what i got for christmas

hi guys! it's christmas presents braggy time..? anyway, i hope you all had a great christmahanakwanzika! and have a safe new year's eve! ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

• the in-laws
• is it sad that paul and i had furniture on our christmas lists this time? i mean, furniture. really... actually we didn't really anticipate staying in this apartment as long as we have and the card table and chairs are dying and we dun like them. can't take it anymore! so we asked for a fairly inexpensive table and chairs set from walmart.
• we also asked for two additional pieces of our bedroom set because the friend we bought them from didn't buy everything. so my dad gave us money toward ordering a second night stand and the chest of drawers (huey vineyard style at ashley furniture)
• better homes and gardens brushed nickel floor lamp

sorry, for some reason i took a pic of the back of the lamp box...

• toshiba encore 2 8in tablet
• when our microsoft store opened up, my grandparents decided to buy a bunch because they were fairly cheap, the brother in-law works there now, and discount etc. so they told me about it and i decided to buy a keyboard case and screen protectors to go with it.

..the evil bubbles of doom. ~.~

• from teh in-laws
• too faced under the mistletoe lipstick set (shimmering marshmallow bunny, shimmering spice spice baby, shimmering naked dolly)
• disney tiana christmas ornament -- because, "y'a'll from shre'p'o-t?"
• monogrammed travel bag from A
• nails inc. gel effect nail polishes in old bond street & mayfair lane from T (will swatch in a future notd post)

shimmering naked dolly, shimmering marshmallow bunny, shimmering spice spice baby

shimmering naked dolly

shimmering marshmallow bunny

shimmering spice spice baby

• from the bro in-law: pokemon alpha sapphire & a letter to momo dvd
• from teh in-laws: IBM book: analytics across the enterprise... by brenda dietrich, et al.
• from the sis in-law: the edge of never by j.a. redmerski & tokidoki 2015 calendar
• from teh paul: 8gb ram stick for the new lappy
• saints cap -- from dirty santa/white elephant

• from mom: maleficent dvd/blu-ray, big bang theory season 7, lindt truffles, baublebar rose headdress collar necklace
• from extended family: rice cooker cookbook, tote bag, ghirardelli chocolates

• some of the gift basket with some bar-ware from my aunt
• in the land of cocktails by ti martin and lally brennan -- aka, a nola cocktail book
• the brothers think alike? 2 portable usb chargers
• gold jackery mini from uncle
• nebo pal (with built-in flashlight) from dad
• from grandparents: fleur de lis kitcheny stuff, sapone vegetale soap in orange
• from extended family: fleur de lis ornament, cinnamon spice soy candle 

xmas giftssssssss!

hi all! hope you had a good christmas! here are a few of the things i got.... ~Lin-chan ^.~

[swatch photos to come later.]

• thirtyone gifts: free to be soft wallet in sea plaid and mini utility bin in black cross pop. my mom's friend had a thirtyone gifts party thing (like a tupperware party) a couple months back and she showed me the catalog..and, well, these are what i picked out. =P
• why people live in new orleans...seems like a coffee table book. i'm not really sure how much reading this book'll get.......
• saints blanket & mug set -- our pick from dirty santa

 
onyx, azurite green, purple garnet, taupe, rose gold; turbulent polish (2nd nail from the left)

• wolf children dvd
• baby squeezeits -- can't have enough of these for tube lip glosses!
• benjabelle daisy brush tree in black
• 3DS points card to get phoenix wright: dual destinies
• the wet brush squirt
• real techniques kabuki brush
• formula x by sephora in turbulent
• tarte stop & stare eyeliner set (skinny smolderEyes: onyx, azurite green, purple garnet; smolderEyes: taupe, rose gold; lights camera flashes mascara)
• 21 drops quick fix gift set (headache, sleep, passion, & focus; from sephora)

• em cosmetics: 
1. holiday life: new year's countdown life palette moment (impressions/review)
2. winter life: ice bunny life palette moment (impressions/review)
3. ros gold waterliner
4. the great cover up in light neutral/cool
5. career life palette sampler -- girl in charge (impressions/review)

