Whoops

It's been... a while.

Hello 2015...? (+ Waffle)

15/01/11


It's been... a very long time. 2014 was a fun year. I got to visit a few countries in Asia: I got to experience so many things this time, like walking around the crowded streets of  Hongdae, grilling and eating meat outside on a busy street, and shopping in Myeongdong in the later hours. I also was very blessed to get to experience Japan and I fell in love with the neat cities. And of course, I visited my family in Indonesia and had a lovely time. I always miss them during the holidays - and I have a feeling I'll be feeling a little down during CNY - I would love to experience a CNY celebration with my full family once you know?

I also dyed my hair back in... March maybe? (goodbye virgin hair) - a lovely dark red ombre

The hairstylist worked it up quite far haha. It looked a lot darker and redder in real life!

Since it was my first time bleaching and dyeing, the color faded after a few months and turned back to an orangey-brown (my after bleach, pre-dye hair color) with a hint of red since I couldn't go to a salon. I got tired of that after quite a few months and dyed my hair all over with a dark brown box dye making my hair super dark. My tips have lightened up to a dark brown but it isn't that noticeable? It might lighten up some more in the following weeks. It was quite nice to change my hair color for the first time in my life and I might do it again if I ever get bored of just dark hair. But for now I like the look of dark hair and it is the most convenient since a lot of my time is now not my own,

Why? Well, obviously there is school (I signed myself up for another course from now until May - goodbye sleep), but there is also this little teddy bear

Meet the newest addition to our family, Waffle the Whoodle (Wheaten Terrier + Poodle)! We just brought her home yesterday, and I can already tell I'm going to have my hands full for a while since she is just a baby (is this a bit like having a baby?). She is a very good-natured puppy and was pretty good during the long 8 hour drive back from where we picked her up. She adjusted pretty well and perked right back up when we stopped the car for a bit (she was pretty carsick ;^; poor baby).

sleeping on her pad in the car on our way home

She picks up pretty fast too - I think she has an inkling not to pee inside (she tried to hold up last night all the way to morning but my mom brought her to pee on the newspapers), and we had little trouble with the crate. In fact, I think she likes her crate since we made it very cozy in there with a pad and blanket and toys.

She likes to follow me around as well, and wags her little tail around ;3; so cute!

I'd like to log her growth here (also gets me to remember that I enjoy /blogging/), so expect more Waffle the Whoodle!

she likes to sleep in my arms haha - if i lie down she lies down too and goes to sleep!

I have midterms next week, as well as starting an extra course; but I'm sure to have a good chunk of downtime as well so I can maybe take a breath before diving into the next semester.

We're trying to get her to pee on a pad, especially at night since it's so cold outside right now. Waaaay below freezing + we just got some snow so the ground is super cold :( Also it is good if she can have somewhere to pee if we aren't at home for more than few hours and can't take her out. Any tips on potty training with pads as far as that goes? Any advice would be much appreciated since I am still pretty new to all of this!

I hope all you guys are well and had a great holiday! What have you guys been up to?

(This post may or may not have been made with a puppy licking at my computer screen and multiple trips up and down the stairs calming down a crying puppy)

See you guys (hopefully) soon!

[Review] 라네즈 스노우 비비 수딩 쿠션 (Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion)

As a student who wakes up at 6am everyday to commute to school, I appreciate things that make getting ready easier. This BB cushion is one of them!




Most of you probably have heard of the BB cushion trend since so many Korean brands have been producing their own BB cushion; but here is a (pretty long) blurb about what it is. Inside a compact there is a sponge aka the "cushion", which is saturated in BB cream. It's quite an interesting concept.







The Laneige BB cushion comes with one cushion already in the compact sealed for you - it's extremely saturated and I was scared that I would pick up too much product or something of the sort.

Look at all the product!

