!

1. Etude House Wonder Pore white clay mask(Made in Korea)

I mentioned this in my May 2014 Favorites and yes, I am still using this product. This time, I definitely like this product more; hence, it is featured in my current favorites! Lately, my skin hasn’t been the best and I think it has to do with the combination of the weather and my makeup. I definitely notice a difference after I use this mask. My pores feel more cleansed and it also calms the breakouts on my skin.

2. Etude House Oh~ m’Eye Line

This was mentioned in my March Favorites, so really just a few months ago… but this continues to be one of my favorites and must haves eyeliner!

3. Inter Color shining stick shadow in 4 Gold($49 HKD at Sasa, Made in Korea)

I purchased this nearly 2 years ago but lately, this has been my go to weekend eye makeup product. I am a huge fan of eye shadow sticks because they are so convenient to use. The formula for this is not very creamy so I think that’s why it’s quite long lasting even in this hot humid weather. Now I want to check out if they have other colors too haha!

4. Elf eyebrow kit

I am not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this product… but like with other eyebrow products I own, I also have an on/off relationship with this one. I recently lightened my hair so this product has definitely been my go to product.

5. Dewytree Ginseng black sheet mask(~$16 HKD at 759 Kawaiiland)

I definitely have an obsession with purchasing masks… and most of the time, I am too lazy to use them! This brand has been raved a lot on Youtube and I’ve tried their snail ones. It’s very moisturizing and makes my skin like whoah the next morning. I purchased this because I wanted to try the ‘black mask’ and to my surprised, it was just as good. This ginseng one smells very ginsengy indeed.

April 2015 Favorites

I don’t know if it’s just me but Hong Kong seems to have a lot of public holidays and long weekends. In fact, I am enjoying yet another long weekend – not that I am complaining, haha. April was really a quick month for me! This month, my favorites mostly revolves around the items I used during my Tibet trip… so it’s more of a practical product favorites. Let’s get started!

1. Shu Uemura mousse base

This is another Shu Uemura product that I have a love/hate relationship with and I think I might have mentioned it previously. I purchased this awhile back but only use it on/off. The mousse design is quite an interesting concept but it’s also a bit tricky/messy to work with. However, I find this product makes my BB cream/foundation stay on a bit longer especially during the hot & humid weather.

2. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream

For some reason, I have a lot of sample packages for this product so I brought them with me during my Tibet trip. It was extremely dry there and this product really kept my skin moisturized, so I definitely recommend this product for (extreme) dry weathers.

3. Mentholatum AD cream

Halfway through my Tibet trip, I developed this itch/rash on my ankles and I didn’t recover until more than 2 weeks after my trip. I tried all sorts of creams and this was one of the creams I tried. I purchased this sometime last year for my insect bites. I don’t think it worked well for my insect bites but it does stop the itchiness. I applied this before bedtime and I didn’t had to wake up in the middle of the night to scratch my ankles. So this is definitely a recommend!

4. Nature Republic Aloe Vera gel

I know I mentioned this product not too long ago in one of my favorites… but I really wanted to mention it again in this month’s favorite because this product was my life saver. Again, the itch/rash on my ankles was a huge issue for me this month as I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It also looked really gross and I was really worried that it would scar, but luckily it didn’t. The aloe vera definitely helped heal my rash and keep my skin moisturized. I also love the cooling effect.

5. Vaseline

I also tried Vaseline on my rash but unfortunately, it didn’t help much. Towards the end of my Tibet trip and when I returned back to HK, I had a slight runny nose. I ended up getting really dried skin near my nose area. I applied Vaseline in the area and it healed overnight. I was quite amazed and again, a recommend!

Tibet – Part 1: Before the Trip

In early April, I made an unexpected trip to Tibet. The opportunity came to me as a surprise, as my friend popped the question to me one night and it was only 1+ month prior to departure. I hesitated for a while because it also coincided with my (job) contract date. I didn’t know much about Tibet nor was it ever on my bucket list. I’ve heard of Mount Everest and the Himalayas from Geography class but I must admit, I didn’t know it was in Tibet. In the back of my mind, I wondered if it was even a safe place to go. At that time, there were a lot of ‘scary’ news and I really did fear for my safety. Even the thought of flying on an airplane made me nervous! However, after some research and many debates, I decided this trip would be a yes. And I am really glad that I made the decision to go on this trip.

