My Little Makeup Kingdom

You guys.....

2013-12-11T14:35:00.001-08:00

I'm back!

Did I die? No. I went to college. And then I graduated. And now I'm working. Keeping this short, because I'm not sure who's actually going to be seeing this, but for anyone who was wondering. I plan to continue my blog again. Haven't yet decided my best course of action, but I'm sure it'll come to me over a cup of tea.

It's tea weather. And speaking of, I see holistic youtubers discussing teas in their favorites videos. And I do dabble in tea. But I'm wondering if anyone else is confused. Am I missing something about tea? I CAN'T TASTE ANYTHING.

People say "oh this tea tastes so good, I can't have enough of it....and these 2 are my favorites." Either I can't brew tea properly or people are making it way more than it is. Tea smells great, and different ones taste different. However, once its brewed, it really doesn't taste any different from one to the next. You inhale the aroma when you sip, is that the "flavor" you're supposed to be getting?

Another possibility is that I am used to strong flavors, in coffee, lemonade, coke, southern sweet tea, that my tastebuds are not delicate enough to enjoy the savoury goodness that is tea.

I'll still drink it. I like the idea. It's fun, low calorie (I do add sugar or milk or even creamer sometimes, so its not no calorie). And I just feel like it's something people do around this time, being cold outside and all. So I approve. Just wondering if there's something I should be doing different to enhance the flavor of my tea, or if anyone else feels tricked whenever they open a delicious smelling carton of tea bags, and find it tastes like hot water and sweet smelling dirt.

Now who's going to go grab a cup of tea now? I am.

Lots of love
Ahna

And...It's June

2010-06-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, im so sorry I have been away from this blog and away from youtube world for so long, and I really can't believe I am nearing 5,000 subscribers. It makes me happy to know that you guys like the things that I say or do enough to want to click subscribe and support me or to follow this blog. Thank you!!

One of my new years resolutions was to take my youtubing more seriously, and make a habit out of creating videos. Excuses get in the way most of the time and I dont end up doing it, but I'm constantly thinking about the next video I should make or the best tips or advice I could give you from my own experience, and I really do enjoy making the video when I end up actually doing it.

Anyways, I will leave you with a new product favorite of mine as well as....my new twitter account! Now, it may not be as exciting as perez-hilton's tweets, but mine will hopefully be worth a glance over. Follow me and tweet me at ahna2705 please! I'd really really love to connect with you!

Fave Product of the Moment: Vaseline Intensive Rescue Body Lotion. I love love love the fact that it is unscented, because it then gives a very fresh and clean "scent". Not to mention, its top ingredients includes glycerin, which helps hold moisture and boy do you feel moisturized after using it. So luxurious. And cheap!! Cannot get over it!

Bringing in 2010

2010-01-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year all!! I'm still in Thailand on vacation, but leaving in about a week (so saddd). But the year has got off to a good start. Finally got the courage to check my marks from the past semester, to find that I passed all my courses. Thank goodness!!! It's really exciting for me, and I couldn't be happier right now.

Hope you all had a great new years' too. Its a good time for resolutions to make and not keep (you know who you are). Its also a chance to start fresh with the things you choose.

I haven't decided on all my new year's resolutions so I'll post them in either the next entry or the one after that. I like to put alot of thought into these resolutions and I suggest the following guidlines when setting yours:

1. Pick 3-5 resolutions to complete over the next 12 months.
2. Make 2-3 of them relatively simple and easy, yet will provide you with happiness, as those will be the motivators for the other resolutions you make. These will be known as level 1 resolutions. Example: P10P (ugh, we all know that that is proving to be a bit more difficult for me than for many), keeping a monetary budget, or reducing intake of a certain food (ahem McDicks) that you could do without.
3. Make 1-2 of them achievable, but that require a bit more effort and possibly a project/concept that involves more time to complete. This will give you something to think about and put a bit of work into consistently to stay on track. Level 2 resolutions. Example: Growing a garden, reducing or increasing a certain food or activity (eat less junk food, read more books).
4. Make 1 resolution your "ultimate" proof of success for 2010, in terms of your goals. I would not suggest more than 2 of these, because chances are you'll quit by Valentine's Day. So I suggest one. This resolution is the hardest goal you have and what will also provide you with the most satisfaction. It does not necessarily mean that it will take all year, but it should be the most challenging. This is your level 3. Example: Making a projected monetary profit, weight loss.

The level of difficulty will range from person to person. For example, losing weight could be a level 2 resolution for some and a level 3 for others.

I'll show you guys my resolutions soon, just gotta come up with the rest of them. Of course, don't just make 5 for the sake of making them. Heck you can have one and still classify it. More than 5 though....please don't try.

Make your resolutions by the end of the first week of the new year to get started asap!

And speaking of starting fresh, tell me, what do you guys want to see from me this year either in my blog entries or on my channel on youtube?

lots of love,
A

I love facials...

2009-12-28T06:24:00.001-08:00

So I got a facial the other day, a full 60 minutes, the works, you can say. My skin was doing really well, just a random blemish every now and then, but smooth skin. I did it because there was a promotion on at xmas time, so I thought, why not. I got a scrub, extraction, mask, and massage, along with the other routine cleansing rituals. It felt great, although I really didn't enjoy the blackhead extraction, cuz that hurt like a b*^#*. But I survived. This was about 3 days ago.

Yesterday I noticed some red bumps on the side of my face. The left cheek has never had a zit in all its existence. My right cheek has had about 7 zits in all. But generally, I break out on my chin and on my forehead. So, you can imagine the confusion I felt when I had bumps all over my cheek.

