MARCH FAVORITES ♥

I’d like to start off by saying that I hope that you all had as beautiful of an Easter as I did! ♥

Before my Easter break ends and I go back to work tomorrow, I figured that I should stop procrastinating and get up my Monthly Favorites post for last month before April is over! XD Since most of March was in Lent, I don’t have as many entertainment entries this time around, but there were indeed a few things worth mentioning.

Let’s get started ~

Book

Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross

Before Ash Wednesday I had spent a considerable amount of time deciding on my Lenten reading material this year, and most of my choices were books that I had already read before but felt that they merited a second time through.  St. John of the Cross is one of my favorite spiritual authors, probably because of his simple yet elegant style and of course, his poetics. 

          Dark Night of the Soul is essentially Christian mysticism in poetic form, and is composed of two parts: “The Dark Night,” and “The Ascent of Mount Carmel.”  I had read these works, along with his The Living Flame of Love for Lent two years ago, and enjoyed it immensely.  I feel that after reading through them again they have been even more beneficial than before.

          If you’re looking for an entirely different kind of spiritual reading, I strongly recommend it!

Film

The Last Unicorn

“I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in fair daylight.  But I cannot come in unless you dream of me.” –Peter S. Beagle

Beautiful book, lovely film.  A precious pearl from my childhood days, recently revisited!

 

Food

International Delight York coffee creamer

Just imagine creamy, refreshing peppermint chocolate swirled into your morning cup of coffee, and you’ll understand why this dairy coffee creamer secured its spot on my list this month.

Makeup

CoverGirl Aqua CG Smoothers moisturizing liquid foundation

Now that my facial psoriasis has cleared up and my skin is healing, I have been able to use a medium-coverage foundation as opposed to the full-coverage one (Revlon ColorStay) that I had been using before as the main element of my daily makeup routine.  For the past few weeks I’ve been using this one by Cover Girl and it’s quite nice!  It goes on smoothly, blends well, has no unpleasant scent or side effects, and really does help to keep my face soft and moisturized.  It’s a bit thicker than a BB cream, and is buildable if more coverage is needed.

Product

Thayer’s Cucumber Witch Hazel w/Aloe Vera

Soon after I had successfully gotten rid of the psoriasis patches on my face and neck, my skin became a bit oily and I started seeing tiny pimples pop up here and there, particularly on my forehead and along my jawline.  To help combat this and keep my skin clean, fresh, and toned, I picked up this all-natural witch hazel toner at my local Walgreens after hearing many positive comments on the Rose version of the same product.  I chose the Cucumber version because of the cooling, calming effects that I’ve known cucumber products to provide.  Astringents are too harsh for my sensitive skin, and my acne isn’t severe enough to use topical products such as Clean & Clear’s Persa-Gel 10.  For me, applying a toner twice or day (three times if I’m not wearing makeup that day) does the job just fine.

          I will note that this toner is very mild, however, and must be used in cooperation with a good cleanser and moisturizer.  It’s all about finding the specific skincare routine that works for you and your skin.  If I didn’t use certain other products along with this toner, I feel that it wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective.  The next product under this category that I plan on giving a try is Etude House’s Wonder Pore Freshner.

DECEMBER FAVORITES ♥

Film

The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies

I don’t need to elaborate on this one because I already wrote a whole long blog post on it already! Yay! Click here to read it. :-)

TV Series

Empress Ki

Okay, so ya’ll know that I’m into Asian entertainment.  Old news.  As of late, however, it seems like this is no exception when it comes to TV shows.  I’ve recently taken a liking to Korean drama, and I’ve certainly had to dig through the dirt to find the gems, if you know what I mean.  There are some really great kdramas, and some really bad ones, too. Ha ha.

          Anyway, I’m rambling again.  EMPRESS KI.  What can I say.  Period dramas are my one weakness.  This series is a brilliant combination of drama, action, romance, and comedy.  All rolled up with lovely music, vibrant costumes, and fantastic visual effects into a perfect little package of perfection. ♥  

Makeup

Hard Candy Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer

A huge part of dealing with psoriasis, especially for a young woman, is being able to cope with the physical effects during the healing process.  I don’t think that any product I’ve ever talked about here on my blog has helped with my confidence more than this one.  I’ve used many, many different “heavy duty” concealers and none of have worked as well to cover up the psoriasis patches on my face and neck.

