Merry Christmas, Everyone!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqL-68tANch61fbNJqN9_pLI6HVBsRsF3r0mZuNndKDEUegFiKkKBRaSCsVf7UeMZ9Rbb4d-QY6uwzcBj5CasNeDUIkhg6aSN1HM6N_5nidpMh1DmJ4d5mAv1k_uOoxcjHdRJgFxQ5qeY/s1600/We_wish_you_a_merry_christmas_35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqL-68tANch61fbNJqN9_pLI6HVBsRsF3r0mZuNndKDEUegFiKkKBRaSCsVf7UeMZ9Rbb4d-QY6uwzcBj5CasNeDUIkhg6aSN1HM6N_5nidpMh1DmJ4d5mAv1k_uOoxcjHdRJgFxQ5qeY/s640/We_wish_you_a_merry_christmas_35.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Hi everyone,<br /><br />It's Christmas Eve in my neck of the woods and I am still banging up a couple more pages for some articles that I write for F-Fashion. I'm not complaining, I love what I do. However, since Christmas is not a national holiday here, I don't have time off. Therefore, it's going to be work, work, work until the end of the year.<br /><br />Anyway, I digress.<br /><br />This year has been such a wonderful year so far. I've had so many opportunities to collaborate with great editors in various magazines and interview so many wonderful people as well. On top of that, the blog is going well, although I wish to have a bit more time to blog more often. Also, I did complete one round of P90X and next year, I am going to do at least 1 more round.<br /><br />With that said, I am always thankful to have my readers here with me. Your comments always make my days brighter and I love to have your supports. While there are so many beauty blogs out there, the fact that you support mine means so much to me.<br /><br />So, guys, I wish you a merry Christmas with your loved ones. May you receive so many nice things during this holiday season.<br /><br />With love,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br /><br /><br />P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!</div>

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Hi everyone, It's Christmas Eve in my neck of the woods and I am still banging up a couple more pages for some articles that I write for...

Read more »

Freestyle Eyeliners

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi everyone,<br /><br />First of all, can I have a few seconds to plug My Makeup Blog's latest giveaway? Yes, the natural online skincare company Skintritious is sponsoring 2 products for a giveaway. Please <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/skintritious-giveaway.html">click here</a> to join if you haven't already done so!<br /><br />Lately, I have developed a habit to experiment with my makeup at around the midnight mark. The latest session was rather fun as I got to play with my liquid eyeliner. On the left side (your right), I did a geometric eyeliner and the right side (your left), I did a twin tail liner with a twist. I kept the rest of the face simple.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZcMl74zOB3ezAZn-zE8rmcisJJOqe1LOEHfgflHrjN_1LwluoZpnZqxyvT__GbLl10hdEbsjx6cI1nmjLh_wXw1rhWuUVcth0qWofUD06JRSTI9S-7YUDfjL2QVccGFpvt5Zt0YF8jU/s1600/IMG_7324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZcMl74zOB3ezAZn-zE8rmcisJJOqe1LOEHfgflHrjN_1LwluoZpnZqxyvT__GbLl10hdEbsjx6cI1nmjLh_wXw1rhWuUVcth0qWofUD06JRSTI9S-7YUDfjL2QVccGFpvt5Zt0YF8jU/s400/IMG_7324.JPG" width="321" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78EB4LUHxkHPaFN3Ir8-QvtZypzjhQvdViOt6enOiy1LG0LOFVLL-LwXxAh9YoPXjf1bR5ljRuHdNkpw94MyyuAMJV3eY7vA0b2NP3rLxvJQQhT3JRD9aLh_7Qx5RU7_S7ww0M7LeyK0/s1600/IMG_7337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78EB4LUHxkHPaFN3Ir8-QvtZypzjhQvdViOt6enOiy1LG0LOFVLL-LwXxAh9YoPXjf1bR5ljRuHdNkpw94MyyuAMJV3eY7vA0b2NP3rLxvJQQhT3JRD9aLh_7Qx5RU7_S7ww0M7LeyK0/s640/IMG_7337.JPG" width="452" /></a></div><br />Also, did you notice a difference on my skin? In the first picture, I only patted a layer of powder, which evidently did not give enough coverage whatsoever. So, I had to apply a bit of mineral foundation and retook the pictures. Et voila! The second batch came out a whole lot better!<br /><br />And guess what happened during this experimental time? I ran out of eyelash glue!<br /><br />I was planning to stick a pair of lashes on my eyes but alas, the eyelash glues I had were either dry or runny! I had to throw them away and use multiple layers of mascara on my eyes. But surprisingly, the lack of false lashes worked well for this look (haha!) By not having a lash line full of falsies, the focus is on the awesome eyeliners, not on the false eyelashes.<br /><br />The next day, I went out and stock up on eyelash glue and falsies, which I am going to show you guys preeeety soon!<br /><br />Ciao bellas,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br />P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!</div>

Freestyle Eyeliners

Hi everyone, First of all, can I have a few seconds to plug My Makeup Blog's latest giveaway? Yes, the natural online skincare company S...

Read more »

So You Think You Know Me...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi everyone,<br /><br />Yesterday, I read <a href="http://crazyauntpurl.com/">Crazy Aunt Purl's blog</a> and what she wrote about her online presence and what people perceive of her made me think. A lot. If you haven't read it yet, please <a href="http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/archives/2012/08/the_real_deal_w.php">click here</a>. Personally, I think this article is a must-read for bloggers or anyone with some sort of online presentations, really.<br /><br />For the longest time, the moment I open my mouth and said, "I have a beauty blog," people would say, "So, you are <i>that</i> girl, huh?" They would assume that I am a brainless chick who is after vanity. And then, they would brush me aside and did not take me so seriously.<br /><br />In the beginning, it hurt. Yes,I am a beauty blogger and I am drawn to beautiful things, specifically makeup. As fun as blogging about makeup and beauty products has been, it is work and requires energy and inputs from me to make things happen. That people don't seem to know. In the beginning, I took time to argue with people to make them think of what I do more seriously. I was fighting an uphill battle and out of 100 people, maybe 1 or 2 showed interests and appreciated what I do.<br /><br />Now, I don't care anymore. Blogging is a part of me but it's not 100% me. What you see here is a slice of my life, a part of me where I have some control over how I project my image. It's just makeup and lots of it.<br /><br />So, when someone tells you he or she is a beauty blogger, don't brush them aside. Of all I know, that beauty blogger with lots of bright eye shadows and blushes may be a doctor/lawyer/professor/scientist/environmental activist with a couple of post-graduate degrees under his or her belt. Also, that person may be as smart as Einstein but likes makeup. And we don't take ourselves so seriously.<br /><br />Also, please do not assume that you read our blogs and you know us, either. There are many things happen in my life that I don't blog here or there or anywhere, really. I prefer to keep them to myself.<br /><br />So future boyfriend/husband/HR people/scholarship people/etc: if you find your way here via climbing Mt. Google, please feel free to dig in and read. But please do not assume that you <i>like</i>, totally know me from, <i>like</i>, reading my blog and all. Because you don't. And because I do have many other things to do beside makeup (like writing grands and doing research, for instant!)<br /><br />But two things you know for sure from this blog: (1) I love makeup and (2) I can <i>like</i>, totally write, y'all!<br /><br />Therefore, I am going to leave you here with a picture of moi that I posted last week where I had a lot of makeup on my face and look fabulous and all. Enjoy!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3c-D0QEc4oKVm8hGYZBi5aqIXx6ftWHLo-q5wUfBu-k5Widyz5n4_lnrVqiTlDd-fm7sGANo01gsUy-G5jEARLoHGgDJrCi8q_5Qm_I27XfUSyc-Zbqtv38RJCE-PQioeLrlklK_IHs/s1600/IMG_6878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3c-D0QEc4oKVm8hGYZBi5aqIXx6ftWHLo-q5wUfBu-k5Widyz5n4_lnrVqiTlDd-fm7sGANo01gsUy-G5jEARLoHGgDJrCi8q_5Qm_I27XfUSyc-Zbqtv38RJCE-PQioeLrlklK_IHs/s640/IMG_6878.JPG" width="496" /></a></div><br />With love,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br />P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!</div>

So You Think You Know Me...