They're still there, and I've got some more bumps on my forehead and other cheek. But surprisingly I'm not freaking out. Probably because I know it's a reaction, and not a breakout. And so it'll come and go, probably within the next 2 or 3 days. I really hope it doesn't leave any scars though, or else I may need to get some scar cream or whitening cream while I'm here.

My advice: If you don't get facials regularly, or if you don't know how sensitive your skin is, then err on the side of caution and dont get one. Trust me, I probably won't get one any time soon.

Anyways, must go now.

xoxo
A

P10P update

2009-12-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

So, I'd love to put pics up, but I'm in an internet cafe and uploading pics is complicated. I shall at some point though so you guys have the proof!

I've hit pan on 2 mac eyeshadows!!!!!! It is soooo exciting. Brule and Carbon, which to be honest I thought would have hit pan ages ago, but only did recently. Brule is one of my favorite colors from MAC and I love using it for a natural eye look or when I want to do dramatic heavy liner and have the lid neutral. Carbon is the eyeshadow I use to set my eyeliner EVERY SINGLE DAY. And when I do smokey looks, I use Carbon in the crease as well. Both shadows are fabulous and I strongly recommend checking them out.

This brings my total MAC pans hit to 3 (Nylon being the first one, another eyeshadow I still use everyday and would definitely repurchase).

However....although I hit pan on these shadows, I did not finish them. Do they still count towards my P10P??? The name is misleading because technically it means hitting pan, but a lot of gurus are taking it as finishing a product up. What do you guys think? I'm undecided.

In terms of my true P10P products, I've used up 3 lipbalms so far. They are the easiest to go for me because I'm constantly using them and I have enough lip balms to keep an elephant moist.

Hope you all are well and enjoying your holidays!!!

A

HEYA

2009-12-23T02:31:00.000-08:00

man, i really need to do more blogging. i like it, but sometimes i feel like noone cares what i have to say on a regular basis, so i wait for something extra special to write about.

i won't be making videos for a couple weeks I dont think, because I'm on holiday right now and getting fast internet to upload is difficult.

for those of you wondering where I am...it's a little place called Thailand. My mother is from there and I usually go every Christmas. So I am here now. Loving it, great change from the coldass snow and lack of sun over in Canada. I don't even use moisturizer here cuz it's so hot and humid.

My current face routine may interest those who live in the tropics or in hot weather.

I still wear lots of eyeshadow, but I find that my eyeliner runs quite a bit even with setting my makeup and using a base.

As for the face, to go lighter in coverage, I mix my moisturizer with my foundation and apply with my fingers. I really like the look of it because it looks really well blended and you cant tell I have foundation on, but my skin looks really good, and glowy. I set it with either Studio Fix powder or MSF natural. And then I apply ELF's warm bronzer on certain parts of my face.

I have been LOVING this new lipstick I have. I jumped on this bandwagon really late as this is not a new product, but its new to my family of cosmetics. Ive been wearing this everyday and reapplying often. Which is weird since I usually hate lipstick, the look and feel of it. But I adore this one: Maybelline's Pink Please. Ladies, I urge you, if you don't wear lipstick and you're hesititant about trying it, for fear that people may think you're trying too hard, then you need to try this. It looks so....sweet. Btw, I'm an NC25, and I really like how it looks on my skintone. People lighter than me, for sure. People darker than me, I'd wear it with a lipgloss to tone it down a bit i think. It can be a bit much, even for me If i apply too much.

Anyways, must go enjoy the beach!!!

What are you guys loving right now?

xoxo

Project 10 Pan (P10P)

2009-11-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

So, I just posted a vid on my channel about the potential products in my current makeup stock that could run out soon, if I used them enough. There's more than 10, but I want to give myself options, and also, to be realistic. The only things I foresee using up though are my smashbox shine control shit, and my lip smackers balm. OMG you guys, I stopped at the Body Shop the other day, and they have the most awesome smelling lines out for the holiday. Like a vanilla nutmeg one, a cranberry one, and apricot. And oh, do the lip balms of the last two smell amazing. Now, you know that I'm a lip balm junkie. I collect lip balm. They're fun, usually inexpensive, and come in such a wide variety, and you're not wasting your money cuz you know that you will always need lipbalm. Well, I take it to the next level. I have a crap-ton, and I'm really tempted to buy more, as collector's items that I'll use eventually, but I don't want to cheat...again. I guess this is just more motivation for me to use my products. I have the potentials laying on my dresser so that I am more likely to use them. I have once or twice fished out a product that was not on the dresser, but for the most part, I've been using the stuff I laid out. The problem is, I use so little of it that this will honestly take ages. Goodbye mac collections...goodbye body shop lip balms....

On a brighter note, I finished a hand cream and a body lotion today. I am including everything beauty and body related in my P10P because I have a problem with buying too many lotions and hair products, so restricting those is good too. I am at 7 body/hair products and so far have only used up two measly lipbalms in the beauty area. TWO. And how long have I been on this? 6 MONTHS. What in the world???

Goodnight.

OLA

2009-11-10T20:03:00.001-08:00

Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated my blog in a really long time. But I won't bore you with the classic excuses. So let's just cut to the chase.

For those of you who have subscribed to me on Youtube, you may have noticed something new about my channel in the past day or so.....and if not..let me tell you what has changed.....

I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO YOUTUBE PARTNERING!

I've applied twice on my own and Jade applied once on my behalf, and gosh, its so exciting to finally be accepted. I feel so proud because this has kind of set in stone, if you will, or officialized my channel and legitimized it even more. And of course, the only people I can thank are you all. Really, it is so exciting for me to have all this support and it really gives me joy to know that you guys like what I do and want to see my beautiful face on your screen, and now, look what you have done. I'm at just over 3,700 subscribers and I couldn't be happier.

