Alone again, naturally

I don't know how I never knew the lyrics to this song.  One of my favorites, I actually looked them up today.

This is a much sweeter, smarter song than I'd previously imagined.

That heartbreak.  That sentiment.  That's what great songs/ writing/ art is made of... 

And listening to the song again today, I thought I would feel that way when I thought abt the FCRAP again.  But I didn't.

Which is wonderful.  

Becoz all it really is, is an exam.  It's just a job.  It's just a year.

And it's not my soul.

Mini Nyx Haul & Reviews

L to R:  (Lip glosses) Juicy Red, La-La, Sponge Cake.  Tinted lip spa in Sake &
Eyebrow cake in ash/taupe

• Tinted lip spa:  this is actually the same color as my lips.  It's more sheer than it appears (coz otherwise it would be a lipstick) but it is smooth + reasonably moisturizing.  It has an inoffensive smell that is hard to characterise.  Overall, I like it very much as I'm a tinted lip balm fiend ;)  ...BTW, some blogs mention that it melts in summer - it's autumn here so I can't comment on that but really hope not!

• MegaShine Lip Gloss in Juicy Red:  I love the sheer but bright red color and I don't mind the slightly sticky texture of the gloss. This is a color I really wanted becoz I only have something similar in an unwieldy pot at the moment.
• La-La: thought I'd be bold and buy a bright color - something out of character.   This is a bright pink and has good color pay-off.  But it really doesn't suit me.
• Sponge Cake:  this is a gorgeous color in the tube.  Shimmery dusty pink (not brown - the way it came out in the pic).  Sadly, it comes off on my lips as essentially nude/colorless with a little shimmer.

• Eyebrow Cake in Ash/Taupe:  I love this.  I never did anything abt my eyebrows other than plucking/ threading/ waxing until this year.  Putting stuff on does make a difference though and I love this little package.  I kinda mix the colors together and then put a little of the provided wax over the top.  Cute and convenient.  Saw this reviewed by some of my fave youtube beauty gurus and they were right!

I hate the smell of the MegaShine lip glosses.  Harsh, incredibly synthetic cherry.  It's not a smell common in cosmetics anymore - most companies produce cherry scented/flavored items but have learnt to tone it down.  They have a retro scent, circa 1985 and in the worst possible way.  I actually avoided cherry flavored things for abt 10 years thanks to this scent... Yep, I hate it enough that I would not consider buying these again w/o their reformulation.

Should I do a little list of my fave youtube beauty gurus?  --- I have hesitated coz I wasn't sure if I was allowed to without their permission.... but would it be helpful?


Finally, I don't buy something every day.  I realize that I do blog posts in quick succession  ... but acquiring this stuff does take time ;)

Quick Review: Brazilian blow-out

Ahh.  


It sure sounds like I spend a ridiculous amount of money and time on cosmetics/ beauty stuff, huh?  Well, perhaps I do ;)


Approx 8 months ago, a colleague with similar hair type + overall dress style to mine and I were talking abt how hard it is to manage thick, frizzy, mid-length hair.  She is originally from Brisbane and told me abt the 'brazilian blow out' aka 'global keratin' treatment she had done there more than a year prior.  It wasn't really in Perth at this time and I remember thinking abt how expensive she said it was (like $500). 


My hair frizzies really act up when it's either long or short.  Mid-length is ok... but I saw a deal online for the global keratin thing a couple of months ago and thought, "why the hell not, since it's less than 50% off!"


So, anyway, recently, the original formula has been recalled.  Too much formaldehyde apparently.  The new formulation is apparently called 'nano straight' and allows more post-procedure freedom.  It's apparently immediately washable, for example.  ... Anyway, this is the treatment I had done.


Even with mid length hair, it took abt 3 hours.  It didn't smell especially pleasant going on and was pretty enough immediately afterwards... but not quite my style.  Immediately after, it felt weighed down and was incredibly straight.  Somehow making my giant head look larger since my hair was flatter.  Hmm.  


I resisted washing it for 48hours.  My horror at the sight of the bobble-head in the mirror wore me down though.


After the first wash.... I didn't see or feel a discernible difference.  I used the recommended shampoo + conditioner.  I don't use any styling products with sulphates, as advised.  Certainly, when wet I can still smell the original treatment (which is not pleasant btw) ... but when dry, my hair is still slightly frizzy and back to wavy.


I didn't get it done in the hopes it would be straighter.  I love the waves... but I was hoping it would be substantially less frizzy.  Or need less de-frizz product.  




Conclusion:   No regrets since I got to try it on massive discount.  And jet black hair that always has bright, natty colors put in can always use the extra conditioning treatment... would I get it again?  
--->  on discount:  yep!
--->  full price:  hell no.  

Call it 'business class'

Yep, daggy enough to take my own pic with champagne!

I've never been on a business trip for now.  I guess that's becoz I work in the public system for and really don't have to drum up any 'business'.


For 6 months this year, I am/was lucky enough to have a part-time job in private sector doing something that can be loosely called 'research'.  It's this job which sent me on my only business trip - to Thailand.  I went business class, dressed, regardless, in my vintage t-shirt and black hoodie. Like the poor kid I actually am.