Hi everyone, Yesterday, I read Crazy Aunt Purl's blog  and what she wrote about her online presence and what people perceive of her made...

Read more »

Shu Uemura in Saigon!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi everyone,<br /><br />Well, technically Saigon is called "Ho Chi Minh City" now but seriously, outside of Vietnam, how many people would call the Capital of the South by that name? Putting my personal pet peeves aside, I tweeted about interviewing someone last Friday. One thing led to another and I found myself standing at the newly opened Shu Uemura counter at Diamond Plaza, one of the poshest shopping centers in Saigon.<br /><br />I have been a fan of Shu Uemura for a while, especially with its <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/shu-uemura-eyelash-curler-is-one.html">legendary eyelash curler</a> and <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/blush-lust-shu-uemura-and-lancome.html">blushes</a>. After the company pulled out of Sephora, it has been hard to find their products unless you resolve to purchasing them online. I almost broke down and bought a Shu curler during my last trip to China because I was oh so afraid to find a replacement. But fear no more, the Shu counter is not far from my place and the price is comparable to that in the U.S.<br /><br />I took a couple of pictures of the counter. The address of Diamond Plaza is down below. In case you guys travel to Saigon and want to visit the Shu counter, at least you know where to go :)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IthEiYI_10njUgapn2g_P6n9gyl7PgLFecGMZwnJIVoiboSw4l_U-Xw2sMWcvaiiq9YDXz3Iq4JBckiZ7uucj2W5u9RtWhjkGse58YI9vDmBJp5En-nIg-sVByPa72z_owNWpBBSu_NQ/s1600/IMG_6763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IthEiYI_10njUgapn2g_P6n9gyl7PgLFecGMZwnJIVoiboSw4l_U-Xw2sMWcvaiiq9YDXz3Iq4JBckiZ7uucj2W5u9RtWhjkGse58YI9vDmBJp5En-nIg-sVByPa72z_owNWpBBSu_NQ/s640/IMG_6763.JPG" width="460" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A makeup artist's train case full of Shu products</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUYkZ8Krie67TD5u9BZJt_KWSC6_gfLD2lol4bYhWVCx5iM4M26qXNxAC2G6b5JLs1SgCAN1BzdCEAwodCqBcmW6S_uJYkzFMnrMgu96V0vl28pjwpdHJQuYk2dysLe1SRTWqQgBhLh0Y/s1600/IMG_6805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUYkZ8Krie67TD5u9BZJt_KWSC6_gfLD2lol4bYhWVCx5iM4M26qXNxAC2G6b5JLs1SgCAN1BzdCEAwodCqBcmW6S_uJYkzFMnrMgu96V0vl28pjwpdHJQuYk2dysLe1SRTWqQgBhLh0Y/s640/IMG_6805.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love, love, love the pretty display. It's so pink!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGkRmo_fv9Hq7N8F3gfQie6nx7KYGAw17Vvl7EgieMjGqfHec3PW2Cj-0G6j3KPH5DUGfuAAF-A6HFBoYw6QX_EKffmQKQp7OW9n_FwLTbg9JdIJoAqKiTJaCCHVYq50kTCOwUm_GOAYx/s1600/IMG_6806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGkRmo_fv9Hq7N8F3gfQie6nx7KYGAw17Vvl7EgieMjGqfHec3PW2Cj-0G6j3KPH5DUGfuAAF-A6HFBoYw6QX_EKffmQKQp7OW9n_FwLTbg9JdIJoAqKiTJaCCHVYq50kTCOwUm_GOAYx/s640/IMG_6806.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view at the skincare part of the Shu counter. Look at all of those cleansing oil bottles at the back!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUN1nRDjzwUZSJgYaCcWtKBYHk_bJ4OOkOEJ19PnfRolbCQbqILQfOd8oJ17hXFX8B0kAXj-b5gK0cDZWORnUTumJ7GVnNVUPUlLJ1-sYPaxdwPU2kko5LsNi7_ZMX71Q58jxzZTwWQYEq/s1600/IMG_6807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUN1nRDjzwUZSJgYaCcWtKBYHk_bJ4OOkOEJ19PnfRolbCQbqILQfOd8oJ17hXFX8B0kAXj-b5gK0cDZWORnUTumJ7GVnNVUPUlLJ1-sYPaxdwPU2kko5LsNi7_ZMX71Q58jxzZTwWQYEq/s640/IMG_6807.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a different counter. This one is for makeup products</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAAn5VJxxfPHex8DmH7lx2fy5XxPfr-drGtJPXDnJCV9uYQiHel6648iBHtZfWlI_q42iGIQvqdC4_Z7VQV7TAThf9I26kX9FE2yQ1v6aicufmare-NP60XuCQgrDk3TgxXTf10VlvuMU/s1600/IMG_6804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAAn5VJxxfPHex8DmH7lx2fy5XxPfr-drGtJPXDnJCV9uYQiHel6648iBHtZfWlI_q42iGIQvqdC4_Z7VQV7TAThf9I26kX9FE2yQ1v6aicufmare-NP60XuCQgrDk3TgxXTf10VlvuMU/s640/IMG_6804.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They had a wall full of lashes. I was on cloud 9!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsbslJfylfH77jf4YSomUILj5jmaBoiYy1Z-4t5RVlUN7bmAOmZWMdmavhBLEU3UoFtCWnAKTiKoGb7HnrpnzOyO6RbvBtkw8X3vqzLKrPC5evatYUuelYCr-QBz1j93owmeDaT224LkV/s1600/IMG_6810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsbslJfylfH77jf4YSomUILj5jmaBoiYy1Z-4t5RVlUN7bmAOmZWMdmavhBLEU3UoFtCWnAKTiKoGb7HnrpnzOyO6RbvBtkw8X3vqzLKrPC5evatYUuelYCr-QBz1j93owmeDaT224LkV/s640/IMG_6810.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small part of the makeup artist station. Look at all of those customizable palettes!<br />I want one. No, I want all!</td></tr></tbody></table>Address:<br /><a href="http://diamondplaza.com.vn/">Diamond Plaza</a> (first floor)<br />34 Le Duan Street, District 1 , Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam. <br /><br />By the way, Diamond Plaza probably has almost all of the luxurious beauty brands in the world. I found a Clé de Peau counter there. Also, there's a Salvatore Ferragamo store and a Chanel counter as well. It's a fascinating place to visit.<br /><br />That's all for now. I have more Shu Uemura makeup stories to tell but they are going to be for another day.<br /><br />Love,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br />P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!</div>

Shu Uemura in Saigon!