Now, I know that I am not the most frequent video uploader, but hey, I am a college student, and to be honest, I'm just hanging on by a thread at this point. But I won't turn my blog into an emo letter about how screwed I am for my finals.

So, to summarize, you guys are awesome!! And I'm grateful for every comment and every rate that you guys give me, even the hater comments, cuz what they don't realize is that they are helping me and all the other gurus who get hated on, by giving our videos attention.

You guys most def deserve more vids, and I will do my best to pop them out like cupcakes. Although, my lighting sucks in my room, and for some reason I film at night, and not during the day. I should try filming during the day.

This blog is way longer than intended, and I must be heading off to bed. Big day of classes and studying and labs. Ugh.

Thanks alot you guys! Love you!

2009-10-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

HARAJUKU LOVERS BLOGGER CONTEST RULES

Official Rules & Regulations

The Contest will run from oct 17 2009 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) [ET] to oct 21, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. [ET] (the “Contest Period”).

The contest is sponsored by Coty Canada Inc. and Matchstick Inc. (the “Sponsor”). The contest is hosted by www.youtube.com/compassblue (“The Host”).

1. To Enter:

No Purchase Necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Limit of one (1) entry per household, per person, per email address.

Enter online:
Go to www.youtube.com/compassblue (the “Contest Website”) during the Contest Period, complete the fulfill contest entry specifics and submit as instructed. Any attempt or suspected attempt to enter more than once shall be deemed as tampering and will void all of your entries. Any use of robotic, automatic, programmed or entry methods not authorized by these rules will void all entries affected by such methods and shall also be deemed as tampering and will void all of your entries.

General Conditions of Entry:
By entering this contest, all entrants consent to the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information by Sponsor and Host for the purposes of running the contest or for any other purpose to which entrants consent. Once submitted, entries become the exclusive property of The Host and The Sponsor and will not be returned. Personally identifiable information received will be used by the Host only to verify eligibility, ship samples and award prizes. Upon completion of the contest, The Host will destroy any and all entries and personally identifiable information for all contestants. All personal information received by the Sponsor will only be for the purposes of fulfilling the prize and collected, used and stored in accordance with its Privacy Policy, located at: HYPERLINK "http://www.matchstick.ca/privacy.htm" www.matchstick.ca/privacy.htm

2. Eligibility:

To enter and be eligible to win, an entrant must be a legal resident of Canada (excluding Quebec) who is over the age of majority in their province or territory of residence. Employees of or those residing with an employee of Coty Canada Inc, the Sponsor or Host, their agents, representatives, parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and dealers, advertising and promotional agencies, sponsors, suppliers of prizes, materials or services related to this contest, including the independent judging organization are not eligible to enter this contest.

This contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations.

Each entrant is only eligible to win one (1) prize during the Contest Period.

3. Prizes to be awarded:

Entrants are eligible to win one (1) Harajuku Lovers Fragrance prize packages with an approximate retail value of $250.00 each.

The Sponsor reserves the right in the event that a Prize or any component of the Prize cannot be awarded as described for any reason, to substitute another Prize of equal or greater value, without liability.

Any costs or expenses incurred by the winner in claiming or using his/her prize will be the responsibility of the winner. Winner is responsible for all taxes and expenses which are not included in the prize description above.

In the event of a dispute, entries shall be deemed to be submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an internet access provider, on-line service provider, or other organization (e.g. business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Illegible entries, bulk drop-offs, mechanical reproductions or facsimile entries are ineligible.

4. Winners

A winner for the contest will be selected by The Host and announced oct 23 2009 on or around 12:00 p.m. EST.

Selected entrants will be contacted by telephone and/or email at the Host’s discretion. Only the selected entrants will be notified. Before being awarded the prize, selected entrants must first correctly answer without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question with the Sponsor. If an eligible entrant is selected but cannot be reached after four (4) attempts and the skill-testing question is not administered within 20 business days of the selection, the selected entry will be deemed void and an alternate entrant may be selected.

Only upon signing and returning the Declaration and Release Form described below in Rule 5 and correctly answering the skill-testing question, will a selected eligible entrant be declared an official winner.

5. Release Forms:

The selected entrants of a prize will be required to sign and return, within the time stipulated by the Sponsor, a full release and indemnity form (“Declaration and Release Form”) stating that he/she has read and understood these Official Rules and Regulations (“Official Rules”), grants all consents and authorizes the Sponsor to broadcast, publish and disseminate his/her name, address, photograph, likeness, sobriquet and voice, in connection with any promotion or publicity, and/or for general news, entertainment and information purposes relating to this Contest at no additional compensation, beyond the awarding of the prize. Selected entrants must also agree to accept the prize as offered.

The Declaration and Release Form also releases The Sponsor, The Host, its affiliates, subsidiaries, related companies, and all their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders, representatives and agents, successors and assigns from and against any and all liability, claims of damages and causes of action, of any kind whatsoever, whether at law or in equity, and including but not limited to death, personal injury and loss or damage to property, that the winner or any of the representatives, heirs, next of kin or assignees (collectively, “Representatives”) may have or which may hereinafter accrue to the winner’s Representatives as a result directly or indirectly from their participation in the contest or receipt or use or acceptance of the prize.

In the event of non-compliance with these requirements (as applicable) or with these Official Rules, or if prize notification is returned undeliverable, Sponsor shall have the right to disqualify the potential winner, and select an alternate potential winner and shall be fully and completely released and discharged from any liability or responsibility in this regard.

