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Things I Love Thursday, #3: Recent Buys

Published by Justine

Finally back to blogging after the holidays, which were great. First 5 days spent lazing about, watching City Hunter and adopting DOLCE FAR NIENTE into my life, something which I never have the luxury of doing anymore ever since I got out of uni and the next 5 days were spent with family in a vacation to Singapore and Bintan Island. Shopping, the beach.. too good.

Before I talk about the vacation and upload some photos, when I was in Singapore I did a bit of shopping. Some new clothes, new shoes, make-up, skin care, foodtrips, accessories.. not too many but enough to make me satisfied and quite broke. Sigh, but no sigh!

Out of everything I bought these are probably the top 3 buys which I was most happy about, and also another edition of TILT.

1. Kameria Baby Face BB Cream, about $25

I’ve heard a lot about BB Creams before, the wonders they’ve done to women and how some people swear by these products. In the beginning I wasn’t really swayed but I’ve been wanting to really try one these past few weeks. I was at Sephora and they had a whole counter full of BB Creams so I chose the one which I thought was most suitable for my skin and budget. My face gets oily easily, not too mention also a victim of breakouts so I chose the Anti-Acne and Pore Tightening with SPF 20 BB Cream. I’ve been using it for close to a week now and I’m glad I made this purchase because I love it. The texture isn’t too moist so my skin doesn’t get too oily anymore and the color is quite dark which suits well with my complexion. It pretty much does its job.. and more.

2. H&M Bag, $39.99

H&M finally made its way to Southeast Asia by opening their first flagship store in Singapore. Perfect timing because it opened just as I got there. During the first few days the lines were basically crazy like you were queueing for the newest roller coaster but I decided to go during the 4th day when the lines were moving at a normal pace. Even though the store was full of people, it wasn’t that crampy because it really was big.. but the cashier and fitting room lines were still very long. I managed to snag a few things.. mostly accessories because I really didn’t wanna line up in the fitting room for clothes, that was my last night in Singapore and I was extremely hungry for dinner that time and getting really dizzy in the store with all the people. H&M was not that worth it, but there were so many nice affordable clothes inside! They really need to open one in Jakarta so we won’t be this deprived.

I’ve been wanting a cheap daily bag for a while now, mostly for work. Something that is light and something I don’t mind putting on the floor on most days and shoving all my junk inside. Before I went to the store I was browsing through bags on their website already (funny thing when I went back today the bag’s not there anymore.. but the model’s still wearing it) so that I could figure out what I want and not get lost in retail oblivion. The moment I found what I was looking for I grabbed it straight away. It’s really light and fits a lot of my things inside, which is perfect for everyday use.

3. Lancome Juicy Tubes, about $18

I’m a big fan of lip stuff (lip gloss, lip balm and quite recently, lipstick). I remember reading a magazine article about Elizabeth Jagger back when I was still in school and she mentioned that she couldn’t live without these Juicy Tubes things. Then I found out she actually got to endorse the product, I really really wanted one but I’ve always been shy to ask my mom to buy me $18 lipgloss. At the airport before boarding I came across a row of them so I decided just to go ahead and finally get one (in #17 Fraise) and so far so good! I like that it has a thick texture as opposed to other glosses which are quite thin and oily, but it doesn’t feel like your lips are covered in hot goo. It also smells nice. Score.

I didn’t plan on going into too much detail about my purchases but I couldn’t help it, I’m in a blogging mood today!

On K-dramas and City Hunter

Published by Justine

I don’t watch a lot of K-dramas, but when I do watch one I make sure it’s good and I make sure it’s Lee Min Ho. The number of K-dramas I’ve seen, I can count with my fingers. Endless Love: Autumn in my Heart (the start of it all), Full House, You’re Beautiful, Personal Taste (which I loved), Oh! My Lady, My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox, Secret Garden (one of the best) and this one which I recently finished, City Hunter. It is good, it is damn good. I was a bit hesitant because of the action and suspense genre which I tend to stay away from because first of all, I don’t have much knowledge when it comes to the Korean government and secondly, well I really do prefer the romantic drama theme.

The reason why I started City Hunter was not only because people were recommending it to me, but also because it stars Lee Min Ho and I was curious about how he’ll go about pulling off an action role. I didn’t watch him until Personal Taste so didn’t really get the whole craze with him being on Boys Over Flowers. Besides, the Meteor Garden theme was kind of really annoying to me. Lee Min Ho definitely has the acting chops and seeing him jump into this type of genre didn’t go wrong because it fit him. They also made him flawless with the right background to become the kick-ass character he played.

The constant search for the perfect (and cheap) earphones

Published by Justine

Being someone who always has music revolved around her literally 24/7, I really need a good pair of earphones. Not only good, they also have to be cheap because I suck at earphone maintenance. I’m not saying I keep a low disregard of my things (let’s just say, selectively) but there’s just something about earphonesI always have bad luck because they break so fast. That alone makes me discouraged and I feel that it’s a waste if I buy expensive ones because, what if they break again right?

I’ve probably tried almost all the recommended brands out there. Sony, Philips, Creative, the Apple ones which come with my iPods, Sennheiser, Koss, JBL, Audio-Technica.. I’ve had all of those in my 7-year span of extensive music listening. I’ve yet to try the more expensive brands like Shure but I feel like right now it’s not worth my money because I’m a girl and I have other needs you know? SHOES BAGS CLOTHES WINE AND DINE scream out my name all the time. I’m beginning to have personal finance issues, I swear.