Hi everyone, Well, technically Saigon is called "Ho Chi Minh City" now but seriously, outside of Vietnam, how many people would ca...

Read more »

True to the Blood

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi everyone!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5OKWxuH5uC33uHqpsHYA0ARqFlXK_7K1_kjXCK-7tWg8AhXH9q2ISP9CJ-mmcyu9h4qQXBWgHiVW_1NdDQNiSDuJUKc6nmmIf0AdhZacopnUFtut_g2Rju0s_wI1177kEunMbyQ4Vz8s/s1600/IMG_6251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5OKWxuH5uC33uHqpsHYA0ARqFlXK_7K1_kjXCK-7tWg8AhXH9q2ISP9CJ-mmcyu9h4qQXBWgHiVW_1NdDQNiSDuJUKc6nmmIf0AdhZacopnUFtut_g2Rju0s_wI1177kEunMbyQ4Vz8s/s640/IMG_6251.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Have you tried to take <a href="http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/index.html">True Blood</a> away from a teddy bear? It ain't easy, I'm tellin' ya, especially when said teddy bear whose name is Bibi is a fan of Sam Merlotte.<br /><br />Although I was introduced quite recently to the True Blood series, I am now a big fan. Those who are following me <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/MyMakeupBlog">on Twitter</a> know that I tweet about the show and Alexander Skarsgard quite often. Yes, I'm on Team Eric through and through, ever since he made an appearance on the episode "Escape from the Dragon House."<br /><br />Yes, I know this is a beauty blog but once in a while, I'd like to write something non-beauty related like fitness, traveling, and what not. Despite all the sex, gore, and violence, True Blood is a really good show. I've written about it extensively (read: more fan girl behaviors can be found) on <a href="http://lifeandrewrite.wordpress.com/">my other blog</a>. The latest one can be found <a href="http://lifeandrewrite.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/the-tracksuit-oh-the-tracksuit/">here</a>. Now it spreads over to this blog. Oh my, I think I am in some sort of trouble!<br /><br />How about you? Are you a Truebie, too? What team are you on? Team Eric/Bill/or Alcide? I know, I know, Alcide doesn't have a chance but he looks so manly!<br /><br />That's all for now. I hope you are having a nice week so far.<br /><br />With love,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br />P.S: the new Disqus works! Thank you for all of your lovely comments! Now, I need to monitor it via the website instead of emails as Disqus doesn't send me any email notifications anymore. It's a nuisance that I can live with.<br /><br />P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!</div>

True to the Blood

Hi everyone! Have you tried to take True Blood away from a teddy bear? It ain't easy, I'm tellin' ya, especially when said tedd...

Read more »

Ze Laptop Iz Alive!

Hi everyone,<br /><br />I was very nervous last week with my laptop going blank and a due date inching closer and closer. On top of that, I have a whole bunch of pictures in my computer that I would like not to be gone forever. I prayed long and hard before taking the laptop to the repair shop. A day and $150 bucks later, my laptop was revived! Thank you, Baby Jesus! It's a Saturnalia miracle!<br /><br />Also, thankfully, my brother's desktop was alive and well so I was using it for work. Surprisingly, I was more productive while working with a different computer for a day or two before I slacked off again :) Oh social websites, thou are time suckers!<br /><br />But on the other note, I am officially a published author now. Two of my articles were picked up by a magazine and published last week in the April issue. I was ecstatic and I'm going to post a couple of pictures of them soon! On top of that, I have a few articles commissioned already for the rest of the month. Which means I am going to be busy writing them and adding them to my portfolio.<br /><br />That's all for now, folks! Thank you for all the support while I was AFK ("away from keyboard" as in The Big Bang Theory season 2, haha!)<br /><br />Love you all,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br /> P.S: Please continue supporting me by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Ze Laptop Iz Alive!

Hi everyone, I was very nervous last week with my laptop going blank and a due date inching closer and closer. On top of that, I have a whol...

Read more »

Fave 5: Books

Hi everyone,<br /><br />I love reading. Before I found out that I could actually borrow books from the library, I spent a lot of money on books. Really, like a hundred dollars a month on them only to find out some of them could disappoint me greatly. Since I move a lot, owning books can be quite a hassle when the time comes to move to a new place. I ended up donated lots and lots of books and only keep the ones I love and read often. Here are my favorite 5:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwmkTySk24GHRjltUp3em0e24R2jI053CjrxrNi6ht-AO5_MS8jvDS9ymCViFX4PwbtwOgaL5rE-5k46jYlrITRKx00JVLt598-DamUX6UBwlLtVwsYc-pP9JF1uCNF0f0VYABlReK4r8/s1600/IMG_6246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwmkTySk24GHRjltUp3em0e24R2jI053CjrxrNi6ht-AO5_MS8jvDS9ymCViFX4PwbtwOgaL5rE-5k46jYlrITRKx00JVLt598-DamUX6UBwlLtVwsYc-pP9JF1uCNF0f0VYABlReK4r8/s640/IMG_6246.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Beedle-Standard-Edition-Potter/dp/0545128285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332497081&sr=8-1">The Tales of Beedle the Bard</a> (J.K. Rowling)<br />If you are a Harry Potter fan, this is a must-read for you. Of course, the book was mentioned in book 7 but you don't get the whole idea of what the stories are until you read the book. It's short but is a very engaging book for Muggles and wizards alike.<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Society-S-A-Novel/dp/141653458X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c">The Society of S</a> (Susan Hubbard)<br />No, S doesn't stand for sex. In fact, this book has nothing to do with sex. It is about vampires but please don't give me that face. It is a beautifully written book with a different aspect about vampires. Definitely not your typical Twilight book but it's not one of your Anne Rice vampire stories, either. You will be surprised at the eloquence and melody this book has. I already read its sequel, "The Year of Disappearances", and had no idea that the latest one already came out.<br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Thirteenth-Tale-A-Novel/dp/B004H8GLXQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332497527&sr=1-1">The Thirteenth Tale</a> (Diane Settterfield)<br />Another beautifully written book in my stash. This one reminds me a lot of "Wuthering Heights" with its dark and gothic story. I won't tell you what the story is, you have to read to find out but one thing I know for sure:  it won't disappoint.<br /><br />4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Bonesetters-Daughter-Amy-Tan/dp/B002YDQA82/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332497665&sr=1-3">The Bonesetter's Daughter</a> (Amy Tan)<br />To me, this is the best book Amy Tan has ever written. The story is beautiful and the book has a certain melodic quality with an air of melodramatic in it. It makes me think of the old world and the tragedies that bounded women to the ground. If you have ever read Amy Tan's memoir, you will find out this book is probably the closest to her own family history.<br /><br />5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Dead-Pendergast/dp/0446618500/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332497862&sr=1-1">The Book of the Dead</a> (Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child)<br />I went through a phase of not buying any books after discovering the local library. However, the yearn to own books is something I couldn't run away so far. I found this book in a slush pile at Border's (RIP). It was 5 dollars and since it had the words "New York Times Best-selling Authors" written on top, I bought it. I was blown away by the writing! Since then, I have been a faithful follower of Agent Pendergast. He is an extraordinary character and if you haven't read the Pendergast series, you should. The good starting point should be "The Cabinet of Curiosities" although "Still Life with Crows" is a good one to start, too.<br /><br />That's all for now, folks! What are your favorite books? I'd love to hear from you.<br /><br />Love,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br /><br /> P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribing to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Fave 5: Books

Hi everyone, I love reading. Before I found out that I could actually borrow books from the library, I spent a lot of money on books. Really...