6. Limitations of Liability:

Neither The Sponsor nor The Host will be liable for: a) any incomplete, incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, whether caused by the Contest Website users or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of entries; b) the theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; c) any problems with, or technical malfunctions of, telephone networks or lines, computer on-line systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, viruses or bugs; d) any failure of any email to be received by or from Sponsor for any reason including but not limited to traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, interrupted or unavailable networks; e) damage to a participant’s or other person’s system occasioned by participation or downloading of materials in this Contest; f) late, delayed, damaged, misdirected, destroyed, lost, illegible, incomplete, incorrect, fraudulent, stolen, postage-due or wrongly addressed entries which will be deemed void.

7. Right to Terminate:

The Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion to terminate, suspend or modify this Contest, without notice, at any time should i) any electronic messages or any other materials used in this Contest be tampered with, mutilated, altered, forged, reproduced, not legitimately obtained; or ii) other types of fraud are suspected; or ,iii) entries are illegible or contain or reflect printing, production or other errors; or iv) virus, bugs, technical failures, human, printing or distribution errors or any other cause beyond the control of the Sponsor corrupt the administration, security, safety, fairness, or proper conduct of any element of this Contest as described in these Official Rules. Without limiting the foregoing, if, for any reason, the contest is not capable of running as originally planned should any error, whether human, electronic or otherwise, or any other event interfere with its proper conduct as contemplated by these Official Rules, Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the online portion of the contest and conduct the draw from all other previously received eligible entries.

8. Miscellaneous:

By entering, entrants agree to abide by the Official Rules and agree that the decisions of The Sponsor and The Host are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. The prizes must be accepted as awarded and no transfer or substitution of the prize, whether for cash or otherwise, will be permitted except as expressly provided in these Rules or at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prize may not be exactly as shown on Promotion publicity or promotional materials. The Sponsor reserves the right to substitute this prize with a prize of equal or greater value if for any reason the prize cannot be awarded as contemplated in these Official Rules.

Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify, from this Contest and any future contest, sweepstakes or other Contest conducted by Sponsor, any individual that it finds or believes to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or Contest Website; to be acting in violation of the Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER PERSON TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Selecting Winners

*Please select one of the two contest types applicable to your contest to copy and paste into your Rules & Regulations under 4. Winners

Random Draws

A random draw will occur on or about oct 23, 2009 on or around 12:00 p.m. EST.

Odds of being selected/winning are based on the number of entries submitted. Selected entrants will be contacted by telephone and/or email at the Host’s and Sponsor’s discretion. Only the selected entrants will be notified.

a tiny little update

2009-08-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

So....Ahna's been seriously M.I.A. lately, but that shall change soon! I'm on vacation right now as well as moving into my new apartment with my roommates and just getting ready to start my 2nd year in university. Hope you all had a great summer.

Mine was pretty good, can't complain. Not excited for school though, but who is. What I am excited about is fall!!! Fall, although its the bitter season that has to end summer, is still a great fashion season for someone like me, who likes to accessorize, likes layers and knits, and LOVES boots! In terms of makeup, the general "picture" for fall/autumn has always been warm but dark, with shades of brown and black as well as burgundies and dark blues. I'm a neutral girl who likes wearing dark colors, so this is right up my alley!!

I shall be making fall must have videos when I'm back in the city, but for now, a blogpost will just have to do. That's fine right?

It appears that the popular fall 09 accessories include, leather everywhere (yes, even dresses!). Articles of clothing with fur trim, such as a vest, or a pair of gloves, if you don't want to get accosted by PETA (hey, faux is not a faux-pas). Big jewelry, as well as mixing metals. Speaking of metals, studs on jewelry and clothing is very in this season. Lastly, my favorite trends, big oversized warm cardigans or sweaters that are reminiscent of the Olsen twins, and BOOTS. Over the knee boots are making it big this year, but any boots are hot.

For makeup, less is more this time around. As always, a matte skin is preferred over dewy in the fall. Muted tones of blush and matte bronzer. I always think of this season as being very Victorian and gothic, although not the gothic we think of today (no spikes in nose and black lips). The palette that I'll be using a lot this season is my Spiced Chocolate quad from MAC, which in my opinion, embodies fall. This quad includes a hershey bar brown, a shimmery burgundy similar to a dark Cranberry by MAC, a copper like Coppering by MAC, and a highlight color with a pink duochrome. Also, smudged liner along the lashline for an easy smokey eye is always in season, as is the classic winged liner. For lips, any shade of berry or red is gorgeous, but bright pinks and oranges are also making an unexpected debut these next few months. Neon colors have been featured in magazines, but I would personally save that for clothing rather than makeup.

I'd love to hear what you guys are excited about for fall.

with love,

Best of MAC

2009-07-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

My two cents on what are the best products that MAC Cosmetics has to offer, meaning, what makeup items really stand out from that company that is really worth looking into, from my experience of course.

- Eyeshadows, obviously. Great texture, long-lasting, good color payoff.

- Lipsticks. Great variation and smell nice.

- Studio Fix Powder. My first foundation from MAC, and something I would buy again and again. Gives a smooth finish to the skin, mattifies, and adds coverage.

- Studio Fix Fluid. I've been using this foundation for the past 2 years, and I love it as much as the first day I wore it. Works well with oily skin, has great coverage, gives a flawless finish when applied with a brush such as 109 or 187.

- PlushLash mascara. Now I know MAC hasn't done a great job with their mascara formulas, but I do really enjoy the plushlash. I never believed in the "false-lash effect" that people where talking about until I used this.

- Blot Powder. I keep this in my makeup bag all the time and use it with a tiny powder brush to set my makeup in the morning and to touch up once during the day. This has made my makeup stay shine-free for alot longer than it would have without it. Also, I've had the same one for about a year and a half, and I still have over half of it left.