I’m currently using a Sennheiser MX 471 which I got as a gift and has lasted for more than a year now (GASP), the longest I’ve ever had working earphones. I usually only get the entry to middle level products from each brand because yeah, I’m very clumsy with them. Apple earphones are standard and produce a fairly good sound but the thing with them is, they break too easily, so fragile and basically have low durability. The thing with me is I’m really picky with sound. My 471’s are great but only with ear foams. I lose ear foams all the time and I hate it! My Koss Jams were really cheap and I had a good run with them, they sounded good despite the price but due to the price too, they didn’t last very long. My Audio-Technica C500M on the other hand, the sound was too thin in my ear and felt like tin cans, and the durability wasn’t very good either–it barely lasted for 2 months. Crazy, my cheaper Koss’ lasted more than it.

If there’s one thing about earphones I don’t like, it’s those in-ear ones. The thought of sticking something into the depths of my ears is horrendous and kind of gross. I think it’s also the reason why I’m having a hard time finding the right earphones these days because most of the ones in the market right now are in-ears. I hope they don’t make the earbud types obsolete. What will become of me and my listening habits? If you could recommend me good and affordable earphones, that would be great! 🙂

Things I Love Thursday, #2

Published by Justine

It’s been a while! I’ve been meaning to write another TILT but I keep on forgetting and when I get the idea it’s not Thursday anymore plus when I feel like drafting a post and it’s not Thursday I feel like I’m cheating. So here’s the 2nd edition!

1. My new MacBook Pro

Fresh two nights ago, I finally replaced my 4 year old white MacBook. It was with me all throughout my college/university life and not to mention my first Mac so there’s definitely a sentimental value attached to it. I’m passing it on to my little sister and hopefully getting some kinks fixed like the random LCD quirks that’s been bugging me the past couple of months. As for this new baby, I’m beyond happy! No more hindrances to work and fangirling.

2. Running

I’ve been consistently running for about a month now and I love it! No form of exercise since dancing has made me this motivated until this one. I’ve always enjoyed running and won 1st place in a few races back when I was in high school but I always regarded it as just wanting to get over the whole sports meet so I can hang with my friends after (lol). I’m back to beginner stage now, I started with walking, then sprinting then jogging and now here I am tracking my progress with adidas miCoach (but ironically wearing Nike shoes). My running goals are still all over the place but hopefully I break the 3km soon. So far my average for about 3-5 times a week is only around 1.5km and pushing myself to do better! There’s just something about the night breeze that calms me because I can only run when I get home from work and I sleep better.

3. Teen Wolf & The Borgias

Ya I know, they’re two really different shows but I’ve been hooked! My love for Teen Wolf started because of a free iTunes download and forcing my sister to watch with me. Even though we were both hesitant, we didn’t want to let a free download go to waste. Fast forward 12 episodes later we’re totally fangirls of the series. I guess it goes with my surprise about how good it is despite being an MTV production (low expectations, okay). The storyline is actually simple, not overdone and the characters are convincing, not to mention the effects aren’t all that bad. I’m not even surprised it’s doing so well that it’s been picked up for another season and on every tween’s radar these days, mine included. Yeah, I’m forever a tween.

I admit I started looking into The Borgias because Luke Pasqualino [ side note: I MISS SKINS!!! ] is one of the recurring cast but when I watched the pilot and the episodes after I just couldn’t get over how great the production is, the cast, the stories, the subtle evil that comes out of all their actions. Having the best History teacher in high school made me a History buff so the stories behind the Borgia family really fascinated me and until now I can’t stop reading about them and what they did to the Christian society. Pretty deep stuff.. definitely one of a kind.

4. Hump Day Holidays

Yesterday was the Independence Day of Indonesia (FREEDOM!) and being a Wednesday, it gave me time to relax and unwind in between working days. Don’t get me wrong I love a long weekend just as much as you do but something about a break in the middle of the week is good too you know? It feels like I only have 2 working days to look forward to all the time. Can’t life be like that? Yesterday was spent having brunch at noon with the boss and lazing around for the rest of the day. Ahh, bliss.

K-pop Releases 2011: 2nd Half Favorites

Published by Justine

I can finally write about k-pop now that most of the groups that I follow are releasing stuff left and right. The first half of 2011 was kind of a dud to me. I barely kept up with k-pop and 2PM was mostly doing activities in Japan so my fangirling was a bit on the low side. For me, the only solid releases during the first half was TVXQ’s Keep Your Head Down which I followed for weeks, EPIC EPIC song and performances that were worth the time. Big Bang also released Tonight which is one of my favorite k-pop tracks for 2011 and Love Song, which was a solid melody but unfortunately had boring performances. Other than that I loved Joo’s Bad Guy single, Dalmatian‘s mini, U-Kiss surprised me with less cringe-y songs after Xander and Kibum’s departure from the group and Kahi‘s single which was melodically okay, but still kind of a dud. The most disappointing comeback for me so far is definitely 4Minute. Mirror Mirror is a horrible song and Heart to Heart does not suit them! I was expecting so much after last year’s epic with HuH and I My Me Mine. Better luck next comeback I guess.

AFTER SCHOOL – SHAMPOO

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OSmITtaX3o

May rolled in and one of my favorite girl groups, After School, released Shampoo. It was also the last record before Bekah (one of my favorite members) “graduated” from the group. After School is the only group I really like outside of the BIG 3 (SME, YGE, JYPE) + CUBE and Bekah is one of my favorite girls in k-pop so I know this comeback counted for something. They ditched their fierce persona but unlike 4Minute (whose concept did not resonate with me at all), their replacement track was great. I genuinely loved Shampoo from the start. The soft synth mixed well with the soft feel of the song. I will miss Bekah’s flawless English rapping.. but I wish her all the best back home in Hawaii.