Here are some pics of the amazing hotel my colleague and I stayed in at our own expense, prior to the work-bit.  It was called the Aetas Hotel and was in Bangkok itself.  Such a lovely hotel with awesome stuff like a massage and daily cocktail (woohoo!) thrown in.  New, clean and bright.  Free wi-fi and some Macs available for guest use in the lobby too. Loved it.

The porn-style bathroom at Aetas - you can look into the main room from your bathtub... or vice versa, I suppose!  This bathroom style was also in the second hotel.

Dunno why I thought the bathroom counter also deserved a pic.  But there you go.

I wish you could see the giant showerhead here.  There were 2 showerheads - one giant one that would pour enough water to engulf you.  Heaven! 

The hotel I was in for work was, although technically 5 star, run down and over-priced.  There was no free wi-fi.  Internet connections were available for a rather hefty sum.  I also had a view of the ___airport on-ramp___.  Yes, the one vehicles drive on to drop passengers at the departures area.  EWWWWWWW.  Twice the price for rooms per night too, apparently.  Can anyone say "rip-off"?


Finally, I have to rant/rave about the flights.  I'm a cheap, cheap human being.  I've never even looked up the price of business class flights so this was an amazing experience.  I was on Cathay Pacific airlines, in one of the individual booth/bed things which fully reclines.  They try to feed you constantly in business class too.


I love my food but in 8 hours, I got 4 meals.  I had to refuse some of the last one.  It was beef noodles - think abt it ppl, I would never EVER ordinarily refuse beef noodles.  Sigh.  


Funny observation:  In economy, the pre-landing stuff is easy.  Your seats only ever tipped 3 inches backwards.  In business, there's a lot of shuffling around before landing.  You have to entangle yourself from your laz-y-boy type seat... and the big blankie/doona they gave you... and your wraparound headphones... and the table cloth (no shit) you probably left on your lap becoz, wtf, you had a table cloth and a cloth napkin to contend with.

Welcome to my pod.  

Yeah, I'm a hick.  Whatever yo!   I'll probably never get to do this again.  Might as well revel in every second of how 'the other half' live. 


;)

Cake Eyeliner and BB Cream(s)

Yo!


A while back, I wrote that makeup is a new fascination/hobby for me.  How new?  I mean, N-E-W.  Less than 12 months.  I know this becoz the last time I visited Asia, BB creams were just starting to take the continent by storm... and I had no interest in them.  

I've come a long way since then and am oddly fascinated by BB creams now.  So much so, I  bought a mini set of the famous 'Skin79' brand to try.  Now, the caveat is that I've got nothing to compare their efficacy to.  Many blogs and youtubers describe their efficacy in terms of 'coverage', especially in relation to foundation.... but I don't use foundation.  Not just "don't use" but have never used.  Never.  I've never even purchased foundation.  


Wha???


Frankly, I was put off foundation by the number of women walking around with a disparate colored faces and necks.  I wasn't sure I could blend the stuff properly... and have also come to realise that since I have oddly clear skin, I really don't need any.  Goths abhor the sun...and I never stopped avoiding it... I think this avoidance has, on it's own, contributed greatly to my even, blemish-free skin.  (yeah, and the rest is luck and genes)....  


What the hell am I saying?... I'm saying that I don't think anything of the 4 BB creams I've tried.  They came out of the tube in beige-grey.  All were the same shade.  They were already perfectly matched to my face when I stick 'em on there.  I rub 'em in with my fingers.  How does it look?  The way it did before.  I actually tried a different BB on each cheek and left my forehead bare for comparison.  No difference.  


I'm not sure what the point of these is.  Sorry.  I'm gonna try to finish all 4 tubes so I can perhaps make a few more useful comments though :)


On to CAKE EYELINER...

This former goth has a 90% unused Clinique cake eyeliner from her heyday.  A year ago, I bought a squeeze tube of Napoleon Perdis' Cake Eyeliner Sealer becoz I was thrilled to discover that cake eyeliner still existed as an entity.... Then, I recently watched a youtube video abt tightlining and cake eyeliner... WHOA!  *brilliant idea*


;)


I didn't have too much success with this stuff the first time around.  


I only ever mixed it with water and was clumsy - it was invariably watery and would sting my eyes when it dribbled in.  Hey, I wasn't one of the goths with gorgeous makeup. *Sigh*  But many years later, with a push eyeliner brush + sealer and I'm impressed.  Cake eyeliner is dry stuff.  Even more so than some eyeshadows IMHO.  Some may disagree but I have no reason to think this has been cultivating anything sinister during its premature retirement.  At any rate, it goes on beautifully this time around and does not sting.


Of all my eyeliners - and eyeliner is one of the few makeup items I've continued to use with reasonable frequency since goth-hood - this is one of the best.  It doesn't smudge on my tightline and it stays all day.  It's non-irritating.  And I'm glad I have 90% of it left so I can start trying the brands that are around like Ben Nye, Stargazer.  


;)


Ok gang, till next time! 




PS:  Anyone out there have any BB cream or cake eyeliner thoughts/comments?