- Paint Pots. Revolutionary, genius. And since they are so easy to work with and can be built up to different degrees of pigmentation, even the most inept makeup user can rub a bit of a paint pot such as groundwork or blackground on their lids, apply mascara, and be gone. On the other hand, the pro can also use this to intensify colors and bring out different tones in eyeshadows.

Weight Loss Update

2009-07-19T22:09:00.001-07:00

I've lost the motivation guys. I want to lose the last 5 lbs, but at the same time im just like, it'll never happen, why bother trying.

I'm still going to the gym 3-5 days a week and will hopefully continue to do so during the school year. Long term plans include eating out less, finding a way to fill up on low cal foods so that I don't overeat the bigger ticket items. I've been thinking about metamucil/fibre supplements to suppress my appetite.

My 3-month membership to the gym ends in 2 weeks, and I will see my trainer for the last time this week. Hopefully when we do the final measurements I will get some positive results. I've been working and exercising alot, but I've been eating a bit more too (especially in the past few days) and eating badly at night, and that may affect the scale and fat percentage. I don't think I'll be able to do enough damage control between now and the time I see her (exactly 2 days away) but if I don't snack at night for the next 2 nights, then maybe I can pull a little something off.

I've been really enjoying oatmeal as a breakfast though. It fills you up good. I also went to bulk barn today and picked up some baking chips (chocolate, PB, white chocolate, peanut butter) and almonds and shredded coconut to throw onto the oatmeal to spice up the activities a bit. Excited for that tomorrow!

Lots of love,

Ahna

Save Your Money!

2009-07-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

People are always looking to save money. God knows I've cut way back on my money spending in all areas including makeup (which is very difficult i.e project 10-pan is at a stand still). I've compiled a list of tips to save money in the beauty area of your budget. Some of this tips are very obvious, others may give you an "A-ha!" moment. This list is great a start for people who are budgeting themselves, like students. If you try about half of this tips, you can easily save yourself 100$.

1. Cut your q-tips in half. Chances are, you only use one end of them at any one time right? Cut them into two and they become single use q-tips. Doubling your money's worth in an instant. Also, don't buy the name brand q-tips. Buy cotton buds from the dollar store, its an unbelievable savings. Same goes for cotton pads.

2. Baby oil as eye makeup remover. A big bottle costs less than 5$ and will last you at least 3 years, trust me.

3. Nivea creme for feet and hands. If you are on a budget, avoid the temptation of buying expensive creams and lotions, as well as products meant for specific body parts. Creams such as Nivea (the thick stuff in the blue tub) will provide uber moisturization to heels and cuticles.

4. Buy things on sale even if you dont need them at the moment, if you use it regularly, u will use them at some point

5. Don't open too many mascaras at once, your just wasting them and money. They dry out.

6. Buy cheap translucent powder, who's gonna be able to tell the difference?? Ladies, its called translucent because it's transparent!

7. Read reviews on makeup or beauty products before you buy them, i started doing that and its saved me TONS of money, no joke. I like to google "product name review" as well as check out makeupalley.com before I buy anything. Do your research, even on cheap products, because even if research saves you from buying a few cheaper products, it'll add up and you can save alot.

8. Use Vaseline as lip balm and eye cream. Youthful skin is hydrated skin, and scientifically speaking, the stronger the barrier, the better the moisture is kept in the skin. Vaseline works great as a lash conditioner and an eye cream for that reason, and if you are young but worried about eye wrinkles, use vaseline as your first eye cream. You have the rest of your life to buy expensive eye creams.

9. Baby shampoo as brush cleaner. No brainer.

10. Don't throw away makeup you don't use or you hate just yet! I hold on to my makeup until I find a use for it. That gives me my money's worth as well as teaches me a lesson about buying makeup without thinking.

11. Lipstick wasn't what you thought it was? Cream blush!

12. Buy drugstore highlighting shadows. They tend to look the same on the skin and if there are differences, they aren't large enough to justify spending 15$ on a "pink shimmer" and a "yellow" shimmer highlighter. The ones from CoverGirl will do you just fine.

You guys have any tips?

Your girl,

Woman Gives Birth to Lamb

2009-07-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

Not really, but now that I've got your attention, here's a followup on the last blog. (Actually, the above heading did appear in a newspaper about 8-9 years ago, it's funny how the mind works, i remember that from my childhood).

For the next 3 weeks my diet will be as follows:

Breakfast: Choice of All Bran/Wheatabix, Waffles, Oatmeal, Toast, or Protein Shake.

Lunch: Salad (I need to start eating more of these)

Snack: An Apple or a few sticks of veggies dipped in hummus.

Dinner: Whatever my mom makes (she's Thai). Instead of restricting what I eat here because it changes from day to day, I will be restricting my portions instead.

If I'm hungry after dinner I may allow myself to have a bowl of cereal or something small.

This isn't a drastic low calorie diet, but more of a balanced nutritious diet where I'll be incorporating more fibre and lean protein and less carbohydrates into my diet. I will also be trying to eat smaller meals throughout the day.

I shall also be exercising most days (except for days that I'm working 8 hr shifts)

This will be hard. But I'm determined. I want to see if I can really lose these last few lbs.

Promise, next post will be beauty related!

Your girl,

Ahna

New Weight-Loss Blog

2009-07-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

My apologies for not posting anything/making any vids in over a week. On top of nearly full time work, I'm also taking summer school at my local university and have been reviewing for my midterm next week. But I should be posting up tutorials soon. I'm trying to set up my digital camera so I can film using that instead of my macbook because the resolution sucks for close up work. Once I've perfected it, things shall start rolling out.

