The Suki Chronicles

piCture pOlish order

2011-10-28T09:34:00.003+10:30

I can't believe I actually haven't ordered from piCture pOlish and only recently realized shamefully that this is a huge error on my part. Sorry girls, I'm a terrible fan - undeserving of being a fan since I didn't even know much else about your polishes beyond drooling over the photos on your website.

After realizing this huge void in my life I finally made an order recently and received my polishes today (well, when I'm writing this it is the 25th of October but I'm scheduling it for the 28th - I know, how efficient am I with backlogging posts? Only because I have a workshop report and 50% essay due next week so I can't blog to my hearts content) and let me tell you, since I placed the order I have been carefully taking care of my nails in preparation of my order and it was so worth it!

Since I wanted to definitely try out the Ozotics, I thought the best black base for them would be Black from the piCture pOlish range instead of some other brand. Loving the square bottles, they look so gorgeous in my makeup corner...well, I don't have Mint out there (it's in storage at the moment...long story about OCD and organization) but Black is looking pretty good with the Ozotics by its sides.

Ozotic in 531 - this is an Ozotic Mish Mash which I think are the newer Ozotics PP is offering. These are a gorgeous blend of duochrome and holographic, loves it! The highlighted colors as described are pink, orange, red and gold and they say you might see a rainbow too - you definitely do!

Ozotic in 528 - this is an Ozotic Elytra. I got this as the highlighted colors are green and purple - my favorites! Also I quite love glittery polishes even though I rarely wear them now and I thought this would be subtle enough to wear without anyone noticing. I want them to be my eye candy and only mine, mwahahaha!

Onto the application. The following are just the Ozotics by themselves without a black base so you can see what they would look like lone application:

528 one coat: You get a generous amount of glitter particles. Application is smooth, easy and no fuss. Dries fast as glitter polishes usually should. Also it feels smooth, you can feel the particles but they don't stick up much. The particles are pretty fine so you shouldn't have this problem anyway.

531 one coat: Such a lovely almost nude color but with a kick! It is nearly opaque so good enough if you're in a hurry. Application was smooth, easy and it dried relatively fast.

528 two coats: More particles, more goodness. Application was easy over the first coat, no tugging or dragging on the particles of the first coat.

531 two coats: Definitely opaque in two coats and same application as the one coat. Really lovely and easy to work with - somehow I thought they would be harder because they're so pretty!

528 three coats: Just enough to be good enough to wear alone - so many particles! This is definitely a polish you can wear on its own if you like just glitter. I thought I would have to do quite a few coats to get enough particles but I think even one coat is just enough - three is generous! I might be stingy and limit it to one coat, never three unless I wore 528 on its own.

531 three coats: Just to be safe I guess you'd want to do three coats but there is barely any difference from two coats so I think two coats is enough with some top coat over.

In terms of Black, I was a bit skeptical with the first coat as the formula was rather runny and it was streaky but I think quite a few black polishes I have encountered have this problem with the first coat.

A second coat later and all was well and good which makes me glad! I feel terrible for my first experience with Mint so I was hoping it wouldn't be the same with Black. I still need to learn how to properly apply Black but I'm thinking it won't be too hard to develop a way. Although one thing I noticed: it seemed to be a semi-matte when dry. It looked shiny enough when it was drying then when I looked at my nails next Black was semi-matte. Not a big deal but I was hoping it'd be the shiny black it seemed to be drying as.

Two coats Black and one coat 528. I chose to do only one coat of 528 as I liked the subtle look. You can definitely notice it in person and I felt two or three coats would have swamped my nail - having too many coats of nail polish makes me uneasy.

Two coats Black and one coat 531. Application is a little tricky (especially since I did this with my non-dominant hand) as you want to cover the black base so you don't have an edging going on but otherwise a very pretty finish. I love how much more vibrant 531 is over a black base! I can't stop looking at it, it's definitely not overpowering.

Here's some bad lighting shots but you can see how the colors are overall. I've done the claw so you can see the polish in different angles (but also because I have alien fingers that awkwardly splay every direction):

What I love is that these two Ozotics remind me a lot of that MAC collection...the villains? And those two nail polishes everyone kept lusting over. I don't think these are exactly the same but the colors remind me of those MAC polishes.

And YES! I do have an accent nail (are those what they're called?) except it's my thumb (on my left hand by the way, I realize this photo is of my right hand which has no accent nail), not my ring finger! Why should the accent nail be the ring finger anyway? I like it on my left thumb since I can marvel at 531 while writing. When it's on your ring finger you can't really see it, unless you have an engagement ring and you keep staring at it or something.

Anyway - I'm loving the Ozotic range that PP has and I definitely think I want to order more! They may seem expensive ranging from AUD$12 to AUD$14 but I think they're worth it and I'm the thrifty one when it comes to nail polishes especially! As it is I'm wondering whether to get doubles of everything I order as so I never run out...I think I'd be heartbroken if I ran out of 528 especially, sob!

Makeup Ramble: Femme Fatale Cosmetics order

2011-10-27T08:57:00.002+10:30

Whooo! Femme Fatale Cosmetics is up and running and seriously off to a great start - knock wood! If you're not with the program yet then this is the very quick summary: Sophie of Ethereal Beauty opened up her own cosmetics line recently called Femme Fatale Cosmetics. She is an avid indie brand user herself and does some fabulous looks so definitely check her blog out for that. For more news on the company, go to FFC's blog. Sophie has worked so hard and has been so very meticulous about every detail of her company before launching it and I'm very proud of what she has to offer. Enough ramble, onto my order.

This is a big piece of card that has all the company information on it and I thought it was great that it was included as some people really don't research a company before they order and so by doing this Sophie gives them the chance to get to know what they're getting into.

I didn't actually notice this until a few weeks later but on the back there's more! Sophie has provided careful instructions on how to use your makeup effectively and in the most hygienic way possible. Now that is definitely caring about customers! Some people may actually be ordering loose pigments for the first time so this would be really good for them to get a heads up on how to handle them. Good job FFC!

Now some people have been reluctant about ordering from FFC due to how much it costs for shipping as FFC is an Australian based company and shipping is crazy. However Sophie has an offer which I think is pretty good: free shipping on sample only orders! Pretty darn generous I say.

If you do pay for the high shipping? Well I just have to say I think you get your money's worth. Look at how well packaged everything is! For a new company the labels and packaging look as though the company has been around for a while and through numerous trials finally settled on this branding and packaging. Very, very impressive that this is "look one" of FFC - I can't imagine Sophie would ever have to update her labels and packaging to something more fitting because this definitely fits the feel of FFC perfectly.

Hello plastic seals, you are a nice added security! With the differing colors on the lids, I'm wondering whether if I ordered seven jars whether I would have gotten all the colors of the rainbow? I'm definitely curious about the different colors since they don't actually match the colors inside (well, two of the three do but because of that third mismatching lid/product color I'm thinking it's not a matching scheme).

The labels with product name, ingredients and most importantly whether or not they are lip/eye safe or vegan are on the bottom of the jar. Clear print, I like it. Oh and by the way, sorry, these are all full sized jars.

I thought with the plastic seals somehow the jars wouldn't be messy upon opening but they were all rather messy which was a little disappointing but can't really be helped. Although, just an observation, I have never had this much of a mess with jars from America and you would think they would be messier as they would be handled a lot more. Does this mean Australian postal handling (does that even make sense? Whatever.) is a lot more violent despite the short distance? Anyway, no problem really, just when you use jars this messy try to use up the product on the sides of the jar and on the lid (holding them over a tissue so you don't create more of a mess) or gently brush the product on the side of the jar into the lid and from the lid back into the jar. Just two tricks I use.

This is the first full sized blush I have ever gotten from any company and it is Fierce - literally!

The Chroma Glow Blush came with a sifter and a seal but no plastic seal on the outside as you can see from photos way above. I think the sifter and seal were enough though.

Annnd shake what your momma gave you. By the way: do you see the color on that lid? So pretty.

Polymorph, Unholy and Haunt eyeshadow swatches and Fierce CGB swatch on the bottom - blended on the left lightly and swatched on the right without blending. I think I picked the perfect full sized colors - I waited until Sophie had Polymorph back in stock before I ordered and I'm so glad I did! It's such a gorgeous color that I did no justice with my poor photography. As for Unholy and Haunt - you will never be used. I will just look at you in your jar and sigh happily. Yes. I will.

I got three samples as well - these come in nice big baggies but they might be a bit too big and I find when I try to maneuver my brush into one it reminds me of that game where you try to get a stick through a cord like maze without touching the cord (does anyone know what I'm talking about?!) but I always end up touching the side of the bag and excess eyeshadow gets onto my brush which makes me sad.

Erm, excuse the swatches by the way. I didn't want to take off the swatches from my right hand and as I'm a left-hander well...obviously even in swatching I swatch like a five-year old as I do writing when I try to do so with my right hand. Left to right: Space Cow, Misdirection and Shooting Stars. I think I got Space Cow and Shooting Stars since I thought they were similar and wanted to see what the differences between them were. Space Cow is darker and more blue-purple whereas Shooting Stars is sheerer and more of a frosty sort of purple with a touch of blue. Yeah, I know, I'm terrible at describing things, sorry.

These were my free samples and for some reason I didn't swatch them. The colors are Flare and Smokebomb and now that I think about it I think I didn't swatch them because I've swatched them in this post. So head over there if you're dying to see how these two swatch.

And I leave you with my alien hands. Even though they're my hands I'm still freaked out by the thought of having these monsters at the ends of my arms. Bah! How do I even let them touch me?! Oh horror.

Quickie: Dee's blogsale results

2011-10-26T11:59:00.000+10:30

I think when Dee of Miss Prissypants holds a blog sale it could count as one of the events a lot of ladies in Adelaide go "squee" over! Seriously, she is way too generous and her blog sales are always exciting.

Anyway I'm not going to say much so here is what I got: Sleek palette in Jewels. This would be my very first Sleek product and I've got to say I'm somewhat disappointed. For one the palette is a lot smaller than I thought it was - everyone's photos seem to portray it as being rather normal sized but the pans are tiny! How come no one has said this before? You all led me on, sob.

Well, size aside, I guess the colors are pretty enough.

Although pigmentation wise I still don't think they're all that great as everyone says but it could just be this palette anyway. Some of the colors are rather pretty though. My favorite has to be the green in the top row, fourth shade from the left.

Here is a look with the green and the cream sort of shade on the bottom, the second last shade:

(Sorry this photo is sort of blurry but you get the gist)

And here is a look with the purple (second shade top row) and other teal green (third shade top row):

What I didn't like so much about the teal? It sort of stained and was a bit of a pain to work with.

Was still a pretty look that I just threw together in a rush. Bah, such grumpy face shots though. Oh well.

Dee was also kind enough to throw in six loose pigments! So kind of her and I'm loving the shades she's given me - they are admittedly colors I would have never chosen so it's sort of nice having them and giving them a chance instead of being a color snob!

From left to right (all are Everyday Minerals colors by the way with the exception of one): Baby Sitter, Countryside, Sweet Alice (Evil Shades color), Butterfly Kisses, Laptop, and Mistle Toe.

Super pretty! Thank you so much Dee for yet another wonderful blog sale, great shipping and the wonderful products.

Vanity Box order

2011-10-25T11:54:00.000+10:30

While browsing the web I happened to come across Vanity Box, an online store that stocks Korean items from clothing to accessories. I'm not a Korean (or Japanese, just to clear it up) clothing/fashion fan at all, in fact I actually despise "cute", "trendy" etc. in general but some items on Vanity Box were styles I could pass off without gagging at myself (I'm terrible, I know). So I placed an order.

I think I must be the only person in the world who doesn't get excited over free samples. It is very kind of anyone or any company to include free samples and I guess it's a plus for them but to me it's somewhat annoying as I don't like them and I don't know what to do with them. Except give them away in the hopes someone else gets a massive "squee!" out of them.

I've been looking for a good sort of cardigan that I can take with me at the end of the year since the ones I have are probably close to being moth food. I don't trust anything in Australia anymore, seriously. Not to be a total bitch about it but I can't count how many items from different brands I have purchased that deteriorate within a few months. It's as though items here are made to only last a year! Gr. I think I'm spoiled as I'm so used to the quality of items in Hong Kong where you pay less but the quality is still good enough that it lasts longer than a few months.

Rant aside, I found this cardigan from Vanity Box and thought it looked all right. Upon receiving it I was a bit surprised to find it had shoulder pads (I've grown up learning from Mummy that shoulder pads are very grandmother-ish and therefore should be avoided like the plague) but they aren't too bad. On a hanger. I might cut them out later. We'll see. Other than that I like the material, it's warm enough but light enough that I won't be too hot or cold but just right (porridge, anyone?).

Apparently Vanity Box stocks a well loved makeup brand called Ameli. I have nothing more to say since I don't really know much about Korean makeup. Everyone seems to think the prices are reasonable but somehow the prices (that range over three different types) seem a bit too much for me. This shadow I got on sale for AUD$10 (looking on the site now it's gone up a dollar). Reasonable I suppose but I still found myself grumbling a bit! Maybe I'm just thrifty. Anyway I got this as I wanted another color but that was about $15 which is definitely too much for a single shadow so I settled with this one instead.

Packing is nice enough that I feel half of the price must be going towards it (talk about a thrifty-rant-y post huh, sorry). It was nice to get something in packaging for once since I no longer buy many branded eye shadows. The case of the eye shadow is pretty study and travel safe. Not sure whether it is shock absorbent but that would be wonderful as I got this shade to take with me traveling at the end of the year too.

The color I got was #215 Cinnamon Dust, a color I thought would be easy to slick on without a primer or any other colors. As you can see by the photo I did a test run as soon as I got it (I literally got my package, tore it open, put the cardigan away, put the next item to use and tried out this eyeshadow) and it was so pigmented I left a lot on my brush and figured I could just pick up my brush the next day and it would have enough on that I wouldn't have to worry about getting more on. Kidding, I wiped it off after I was done. Anyway the shadow is smooth, pigmented and a lovely texture. I'm not sure this will be crease proof as it claims to be but I should test run it with some primer maybe.

Can you see the gold specks?

Unfortunately I thought this color would be more brown than yellow but it's not a big deal. As it says on the description, you could use it as a crease color instead of a lid color.

Er, excuse the tired face. Or grumpy face. Whatever.

I used brown eyeliner so you could see how it really is more of a dusty khaki color than a brown. Almost green? Kind of odd how green it suddenly seems.

Anyway, moving on (sorry if this entry is a bit snappish, I really don't know why I'm not motivated to write about this!) to the part I'm most excited about: the new love of my life.

Percy. Oh how I love this bag. I have been needing a new "university" bag for a while now and finding one that is big enough to lug books in, comfortable on my shoulder and fashionable so that I don't look like I'm using my high school backpack - well, it has been a pain in the arse to find. When I first saw Percy I thought I would buy him on a whim. I wasn't expecting much, I was actually expecting him to be too big (oh, giggle). I still figured he would be nice to have. And when I got him I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong about his size: he was perfect!

What I love about Percy is that he is adjustable: he can have a narrow opening or a wide opening which is great as sometimes I just need a big bag but other times I'd like to have that extra security so the narrow opening works better.

This is how you do it, change his opening I mean, by means of a clip strap thingy majig in the middle.

Vanity Box described the interior as "leopard print" but it looks more like flowers to me. Still pretty and probably a lot better than having leopard print as everyone from your grandma to your kid sister has leopard print slathered on in every crevice they have.

This is how Percy originally came, with a small bag on the handle. I thought it looked a bit awkward so I took it off and now little Percy lives inside big Percy. I figure he can hold the loose items like mints and whatnot.

All in all I was quite happy with my order and think I might just order from Vanity Box again. Oh! Important note: they were having a 20% off sale and I didn't see the code on the home page so after placing my order and paying for it the owners mailed me saying they had refunded me for the 20% off that I didn't put into my order! That I think is marvelous, for owners to be so considerate as to apply a sale on your order when you were silly enough to have missed it. Definitely earned them HUGE brownie points in my books!

I would definitely recommend you check out their clothing as well - some great stuff there that actually seems practical enough but still cute enough that it could appeal to all sorts of people.

Friday Feature: Some More S'mores

2011-10-21T10:11:00.003+10:30

It's time to fight Friday blues

It has been forever since I last did a Friday Feature but that's because living in a residential college doesn't provide many cooking opportunities (although I have made two cakes and numerous packets of noodles...) so I thought I would save the recipes for when I actually move out (oh please 2012, be the year where I finally get my own kitchen!).

I forget how this came about exactly but I think it started with me finding some Pop Tarts in the local supermarket here and getting all excited only to find Scott was puzzled as to why I'd be excited and what the heck were Pop Tarts anyway?

Hold up, what are Pop Tarts?! More importantly, my FAVORITE Pop Tart ever in S'mores and what are s'mores?!

It has taken me a while to have this brainwave (I thought giving a Pop Tart was enough) but I finally realized recently I should introduce Scott to the original s'more (I like spelling it as 'smore' so I'm not sure why I'm adding the apostrophe in this post but whatever) and take advantage of it by introducing it as my first ever Friday Feature recipe! It totally counts as cooking...even though I used a microwave and not an actual camp fire. Still.

Did you know the first known s'more was in 1927? The recipe is credited to a girl scout who made it for her fellow scouts and has since then become a camping tradition. Er, in America and Canada anyway. Although we had it in Hong Kong...possibly because I attended a Canadian high school. Moving on...

There are many ways you can assemble your s'more so I've provided a few ways below. For more creative ways go here and I dare you to try one variation!

Anyway, without further ado, here is the complicated process:

Ingredients:

- Graham crackers (crackers in general but make sure they're not salted (unless you like salted chocolate which isn't bad at all but I personally think it makes it too complicated if you're doing this for the first time)

- Chocolate (usually a slab of Hersheys but I chose cooking chocolate (dark at that) as I find it a lot less sweeter than the usual chocolate...or maybe it's just my imagination? Anyway, chocolate that's easy to squish into a very hard sandwich!)

- Marshmallows (big ones, tiny ones, whatever tickles your fancy but don't choose overly complicated ones because this will be sweet enough as it is - unless you are a sugar fanatic or something)

Method:

Lay out your ingredients and get familiar with them, study what you're working with and contemplate how you will proceed to assemble everyone together when the time comes

I personally felt the marshmallows needed to be decapitated, their corpses spread out so no one could take advantage of our cracker

Cover the marshmallows up, the poor souls, with the chocolate...ooh they look like mushrooms!

Depending on how much of each you want (or how much of a mess you want to deal with while consuming) assemble accordingly

Pack your squad up and get them ready for battle!...

...On your childhood plate, of course. Next you must nuke them (er, put them in the microwave) for about 10 seconds or 20 (the plate will make penetration difficult...er...)

Not for too long mind you but enough so that your marshmallows melt a bit. Squish everything together and the heat should be enough to melt it all. Enjoy!

Makeup Ramble: Evil Shades Cosmetics order

2011-10-17T19:01:00.001+10:30

Considering how Evil Shades Cosmetics is in my top five favorite makeup companies list I think I've been a terrible fan. Looking back on my posts I've failed to do ESC (oooh, like the button!) justice and think I should do a post dedicated to all the shadows I have (another fail: I really ought to have more).

Andrea, the owner, is the most sweetest, fun company owner you will converse with over twitter and my orders have always been prompt and very satisfactory. This is my third order with her and the first order since she changed her logos and I think ESC is just getting better and better.

Anyway, without more jibber-jabber, here is my order:

(Wanderflower, ReAnimated full size (there is also a pro size) and Hfb spectrum pot)

While opening all those clam shells and lining them up (samples come this way as it's easier for Andrea, with patience you can manage these so don't get too excited then rage at the clam shell) was it bad that I thought of that story from Alice in Wonderland? The one with the walrus? Ho hum.

Top four swatches from left to right:

Double Barrel: Very shimmery, dark gray unswatched but swatched it is a purple-gray and an absolutely amazing color you can gaze at all day long. Must have a full size of this

Wanderflower: A dusty, shimmery teal unswatched it proves to be a lovely sea-blue (heavier on the blue) when swatched

Zombie Moon: Silver, a perfect silver. Unswatched it seems like it would be a darker silver but when swatched it is a true frosty silver (not metallic, frosty...maybe dusty, I like this word dusty, I know)

ReAnimated: Must have a full version - oh wait, I do! Must have a backup full version! Dark in the jar you cannot imagine what it would be when swatched and then you swatch it. It morphs, it's green when the light hits it but could be a brown. I have a passion for brown-green morphs. Beautiful.