• 2x recollections 3-drawer organizer cube--from michaels. these are also known as 'melmers' in the beauty/nail communities as an alternative to the ikea helmer. (sorry for the weird angled photo..too short to take the picture while standing on the floor, so i stood on the bed and took the pic upside-down and rotated it...) (see them in action, here)
• cover for our kitchenaid stand mixer (from etsy: CoverMeCute)

queen vic, primrose hill picnic, fairy lights, teddy girl, fruit machine

• divergent series boxed set
• butter london the flash pack -- see a notd here

not pictured: hanging space bag for suits, silpat silicon baking mat, greenpan 8- &10in anodized set

october hauls

i found some new great stuff this month! got a great deal on the em michelle phan day life palette ($29 out of pocket!!), lorac pro palette with an eyeliner for $39, and did you guys know that the brush guard sells through walmart?? well, the variety pack at least, if you want more of any particular size, it's best to get them through amazon. ~Lin-chan ^.~

 

• pokemon x
• mua brushes (E3, E5, F6) -- i wasn't kidding when i told you guys that i looooove their E3 & F6 brushes, so i had to get a few more while they were having free international shipping after £15 (~$24).
• em michelle phan day life palette -- see my haul post for more details about how i paid only $29 for it! (right now there's a 20% off coupon code: treat20, exp. 10/31/13 midnight pst)

 

• ulta: opi pink of hearts 2013 duo (notd post), real techniques brow and lash comb, covergirl glosstini in blue hawaiian
• cvs: i had some extrabucks burning a hole in my pocket, surprise surprise, so i got wet n wild/fergie's eyeshadow primer to try out and essence of beauty's precision blender sponge (a ytmmbi - phyrranyx)

 
 

ulta: lorac rockin red hot pro set ($39!!), real techniques stippling brush

• can we take a moment and just stare in awe at the second row shadows. oh my god! i love it.
• (swatches are over ud original primer potion; didn't want to open the new lorac one since i've got a ton of primers open already)
• after trying this eyeliner for the first time, omg this might be the new holy grail. i accidentally blinked before giving it time to set (like most other liners) and it didn't smudge or transfer. i like the applicator on this one more than the eyeko one, it glides on more smoothly. but the very tippy top of the tip is super-duper thin and i accidentally got some tiny marks on the outer corners of my eyes when using my semiparallel-stamp-and-drag method.

 
swatches: blush, honey love, ingenue, sultry, berry smoothie, lorac eyeliner

cvs: revlon balm stains in sultry and ingenue, nyc grand central station
walgreens: vaseline lip therapy in rosy lips, wet n wild shine clear polish, jordana honey love balm stain
walmart: the brush guard variety pack (because i don't have enough of these already? lol. i needed a couple more of the medium ones...all those real techniques brushes!), rimmel london match perfection blush in light, revlon berry smoothie lip butter

April - June Favorites

 

hi all! here's my spring-summer favorites. i don't have that many since it was during crunch time for school, with finals and projects, and i was in and out of a movie, it was our first anniversary, and gahhh craziness! lol. anyway, here's what i've got for ya.

theBalm time balm concealer in light
last year, i bought this concealer on a whim (both the shade and product itself) from hautelook*. and i used it for a little bit and then kinda quit. somewhat recently, i finished my mini pan of benefit's boi-ing (from the confessions of a concealaholic set). and i began using the revlon photoready concealer a lot, i'm still on my first one but i've slowed down using it since i've rediscovered this concealer. the real problem was that it got stuck in my bathroom drawer, out of sight out of mind. i've been using it nearly every day since i've pulled it out and i love it. it's really creamy, with light-medium coverage. it does dry out some with non-use but once you break through that top layer, it's good. i kept the little applicator sponge with it to kinda help keep it fresh. i love how small this little container is, but seriously, i've barely made a dent in this thing after 50+ uses. which is great, but i also have my other opened concealers i need to finish. ~.~

Be a Bombshell blush in sweet cheeks
ever since i got this in my april ipsy bag* (impressions post), i've loved it. it does need a light hand when applying because it can be too much. the blush can become powdery fairly easily, so be gentle when you dab into it with your brush or make sure you tap off the excess before applying.