Along with the makeup and YT posts I've decided to start blogging about my weight loss journey. I'm not sure if I'll post everyday (what do you guys think? may get a little tedious scrolling through pages of "what i ate today") but I'd tell you guys what I ate and what sort of exercise I did. This serves to not only motivate myself, but also possibly motivate those of you who are looking to shed a pound or two. Although I'm trying to lose 10 lbs of fat. So let's begin...

In highschool I was a skinny bitch. 5"2', weighing in at 104 lbs for most of senior year. Then I moved away to university and let's just say shit went down. By the time I got back home I had gained 15 lbs. Now I didn't eat like crazy during 1st year, and I exercised vigorously, but my downfall was reducing my caloric intake for each day so much that I was putting my body into starvation mode, and whenever I ate something with more substance to it than a salad, my body hung on to the calories and stored it as fat. Now I won't get into the scientific details or bore you with an essay about my weight loss woes, but bottom line, I had slowed down my metabolism and was gaining weight like no other.

Since I've been out of school I've lost 5.5 lbs of fat in 6 weeks by exercising regularly (4-6 times a week) with a routine designed by my personal trainer, as well as relatively strict dieting. It paid off, if I do say so myself. I lost almost 8 inches all over my body, and I'm still working on it!

So I'm trying to lose at least another 5 lbs of fat before I go back to school. Although its hard for me to face (I nearly cry thinking about it), I will probably never be back to my highschool weight. However, I have a better chance of getting my body fat percentage close to what it was in highschool, even if it may not be at the same weight (I've put on more muscle, so even though I weigh more, I can still be the same size as I was back then. ages ago....oh the pain).

I've gotten off track in the past week, by redicovering bulk food stores where you can buy a handful of gummie bears, a fistfull of this, a small cup of that. and even though its in small increments, it really adds up. So I've been snacking alot, and its upsetting because I got rid of that habit months ago, and now it seems to be back. But hopefully in writing about it, I can stay on track from here until the end of summer, and lose those 5 lbs. (Ideally I'd like to lose 10 lbs of fat, but I'll settle for 5).

I won't tell you what I ate today because today was pretty bad. :S But hopefully tomorrow will bring more sun and less munch.

Comment me and tell me if you're gonna join me on this journey!

3000 SUBSCRIBERS!

2009-07-03T16:17:00.001-07:00

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL MY SUBSCRIBERS FOR ALLOWING ME TO REACH 3000 SUBSCRIBERS.

I was going to make a video, but decided a blog would be better because I don't really like those tribute videos to be honest. I find them boring. I thought I'd save you the pain. And just say thank you. It really means the world to me that I have people interested in what I have to say and I do notice the subscribers to comment regularly and those people make me feel very special. So thank you YT.

xoxo

Ahna

How to Wear Bright Eyeshadow

2009-07-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Do you own bright colored eyeshadows that make you look at them and think, "what were you thinking?!?"

I do.

I most definitely do.

Namely, Chrome Yellow, Bitter, Da Bling, and some others I would rather not mention. Those eyeshadows get very little love from me, but I'm just going to have to try harder to use them. Which gave me the idea of reminding you guys can you can wear any color... with a little bit of black.

Which is the key to wearing brights if you aren't a bright type of girl. Looks nice in the pan, but on your eyes... you feel safer going for a warmer color, less shocking. But you shouldn't let the makeup go to waste. Simply wear the bright on your lid and smoke it out with a dark color (black works with everything, but you can also try a dark grey or a dark brown) in the crease, wear dark liner and mascara, and voila, you have the "pop" of color everyone's talking about without looking like a clown. Save your money ladies! And think twice before you buy that aqua color that looks like it should be on your toenails instead of your face.

A lot people suggest wearing the "pop" of color as a liner, but I find that a little trickier because certain colors just don't work that way and I find that black liner really is key in defining and "caging in" the bright, if you will. Keeps it in its boundaries. Hence I never use bright colors as liner. However, to each his own. It must work for somebody eh?

Eureka! How to Maximize Your Pigment Usage

2009-06-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

I have now found a way to use my pigments! At least the ones i brought with me.

Luckily, several of the pigments I own are relatively neutral or face friendly colors. Which means that I'm not limited to the eyes. Which means they have now become multifunctional, and I LOVE multifunctional products. The uses I have discovered (though not purely through my own thought process) are as follows:

Tan pigment --> I still use it for shadow, but I can also mix it with my moisturizer for a faint bronzy glow before I apply foundation. I can also do the same with my body lotion. And it adds a really subtle shimmer that looks great. I really love this.

Melon pigment -> This has now become a good summer cheekbone highlight for me because it has gold and peach and pink tones which are perfect for this season. I find that this color is too shimmery for the eyes though, so it will have to be solely my highlighter.

Vanilla pigment -> Now everyone and their pet gorilla has come up with multiple ways to use this mystical little powder, and here are my two cents: eyeshadow, cheek highlight, mix it with face lotion for a glow (like tan pigment), mix it in hair products like shine mists or texturizing spray to add shimmer to the hair.

My other pigments that I did not bring with me are Teal, Copper (which I should have brought, it would be great for summer!!! fml), Silver Metal, and Clear Sky Blue. I also have Grape, which I did bring with me, but I haven't found any uses for it other than shadow, so not much mention there. I am planning to use silver pigment as a shimmery topcoat to bedazzle nail colors like royal purple or dark blue or black, maybe even pink. As well as mix it with hair products for the ultimate hair shimmer.

From now on, I'm sticking to pigment samples.

Will be posting vids soon, check out CompassBlue on YT ppl!

Ahna

Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Foaming Cleanser

2009-06-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today's blog shall be a review ladies. Of a "new" skincare product that I've been using since the beginning of May.

