Chopping My Hair Off for a Cause

If you've heard of The World's Greatest Shave, then you'd know that it's a mighty thing to do, especially a girl. One of my friends will be shaving this month and I thought it was very brave of her. I wanted to contribute as well. So I decided to donate my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

This is how long my hair was prior to the chop.

Ann-Marie helped me make the chop, literally. I handed her scissors and asked if she could help me cut my hair off. This is how short my hair was afterwards.

The next morning, I went to the hairdressers and got my hair styled and tidied up.

I got it done at Oscar Oscar by a Japanese lady. I loved the results. I don't regret chopping my hair off at all. The donated hair will be made into a wig for a cancer patient who has lost his/her hair during treatment. It's all for a good cause.

What do you think of my new hair? Do you like it? Will you ever donate your hair?

My Summer: Instagram, Sencha Peach and a Cracked Screen

First, I'd like to begin this post by apologising... again. I've (once again) missed my blogging schedule and left this blog untouched for nearly two weeks. I promise you I have good reasons. Uni has started for me and I've been busy. Of course that should not be an excuse. I've recently moved into a new place with Ann-Marie and we don't have internet!! But that's okay... We do now! Yay! It has been two weeks of gruesome torture and the technician finally came by yesterday to activate the line.

A word of warning, this is going to be a chit-chat post rather than one of my usual tutorials or reviews. I promise I have a few lined up for you and I won't be going AWOL again anytime soon. Firstly, I have an announcement to make. Ty's Blog of Epiphanies is now on Instagram! I finally caved when I got an iPad. I figured it'd be a way of getting my blog out there. And speaking of my iPad I bought this beautiful case from Forever New. Anything pale and floral screams my name.

Along with my vow to blog more consistently this year. I've also promised myself I'd be healthier. I went to my first Bikram Yoga class yesterday with Ann-Marie. I don't think I've ever sweated so much in my life! It was invigorating. We're also signing up for dance classes after spotting a Groupon deal. As much as I love my French Earl Grey, I'm now drinking Sencha Peach, which is a green tea. Hopefully, the extra antioxidants I'm consuming will help make my skin look like Odette Anable's.

I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to Summer yet but the weather has been a bit crazy. With all the rain and cold winds where I live, I think Autumn is creeping in whether I like it or not. I'm not implying that my Summer has been so freaking awesome that I don't want to let go. No, it's been a roller coaster ride for me. I just prefer warmer weather is all. One of the dips in the ride was me dropping my phone on the road, creating a huge crack across the screen of my Nokia. Just as well I didn't pay a single cent for this phone.

Has anything interesting happened to you this Summer? 

What Came in the Mail This Week?

As much as I claim to be super busy with uni, life and everything else in betwee, I seemed to have found time to shop online. This week, the postman brought me, a bag, a bottle of perfume and a hair product.

I've been lusting after this bag on THICONIC for some time now. And with all the complications in my life lately, I thought I'd buy it to cheer myself up a little. I was really excited when I saw the package at my front door when I came home from uni. I left it by my desk and went off to prepare and have dinner with my housemate. It was already night time when I ripped the packaging open and took a photo of it.

The next morning, I picked up the bag to admire it. In better lighting, I noticed all of its faults. It nearly broke my heart because I am quite fussy about things that I buy. I want them to be as perfect as possible. After all, I paid money for it. Then again, I couldn't really blame them. This bag only cost me $40 and it's made in China. Chances are the working environment for the factory workers are poor and stressful. I know I am making a generalisation here but I've just seen too many crappy China made products. I don't think I ever want to buy clothes/bags online again.

Big ball of thread

Speckled with brown/black marks

Manufacturing fault!

When I returned home that evening, two more packages popped up on my doorstep. It was the perfume that I bought from THEICONIC. I've been eyeing Viva La Juicy for a long time now and they were on sale on the website. You can say it was an impulse buy but it was such a good deal! I couldn't resist.

The other package was from the PR agent for Moroccanoil. I will be road-testing the Glimmer Shine spray. Keep your peepers out for the review.

My good friend/housemate/coursemate noticed that I was taking photos of the perfume and hair spray. "Let's have a photo taken together!" she exclaimed. "In our jammies?" I asked, with an eyebrow raised. She went to our whiteboard (yes, we have a whiteboard) and drew/wrote a monogram. It got me really happy and amused at the same time.