Bottom four swatches from left to right:

Ceylon: I got this eyeshadow purely for the name (Ceylon is what Sri Lanka was originally called) because I'm not a pink fan (I think I prefer blues over pinks now that I think about it) at all. Unswatched it is a soft pink, swatched however it is a metallic pink that's really quite pretty.
EDIT: Um, Ceylon is actually a blush! Bah, stupid me, it isn't an eyeshadow! As a blush it would still be too light for me though so maybe a pink highlight color?

Zombie Girl: A scary shade of green unswatched but a very wearable green when swatched, it is so deceiving that you would never believe that bright green would be such a nice, gentle metallic green instead.

Living Dead Zone: Fierce fire engine red unswatched and when swatched it is the same although perhaps more like a darker fire engine red. Very intimidating but using Dominique's way of adding red shadow to a look and making it look ah-mazing hopefully I can use this without cowering away from it!

Victorian Night: Oh I am so glad I have a full size of this! Thank you A! Although same with ReAnimated - I definitely need another jar! The right intensity purple with shimmer and a silvery edge to it. Beautiful. Andrea does THE BEST purples (Cheshire is still my favorite though).

Ceylon, Zombie Girl and Living Dead Zone are the more metallic and matte shades of the lot while Wanderflower and Zombie Moon follow closely but have a hint of shimmer to them. Double Barrel, ReAnimated and Victorian Night are the very shimmery (or sparkly?) ones with some color changing effects (ReAnimated mostly has this). And I don't know why I didn't swatch these all in a more orderly fashion but please note that Living Dead Zone, ReAnimated, Zombie Girl and Zombie Moon are limited edition so get your paws on them ASAP.

Hfb Spectrum Pot (sorry, refer to the photo way back when in the post): Described as a 'shimmering nude beige' in the pot it appears more of a metallic beige. Mamma Bear (as I know her as, heh) was so kind and included this in my order - LOVES! I think I need to work on how I use it because there is a certain technique to it but I'm keen to try it out seeing as these days I do a lot of neutral, brown looks so this would be the perfect base. Since you can't really see it swatched on my brown (recent photos have proved I have become a Sri Lankan light brown, yum) skin you can kind of see it in action with the three swatches in a row (from my 88 palettes). It definitely makes the shadows more noticeable and makes for a good base that grips that shadows well.

(Devious Virtue and Stormy)

Lipstick - Devious Virtue: A gorgeous purple-pink (mauve? I don't know complex colors so purple-pink will do) but unfortunately too bright for my skin tone. It would be fantastic on someone with a lighter skin tone. I think I'll use my sample of it (again, kindly included in my order by Mamma Bear) mixed with a darker color.

(First off, I know that middle pink part looks like my tongue or something but it's that stubborn wet part of my lips which refuses color. It is an embarrassing child, I know.)

Lipstick - Stormy: This is definitely not a color I would have chosen for myself (thank you again for including this MB!) but oh my gosh I wish I could sport this loud and proud! It is a fantastic, futuristic color and I wish I had it for my unicorn costume this weekend past as it would've added that amazing magical appeal!

Overall the lipsticks were a little difficult for me to apply (I didn't use a lip balm or primer or base or whatever you may put on your lips prior to applying lipstick) but it might be because I only had samples to work with and a lip brush. I have a feeling a tube version might be easier. The formula is smooth and creamy and isn't cake-y at all. Very wearable.

Halfway through writing this I made another order with Evil Shades Cosmetics - I seriously cannot believe this order was my third order ever. How terrible ): Although my first two orders were the best ever and since most of the colors are no longer available (oh Cheshire, my darling) I think they will remain locked up and I'll use them oh so sparingly!

Anyway here is a look I did with Double Barrel, Zombie Moon, Zombie Girl and Victorian Night. Sorry you can't see them really clearly but hopefully you get the gist - the first two on my lid and the latter two on the top.

A Unicorn For One Night

2011-10-16T21:15:00.001+10:30

(This photo is from a friends camera - rights go to her!)

Oh how splendid it is being a unicorn! This year for my college's annual Valedictory Dinner I decided since I had no friends (sad story of my life, haha) I would dress up as the last unicorn (I was hoping there wouldn't be any other unicorns on the night...would have been awkward). Last year I was a goddess and this year I was a mythical creature - I'm thinking there's a certain theme with the costumes I choose?

Anyway, I thought I would share with you the process of how I became a unicorn seeing as it was so painstakingly tedious! I think I owe a massive thank you to Scott for putting up with me - seriously, he went with me to shop for what I needed (wig, shoes, glitter, clay, glue), kept cheering me on during the process of making my horn and hooves and in general kept encouraging me to enjoy myself at VD. I think he deserves huge brownie points (don't know what he can do with them really...maybe I should make them redeemable for actual brownies?) for putting up with me, I wasn't a very chirpy unicorn...until I was a part of the deaths of six bottles of moscato and wine...

I swear I was a pure unicorn. Maybe not so much seeing as I had pink hair instead of white (as I had intended originally) but I guess the last unicorn in the world deserved to be a little naughty after all!

I won't bore you with photos of the process of making the horn and shoes (although I took a billion photos of the half done stuff, etc.) because it was pretty straightforward: all of the above became...

....this horn (made out of clay so it was nice and solid!)...and...

...these shoes (yes, I question the way I work too, haha! Sticking glitter onto shoes is a massive bitch...)...

...and finally, coupled with a dress, pink wig and girl (tripled then, not coupled) all came together to make a unicorn! The horn was nice and secure on the wig and everyone kept wondering how I managed to have it on without any visible means of attachment - seriously bragging about my creativity here. Not that it's overly ingenious or anything but whatever.

That wig was SO soft! And everyone kept saying how it looked so much like my old hair...just that it was pink. True enough it was the same length as my hair before I chopped it all off except this wig hair was so soft and my hair will never be that fine or soft. And never will it be that pink! Especially when people kept calling me "Nicki Minaj!" - awesome. Not.

The shoes were quite disappointing even though they looked awesome with the holographic glitter (like magic dust hooves, squeee) - the glue wasn't that great and if anything came in contact with the shoes the glitter would fall off. I found myself walking awkwardly all night trying to make sure my feet never touched accidentally. Plus I can't believe how expensive glitter is here in Australia, grrr.

Anyway, here's a close up of the makeup I did for the night. I wanted to get fake eyelashes that matched my wig but I couldn't be bothered. In the end my own lashes worked perfectly as you couldn't even see them so they didn't clash with the wig or take the attention away. Or make me look like a My Little Pony instead.

I had a bit of trouble deciding what to do with my eyes and ended up mashing a variety of pretty colors together to try and achieve a soft look which was still dark enough to not make me look like I was suffering pink eye or something of the sort.

So that was my Saturday night - hope everyone had an equally magical weekend!

Norwegian Wood - Movie (plus book)

2011-10-08T16:42:00.000+10:30

(Picture from here)

Norwegian Wood. It was originally a song by The Beatles which was then turned into a novel by Haruki Murakami and finally, into a movie adaptation by Anh Hung Tran. Definitely powerful as a song and the novel by Murakami is one of my favorites.

This is going to be a long review. And I definitely suggest playing the song while you read along since it definitely sets the mood for the story. By the way, there might be a few spoilers but I try not to say anything outright (that is to say what happens in the story from start to end), this is more like a taste of it all to tempt you into investing some time on it yourself.

First I want to talk about the song Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by The Beatles. A kind of neat, kind of eerie fact about the song is it was released in 1965 on the 3rd of December - the day and month I was born many years later! The song itself almost takes you to a windy, summery day where you're lounging in the shade listening to the silence of nature. Well, that's where it takes me anyway.

The song itself is hardly as romantic as it sounds and if you truly listen to the lyrics they are pretty unromantic and reminds me of what might be a one-night stand sort of feeling (I personally don't know what a one-night stand feels like so this is how I would imagine it to feel). Looking into the actual meaning of the lyrics, according to John Lennon (who wrote most of it) it was meant to talk about an affair he was having without alerting his wife at the time, Cynthia. So I guess we're on the right track here that the song is unromantic! Still, with the sitar it makes for a great song if you don't remember the true meaning of the lyrics.

Going on to the book, Norwegian Wood was written by Haruki Murakami and published in 1987. The English version was published in 2000. It was probably around this time that my father gave me Norwegian Wood and other books by Murakami for my birthday. I remember him (my father that is) telling me not to judge Murakami by Norwegian Wood, that it was one novel that wasn't his style entirely. Still he advised it was the best one to start with before attempting to read any others.

I loved Norwegian Wood despite it being a tragedy. I'm not sure if anyone has ever noticed this but in my description on my Twitter I wrote '...and if you know 'Naoko' then you know the part of me I hide away'. I could relate to her, not in the sense I'm exactly like her as she is in the story but there are several traits about her that I hold myself. So the book for me was sad in that I connected a lot more than I thought I would with Naoko, who is one of the main characters - sorry, I just threw her in without introducing the characters.

The main character is Toru Watanabe (mostly referred to as Watanabe in the novel if I recall and the movie, because in Japan you're mainly referred to by your last name over your first name - long story I don't care much to launch into) and the other important characters (they're all important you see) are Naoko, Kizuki, Midori, Reiko, Nagasawa, Hatsumi and because he is such a memorable character and I loved that he was credited by this name in the movie as well - "Storm Trooper".

Not that that was entirely necessary at least you get an inkling of some of the characters you might encounter in the story.

There is something about how Murakami writes that is evident throughout all of his books, he is very particular about certain details and there is always a double meaning to his stories, sometimes even a triple meaning. His stories are the sort you can only handle when you're feeling very happy and optimistic and positive etc. I always advise people of this because if you read his books when you're depressed and sad and pessimistic and negative yadda yadda it's certain to wreck you further. I've done the latter and found myself in a worse state than I was originally so big huge warning: read only when feeling happy, because even if you're not happy afterward at least it won't be so bad!

Norwegian Wood is different from his other novels in that it's a love story. His other books? Definitely not love stories. Norwegian Wood also propelled him to fame which apparently was something he was dismayed about. Murakami is peculiar in that way, he writes but not to be famous and he detests being famous with a passion. He's eccentric but a beautiful writer, translating a lot of his "crazy" thoughts into stories.

Trying to write a review of his book makes me ashamed because I truly don't know how to adequately put into words how amazing Norwegian Wood is. I think I'll stop here because otherwise I'll put myself in further shame. Just know that it's the one book from all his others that the majority would like.

About the movie...well, here's a trailer (with English subtitles, luckily for you):

If you're not familiar with how Japanese movies can be then you won't much appreciate the style of cinematography (which, now that I think about it, is almost similar to indie films) but it is well done and certainly captures the feel of the book in certain parts of it. This movie is definitely one you can only watch after you have familiarized yourself with the book first.

Plot wise it seemed slightly choppy, I think there was a lot from the novel that wasn't put into the movie (obviously this always happens) and that made the movie a lot more erratic. The book holds so many details from Toru's perspective that you unfortunately have no access to in the movie although there was an attempt at times to throw in some of his thoughts but to me it seemed like a poor attempt at trying to cover the long silences. However that said it was adapted as best it could be since the characters are such that (aside from Midori perhaps) not much is said but more done.

I was a bit disappointed with how Naoko was portrayed in the movie, or maybe it's because my favorite quote from the whole book was not included so it left me in a huff for the rest of the movie. Toru (played by Kenichi Matsuyama, squee if you recognize him as L!) and Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) were the best cast, the rest were good as well but I guess Toru and Midori stuck out the most for me as they carried their characters true to the novel in the movie.

Perhaps I should have given this review a lot more thought because it's quite disjointed, or maybe it's due to the fact that there's a song, novel and movie involved. Regardless, I should have thought on it further instead of giving it one sleep's worth.

Overall I was pleased with the movie, having waited a while to watch it since it was initially released but at the same time now I'm yearning for the book version, I feel as though I need to reread the novel so I can remember the words instead of the movie. If any other books by Murakami are made into films I doubt I'd watch them though, Norwegian Wood is definitely the exception as it is simple enough to be on screen but the rest are too complex.

Maybe one day I'll come back and redo this review. For now, I suppose a disjointed review is fitting for such a story. Hopefully some of you get around to reading the book though, I promise it's an interesting story. Japanese authors are my favorite, you just don't get that quality of writing with English authors anymore. Same with movies and songs really.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics - Giveaway

2011-10-05T17:51:00.000+10:30

Remember way back when when I got some gorgeous shadows from the gorgeous Sophie of Ethereal Beauty? No? Well get with the times! Yes? Good, then you'll be excited about the launch of the official Femme Fatale Cosmetics website as well as the Femme Fatale Cosmetics giveaway!

This is my blog entry for the giveaway but it is also a heads up for those of you wanting to get eyeshadows that are truly beautiful and not just your standard color. Sophie has worked so hard on getting her company up and running and I think it's great that she has gotten into the industry to give not only some different shades but also an opportunity for those in Australia to get some shades pronto and at a reasonable price too.

The giveaway is a great chance for those of you who are curious about FFC to try it out so hurry and enter before the 20th of October!

piCture pOlish Winner!

2011-10-05T17:38:00.000+10:30

I was planning on using random.org to generate the winner but unfortunately it was generating a result and the result wasn't showing up. So what's a girl to do? I cut up my (very tiny mind you) list of entries (which were 20 valid entries), shuffled and picked out a winner the old fashioned way!

Since my list was abbreviated the winner "DA" is actually darthangel165! I have already mailed the winner and if the winner does not respond within 48 hours then I will pick another winner.

Thank you everyone who entered!

Makeup Ramble: Molly's Surprise ♥

2011-10-04T13:11:00.000+10:30

This post is a big, huge, massive THANK YOU to Molly who sent me a lovely cheer up package of goodies - thank you so much love, it means a lot to me and I might have had a Gollum moment with that jar of Orion Slave!

Anyway, here are swatches of the two (the third jar Molly sent was Orion Slave which I have swatched numerous times but here's a more recent swatch for your reference) shades - swoon!

Jeweled Basilisk (top) and Water Spirits (bottom) - such soft but stand out colors! Thank you once again Molly (:

Makeup Ramble: Favorite Shade, Similar Shades

2011-10-04T12:52:00.001+10:30

(Trust me, those bottom two refused to be photographed no matter how I positioned them. Now that I think about it I should have changed the order of the four but whatever, you get the gist of it and I'm not going to bother being a professional makeup photographer)

Recently I went through all of my eyeshadows and organized them (by company and then by color) and was surprised by how few I owned from certain companies and the surprising similarities in my orders with each one. What surprised me the most was how many possible similar shades I seem to subconsciously go for. And also I realize how many posts I have missed out on doing since I hit my blogging slump. I feel terrible, there are some indie companies that are worthy of mentioning and I let the "brands" poison me. Never again, I've learned my lesson! Trust the companies like Fyrinnae, Evil Shades, Darling Girl, Meow Cosmetics, etc. They are definitely the more worthwhile makeup companies to invest your money on instead of spending ludicrous amounts of money for products that are more disappointing than being worth the price.

Anyway, rambles aside (I need to blog more regularly obviously), here are some similar shadows I found in my collection - this one surprised me, one shade is my absolute favorite and I didn't realize I subconsciously ordered similar shades from different companies. I haven't even checked my sample bags yet to see if I have more! So what were the shadows?

I know two are from the same company (review of the shadows from MSC to come - don't start no drama with me now regarding the company) but I threw in Weird Science (second arm swatch) because it was pretty much in the same category - which, if you haven't figured out by now is green with a blackish base and shimmer/glitter.

Truthfully I'm not a fan of green (or blue) eyeshadows despite green being my favorite color and my second favorite color is purple and I wear purple all the time, but not green. However the love for this particular shade of green started with Orion Slave (third swatch) which is from Psyche Minerals. I love love LOVE Orion Slave and Molly (owner of PM) was so sweet and recently sent me a cheer up package which had another jar of Orion Slave - I had been stingily using my jar so now I think I can wear it more often - and I should really.

MSC's Misfits & Moonbeams is the first swatch and Fyrinnae's Boytoy is the last swatch. These two look like they are exactly the same but they are really different and it's obvious in real life more so than in the photo. Boytoy is much more glittery and is more golden whereas Misfits & Moonbeams is more reminiscent of a dark pine forest.

All four are gorgeous but definitely my favorite is Orion Slave, it's one of those colors that you can wear during the day because the sunlight makes it light and of course at night it looks black. Seriously nothing but love.

Suki Says: Promo Work? No Thank You.

2011-09-22T17:08:00.002+09:30

There was an incident earlier this year that was the start of a series of events which severely damaged my confidence in blogging and had me resorting to blogging about mainly beauty because I felt so discouraged to blog about anything else. This incident made me deeply unhappy and angry and over time it grew until eventually I was in a dark mood for a very long time. Why this happened? I put my all into my online life: what you see of me out in this vast World Wide Web is who I truly am in real life. I honestly cannot lie in real life. It eats away at me and being the type of person who feels guilty over throwing something inanimate away obviously lying would destroy me. So obviously why would I do it to myself? It is selfish, to assert that I am this pure person. I’m not, it’s not like I don’t lie but I don’t lie to the extent that it is ridiculous or will cause someone harm – more often it causes me harm. I don’t know how many times I have lied to myself that I don’t want that last piece of cake but secretly, deep down…

Er. Anyway.

Rambling about my lack of purity but abundance of truthfulness aside, the incident affected me deeply. At the time I curled up and cried. I felt humiliated, bullied and controlled. I pathetically fought with myself, there was the part of me that was adamant that I wouldn’t be told what to do and that I certainly had rights and then there was the part of me that wanted to please everyone, make things right even if it meant I had to suffer because of it. I sacrificed my pride and it was a mistake, I should have never bowed down and been untrue to myself. So this is me coming out and saying I won’t ever be bullied anymore, never again.

I was a model from when I was 18 and I always hated it. Admittedly I did it for as long as I did because how many girls can get into the industry? Also, I loved the resulting photos from shoots, they were stories and I was lucky enough to be in them. For a long time I rode on the pleasure of getting photos in return for working as a model, I never really cared about the money. I worked hard, this is something I do no matter what. At 18 I was size 16 and as my first agent and mentor told me, ‘you should not be this size at this age’. She wasn’t telling me to become anorexic, she was telling me I needed to be healthy, which I wasn’t. For my size, the weight I was was not at all healthy – if you don’t believe me, for example I used to consume an entire packet of chocolate chip cookies for “breakfast” with milk. This used to happen regularly too. So I worked hard to become healthy and soon enough I became a much more suitable size for my height and age. I may not have liked modeling but if I was going to do it, I was certainly going to work hard and offer nothing but the best of myself to professionals I worked with.

There are different branches in modeling. I’m lucky I’m photogenic as it meant I could get photographic work but there were a few times when I first started modeling that I did promo work as well. The few times I did promo work I was so very fortunate to be protected by my agency: an agent would always ensure the models were treated right and that the company would not take advantage of us. Because, as a promo model, it is often misconstrued that promo girls are willing to do anything and everything when working because of their gregarious nature when on the job. When you do promo work, you have to be outgoing and overly friendly! You have to sell the client’s product and keep up a good personality so it reflects well onto them. Promo girls work double the amount a photographic model does – they have their bad days and yet they maintain a shining personality because they can’t let a sulk slip out in case a potential customer spots it. Promo girls wear the worst outfits: unflattering, over the top, embarrassing, too short, too tight, etc. and yet we do it because the company thinks this image is what will successfully sell their product.

Eventually after a few promo jobs I realized I simply didn’t have the knack for it: I’m not assertive enough to be a confident, likeable personality and when I got negative comments or hassle on the job it would always come home with me and affect me for a while. I was so protected by that agency back when I first started modeling and I was grateful when I told them I only wanted to stick with photographic work. They understood and they promoted me accordingly and got me the jobs I knew I would excel in. Photographic work is mentally exhausting like promo work, true, but the only audience you have is an imagined one opposed to one you have to interact with and first impressions count.

This is a very long prelude to what this post is truly about but I hope – those of you who are still with me – you understand why I gave you a bit of background so you can understand where I am coming from when I launch into the incident.

Upon arriving in Adelaide, I was actually excited about doing some modeling here. It was a fresh start and I was slowly gaining appreciation for modeling. It was mainly because I had finally become a free-lance model and I had control over what jobs I wanted to pursue, whom I worked with and the opportunity to work with professionals with whom I could share ideas with. After a while I thought the idea of doing promo work might not be a bad idea as it would at least give me a little money and it would give a new side to Suki, the model. So I joined an agency – albeit reluctantly. I stressed I was a photographic model but would still do a bit of promotional work. When I joined this agency I had almost 4 years of modeling experience and an extensive portfolio – they never asked to see my full portfolio or of my previous experience, only if I was free to do a job the next day. Still, I complied and did a few promotional jobs before I started to question what I was doing. It made me unhappy and at times I was scared of working, truthfully I dislike being around large crowds of people and this is what promotional work thrust me into. People make me nervous, a camera not so much. I became unhappier and unhappier and eventually lost interest in photographic work I was still securing for myself independently seeing as my agency wasn’t doing so.