This trip was truly an eye-opening and memorable trip for me. I am a city girl who also enjoys the peacefulness of a country side, but I’ve never been to a place quite like this before… and this experience really opened my eyes to a whole new world and allowed me to look beyond my own life…

I will be posting a 3 part Tibet blog series to share with you my trip. In this first post, I’ll be mostly focusing on before my trip and recommendations on what to bring. I hope you’ll find this useful if you are planning a trip to Tibet or hopefully, it’ll inspire you to go there if it’s always been on your bucket list.

We went as a group of 4 (girls) including me, and we hired a local Tibetan driver which was recommended by my friend’s friend. My friend made all the arrangements with the driver via WeChat whereas my other friend made the bookings for my airfare. So for my part, there really wasn’t much for me to prep besides packing my own bags!

Getting to Lhasa, Tibet. Two friends departed about 2-3 days before me and my friend, and they took the train from Shenzhen to Lhasa. The train ride took about 2 days, I believe. Since my friend and I left later, we were short on time, we decided to get there by air – from HKG to Chengdu. Layover overnight. Chengdu to Lhasa.

Prior to this decision, we also did consider taking the train as we read that it may be easier to adjust to the high altitude sickness and the view/scenery is worthwhile. However, the downside is that the duration is too long and… it may agitate us. Overall, I still don’t regret not taking the train.

Initially, we had to spend about 7-8 hours in Chengdu airport as our layover but at that time, due to poor weather, we had to fly to Kunming airport. We ended up staying there for about 4 hours but we were inside the plane. It was actually a blessing though because we were able to get some sleep and it was much better than sleeping in the airport 😉

What to Pack to Tibet

I won’t provide an entire list of what to pack as I am sure you’ll find plenty on the internet but here, I will include some must haves based on my experience. Please bare in mind that I went in early April where the temperature ranged from -7 to 17, so there was a huge temperature difference between day and night. I recommend you follow the temperature prior to your departure and that you bring more warm clothes (and not less). I also recommend that you bring old items, in case you may want to simply donate or leave behind your thick (dirty) clothes behind.

I brought a 40L backpack (carry on) and a fairly large duffel bag (checked-in). Most of my items were in the duffel bag. I also bought a fanny pack and a foldable duffle backpack/side bag with me. When we were on the road, our bags were in the car most of the time… so the fanny pack came in handy when we needed to get out of the car for a quick site visit or when we stopped to have lunch. The foldable duffle bag came in handy on the days when we didn’t have our driver and explored the city on our own.