Read more »

Fun with Bokeh

Hi everyone,<br /><br />One of the things I like to do is taking pictures. Since I bought my Canon G12, it has been easier to take better quality photos. Better pictures means less time spent on editing them. And believe me, sometimes you wish the pictures would come out the way you want since editing can only do so much.<br /><br />I always love bokeh but it was quite hard to do with my old camera. If you are not familiar with the term, bokeh is a photography technique where the objects closer to you are in focus while the ones far away are blurred. This technique gives depth to the picture and previously, I thought only D-SLRs can do it. But regular point and shoots can, too.<br /><br />It is not a difficult technique: you put your camera in manual mode, lower your F-stop to the lowest level possible (mine only goes to F 2.8 but other cameras can go all the way down to 2.0.) Then, you adjust your aperture value to get the lightning you want. After that, it's all aim, focus, shoot for you.<br /><br />Here are some pictures I took with my camera:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlaeoLM4Wkb-e6PQra14fXjGB5DM1Ykz1TrfpuZ8Dh2ffk226CHEN9WmsEEhMMX8ahJ8gJ9ygDema97-SwqWR-0QArZ6OaaK5gExNlH5pmdW8lrqot35QjFGib5exIeg4Jh3arYNVMyDJ/s1600/IMG_5985.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlaeoLM4Wkb-e6PQra14fXjGB5DM1Ykz1TrfpuZ8Dh2ffk226CHEN9WmsEEhMMX8ahJ8gJ9ygDema97-SwqWR-0QArZ6OaaK5gExNlH5pmdW8lrqot35QjFGib5exIeg4Jh3arYNVMyDJ/s400/IMG_5985.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSN-RSrxa48dWXYJiwqumOm-ZhQBSCq_ywUNOaI4-D8wnWAQzYXQWX8VWDE1Jy57DzM8Y4e6bloY-Bl22sgQ0fFO1ON8eHFt0W7tyFW8Bb4UfQrpXE99TdEcrmDQ7LiR9FV2oTRoKYCKj/s1600/IMG_5989.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSN-RSrxa48dWXYJiwqumOm-ZhQBSCq_ywUNOaI4-D8wnWAQzYXQWX8VWDE1Jy57DzM8Y4e6bloY-Bl22sgQ0fFO1ON8eHFt0W7tyFW8Bb4UfQrpXE99TdEcrmDQ7LiR9FV2oTRoKYCKj/s400/IMG_5989.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><br /> In these two pictures, the nail polish bottles are blurry while my nails had more focus: bokeh!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaH2r16XfB1dbOx8Ev8zx8mba2lETL6BRtW_Kgd7GqKMAE5jVLrPzBXMCmSiT_xACnP9BiJ-9xg4JkuxKIEhdXszYRv8Ziza4VV9T7zIVN50-viUtBiJWYvYxEx-Fr_Wqf8ZWCo2vTga-/s1600/IMG_5991.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaH2r16XfB1dbOx8Ev8zx8mba2lETL6BRtW_Kgd7GqKMAE5jVLrPzBXMCmSiT_xACnP9BiJ-9xg4JkuxKIEhdXszYRv8Ziza4VV9T7zIVN50-viUtBiJWYvYxEx-Fr_Wqf8ZWCo2vTga-/s640/IMG_5991.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />No matter what they say, this is not bokeh. Regardless, it's still a fun effect.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqMrQ_Lk-Idti6nj5Eq2SclnveilrUqsQAntCEbkk44S4NvTlbN90QAkeirmaeBeIFrN9ccIrLH9fq79VMmS7sIIw4K3yZ8WpJlVdQ12I7SRzMXQX-zLDTBv3BMfhVvQk2u5dsFejyphy/s1600/IMG_5994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqMrQ_Lk-Idti6nj5Eq2SclnveilrUqsQAntCEbkk44S4NvTlbN90QAkeirmaeBeIFrN9ccIrLH9fq79VMmS7sIIw4K3yZ8WpJlVdQ12I7SRzMXQX-zLDTBv3BMfhVvQk2u5dsFejyphy/s640/IMG_5994.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />But this one is. I moved my camera a little bit further away and focus it on my hand. A tiny bit up and the focus would be on the nail polish bottle to create a photo similar from the one above.<br /><br />A couple of years ago, I got my first bokeh photo. It was a lot of fun. I guess I went through a bazillion settings to get it and it was a little bit blurry. I've read a lot of books and blogs about photography but it seems like they speak a language that's not English when discussing the subject matter. If you guys know any websites that teaches photography in plain English, please let me know.<br /><br />Take care,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br /> P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Fun with Bokeh

Hi everyone, One of the things I like to do is taking pictures. Since I bought my Canon G12, it has been easier to take better quality photo...

Read more »