I blogged about my modeling career from the start. It started with my first job, I was excited but frustrated with myself because I wasn’t perfect – that is, my make up wasn’t. I had tanned significantly (unfortunately a 5 minute walk in the sun is enough for my half Sri Lankan coloration to come out) and my foundation didn’t match my skin tone. That is what I blogged about. How excited I was to be working as a promo model after years and how my make up didn’t seem to suit me. The post had photos of me showing my make up; I was wearing a t-shirt with the product name that I was promoting on it.

Eventually as the promo work progressed, my posts (not that there were many) eventually resulted with one having a mini rant about what promo models go through and how people are inconsiderate of this (you can read this post over here). Gist of it anyway. And then there was this post where I was truly fed up of the negative comments I was getting while working and I voiced it out.

In all of my posts I have never:

- Named companies I promoted products for

- Given specifics of a job

So when I suddenly got a call from my agency saying that Campari (yes, I’m naming you now) had caught wind of my blog, I was confused. Until my agent launched into this tale of how they were upset by my posts because it painted promo work in a negative light and that it reflected badly on the company and that they wanted me to rectify the situation by deleting all of these posts and how upsetting it was blah the blah fuck blah.

Now when I think about it, obviously intimidation is the first way you gain results when you’re a tyrant and Campari certainly got it right with me because I’m the ultimate arse kisser, doormat, etc. Truly, I do anything to please anyone – or rather, I used to anyway. So there I was apologizing profusely but still angry inside that I had to delete something on a blog that was my own, delete something that was nothing but the truth, delete something that had no relation to Campari aside from that one make up post in which I was wearing a t-shirt that said ‘Skyy Vodka’ on it and I was talking about how my foundation didn’t match my face.

Well bully me for that, I do think that’s unforgivable, mismatching foundation and skintone.

I did it all, I deleted the make up post and photos but I kept the posts where I shed light on promo work because those jobs I was complaining about weren’t even Campari jobs and I was confused as to why I would have to delete something not even related to them and my own true experience. It’s not even a secret what happens out there, how many times have you looked at promo girls and thought less of them even though they may have been respectable people after their shift?

And then there was stone cold silence and the obvious dismissal that was never said in words. I was cast out, because girls weren’t getting paid by Campari because of my blog. Now when I think about it I think it’s absurd that Campari would punish hard working girls based on blog posts that weren’t even about them, didn’t even shed negative light on them and did I say again these posts weren’t about them? It was an intimidation tactic, both to scare the agency I was with and myself and it certainly worked back then.

So I’m coming out today about this incident. It affected my blog, my modeling career and me on so many levels and I’m fed up of thinking I don’t have the right to voice out opinions and that I was wrong – because I wasn’t. There is no law that demands I do nothing but praise companies I happen to do a favor for. That’s right Campari, you should realize promo girls do you a favor by being treated so badly out there – most girls I have worked with are not whores, boyfriend stealers or dress like a slut daily. No, they – and myself – were often happier in jeans and a t-shirt once our shift was over. We loved to eat but would starve ourselves prior to a job because we had to fit into ridiculous outfits just to “look good” – we’d binge eat after a job. Some of us were in long-term relationships and happy with our partners and some of us even had children – these women worked as promo models to bring in the extra money. Almost all of us had no interest in the men who thought we would be easy, we almost always laughed hysterically about our experiences afterward, questioning how ignorant people could be. We did our jobs, we promoted.

I did my job. I promoted. And this was the thank you I got in return; I didn’t even have the courtesy of Campari contacting me directly. A cowardly company that was narcissistic doesn’t deserve me groveling for something I never did.

This is my opinion of you and I have the right to voice it. I will not be silenced. Sure I knew what I was getting into when I worked as a promo model but that didn’t mean I didn’t have the right to be treated respectfully and complain if I wasn’t.

This is my blog, my thoughts and opinions and this is my reminder and motivation that I will never again be silenced for being nothing but truthful. I never attack anyone and even you, Campari, I don’t want to attack but consider this my retaliation to what you did to me.

Suki Says: Bringing Up The Past - Right to Speak

2011-09-22T15:47:00.002+09:30

Go ahead and judge me all you want - I'm a tsunami of a person

(Just a little note, hopefully during the holidays I will work on TSC and take it back to the old days with the tags I used to have! In case you were wondering where these suddenly pop out from)

I was certain I wouldn't make it to my Anthropology tutorial today as I was struggling to finish a Metaphysics essay (I know, I keep doing this to myself! As it is I have a History essay due tomorrow, oops) but surprisingly I finished it and managed to get to my tutorial. Why should you care? Well for one, I love Anthropology to death, especially the tutorials this semester so if I hadn't made it to the tutorial I would have been in a rather irritable mood (and no one cares for a moody Natsumi...) so that's one main reason! But probably more relevant to this post, another reason is that almost always my tutor has some words of wisdom that has an impact on me somehow.

So what was today's words of wisdom? More like a thoughtful comment: we have no freedom of speech nowadays. This is so true! When my tutor declared this I immediately thought of an incident a few months back involving this blog and some real life bullies.

I'm not going to get into it on this post just in case the company contacts my Anthropology tutor and tells him to, er, remove his thoughts...or something (entirely possible, wouldn't put it past them) because it was his fault that I call them out.

Lets get something straight: I'm not hating on them, but it's about time I stop this nonsense of not blogging about what I want to truly blog about. I, Natsumi Suzuki, pride on being truthful in this blog so nothing and no one should have the right to stop me from being truthful.

Freedom of speech, yo! So look out for more Suki Says posts! In the meantime, here is my message to all of you because I know a lot of you have this similar problem: be truthful even if you think you will offend someone. I think we have the bigger problem of going around the bush as so we don't step on anyone's toes these days which is making us more repressed and thus more prone to lashing out when it comes to withholding our true opinions. I for one know this is true, I have tried to repress my true opinions, thoughts, etc. and have been so unhappy and angry because of it. So, don't do it! Say what you want to say and if people cannot handle it then that's their opinion and they shouldn't make you feel as though you need to choose their opinion over your own.

Heads Up! Plus a loving Suki Giveaway

2011-09-15T00:07:00.001+09:30

First person to notice something relevant to this blog and totally major (and gets it right) gets a heart felt gift and letter from me (as well as 3 extra entries in my piCture pOlish giveaway as that giveaway seriously NEEDS SOME LOVING, YO). So leave your comments and how I can contact you - love you all SO much!

I hope this is the end to a very long battle with the issues I have been having.
xo. Natsumi aka Suki.

piCture pOlish GIVEAWAY

2011-09-14T19:08:00.001+09:30

(Pictures are from piCture pOlish's website and are (in order): Aphrodisiac, Denim and Bombshell)

NOTE: I have been awful with advertising this giveaway and encouraging y'all to enter and I apologize to piCture pOlish as well as you lovely readers because I should have been more on top of it and enthusiastic. I'm sorry, relaunching a blog (or two) is definitely difficult.

A few months back I was a part of piCture pOlish's blog fest and this month I am one of the blog fest bloggers able to give you the opportunity to try piCture pOlish for yourself! Thank you so much to the girls of piCture pOlish for giving me this chance to treat my readers.
There will be one winner and the winner will be able to choose three shades of their choice from the piCture pOlish website (choices cannot include any of the Ozotic shades).

THE RULES OF THE GIVEAWAY
1. If you are already a follower of my blog through google friend connect then I am giving you an automatic extra entry IF you enter this giveaway

2. If you are not a reader of my blog then you can only enter ONCE. Sorry, I believe in giving more opportunities to those who read my blog regularly (:

3. Comment on this post with your google friend connect name/twitter name/whatever name, the three shades you would like to try from the piCture pOlish range as well as your email

4. For extra entries you can comment once a day after your initial entry comment

5. Thank the universe that the girls of piCture pOlish have found a way of shipping internationally - this giveaway is therefore OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

6. Giveaway ends on the 5th of October 2011 (yes, this is the extended date - original end date was the 29th of September but due to lack of promoting on my part I felt it more fair to piCture pOlish and my readers to give more time)

Good luck!

Burt's Bees Freebies

2011-09-14T18:59:00.000+09:30

A while back I subscribed to a years worth of Cosmopolitan (it's a nice silly indulgence when you have a good friend to share it with) and it came with a special offer of a variety of Burt's Bees lip balms worth over $60. Now I don't normally like Burt's Bees purely because they seriously are overpriced and a little overrated but I may have been more inclined to subscribe to Cosmo because of the offer...and maybe because the subscription was relatively cheap too.

Out of all I have tried the top two pictured above: Pink Blossom tinted lip balm and Replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil and the second last one Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb.

First, to get it out of the way, the Replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil disgusts me. The texture is overly waxy, the smell is too strong and reminiscent of incense burning for too long. It makes my stomach churn. However that said it is a good base for lipsticks that drag...not that I would ever use it ever again unless I'm having a permanent blocked nose.

The Pink Blossom tinted lip balm is so divine! It actually makes my lips look nice and pink without looking overly unnatural. Yay for good pigmentation in lip balms! It is also AH-MAZING on the lips and I love how soft it makes mine. The pink, the softness...definitely worthwhile. Plus the packaging is super neat.

My favorite of the lot though is definitely the Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb. It says 'The World's Best Lip Balm in Sheer Luminescent Color' on the tube and it definitely is both a great lip balm (not the best, think the Pink Blossom tinted lip balm is a better lip balm) and the sheer color?! What sheer?! It is amazing! I love that it manages to color the natural pigmentation of my lips! And it's such an easy color too, not too pink nor too red but in between for a great daily color. It does have a minty smell to it but it isn't an overpowering breath mint stench, more like a natural mint scent. On the lips you can feel a minty effect but it doesn't last forever. Definitely one of the better lip balms but also one of Burt's Bees more overpriced ones.

Missing The Past

2011-09-14T18:36:00.000+09:30

As of late, for the most part, I have been happy. Not overjoyed, want to scream from the heavens and break out in random song happy but happy enough that I don't cry myself to sleep. Then suddenly I'm thrown into this spiral of unhappiness where it starts with something simple. For example, today I bought a bag of chocolate chip fudge cookies and if you know me then you probably know that I can demolish an entire bag of cookies within one episode of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. So there I was, happily munching away on a cookie while happily watching Sabrina (get the theme here?) when abruptly Sabrina finished (end of season) and I went to reach for another cookie...and I didn't want one (in hindsight, better for my waistline). I started putting away groceries and then proceeded to completely reorganize how I stored groceries, unpacked my bag and repacked a bag for tomorrow, cleaned my desk, looked in the mirror for a bit then sat back down.

Seemingly harmless, right? Now if you don't know me and even if you know me you probably would not know this, that that whole series of events was me going through a semi-breakdown which results in a completely unhappy Suki. See, from the moment that I didn't want another cookie anymore, things started getting bad. The meticulous cleaning reinforces things are bad. And the looking in the mirror is reflecting on what else is bad.

So the point of all this analyzing of my behavior? I'm fed up of this rut I'm in with blogging. I hate that people ruined blogging for me. It's ridiculous that I have two blogs and I feel so sad whenever I look at the old TSC. I'm still contemplating how to fix this.

1.6 ♥

2011-09-05T10:27:00.000+09:30

(How good was my outfit for the day? People must have thought I was so cheesy dressing like an animal!
Luckily none of the animals thought I was an actual leopard...)

Scott surprised me yesterday for our anniversary by taking me to Monarto and we got to put the lions to bed! A keeper was the one who directed the lions from their main enclosure into their night quarters but we got to feed each lion dinner (there were two lions, four lionesses and a cub! Oh, and six of us in the group so each one of us got to feed a lion) which was amazing - although I was definitely squeamish and morally challenged when it came to handling the piece of horse meat and pretty reluctant about giving it to the lion but that's the circle of life.

Thank you so much for an amazing anniversary, Scott! I love you and I'm still daydreaming about the lions - this week is going to be so bland in comparison!

'Suki Says...' launch and piCture pOlish GIVEAWAY

2011-09-01T16:39:00.001+09:30

Dearest readers of mine, thank you for putting up with me throughout the more tumultuous times of my blog and thank you especially to those who were supportive and encouraged me to keep this blog going. True to my thoughts, I've revamped this blog (not much, just the header for now but eventually it'll be different) and it will feature nothing but all my beauty ramble. The other ramble I have been reluctant about posting will go in my other blog and finally I feel like there's a way for me to be myself as well as still be able to distract myself with mindless beauty materialism. However you want to describe it anyway.

To celebrate you wonderful readers as well as celebrate the launch of a new blog I have for you a very special giveaway!

A few months back I was a part of piCture pOlish's blog fest and this month I am one of the blog fest bloggers able to give you the opportunity to try piCture pOlish for yourself! Thank you so much to the girls of piCture pOlish for giving me this chance to treat my readers.

There will be one winner and the winner will be able to choose three shades of their choice from the piCture pOlish website (choices cannot include any of the Ozotic shades).

THE RULES OF THE GIVEAWAY
1. If you are already a follower of my blog through google friend connect then I am giving you an automatic extra entry IF you enter this giveaway

2. If you are not a reader of my blog then you can only enter ONCE. Sorry, I believe in giving more opportunities to those who read my blog regularly (:

3. Comment on this post with your google friend connect name/twitter name/whatever name, the three shades you would like to try from the piCture pOlish range as well as your email

4. For extra entries you can comment once a day after your initial entry comment

5. Thank the universe that the girls of piCture pOlish have found a way of shipping internationally - this giveaway is therefore OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

6. Giveaway ends on the 29th of September 2011

Good luck!

Shut down and restarted

2011-08-28T22:00:00.000+09:30

If you haven't noticed yet then let me point it out for you:
The Suki Chronicles has been shut down and instead now it is Suki Says...

This blog will remain the same as it is - mindless ramble about make up and other superficial things that keep me distracted from all that brings me woe in the real world (the plight of animals, etc. in case you really cared) however I couldn't bear to have it still named The Suki Chronicles and so the actual The Suki Chronicles is being revamped and can be found over here with the same URL.

Just a little confusing, I know but really it's just a name change and the creation of a new blog that will be The real Suki Chronicles and that will be where my heart is giddy and true to itself.

That is all (:

Closing The Suki Chronicles Down?

2011-08-15T11:28:00.001+09:30

I'm not going to lie: my view on blogging has changed dramatically. It was a culmination of my own mistakes as well as disappointment on the part of companies that I thought were leading my blog and I in a more positive direction. In the end, yes, I think I must have gotten stuck in the whirlwind romance of thinking that if I blogged more about companies that "needed" me then it would be more interesting for my blog overall.

Wrong. Facing the facts now I couldn't give a F about companies. I think it started with being a part of a "beauty blogger community". I'm not a beauty blogger to begin with nor do I care about beauty in real life (that is, to the extent of being dedicated to using make up religiously) but I went along with it because it was genuinely something I was interested in and thought I could grow to appreciate. Wrong again. Sticking true to what you truly believe in will always overwhelm your delusional thinking in the end. The little enjoyment and interest I had for beauty in general has now diminished because I experience so much disappointment with it.

Companies don't like honest bloggers. And when they ignore you and lie to you that's when you have to question why you even bother supporting them.

To make a long story short...I'm either closing this blog down or revamping it. Honestly it might be the latter, I love this blog so much and I had a real vision for it when I first started it so it's disappointing to think I'd throw it away because of some people. This is MY baby and I have the right to rear it whichever way I wish.

I'm renewing my interest in beauty and remembering my true passion for it: it lies with the Indie companies like Darling Girl Cosmetics, Evil Shades Cosmetics, Fyrinnae, etc. No more brand companies for me that just suck in the "positive" reviews and don't appreciate honesty. So if I keep this blog I will never blog about companies unless they truly deserve recognition or brutal honesty. The beauty aspect of this blog should be about the Indie companies that work hard and value their customers.

I shouldn't be afraid to blog more about books, conservation, movies, games - EVERYTHING! I love being curious about everything and I always find myself wanting to blog about it but being so hesitant - why? Why should I restrict myself on my own blog? So if I keep this blog I will blog about everything my heart wants to scream from the rooftops. No more thinking "my readers won't like this" because truly, if you didn't like my blog you would leave (and that's okay).

At this point I'm undecided...close my blog or start anew? We'll see I guess.

MAKEUP: Long Overdue Thoughts For Sophie

2011-08-07T21:39:00.001+09:30

When Sophie of Ethereal Beauty said she was creating her own eye shadows with the possibility of actually selling them I got really excited because for one, Sophie is based in Australia and it's about time we had someone over here making some amazing shadows and also because Sophie has such a great eye for colors and sparkles it was only certain that what she made would be more interesting that lacking.

This was the case when she started showing some of her creations on her blog and I'm sure a lot of her readers were getting more keen for her to actually sell these creations. When she asked if some of us wanted to sample her creations and let her know what we thought I pretty much jumped at the opportunity as soon as I could!

And I am SO glad I did and Sophie sent some colors for me to try because I am in love and in full support of Sophie starting up her own company and selling these gorgeous colors.

To explain the first photo, it is my first swatch. Hence the incredibly messy swatching! I was so excited about the colors and just went crazy swatching! I reswatched everything but thought to show my first initial excitement to show how truly excited I was about these colors. Looking at it now I definitely think my inner four year old child needs art lessons desperately.

Here are some better swatches!

Top row: 'Flare', 'Heroic', 'Mediitation' (note to Sophie: two 'i's or misspelling?), and 'Poison'
Bottom row: 'Smokebomb', 'Earthquake', 'Riptide', and 'Polymorph'

To describe them, here are some initial thoughts I jotted down about each:
'Flare': Rich metallic red
'Heroic': Brilliant, "disappearing" copper-gold, hint of shimmer
'Meditation': Viper green with a gold duochrome, shimmer
'Poison': Dark, golden, metallic yellow, hint of shimmer

'Smokebomb': Dark, rich purple with red sparkle
'Earthquake': Purpleish black with red sparkle
'Riptide': Lighter blue with emerald duochrome
'Polymorph': Like name suggests, morphs from bright blue to cornflower blue to violet with blue-purple sparkle

As you can see I have a bit of difficulty describing them truly but they are wonderful. The bottom row are my obvious favorites as they are actually colors I would use daily. The top row are probably not as exciting but they are true colors, that is they are red, brown, green and yellow but with a bit of dazzle to them as so you don't take them for granted. I'm quite in love with them all and know I'll be ordering every single one of the bottom colors in full when Sophie gets things established.

The only problem I had was probably with 'Mediitation' as it stained my eyelids green after I initially removed my makeup with makeup remover. However do not be alarmed, all you need to do is do a second dose of makeup remover with a little more scrub and it's off.

The micro-fine glitter does not irritate my hard contact lense eyes and I experienced no discomfort with any of the shadows so that is definitely a good sign I'm sure for Sophie as it shows her shadows are eye safe! All of her shadows (which came in ziplock baggies with all ingredients, I should have gotten a photo perhaps) were also labelled as "eyes only" which always convenient for customers to knows as a lot of customers like dabbling with shadows in other ways (e.g. lip colors).

Here is a look I did (the night I went to The Moscow Circus in fact) using 'Polymorph' (my obvious favorite) and 'Smokebomb'...at least I'm sure it was 'Smokebomb' and not 'Earthquake'.

So gorgeous! I'm loving that these colors are so lovely in real life that I don't really feel the need to wear eyeliner for extra oomph. The colors wore well throughout the course of the night and last the same as most other shadows during the day with a primer.

This photo is pretty blurry but you can see how dreamy 'Polymorph' looks.

With no flash the colors still have that true base of theirs although you don't much see their duochrome or sparkle. Which is another point I love about these shadows: some have micro fine glitter, some are metallic, some are almost matte with a bit of metallic to them, some are duochromes and all are definitely unique in their own way.

Amazing job Sophie and thank you so much for sending these to me! Definitely cannot wait for you to establish your business and until I get a full size of 'Polymorph' to use all the time without fear of running out.

MAKEUP: NYX Nude on Nude Palette Review

2011-08-06T16:28:00.000+09:30

How many people are now turning their noses up at NYX after the whole online sale fiasco (way back when)? Well certainly not me. For one, people complain too much. For another, a lot of people spend exorbitant prices on make up regularly so why not just buy NYX products at their regular prices? And finally, you try conducting a sale for make up fanatics - I'm sure you will be unprofessional at the end of the day too considering how rude a lot of make up fanatics are because they are displeased over the outcome of a sale. Rant aside, what I want to say is I could not give a damn about "boycotting NYX". I like their products so I'm still going to talk about them.

