The Liebster Award

First and foremost, I'd like to thank the two bloggers who nominated me for this award, Kimberley (of Kimberley's Blog) and Libby (of Cherrytruth). I recently started up my blog again and am so honored that these two ladies felt that my blog deserved some recognition :)

So here are the rules governing the award:

• The award is for bloggers with less than 300 followers.
• If you are nominated, you must link back to the blogger who awarded you.
• After that, write 11 random facts about yourself and answer the 11 questions written by the blogger who nominated you.
• Then make up 11 new questions and nominate up to 11 other bloggers!

11 Random Facts about me:

1. I'm an English major with a concentration in Professional Writing. (Gee, wonder how I became a blogger.)
2. I am Vice President: Finance of my sorority, Delta Gamma.
3. My favorite book is Wuthering Heights, even though it's depressing. I liken it to a train wreck, you just know something bad is happening but you can't take your eyes off of it.
4. When I eat Lucky Charms cereal, I eat all of the marshmallows first.
5. If I have writer's block, I play Debussy's "Clair de lune" and it usually cures it by the time the song ends.
6. I am constantly cold and am always looking for cute slippers and pull-overs.
7. I absolutely adore baking and take a few pastry classes every now and then to freshen up.
8. I am an organizational freak and will frequently reorganize areas of my life for better efficiency.
9. My favorite color changes with the season, but right now it is probably red.
10. I have a siamese cat named Molly, who lives at my parents' house.
11. I am a complete night owl and am often my most creative during the late hours.

11 Questions from Kimberley:

1. What is your dream job?
• I would love to be a beauty editor at a fashion magazine.
2. If you could only take three beauty items on holiday with you, what would they be?
• MAC Studio Fix, NARS multiple in Orgasm, and CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion mascara.
3. Do you have any pets?
• A siamese cat named Molly. She lives with my parents.
4. What are your hobbies?
• Reading, writing poetry, drinking tea, and hanging out with friends.
5. What is your all time favorite beauty product?
• NARS blush in Orgasm- no matter what season it is this is the perfect color for me.
6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
• Hopefully living in NYC writing for a magazine.
7. What is your favourite shop?
• I'd have to go with J. Crew or Anthropologie.
8. Why did you first start your blog?
• I first started my blog because it seemed like a fun way to take my obsession passion further.
9. If one of your dreams could come true, what would it be?
• To be able to do what I love for the rest of my life and never worry about money.
10. What is your favorite colour?
• It changes with the seasons, but right now I think it's red.
11. What are your best and worst foods?
• My favorite food is probably hot dogs (gross, I know), and my least favorite food is anything fishy.

11 Questions from Libby:

1. Where is the best place you have ever been? (either country of be specific)
• I'd have to say the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. They were spectacular.
2. Have you ever broken a bone?
• Both ankles!
3. What are your all time favourite book and film recommendations?
• Although most people have read this, 1984 by George Orwell. And for film, I'd have to go with Breakfast at Tiffany's.
4. What is your favourite make-up brand?
• High end is probably NARS or Chanel, drugstore is definitely Revlon.
5. What is the top item on your shopping list? (ie what do you want to buy next?)
• A true Asian BB cream!
6. Why did you start blogging?
• See above.
7. Do you have any pets?
• See above.
8. What do you have on your feet right now?
• Nothing, actually! Very strange for me.
9. Do you have a nickname?
• My mom calls me Lamb, my boyfriend calls me kitten.
10. Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
• My grandfather, because he came over from China by himself when he was just 9 years old and truly built a new life for our family here in America.
11. What is/are your new year's resolution/s?
• To go to the gym every week and to learn how to play the guitar!

Here are the bloggers I nominate (in no particular order):

• Julie, from ohsokansas.blogspot.com
• Yannie, from yanniepooo.blogspot.com
• Steph, from lilstephh.blogspot.com
• Linh, from www.blushology.net
• Samantha, from asprettyasyouplease.blogspot.co.uk
• Nayab, from nayabloves.blogspot.com
• Vett, from www.rcsoatl.com
• That's all I have for now, but I'll add more as I find them!

My 11 Questions for you:

1. What's your opinion on the new CC cream craze?
2. What is your favorite foreign beauty product (one that does not come from your country)?
3. Do you change your makeup with the seasons?
4. Which excites you the most: a new eyeshadow palette, a new nail polish, or a new hair product?
5. What is your favorite red lipstick?
6. How did you get into beauty?
7. What was your first beauty product that you purchased?
8. If you had to choose between having beautiful skin and not being able to shave your legs ever again or having scars on your face and being perpetually hairless, which would you choose?
9. Do you dye your hair?
10. What is your favorite at-home beauty remedy?
11. Where are you looking to take your blog?

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Although this fragrance is a little pricey, I've been lusting after it for quite some time. I love gifts like this because it's something I would never buy for myself.