My Makeup Trial

Hi everyone,<br /><br />Last night, I was playing with my makeup stash and an idea came to me: "Why don't I do a makeup trial on myself?" The thing is, I have a wedding to attend at the end of the month. Before, I just winged it as I went and sometimes it worked. Since this is an important wedding with the bride being my cousin and all, I don't want to embarrass her and myself by wearing some really interesting makeup to her wedding. Let's put it this way: lately, my taste in makeup has changed and I don't wear demure makeup anymore. Everything has to be ostentatious and RuPaul-esque. For a wedding, that would not fly. I need to tone down.<br /><br />After half an hour of meticulous makeup-ing, I came up with this:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjX9YS54OJOfYpAmJjf26CAb-e_9X4VBuOWagq34bphI25PxMEpZIh5GQM-cS5dVvKS0My7I4qfCrwLRS43XH6F6R3UchR07TQrzPRfkAHaecfOWXcXuERhqF1FIFKT-QgKK2iRY8UzT6/s1600/IMG_5353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjX9YS54OJOfYpAmJjf26CAb-e_9X4VBuOWagq34bphI25PxMEpZIh5GQM-cS5dVvKS0My7I4qfCrwLRS43XH6F6R3UchR07TQrzPRfkAHaecfOWXcXuERhqF1FIFKT-QgKK2iRY8UzT6/s640/IMG_5353.JPG" width="446" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was supposed to be a look inspired by Angelina Jolie in the 2012 Golden Globe<br />Instead, I looked like my aunt!<br />Or a successful business woman<br />Lord have mercy on my makeup!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUEXI68iX2Nu3usrdWKy1-zCDpcFpgWfq30Juwdn6QkrP4WePyVTe49EVq38yCfMRwIVMZY_RMQffgNUiRo0M-51KpbiIIDoLu9VKrD4nuMNs9cWF0a2uJVWBSi_GdZKwmd-palaTh_vH/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUEXI68iX2Nu3usrdWKy1-zCDpcFpgWfq30Juwdn6QkrP4WePyVTe49EVq38yCfMRwIVMZY_RMQffgNUiRo0M-51KpbiIIDoLu9VKrD4nuMNs9cWF0a2uJVWBSi_GdZKwmd-palaTh_vH/s640/IMG_5374.JPG" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a slightly better picture but still, I don't like the look<br />However, my face looks so slim, though. Which means Hip Hop Abs work, y'all!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsSbYyuJ3-SA_zVXZRH_cMRLj-XuIQ4iU-qaIKWb2OH1TKxX-cc5wjChUi_wDsSbfODUIbjhSPFZ5-yAAiGdcdiBHfDjsRstoEbU6oXyK0mSE60MHOKKUq4Dwy8JW7GdX3qQY8YTJZ7tK/s1600/IMG_5399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsSbYyuJ3-SA_zVXZRH_cMRLj-XuIQ4iU-qaIKWb2OH1TKxX-cc5wjChUi_wDsSbfODUIbjhSPFZ5-yAAiGdcdiBHfDjsRstoEbU6oXyK0mSE60MHOKKUq4Dwy8JW7GdX3qQY8YTJZ7tK/s640/IMG_5399.JPG" width="446" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one probably looks like me the most but look at the shine around my nose.<br />This foundation is a no-go for me!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Pu9CsDQW4y1v3iIHHrAPPLfv71YaU4SgDosWTttLPai0MoS0y6wWig7BcuaVV2XhbDW3neiQ-wCGf18rZD7-asn4-bUDMTMbHeXdnNBrJEBogyqdE5JlWqdti2lZ869kXKpAxfUC5xfA/s1600/IMG_5392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Pu9CsDQW4y1v3iIHHrAPPLfv71YaU4SgDosWTttLPai0MoS0y6wWig7BcuaVV2XhbDW3neiQ-wCGf18rZD7-asn4-bUDMTMbHeXdnNBrJEBogyqdE5JlWqdti2lZ869kXKpAxfUC5xfA/s640/IMG_5392.JPG" width="582" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This silly picture tuned out to be the best :)<br />It has that MAC-esque factor similar to that Barbie Loves MAC promo<br />Again, notice the shine</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm glad I did the trial because I learned so much from it. First of all, from the way the pictures came out, I am sure I am not going to use this foundation and powder combo. Since I am paler now, my go-to liquid foundation is a lot darker now and I can't use it anymore. This is really bad because that foundation films really, really well. The new foundation is really thick and creamy and I had to use a powder (also new product) to fix it. This creates another problem: cakiness. On top of that, the foundation, albeit being thick and all, offers no coverage whatsoever. You still can see my dark marks, can you?<br /><br />Secondly, this pair of lashes has to go, too. It is too long and unnatural-looking. I may keep the red lips for fun but we'll see.<br /><br />From this trial, I am back to square one when it comes to powder and foundation. Since I'm bound to buy a new foundation anyways, this would not be a problem, although my wallet is screaming profanities at me right now :( I have 10 days to come up with a new look and I want to look poise and lady-like this time around.<br /><br />That's all for now. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I highly appreciate your inputs.<br /><br />Take care,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br /><br /> P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

My Makeup Trial

Hi everyone, Last night, I was playing with my makeup stash and an idea came to me: "Why don't I do a makeup trial on myself?"...

Read more »

The Hardest Thing to Find in Vietnam

Hello folks!<br /><br />While I can buy my essential makeup items in Vietnam, there's this one thing I can't seem to find. Scratch that, it is impossible to find. You know what it is?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Self-tanner!</span></b><br /><br />I'm not even kidding. I haven't seen a bottle of self-tanner anywhere while browsing low-end to high-end makeup counters. Insane, right? Snookie would be mad if she vacay here.<br /><br />I guess you can always get a good tan from the sun since it's always sunny here. However, the glowy and bronzy goddess skin from the bottle is something nature can't do to you. On top of that, the two self-tanners I have tried smelled so damn good!<br /><br />I can't believe I miss self-tanners!<br /><br />That's all for today, folks! Are you a self-tanning person?<br /><br />With love from you makeup and beauty loving friend,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><br /> P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

The Hardest Thing to Find in Vietnam

Hello folks! While I can buy my essential makeup items in Vietnam, there's this one thing I can't seem to find. Scratch that, it is ...

Read more »

Why We Buy Makeup + My Internet Can't Handle True Blood

Hi everyone, <br /><br />Yesterday, I was playing with my makeup stash and I've realized how little it has grown since 2011. While my move to Vietnam put a damper to my makeup shopping habit, there is something more to it that makes me <i>not</i> buying makeup as much as I used to. I could not put that idea out of my head and kept on asking myself why I haven't bought makeup anymore. Of course, the love for makeup is still there but why?<br /><br />About a year before I started makeup blogging, my stash was relatively small. An eyeshadow quad here, a couple of lipsticks there, and probably 5 brushes. I was happy and my mind was not cluttered with the question of what products should I use during my makeup session. And then, I discovered makeup blogs. The result? Makeup hoarding began.<br /><br />To make it worse (or better, depending on how you look at it!), I decided to open My Makeup Blog. As a makeup blogger, I had to buy makeup, makeup, and more makeup. It was a vicious cycle. I bought things only to use 2-3 times before I lost interest. And they were good products, too. Before I went to Vietnam, I sorted out my stash and donated about 2/3 of it. The stuff I brought home are things I truly love. My must-haves.<br /><br />Since I came back to Vietnam, I haven't bought more than 20 makeup items. To think about it, when I started wearing makeup back in 2001-2002, I probably bought that much makeup during a month. Or even in 2 weeks if Ride Aid had sales.<br /><br />To come back with our original question- <b>why do we buy makeup</b>- I have a few answers:<br /><br /><b>1. The novelty effect</b><br /><br />Every season, makeup companies roll out with new products to entice us. New colors, new textures, new scents, new packaging. And guess what we do? We buy the new stuff and forget the old ones that are still full in our makeup drawers.<br /><br />If you notice, some makeup companies like MAC come out with new limited edition collections very frequently. MAC is notorious for it up to a point I got sick and tired of their new LEs. It is hard to keep up with MAC collections anymore and after a year or so of following them, I have come to a conclusion that their regular lineup is just as good. On top of that, they don't have the limited factor that worries me.<br /><br /><b>2. The sales effect</b><br /><br />As a bargain hunter, I love, love, love sales. Sometimes, I could get a whole lot of things for cheap when combined with coupons. However, not all the time the sale items are worth it. Once in a while when I sorted my stash, I had to throw away barely touched items that did not live up to my standards. Yet, I bought them because they were such awesome bargains.<br /><br /><b>3. The happiness effect</b><br /><br />I don't know about you but always, when I have a new makeup item, I feel happier. A new lipstick, eye shadow, blush, or even nail polish put a smile on my face. It does not take much to make me smile because most items I bought these days are affordable.<br /><br />I guess I am not the only one. Coined by Leonard Lauder, the <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/lipstickindicator.asp">lipstick effect</a> is an indicator for economic uncertainty and recession. During tough times, lipstick sales go up. Now, even <a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/nail-polish-is-the-new-lipstick-high-sales-mark-new-recession-indicator-2559873.html">nail polish sales</a> increase in this economy. Lipsticks and nail polishes do not cost as much as a dinner or even a movie ticket. On top of that, you can use them over and over again. Therefore, they have better pay offs in this economy.<br /><br /><b>My internet can't handle True Blood!</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjELw3W9FFMnSQ47ovIazlL7xg7v-ucnrA2Yi37DbyEIackXsVYYY9GsvFlx_3e4PYwJntuzfb4CfVk8Pi7ODUPmuviPH96Ji_t_ykXAjuc9jQY8ba1-CbOahQrAK7mShYd3YVvtfn_CP/s1600/TrueBlood_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjELw3W9FFMnSQ47ovIazlL7xg7v-ucnrA2Yi37DbyEIackXsVYYY9GsvFlx_3e4PYwJntuzfb4CfVk8Pi7ODUPmuviPH96Ji_t_ykXAjuc9jQY8ba1-CbOahQrAK7mShYd3YVvtfn_CP/s400/TrueBlood_Poster.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />Now, here comes an interesting part: since last Thursday, I was not able to go online at all. My internet decided to quit on me. It was the second time this week and the internet guy began to remember my face.<br /><br />Guess what happened two days before that? Two friends of mine encouraged me to watch True Blood, starting from the very beginning. So, I went online and watched a few episodes in two days. Ok, I lied. I watched half of season 1 in two days. And then, le internet decided to call it quit!<br /><br />It was beyond frustration, ok? I was in intense pain. It was like the Internet God was toying with me to lure me into something dirty and raunchy only to yank it away when I was hooked.<br /><br />So, I called the internet guy again and he came, took a look at my setting, and told me there was nothing he could do. My internet setting was messed up beyond his repair and he needed to call in the crew to fix from the main line. That was Friday evening. Internet was down since Thursday. And there was a weekend without the World Wide Web.<br /><br />Thankfully, I had books. During the weekend, I managed to polish up a book and started reading half way through another one. Not so bad. But now that le internet is back, I guess I am going to watch True Blood again. This time, sparingly since I know my internet cannot handle half a season of raunchy, dirty, sexy TV in two days.<br /><br />That's all for Monday. I did Hip Hop Abs earlier today and I felt so good. Week 2 is more intense and I already feel a slimmer waistline. How about you? Do you have any plans for Monday? Also, are you a fan of True Blood?<br /><br />With love from your makeup addict friend,<br />Dao xoxo<br /><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">P.S: show me your love by subscribing to my blog, yeah?</div>