Growl. Snarl. Hiss. Huff. Puff...just kidding, nothing like that at all. I just want to appreciate good products without having to look like a "bad person" for "supporting" a company that has "wronged" people. All companies wrong people - they take your hard earned money. Over and over and over again. Enough said.

First and foremost, why I love NYX, one of the rare "brands" I will allow myself to love.

You see that? That deformed heart-for-ears bunny? NYX is CRUELTY FREE. This makes me especially happy as it is so difficult to find brands that make worthy products and do not test on animals. For me that is so important.

So what am I going to discuss today? If you haven't caught on already, I'm going to review the NYX Nude on Nude palette.

Everyone is going to say that this palette is the dupe of Urban Decay's Naked palette and it pretty much is a very enthusiastic dupe of it. I don't actually own a Naked palette so I can't really do a comparison and tell you what colors are identical and how it compares. I kind of don't want to jump on the Naked bandwagon, it is so overpriced and hyped up when all it is are pretty average colors that you use daily...so why not use a cheaper option?

Anyway, Nude on Nude offers 20 eye colors as well as 10 lip colors. My initial impression of the eye shadows offered wasn't exactly positive. I found the colors to be a mash up of random "neutral" colors and some colors just don't even look as though they belong. Undeniably there are colors that look amazing and I could not wait to try out but for the most part I didn't really feel like I could even use this on a daily basis. Perhaps it has to do with having 20 eye colors to choose from? It feels too tedious to use.

Here is a dry swatch of the colors - no primer, nada:

Nothing really stood out and this was swatched right after I first opened it. I was sorely disappointed and almost felt as though it was my punishment for not jumping on the Naked bandwagon! The colors didn't stand out, they all resembled one another (crazily enough) and seemed to disappear with the wind.

As for the lip colors provided, I normally do not like having lipsticks in palettes as you never get around to using them and for me I never like having to deal with a lip pencil. But knowing how lovely NYX lipsticks are I couldn't help but wonder if I would find any colors worth using from this palette.

Once swatched though my initial thought? HMPH. That's right. HMPH.

I'm going to go beyond the boundary and say that after swatching the lip colors and looking back on the eye shadows I realized that this palette is very much geared towards a certain type of person. Definitely not darker skin tones or olive or yellow skin tones - the latter two being what I am. I am slightly confused as to how pinks and reds are suitable colors to match with neutral colors. The colors swatched do not really seem to match these lip colors and to be honest the lip colors seem unnecessary in this palette. The eye shadows were overwhelmingly disappointing as it was but then to add on the disappointment of the lip colors too? Unbelievable.

So that was Day 1 with my Nude on Nude palette and here was my dry, no primer test of the shadows:

I don't think the pigmentation is that great nor do they make my eyes look attractive at all. If anything they make my eyes look even more dead. Nude is fine but completely void of life? Not so much.

So with Day 2 (not really, more like a few weeks later...), I decided to swatch the colors with some primer (Glitter Glue to be exact) and here are the results:

Much better. The colors definitely pop out more and stand out more as individuals. They look usable and more attractive as daily options. The paler colors aren't too chalky but might be too pale for me to use without having a darker color. The darker colors are complex, some are shimmery and seem to match up with the lackluster colors in the palette. Swatching them on Day 2 made me see the sense in the apparent mash up of colors. I think now I am more grateful for the infinite choices and never use the same combination (in a row).

Here is a look with primer. It is definitely much better and I quite like the darker colors which aren't too dark for daily wear.

As for the lip colors?

Well. I definitely will never use them. I look terrible.

Thus, having used it for a while now, I conclude that I like it overall. It is an excellent affordable option to the Naked palette although it is much better in that it provides you with more eye shadows and also lip colors. The palette is a bit bulky but not so much so that it will kill you to carry around. The colors definitely need a primer but are worth the extra effort.

What I definitely don't like are those lip colors, they are way too centered on a certain skin tone and just don't provide other skin tones any relief. So for me it's a waste, if I could remove it from the palette I would because it is a bit of a sore reminder that I don't have the ability to flaunt the colors.

piCture pOlish Blog Fest: Featuring 'Mint'

2011-07-25T00:00:00.003+09:30

When piCture pOlish announced that they wanted bloggers to review and feature a shade of polish from their collection for their Blog Fest I sold my nails to them without hesitation. I have kept them bookmarked forever and have never gotten around to purchasing some of the shades I routinely lust over. Why? Because I am not really fond of painting my nails and dealing with the hassle of chips and removal. However that has changed recently with the discovery of an amazing nail polish remover. Anyway, moving along, I was delighted when the girls of pp said they would be sending 'Mint' to me. I love green and I have yet to jump on the pastels bandwagon so perfect opportunity overall: get a pp polish finally, get a pastel color and get a gorgeous green shade.

One thing that I love the most about the polishes is how chunky and square the bottle is. It makes for easy squishing together and no wasted space. Am I just being overly picky over details? Maybe.

I was a little concerned upon taking a better look at 'Minted'. If you haven't caught on already from the photo above, you can clearly see the air bubbles at the top. These didn't disappear even after I did a vigorous tango with it across my room but they have since disappeared so probably not too much of a concern.

This is first application: no primer or base coat, just one coat of 'Minted' on its own, on my nail. I'm pretty disappointed by how all over the place it appears to be. Streaky on some nails, perfect one coat coverage on one nail and patchy coverage on another.

With these sort of nail polishes, I usually find that applying a second coat is a nightmare. It doesn't matter if you apply straight after - it will smudge the first coat. It doesn't matter if you apply it after a few hours of the first coat drying - the second coat won't apply smoothly. I did the latter and wasn't pleased with the results and how the brush dragged.

Here are some better lighting photos so you can see the true color and also how 'Minted' survived through its first hour on my nails...

As this photo shows, you can see how clumpy it looks and also my middle finger managed to get a streak of black from something - within the first hour! Impossible to get off as well so I had to make do.

The other hand (claw)? Same story. It's disappointing that 'Minted's formula is such a pain to work with. I may not use nail polish all the time but I am fairly competent at applying it and so I doubt it's my abilities that need to be questioned. However these complaints aside, the color is gorgeous and I love the finish of the polish, matte and shiny on its own but not overly so that it ruins the feel of the color. I question the name of the shade as this hardly strikes me as a mint color but I am grateful that it is a pastel green that matches my skin tone - it looks amazing on my nails and I don't look washed out.

Overall I thought I could be happy with the result despite the tricky application...however...

While trying to get a signal (if you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I regularly complain about my lack of coverage) I noticed at a certain angle that my nails looked hideous. I kid you not, perfect coverage seemingly until you tilt it under the light.

I don't know about you but for me it sickens me to see a streaky nail job. Needless to say, after seeing this under the light I didn't look at my nails again. The next day after a shower also proved that longevity of this polish is next to nothing as several of my nails had chipped which was all the excuse I needed to remove 'Minted' off my nails, very disappointing.

That is my first experience with 'Minted' and of course if you know what I'm like I like to be very thorough. So a few weeks later and a few days ago in fact, I decided to reapply 'Minted' but this time I decided to use my ORLY mini trio to help.

So with a primer and base coat, this is one application of 'Minted' and so far so good - application was much easier although it was still patchy. I'm not sure if the formula is possibly a little too runny because it felt like it slid over the base coat.

After a second coat - an hour after the first coat - it was apparent that possibly 'Minted's formula needs to be reformulated because it smudged the first coat. I was pretty shocked considering I had waited an hour for the first coat to dry. I barely moved my hand after getting this result and it took a century for this second...first...whatever coat to dry. Although application was easier the patchy part this time was the first coat moving under the second.

I'm not sure what to say. I desperately wanted this to be an overall shining review but I can't lie, this formula was too thick, resembled clay and is just too much of a hassle to apply unless you have a personal maid and hours for flawless application.

However, that said, it hardly dampens my whole pp lusting. This is a gorgeous color for my skin tone (tanned, olive, with a yellowish tinge, Asian - whatever and however you want to describe my skin tone) and I love the finish of it. I'm not sure if the air bubbles that were visible when I first received this was an omen that this particular polish formula wasn't going to be smooth sailing but I'm willing to give this a try over and over to see if possibly it can be applied in some way where it will shine the way it should.

Quickie: Recent Darling Girl Cosmetics Order

2011-07-23T14:26:00.000+09:30

Yet another order from my favorite indie brand of all time, Darling Girl Cosmetics. This time, I steered clear of my usual eyeshadow only order and instead purchased a Liquid Kiss, a Holo-Gloss, an Aqua Liner, my first full-size eyeshadow ever from DGC and a back up of Glitter Glue.

One of the best parts of DGC is that you can get not only samples and full-sizes but petit jars of eyeshadow too. I have always order petit jars as I have no need for full-sizes but when I discovered 'My Little Pony' (swatched over HERE as I didn't swatch it in this order) I wanted it full-size so I would never run out. So above is a comparison just to give anyone else who is a petit-only sort of customer like I am an idea of what to expect if you decide to go full-size.

Here is my order (minus the Glitter Glue, presumably I stashed it away in my hidden secret cave of wonders behind my bookcase as soon as I got it out of the packaging): Aqua Liner in 'Kuririn' on top, Liquid Kiss in '24K Rose' (left) and Holo-Gloss in 'Brown Eyed Girl', GWP in 'Hollywood' (left), full-size 'My Little Pony' (right) and two samples 'Ardor' (left) and 'Dulce de Leche' (right).

I wasn't too impressed with the Liquid Kiss I got unfortunately. I was excited by the description of '24K Rose' but in real life it fails to live up to it which is disappointing as I have little use for a sheer pink lip gloss. I'm trying my best to use it when I'm lounging around at home but for the most part it's laying unused in my makeup box.

The Holo-Gloss was at least much better. The pigmentation is enough that used alone it hides my lip pigmentation on my upper lip which is what I usually look for in lip glosses and lipsticks. In terms of being a Holo-Gloss, probably not the most out there holo you would find but still lovely enough to add a bit of character to any dull lipstick - particularly brown ones which makeup companies always neglect to spend more time on since they always cater for the shades lighter than browns.

I was quite happy with the Aqua Liner but somewhat unhappy with the color I chose, I have no idea why I didn't choose a standard dark color but I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone and try new things with 'Kuririn'. It is a very pretty color but for me I feel like putting it all over my eyelid and carrying it off an as eyeshadow instead.

As usual, nothing but wow-ed by the eyeshadows! I'm loving this particular trio of brown-ish colors and think I might actually get a full-size of 'Ardor' (oops, the swatch in the middle. 'Hollywood' is the first swatch and 'Dulce de Leche' is the third swatch).

Loving this mini order and definitely itching to get more DGC!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-07-21T20:02:00.000+09:30

Thank you everyone for entering The Suki Chronicles' one year giveaway! It means the world to me that a year on I have more followers than I ever imagined having. I'm not the best blogger and I know I'm never going to be a great blogger but I always offer you nothing but the true me in all of my posts.

So without further babble, there were 39 valid entries for the giveaway and so using Random Org, the winner of my giveaway is...

Congratulations Silhouette Screams! I have sent you an email and will wait 48 hours for your reply.

If the winner does not reply within 48 hours then a new winner will be chosen. Thank you again everyone for taking part!

Book Rave: Tiger's Quest

2011-07-20T15:46:00.001+09:30

You can read what I had to say about the preceding book to 'Tiger's Quest' HERE. Another mesmerizing read by Colleen Houck (you can follow her on Twitter here, I recommend it as she is one of those lovely authors who takes the time to talk to her fans!) and definitely a surprising one in some aspects.

In the first book, 'Tiger's Curse', I found the story a little difficult to initially get into but slowly came to appreciate Houck's style and found it pleasing that she developed a very firm sense of where she wanted the story to go throughout the book, I also found book one a little predictable. Now, with book two, 'Tiger's Quest', that is where it all changes. Houck immediately captivates you (either that or I was dying to know what happened next!) and although the story ought to lull she manages to keep it interesting which I appreciated and also she suddenly pulls the rug from under your feet and you are unsure of what happens next. I love that she has done that! Predictable in book one and then chaos in book two. I might have shed a tear at the end of the book...because I am sappy like that.

I am reluctant to do a summary about book two but lets just say that there is an interesting twist with another tiger in the picture and yet another whirlwind adventure through India.

The great thing about this series (and yes, series, there will be five books! Third book 'Tiger's Voyage' comes out November 1st 2011) is that the story escalates - if you haven't caught on already. With a tasteful first book a more mouthwatering book two and I'm guessing book three will be the spicy shock. Cheesy sort of reference on my part, I know, but I have no idea how else to put it!

I know this isn't much of a raving review to entice you but I'm hoping by pushing yet another post about this series in your face you might be a tad curious to check it out for yourself - do it, do it now.

Book Rave: Tiger's Curse

2011-07-16T19:11:00.001+09:30

Very rarely I will want to read a book all over again after I have finished it. Mostly because I have a photographic memory so I remember things for way too long, but also because rarely do I come across a book that makes me love it so much I cannot bear to put it back on its shelf.

When I picked up 'Tiger's Curse' by Colleen Houck, I was with Scott in a bookstore on an evening jaunt in the city. I was disappointed since I had yet to find a book truly worth splurging on and in a desperate sort of grab and partly because the tiger on the cover I reached for what would become a very loved book. Extremely cheap (in Australia nothing is "cheap", it shocks me how much money I spend in this country) and although the blurb did little to interest me I bought 'Tiger's Curse' and its sequel 'Tiger's Quest' (reviewed next). And proceeded to ignore them for months.

A few weeks back, lonely and craving to be home in Sri Lanka I thought 'Tiger's Curse' might give me slight comfort as it has some of its story in India. I read the prologue then put it back on the shelf, somehow unsure of whether the time was right for me to read it. A while later I picked it up and proceeded to read the first chapter which had me sticking my nose up slightly but pushing myself on I read chapter after chapter...until I found it was well past my bedtime and I had no intention of putting the book down!

A slow start and not exactly the best writing in the first chapter, Houck comes into her writing throughout the book (either that or I got used to her style...which I doubt since I am a VERY picky bookworm) and the story unfolds to be pretty predictable but mesmerizing all the same.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FROM NOW ON.

The prologue gives a hint of what is to unravel throughout the book, a tragic story of two brothers and a hint of mystery. Suddenly, the reader is thrown into modern day America with the lead character, Kelsey who is looking for a job. Mmm, excitement. After a rather quickly written job search and interview (possibly Houck was a little too keen to launch into the fabulous part of her tale?) Kelsey finds a job and to make it short, one of her responsibilities is a white tiger called Dhiren.

From there, Kelsey discovers that the tiger she is so very fond of has quite the story and soon she is on a journey of a lifetime, leaving America for India where she discovers mystery, family, love and more.

That is a very lazy summary on my part but hopefully enough to interest you. For me, this book has been amazing - it is an easy read but still complicated enough that you need to focus a little on what you are reading in case you miss out on details. The story, although as I said is predictable, is still captivating and made me daydream as well as dream about tigers for quite a while every time I put the book down.

What I love the most is how Houck has taken the time to research Indian culture, language, religion and food and has written about it all in the most attractive manner, I definitely approve and love that she hasn't just thrown together a few references to make her story a little exotic. This story is exotic and makes for a lovely daydream that it could happen to someone as average as us readers...or maybe that is just me?

Looking for something that will fill the void and craving for something a little supernatural (like a boyfriend who is a little more than ordinary)? Then definitely give this book a chance.

Darling Girl Cosmetics 'Glitter Glue' review

2011-07-16T18:39:00.000+09:30

As promised, here is my review of Darling Girl Cosmetics' Glitter Glue. To compare, I pit it against Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy and Evil Shades' Evil Eyes primer in Naked. My favorite primer thus far is Naked, I use it every time I wear makeup and only rarely when using a particularly glittery loose shadow will I reach for Pixie Epoxy - scandalous, I know. I'm not one to jump on bandwagons and I don't like being dishonest so there you have it.

If you want to see my Evil Shades Evil Eyes primer in Naked review then head over here for it so if you are unfamiliar with it you gain a better understanding of how it works.

It is no secret that I love Darling Girl Cosmetics so when Susan announced she had a primer for us I knew I had to get my hands on it. I was never won over enough by my Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy sample and my Evil Shades Naked was low and had started to turn a little unusable so I desperately needed a new love in my life.

Presented in a tube and looking a lot like real glue, there is a lot that impressed me about Glitter Glue.

To compare, when applied at first one thinks Glitter Glue will be a lot like normal glue but on the contrary it applies clear and dries quickly. It does not have the same stickiness that Pixie Epoxy has when it has dried but is slightly sticky but not to the extent that your eyelids stick together. Naked does not have the same liquid, clear result that Pixie Epoxy or Glitter Glue has and instead is almost a satiny, creamy texture that applies and feels like powder, no stickiness whatsoever but holds loose shadows wonderfully.

In the picture above, from left to right is Pixie Epoxy, Naked and Glitter Glue (if you didn't figure it out, the F, E, and D stand for Fyrinnae, Evil Shades, and Darling Girl...).

To test the primers I chose none of the respective company's products but instead chose a pressed shadow from my 88 palette and a loose shadow ('Knock Out') by Psyche Minerals.

And obviously the colors were chosen because they are my favorite colors - green and purple - in case anyone cared as to why I chose these particular colors.

For each, the top layer of each color is a very packed swatched while the bottom layer is a lightly dabbed swatch. If that didn't make sense, for the top layer I made sure there was a lot of product swatched while the bottom layer only has a little product swatched. Still confused? Oh well.

The reason why I did this was to show how well each primer "embraced" the product. In terms of the loose shadow, you can see that Naked has created a bit of a clumped effect. This is not true to the actual product but more because my Naked is old and possibly not as well mixed since a lot of unmixed product is on the surface these days so please excuse the swatches and refer to my original review of Naked for a more accurate review. For now, this is how it holds up so ignoring the clumpiness, all three primers do very well with the loose shadow but possibly Pixie Epoxy and Glitter Glue provide more vibrant results due to being a liquidy slash sticky texture. When dabbed lightly (the bottom layer), it is evident that Pixie Epoxy and Glitter Glue are battling it out as both have managed to capture enough color to stay vibrant whereas Naked struggles to maintain that same vibrancy as when it was packed with product.

In terms of the pressed shadow this is where all primers falter. Pixie Epoxy provides the same vibrant results how it is a little strained in maintaining even coverage, that is you can see how some product is "stuck" in one area implying that when on an eyelid it can be difficult to blend out products when using Pixie Epoxy. Naked barely holds together enough as does Glitter Glue however I like how both hold enough product that you can work with it and if necessary build it up. The flaw with Pixie Epoxy is that it captures too much product and although it shows off the true color of a product sometimes you want just a dab of the color. So in terms of daily wear I much prefer the faded effect Naked and Glitter Glue provide.

With the second layer of the pressed shadow swatch, when dabbed lightly Pixie Epoxy and Glitter Glue managed to maintain an almost identical amount as when packed with product whereas Naked looks like a days wear of eyeshadow.

Now for my real test. How do the primers hold up in monsoon weather? Hypothetically of course for most of you since I'm sure you would be nice and dry under an umbrella but for a tropical originating girl like me back home I can barely hold myself up in the rain let alone manage an umbrella. Long story short, a primer that won't be running down my face along with my mascara and liquid eyeliner would be preferable.

With slight showers (that is, a second under the tap) it would seem that Glitter Glue is the first to wash out a bit in terms of the loose powder swatches with Pixie Epoxy close behind while Naked looks happy as ever if not a little wet. With the pressed powders all seem to be a little washed out around the edges but otherwise still holding it together.

However a second downpour, heavier than the first drizzle really shows who can cope in the tropics (and considering I took Naked with me to Sri Lanka last year I can honestly say it does hold up in tropical weather - sweaty days are almost like a monsoon you know). With Pixie Epoxy and Glitter Glue looking pretty washed away down to the Amazon, Naked is still clinging on - both packed and slightly dabbed swatches.

Of course, a final trip down a very turbulent river proves that possibly Pixie Epoxy and Glitter Glue should have stayed home and let Naked go on the safari adventure instead.

Overall what do I think of Darling Girl Cosmetics's Glitter Glue?
- It works well daily and is very easy to use
- The packaging is a plus as a tube is much easier than a tub
- There is a lot of product
- It works well with all products, that is, loose and pressed shadows AND glitter which is what Susan made it for
- You can wash it off easier
- It is similar to Pixie Epoxy but better because you can blend shadows better with Glitter Glue than you can with Pixie Epoxy
- A little goes a long way
- Importantly, it is affordable

- It can a take a bit of time to dry before you apply shadows on and often I find one eyelid will look more vibrant than the other
- Creases, if you have oily lids then it will definitely crease your shadow at the end of the day

Dearest gorgeous 59 followers of mine,

2011-06-19T18:22:00.001+09:30

This post is to let you know that The Suki Chronicles first giveaway is officially here!

