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Showing posts from 2014

Books: ...Well, not as much in 2014

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For the last couple years I've attempted the 52 books in 52 weeks Challenge, though I usually lower my goal number a bit. I know that 52 is way too high of a number for me. I believe 2011 was my first year participating in the challenge and I was able to read 39 books that year. In 2012 I decided to try to read one more book than I did in 2011, so I made my goal 40 books.  I completed the challenge and read 41 books that year. In 2013 I did even better.  With a goal of 42 books, I read 59!  Now I wanted to be realistic in 2014 so I set my goal for 43 books (one more than the goal the year prior). As you can see, I will not hit goal this year. Truthfully only 11 of those were actual books. I read a lot of Manga this year. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I was borrowing a lot of them from the library for my daughter to read, and then I'd read them before I returned them. Another reason I can attribute to not hitting goal is that I was spending way way more time

The Spirit of the Season

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I was on Instagram yesterday and noticed the #getyouryarnwishesgranted hashtag going around. It was amazing how many wishes were granted and I believe it had all started just that morning or maybe the night before. Most of the wishes I saw were for yarns from indie companies, hand dyed/hand spun, sock yarn or a combination of these.  I wanted to find at least one wish to grant but they were being scooped up so quickly that the only wishes left were for yarns that were completely sold out. I posted my wish for some worsted or chunky weight hand spun yarn, as I have never crafted with it, and had my wish granted shortly after. Not only that, I have a second person sending me some yarn also! I had to find someone to be able to gift something to, so all day I stalked the hashtag and finally found someone who wished for some Knit Picks yarn.  I also came across a kind of fundraiser for a pattern designer on Ravelry named Deborah aka Obliviousknits. Her wish was to sell enough patterns to he

Knitting: Rangers of Ithilien Gauntlets

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Finished these last night for friend. Though the pattern is written for a man, I did make a few edits so that they wouldn't be so loose on a woman's arm. I used Paton's Wool in New Denim. The picture does not do the color of the gauntlets justice in my opinion but I'm very happy with the way these came out. So much so that I may need to make a pair for myself =) If any of you are knitters and are interested in making a pair for yourself, the pattern is available free on Ravelry here . You can also view the edits I did make to the pattern on my project page linked here . 

Lipstick - 30 Day Lipstick Challenge: Days 21-30

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Last leg of this challenge! Sorry it took so long for me to post this =(. I did actually finish this at the beginning of November, but didn't get around to editing the photos until now. Enough with the excuses...here we go: Day 21- SeneGence Lipsense Army Pink and Honey Rose topped with Bougainvillea Gloss 2 layers of each color.  The Army Pink on it's own is pretty but I feel like it's too bright/light for my complexion which is why I added the Honey Rose.  Not only is LipSense great because it stays on for up to 18 hours and is transfer-proof, but you can create your own colors by layering colors together. Day 22 - Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia I love love love this tube of lipcolor.  When I bought it, I was intending on buying the non-metallic version, Black Dahlia, but they only had this one.  I'm so glad I picked up this one instead.  The sparkle just gives it a little extra oomph if you know what I mean.

Knitting: Putting Together My First Knit Pattern

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Four years ago, I knit a hat based off one I saw on the Korean Drama "You're Beautiful".  It was the first time I ever tried to knit something without instructions. The first hat I made had the right stitch and construction, but it just wasn't floppy enough.  I got it on my second try. Feeling pretty accomplished, I offered what I called my pattern notes to anyone who wanted it. I got three requests, but none of those people have knit the hat yet...that I've seen anyway. I decided recently that I would like to release these pattern notes as an actual pattern so I've been trying to convert the wording to read more like a pattern.  I've been asking other knitters I know who create patterns, for advice on how they go about releasing a pattern, and it's been really helpful. If you would like to see a picture of the hat, it is below: Any fellow Korean Drama Addicts or Knitters/Crocheters out there? If so, what are you currently watching or creat

