Coffee Date- in need!

I can't wait until my bestie is back from Taiwan and when I'm finally over with studying to go on a coffee & dessert date with her!

Looking at this picture with so many beautiful and delicious looking cups of coffee is driving me insane!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone! This is my favorite holiday of the year since I was a child.

I'm very looking forward for a very exciting October! Wish everyone well and happiness for the rest of 2012 as well!

Eclos plant stem cells anti-aging starter kit- review

I was first exposed to eclos' products in August's glambag. I was able to try out the serum and the cream and I almost fell in love with the products right away so I decided to buy the full starter kit to test out the whole line of products.

The starter kit came with 6 different products in sample sizes. Although they are sample sizes, but they are definitely large enough to allow one to really try out a product and to determine whether a product is a fit or not.

The 6 products are...
•facial cleanser skin prep
•cellular activator facial serum
•moisture therapy regenerative cream
•restorative eye cream
•instant radiance facial scrub
•skin renewal clay mask

According to the description, each product has its own function and the ultimate goal is to renew skin and prevent aging.

For only 20 dollars, this starter kit is a great buy! I love everything that came with it. The package even came with a headband that you can use to prevent getting your hair in the way when washing face or applying lotion.

Out of all products, the serum, cream, eye cream, and the clay mask are my favorite. The serum, especially, works so well and I can see the differences on my skin already. My skin seems a lot more healthier and moisturized!

I'm considering to buy my favorite products in full size when I finish using this starter kit samples.

National Geographic- 125th anniversary party

I was fortunate enough to be invited to National Geographic's 125th anniversary party this year. The party started with a convention between a few very remarkable people, including Robert Ballard, the person who discovered the Titanic. The whole convention was very inspiring and very informative. I was inspired by all the passion and all the energy from the speakers. I was especially moved when topics of child bride was brought up. The whole night was filled with inspiration and fun!

September MyGlam- glambag review

MyGlam continues with their awesomeness this month. This month's bag has 5 amazing products!

This month's bag includes:
•London Soho New York smudge brush- this brush is soft but a little too big to be a smudge brush! Funny thing is I was actually looking to buy a smudge brush, I guess I won't need to now.

•Jane sparkle gloss- another lipgloss from MyGlam. I'm starting to get bored of lip products. This lipgloss comes in a bright pink color with glitter. Although this color is something that I would use, but I already own more than 15 lip products so I'm looking forward to seeing some other products from MyGlam.

•circus by Andrea's choice nail polish- a very bright neon purple! I absolutely love this nail polish set from circus by Andrea's choice. I'm looking to buy the other 2 that I didn't received.

•carol's daughter monoi repairing split end sealer- I'm not a big fan of hair products so I gave this to my mom. She loves this product and is asking me to get her this product in full size! Seems like MyGlam knows how to cheer my mommy up!

•Mirabella eye shadow in brown- a brown eyeshadow without a closable container. I'm glad that I finally received an eyeshadow from MyGlam and I'm glad that this is a color that I can use. But the only thing is that there's no container for this eyeshadow so I'm having a little headache as to how to store this.

Oh, another note, absolutely love this month's bag (the actual bag). It's a black wristlet with gold zipper! Very classy and re-usable. I'm looking to do a little DIY project on this cutie! I have so many pending DIY projects waiting for me in October, can't wait!

Looking forward to October!

September- sample society box review

My third box from sample society and definitely the best box so far!

This month's box included the following products:
•stila smudge crayon in black- perfect product and color for me. Stila's products rarely disappoint me!

•diptyque fragrance in tam dao- not a product that I will even consider buying. I'm not very impressed by the smell. It smells like a fragrance that my dad would use (in fact, this brand's fragrances are unisex).

•Borghese B gloss- a deep brownish color lipgloss. I was unsure about this product at first, but knowing that deeper lip colors will be the trend in fall, I have learned to love this product!

•ahava purifying mud mask- a very nice mask from the dead sea! It leaves my skin very smooth afterward. Definitely considering to buy this product in its full size.

•cellceutics extremely gentle skin cleanser- the name tells it all. This product is extremely gentle, it almost feels like I'm cleaning my face with baby oil. It also leaves my skin very soft and moisturized afterward. Definitely buying this product in full size.

Everything came in sample sizes but big enough to test out the quality of each product. I was considering to cancel my subscription earlier because I didn't seem to like many of the products from the past 2 months but this month's box has changed my mind!

Keep it up, beautybar!

Sephora- Birthday gift- fresh sugar kiss mini lip duo

So if you're a beauty insider at Sephora, you receive a gift for your birthday.

This year, I received this fresh sugar kiss mini lip duo, which comes with a mini sugar lip treatment SPF 15 and a mini sugar rose tinted lip treatment SPF 15.

Both mini lip treatments come in this mini container that you need to turn the cap in order to open it. The containers are very pretty and the design prevents the lip sticks from opening by accident in a messy purse. I love how good both lip treatments smell and this is so perfect at this summer going into fall season.

This is such a nice little gift and such a good way for sephora to say thank you to their costumers. Sephora definitely just gained some extra loyalty points from me.

Another birthday; Another year

Happy birthday, Miss Annie!

A lot has happened since last birthday and I had definitely let myself down this past year. I was very absorbed in my sadness and I was too stubborn to believe that I deserve to be happy as well.

This year I have learned a lot. I learned that happiness doesn't come easy. A happy family and a successful career doesn't come without a cost; and often, the trade-offs are between the two. I have lost my balance in work and life for this past year. I rarely come home for dinner due to late hours working and I rarely come home with a smile. On the other hand, I almost never go to work being well rested and I often feel stress piling on my emotions and body with such irregular eating and resting schedule.

This year's birthday, I am not wishing or asking for much, but I really hope for a good balance in work and life. I want to be able to spend time and eat dinner with my family while also be able to go to work and achieve more with even greater efficiency.

I also wish to find out the rigth path for my life. I am currently very lost and I cannot say that I'm not worried. I'm worried that I will be lost for the rest of my life and achieve nothing at the end. I hope that this year, I will find what I love and go after it with bravery and passion.

And at last, I don't wish to lose 20 lbs or have a prettier face anymore. I only wish to love myself more. I wish to find the simple happiness in life that can let me be myself. I am truly thankful for those who have told me and those who kept on reminding me that I am pretty with or without makeup.

Life isn't simple; but, I simply want it to be meaningful.

Happy 24th, my dear Annie.