Review: e.l.f. all over color stick

I have been using e.l.f.'s All Over Color Stick in Persimmon for my eyes. I applied it as a eye shadow base and my eye shadow seemed to have a longer staying power. This color is light on my Asian skin tone. It does have a slight shimmer, so, whilst the color is barely visible on my skin tone, the shimmer is definitely visible - not in a bad way.
I have tried using this as addition to my blusher, but, decided that it is best left for the eyes because I don't want to have shimmery cheeks, for fear my face will appear a tad too greasy.

Overall verdict? Decent product for the price. May want to check out other shades.
I will probably buy this again, but in a different shade.

Review: e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15

I got these in the mail yesterday. And I am enjoying them.
The two colors I ordered are: Watermelon and Honey Do. Here is what I thought about them.

(a) Watermelon
(b) Honey Do

Overall, I like these lip glosses. They don't feel a yucky sticky. It is thick and makes the lips feels pretty good - like you have just applied some balm on the lips.
The colors are pretty and appeared to be close to the swatches provided on the Web site.
It make the lips glossy and pretty. It smells good and has a slight sweet taste too.

Staying power isn't all that great though.

For $1 for each tube, this is well-worth the price.

Review: e.l.f. nail polish

I got these today and tried out the colors from e.l.f. Here's my thoughts on them.
Burgundy #1516
Not true to the swatch on their Web site. When applied, it has a reddish, coppery, rusty color instead of the slight hint of a deep berry color that I had expected. I like the color, however, on my feet. When it dries, it leaves a slightly glossy look compared to the Coral, which left a matte look.

Coral #1509

Not too true to the color sample picture. It had a somewhat metallic-ky shimmer to it. When it dries, it appeared rather matte, instead of having a slight sheen that I had expected. Not a bad color. But not my favorite.

Review: Epielle Cleansing Tissues

I was browsing around at Big Lots yesterday and found this amazing cleansing wipes.
Epielle Cucumber Cleansing Tissues (for all skin types) promise to deep cleans down to the pore in one step and refreshes skin. Contains cucumber extract, green tea, vitamin E Acetate and Aloe Vera. There are 30 premoistened tissues in each pack, and cost only $1.
Great buy.

I have used other cleansing wipes before. They usually don't remove all of my eye make-up, leaving me to find part of my mascara on my eye-lash or a remnant of my liquid eyeliner on my lids. But this Epielle wipe seemed to do the work. I used my first wipe last night. It removed all my make-up .... and I did not find flakes of my waterproof mascara or eyeliner on my eye. No smudges either. My face was clean. It smells fresh and clean. Doesn't leave a icky sticky residue after use.

Verdict: I like it. I like the way it works. I like the way it smells. I like the price. :) Good buy!

Regrets

I don't usually have regrets. Usually, I am able to suck it up and move on. However, it has been quite a "different" week or so. Another loss in the family while I am away makes me reevaluate and consider a lot of things. It makes me think harder and stirs up feelings that I have nicely tucked away for a long while. It makes me confront some of the decisions that I have shelved away.

I baked a lot. That is my way of handling deaths. When my dear grandpa passed away, I baked 4 German chocolate cakes in one night as a way to "release" myself. And with this news, I baked trays of cookies and brownies as a form of distraction, or as a way to think about things as I confront the news. I have never expected this to happen. Death in itself is not pleasant, let alone one that is sudden and tragic, and on someone who is so young.

In all my trips home to visit, I usually see a few family members. I don't usually visit with my cousins, because I figured, they are younger, and probably don't want to hang out with an "older" person. I just assumed that they have no time for me. Besides, we are so out of touch. What would we say to each other? It would be awkward, very awkward. Besides, I would have plenty of chances in the future to visit them.

And I am so wrong. A life, a future was robbed out of my cousin. She died, tragically, at 17 years old. Her parents and older brothers are trying to make sense of it all, and what exactly happened.