Cailyn Cosmetics line-fix gel eyeliner in iron/Sigma E05/Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush
this eyeliner was an instant favorite from my june ipsy bag* (impressions post). it's waterproof and stays put practically for days. when i first got it, i swatched it on my arm, took pictures, waited a bit, then used an equate exfoliating makeup remover wipe in a sad attempt to remove it. three days and showers later, it finally faded and was no longer visible. it was crazy ridiculous. but i love it a lot. i'm not too keen on the price ($21+shipping) as far as trying other colors, but this was a definite winner for me. i've been using this eyeliner in conjunction with sigma e05 brushes or sonia kashuk's bent eyeliner brushes because i really like the application they both give.

Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap in peppermint (liquid & bar soap)
one of the many nail art/polish bloggers i follow (i can't remember who!) mentioned how much she loved dr. bronner's liquid soap for cleaning her makeup brushes. so, while i'm experimenting with different brush cleaners/cleansers, why not?! so i originally bought the liquid soap and i loved it immediately. what i don't like about it: it doesn't really foam up that much for mineral brushes, so it's kinda like..well is it clean or not?! like you can see the makeup coming out of the brush into the sink, but yeah.. (i haven't used it with foundation or concealer brushes yet to know how well it reacts..) it foams up quite a bit for my synthetic brushes. you do have to be careful with duo fiber brushes, more specifically, elf small stipple brushes. a little bit of this goes a long way, and these particular brushes soak this soap up. so even after they dried, they had an oily-weird feeling; so after rinsing them and letting them dry a second time, it's better. i've only used the bar soap twice so far, but i like it a lot. i feel like it's easier to get the right amount of soap onto the brushes (the liquid soap kinda pours out very quickly as it is an almost oil-like consistency). i haven't had the same problem with the elf small stipple brushes when i used the bar, so that's good. it is a little more difficult cleaning my eyeliner brushes with the bar soap, but just get a little onto your fingers and it'll work. i think that, for the price, i'm probably going to continue getting the bar soap since it will definitely last a lot longer than the liquid. don't get me wrong, the liquid soap will last forever too, in moderation. i think i'll try the other scents too, eventually, but i figured peppermint was a pretty safe scent to start off with.

Picross 3D for NDS
in the past few months, i rediscovered this game in the depths of my ds & wii accessories bin. i'm a puzzle and RPG person, and this game, i really like. there are varying levels of difficulty and an introductory tutorial. basically you start off with a 3D rectangle, divided into a bunch of cubes. each row and column of cubes have numbers on them indicating how many cubes must remain in the row. then you gradually remove all of the unnecessary blocks to reveal the final image (you can mark the ones that must remain, kinda like minesweeper). for example, the image in the cover is a dog. you can kinda see him in the shadow on the right corner (which shows how it should look at the end) and in the center photo where the blocks have been removed.

K-dorama: 200 Pounds Beauty (watch it on crunchyroll)
despite how the photo looks, both women are the same character & actress. the idea of this story is that the girl on the right undergoes plastic surgery because she feels self conscious about her appearance, blah blah blah. but she has the most amazing voice, she's a ghost singer for a lip-syncing pop star and a ..ahem....hotline voice. it's kind of a romantic comedy. anyway, i really liked this movie. her puppeh is so kyoot. >w<  i'm pretty sure T told me about this movie a long time ago, i just never got around to watching it until recently.


*Affiliate Link.

first anniversary & trip

hi guys! this post is late after getting put onto the back burner while i was working on my photo migration. i'm not 100% finished with it, but anyway here ya go. please read this as if i posted this on our actual anniversary date, 6/9/13.

hey guys! the past two weeks on the movie set have been super crazy and chaotic! here's what i did...
5/27: 730A - 530P work; drive back home
5/28: 710A - 9P movie set
5/29: 1115A - 230A movie set
5/30: called in sick with a major migraine
5/31: 5P - 5A movie set
6/1: slept a lot, hung out with friends
6/2: slept in, went to see star trek
6/3: 530A - 730P movie set
6/4: 515A - 830P movie set
6/5: 615A - 830P movie set
6/6: 430P - 630A movie set

6/7: after coming home from set, i took a shower and somehow got a second wind and was able to stay up a bit longer, and i drove us back to our apartment. from there, paul drove us to houston. got settled in at the hotel and then went to chipolte for dinner. i got a barbacoa bowl and i think that if i ever go to chipolte again, this is the way to go. $6.50 for something that is two servings for me. heck yes. paul finished his burrito before i was even 1/4 done with the bowl. then he helped me eat about half of it. then we went to see now you see me--i updated my prior post as for where i saw myself. and around 11 or so, i finally crashed. somehow i managed to stay awake for about 36 hours without caffeine, as i cannot consume it.