She unknowingly cheered me up. The faulty bag was no longer on my mind and I wasn't so bothered by it anymore. It just shows how material can never really satisfy you in life. Friends (and family) will always be the ones making life more vibrant and wonderful.

"Cheese! We're in our jammies!"

Have you ever experienced any online shopping "disasters"?

Wicked Wednesday: So is This Goodbye?

healthyplace.com

Maybe it's time to admit that I can't keep a blog. A proper one anyway. I may not be juggling as many things as others do but I am not as diligent as some are. I'd rather read a novel or watch an episode of Gossip Girl than blog. Now that I am out of creative juice, it has become a chore, instead of a joy, having to churn out two posts a week. Yes, I did sign myself up for it. Now, I am considering pulling out.

I can't complain though. It has been a really good run. I've dipped my toe into the pool of beauty blogging and found it quite a delight. I wish I can confidently say that I will continue with this side career of mine for the next few years. Unfortunately, with the kind of commitments I am expected to make next year (mentally, physically and emotionally), I don't think I can carry on with this beloved blog.

I'd like to think that I've improved when it comes to my blogging skills. I'd like to think that hundreds have enjoyed reading my posts. But one thing is for sure, I've received a lot of support and kindness from you, my readers. Thank you for all the wonderful comments you have left me. Thank you for all the helpful feedback you have give me. And most importantly, thank you for reading and following my blog.

When the time comes for me to shut this blog down permanently, I will let you know. For now, my posts will become more scarce as I work things out, both in my head and in my heart. Hope you've had a lovely Christmas and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

What do you think? Should I keep this blog or chuck it?

Wicked Wednesday: Bobbi Brown and Burberry in a Park

I’ve been busy with an exam and assessments so I apologise for my tardiness with today's post. This isn't exactly the most informative or interesting post either and again, I apologise. I promise you I have really good posts lined up for the near future. So please bear with me for now. 

I recently got my hands on a pair of Burberry frames and I have to say that I am in love with them! No, I don’t need glasses but they have become a fashion statement these days. Having said that, I think this provides me with the opportunity to experiment with makeup for glasses. I hope that one day I will be able to post up a makeup tutorial for spectacle wearers. 

Aren't they beautiful?

I have yet to take a photo of myself wearing these glasses yet because I have two massive ugly pimples on my face at the moment. I will upload one once my pimples have cleared. 

 A couple of weeks ago, I had this epiphany for a makeup tutorial (keep your eyes peeled!). I approached Bobbi Brown and requested for one of their products. They were very kind and generous in providing it to me for free. It is a Long Wear Eye Pencil in Black Navy. I thought it’d be nice to give a quick first impression rundown on the product. 

I’m sure I’ve drummed it into your heads by now (for those of you who are regular readers of my blog content). I love Bobbi Brown products. I was really excited to receive it. It brightened my horrible week up a little. 

I really liked how the eyeliner came with a sharpener. For first time pencil eyeliner buyers, this would be very handy. Plus, it means more bang for your buck. According to the product information, this is the pencil version of Bobbi Brown's much loved Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

It's a gorgeous dark blue and here's a swatch of it. 

With direct sunlight

In the shade

After I swatched the eyeliner, I waited a couple of minutes to let it set. Then, I swiped my finger across it to see that if it would budge. I'm happy to report that it stays relatively well. You can see that it has smeared slightly but that is expected of most pencil eyeliners. So you don't have to worry too much if you accidentally rub your eyes (like I sometimes do) when you're wearing this eyeliner. It won't be too big a disaster. 

I know that my blog seems to be chock full of materialism. Please allow me to take a moment to balance some of my narcissism out with the following photo. 

My boyfriend and I had a small picnic in the park today. Hence, the tartan blanket you see in the photos. It was such a lovely day. We were seeing nature at its best. Quality time with him still trumps receiving an awesome beauty product from Bobbi Brown. As the saying goes, "the best things in life are free."

Triple S: Lash Mishap!

Something really awful happened. I chopped off a tuft of my lashes with my cheap eyelash curler. At first, I didn't realise what was happening. I was putting on mascara and I thought something looked odd. My lashes didn't look full like they usually do. I pulled up my lashes to check and found a "big gap" in my lashes.

After Googling frantically for a reason to my abruptly shortened lashes, I discovered that cheap eyelash curlers tend to cut off lashes. I deduced that it's the poor design. If you look carefully at the photo above you can probably see a couple of lashes have been pinched to right angles. In due time, it becomes a weak point and the lashes snap off. I hope I am making sense!