And I, via Friendster and blogs of her friends, finally "met" my cousin. I haven't seen her for at least 9 years. All I remember was her being a little girl, and I playing with her. She had grown to be a pretty young lady. Probably well-liked by her friends, judging from the comments on her Friendster account. I regret that I had let a chance to know my cousin slipped away.

I can only hope she finds peace and solace. And I hope her family -- my aunt, uncle and my cousins, will find peace too.

And I hope that I will make the right decisions so I wouldn't have to live with more of such regrets.

Lessons learned for me:
1) Visit the family (all of them) when I am home the next time.

2) Keep in touch with all my cousins and family members - not just the few I am in contact with.

Book Review: Stolen Innocence: My story of growing up in a polygamous sect, becoming a teenage bride, and breaking free of Warren Jeffs.

photo from Amazon.com

This was an interesting book that is worth reading. It gives you a look inside what life in FLDS is like, especially for women. This is the story about Elissa Wall - her family, her childhood, her marriage when she was a teenager, how she broke free of it, and her life afterward.

My thoughts on this:

Firstly, I enjoyed this read. Yet, I was aware that this book is written by Elissa Wall and there might be some bias. There are some things that she did which I do not agree with. Nonetheless, I was very glad that she was able to fight to get out of a really bad situation and to find happiness. It takes strength.

Secondly, I wonder a lot what the women were thinking or feeling being in a polygamous marriage. The men would argue that the sisterhood is good for the family - for the kids. One wife who is good at cooking can take care of chores like that, and another wife could be doing something else that she is good at -- just like the economic concept - specialization, division of labor. The men would probably think that women would form support groups within the family. Naive - is what I think.

"Too many cooks spoil the broth." - Too many women trying to gain control of her household do not spell unity and support.
Strife and rivalry will probably be present in households like that. A normal family without multiple wives but just mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is one suggestion at that there cannot be more than 1 woman managing the household. I don't see women sharing a husband will make family life better.

Yummy lip balm.

I got this as a gift and I love the citrus smelling aspect of it. It leaves the lips feeling soft and doesn't give lips a gloopy, greasy feeling.
Here's the product description I found on Amazon.com.
"A petroleum free citrus treat for the lips with shea butter and sunflower seed oil to give lips maximum hydration and a sexy sheen. With continued use, over a four week period, the natural peptides give a collagen boosting plumping action that fills in fine lines and makes lips voluptuous and youthful."

Ingredients include: Shea butter, sunflower seed oil, beeswax, salicylic acid, lemon balm, hawthorn berry, peppermint oil, papaya, pineapple, peptides, paprika.

I haven't used it continuously over a 4-week period, so I cannot vouch that it fills in fine lines and makes lips voluptuous and youthful. But I love the hint of citrus and a little goes a long way. It doesn't need frequent reapplying.

Cons: It is a little costly. About $20 for 0.27 oz jar.

Good Buy

I am eagerly waiting to slip my feet into this pair of Ralph Lauren's fuschia platform heels.
The heel measures approximately 3 3/4" and the platform measures approximately 1/2".

I am thinking about wearing this with my floral strapless dress to a wedding in July.

My Favorite: Johnson & Johnson 24 hours

I love this product! My skin feels so smooth even the next day. It isn't greasy. I didn't feel like I had spread a layer of grease over my entire body. It is easily absorbed into the skin. And the skin just feels so nice and soft. It is lightly scented to keep you smelling clean and fresh and not as if you had doused yourself with fragrance.

You can't go wrong with J&J.

Spring

Georgia O'Keeffe

Ansel Adam's Dogwood

My favorite spring flowering tree - the dogwood.
Especially when it is dispersed in the woods. It looks like white petals floating down from the sky. What a pretty sight.

It's been a while...

since I last blogged.
Lots have happened.
Arkansas is now home.
I have a good job and loving what I do everyday.
I am still crazy in love, and perhaps more everyday.

I tried building a fire yesterday evening in the fireplace, and I failed.
I have the house full of smoke. Almost died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Had to open the windows and doors to let the smoke out. Almost froze to death doing that. And still no fire.

I will do it again today.