A year ago yesterday, I started TSC with this vague post. I had no idea what TSC would be about but I knew I wanted it to cover everything (hence why I take offense at being labelled a "beauty blogger", I much prefer "blogger" thank you very much) and it would only be a month and two days later that I posted my very first post. In the early days, TSC followed a strict weekly structure but as time went on I became a little more lenient with myself and encouraged my creativity to go crazy instead of being so routine when my real life is strictly routine as it is.

I'm sure no one really cares about the story of TSC so here are details of the giveaway instead:

The prize
Keeping true to my blog, the prize will be an array of items (not junk though!) but at this point I have only ordered one item and am still thinking about the rest. To make things interesting I have therefore decided that this giveaway will be a mystery giveaway! A giveaway is fun when you know what you're getting but how about if you waited until you got it? One prize is also something I would like to determine upon a winner being drawn, because there is nothing like getting a prize that doesn't suit you - don't you think? That's all I'm going to say though, freedom is yours to enter...

The rules
Rules are simple. This giveaway is ONLY for my current fifty-nine followers via Google Friend Connect. I cannot stress that enough. I'm not promoting this giveaway, I don't care for random entries or new followers. This giveaway is to appreciate y'all and so it's only fair that y'all get the chance to win this prize and not some newbie follower!

How to enter? Leave a comment with your GFC name and email (or if you prefer, your twitter name if you have one so if you do win I can request for your email through direct message on twitter instead). You can leave as many comments as you wish however you can only leave two comments a day. And you can say whatever you want in the comments, amuse me. THE FIRST COMMENT you post MUST have your GFC name and email/twitter name in order for any other comments of yours to be valid.

This giveaway ends on the 21st of July, 2011 and a winner will drawn through random.org and be announced either on the 21st or 22nd and will be contacted then as well.

I believe that's all so best of luck, thank you for being so supportive of TSC and comment in this post to enter my one year anniversary giveaway!

The magic of Darling Girl Cosmetics (plus Dazzlepants)

2011-06-16T21:24:00.000+09:30

First column down: I Know What Boys Want, Smoke, New Beginnings, Butterfly Flutterby

Second column down: My Little Pony, Saddle Up, Mr. Ed

Third column down: A Horse With No Name, Black Arabian, Plum Blossoms

Fourth column down: Mustang, Unicorn

This post started off as an inspired swatch post (who was the inspiration? Read on and you will find out) but then I thought I couldn't just leave it at swatches. Here's a WARNING: graphic images ahead!...Of very close up skin cells. So if you're squeamish about that sort of thing, AVOID (gosh you're weird by the way, no offence).
I normally would never do this but this is how much I love Darling Girl shadows - I want to talk about these shadows in depth because they truly show how much Susan has amped up her colors and what she provides us with. What does she provide us with? In my opinion she provides us with absolute beauties at a steal of a price and I seriously think she is amazing for giving us products that - for me - are pretty priceless. It is because of Darling Girl Cosmetics that I never get the urge to run to a M.A.C counter or splurge on the more expensive brands because somehow I feel I get everything and more with DG.

Without further yabber about my fanatical love for DG, let me talk about the shadows. Can you still see them? Tough, scroll up. I still have them on my hand (or fine, there's another photo below), swatched, now so I can look at them and give you an exact description. And let me tell you, some of these colors are just dancing in the light. It's marvelous.

The Pixie Sprinkles - I Know What Boys Want and Smoke - are truly gorgeous things. I normally prefer to steer clear of glittery eye products. Somehow I feel I'm at the age now where even a bit of glitter screams "I want to hold on to my youth!". That's just me though so if you wear glitter good on you for not feeling your age as I do.

This is where it changes with these two Pixie Sprinkles - they are subtle glitters. I Know What Boys Want is a gorgeous purple with smatterings of pink and a dusting of blue with also a cheeky glint of silver...

...whereas Smoke is a blackened green or black even, with green and gold fighting it out throughout with coppery specks dominating over the two.

These glitters are not kiddy glitters, they are definitely very adult glitters (oooh, R rating right there), complex and wearable even if you are still hesitant as I am at times when I look at them. Just a little dab in the corner of your eye, even a thin line across a darker look and it is amazing what it can do for you. It does not irritate me, being a hard contact lens wearer, and it is easy to take off.

Truly glitter from pixies, I'm sure Susan has connections.

Now, the inspiration behind this post - Jerry Dazzlepants, as you may call her - who made me feel guilty after in this post I had failed to swatch what I had received. So Jerry, the next two are for you - swatched in heart form because I adore you and your blog to no end (and think everyone reading this should adore her and her blog too) (:

New Beginnings was my gift with purchase in the order and fittingly signifies Susan's relaunch of DG. At first glance it appears to be a dark, matte purple but you look closer and you can see how it is a smokey purple without even being blended out and within those deep, dark purple depths are very, very fine dots of red. It is a very royal color in my opinion, subtle but still not average.

Butterfly Flutterby, that name alone makes you feel lifted up into fluffy white clouds and...no? Oh. Must just be me then. Anyway it was my free sample and at first I thought I would pretty much never use it...and I never did. Until I swatched it for this post and ironically enough accidentally packed on a bit too much so gently blew the excess powder away...and do you know what Butterfly Flutterby did?
As though it were a real butterfly - I flipping kid you not okay - it left a trail of delicate, very delicate, gold. You don't believe me? Get this shade, pack it on your hand and gently blow away the excess (would probably work better if you had primer in its path to catch it). Enough said.

My absolute favorite shade EVER made by Susan I think has got to be My Little Pony. Not only because I have always wanted my very own My Little Pony (talking about the actual toy now okay) collection that I finally got around to starting when I was sixteen (yes, I had to start one at that age after being denied all those years) but because it is a very soft lilac.

My Little Pony will make you squeal as though you were six (or sixteen in my case) again and getting a My Little Pony. It morphs, from that soft lilac, to a fierce, blinding (seriously) golden-blue. I want to wear this forever. And I think I will.

Saddle Up is the sensible one of the lot, a matte peachy-cream it was as hard to swatch as the name would indicate. Get what I mean? Because saddling up a horse is tricky at times? No? Yes? This color is absolutely wonderfully thick...like cream. A little definitely goes a long way so make sure you don't waste it.

I was apprehensive of Mr. Ed, as you would be of a talking horse. I am hardly a fan of pastel colors but when swatched Mr. Ed is not at all a pastel color, no siree! He turned out to be a frosty peach with plenty of shimmer. Very nice to dab in the inner corners and that's your look I reckon, Mr. Ed will do all the talking for you...

Barely there and living up to its name, A Horse With No Name is a soft [mare] color. For me it is possibly a skintone color with a bit of oomph. A soft brown with almost like a slick of purple on top, clouding the brown slightly and possibly why it is so invisible. So lovely.

Ah, the very bold Black Arabian, such a great dark brown with light gold specks. It is definitely an incredible crease color but I'm quite curious to just wear it entirely over my lid, on its own, mmm, I can imagine how fabulous it will be just thinking about it.

Now, these two tricksters need to be put together. Plum Blossom was on top of Mustang, and as a horse would he flicked the blossom away. I came along and thought it a little peculiar that Mustang seemed to have a bit of a pink shimmer to him so I tried dusting him off thinking that pesky blossom left her trace on him but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't dust that pink away.

Plum Blossom, a vibrant dark, metallic pink that intimidates me so very much but would be quite lovely in the inner half of your eye and with a darker shade on the outer half.

Now look to Mustang and tell me, does he look as he does in his bag? Er, its bag I mean? On my hand, I am puzzled, I wonder if I have swatch another color but, no, it is certainly Mustang, hardly the milk chocolate brown that it is in the bag, when swatched it is a gorgeous almost plum shade. Incredible.

And finally, my possible next favorite after My Little Pony is of course Unicorn. Such a shy blue in its bag, when swatched it is quite magical: white and then pink and then purple and then almost just made of glitter. I sigh, just looking at it.

And that concludes swatches! Hope you enjoyed me going off on a story tale sort of tangent, I guess writing essays all week long has gotten me a little too inspired to write anything other than something resembling an informative essay.

Exhibit A: Pale + Tan = NO

2011-06-15T10:16:00.001+09:30

The Crime: Perpetrator, heavily tanned, tries to take advantage of victim thinking she could get away with it

The Victim: Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in 006 Pink Blush

Perpetrator: Heavily tanned Suki

Verdict: Tanned girls why do you think you are so attractive this way? You're not. I don't find myself attractive at all and this is why I steer clear of "nude pinks" or "nude nudes" - you want nude? Wear lipbalm over your natural lip color. See how foolish this color looks without the slutty dress and overdone makeup? Steer clear, especially of blue toned pinks which do not compliment a yellow toned tan girl in any way.

Darling Girl Cosmetics order after reopening

2011-06-08T17:15:00.000+09:30

I made an order as soon as Darling Girl Cosmetics reopened earlier in the year and am really late with this "haul" and I'm wondering why I didn't post about it as soon as I received it since it was so very spectacular - if you order anything from DG usually it will brighten your day like no other!

The first thing I noticed were the changes in branding. Susan, owner of DG, has really changed up her labels to suit the feel that DG gives off - which in my opinion is very feminine, broadly ranged and lovely. What I love the most is everything is girly but not too girly, for example like her business card which has a pale pink flower but then everything else is gray. I love that combination and think it gives DG a mature girly feel so you don't feel like you're buying Barbie brand makeup or something to that effect.

One thing I especially love the most is how clean my order was - Susan has always been careful with packaging and I never found anything to complain about but there have always been little things like slight leaks with sample bags (this happens with any other Indie brand too, I'm assuming it's because most people spill a little while putting a teaspoon sample into a bag because of time constraints and/or tiny spaces in the bag seal that leaks powder regardless while in the post) and with this order there was definitely next to no leaks!

There is nothing like being able to open a sample bag without fear of getting dirty fingers or having a spill. With another company I order from I never use their samples after I swatch them because the annoyance of getting grubby fingers without even opening the bags is not worth it. So I was very pleased to find my samples from Susan were clean and just screaming for me to use them and use them I have that's for sure!

The above are samples I ordered from various collections, but most are mainly from the All The Pretty Little Horses collection. I'm actually confused as to why I didn't swatch them at the time I took the photos but now I recall it was because I was too stingy! I definitely think I'm getting most of these in petite or full sizes because they are amazing for daily wear.

In addition to the samples I got, Susan put in a free sample which is something she has always done which is great because there is nothing like free samples...that just tempts you further!

What I love about the colors DG offers is that they are not too bright or too shimmery that you cannot wear them but they are perfect - absolutely darn perfect - for daily wear.

Along with my samples I got a petite of My Little Pony (I regret not getting a full size!) and Pixie Sprinkles in I know what boys want and Smoke. I also received New Beginnings (an eyeshadow) as a gift with purchase! Loving it!

And yes, the Pixie Sprinkles are just what you think they are - ultra fine micro glitter (definitely safe for your eyes). I took the sifter off mine when I used it since it is way more easier to use instead of trying to bang out some Pixie Sprinkles because you really don't get any through the sifter. No big deal really, just pop off the sifter and pop it back on (trust me, you want to put it back on just for security) after you are done.

Quick packaging note, I'm not sure I like the change with the jars Susan has made, that is, the sticker on the lid. Prior to having the sticker on top with DG on it and a flower there was nothing at all so the jar was just clear and you could see what the color was. Now with the sticker on top and a sticker on the bottom too I feel it slows me down a little if I encounter a color I'm unsure about and I'm wondering if when in the future I order more jars whether this will tempt me into taking the stickers off since sometimes names really don't help you remember what color you're dealing with. Cute new addition to personalize things but not so very practical if you are tight for time and need to just grab colors.

Back to the order, I got Banshee (Liquid Kisses lipgloss) which is a purple shade which I wanted as a "dupe" of By Terry's Laque De Rose Tinted Replenishing Lip Care in Devil Rose (whew, that's such a mouthful) and I think is perfect enough for me! I see no point in splurging on brands when, really, it's a freaking lip gloss. And DG makes amazing, affordable products that are quickly replacing all my more costly "branded" splurges. Banshee is love, absolute love.

Despite it looking rather dark in the tube, Banshee goes on quite sheer and gives a stain of purple to your lips.

I swatched it thickly and sheered it out so you can see the difference - it looks yummy for some reason! Almost like gooseberry jam...which I recall from a fairytale or something, it just popped out of nowhere. Is gooseberry jam even purple? Is there even such thing as gooseberry jam? Which story did I get this from?!

I have been hesitant with embracing purple lip gloss as I often think it looks as though I have a bad case of frostbite or something similar...or as though I have drunk too much red wine, always a bit of a gross look in my opinion.

However I'm beginning to grow more fond of purple shades - it is my favorite daily eyeshadow color of choice so why not lip color too?

Anyway, moving along. I also purchased DG's Glitter Glue which I will provide a review for tomorrow. Let me just say now: best $5 ever.

One of the new products Susan has made available since reopening were a gorgeous array of Holo-glosses. Since I have a pigmented line on my upper lip (as you can see in my Banshee swatch photos above) I tend to steer clear of sheerer lip colors and opt for darker ones or frosty pale ones that hide the pigmentation so I told Susan I wouldn't purchase any samples or full sizes of the Holo-glosses since I would only like to wear them on their own and can't do so (I don't like the pigmentation of my lips canceling out sheer colors, it looks too busy).

Susan being beyond kind still sent me a sample so I wouldn't miss out on the fun and she has gotten me hooked! And has possibly reeled me in too and I'm on the verge of sinking...in love for her Holo-glosses! The one she sent me is Raspberry Beret and is an absolutely gorgeous light lilac-pinkish shade with golden-coppery glitter.

Look how gorgeous it is! It is probably my most precious DG item and I love it!

On my left finger is Raspberry Beret on its own and on the right finger it is over (or more or less combined) with a lipstick.

With the right finger a little clearer. How gorgeous is it on its own though? I wish I didn't have to wear it over a lipstick but I quite like it anyway.

These definitely do live up to their holo claims and give your lips a very pretty sparkle that will keep you captivated if you talk to yourself in a mirror...and of course I didn't do this...for long.

The only problem I have with this gloss is that it tends to settle into the lines after a while - on its own or even when its on top of a lip color so you will have to be careful and make sure you don't end up with a zebra effect.

I leave you now (for the moment) with a look I did using My Little Pony (all over lid), I know what boys want (inner corner) and Banshee. And yes, these photos are from way back when I still had long hair (told you this post was way overdue) and my bangs were overgrown so I had to push them aside.

I added some teal (on lid) and blue (water line) eyeliner to make things a little funky.

Can you see how My Little Pony morphs? There are only two colors on my lid! That "middle color" which resembles a gold is actually My Little Pony reacting to light! Incredible.

Overall I am very happy (as usual) with my DG order and cannot wait to order from Susan again! I definitely recommend checking out some of her newer collections as well as the newer products she has to offer. Keep an eye out because she is expanding DG and doing skincare products now too! Susan truly is amazingly creative.

FCTM: "CrashingRed" with FOA

2011-06-07T12:20:00.002+09:30

There aren't very many fashion bloggers I keep up with but I have about three absolute favorites and one is the gorgeous Maria from Crashing Red. She is honest with her style and I love how she doesn't wear what everyone else is wearing right now - to me, that isn't fashionable, I love it when bloggers are stylish and trendy but in their own unique way incorporating their own style.

So today when I took a moment (from doing a 50% essay due on Friday) to breathe, I thought I would try out Face Of Australia's Titanium.

This is where Maria comes in! Earlier today I was reading her post of the day and somehow the color combination of silver and red stuck with me so I got Face Of Australia's Flaming Lava as well. I definitely dedicate this combo to Maria! I think this is my way of pairing silver and red, except just more emphasis on the silver instead of the red.

Suki Says: If you're hosting a giveaway...(plus, details of my giveaway)

2011-06-01T16:09:00.001+09:30

Don't judge me, I'm just a tsunami of a person

This post is due to two giveaways I have won...over two-three months ago. And I have not received the prizes nor have I even received an apology for delay or whatever reason there may be behind why I have yet to receive these prizes. Now this is not me complaining about not receiving these prizes - I could not care less truthfully - but what I do care about? The fact that you see a mad scramble by random people to enter giveaways and then these bloggers hosting these giveaways gain a mass following afterward all due to the measly chance of winning a cult item or what have you. And then disrespect their winners by failing to send the prize.

If you are hosting a giveaway do it for the right reasons, don't say "follow me here and there and over there oh and don't forget yonder too" because, really, is that the right thing to do if you are celebrating your blog's anniversary for example? It confuses me when I see giveaways that have this extensive list of rules for you to get through before you can even submit an entry. Sure, I can't deny I don't enter these but since I have my own blog giveaway planned soon I can't help but think whether I really want to tell my followers to go on a mad sheep chase only to have a 1 in (currently) 51 chance of winning a prize.

That said, when I host my giveaway here is what I promise you:
1. The giveaway will be only for the followers I already have, none of this "retweet and inspire every other Jack and Johnny to enter (SQUEE, more followers for me!)" bullshit

2. My blog is coming up to its one year since created and one year since I officially started blogging, the time between these two events is about a month and two days so I am hoping for my giveaway to start from either the one year mark since my blog was created or two days after that date

3. If you win I will actually send you your present, even if you live on Neptune you will get it, also I will notify you of when you win, confirmation of posting it off to you and expect to hear if you received it or not

Face Of Australia...face

2011-05-30T17:20:00.000+09:30

(I received these products for free from Face Of Australia. Everything in this post is my honest opinion and I am in no way paid to promote them.)

I cannot thank Face Of Australia enough for swooping in hours before I had a promo shift and giving me foundation that matches my skin tone (oops, just spoiled part of my "review"). I have been skipping foundation lately as the one I own is a shade too light and I'm still testing out the ones I got sent from Fashion Addict for looks I plan on doing (meaning, I feel bad using it for personal reasons) but due to a lot of stress I have a lot of pimples just smattered around my face...so foundation was needed.

In my video in this post I said I would tell you how the products were for me so here goes!

So I finally understand what primers are meant to do...sort of. Essentially they are meant to ease the lines on your face and create a workable, smooth base for you to apply foundation, etc. on. I still have no idea what they really do though since it just feels like it's an additional product you slap on your face.

After putting face moisturizer on I was a bit reluctant about putting yet another product on and so unfortunately for me I think FOA's Face Base Primer is not really a product I would invest on but that said I think for those of you who appreciate the "wonders" of primer then this is a great product. It is very light, applies well and smells great and yes, it quite possibly is as amazing as every blogger who has used it seems to be screaming from the rooftops.

When it comes to foundation, I always get confused. Some people use a liquid foundation then put a powder foundation on top and...it just puzzles me. I think it is to set the liquid foundation but liquid foundation usually dries to a powder-like finish anyway and why would you want to lighten your face any further when a lot of people tend to miss the fact that their face color doesn't end up matching their neck or bodies afterward (really unattractive ladies, it just makes you look stupid, surely you're not that blind especially when the photos appear on social networking sites).

Rant aside, I decided to try out FOA's Expert Finish Mousse Foundation in Tan because mousse foundations are usually ones I steer clear off. I always envision a very...creamy, mousse-y result. Yes, perhaps I'm thinking too much along the lines of the dessert (if you know me though you will know food dominates my thoughts) but I couldn't help it. Still, I questioned how it would sit on your face upon application and whether it would just scoop away when you run a spoon along y...oh, I meant, whether it would move if you applied product on top of it, like blush.

I used a sponge (oh horror) because now that my nails are longer I quite dislike getting foundation stuck under them...not that I use my nails to apply foundation, I use my fingers but you get what I mean with the nails right?

Application was easy and I felt nervous since it really melted away into my skin (it seemed to) and I felt the need to dab on more but chose to do a light layer. It paid off and I ended up with a nicely covered, foundation-y face, that is it had a powder-like finish that I am used to achieving with liquid foundation. The color matches me perfectly and the texture was a dream to work with - I now realize why it's a foundation option, I might actually prefer it over liquid foundation!

Ah, the other product that confuses me (no, not primers, refer above). Here we have FOA's Translucent Loose Powder which, as you can see in the photo above, looks like it's for a ghost! In truth, I packed it on my hand as so you could see the product because when you blend it it really does disappear no matter your skin tone, and as you can see I'm fairly tan.