The Culprit!

I was so peeved that I went and bought myself a new eyelash curler from Shiseido shortly after the incident. It wasn't an impulse buy though. At first, I told myself that this was a sign to buy the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler that I've been lusting after for quite a while. After having done my research, I found that a lot of consumers are happy with Shiseido's and it is a lot more affordable than Shu Uemura's at the price of AUD25. In fact, a lot of reviewers say that it is equally good, if not better than Shu Uemura's.

Apart from testing it out at Shiseido's counter, I have yet to actually try this curler out. The Shiseido lady was very lovely and I liked how my lashes turned out when she curled them. When I tried it on my other eye, it did not turn out the same but she promised me that it will with practise. I will probably do a review on this product in the future, once I've fully trialled it. For now, I am going to leave my lashes alone as much as possible, so that it can grow. Hopefully by applying olive oil/vitamin E oil to them, it will speed up the process a little bit and strengthen them. I will have to wear false lashes for events and dinners for quite a while... 

So ladies, beware!! You might want to be careful when using a cheap eyelash curler. You might want to do some research and think twice before you purchase a cheap $3 eyelash curler from the Japanese beauty stall at a market! Lesson learnt!

Have you had this experience before? How did you get through it?

Pleasant Surprise!

I hopped on the internet after coming home from an exam paper, just to give myself a bit of a break before I powered on with studying. I logged on to Beauty Heaven and saw that they've announced the winners to their Australian BlogStar Awards competition. I opened up the article, curious to see who won. (I was short-listed for this competition and was up against some really good pro bloggers so I didn't think I'd win. I didn't mind at all. I was just happy to be short-listed.) Then I scrolled down. To my great disbelief, this blog post of mine was voted as the Best Beauty Blog Post for Established Blogs! I thought it was a goner since I didn't receive a lot of feedback or comments from any of the BH members.

I would also like to congratulate the other winners! Everyone did a really great job. I went through all of the short-listed posts some time back and I thought that all of them were wonderful. To check out the other winners and their blogs head over to here!

What was the most pleasant surprise you've ever experienced? Do share!

B.I.A.: Back In Action

It's a bit hard to believe that it's been a month since I last posted on my blog! Boy, did time fly? I said I would resume posting once GAMSAT is over but I'm afraid it won't be as frequent as I did during the summer holidays, no thanks to my heavy uni work load. If you do want to hear about my experience with GAMSAT and some tips on how to prepare and sit for it, please drop a request in the comments section.

Source: tvblanket.com

Over the past few weeks, I've been toying with the idea of getting a fringe/bangs. It all started with Zooey Deschanel's new series, New Girl, which is one of my current favourite TV shows. Her character, Jessica Day, is so cute and quirky and I love her weird sense of style. It's not hilarious but it's thoroughly entertaining (and addictive if I may add) to watch. I also love how she wears big waves and curls in her hair. However, in the latest episodes, Zooey straightened her hair, which I don't like as much. So if you want a bit of a laugh or some form of amusement, watch it.

Now, back to the topic on fringes, I've become obssessed with full blunt fringe type of looks. I had a fringe two years ago but I grew it out within a couple of months. I just couldn't handle feeling something on my forehead constantly. And even though it was at least an inch away from my eyes, I kept feeling like it was irritating and brushing against them. Perhaps, I've become so vain that I might just put up with them this time? I'm holding back at the moment because my hair is thinning and I can't imagine how much thinner it'd look with a lot of the long strands snipped to make a fringe, especially since I'm after a heavy fringe. Here are some photos of bangs that I really like.

Source: hdofblog.com

Source: yourbeautyspot.ninemsn.com.au

Source: monstersandcritics.com

*Sighs* Doesn't Zooey just have the nicest hair?

Source: fanpop.com

Do you have a fringe? Are you a big fan of them? 

Birthday Surprise!

My best friend Nop, who lives in a city several hours of air travel away from me, visited me during the Christmas period. I spent a wonderful two weeks filled with tears, laughter and sheer madness with her, doing things that we have and haven't done before. I was quite sad on the day she left. I was emotional and a bit choked up on tears that were threatening to escape but I did my best not to show it. Because I knew that it would not be too long before I see her again. Plus, we email each other a lot.