 And this is when the magic puff comes in:



This is the rubycell puff is very important to the usage of the BB cushion. As you saw previously, using your fingers destroys the purpose of the BB cushion - quick, easy, and mess-free application. And brushes are quite difficult to press in and pick up product evenly. But this puff is absolutely wonderful. It is like a sponge but so much thinner and finer, and in a very convenient puff form.

It picks up the product evenly, and if there is too much it absorbs the excess so you don't have a blob of BB cream on your face. Because it is thinner it is more delicate, so when washing it you have to be careful or it will tear! I have applied this with my fingers, and it's just not as nice as when you use the puff - it looks more smoother and more glowy when I use the puff. Y

ou can buy refills of this sponge if you do tear yours, or if washing it is too difficult for you, or maybe you just love the sponge and want to use it to apply your other foundations or BB creams.




Onto the actual product - the consistency is quite thin and light, unlike other BB creams which can be thick and somewhat heavy. Though it is a thin and light formula, it has this... oily factor to it that makes it seem kind of heavy at first. Upon application, there is a cooling application - I guess that is the "soothing" factor in this, and it is quite refreshing when I have just woken up.

Because of this light factor, it doesn't cover everything; but I was surprised to find that it does cover my moderate dark circles and some of my lighter acne scarring. I'm okay with a few scars showing through because it isn't a big deal too me since they're already difficult to cover up with a concealer, so why should I expect a light everyday BB cream to cover them? Full coverage is too much for me everyday. It evens out my skintone very nicely and it is easily layerable.

It has SPF 50 PA ++++ which I love, because that modifies everything into one step. It doesn't break me out, and it claims to have whitening properties (which is probably the sunscreen), but I have been using a brightening serum, so I can't be sure if my lightened acne scars is because of this, or that, or both. I haven't gotten any sun spots though, so the SPF is good.

Update: My skin is kind of getting back some moisture and oils into it, and I find that the formula doesn't "settle" into my skin at all now - it kind of sits on top and starts to separate on my normal dry-normal skin.

I found out this is because the puff it comes with eventually soaks up so much product it doesn't do it's job as well, which is reasonable as one refill can last up to 6-7 months.  I've tried to clean this puff (it's just... impossible); and to be honest it's much easier just to buy a new puff every three months or so. It's more hygienic too, and they aren't expensive... around $5 for one, if I'm not mistaken.

I switched out my old gross puff and switched it out with a new one and it goes on my skin just as well when I first got it now! It's still a wonderful natural glowy finish.

The product goes on much better on my face than on my hand - excuse the dry cracks ><

I use shade No. 21 Natural Beige, which is a pretty good fit for my skintone (I'm about NC20-NC25 for reference). Unlike other BB creams, it does not have a grayish pink undertone to it, which I love. Even though this BB cream has a light watery moisturizing feel to it, for my dry combination skin, it works decently in the winter when my skin is very dry - dry, and it works very well in the fall, and even in very humid weather (i.e. my trip to Seoul).



When you're done with one cushion, you just pop out the old one and put in a refill! Very smart considering the compact is very thick, and it would be a waste to chuck it out every time you run out. It comes with a refill, which makes this a great value as well. With everyday usage, this BB cushion lasted me about five months.

Trick: It was probably three months in when I realized that when it got drier, that if I flipped the cushion (which is possible, it isn't glued down), the other side would be soaked in BB cream and I could continue using it. I kept flipping it back and forth since the product sinks down to the bottom until the entire cushion was finished. This method isn't too bothersome, and really nice if you want to really get full usage of your cushion.

Overall, I like this BB cushion! Very convenient and it evens out my skin while giving me a nice natural glowy finish.

Price: This will vary from where you get it. On the Korean Laneige website, it is 37,000 won (about $35USD). I got it at an Amore counter for about $35USD, and it comes with a refill pack making each cushion pack $17.50 which I think is very good.