Why We Buy Makeup + My Internet Can't Handle True Blood

Hi everyone, Yesterday, I was playing with my makeup stash and I've realized how little it has grown since 2011. While my move to Viet...

Read more »

Hello 2012!

Hi everyone, <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GpzVou19GMxaxqTtziArgd_aS8nBz4zNzcb3Tmlo87whmi8_uxN7CrzpYf8Nn5wDiPJlVx9aq_vSEl5KhmyndvUAcBM7qUXhIwlflX1qbZ_JI5ZTnCRlxiS1vwbTnWq_ogyrgAijbS4/s1600/IMG_5330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GpzVou19GMxaxqTtziArgd_aS8nBz4zNzcb3Tmlo87whmi8_uxN7CrzpYf8Nn5wDiPJlVx9aq_vSEl5KhmyndvUAcBM7qUXhIwlflX1qbZ_JI5ZTnCRlxiS1vwbTnWq_ogyrgAijbS4/s640/IMG_5330.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy New Year!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">May 2012 bring exciting opportunities to your life and may your heart be filled with joy and love throughout the year.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you for your continuing support to My Makeup Blog and I hope 2012 is going to be a wonderful year of makeup and beauty blogging to all of us.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hugs and kisses from your beauty blogger,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dao xxoo</div>

Hello 2012!

Hi everyone, Happy New Year! May 2012 bring exciting opportunities to your life and may your heart be filled with joy and love throughout...

Read more »

An Apology

Hi everyone,<br /><br />I haven't been blogging much lately and as a result, I've missed out My Makeup Blog's 3rd anniversary. Yes, MMB has been around for 3 years now. Dinosaur age for a blog, I guess.<br /><br />A lot of things have happened in the real world and it put everything down. One thing after another snowballed into this huge thing that makes me so busy and upset that I can't find a way to put words into proper sentences. That's how upset I am. Usually, blogging is my getaway but this time around, I found not blogging would help.<br /><br />But this is not the end. Although I may not blog as often as before, I still keep MMB alive. Once in a while, I am going to pop up and write a few posts here and there. I want to thank you for your support and readership during the past 3 years. Let's hope this is just a phase and I can write more often soon.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

An Apology

Hi everyone, I haven't been blogging much lately and as a result, I've missed out My Makeup Blog's 3rd anniversary. Yes, MMB has...

Read more »

My E.L.F Haul

Hi everybody,<br /><br />Last month, <a href="http://www.eyeslipsface.com/">E.L.F</a> had a 60% off site-wide sale. It was around my birthday and so tempting that I had to prepare. The night before the event, I actually placed stuff in the shopping cart ahead of time. Knowing ELF, things can get a bit out of control once the sale hit.<br /><br />Usually, ELF has sales all the time: 50% off here, 20% off there, free shipping here, gift with purchase there. But 60% site-wide sale is rare, especially a lot of their items are $1. I added a whole bunch of stuff to the shopping cart after doing some serious research online. The total was $16 USD and I also got free shipping.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2O7piLRJ0g7wFzVLYGq6-82rNAIfP9SH48Ky6LrIGqd5oHRN9HbQF8uCnBOULR_rcmKSWI2ILuV5tgdmadKUij91kjATmDlMwXMCFwNbIdpwrauzfZL2QjW0ITsLp60CPKr1FY3ULPE/s1600/IMG_2299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2O7piLRJ0g7wFzVLYGq6-82rNAIfP9SH48Ky6LrIGqd5oHRN9HbQF8uCnBOULR_rcmKSWI2ILuV5tgdmadKUij91kjATmDlMwXMCFwNbIdpwrauzfZL2QjW0ITsLp60CPKr1FY3ULPE/s400/IMG_2299.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My loot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a name="more"></a><br />I actually brought 2 sets of brushes and one powder brush. The reason you only see 3 brushes here is because I gift wrapped them for my BFF as a send-away gift to grad school.<br /><br />The shipping was a bit slow (10 days) and I did not received 2 items. I really wanted to try their mineral eye shadow primer but they ran out of stock. ELF has this problem of not letting people know ahead of time. Unlike other stores like MAC or Sephora, ELF does not really do back orders. So if I still want it, I have to re-order it and pay extra shipping. Well, I'll wait for another sales. It's unlikely that ELF would discontinue the mineral eye shadow primer anyways. It's their best-selling product.<br /><br />I've been using all the stuff I bought and I'm very happy with the result. If you have ever ordered from ELF, a trick to know so you don't end up feeling disappointed is to search for reviews of the items you want. I know they don't cost much but what would if you can't use the products? They are just going to be sitting in a corner. It is very wasteful that way.<br /><br />The brushes I bought are eyeshadow brush, blending brush (dollar item), and contour brush (studio line, $3). They are some seriously good brushes. I bought an eyeshadow brush before and this one is a backup. The quality control is not ELF's strong suite. Within the same type, the brushes I bought were cut a bit differently. I gave the better ones to my friend because she's a novice.<br /><br />The tiny multi-use sticks are really nice. You can use them on your eyes, lips, and cheeks. I got Golden Peach and Lemonade and I use them almost everyday.<br /><br />ELF Gotta Glow blush is a dupe of NARS Albatross. It is really glowy and I <3 it very very much.<br /><br />But the best item is this one:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSNGnVZdGBS-jNpiVWVUs_JMaZ0XvI1wl-N_CupuLpvTULo-nh-pqWLU_55ewwO7whTue1YfhE0xt5Lt5sfy7mdaHeSjIsUNTOJP4Omp61zZmPEHzZ5nhRiqWdpWQMcBT8CLkuSrfpUg/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSNGnVZdGBS-jNpiVWVUs_JMaZ0XvI1wl-N_CupuLpvTULo-nh-pqWLU_55ewwO7whTue1YfhE0xt5Lt5sfy7mdaHeSjIsUNTOJP4Omp61zZmPEHzZ5nhRiqWdpWQMcBT8CLkuSrfpUg/s400/IMG_2295.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brush belt!</td></tr></tbody></table>I waited for a sale like this since forever! This brush belt costs $15 USD before sale and it is one sturdy product. The size and structure is similar to MAC brush belt, which costs $40. Since I have a lot of brushes, a brush belt is a good way for me to organize them. What you see is not everything but it's pretty close.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />For those who've asked me if I'm free lancing, the answer is no. I'm more of free lancing on my face than on others' but I don't mind practicing makeup on your face if you let me :)<br /><br />ELF has improved the quality of their products significantly. This company actually listens to their customers and uses social media to promote themselves very well. It has been a long way from their beginning of scratchy brushes and bad customer service. I am just very happy to see the improvements and will support his company along the way.<br /><br />Disclaimer: I bought the stuff, they were on sale. For My Makeup Blog's disclosure policy, <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/p/disclosure.html">click here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a> P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