Now, I guess I should give you a bit of history about my skin. When I first starting caring for my face and washing it regularly (middle school?) I used Clean & Clear a lot. It was cheap, it was effective, and it was fun. Then acne started to get the best of me (or the worst) and Clean & Clear just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. You see, Clean & Clear is good for people who have virtually no skin issues. Its a gentle, non-complexing skincare line, that cleans the skin but doesn't treat it. Even the acne washes didn't work for me. So I changed my ways and went down another path (but that is a whole other kettle of beans in itse

lf).

Recently I've been able to get my skin under control somewhat, and was looking for a gentle morning cleanser that I could just use to wash off the night cream and zit cream if any. Proactive is too harsh for me to use 2x a day. So I bought this cleanser,

even though it was makeup dissolving and I knew I would be using it in the morning, but I like foaming cleansers, and this was cheap.

It claims to remove makeup, oil, and dirt, and by golly it does. I used this one night because I was too lazy to use Proactiv, which takes a tad bit longer because I have to exfoliate for 2 minutes they say. And it was great. I toned my face to check for leftover makeup or residue, and nothing. This is good s*%^ ladies. It says it removes eye makeup too, but it didn't do that for me. However, I wouldn't suggest using a foaming cleanser around your eye area anyhow.

I've been using this at night more regularly now, and using proactive when I feel I need a deep clean. It works great at cleansing the skin and removing all face makeup, and it feels really gentle and is non-drying. I guess Clean & Clear managed to win my heart back.

This product would appeal to those who don't want to spend 10 minutes at the sink washing and cleaning their face before bedtime and want a quickie wash that will still be effective.

Mind you, it is not an acne cleanser, so don't think it will improve your skin any. Unless of course you break out due to traces of makeup being left on your skin, in which case this might clear it up.

If your looking for a new cleanser, give this one a go!

Other products by Clean & Clear I enjoy:

Morning Burst facial scrub (orange one)

Facial Blotting sheets

Your girl,

Products I Regret Buying

2009-06-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

So my last post was about the products that I love. Now are the products I hate or almost hate.

There are so many things I wish I didn't do in my life so far, and some of them are related to makeup. As sad as it is, some of my past makeup purchases still haunt me today.

1. MAC pigments. I thought I needed them soooo badly. Well. I've only hit pan on one eyeshadow (they say pigments last forever. well guess what, so do the eyeshadows). So if I'm having trouble finishing an eyeshadow in its pan, imagine how long it'll take me to use up the pigments. I also bought the most ridiculous colors. Like a bright matte blue (which is pretty in the jar, but I'll never wear it) and a silver (both of which I've mentioned already). It also pisses me off that I've either spilled a fair amount or threw away a broken pressed eyeshadow which was unsalvageable. I'm a frugal girl, so wasting product is a big nono for me. I'm trying my best to use up the remaining pigments (which is still a fair amount). But I will never buy a pigment again. Trust me ladies, just go for the samples. It's really not worth it in my opinion.

2. Cover Girl Single Eyeshadows. They suck. Enough said. I have 3.

3. MAC Eyeshadows in Bitter and Chrome Yellow. I never use those colors. I'm not a bright color person right now, hopefully I will be.

4. Lipsticks of any kind. I'm fooling myself when I think I'll ever use these. So I've put a cap on the lipstick fund. Of 0$.

I think that's pretty much it. I'm sure I'll feel better once I use up at least 2 containers of pigments, although that will take forever. Not that I dwell on these things, but when your frugal, sometimes money blunders like these creep into your mind.

The best advice I can give you guys is to think before you buy. Please. If I did, I would not have any woes about my makeup.

Now...to use that vanilla pigment..should be the easiest.

Yours truly,

My Current Faves

2009-06-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? I've never made a monthly favorites vid or a things i'm loving right now vid, although it's only a matter of time. I enjoy watching them, so why not make them so other people can enjoy them?

My Current Faves are:

Studio Fix Fluid (although that's always been and always will be a fave/staple).

My Maybelline Palette in Sunbaked Neutrals. Something about that palette makes me want to use it every darn day.

MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow. This stuff is the bomb ladies. Its a creamy off white satin color that brightens up the eye area when added to the brow bone and makes your eyes look fresh and clean, and I'm using it constantly now. I've even started using it as an inner corner hilite as a subtle alternative to nylon which is super shimmery.

MAC blush in Buff. I've had this one for a while, and I use it almost consistently, but only recently have I noticed the gorgeous natural blush color it gives me. It doesn't look like I'm wearing blush, because its a reddish peach that is very natural looking, but I look more alive and vibrant and, let's face it, cute, when I wear it.

MAC Blot Powder. Lately the end of my face routine consists of Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder followed by the pressed Blot Powder and my makeup stays on for ages. I don't even have to blot the skin anymore during the day. Now, it may also be due in part to the addition I made to the start of my face routine, which is Garnier's shine control moisturizer, which is supposed to mattify aswell as act as a primer. I'm not sure about the primer part, but it does mattify. However, I'm just trying to use it up because I bought it as a moisturizer a while ago but found it too drying. It does work as a mattifier after moisturizer though.

Ivory soap. I bought Porridge soap and Honey I Washed the Kids soap from lush a few weeks ago and I must say, I'm not very impressed with them. I wouldn't buy them again. So after using them for a while I decided to switch back to an old friend, Mr. Ivory. A lot of people find its drying and it smells like cleaner. Well personally, I don't really want a moisturizing soap because the purpose of soap is to clean and I don't want to feel like I have a layer of anything on when I get out of the shower. Plus I LOVE the scent. So I adore this soap. Super cheap too. It's not my only fave though. I also use a green and a yellow soap that I get in Thailand which I may love even more than Ivory.

