The Lighter Side

I love this poster! I can't remember how many times I saw (and enjoyed) Beatlejuice as a kid; and the Joker in the Dark Knight was brilliant! A conversation between the two would be very interesting indeed. A friend  sent this picture to me and when I started searching for the source so that I could give credit to the owner, I found that lots of people had placed this on their personal pages and on photobucket, so no luck there (one website that I did find it on was 'knowyourmeme').  At first I found it funny, and then it reminded me of when I was a kid and how my family would enjoy a movie together. Happy times! 

This past week has been overwhelming and I've been trying to calm myself down; trying to enjoy the good moments. I constantly encounter a lot of people that make mountains out of mole hills and just infect everyone with their negativity. Returning a hateful comment with one that's equally hateful won't solve anything and it won't make you feel any better. Few people know the wonders of kind little gestures. A genuine "thank you", "have a nice day"or even a smile can turn someone's' day around and give them a few moments of happiness or encouragement when they're having a rough day.  It could be just what they need to regain faith in the world and push through. Sometimes it's okay not to take everything so seriously. In this competitive day and age, we need to slow down and take notice of what counts.  I wish everyone joy and true peace.

MUA - Makeup Academy

I feel a little guilty for buying more beauty stuff, but they really were cheap. I talked a little bit about MUA nail polishes in a previous post (Beauty Review 1.0) and so I wanted to compare it with two new polishes. They were both the same price, but the packaging is different and although the amount isn't  stated on the bottle, it appears to be less. So I purchased Koala Bear (Grey) and Pistachio Ice Cream (turquoise; mint). I find the consistency to be a little thinner then with the other polish.

I only applied one coat and it looked great! With the Pistachio, you need at least two coats, but three would look better and have more staying power. Koala Bear is my favourite of the two, but problem is that I has to put FOUR coats in order to not see my nail underneath. For such a small bottle, I'll run out in no time! I will still continue to purchase these polishes though as the finish is really smooth and it is extremely easy to apply. It's also fast drying. I was halfway through and had to attend to something so I just ran my fingers through running water and viola; dry.

September Bellabox Review

First let me start of with saying that I was very happy with last months' box (although I read some reviews and a lot of people were disappointed). The design of the box was Paranakan inspired and I quite liked it. Inside were quite a number of items and it had a full sized product which was hand cream that smelled lovely. I felt it had a better mix compared with some of their other boxes. I wanted to do a review on it, but before I knew it, this box arrived!

I can't say that I was impressed with this months' box. Thinking about it; it looks like I paid $20 for a box of freebies! I understand that it is difficult for the people at Bellabox to please everyone, but I feel that if the box had more variety than more people would be happy with it. Firstly, the theme was "Pink Me Up" and based on their write-up, they were going for "perk me up", but added a twist (maybe so that it would sound more towards beauty and that they could make the box pink?). This just ended up confusing the majority who were probably expecting more "pink" products. You think pink and you do think of more make-up products compared to wellness and skin care products. Personally, I think that other subscription boxes like Glossybox and Ipsy bag are more make-up orientated and Bellabox is more for skin care. I received  a face mask, eye mask, facial peel and scrub!!!!! Along with this was an anti-ageing lotion, face mist, BB cream and a collagen drink. A theme more towards a "Fresh Face" would have been more appropriate.

Based on their pink theme, I think the September box would have been better if there was a variety of skin care and make-up, hair care products with that added "pink" factor. The scrub and mask are fine (maybe it will give you a glow ha ha), the lip scrub was a good idea, but not everyone received it. I think some received a lip gloss instead, but I didn't get either. No nice pink lips for me I guess, but some quick suggestions from me to add to the scrub and mask are a pink nail polish, a rose water cream - perhaps the smell might make you think of pink roses :) and also maybe those hair ties in three different shades of pink. For the bonus item, a small pink heart shaped bar of soap. What do you think?

 I do hope the next box has something for everyone! :o)

Here is a list of the items I received and what I thought of them. Updated as and when I try them out.

Dr Morita EGF Platinum Mask - After use I felt tightness around the mouth and forehead. Fresh scent.
Dr Morita Eye Mask (Bonus) - Not sure if I will use this
La Clinica GLY C Refine Micrro Dermabrasion Facial Exfoliating Scrub
Enavose Invisible Sunbrella UV Mist SPF 45 - Looking forward to using this. Like the non-spill packaging.
Dr. G Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF 50+ PA+++ -
Recoliv Beauty Collagen
Wish Formula JJOYY Bubble Peeling Pad
Vaseline Healthy White Perfect 10 - Smells lovely!

Carry On

This is so true! No matter the hurt and pain you're going through, you need to push on and hope for a better tomorrow. Other times, you just have no choice. People might be depending on you, looking up to you to show them the way. Always take time to say a little prayer and know that "If God puts you to it, He will pull you through it". Sometimes this is hard to see, but in time, everything will be clear. 

As I write this, I find myself taking deep breaths and I'm not too sure why... I've always been a worry wot and I need to learn to lift everything up to God. I need to do everything that I possibly can and leave the rest to Him. 

Fun Typing

I went ahead and purchased a keyboard cover for my Mac. Which is weird because I was actually contemplating selling my laptop to switch to Windows. Using Mac can be very frustrating especially when it comes to editing photos. iphoto just isn't as great as photoshop. Transferring photos is also a pain. Anyway, back to the topic. My new keyboard cover! I'm loving it and I couldn't wait to type on it so thought I would blog about it. (The little things make me happy) 

I ordered pink, but it is actually more of a metallic light purple colour and I think I like it better. No more boring black keys. I purchased it from Amazon and after reading the reviews, I was a little worried that it wouldn't fit right. A lot of the problems others had that the functions  keys  didn't  align  properly.  Thankfully  though, mine fits perfectly.

In-between

Sometimes I get hungry in between meals especially if I've had a light lunch or lunch is going to be late. My mid-morning snack was a small tub of yoghurt. I love the ones by Emmi. Just the right portion size and very refreshing. Today I had the Pineapple and it was sweet with that tarte bite. As with all their yoghurt, there were bits of pineapple in it. I can't decide whether I like this better or the pink grapefruit. They are both so yummy!

By 5pm I was craving for an iced coffee :) I usually only have hot coffee at home, but since discovering that Starbucks sells packets of iced coffee, I don't have hot coffee past morning anymore.

What are some of your favourite snacks?

Starting A Blog

When I started this blog, I wasn't entirely sure what I should primarily make it about. I did go back and forth with the idea, questioning myself (would I stay committed? would I find myself staring at a blank screen night after night? would it matter?) Yes, I could have jumped on the bandwagon and started a mummy blog as they call it, but I just wasn't comfortable with that. Putting her pictures out there; putting myself out there. There will definitely be posts about her, but I guess in the beginning, I just didn't want more people judging me. I had so many people around me telling me stuff and instead of giving their advice and letting me make the decision, they wanted me to do what they said and felt that my husband and I didn't know anything. It was not pleasant. Anyway, sometimes I do wish that I had written everything down from the moment she was born, and I feel a little sad when I see others' monthly updates. When it comes down to it though, I know I will never forget every little milestone or cute smile my daughter gives me, or what we all went through together. Everything is etched in my heart. God gave me a miracle and she is my world.

I therefore decided that I shouldn't limit myself. I should write about anything and everything. It would be a place for me to jot down my thoughts, ideas, maybe be a little creative and also to help and inspire people out there the way others' blogs have inspired me and helped me smile through the hard times.

So many people turn to the internet to seek answers and I hope that at least one person reads my blog and gets the answer they are searching for. It would make it all worthwhile.