• Diamox medications for high altitude sickness. In HK, there’s 2 way to purchase this medication – 1) the ‘legal’ way which is through franchised drugstores like Watsons and Mannings but this require a doctor’s note, 2) the ‘illegal’ way through neighborhood drugstores which doesn’t require a doctor’s note. As for me, initially, to be on the safe side, I went to my family doctor to get the medicine but I was only prescribed 4 days of medication so I ended up going to the neighborhood drugstore to purchase more since it was just the same. It also turned out that my insurance didn’t covered the medication so it was way overpriced/overcharged vs simply buying from the neighborhood pharmacy. I took the medication 1 day prior to my departure and continued to take the meds until my last day of the trip (1 tablet in the morning and before bed time).  I honestly didn’t experience too much of an issue with high altitude sickness. I did experience a minor headache on the first day and shortness of breath during my trip especially while walking uphill as well as slight fatigueness but overall, it was tolerable and did not interfere with my trip too much. Diamox did had a side effect on me and it was this tingly numbness on either my fingers, feet or my face and I would experience it on random times.
• Tissues. I bought a package of 12 with me for my 8 day trip and it was just enough. In Tibet, most washrooms do not include tissue and even at hostels, tissue seems to be a precious item as they only provide you half a roll of toilet paper. So make sure you bring plenty!
• Wet wipes & sanitizer. These are not as important as tissue but these do come in handy when you cannot wash your hands (which is most of the time?)
• Makeup remover wipes. These actually came in pretty handy especially when I was staying overnight at the base camp and at Namtso’s hostel. Even when I did have a sink and water to wash my face, there were times when I felt a bit afraid that washing my face may be too harsh for my skin (as the weather was cold and dry).
• Flashlight. Handy during Base Camp and Namtso lake when you need to go outside at night to find a toilet spot.
• Heat pads. I am really glad I bought these because these came in really handy during Base Camp, Namtso lake and all the other times when it was freezing cold & windy outside. I really recommend this as they last longer than 24 hours. Quite amazing! However, be cautious when you use it while sleeping or near an electric plug as the packaging did indicate a warning.
• Sunscreen for your face. Although it’s cold and windy, but it’s also very sunny… so make sure you use the highest SPF you can get your hands on and ensure you re-apply it whenever you need. I applied it each morning and probably re-applied it mid-day. The rest of my body was fairly covered so I actually didn’t use my body sunscreen at all.
• Lip balm, hand cream, body lotion. It is extremely dry in Tibet so ensure you bring these to keep yourself moisturized. I found myself constantly reaching for the lip balm when I was on the road.
• Band-aids. These came in more handy than I expected. Again, due to the dry water and maybe lack of nutrients, my friends and I easily got ‘cuts’ near our fingernails.
• Cream for rashes, itchiness. I actually didn’t bring this with me and didn’t realize it came in handy until halfway through my trip. I think due to the harsh weather, my friends and I all had rashes on our ankles which caused itchiness. However, I think mine was on a more serious side as I didn’t fully recovered from the rash until 2 weeks after my trip.
• Stomachache medications.  I brought this for emergency but I didn’t think I would need it until the very last day, I had this super spicy food at a local restaurant. I don’t know what went wrong but I had really bad diarrhea that night.
• Thick thermal insulated long-sleeve and pants/leggings. Really important to pack in layers!
• Thick gloves, scarf, beanie/tuque. I packed these knowing that I’ll need them but didn’t know that they became my essentials. I actually bought 2 pairs of gloves with me – one winter gloves and one hiking one. I lost my pair of winter ones quite early on in the trip so it was good that I at least had a pair of hiking ones with me to keep me (somewhat) warm.
• Candies. I am a big fan of chewy/gummy fruity candies and these definitely made me a happy girl when I was on the road and felt so dehydrated from the harsh weather. So bring something from home that will delight your taste buds! I also recommend bringing some individually packed candies to give out to children you come across. During our trip, when we passed by villages, our driver actually stopped a bit and we gave candies out to random children. They were so delighted! There were also times when we were eating at a restaurant or visiting a site, children would greet us with Hello… and we will end up giving them a candy.
• Nutritious bars. I only brought a pack of 6 with me… and I had to endeavour them like they were precious haha. These came in handy when I was on the road or those hungry mornings. So I recommend bringing enough for at least one bar a day.
• Flip flops. You won’t be wearing these outside but these are handy for your hostel stay. In fact, these are my essentials for travelling as I have a taboo for walking into shower stalls, washrooms or even hostel/hotel’s carpet barefoot. The washroom in hostels are really not the cleanest place so it’s highly recommended you bring flip flops with you, unless you don’t mind being barefoot.
• A pair of good support and goretex (waterproof) shoes. I wore my Nike mid internationalist shoes. I felt that it had a good enough support and it was light to wear it all day. However, the down side is that it’s not waterproof. When we were at Namdrok Lake, walking by the shore line, it was quite muddy and got my shoe quite dirty. On the other hand, my friend’s waterproof hiking shoes made it really easy to clean though… even though one of her shoe got stuck in the mud. It’s also important to have a good grip for the bottom of your shoe especially during your time at Mount Everest.

March Favorites 2015! (Beauty, Music, Books++)

Hello! It is that time of the month again – monthly favorites! You know time is definitely flying when you title your post February Favorites and even input that in your post’s main picture! I started off this post with a lot of uncertainties – What are my favorites this month? Should I even bother with a favorites this month? but after watching thatshearts’ February Favorites, I was able to complete my March Favorites list consisting of a mixture of items. So let’s get started!

1. Makeup: Shu Uemura hard formula eyebrow pencil in seal brown 02 ($23 USD)

I feel like I’ve mentioned this product previously before but I couldn’t find a post about it… but anyways, I’ve had this product for years and every now and then, I go back to this item. Recently, I’ve been liking this item a lot. The only down fall is that I have to take it to the store and get it sharpen every so often. I live very close to a Shu Uemura retail but it’s still of a hassle. But regardless, this product is very easy to use and I love the hard formula; you can easily control if you want a softer or a darker brow.