So after dropping her off at the airport, my mum and I got home and sat down for lunch with my brother. I was halfway eating when there was a loud knock on the door. My mum went to check and found that the postman was delivering a package. I took one look at the writing at the front and immediately knew who it was from. The cute little stamp of Christina and her cat also confirmed it.


It was a birthday present from Christina, Myra and Megan! Although my birthday was more than a month ago, I didn't mind it one single bit. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised, thrilled and touched to received this beautiful present. (Note, I am not being sarcastic here. The paper bag only looks ugly because it took some battering on its way to me.)


They bought a scrapbooking materials set from smida paper (my favourite craft store) for me! I didn't bother taking a photo of all of its contents but this is what it looked like before I opened the packaging. It was a already opened (because the seal/sticker was broken) and I believe it was the customs going through the package to make sure no illegal items were being mailed in.


My friends also included a card. A Christmas/Belated Birthday card. Christina made it herself. Isn't it beautiful?



Now here comes the funny part. Inside the package was also another little package for Nop. Nop, who was visiting me, has already flown home on the same day this package arrived (literally a couple of hours after she left)! I did tell Myra about her visit and if the timing had been perfect, we would have received this package while she was still visiting me! Oh well, I'll just have to mail it to her. I must admit that I'm dying to find out what's inside though!


So I would like to say a very big thank you to my three friends. Best friends. For this wonderful and delightful birthday surprise. Even from a different continent, you guys managed to brighten up my otherwise dim (not exactly gloomy) day! And you may or may not have already stopped referring to me as your best friend (and I don't blame you), ever since my lack of presence but I can assure you that I have always and will always refer to you guys as mine.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I know it has been more than a month since I last posted something. I've been busy with exams, moving, visitors and the summer course that I've been forced to take (no thanks to the degree that I'm studying). To make things worse, our new place still doesn't have internet. I've been surviving on mobile internet for more than a month now. Hence, the lack of activity on this blog.

Anyway, to keep this post short and sweet. I'll be making more time to post once I get proper internet. Yes, that means more ramblings about beauty, hauls, arts & crafts and anything remotely worth my acknowledgement! I should probably add that to my New Year's resolution list.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and good break from all the stress from studying/work. Whoever you are, my dear reader, I hope the year 2012 brings you many wonderful things (not necessarily just material things!) and I wish you best of luck with all your endeavours!

P.S. The well wishes made to you, the reader, were based on the assumption that you are a good person. :)

Love Letters

Bet you thought this post is gonna be about letters that I've received from an admirer or a lover/paramour or a boyfriend/love interest or... you get the picture. If you're a food lover, perhaps you thought of those tasty rolls of chocolate wafers? Yum...

Anyway, this post is a continuation of my previous post. Remember I mentioned that I keep letters in my folder? Well, here are some pretty letters and postcards that I've received and would like to share with you.

Christina sent me this postcard when she was visiting Perth.
Looking at it just make me feel so loved!


My cousin and his wife sent me this when they were on holiday in Cambodia.
Pretty cool, huh?


A friend of mine sent me this postcard when she moved to SA.


Christina sent me this one when she was on holiday in Japan.
I'd love to go to Japan one of these days!


A friend from England brought me postcards when she visited.
I reckon it's pretty cool. I like it.


This is another one.
Please excuse my poor photography skills.


Sometime back, Myra, Christina, Jess and Megan wrote me a really funny letter.
They decorated the envelope. Isn't it beautiful?


Megan and I used to write each other letters.
She'd use these really cute Peanuts envelopes.

That's all I have for now!

Procrastination, Thou Art My Enemy

Last week, I found myself going through my five-year-old new clear folder. I use it to keep newpaper article, letters, print-out of lyrics (ah, those days when I did not own an iPod...) and artwork that I recived from friends as gifts. "Why?" you may ask. I was evading the grueling task that lay ahead of me ...... Studying.

As you can see, it was quite a mess! I collected a lot of items of sentimental value over the years. But I decided it was time to move on. I recycled the lyrics, the newspaper (goodbye Twilight and Cathy Kelly, I'm so over you!) and some wrapping paper that I saved from presents. Yes, I keep wrapping paper that I find really pretty. Everything else went back into the folder.

After an hour's worth of procrastination, my folder was in good order again. Time to study... Ahhhh!! Before I finish off this post, I would like to share with you two lovely pieces of artwork that my best friend, Nop, gave to me.



Simply gorgeous!