My E.L.F Haul

Hi everybody, Last month, E.L.F had a 60% off site-wide sale. It was around my birthday and so tempting that I had to prepare. The night be...

Read more »

Happy Memorial Day!

Hi everybody,<br /><br />Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember U.S military soldiers who died in service. For us, we get a day off to spend time with families and do all the wonderful activities together. Memorial Day also signifies the start of summer shopping. I went to the mall yesterday and it was very crowded.<br /><br /><b>Arts et. al.</b><br /><br />Recently, it dawned on me that I really could not shoot good pictures. The quality of the pictures at My Makeup Blog is not so wonderful and I really want to change that. My initial reaction is to blame my camera (Canon Powershot SD590 IS.) It's basically a dinosaur since coming to the market in 2007. Now, Canon probably already launched the Powershot SD-eleventy bazillion IS or something like that but the thing is, my camera still sells. It's a decent point and shoot for beginners and it does wonderful things to me and my blog. But God forbids, it's no D-SLR.<br /><br />According to a whole lot of people on the internet who actually know a lot about digital photography, you should not blame your cameras because <i>cameras don't shoot pictures. People shoot pictures</i>.<br /><br />Earth to Dao, duh!<br /><br />And then, I received this newsletter from Etsy discussing about pictures and one thing sank: my lightning sucks big time! Since I need to use flash, and my camera doesn't have the best flash in the world, my pictures ended up with over-saturated lights.<br /><br />But that's easy to fix: with proper lightning and auto white balance in the manual option, I got this picture:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLrKBhokFmurf-st-RaQnb_ttFRx85MsNTVK_F4YvBTVIAa6SxADTQ_c1JU4RjtMHLza0vxR21jNdqfDxhrqZMk0VxaLg_40JdAjJ_x-r-FuKg7hZS1YmKhcDRTLjBHj2w2QY52pHXOI/s1600/IMG_1615_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLrKBhokFmurf-st-RaQnb_ttFRx85MsNTVK_F4YvBTVIAa6SxADTQ_c1JU4RjtMHLza0vxR21jNdqfDxhrqZMk0VxaLg_40JdAjJ_x-r-FuKg7hZS1YmKhcDRTLjBHj2w2QY52pHXOI/s640/IMG_1615_1.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><br />No flash, just a little bit of cropping and a tiny bit of color correction to make it look like that. Nice, right? The colors are so true in this picture. What you see is what you get.<br /><br />So, please don't blame your camera. Read the manual and play with lightning. And I know, I'm not an expert in this aspect. I have a lot to learn but just a small change makes such a huge difference.<br /><br />Please enjoy the rest of your day. I'm sure I will :)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hi everybody, Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember U.S military soldiers who died in service. For us, we get a day off to spend time wit...

Read more »