          I use the shade Medium Light, which is technically a shade too light for my skintone, but I like this shade because of its slightly green tinge.  Anyone who deals with redness knows that green cancels out red, so this is a huge plus here.  The consistency is quite thick but smooth and non-drying, and one layer usually takes care of all of my problems.  It also works great for under the eyes and as a eyeshadow/lipcolor base.  Apparently, with a few layers, this concealer is known for being able to even cover up tattoos.

          Each $6-7 tube comes with a free concealer pencil, too.

Product

Etude House Happy Essential Foam Cleanser

Vitamin C version (yellow packaging)

I don’t need to say much about this facial cleanser except that it removes makeup effortlessly, doesn't irritate skin, smells like Fruit Loops (which is basically happiness), and has adorable packaging.  Oh, and it costs less than 5 bucks.  Mm-hmm.

Moment

various

December, being the month of Christmas, never fails to have more than its fair share of remarkable moments.  And these are the moments that I find most difficult to put to words.  Perhaps I am just lazy, which we all know could very well be the case, but I think that it shall suffice to say that the blessings of Christmas are both beautiful and universal and, luckily for us, they’re also annual.  Family and friends; peace, joy, and love; good food; exchanging gifts; movies, music, and magic~ Every year, I look forward to seeing what miracles the Infant Jesus will bring to this world.  We are all very blessed.  Let us be grateful! 

Deo Gratias, again and again~!

MARCH FAVORITES ♥

Spring has sprung!  I must say that I love winter, but I’m ready for some sunshine in my life.

To celebrate the turn-of-season, let me round up my favorites for this past month of MARCH.

Since we’re in the middle of Lent, I haven’t been listening to any new music, watching any movies, or playing any video games, and I’ve already mentioned what I’ve been reading in my last two posts, so I’ll skip all four of those categories this time around.

My makeup favorite for March is the e.l.f. Geometric 150 Eyeshadow Palette, which I received from mum as a surprise gift.  I am quite impressed with this palette!  I looked it up on the company website and it retails for a mere $15.  For this price, I was amazed at the pigmentation and blendability of these shadows.  I will say that the staying power isn’t the greatest, but just be sure to use an eyeshadow primer and you’ll be good to go.  :)  My favorite colors on this palette so far are the shimmery neutrals and the matte blues.

Now that my hair is finally almost two-feet in length, I’ve been looking into the proper care for my long, thick, very wavy tresses.  I’ve acquired a number of products to help combat dryness, breakage, and fallout, and for the overall health of my hair and scalp.  One product in particular has certainly made a big difference: Ogx (previously Organix) Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum.  I apply two pumps of this product to my hair after towel-drying, and it actually does keep my hair looking softer and shinier!  I’m in love this stuff; I will definitely be repurchasing it.

First place in the food category this month is ginger.  Ginger tea, ginger candy, slices of ginger in stir-fries.  It’s so spicy and yummy!  And good for you, too.  ^_^  Health benefits include, but are not limited to: digestive relief (ginger tea is good to drink if you have a tummy ache), anti-inflammatory, defense against some types of cancer, and it’s a good immune system boost.  I’ve also heard that it helps fight skin irritations.  Yay!

The next item on my list is something that I’ve wanted to purchase since New Year’s, but just never got around to it.  I consider myself to be a pretty organized person, I mean, my desk is nothing short of organized chaos, but I do like to keep a schedule of sorts on my phone, and I have a calendar on the wall near my desk for keeping track of important events.  Call me old-fashioned, nerdy, whatever—but I went ahead and bought an engagement planner from Peter Pauper Press.

Look at this little book.  Look at it.  It’s so beautiful!  The colors are vibrant with gold embossing, the pages are thick with a clean layout and simple design, and the 5” x 7” size is perfect to stick in my purse when I’m going out.  And here’s the best part: I paid about $6 for this high quality planner on Amazon (and since I have Prime, I paid no shipping fees).  Talk about a steal!  I couldn’t be happier about it.

…And that’s all, folks!  Hope you enjoyed reading this post.  ‘Til next month!

OCTOBER FAVORITES ♥

Hello everyone!  How are you all doing?  I hope that you are enjoying autumn as much as I am. 