So this has been a really long post. I'm going to the family farm tomorrow for a couple days because I'm off from work. Maybe I'll make a vid or two out there.

Love you lots,

Your girl, Ahna

Top MAC Eyeshadows

2009-06-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

So I posted a video earlier today featuring my top MAC eyeshadows. If you didn't catch it, here they are:

Carbon (matte black)

Brule (creamy matte beige)

Espresso (cool dark brown)

Wedge/Cork (soft matte medium brown/warm matte medium brown)

Vanilla (satin off white)

Nylon (shimmery pale yellow gold)

Humid (emerald green)

Deep Truth (sapphire blue)

Star Violet (shimmery light plum purple)

Club (green and brown duochrome)

Twinks (shimmery plum bronze)

Most of these are neutral colors, but I've been on a neutral kick for the past year or so. So I've seriously been neglecting my colorful eyeshadows, but summer is here and now's the time to pull them out.

What are your top MAC shadows guys?

Use Up the Makeup

2009-06-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

So my "use up the makeup" plan aka Laura's project 10 pan is proving to be harder than I thought. I've always had the habit of never throwing away any makeup and using something until its done, regardless of whether I liked it much or not. I might not use a product for weeks or even months, but eventually I'd find a use for it or develop a new liking for it, and it'd be used. However, I've never forbidden myself from buying more makeup while I was doing this. This proves to be a far greater challenge as it takes sooooo long to use up certain products like eyeshadows and blushes and I'm just itching to buy more. For Laura (lollipop26), lip products are the easiest to use up, which I tend to agree. I'm a hoarder of lip balms, they are probably my favorite item of makeup, and I have dozens that I've collected over the years, some to use, some as souvenirs (but I'll probably end up using them anyways), and some that were just on sale. Anyhow, I only brought a few that were currently being used with me this summer, but even those things, which I use religiously, are taking forever to get used up. If that's hard, imagine my powder products!!!

I've been dying to get MAC's welldressed blush, but since I've already got 4 blushes (which isn't much to some, but it's 2 too many for me), buying Well Dressed would just mean that I'll be neglecting 4 blushes, since I can only wear one at a time.

Sigh....such hardships I face.

Low Cal Snacks

2009-06-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

So this isn't makeup related, but I'd like to share my low-cal snack ideas with you guys and maybe you can suggest some to me and others on this post.

I've been struggling with weight control over the past year because freshman 15 hit me HARD when I moved away for school. So my goal, as drastic as it may sound for some of you, or maybe not...is to lose at least 10 of those pounds and at least be somewhere near my original weight before I went to school. I've lost 3 lbs so far (hopefully I can keep it off and lose more), by going to the gym and trying to eat better, as well as the job I have keeps me on my feet.

I fall in and out of diet and exercise excitements. One day I'm super stoked to go out and run my little legs down, and other days I'm thinking, what's the point, I'm never going to lose this weight.

One of my biggest diet no-nos is snacking. I love to eat. My metabolism was fast in highschool, so I never had a problem with how much I ate and what I ate, but somehow it managed to slow down drastically and I was gaining lbs left right and center and not eating near as much as I was! Now that's a long story that we can deal with later, but for now, here are the snacks that I enjoy and can indulge in without feeling too bad.

1. Hummus and carrots or celery. I don't even count the veggies in my calorie count, just the hummus, which is 50 cals for 2 tbsp. Great snack.

2. Quaker rice cakes. I got hooked on them after buying a bag just to try them out. They were super low cal (45-60 cals each depending on flavor) and they took a while to eat, and I thought I had found my perfect snack. But then I started eating rice cake after rice cake, till it was low cal no more. I have to stop buying them. 2 more bags (3 for $7) and then I'll be done. Hopefully by then I will have eaten so many that I lose my taste for them.

3. Jello and Whipped Cream. I buy the light jello and dream whip that I whip myself, and the whole dessert comes to about 150 cals and is sooo satisfying (I use skim milk for the whipped cream by the way).

4. Hummus and Pita. This is higher cal, and would probably be more of a meal, but I'm weird like that.

5. Edamame. 150 cals for 2 cups, I like to have this as a mid afternoon snack and its great with a diet coke.

6. Diet coke. My biggest snack friend out there. My body is full of aspartame.

7. All bran bars.

8. Strawberries or apples or bananas.

9. Salted crackers. They make me happy. So good!!!

10. 100 cal snack packs. These are dangerous because I tend to enjoy more than 1 bag. more than 100 cals. Now that's not good.

Everything is okay in moderation, I understand that. But my ability to control myself is very weak at times so I don't buy cookies or chips or candy because I know that terrible things will happen.

I hope to be down another lb by the end of this week.

What are your fave snacks?

Ahna

My Skincare Routine

2009-06-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

So my Skincare Routine hasn't really changed much since the video I posted. I've run out of some products and bought replacements, but basically the routine is the same.

Morning Routine:

1. I wash my face with Clean and Clear Foaming Makeup Removing Cleanser.

2. I moisturize with Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion mixed with Neutrogena's Face Sunscreen spf 55.

3. I prime my face with Garnier's Shine Control Moisturizer. Then I apply my makeup.

Evening Routine:

1. I wash my face with Proactiv's Cleanser

2. I remove my eye makeup with a slightly damp cotton pad and baby oil.

3. I tone my face with witch hazel toner.

4. I apply Proactiv's lotion all over my face.

5. I apply Nivea's light regenerating night cream. (love this stuff!)

6. I use Bovate cream or Proactiv's face mask for spot treatments.