6/8: went and got dim sum at ocean palace. yum! for those who don't know, dim sum is a chinese small-plate style brunch/lunch. when you go, it's usually around lunchtime on the weekends. ladies (and sometimes men) push carts to your table and show you what dishes they have, and they put a stamp on your bill to tell check-off how many plates of what cost you had. we got short ribs, duck, shrimp shumai, shrimp rice noodles, and sesame balls with red bean paste inside. it was aproximately $30. afterward, we went to the hong kong market and bought goodies: philippines brand dried mangoes, strawberry pocky, garden strawberry wafers, biscotto strawberry wafer sticks (these have surpassed my beloved love letters! *gasp!*), haw flakes, a japanese-style grater, and my favorite brown rice by nishiki.

 

afterward, we drove over to ikea. can i say, oh my god whoever thought of this was a genious! houston ikea is basically the closest one to us---at 6 hours away---but we were so confused and surprised when we drove up. i mean, why is the parking lot a mini version of disney?! there's lamp posts with section markers on them! whaaaaaat!? oh and not to mention, there were a crapton of people in there. i was totally expecting like a one on one type experience, like a mom and pop furniture store. no. A CRAPTON of people were inside as well. so we're super confused and we just followed the traffic inside and up the escalator. we grabbed a map--yes a freaking map!, pencil, and disposable measuring tape--so cool! and you go through the display area, and it's all set up fancy, some areas are like minis of rooms inside your house, or the section we paid particular attention to was set up like any other place that sells desks. then you keep making your way around, hardware like knobs etc, and kitchen stuff like dishes etc, wall decor, lighting, everything! and a food area! whaaaaa?? then you get around to the end and it's self service. so you grab a palette-cart and go find the items you wanted to buy (the displays are marked with what aisle they're on and what number on the aisle, you just have to write them down before leaving the showroom). then you check out and try as you might to pull your car within reasonable distance to the loading area. i swear, this place was almost like a theme park..for furniture! we were in there a good 2-3 hours, spending about half of that time in utter confusion, trying to wrap our heads around what we were seeing. as far as product selection, this place is like bed bath and beyond, but with furniture and less really random stuff. [we purchased 2/3 of my new desk, will update when i get the other 1/3 (a 59" table top)... my car isn't long enough...........]

then we went to the container store because we don't have one of those either and it, too, is the closest one... and i got 2 acrylic lipstick holders (24x) and a small acrylic drawer box. so again, omg at this place too. the organization-freak in me wanted to BUY ALL THE THINGS. it was crazy. but i had to keep saying: we need a house first. lol. i loved it in there, but teh paul was being very watchful about what i was picking up. >.>

and for dinner, we went to pappadeaux's. which is funny because we're in texas eating louisiana food. *mind blown* anyway, i got paul to try frog legs for the first time. and they were pretty good. i think they mixed some tony's into the batter because they were a bit spicy for my taste. for our entree, we shared the halibut duo, which was two halibut fillets, a small lobster tail, and some grilled shrimp. it was derricious. >w< and the drink i got was pretty good too: the strawberry lime sparkler. we've got to replicate it at home. yummm. so get this..this place gets sooo busy, they have their own freaking parking garage. really?! ..well, i thought it was crazy.

 

afterward, we wondered around the galleria mall and got a few shirts at wet seal (5 for $20!), and some dessert: a starbucks strawberries and cream frapp.

6/9: got up early to go to the bao store! yess. so we drove out to king bakery in chinatown to get lotsa bbq baos. my mom wanted some and so did we, and we also got a cream bun which was basically a buttery cream (not buttercream icing!) with their bao bread. if you ever go, remember that they're cash only! afterward, we went on a hunt for animal crossing (it was released on this day) since it was too early to go to the nearest game stop and another didn't have any that weren't reserved...we finally found one at target. yay~! we went to lunch at schlotzskys--since we don't have any of those anymore...and drove back home. before the night was over, teh paul already ate two baos out of our dozen. ~.~ [i forgot to take pictuers of the baos to show you guys....] and we opened up and finished our champagne from our wedding reception.

 

anyway. that was our trip. hope you guys enjoyed. ~Lin-chan ^.~