According to the Chanel website, this eau de parfum is a "sexy, fresh Oriental fragrance [that] recalls the irrepressible spirit of the young Coco Chanel." I'd definitely have to agree that this is one elegant scent. Whenever I wear it I imagine I'm strutting through the streets of Paris in my trenchcoat and satin heels. I was searching for a scent to bring me into the next phase of my life, and I do believe I've found it in Coco Mademoiselle.

For those of you interested, here is the scent breakdown, as provided by fragrantica.net:

Top notes- orange, mandarin orange, orange blossom and bergamot

Middle notes- mimose, jasmine, turkish rose and ylang-ylang

Base notes- tonka bean, patchouli, opoponax, vanilla, vetiver and white musk

Overall, I highly recommend this scent for an adventurous, elegant young woman who is simply in love with her crazy beautiful life. And the bottle certainly is aesthetically pleasing on my dressing table.

Rusk Hair Dryer- Review Continued!

So it occurred to me that I should post a few pictures of my hair after using my Rusk Engineering dryer to blow it out. Here are two!

Please excuse the awful MySpace mirror picture, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Review: Rusk Engineering Speed Freak Hair Dryer

This beautiful hair dryer was my Christmas gift from my mother. I'm absolutely in love with it and it has really changed the way I view hair appliances. In the past, I've never really gotten into "high end" haircare, particularly styling tools. I just thought they were overpriced and accomplished the same tasks as my ho-hum $20 Conair models.

Boy was I wrong! The Rusk Engineering Speed Freak hair dryer is fantastic! It's everything I want in a hair dryer: 2000 watts, ceramic and tourmaline, perfectly balanced, multiple heat and air settings... the list goes on. And it dramatically reduced the amount of time needed to dry my long, thick hair.

I had no idea how much damage I was previously causing my hair by using sub-par tools on it. This is an amazing dryer, and I can't imagine ever going back to my Conair hair fryer.

You can purchase this product at Ulta stores or online here.

Mmmm... the smell of a new handbag

I received a wonderful new handbag from a certain boyfriend of mine for Christmas this year! I especially love all the little compartments and zipper details on this bag! I'm a bit of an organizing freak, so it's a necessity that everything in my purse has a place. 

I think it's a beautiful bag on its own, but felt that it just needed a little boost to become truly special. I found the scarf and thought it would be the perfect accent piece!

You can do this to update any of your old purses or bags. I could see this working really well with other scarves, ribbons, flowers... the list goes on. What do you guys think?

Christmas Nail of the Day (NOTD)

Today's nails are red, of course! This is a beautiful shade by L'Oreal called "He Red My Mind". I paired it with Essie's all in one base coat and good to go top coat.

I've really been loving L'Oreal polishes lately, this is my second one. They apply so smoothly and are very creamy and easy to work with. I could possibly get away with one coat, if I really loaded the product on the brush the first time, but in general I find that two thinner coats looks better.

A Bit of Holiday Cheer

Just thought I'd upload a few quick pictures of the Christmas spirit at my house :) I decorated the tree and wrapped all the presents by myself! It was quite a feat. This morning I went out to pick up a few last minute gifts and all the ingredients for dinner tomorrow, and the traffic was unbelievable! People are crazy during the holidays.

I can't wait for everyone to come over, eat dinner, and unwrap their presents! Happy Holidays to everyone, and I hope it's a relaxing and magical time of year for you as well.

Just a little snapshot of the tree I decorated :) Ain't she a beaut?

Larger than life ornaments!

Just a few of the lovingly wrapped gifts this year!

What holiday would be complete without matching baked goods?

Christmas Eve Makeup and Accessories

I don't know about you, but whenever Christmas Eve rolls around I like to dress up a bit more than usual and wear festive makeup and a classy outfit. What could be more classic than red lipstick, pearls, and black suede wedges? Sometimes I feel that wearing a red lip on Christmas day can be a bit much, especially when you're trying to eat dinner with family. So I quell the urge by wearing it the night before!

1. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette- Suspect on the lid, Tease in the crease, Blackout as liner.

2. Pearl earrings

3. L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick in Cherry Tulle

4. Black wedges

What I'm Loving- December 2012

December has been a rough month, to say the least. It started off with the harried frenzy of finals, attending holiday parties, and desperately trying to clock in all my hours at work, but soon morphed into packing to head home for the winter break.

Packing beauty items is usually a huge ordeal for me because I find it nearly impossible to narrow down my obsession into a single makeup bag. What if an occasion arises where I need that ohsospecific shade of plum lipstick that's sitting in my vanity at school?! Or what if I need a certain eyeshadow from a particular palette that I didn't bring? The horror!

Needless to say, whittling down my choices is usually a long, dank process. This month, however, it went faster than ever! My favorite products of December were a quick draw and before I knew it my bag was full and I was soarin' on the freeway to home. Here are a few of the products I've been loving:

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes (Photo: tinyladylife.blogspot.com)

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes in Black Lacquer

NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna (Photo: makeupandbeautyblog.com)

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick in Rose Taffeta (Photo: myfindsonline.com)