Again, another product I'm hesitant about as I don't see the need in it. Foundation for me always makes my face flawless and set and even then just wearing it alone suffocates my skin. With moisturizer, primer and foundation already on my face I sighed in resignation as I applied some of the powder hoping I would get sweaty during my shift as to my knowledge that is the point of this powder? And also instead of using powder foundation after liquid or mousse foundation a loose powder is probably better? So many questions I'm...really not dying to know the answers to.

What I love about it? It blends into any skin tone and possibly might be nice to use on it's own come to think about it. Unfortunately as I was freezing my arse off during my shift despite being indoors (damn balcony bar that sent a breeze throughout the top floor of the casino...) I didn't work up a sweat to test the powder out. Wait, why would I have to work up a sweat again? I'm so confused, what am I testing? What do I know?

This is why I still don't understand make up.

When I got to FOA's Pressed Powder in Bronze I was relieved, finally a product I know how to use! Initially I thought this would be very pigmented but even after mashing at it like a 5-year child with curious fingers it still gave a subtle color payoff which is lovely and easy to work with. I usually prefer matte bronzers and don't much like shimmer in general when it comes to face products but this didn't give off too much of a shimmer but instead provided a nice highlighting shimmer. The only thing with this is I wish it were not so shimmery and more pigmented so I could use it to contour as well.

Here is my Face Of Australia face that I did for Saturday night:

If you are still with me, I'm glad you read my blog for what it is and not for beauty blogging which some people assume is what The Suki Chronicles is about. This wasn't a comprehensive review by any means and I am probably the worst person to ask when it comes to face products as the first thing I will do is gag and protest over having so much laden on my face. As a model unfortunately (who is still in the process of retiring, why won't the industry declare me "too old" and let me go already!) a made up face is crucial even if you have a near flawless one.

So what I loved about the Face Of Australia products featured above?
- They are all affordable. If you live in Australia check out any Priceline (and I think some other places have it but I have no idea what they are called) but if you are overseas then you are in luck because Fashion Addict has pretty much the entire Face Of Australia collection online
- They were easy to use and a pleasure to use, some products you are just too reluctant about based on their texture and smell but FOA makes amazingly workable textured and gorgeous smelling but not overpowering products
- For those who do make up daily, these would be amazing to use on a daily basis
- There is a relatively broad collection available for the basic skin types
- They have different varieties of different products, e.g. liquid, powder, mousse, stick foundation

What I didn't really like or what didn't strike my fancy about the above?
- This is a common problem for me no matter what I use so it probably isn't FOA's fault but I found I broke out the next day, this usually happens whenever I do a full face of foundation since I do it so rarely and my face hates it. If you're like me and have this same problem where your face protests with pimples then FOA products do the same thing as every other brand
- I would love it if FOA broadened their color range, I know they may not have much of a market here in Australia (wait, hang on...no, they would) but for me I would love to recommend them to friends and family yet won't do so because none of the colors would suit these individuals. I'm the last dark shade in their range so beyond that, which is what my Mother is being full Sri Lankan, there is nothing on offer for those who would want suitable shades

So in conclusion, I'm glad I've given Face Of Australia a second chance, I've been quite harsh when it comes to them, not being impressed by much (until I got to their face wipes really) but they truly do deliver great staple products that I would recommend.

When the Adelaide Beauty Bloggers Meet #3

2011-05-29T12:44:00.001+09:30

(Photo from Stacey)

And so another month passed and another ABBM has come and gone and I find myself wondering just how it could have happened in a blink of an eye and then I realize it is because it was tremendous fun. If you didn't know already, time flies when you're having fun you see.

This time we were lucky enough to meet as a big group and it was sensational! Of course we had Celeste of Becoming Beautiful who did an amazing job of organizing yet another meet up at Greek restaurant Eros Kafe (we thank you for enduring our craziness) and also brought us a very wonderful surprise! However, before I get into that the cast of the third ABBM included Stacey of Pop Makeup, Michelle of Eat Paint Sniff Glue, Neena of Princess Neena, Saku of Rozen Saku, and Kirsten of Commander in Chic! It was way too much fun finally getting to know those I had missed out on meeting at the second ABBM and it was great finally getting Kirsten joining our cult...I mean, meet ups.

We tucked into a delicious lunch (I had the Eros Mediterranean which was so very yummy! I think the olive tapenade won me over completely, YUM!) and chattered away happily while sneaking furtive looks at goodie bags tucked under our chairs or sitting in front of us.

What were these goodie bags you ask? They were beautiful, glossy black bags with FACEOFAUSTRALIA on them! I go through the contents in this video:

However, in short, this is what our bags contained! (You can see their Face Base primer, Pressed powder in Bronze, Translucent Loose Powder and Expert Finish Mousse Foundation in Tan in action in this LOTD.)

(Photo from Celeste)

Thank you so much Face of Australia for giving us such a wonderful array of products! We love you even more - in my case I'm definitely glad you have given me products that have changed my way of thinking and I think you have successfully won me over!

After much squealing, swatching and even some swapping we all decided it was time to move on and possibly secure some more Face of Australia products from our local Priceline! I wish I had realized when we trooped off there that I needed to get the last Molten Metallics color in Gold but oh well, next time!

We all settled into Gloria Jean for some downtime (plus coffee) and chattered away happily for a while before I had to make a move and get to university and then prepare for work. I think the lovely ladies moved on to the Benefit counter but you might have to ask one of them what happened next!

Overall a fabulous day and my favorite part of these meet ups is meeting the gorgeous girls behind the blogs I read religiously - read their blogs, follow them on twitter and just get to know them because each and every one of them is priceless and I definitely am counting down until we next meet again!

Once again, thank you so much Celeste and Face of Australia for making our third ABBM such a treat!

LOTD: Modeling is work

2011-05-29T12:12:00.002+09:30

Last night I covered a shift for my friend and boy do I now understand why she hated what she had to wear for it! Unfortunately I was given my attire for the night upon arriving at the venue so I don't have photos of it, which is a shame since it was a relatively nice gold dress. Although if you are wearing a gold dress (with a sash that says 'REWARDS') and walking around a casino...well you get a lot of comments along the lines of "ho ho ho, whoring out tonight" or "hooker" or "I'm getting rewarded tonight for sure!" and other obscenities. Luckily I was working with a very nice guy so needless to say I stayed by his side towards the latter part of the night.

Anyway, the look I decided to do was a purple look with no hint of black (other than my eye color, hair and heels, d'oh) - I wanted to be different as I keep doing a black liner, eyeshadow look every time I model or a neutral look so I thought color would be good to go with the gold. Plus it had to be OTT - ah, casinos, they are such interesting places.

Tuesday Thinks: Music inspires me

2011-05-24T10:09:00.001+09:30

It's Tuesday and I'm looking for inspiration

She is beautiful and I love this.

Favorite Combo of The Moment (FCTM): FOA Nails

2011-05-17T14:54:00.000+09:30

Face Of Australia (FOA) recently launched their Molten Metallics collection and it has hit the blogging realm like crazy: the reviews on the collection are everywhere.

What I'm going to say about them? They are affordable, regular nail polishes. Unfortunately they are certainly not from the heavens above like everyone makes them out to seem. Out of the entire collection I found only Iron Ore and Verdigris interesting enough to pick up. Iron Ore because it reminds me of my boyfriend and Verdigris because my favorite color (way before purple) is green and also I love how it is heavily gold based too.

So what I recommend? These two polishes together. Amazing.

Can we just call it quits?

2011-05-11T12:34:00.001+09:30

No, not in terms of a relationship. This is based on a personal incident and when something along the lines happened to my "Twin", Renee (who is the author of the amazing blog Beauty Fool), and she tweeted about it last night I thought it was about time I rant about this. It has been a while since I last ranted about anything blog related or how Bloggers blog but I thought this is becoming a bit more of an issue recently...

What exactly got me irked? To start off, recently in my life I became aware of a person I knew apparently taking offense over a tweet I made and then labeling me as superficial...because blogging about beauty is not very worldly in her opinion (by the way, her opinion is valid; I hate people who attack other peoples opinions). If she knew me better though she would understand why I have this superficiality in my life but unfortunately she based her opinion of me just on one tweet which sadly wasn't even about her nor was it related enough that it gave her reason to attack my blog.

My blog is not based on beauty. I do not categorize myself as a beauty blogger because I honestly could not give a damn about rating beauty products every single time I want to blog. When I do blog about beauty, I say what I think but you shouldn't come here for a comprehensive analysis on products. There is absolutely nothing wrong with beauty blogging or comprehensive product reviews but that is not for me, I can't see myself caring that much. I like talking about products and giving my perspective on it because how many people out there might be like me: without an iota of understanding when it comes to paraben free or differing textures?

That said, yes, as of late my posts have been predominantly beauty ones, but I do try to throw in the non-beauty ones in between as well. Recently I haven't done so because I have been going through personal issues that doesn't translate well when I try blogging generally so the easiest option and distraction is to blog about beauty. I turn to trivial things when I need to stop thinking, it isn't a bad thing and it actually is good for stabilizing a bad mood or temper.

This incident led me to being irritated over how Bloggers are attacked for "not blogging about one thing". Who is to dictate what a Blogger blogs about? Yes, there are specific blogs out there, so why don't you take a hike and find one that suits your specific needs? Even so, I think it is ridiculously silly to throw a hissy fit if the Blogger chooses to blog about something unrelated to what their blog may be about. There is no one forcing any Reader to read a particular blog post, if it isn't your cup of tea (or coffee as in my case) then why bother reading it past the title or first few lines? This is what puzzles me, in a world where we have all the freedom and choices to make people still act offended and restricted as though they are being strapped into a chair and tortured against their will...when in fact they are doing it to themselves.

So without ranting endlessly, let me just clear it up in simple terms:
1. Bloggers have the right to do as they please with their blogs
2. If the above doesn't please you then find another blog
3. If the above still doesn't please you, why don't you try writing a blog that suits your needs?
4. Attacking Bloggers is ridiculous, no one really cares to "suck your" whatever and "die" - what does that have to do with an upside down peach cake?

And most importantly:
If you think The Suki Chronicles is based on one area only then you are mistaken and perhaps you should move on before I suddenly write about my childhood imaginary friends and it leaves you disturbed for life.

When Adelaide bloggers meet up...again!

2011-04-30T22:35:00.001+09:30

So the last time there was a blogger meet up it was on a rather small scale with just Celeste of Becoming Beautiful, Stacey of Pop Makeup and myself meeting up for a lunch, cupcakes and good conversation. Today there was a bigger turn out (despite some of us not being able to stay for long or attend most of it unfortunately but still!) of Adelaide-ian bloggers (and I think we can say now that there are some of us who aren't just 'beauty' bloggers but all-rounder bloggers more specifically - I know I for one am the latter!).

The bloggers of today? Celeste of Becoming Beautiful of course who arranged todays meet up as well and is simply amazing for also bringing goodies for us! Stacey of Pop Makeup who apparently looked gorgeous in her wedding attire (I wish I saw you!), Michelle of Eat Paint Sniff Glue (whom I didn't get to meet unfortunately!), Neena of Princess Neena, and Saku of Rozen Saku with whom I spent hours with after everyone left chatting away! Unfortunately we couldn't get Kirsten of Commander in Chic today but hopefully we get her at our next meet up!

The beautiful ladies (and a very special guest as well as Celeste's housemate) all went for Yum Cha at Zen House which I had to miss because I had to finish off my politics essay - seriously devastated! But I worked hard enough so I could meet Celeste (and her housemate!), Neena and Saku at Cocolat for coffee later in the afternoon. After Celeste, her housemate and Neena left Saku and I had a great afternoon/evening filled with amazing talks about our lives and...fish. That is probably all I will tell you about our time together!

Celeste is sooo wonderful for giving us some goodies! You spoil us already by visiting us every month, I definitely cannot wait for your longer visit next month! Thank you for the BYS lipstick in Coral Kiss - probably a bit too bright for me but it will be well loved in a special giveaway coming up.

What I missed at lunch was a very special guest - Owen from The Face Shop! How exciting and I was even more devastated I missed out on meeting him. However, later on while Saku and I were going all over Rundle Mall looking through shops we couldn't resist but visit The Face Shop (and I think I will probably spend ALL my money on their seriously gorgeous new eye shadows which can be chosen and put into a palette thus creating your own custom palette!) and I got to meet Owen who then gave me a goodie bag...

I am still in serious shock over how nice he is and I think I want to camp outside The Face Shop now with big huge banners proclaiming my undying devotion to them! Not just because he was SO nice as to give me a goodie bag but because what he gave us all?

For one, is simply too generous and amazing! And for another? Everything from The Face Shop from what I know is not test on animals! And this is most important to me these days as I give up numerous brands and so knowing that at least one that I do shop from is animal friendly is SUCH a relief! Thank you so very much Owen, this made me a very happy girl seeing as I only just purchased a face mask the other day thinking it would be my only treat for a while and you give us all this amazing array of face masks! Definitely hugging these and sleeping tonight...or possibly rampaging through the rest of this weekend so I have a good excuse to try one tomorrow night!

Such an amazing day and I am so glad I managed to meet Neena and Saku as well as catch up with Celeste again. Looking forward to the next chapter of the Adelaide Meetups!

I leave you with my look for today - Darling Girl Cosmetics, featuring the new All The Pretty Little Horses collection and my newly chopped hair!

The Royal Wedding - My 10 favorite moments

2011-04-29T22:28:00.001+09:30

The Royal Wedding - whether you loved it or hated it...I really couldn't care less because I actually loved it. At first I wasn't even sure if I would be able to tune in for it as my internet quota for the month was running out and I had a politics essay to [never] complete but I ended up tuning in as I had to be a part of history. Even if it was via YouTube's live streaming of it courtesy of BBC.

Without further ramble (I still have to do that politics essay!) here are my ten favorite moments from the Royal Wedding (why am I automatically capitalizing that? Gee whiz, it has definitely gotten the better of me!):

When Catherine arrived at Westminister

Totally a 'Father of the Bride' moment - at least to me! I always love this intimate last walk a father and daughter will do, I definitely teared up.

The view of Westminister - interior

Such a beautiful aerial view, I loved how Catherine chose to decorate as well.

When Prince William and Catherine finally got to stand together

They are so perfect together...even if they admittedly looked bored for most of the ceremony thereafter.

In the carriage, officially married

When Prince William looked skywards for a while when the carriage left Westminister I had to wonder whether he was thinking of Princess Diana then...or wondering if it would rain any minute.

Procession after the ceremony

So beautiful...the gray horses that pulled the royal couple's carriage I mean.

Respect

Every time they both paid their respects - Prince William saluting and Catherine bowing her head down gracefully - it made me proud...for no apparent reason.

That first kiss...

...which could have been a lot better (and then they kissed again so that made up for it!...P.S. Stacey, eat your heart out with that severe blush line!)

Big big BIG planes

Need I say more? I swooned, even if you may not have.

Big big BIG planes zooming over palace

Refer to earlier statement in picture 8

The end of a fairytale wedding

...or well, a regular wedding just with a dash of royalty

Update on pets (and an excuse to test a video)

2011-04-28T17:27:00.001+09:30

Since losing our hermit crabs my life has been way too quiet especially since Scott left for America for two weeks (although he's returning this Sunday).

So I had to fill the absence of our Boys and did so with these amazing Fantails!...Which Scott has yet to find out about so hopefully when he returns home this weekend he won't throw a fit ;)

Also, here is my friend Abbey's gorgeous Siamese Fighting fish!

BYS face products review

2011-04-28T15:11:00.001+09:30

When I told David from Fashion Addict that I wanted to not only master the smokey eye but also start with the bare basics of learning how to do my face from primer to concealer (or...blush and bronze?) I had no idea how much it would intimidate me actually staring at the products once I had them. Seriously, why is it foundation comes in so many different types? What does a primer do except for add another layer to your face? Why conceal when it is already concealed? Out of this foursome the blush and bronze compact was the most familiar...

BYS Face Primer with Vitamin E and Chamomile Extract

I have no previous experience with face primers so my knowledge and experience is next to nothing but what I feel a face primer should do is...prime your face. Without giving you the feeling of too much gunk, oiliness or an unworkable surface that will cause what ever else you put on your face to "snag".

(I swear I didn't sneeze on my hand...or..er...no, lets not even go there)

What I felt when using this was a light layer that made my skin feel slightly taut. I didn't really notice much difference when using this prior to foundation nor did I notice an improvement in the longevity of my "fake face". I still think face primers are unnecessary but I liked doing this extra step just for the sake of being thorough.

I didn't much care for the smell, expecting it to smell of a hint of chamomile I instead found it to be a more chemical smell with a hint of chamomile. Or maybe I was deluding myself in believing there was a hint of chamomile. Although I experienced no breakouts or allergic reactions (I fully expected it when I reluctantly used it on my face) I would expect those with sensitive skin to be more cautious with this and instead invest on something more expensive (psychologically it will put them at ease anyway). I think this is harmless and can be trusted but it all depends on your skin and what it is used to.

BYS Matte Foundation in Medium Beige

It says it is a matte foundation and so it is! What I loved was how well this matched my skin tone. Since tanning significantly earlier this year which brought out my darker Sri Lankan pigmentation (prior to that I rocked out a much lighter skin tone, my Japanese side!) and put all my natural beige foundations I owned out of business. Medium Beige on the other hand? Perfect match at the moment.

When I first got this the weather was still warm so I felt like that warped the consistency of this a little as it was almost oily and slicked on my face leaving behind...a face that felt like it had no foundation on. However now that is it cooler I feel like it has settled to a foundation consistency, that is it goes on and leaves behind a more powder-y effect. That said this hardly has a powder-y effect once on my face, it is a nice, light layer that feels barely there. Some may find this unappealing as it does little to conceal blemishes and emphasizes pimples more but I feel that - hypothetically - if I were to use foundation daily I would want something very light and barely there that wouldn't seem to suffocate my face. Although the emphasis on my tiny pimples didn't appeal to me which is why I go bare faced to begin with - less emphasis overall! Plus you don't have to worry about patchy foundation throughout the day, etc.

Also this foundation doesn't really give a smooth appearance to your face like other foundations do but it does its job fairly well and gives you some coverage that is better than no coverage.

BYS Concealer in Medium to Dark

Oh concealer, how I fail to understand you. Seriously, I have never used concealer in my life. Which could explain why the rare times I have had to do makeup myself for a shoot I always have blemishes (especially when my chicken pox scar on my face was more prominent) showing up. This has never bothered me though, and I cannot comprehend how slapping concealer over a pimple is good for you. I rather get rid of the pimple sooner than have to deal with a prolonged, concealer-dirty pimple.

Needless to say, I have no idea how to use concealer. Do you put it on before foundation or after foundation? I see people doing it either way and some people even use concealer just under their eyes to brighten them up - I am so confused but don't really care enough to learn. I'm not sure I'll ever get around to using concealer but it's handy to have one that matches my skin tone.

This concealer blends in really well with the Medium Beige foundation and is easy to apply. As for coverage, unfortunately I need to harvest some pimples and blemishes to tell you that and since my acne cleared up once I moved to Sri Lanka a few years back I haven't exactly been able to cultivate the pesky things as easily. When I get a promising one I'll get back to you - yes, I'll even risk it and prolong the darn thing just for you!

BYS Blush & Bronze Compact Mosaic in Light Glow

For some reason I always assume this will smell like chocolate. And get so let down each time I open it! Of the three mosaics available I chose Light Glow assuming it would be just that - a light glow. However I was not so pleasantly surprised to find that even using it with a light hand would give quite pigmented results! Good product but possibly a little difficult to use if you're a beginner like me in the fine art of make up.

What I did like about this was the fact you could get good results by using it sparingly but what I didn't like so much was how it is more of a bronzer than blush. Also the shimmer doesn't really appeal to me but it is very pretty on - personally I just prefer matte over shimmer, glitter, frosty, etc. You get quite a bit of fall out using this but at least the next time you open the compact you already have product to work with!

I love these face products because...
- They are all affordable
- They do their job even if it is just the bare minimum
- They are easy to use if you are a complete beginner (like me)
- The foundation and concealer come in a variety of shades for all sorts of skin tones

I didn't really love these face products because...
- They don't give you the results higher end brands would give you
- Weather seemed to make them temperamental, for example in terms of texture

You can watch my ramble on this here if you'd like:

BYS 'Glam Rock' and 'Denim in Distress' palettes review

2011-04-25T16:54:00.001+09:30

If you want to hear me ramble about it instead

I was so excited when David from Fashion Addict sent these new BYS palettes for me to perfect my smokey eye! They are beautiful and Denim in Distress is out of my comfort zone with all those blue shades whereas Glam Rock just fed my purple addiction. So what did I really think about them?