Shade choice: Like most Korean BB creams, their range of colors isn't very large; which is quite common as a good chunk of Korean women are quite similar in range. Sadly here, that is not the case. On the Korean website they have 4 shades, all being quite pale. I think the darkest reaches to about an NC30 at best. They have 13호 트루베이지 (#13 True Beige), 14호 핑크베이지 (#14 Pink Beige), 21호 내추럴베이지 (#21 Natural Beige), and 23호 샌드베이지 (Sand Beige), and on the English website they have #31 Brown Beige (I have only seen 13,21, and 23; so I'm not sure where you could exactly get 31). If you do you have a darker skintone, you might not be able to find a match, sadly. Five shades is quite large for a Korean brand, as they usually only have 2, maybe 3 different shades of BB cream at the most. 


Coverage: 3.5/5 - Not full coverage, but gets the job done nicely.
Longevity: 4/5 - Lasts almost all day! (I have a 8-10hr day) - there is some product on my face.
Shade choice: 3.5/5 - It has more than quite a few brands, but it would be nice to have shades that cater to the darker range. I do like that it isn't gray unlike other BB creams.
SPF: 5/5 - SPF 50 PA +++, need I say more?
Formulation: 4/5 - is somewhat moisturizing, has a nice cooling, soothing effect, and doesn't break me out.
Overall: 4/5 - For the most part I like this BB cushion! It isn't perfect, but it's very nice.

Have you tried, or want to try the Laneige BB cushion? Do you have any skincare or makeup from Laneige that you would recommend?

If you have any questions or comments about the product, or just want to talk to me, feel free to leave a comment down below!

Thank you for reading!

- aga

2 years

13.12.30.


Today marks my 2nd year on blogger! (I missed my first anniversary last year...)
I know, I haven't updated in a very, very long time.

I love pictures of messed up sheets and beds in the morning on gray days; it gives me a sense of tranquility

Two years, going on three! It sure doesn't feel like it. Probably because I haven't even done much on here. It is small here, but it feels like my own little corner. Thanks.

[on the job] it was her

13.07.19.

wallet tears

I went to Hmart and wandered around their beauty counters a bit - they got a Laneige counter so I'm going to eye up that soon (...well, as soon as my wallet recovers.) :p

DOTD (damage of the day):

I bought the orange masks and the bb cream - the rest are free samples!

The masks are more expensive at this Hmart, but I needed some new whitening masks, so I picked up the cheapest pack that looked decent.

I also decided I really wanted to try the famous Missha BB cream - the lady was super helpful and actually tried to sell me the cheaper one, but that one looked  too light, so she helped match me to this one. She told me this would 'suit me the most', not match, because I'm reaaaaally tan right now. The last time I swatched this BB cream, I matched no. 21 perfectly; but now you can tell I look a bit pasty-faced with no.23. ㅠ ㅠ This is what I get for going outside in the blazing sun and not wearing any sunscreen all month.

I always find the ladies at the Hmart beauty counters are really helpful, nice, attentive, and they almost always give (a lot of) samples. ^^

Going to Boston on Wednesday, and I'm excited! No 10 hour drive because we're taking a plane this time :D

[diary] ouch (and bap!)

5/27/13

(Kickball is serious shit)

I was diving for the base with the ball, I fall, guy running towards the base falls on top of me (apparently he could've ran around me), my ankle is twisted at an angle it is not supposed to be twisted at.

That was Thursday.

I left school early and iced it the rest of the day before going to the ER the next day and getting the splint and crutches.

The swelled-up area was the size of a small egg but it's now a lot better. I just wish it would heal before my formal on Wednesday. ;~;

I am now a pro at doing things with one foot though haha.

B.A.P. had their tour in the U.S. with APAHM and my sister was able to get really, really, good seats for the D.C. show. x____x We were set on going because it's in D.C.; less than an hour away (we live in the suburbs), and when is a chance like this ever going to come by again?
I have more pictures from the concert (and two fancams), but I'll post them on tumblr. Eventually.