Siiiigh.  October is the most beautiful color ever, isn’t it?

So!  I’ve decided that I want to try new things for my blog…instead of just posting boring updates and event coverage.  I’ve got some fun posts lined up for the next few months.  First on my list of new ideas: monthly favorites!  Because I know you all are just dying to know what I’ve been eating (or in this month’s case, drinking), reading, watching, listening to, and putting on my face.  Right?  Ha ha ha.

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Let us begin with the food/drink category, shall we?  This month it is a tea; my absolute favorite tea for fall.  TAZO’s Baked Cinnamon Apple.

I’ve tried many, many apple teas.  A few were good, and some were just NOPE.  They either were too mild, had too much spice and not enough apple flavor and/or an overwhelming orange peel taste.  This one from Starbucks’ brand TAZO is cinnamon apple perfection.  It’s like autumn packed into a teabag.  I’m on my second box already!

 

A few months ago I talked about my efforts to read more.  Ahem.  Well.  I haven’t been reading much else besides my textbooks, BUT, I did finish one awesome book a few weeks ago.  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

 

Just asdfghjklk.  This book was so ridiculously entertaining and addicting.  Hilarious.  Real.  Fantastically nerdy.  Instead of gushing about it all over again…if any of you are interested, you can read my review of Fangirl here.

 

 

 

On to a TV series.  Nope, it’s not Once Upon a Time, surprisingly!  And it’s not Walking Dead, either!  (Uuuugh.  WHY is this a thing? ಠ_ಠ)  It is, undoubtedly, Lark Rise to Candleford.

What can I say?  Good period dramas are my one weakness!

 

Fans of the show will get that reference.  Bang.  I’m so hilarious.

 

 

 

 

Now then…the moment you all have been waiting for.  Those of you who know me well know what’s coming.  Music.  What I have been listening to non-stop for the past four weeks.  My latest obsession.

K-pop.

 

You just thought of Gangnam Style, didn’t you?  Get that out of your head!  No.  No no no.  I mean SHINee (Taemin is such a cutie patootie! *fangirl*).  I mean Super Junior (I would marry Kyuhyun's voice if I could! ≧◡≦ Good gracious).  Now, I’ve listened to a toooon of k-pop, but those two are still on top of the list for me.  SM Entertainment is doing something right, that’s all I have to say.  It all started with SHINee’s epic Lucifer video, and from there my interest in k-pop exploded like hanabi.  Years ago, when I started watching Anime, I really got into j-pop, and one of my favorite artists was BoA Kwon.  I’ve been listening to her a lot lately as well.

 

K-pop is more than just the glitzy style that might be perceived by a new/casual listener.  Speaking in particular of the aforementioned groups, these guys have REAL TALENT.  They have beautiful, well-trained voices, and they all can dance like bosses.  And, the lyrics and dances aren’t overly sexualized.  I’m really getting quite sick of our mainstream music over here in the U.S.  I rarely listen to the radio anymore.  An awesome new song will pop up every few months maybe.  (*cough* Castle of Glass *cough*)  But still, the song more than likely has smutty lyrics and/or music video despite having a catchy tune. (Just Give Me a Reason, anyone?)

ANY-WAY.  I could probably write a dissertation on this topic, BUT, I’m not going there!

 

Instead, here's some SHINee "A-yo" to brighten up your day.

 

 

 

 

I’ll end my October favorites with a makeup product.  I’ve tried a few new things here and there, including Milani liquid eyeliners and Sleek (UK) eye shadows.  I really love both of those, but my pick for this past month would have to be Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation.  This.  Stuff.  Is.  Awesome.  I don’t know why I had never bought it before, especially since many of my friends love it, and I’ve read/watched so many reviews praising the product.  I’m so glad that I’ve finally gotten around to trying it, because it is without a doubt the best liquid foundation that I’ve used so far.  It is a little pricier than most drugstore foundations, but I think that it’s well worth it.

 

I might write up a review for this product.  Let me know if any of you are interested in that. :-)  And just for your reference: the foundation shade in the crappy photo is Medium Beige.

 

 

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And that concludes my first-ever monthly favorites blog entry!  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any comments or suggestions for future posts, or if you have questions about any of the things which I have discussed here.  Thanks for reading! ^_^ Happy November, and God bless! ♪ ♫