You might remember when I talked about the BYS Metallics in brown palette as well as the Diamond Shadow palette, maybe even the Animal Instincts palette - to summarize? I loved them all. They were creamy, pigmented, lasted for ages and great for daily wear.

Denim in Distress

Never in my life would I have thought I would own a palette full of blues. I personally think that the color is tacky on anyone and don't care much for it. So I chose it because of that reason! To find a way around the tackiness that I believe it comes with and to go beyond what I'm comfortable with.

I love the selection of blues in this, none of them are that vibrant blue that I dislike with a passion but instead are workable, subtle and deep colors instead. My favorite is that final blue shade on the top above the matte black which has a gorgeous blue twinkle to it, this color works wonderfully as a liner color.

Swatched dry and without a primer, I was impressed with how these colors translated on skin. Every color I swatched had me praising its pigmentation! They are all noticeably different and I actually got excited about using them in a smokey eye look. The best part about the palette is the first shade on the top which is a nice shimmery neutral color that can be used as a highlight or in the inner corners of the eye to brighten up any look. This palette shows how thoughtful and more complex BYS has become with their newer collection.

Glam Rock

When I first saw this I fell in love with all the purples and knew I had to have this. Plus, I haven't seen very many purple smokey eyes that are dark and edgy, I've always seen lighter versions. Hence why this palette is perfect - it is full of gorgeous, rich shades of purple.

The color that impressed me the most from this was the last shade on the top, a lovely gray-ish purple with green-golden glitter specks. Even the first soft lilac shade is lovely, I really don't think I can choose which purple is the best from all - they all are beautiful in their own way, I seriously love them all!

I fell from cloud nine pretty quickly upon swatching these though, they really came off as faded and almost as though if you blew at the swatches they would blow away. The swatch above is pretty much my finger dab and an applicator dab as I really didn't think much of the initial swatch I made. So make no mistake, that swatch above is really not what I had initially but I built it up so you could actually see the colors...although seeing the differences in them is a bit of a chore.

Disappointingly, although the colors on the bottom are identical to the Denim in Distress colors they seemed a lot less pigmented. As for the purples, well that first lilac shade was barely noticeable when I first swatched it. It makes me wonder whether I have one of those bad batch palettes? I think Glam Rock has the potential to be a popular palette but if this is the quality of all palettes I think it would be a waste of money. So hopefully it is just my palette that's faulty.

That said, when I did use a brush to do a test look I found that it worked better with the colors (and if you use a primer too) so perhaps they are just a little hardened and need to be stirred up.

Unfortunately you cannot see it in my photo (because I still have yet to perfect swatch photos) but that last shade when built up is truly amazing and does have those lovely green-golden glitter specks showing through. All in all the colors are lovely and I look forward to working with them more.

I love these palettes because...
- They are affordable
- The pigmentation is remarkable for such a cheap product
- The complexity of colors has really improved with this collection
- The simple casing which works well when traveling

I didn't really love these palettes because...
- Glam Rock didn't have the pigmentation Denim in Distress had but maybe it is just my palette
- They are a bit chunkier than the usual 8 shadow BYS palettes
- Some shades seem very identical, especially the grays - blacks in both palettes (VERY subtle difference)

Winter woes: Dry, chapped lips

2011-04-22T17:30:00.000+09:30

As winter slowly creeps up on Adelaide I find myself waking up in the morning with disgustingly dry and chapped lips. Actually, come to think about it this happens regardless of whether it is winter or not! That said, as the harsh weather kicks in I have armed myself with lipbalms and have them in easily accessible places so I have no excuse to fall victim (I actually typed "wic" initially...hehe, wictim...get it? No? Okay.) to crinkly lips. Which does happen throughout the day since I am far too lazy to reach over to the other side of my desk or under it to find relief. As I type this, I have two of the five above next to my laptop and one of the five in my handbag. The other two? Well, they failed to impress me...or rather one did but the other? Broke my heart, in a way. Until I met a better alternative that mended my heart right up.

In all honesty I own a very limited makeup collection, I try to keep it limited because I see no point in having a badzillion things where you just end up being indecisive over what products to use and then most of it is forgotten and collecting dust - this is how I view it, I know the majority of people out there have these large collections I am currently shaking my head at but they actually use their products routinely. Me? Not so much, I go through phases where I am on top of my makeup and do it daily and then other days I am lazy and do without anything. Hence why I limit myself, because some other person out there could purchase what I don't and use it better than I ever would!

First off in my entire lipbalm collection is a novelty item. Hands up who recognizes this and has owned a small army of them in younger years? My first encounter with these was in 9th grade when we did a school trip to Australia and all my friends got really excited about finding these in a pharmacy. I ended up getting a frosty purple and pink one which both smelled so good. So when Celeste, Stacey and I were raiding Priceline when we met up I had to throw this strawberry Fanta flavored Lip Smacker into my shopping basket!

Overall though? Lip Smackers are not the best lipbalms out there and are definitely just novelty lipbalms. They are waxy, a bit tedious to apply and I really hate the artificial taste this has. It would have been a bearable lipbalm had it been tasteless but this lives permanently in my makeup box, untouched. It was cute to go down memory lane but not so cute otherwise. Definitely no lasting power, no hydrating, moisturizing feeling and I am never motivated to use this or leave it on my lips for long.

Last year I had the "misfortune" of being stuck in Singapore Airport for a sixteen-hour transit and as compensation for doing so, my parents gave me a little extra spending money! Instead of going crazy with this extra money though I instead opted for a smart purchase: knowing I had no lip products that contained SPF in them I thought I would find one that did and also provided a bit of color. And M.A.C's tinted lip conditioner in Fuchsia Fix was perfect! With an SPF of 15 and a very pretty pink shade I absolutely love using this on days where I can't be bothered wearing makeup or if I'm going to the beach and want a bit of makeup that won't smudge when I frolic in the ocean - I know, scandalous, I'm one of those girls who actually gets into the ocean and gets completely drenched without a care about my hair or makeup. Go back a bit, the only makeup I wear to the beach is this lip conditioner!

If I recall this was a bit pricey (for me, I'm terribly thrifty) but the amount of product (15ml) you get does last yonks, I use this regularly and you can see how little of a dent I have made. It smells like a cake mixture in a way, vanilla with that cake mixture thrown in. There is no taste to this, only a lipbalm sort of taste I suppose? What I love the most about this is the effect it has on your lips, I have thrown this on when my lips have been absolutely foul and chapped and flakey but this makes your lips smooth and supple within minutes. The added color is perfect as well and I am so glad I listened to the M.A.C makeup artist who suggested this shade for me instead of one of the other neutral shades.

To have the entire collection of these conditioners? Definitely worth it. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy balm and color in one. It also has a bit of a shiny, glossy feel to it so it doesn't look matte on your lips but more like one of those gloss-lipstick hybrids.

In terms of lasting power, this does last a while and looks quite pretty once it sort of fades on your lips but otherwise it comes clean off when you are eating or wiping your mouth. At least it doesn't stain. I did wear this overnight to test my lips in the morning and found them beautifully moisturized when I woke up so definitely good in terms of keeping your lips moisturized and preventing them chapping but because of the color I wouldn't suggest you sleep with this overnight unless you are fine with stains on your pillow!

Vaseline I know is a bit of a 50/50 product with people, some love it and others hate it. Personally I love it although I have found a better alternative. Literally this is colorless, tasteless and is just petroleum jelly in a great sized tin that you can use as a lipbalm. What I used to also use this for was to help my eyelashes grow! Trust me, this trick actually does work. I seriously have seen such an improvement in my lashes since I applied this ritually every night. Vaseline is also great for applying over cuts and helping them heal up and for giving matte lipsticks that much needed gloss and hydration.

As you can see I quite love my Vaseline tin. When brand new, these tins are an absolute pain to open and will be for quite a while but once they are worn out a little they become much easier to pop off.

Great for overnight use although if you use it on your eyelashes (or even eyebrows, which I used to do as well) be prepared for oily eyes in the morning! Not really a biggie as Vaseline is easily wiped off but some people may hate this especially if they already have very oily skin. Lips-wise you wake up with nice lips to work with.

At times I really hate using my M.A.C tinted lip conditioner because it is just awkward to use, you have to unscrew the top and dip your finger into it to dab onto your lips. So when this started becoming a regular problem I thought it time to invest on a product I could easily whip out and use with just one hand. I remember having such a bad experience with Nivea lip balm when I was younger - I had the plain red one which was strawberry flavored I think? It didn't taste like it but it was such a terrible lip balm, quite like the Lip Smacker where you couldn't wear it without feeling like you had wax on your lips. So for years I was hesitant about getting another one but recently thought it wouldn't hurt as a lot of bloggers love them and so I opted for the Fruity Shine which is tinted.

Verdict? I absolutely love it! It is glossy, slides along my lips and keeps my lips happy throughout the day. I love using this during the week when I'm at uni. as it is easy to use while I'm taking notes in a lecture and also gives me the loveliest red pout! I love this red, it looks a little unnatural but it honestly gives me a cute pout to work with without wearing a bold red lip. I haven't used this overnight but I definitely recommend it for the day, I almost wish it wore off more during the day so I could reapply it often but I hardly need to.

Remember how I said I found an alternative to Vaseline? More on why I found an alternative to begin with but for the moment, the alternative was Lucas' Papaw Ointment! How I discovered this was through a friend when I had first moved to Adelaide, she whipped this tube out and used it on her lips and I was hooked - I had always wanted a big tube of lip product! I think it was either on Laguna Beach or The Hills where a girl uses a gigantic tube of lipgloss and since then I have always wanted a big tube myself. When I found out from my friend that this was a better alternative to Vaseline I knew I had to test it out for myself.

When you squeeze it out it comes out firm and is yellow-ish in color, don't read too much into the fermented fruit part of it as it might put you off but this smells lovely and has absolutely no taste. And it is amazing. I kid you not. I use it for everything - as a base for difficult lipsticks, over lipstick, with difficult lipglosses and just on its own. It is amazing and keeps your lips perfect. If you use this overnight you are safe from chapped and dry lips. If you already have bitten and bleeding lips you apply this and it is the relief you need, plus within two nights your lips heal up especially if you use it during the day as well.

The best part about this ointment is you can use it for everything: boils, burns, chafing, cuts, cracked skin, gravel rash, splinters, open wounds, insect bites and nappy rash. Obviously they have bigger tubs of this (just like Vaseline does) but this tube is useful for traveling. Definitely a MUST HAVE! I accidentally washed my first tube along with my laundry last year and was devastated. I bought this tube, brought it back home with me to Sri Lanka where it became an oily mess - important note, do NOT take this with you to a tropical country as it will become an oily mess that you can't really use. However, good part is when I brought it back to Adelaide and now that winter is creeping up on us it has firmed up again. Sometimes when you use it and it is particularly firmed up from the cold it might appear white-ish on your lips, don't fret it just happens when it is especially cold so either warm up the tube in between your thighs while sitting and reading your mails or just apply it and after a while it becomes clear.

So most importantly, recently, I have made a decision not to support any brands that test their products on animals. I have no qualms about people using brands that do nor will I bash you or hate you for doing so but personally I prefer my money going elsewhere. Before doing this post I thought I ought to look up and double check my balms and to my relief I am doing well! Vaseline is the only brand out of the five that tests on animals and I already knew ages back which is why I changed over to Lucas' papaw. But being the thrifty person I am I will use up my Vaseline tin and then be done with them for good.

Are there any balms you think I need to add to my collection? Especially considering I won't be using my Vaseline or Lip Smacker for much longer?

Nourish Hair Care sample review

2011-04-21T14:14:00.001+09:30

The life of a university student is hard. It is hard when you use up what money you have and all that is left is about $3 in your bank account and $15 in your wallet. I wish I were lying but those are true figures. When you are also owed money from your agency and they are taking months to pay you...well that might just motivate your frustration. Last week I was out of toothpaste but luckily acquired money by selling a textbook (oh woe). Where did the rest of it go? Towards tickets to see a Jane Goodall lecture and zoo books which are pretty much important necessities. This week? I am out of shampoo and moisturizer. Life couldn't be crueler, two important basics for any girl and I have to run out of them this week.

The moisturizer dilemma I am putting on hold for the moment (and surviving off sunscreen, because that has moisturizer in it...I know, I am a genius) but shampoo? Have you seen my hair? There is no way I can get away with not washing it for a few days. Seriously, I shampoo my hair every single day. For all you people who are shaking your heads at me right now you cannot possibly understand what thick hair is like because knowing you, you are probably the ones with scanty hair. For you? Oh yes, it is so easy to get away with not washing your hair every day. It is probably better if you don't as well. But for me? No. I have to wash my hair every single day. Shampoo and double dose of conditioner. That is my hair routine.

So faced with the problem of no shampoo (I am actually thrilled: I have been waiting to finish up my evil animal testing shampoo - ahem, Pantene - for ages so I could purchase shampoo that doesn't test on animals. Why I didn't chuck it out sooner? Have you not read the whole part about me being dirt poor?) I was this close to lathering up soap. Soap. And washing my hair. That is how desperate I was.

Instead, I cleaned my desk. And luckily I found some shampoo samples that I got that one time Celeste and I fought to get our eager paws on a $50 goodie bag...oh I love that goodie bag all the more!

I was skeptical, I won't lie. Somehow I didn't trust this tiny packet of Nourish Hair Care shampoo could even make it below the thick layer of hair I have and clean my scalp. With no choice but to try I ripped it up in the shower and got a palm-full of shampoo...which lathered up and almost seemed too much for my hair. I was thrilled! A clear, slightly yellow-ish colored shampoo that has a faint scent (woohoo! No more allergies to shampoo!) of grape seed and mandarin orange, Nourish Hair Care shampoo at first seems like it will strip your hair of oil and leave it a tangled mess - is it just me or does anyone else have that suspicion about clear colored shampoos?

However, what it does instead is lather up nicely and upon washing it out leaves your hair feeling unbelievably clean and fresh. I honestly loved the feeling of my hair, it just felt so clean and nourished! It was crazy.

I used the conditioner sample that came along with the shampoo sample and once again was skeptical as it didn't run through my hair properly (as evil product conditioner does - ahem, Sunsilk) but when I stood under the shower my hair just smoothed out and I could run my fingers through it. Now, you probably will never get the opportunity to shower with me but trust me, when I shampoo my hair usually it gets seriously tangled and I used the conditioner part of my routine to yank out all these tangles. Leaving me with clumps of hair in the drain. I had the same de-tangling going on (no hair product will ever work perfectly on my hair I don't think) but it was significantly less and I loved how little time it took to wash the conditioner out! I hate how long it usually takes me to wash conditioner out of my hair, I hate wasting so much water! So for me this was a big plus!

Verdict? I can't really judge based on using Nourish Hair Care once because obviously any head of hair will love a change in shampoo and conditioner but I loved the results enough to consider buying this shampoo and conditioner (oh when I get money...if only) and trying it out properly. Definitely the best result I have gotten using a sample sachet though - I have a lot of hair, so this is incredible that it managed to clean my hair!

My favorite thing about this brand? That's right, their 'no animal testing' reassurance.

HP & Intel Front Row Blogger Competition

2011-04-20T11:05:00.001+09:30

Oh my goodness! Somehow I made it into the voting round of HP & Intel's Front Row Blogger competition!!! This is so exciting to just even get this far!

This is where you could possibly get me through to the next round dear readers! Depending on votes, I could possibly make it through to the second round where five finalists will be chosen to proceed to the third round where a final decision will be made.

For me, this opportunity would be amazing because it is something I have always wanted to do! I will never make it onto an actual runway (no, it's not pessimism but more like a lack of height!) so the next best place? In the front row chattering away about what is on the runway!

If you would like to vote for me - pretty pretty please! - then please go below! Thank you!

P.S. Here is my belated reaction!

Goodbye Boys

2011-04-17T23:15:00.000+09:30

Early this year Scott and I lost our hermit crab, Jackson and on Friday we thought we would check up on Trent before Scott left to America on Saturday for two weeks. Trent is notorious for hibernating, I have often mistaken him for dead only to find he is so fast asleep that he usually hates me for poking him to check he is alive so I believed he was in his usual hibernating state and when Scott picked him up and found he had died...it was a big shock. Losing our clumsy little boy after losing Jackson is devastating and I feel like the worst mother in the world. I think stress got the better of our babies and in a way I am glad they are not suffering anymore but still, I feel awful and wish I could have done more in order to save both of their lives.

Small animals - guinea pigs, hermit crabs, whatever - often times fall victim to stress and not a lot of people take this seriously. So please, if you have a small creature in your care always remember that stress is often times the killer of these beautiful animals so do what you can to ensure they are as happy as possible.

Needless to say, for those of you who know I was considering getting pet rats (albeit next year when I have my own place and not going to travel as much) I am now reconsidering and possibly holding out until I am entirely sure of where I will be permanently and where life will settle me. I lost Jodi, my adorable guinea pig this time last year and my family also lost our fourteen-year old cat Pebbles at the end of last year so I am mending my heart for the moment and definitely putting animals first before I try being a Mummy again - they need to have a secure home and environment so this is a lesson well learned.

Run! Suki is on YouTube!

2011-04-17T22:36:00.001+09:30

I started a brand new channel called Suki Chronicles (I know, so unoriginal but better than babygirlz0283208 or something similar) which will feature all my videos for this blog - hooray! Now it is totally new and making videos is alien to me (except for the ones I made for Scott...NO! Mind out of the gutter! I used to just make him update videos when I was abroad and he was working, it makes a twist from writing letters.) so be nice. Or whatever, be mean and I probably might not care. Much.

Now, I had so many issues with my webcam which I cannot be bothered getting into for the life of me now. Instead I will share with you how I combated the problem of lighting with webcam videos as you will always have a shadow-y effect or over-lighting happening. And in my case it was shadowing so one side of my face got barely any light and I looked like Two Face.

(I know, I have a weird bar above my head...I have no idea where it came from...)

See what I mean?

(Oh! Wait!...DUH!...I'm an angel, so I haz halo!)

But then I found a way to combat the problem! And thought I would share in case this works for anyone else. I hope it does, that way I look like a genius.

1: You have your main light source (in my case, plus the ceiling light and my webcam light but this lamp is the main source of light for my videos)

2: You have the object that rebounds the light and throws it across the darkened areas you need light to shine upon! (In my case I used my hundred year old mirror and my diary as extra height)

3: The object meant to be the center of attention will be all lit up!

You can watch my first video here!:

33 followers is a big deal for me ♥

2011-04-12T11:17:00.000+09:30

This is just a quickie to let you wonderful readers know that I will be doing a giveaway hopefully soon to celebrate gaining 33 followers for Suki Chronicles - 33 is my number, it is that number I have always had on the back of my sports jerseys and it is my favorite number. Not my lucky numbers, I have different lucky numbers but it is a special number and that is what you all are to me - absolutely freaking special!

If you have any ideas or prize wants (that are available in Australia and not easily elsewhere) then let me know! Just a heads up that I might overboard with this giveaway so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

THANK YOU for making my blogging career that much more amazing.

♥Suki, xxx.

LOTD: Trying to keep myself from falling asleep

2011-04-09T18:17:00.000+09:30

Yesterday was such a stressful day for me: I had three major assignments due! Eurk, and I did an all-nighter to finish a 50% essay (yes, I know, I will probably get a dreadful grade) so in attempt to look more alive I thought I'd do a bit of a fun neutral look in order to look a little more awake. I love Psyche Minerals' Durran, such a pretty purple!

(The next photo looks like a close up of the previous one but it is a different photo entirely! I just felt like sharing that little tid bit with you.)

Today, a little more awake (and yes, still in the same top but I actually changed mid-way yesterday seeing as it was so hot and my college top is hardly bearable when it comes to hot weather) and while going through my bookmarks I realized I meant to try doing this amazing look by Blix and so I did! This is no where near as beautiful as her look but I like the combination and holy moly Darling Girl does some amazing glitter liners!

This is the first time I have used it admittedly since my tiff with it so I am so pleased it has made up for its bad behavior!

Seriously in love with that glitter liner (which is called Little Twin Stars).

Face Of Australia Opulent Eyes palettes

2011-04-05T17:06:00.000+09:30

It was only recently that I jumped on the Face Of Australia (FOA) bandwagon and I think I like the ride thus far. So when I went along for the beauty blogger meet up over the weekend and Celeste and I were purchasing products to get our paws on the goodie bag worth $50 at Priceline, I thought I ought to pick up a few FOA products (Stacey brought along two FOA products that did not work for her which I took to try and have yet to try them but they will come along soon enough) for myself.