Sand in My Shoes

Hi everybody,<br /><br />What's up? Did you miss me? I hope you've been doing fine for the past two weeks. Yeah, I haven't been blogging for 2 weeks, y'all! Truth be told, all of the sudden I didn't feel like writing anything. Words that I wrote became meaningless and ridiculous. If that wasn't writer's block, I don't know what it is *smile*<br /><br />How was your Easter? Mine was so good that I still have sand in my shoes. This is the first Easter ever that I was by myself. On top of that, most places closed on Easter so I told myself, "What the heck, I'll make good use of this time. Alone or not!"<br /><br />Since I came to Florida, I always wanted to go to the beach. However, my hood is as landlocked as it can be so good luck with strolling to the beach during lunch hour. The nearest beach is St. George Island, which is about 2 hours drive away. For years, my friends and I have planned to go there for a day but always, things came up at the last minute. But mostly, I didn't want to drive.<br /><br />Yesterday, I almost didn't go. But something inside of me told me I'd better do it or else. I was really a compulsive last minute decision. I had a print out of the direction, a bottle of water, my bag, and some cash. But before I headed to the road, this was what happened:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqEfbltmJLteAOPvPAIktLGj-POnkvSteIooRbWBITjsFyF3Qx_dpxrbwx0XSvFpLp1dtk3XjvLVWT6UEkcBm-DhLGhhG07N0mEMj73rP-UsHX2kHTt4w2TytSlErcarsWjCV8X8u6hY/s1600-h/IMG_0977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqEfbltmJLteAOPvPAIktLGj-POnkvSteIooRbWBITjsFyF3Qx_dpxrbwx0XSvFpLp1dtk3XjvLVWT6UEkcBm-DhLGhhG07N0mEMj73rP-UsHX2kHTt4w2TytSlErcarsWjCV8X8u6hY/s400/IMG_0977.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As if the set of Twilight was outside my door! So foggy!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnTDUPXcmYMXAKQaBtRPMWBEhPPYKO3PmcVPs8PM5X3fBCMY0yT06NQGjqxqAWhYDq3JuU_2OHwdGRsVHuXAQ787N6BPA09PP_3ZcdB3OthLkPUj0IfjotN718oViFZvF774ml3Z1sZk/s1600-h/IMG_0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnTDUPXcmYMXAKQaBtRPMWBEhPPYKO3PmcVPs8PM5X3fBCMY0yT06NQGjqxqAWhYDq3JuU_2OHwdGRsVHuXAQ787N6BPA09PP_3ZcdB3OthLkPUj0IfjotN718oViFZvF774ml3Z1sZk/s400/IMG_0979.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then this character came and asked for food. I gave him his usual chicken and he meowed "Gimme More" to me.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The whole trip, I encountered more fog and mists. When I crossed a six-mile bridge from the main land to St. George Island, I felt like driving in the clouds. It was so beautiful, yet scary at the same time since I could not see my surrounding.<br /><br />When I arrived at the beach, it looked like this:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBduAC6DLxjqEC2aFkzCeDCrOf-PuVF-giNB0Q7rxe4Uzaerw0ZX7BNWz5KdvIpn_OrGqCjOTCRgfPX5WaujCdFS_SlbTNsdhfaFcRUNWi2QPNH4ssh1JA4xVtKJbIVIkv31-Q89e3fo/s1600-h/IMG_0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBduAC6DLxjqEC2aFkzCeDCrOf-PuVF-giNB0Q7rxe4Uzaerw0ZX7BNWz5KdvIpn_OrGqCjOTCRgfPX5WaujCdFS_SlbTNsdhfaFcRUNWi2QPNH4ssh1JA4xVtKJbIVIkv31-Q89e3fo/s400/IMG_0980.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, more fog!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhODGcBauWEBzA-aRJXvTiA8IO67bILFuIgMARO_VvOX4J2wwu1gSTFmEUzK9xqrX38z3Fmx5YmfSJdA7Ou12rWycHcqPonp31ptrFmMHdk_DhqK58QPeqDkmGRjv8QDyzyhFk6Uiszw/s1600-h/IMG_0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhODGcBauWEBzA-aRJXvTiA8IO67bILFuIgMARO_VvOX4J2wwu1gSTFmEUzK9xqrX38z3Fmx5YmfSJdA7Ou12rWycHcqPonp31ptrFmMHdk_DhqK58QPeqDkmGRjv8QDyzyhFk6Uiszw/s400/IMG_0983.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some seagulls on a sand dune. This island is covered in white sand and rated one of the top-ten beaches in Florida. Seriously, I'm not making it up.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqX-SBQQJCEhuPIyBtaf3MqkQ3NDJ5hpKTwCUD1zv3CwZtVbvW9zs8Yrqv7wWY6y1Em9dSN596XhOzp7IqrB4Rcs5AJS2HdO2x7eHcUYRC7sbCb0yf7XdFdM9gTDGfjITD-XXfUK_HRA/s1600-h/IMG_0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqX-SBQQJCEhuPIyBtaf3MqkQ3NDJ5hpKTwCUD1zv3CwZtVbvW9zs8Yrqv7wWY6y1Em9dSN596XhOzp7IqrB4Rcs5AJS2HdO2x7eHcUYRC7sbCb0yf7XdFdM9gTDGfjITD-XXfUK_HRA/s400/IMG_0993.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little part of the island looks like something coming out of Twilight, the movie. I expected some vampires to come out and play baseball :)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJu-Tc-U3D2m6le2l_UrfdMI6o8lPhnPEMcZelGDaTA3DC-F-2RTYUJh4Vl_gqLV-GxOnGJx3g2pwYE6RWYUM6QdOnMQaNhGV1uPC-bGnBbg-k9cwbBrgqnQjJPAMgzwnEb_0Mf0_4F0/s1600-h/IMG_0996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJu-Tc-U3D2m6le2l_UrfdMI6o8lPhnPEMcZelGDaTA3DC-F-2RTYUJh4Vl_gqLV-GxOnGJx3g2pwYE6RWYUM6QdOnMQaNhGV1uPC-bGnBbg-k9cwbBrgqnQjJPAMgzwnEb_0Mf0_4F0/s400/IMG_0996.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But instead, I saw a ship. Arrr! Jack Sparrow probably was here before heading to Disney to do that movie of his. You know, the one called "Pirates of the Caribbean"?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPC5uKHZK_-0yUp8Tf1UN-rdzJ0Ao9nSD-u2be4Z3xU3dI1jmyGMLwowzOpBbDaJVvlkAM8HWnHRKzBSBNh5sjLxc77Ar_zANbxyiudHU7hvoAclqke9pOErv9xJRgQ7Ox1lJ789YC4c/s1600-h/IMG_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPC5uKHZK_-0yUp8Tf1UN-rdzJ0Ao9nSD-u2be4Z3xU3dI1jmyGMLwowzOpBbDaJVvlkAM8HWnHRKzBSBNh5sjLxc77Ar_zANbxyiudHU7hvoAclqke9pOErv9xJRgQ7Ox1lJ789YC4c/s400/IMG_1024.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then I found the light house. It is a rebuild from the old one that was collapsed from old age and a storm. Since I didn't want to shell out 5 dollars to climb it, I chose to stay outside and took pictures instead.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKheVSUXbVX595MjljuJKBM9HM9_AIAl-3UbzCaF06DDwesf3JMHSGGpW3KsJnIXj1ZuYj6bmjlgdnsJEy93GZ68W-9vkRxFguM3c9bJxvr_yT5LiU11nGkLVQ1B7MPPLZhcDgffxaEL0/s1600-h/IMG_1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKheVSUXbVX595MjljuJKBM9HM9_AIAl-3UbzCaF06DDwesf3JMHSGGpW3KsJnIXj1ZuYj6bmjlgdnsJEy93GZ68W-9vkRxFguM3c9bJxvr_yT5LiU11nGkLVQ1B7MPPLZhcDgffxaEL0/s400/IMG_1027.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ate here. The wrap was the best I've ever eaten! Subway wraps can kiss my money good bye :)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX38M3KE79eX-nE_lPwtHYGwUzB7eGe5Yf9hnzcMSOkxCtBB_n8uuCzJ5KxK_S0wKSboBDcgKggVnLuc_bf3n6Xsm59DNyqMo8UcjbZxy0MNLLDPh8CyeGXMDTcOnBM9zNwr0E6a5bKMU/s1600-h/IMG_1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX38M3KE79eX-nE_lPwtHYGwUzB7eGe5Yf9hnzcMSOkxCtBB_n8uuCzJ5KxK_S0wKSboBDcgKggVnLuc_bf3n6Xsm59DNyqMo8UcjbZxy0MNLLDPh8CyeGXMDTcOnBM9zNwr0E6a5bKMU/s400/IMG_1031.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I came home, this was what happened: clear blue sky. It looked like fog never happened or something! And yes, the beach was on my right. It made driving a lot more relaxing!</td></tr></tbody></table>Now, I understand why Floridians do not have road rage problem. Look at the scenery: it's either a lot of trees or a beach or something beautiful. Even myself, a grumpy driver, felt very happy to drive back. If you happen to go to North Florida, I highly suggest you to go to St. George Island. On the day I was there, I saw a lot of folks from different states there. A couple of people came from Georgia and the car in front of me was from Louisiana. Also, a lot of folks from my state came with their families for a cook out.<br /><br />The next time I go, I'm sure to pack some food, sunscreen, and lots of towels. Yesterday was too cold to swim and I was in a let's say, delicate situation to be in the water anyways. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my solo trip tremendously.<br /><br /><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a><br /><br />P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Sand in My Shoes

Hi everybody, What's up? Did you miss me? I hope you've been doing fine for the past two weeks. Yeah, I haven't been blogging fo...

Read more »