2. Makeup: Etude House Oh~ m’Eye Line

This product was previously mentioned by meejmuse (I am a big fan of her!) and it is very inexpensive, so I purchased it out of curiosity. I find this product very long lasting and I love the rich brown color. A little goes a long way for this product and I think one bottle will last me a long time. The down side with this product is that it doesn’t dry instantly once I apply it (vs my all-time favorite, Maybelline eyeliner). It’s also slightly harder and messier to use, so it’s not something I go for when my mornings are a rush… so this is more of my weekend eyeliner 😉

3. Beauty: Biore makeup remover

Again, not sure if I’ve mentioned this previously before but this is definitely my all-time favorite makeup remover. This may be my 2nd or 3rd bottle. I love how gentle it is on my eye and yet it works extremely well. The only downfall is the packaging. I use a cotton pads for removing my eye makeup and the pump just doesn’t go well together. However, what I did recently is replace the product in a pump style bottle from Living Plaza (or Daiso, depending on where you live).

4. Tea: David’s Tea Organic Super Ginger

This tea has been my all-time favorite David’s Tea for years now. I caught the cold recently and this has been my go-to tea in the office. Asian ginger tea are very spicy so it’s not very ideal to drink when I have a cold and sore throat… but this tea, it’s not spicy yet still gingery. I think the rooibos really neutralizes it. I usually add a little bit of honey with this tea and it’s just fabulous! And how often do I use the word fabulous?! Haha. It’s really too bad that they do not have David’s Tea in HK! If you know a similar tea in a different brand or have any recommendations for a ginger tea, do let me know!

5. Music Album: Come Home by Renew Worship 

Recently, my church released an album and this is it!  I purchased it on iTunes the first day it was released. The first week, I was listening to it non-stop. It became my energizer during office hours and when I am commuting to/from the office. I promise you that it is not boring at all nor is it your typical Christian music you sing at a traditional church. It is very upbeat, modern and quite a fun album to listen to. So do check it out on iTunes! It’s hard to pick a favorite song but I do find myself listening to the following a lot more than the other songs – More Than I Could Ever Dream, Faithful God, Come Home and Unveil My Eyes.

6. Book: Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

I am currently reading this book for my small group/cell group discussion at church and I definitely recommend this book to all the ladies out there. Perhaps in particularly for young adults and those who are struggling with their identity as a woman. I am really enjoying this book so far because it really speaks to me and gets me thinking about my upbringing and how it contributes to who I am as a person. This book also talks a lot about inner beauty and the soul of a woman. I think as a woman and especially in today’s world, society and culture, we all go through phases or days where we feel not pretty enough and simply not enough as a whole… this book definitely reminded me about inner beauty and our inner soul. I actually wish I read this a book when I was a bit younger! (not that I am that old haha!)

February Favorites 2015

I can’t believe February just flew by like that… well it was a short month and along with the Lunar New Year holiday.. it made days go by extra quick. My holiday consisted of lots of sleep, lots of food and seeing extended family members.

This month, my favorite list consists of mostly small and simple items. Let’s get started!

1. Nature Republic Natural Soo 95 White Birch Mist

Recently, I’ve had this face mist obsession and I am not sure how it even came about. I think one day, during work, I was looking at the mirror and realized how gross my skin looked from the dry air con air. I was wondering how I can keep my face moisturized and then it finally came to me why people need face mist… Haha. This is currently my favorite but I don’t use it in the office… because I am a bit embarrassed if someone sees me using this in a public space. Anyhow, I do use it at night and in the morning, and so far I love it. It keeps my moisturize and soft. It’s also fun and refreshing… teehee.

2. Nature Republic Bulgarian Rose moisture essence ($50 HKD)

When I saw this item.. because of it’s packaging, I actually thought it was a moisture mist too but it turned out it’s a serum. Surprisingly, I really like it. I think this is actually better than the Innisfree green tea serum, which has a lot of good reviews on it. This product dries quickly and it’s not sticky at all.

3. Nivea watering lavender relax lip balm

A nice simple lip balm that keeps my lips moisture. I love the subtle lavender scent as well. I use it in the morning and at night. In the morning, I usually apply this and then apply another layer of the Tony Moly colored lip balm.

4. Cybercolors nail polish

My first bottle of Cybercolors nail polish was probably last year when I got their base coat. I remember thinking, “whoah $58 is kind of expensive for a Sasa brand.” Well, surprisingly, I really liked it. It goes on really smoothly. Recently, I decided to try their other colors and so far, they go on just as smoothly and it’s quite long last too. I love the finish. I think they had a promotion going on where it was $100 for 3. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for mid-range price nail polish!

5. Hair tie

I think this type of hair tie has been around for some time… but I haven’t seen it until last year since I noticed a lot of people were using it, I decided to give this a try. To my surprise, it works incredibly well! It’s stretchy and it actually stays on my hair… especially when I run. Definitely recommend!