What caught my eye were the Opulent Eyes palettes. It was definitely tempting to get all four but I had to resist and so I got the Rich & Famous and Endless Nights palettes.

First thoughts? I actually noticed how each applicator provided in all four palettes have a different color handle! Seriously, that was what I first noticed about these palettes! Then of course I drooled after the colors themselves.

In terms of Rich & Famous I loved the array of neutrals ending with a dark chocolate brown. I wanted to push my boundaries and get this palette knowing the lighter shades were ones I usually stray away from.

With Endless Nights I saw opportunities to finally perfect the smokey eye, plus the dark and light blue shades at the end were also out of my comfort zone as I usually stay clear of blues.

Reading up more about these palettes, FOA says:

'Limited edtion Opulent Eyes collection, offers eye shadow palettes that create a world of glamour and splendour.

Combining sheer femininity with the most eloquent of seasonal shades, the oven baked formulation releases rich, sophisticated colour to brighten the eyes and deliver a soft, velvety finish for exquisite effects.'

I have no idea about you but usually when I read a make up product is "oven baked" I am hesitant and reluctant about using the product because the pigmentation is usually absolutely worthless. Somehow oven baked really does nothing but give you a lump of color that you cannot even smash up to bring out its color. So I was a bit apprehensive but figured I had to get over this reluctance.

Now, this is where the complications begin...

I am hardly rough with my make up but somehow while swatching Rich & Famous I had a lot of fall out with the top shades and managed to smash the edge of the third last shade. Oops? I was pretty devastated, I hate messy looking palettes, lipsticks - anything - so just getting this result after swatching really had me dancing around cringing. I guess I just like my products looking as new and perfect as possible?

The swatch itself. These are actually second swatches as the first time around the photos were too dark and I decided I wanted to swatch these wet instead of dry...because to be honest these colors needed either a primer or be used wet because otherwise you do not see much color. And glancing back at the photo I realize now I have swatched this...in a very unusual manner. Shade 1 (the white) is the first in the second row, Shade 2 is on top of it, Shade 3 is next to Shade 2 (second color on the first row), Shade 4 is under it and then Shade 5 (the lighter dark brown) is the last color on the second row and Shade 6 - the final color - is on top of Shade 5.

What the heck Suki?!

I think you can figure it out. If you have problems, I will draw you a map.

Thinking I would have better luck with Endless Nights I tackled it with as much care as possible...

Seriously. And instead I end up with the most flaky fallout ever. Dandruff problems much, Endless Nights? Another thing I hate is wasting...so I think the next time I use this palette I will need to use a lip brush to collect those shed flakes of color. It is the Asian in me, death is probably preferable to wasting.

Again, I swatched this wet. You benefit more using a primer or using these wet because otherwise they are very faded washes of color. And, er, once again I have some dodgy swatching going on: Shade 1 (the white) is the first color on the bottom row, Shade 2 is on top of it, Shade 3 is the light gray (second on the bottom row), Shade 4 is on top of it, Shade 5 (the dark blue) is the last swatch on the second row and Shade 6 is on top of it.

(Yes, I know, I will never be an amazing beauty blogger. If you have not noticed by now I am a model with absolutely no sense of make up, it is tragic so please sympathize.)

Whew! This is a headache of a review isn't it? To compensate, I am actually going to compile a list of pros and cons.

Pros
- Good value
- Easy to throw together different looks using one palette
- Simple packaging and organizing
- Nice colors when used properly

Cons
- "Strips" of color are a pain to use as your brush ends up picking up some of the other colors (and a pro for the applicators provided: I actually find them easier to use than a brush!)
- A lot of fall out in palette (which is a con for me personally)
- Need a primer or to use these shades wet to get maximum color and longevity

On to looks using the palettes. First look is using the Rich & Famous palette:

Second look is using the Endless Nights palette with a dark lip color:

Third look is Endless Nights again but just with a more neutral lip color to play up the eye colors more:

All in all I actually do like these palettes despite the nitty-gritty complaints I brought up. They make for great daily wear colors to reach for and they survive a regular day although you might want to touch up once if you want a more lasting color.

All four palettes in the Opulent Eyes collection are limited edition so be sure to hurry and get them if you want to try them out. They usually retail for around AUD$14 if I am not mistaken but Celeste and I got ours for about AUD$12.

One more month down ♥

2011-04-04T13:36:00.001+09:30

He is the most important person in my life. And I love him for everything.

And to be totally sappy, how amazing is this song? I really want to see the movie Rio now:

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-04-03T20:56:00.000+09:30

Thank you to the lovely Sophie for tagging me for this! Her blog is my new favorite to read when I'm having my downtime (AKA procrastinating instead of working on a 50% Moral Problems essay) so definitely check it out because it is so refreshingly good to read!

Seven Things About Me

1. I love food and I cannot wait to cook in my own kitchen one day, perusing recipes online is my favorite way of relaxing after a particularly long day.

2. This is becoming a bigger and more obvious aspect of my life: I am an animal lover and big tree hugger. I do run around hugging trees routinely in fact...provided they have no spiders on them.

3. I own a hermit crab (I used to have two, one passed away earlier this year ): ) and apparently this is amusing and unusual for people to hear. They make wonderful and adorable pets and I am being honest, this is coming from a person who has severe arachnophobia.

4. A recent revelation and apparently makes me "legendary": I drink Guinness and I love it. My drink of choice also happens to be scotch and coke. However that said, I do not drink all the time and see no point in getting drunk.

5. I used to be a law student until I broke up with it last year because we had no more passion in our relationship. We are still close though and may get back together next year but are taking it slow.

6. Being a true Japanese (half anyway), I can eat noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still want more. Ramen or udon, I will not complain. Pasta works too. My parents think I am a bit of a freak.

7. I have been a model for four years now and I still do not have an inkling of how to even use basic make up. I know basic basics but I horrify a lot of people with even the little knowledge I do possess. Hence why I am trying to learn. Also, I am preparing for when old age kicks in and I lose my youthful looks and will need make up to bejazzle my face.

Now, I tag...Susan of Darling Girl Cosmetics because she is amazing and Darling Girl is amazing so you should check both blog and store out; Wendi of Makeup Zombie who does spectacular looks and is just a wonderful person; and Stacey of Pop! Makeup whom I just met in person and love all the more - she has such wonderful blog posts that are a great read.

What happens when beauty bloggers meet?

2011-04-03T17:51:00.000+09:30

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Celeste of Becoming Beautiful and Stacey of Pop! Makeup on Saturday and boy was it fun! They were so very beautiful and lovely in person and we definitely hit it off really well and I know there will be plenty more opportunities in the future for us all to meet up again and also for more Adelaide beauty (or even just all-rounder bloggers too I'm sure) bloggers to meet up so keep in touch and lets create an Adelaide community!

I won't go into details of our day but it involved lunch, lots of talking, a strategy at Priceline in order to secure a $50 gift bag filled with amazing products that we pooled out onto my lap (refer above photo) and squealed over - on a bench in the middle of a bustling Rundle Mall!

Also there was an epic journey to secure cupcakes (all proceeds went towards the flood relief - how amazing!) and the cupcakes were so spectacular - there was such an array, even gluten free ones! Celeste, Stacey and I only had one each and the rest you see above I actually gave to Scott (I'm sure he is hiding them under his bed away from his housemates, I would if I were him...) so you would have to ask him how they were but I hear the ones he is slowly demolishing have been good thus far (:

All in all it was such a wonderful meet up and I cannot wait to do it again! Goodies, good food, great company - what more is there to want? Thank you for taking the time to meet up ladies! ♥

Darling Girl cosmetics order from way back when & REOPENING!

2011-04-02T19:11:00.002+10:30

I have honestly been counting down the days and finally Darling Girl cosmetics is baaack!!! Head on over there and check out some of the fabulous new collections Susan has been working on - she is incredible, not only did she move house and states but she managed to create a whole bunch of goodies for us to indulge in while doing all of the packing and moving, ummm hello wonder woman?

In anticipation of my first order since DG reopened, I thought I would get into my order from earlier in the year which I received just before Susan closed shop.

This was a massive order (for me anyway) and I was so glad I had enough funds at the time to order enough from DG before it closed so I would be satisfied until it reopened again. Although upon opening my package, I noticed that something was amiss - see that white patch on the tissue paper in the right hand corner? Turns out my Glitter Liner had leaked! Not the actual product itself but it was an oil of some sort?

And later, just the next day I learned my lesson: do not leave the Glitter Liner on its side because it will definitely leak. Currently potty training it so for the moment it will have to stand and wait.

Another thing about the Glitter Liner is I found when I opened it to just peek at it (I only swatched it later), upon closing it a lot of product oozed out! So lesson learned again: be careful with these.

Now, important note about the Glitter Liners though, Susan is planning on putting them into 5g jars so this might solve all of the above so for those of you who are ordering them from now I believe they will come in these jars and not the tubes.

Enough muttering, time to get into my order!

I quite loved the free samples - Cloud Nine and Love Bug. My only thing is I was unsure what Cloud Nine was! All I knew was it was lip safe. It is actually an eyeshadow but for a while I was debating over it being an eyeshadow or a blush (I know, I know, way too light but still!).

One of my favorite things Susan has to offer are the Eye Candy shadows that come wrapped up like candy. Now I do not think they are being offered anymore as they are not on the website but never know, they might make a come back! They are certainly great since you purchase them (I think the maximum amount was three in an order?) and Susan is the one who decides what colors you get!

There must have been a set of them because they appear to be numbered and from my previous order I think I have different numbered ones from these. Very impressive. They were usually colors that were not featured in the usual product stock so you essentially got limited edition colors or never again colors if I am not mistaken.

Mmm, eight eye shadows! What I love the most about DG is how affordable it is and how considerate Susan is in offering a variety of options. You can get samples, petit jars and full-size jars which I think is great because most times I kind of want that middle option - petit jars - as I want a little more than a sample and less than a full-size. So featured above are all petit jars which are a great buy at $2 as you get so much product in them.

How could I not purchase a few shadows from the Hello Kitty collection?

This is really good that Susan has it on the product itself whether it is safe for lips or not, I think that is something a few brands lack and you have to always go back to the site and refer to whether they are lip safe or not.

The two soft focus blushes I got were South Padre and Yes, Virginia!

Unfortunately I swatched all of these in the dark and when I reswatched the shadows in the morning I forgot to reswatch the blushes! I think I got too excited with the shadows. Anyway, South Padre is a pretty, soft brown that I can use for a daily wear neutral look. Yes, Virginia! is a bit light on my complexion especially now that I have tanned considerably but when my complexion lightens in the winter months it might be all right but right now I might look into giving it away. It is a delicate pink that would look lovely on a lighter complexion. Both are matte and can be very subtle.

Ahhh, my favorite product of the lot despite all the issues it gave me.

This liner is beautiful and I will definitely be repurchasing this because it is a great liner to either wear on its own or on top of your usual black. It is very glittery and definitely makes a look ultra sparkly!

The shadows that I decided to reswatch in the morning as the night photos looked terrible!

Top row: Eye Candy 5, Eye Candy 3, Exposed, Deery Lou
Bottom row: Atlas, LaLa, Sugar Minuet, Balletusa

Eye Candy 5, Eye Candy 3, Exposed, Deery Lou, Atlas, LaLa, Sugar Minuet, Balletusa

Eye Candy 5, Eye Candy 3, Exposed, Deery Lou - I am not much of a fan of Eye Candy 3 just because I gravitate towards warmer colors and steer clear of yellows, pinks and oranges but I do quite like the shade of it.

Atlas, LaLa, Sugar Minuet, Balletusa - holy moly how beautiful IS Atlas?! I am SO in love and now that I look back on this I wish I had placed an order for a full-size of it because it is literally the most beautiful brown-green-gold-everything you will ever see. Even in the jar it looks amazing, I kid you not.

My only issue was, I used Sugar Minuet in a test look and throughout the day I had major irritation going on but I figured a piece of dust was in my contact lens (I wear hard lenses, they are a big pain when you get particles of dust in them or even an eyelash or hair). While removing my makeup that night though I noticed I had a bit of glitter in my tear duct and just in my eye in general but I shrugged it off and washed it out. The next day (and I had a photo but decided against posting it in case people got the wrong idea or scared) I developed a sty and it was your usual gross sty that keeps you in glasses for the next few days while you recover.

IN NO WAY am I blaming Susan or Sugar Minuet, I am only talking about it because I want to stress the importance of being clean and taking care of what goes in your eyes. Do not be like me and shrug off any irritation in your eyes! Immediately wash it out and make sure it is gone otherwise you can risk getting an infection. That is what I want to stress, especially when handling any glittery product - whether it be Sugar Minuet or any other glittery product.

Blog sale results!

2011-04-02T17:38:00.001+10:30

When Dee aka Miss Prissypants held a blog sale recently I may not have made it in time to grab some of the more coveted items (staring down Stacey and Celeste...) I still grabbed some of the items that I knew I had to have for my daily wear collection.

Everything came so securely sealed! Dee is so amazing for ensuring all items came safely and I thank her to no end for doing so. It really made my day to get this package....

...and to find that not only with the lipsticks and eye shadows I got off the blog sale, Dee had also thrown in four loose shadows! I was so ecstatic over that, they're neutral colors and will be so loved.

First off is the Revlon matte eye shadow in 009 which is a very dark looking brown but the color is not as intense as I thought it would be.

I was a little disappointed but at the same time I quite liked it nonetheless since I can see it being a good softer dark shade for day looks and I am quite fed up of using only very light colors during the day and looking like a wannabe vampire when I use darker shades that are better suited for the night. So this will probably work out better for my day looks.

Next is the Revlon Colorstay in 02 Coffee Bean which is literally all the neutrals you would ever need. I rarely find - if not rarely, never - a good highlight shadow to use under my brows so I was pretty excited when the lightest shade in this turned out to be the perfect highlight.

The intensity of colors is the same as the matte so nothing exciting but I found it quite lovely when worn, it was nice having a soft, subtle dash of make up on and still feeling pretty without needing primers and bases and what have yous in order to make colors pop.

The claim is that it is a 12 hour eye shadow and I can see how it would be but at the same time I wonder whether it would fade. I will definitely test it out on a day I run around university a lot and come back to this claim...

Too much flash (:

I was so very glad I got to pick up the final NYX colors! I think everyone might have been intimidated by how dark they would be but I am in love! I think it is also because I have tanned considerably so it is certainly easier to pull off these colors (also, Mummy who is much darker in skin tone than I am would always be able to wear these so I might actually give these to her since she loves lipsticks). They are beautiful colors in their own way.

Saturn is a pretty metallic reddish-brown, I feel it might be a bit too drying though so I am working out ways to wear it without destroying its true color since I find even clear glosses or Vaseline makes it a bit duller. I might have to get a good balm under it but I find balms tend to make these lipsticks move around a bit making application that much more tedious. Hmmm...

Fusion is definitely my going out, having a wild night of clubbing (er...if ever) color - it is such a gorgeous purple-pink! I love it, it is very retro and the best pop of color you can use to brighten up a dark outfit.

Gardenia is just your average color...neither here nor there and I do not have much to say about it really. Enough said as it is. But it is a good lipstick.

I love the extras I got, especially since Femme Fatale is my first Sassy Minerals product ever, even if it is a sample! And of course, Heatheresque is always awesome so I'm quite pleased!

The swatches speak for themselves really, I did these with Evil Shades Evil Eyes in Naked as a primer. The matte color was not as partial to the primer but the shimmery shades held well. I think the matte color (which is Dream Big Dreams) will hold up well just applied on its own as long as it is patted on rather than swiped. Very pretty array of neutrals that are definitely good additions to my growing neutrals collection!

LOTD: Been ages since I have donned make up

2011-03-29T21:23:00.000+10:30

It truly has been ages since I have ventured near my make up and hence why I have not been blogging as well but that is another story for another day. Here is my look for today, I got out my Psyche Minerals samples more willing to use them seeing as I am getting some full sizes soon - especially of my most loved shade Molly makes, Orion Slave which is on the outer corner of this look.

I used Babble all over my lid hence why Orion Slave has more of its greener side showing through. I love how much it morphs! Definitely the best shade to get and currently it is Psyche Minerals' Color of the Week so instead of its usual price of $3 you can get it for $1.75! Hurry and get it before the COTW changes!

Doe a deer a bow a...beer?

2011-03-29T20:55:00.004+10:30

When Celeste (go read her blog here) tweeted about Katie's blog Be Inspired I was inspired. Inspired by a beautiful blogger and her amazing make up and clothes and it seemed like after a very long time I was inspired to actually get back into the swing of make up and caring about what I wear, for you see dear readers, I've been so very down for so long.

Anyway, one particular entry of Katie's caught my attention and out of curiosity I wondered if I would be able to do the style myself. The style? Putting your hair into a bow, literally!

So after watching the video recommended by Katie and featuring the cute Nee, I took my hair tie and managed to actually replicate the style without the aid of bobby pins or hair spray! Maybe it is because my hair is so thick? I didn't do the style too high up as I preferred it a little lower as so I didn't look too sickly adorable and quite liked it that way. What do you think? My hair isn't as neatened up but this was my first try so it's imperfect! Cannot wait to actually try it out for a proper day out to see how it will hold up with just a hair tie holding it together.

EDIT: In my excitement over blogging again, I forgot to mention how I managed to do the bow using only a hair tie!
- You tie your hair up into as high of a ponytail as you desire (this is where your bow will sit), tie it up with your hair tie and tight as possible (I do about three ties)
- Just before you do your final tie, you pull your hair through only half way so you have a semi-bun and a tail (get my drift?)
- Split your semi-bun in half (the bow) and then take the tail and curl it around the base of your semi-bun and bring it through the middle where you have split your semi-bun then tuck it into the hair tie
- Voila! No need for bobby pins and if you have super thick and evenly long hair like mine you do not require hair spray to hold it together or keep stray strands in place but if you need to use hair spray to neaten it up and maybe use a bobby pin or two to keep the bow standing upright more if you do not want it drooping.

Red Riding Hood

2011-03-28T17:02:00.001+10:30

The music is haunting, the movie was a great one if you needed to get away from the world for a bit. I liked the cast and I felt like despite the movie taking such a drastic turn from the original idea of Little Red Riding Hood, Red Riding Hood is not at all that horrible as majority of critics make it out to be. Sure Catherine Hardwicke who is renowned for Twilight could not seem to help but instill many aspects of Twilight in this film too but can you blame her? The hype nowadays is over vampires, werewolves and zombies and it is without a doubt that Twilight secretly makes every girl daydream no matter how ridiculous she may find the concept of a stalkerish vampire.

I for one would pick Jacob any day but that is hardly relevant to this post.

Red Riding Hood was lacking in the werewolf department, and I think it has a lot to do with the outcome of who the wolf is. Without spoiling it, watch it for yourself and see if you agree with me on if the wolf was overly played up then it would have been "wrong". Besides, we would prefer feasting upon (er, with our eyes of course) the likes of Shiloh Fernandez (Peter) and Max Irons (Henry) in the human form admittedly...not saying either of them is the wolf, you will have to watch the movie to find out of course.

(Image from here)

Overall it is barely what the original fairytale was but I appreciate the twist on it and love how sexed up it is in order to appeal to our current society with its frenzied fascination over the supernatural. I love the style of it despite it being very similar to Twilight but in all fairness I hardly think you could film in any other way to truly showcase the feel and appeal of werewolves. The acting was obviously not award worthy but overall the movie makes for a nice one to watch in bed. No harm in one of those.

You can watch the trailer for Red Riding Hood here:

Teddy Hilton - my new "happy place" online

2011-03-22T17:24:00.000+10:30

As I find myself becoming more environmentally friendly and even more of a [fanatic] animal activist (more on this on my mega life update) I find myself more involved in reading up on animals than humans, especially since the news these days regarding the events in Japan depress me. The country I'm in has a tendency to be slightly insensitive and downright full of themselves when it comes to reporting certain stories and this has put me off so very much and angered me too much lately.

Moving along, here are some links from my new favorite site Teddy Hilton:

Cat that made it through the tsunami - nothing makes me bawl more than seeing pets that make it through a natural disaster AND have owners frantically looking for them too. The reunion is much better than humans being reunited because the animals could always revert back to being wild but instead seek comfort from their human companions. Bless.

Guilty Denver - most adorable video of a guilty dog! I couldn't believe how ashamed of himself he was. And people say animals are "stupid", bah! As if.

It has been so very long

2011-03-19T12:30:00.001+10:30

But I've been busy studying, promo-ing, living and trying to be happy. Things are difficult right now, things are wonderful but Suki Chronicles will come back eventually. Until then, my heart is with my country.

I hope everyone is doing wonderfully.