Makeup: My Halloween Makeup

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I don't usually dress up on Halloween, but I am wearing this look today. If you're interested in what products I used, they are listed below. Shadows:  Morphe 28F Palette, SeneGence ShadowSense in Snow and Shine Liner: SeneGence LinerSense in Black and ShadowSense in Onyx Mascara: SeneGence LashSense in Black Falsies: Kiss No. 11 (Not sure which style as I no longer have the packaging) Lips: SeneGence LipSense in Blackberry and Red Cherry topped with Glossy Gloss Please share with me what your makeup looks or costumes were for Halloween. Until next time =)

Lipstick - 30 Day Lipstick Challenge: Days 11-20

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Continuing the challenge! Again, 12-15 hours of wear time on each day. Day 11 - Estée Lauder Automatic Lip Pencil for Lips in Dark Plum topped with Benefit Ms Behavin Lipstick Beautiful color, but the lipstick is very slippery and tends to slide a lot.  The liner helps opacity and keeps the color from bleeding.  After 6 hours of wear, my lips started to chap pretty badly, but not to the point of peeling.  Also the formula and color of the lipstick made the chapping more pronounced especially when I tried to touch it up in the afternoon. By the end of the night, my lips were peeling very badly. Day 12 - Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in #107 Love the color. This matte lipstick is very comfortable to wear too. Day 13 - CoverGirl #325 Spellbound Not sure what collection this one belonged to as it's not on the label, but it's the one in the metallic lavender case. Very nice feel and color.  Day 14 - SeneGence LipSense in Crim

Memebox - Special #36 Meme's Pouch Unboxing

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My long awaited 4th Memebox finally arrived! This one again had all full sized products. As before I'll start with item #1 on the product card.  First we have the Drww. Mix & Match 1 set. (1.5g x 5, $47) This is an all-in-one color palette that includes lip and cheek colors along with a concealer and a mixing pot so you can create your own colors. The case features a magnetic closure and a 2 sided brush for application.  Second we have Evas Rose Mine Perfumed Hand Cream (60ml, $12) There were 3 fragrance possibilities, and I received Gleaming Bijou, which has a light floral scent.  Third is Vally Sous Hair Solution Protein Therapy Perfect Mist (150ml, $21) This is an enriching spray for the hair to use before or after blow drying. It's a fine mist with a fresh scent. Fourth is Evas By Marait Eau De Parfum (30ml, $30) I think this is the first box I've gotten where more than one product is from the same brand. Again, there were 3 fragrance possibilities, and I got No 72

Lipstick - 30 Day Lipstick Challenge: Days 1-10

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I have a pretty large collection of lipstick...well, lip products in general. I know that there are certain ones that I reach for all the time, but there are also ones that I rarely reach for. This is why I thought doing this challenge would be a perfect way to help me figure out which ones I don't use often and maybe why I don't use them. I am not doing the challenge on consecutive days, just so you know, because I just don't wear lipstick every day. I will usually wear it during the work week, but weekends are iffy because unless I have to go somewhere, I don't wear it. Also, in regards to any comments made in terms of wear, I did wear the lip colors between 10 and 15 hours on these days. Let's get started with Day 1:  Ulta Super Shiny Lip Butter in London This lipstick is very comfortable on the lips. It has a very moisturizing feeling without feeling sticky, but the color is very sheer.  I rarely wear this one on it's own and this was one of thos

Memebox - Superbox #53 My Honey Box Unboxing

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I was introduced to Memebox back in June and this is the third box I purchased from them. If you don't know about Memebox, they sell themed boxes of Asian beauty products. The Original Memebox comes with a mix of 4-8 full sized products and deluxe sized samples. The Superbox (which is what I've gotten all 3 times) includes only full sized products. The boxes are limited edition, so they do tend to sell out. This box for example, is sold out. The boxes are shipped from Korea and can take 15-25 business days for delivery with standard shipping. I've actually had pretty good luck with the shipping usually only taking a couple weeks, but as I write that, I am still waiting on a box from my most recent order that was shipped out on September 19. This Honey Box was part of that order, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will arrive soon. Now on to the unboxing! Sometimes Memebox will release a spoiler of one or two products that are in the box after it ships out,