11 Questions to Say Goodbye to 2011

Here in California, we have about 45 minutes left until 2012. What better way to say goodbye to 2011 by doing a tag about it? :D I was tagged by the lovely Dee to answer two sets of 11 questions and come up with 11 questions of my own. This is brilliant. I haven't come across a survey that leaves some room for you to ask some questions to the people you tag. :) If you haven't done so yet, please visit Dee's blog. She has very precise and detailed makeup reviews. She is mega-talented. Her eye makeup looks are gorgeous. Her eyes are so pretty too. I am sure you will enjoy her blog posts. :)

Here are the set of rules for the 11 Questions tag that must be posted. Now I won't get mad if they're going to be broken. I'm quite a rule-bender myself. I'm not doing it on purpose though. LOL. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her. No tag backs. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this.'" You legitimately have to tag 11 people. Then again, for me, I can't really come up with 11 people to tag. I will be honest and will cheat a bit on the tagging part. Forgive me. Hehe...

Here are 11 facts about me. This will be quite long, so forgive me once again. Then again, it's cool if some of you may find longer tags quite entertaining. :D

I love music and can listen to pretty much ANYTHING. Well, pretty much. I mainly like music from the 80s and 90s. A bit of the 70s too. I also like current hits, but it gets annoying when a lot of songs are overplayed. Among my favorite artists and bands are Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Michelle Branch, Katy Perry, and Kylie Minogue.

I haven't broken any bones nor have I been stung by a bee. I hope I'm not speaking too soon. LOL. I'd be (I was almost going to type "bee." LOL.) scared if either of the two ever happened. Especially the bee one. :P

Insomniac in the house! It's hard for me to fall asleep at a time when I really SHOULD be sleeping. There are rare occasions when I actually sleep at times, which I consider normal. Usually, I sleep around 2 or 3 AM. Sometimes, later.

I don't beat around the bush when it comes to my various moods and emotions. When I'm happy, you'll see me smile and have that pep in my step. When I'm upset about something, my face and expressions will show the obvious.

My dreams are usually pretty WEIRD. It's a rare occasion when I have normal dreams. Wait. Are there even normal dreams? LOL.

I prefer phone calls over text. Call me old fashioned, but I would rather hear the person I'm talking to than get my fingers exhausted over a whole text conversation. Maybe, I'm a little too old anyway to hold a whole conversation through text. Whatever... I like phone calls better.

Over TV, I prefer watching makeup videos on YouTube. Haha... You learn something and get ideas. (Don't we all love makeup after all? :D) Plus, they're fun and entertaining to watch. I especially like watching makeup collection videos, reviews, and hauls.

For years and years, I've been putting off buying a camera. I use my BlackBerry to take all my pictures. I know I should buy a camera soon. I'm quite scared I would not know how to use it. I can't trust myself with one. LOL.

I used to bite my nails. I thought I would never kick the habit. I'm so glad I am so over it. I haven't bitten my nails since 2006, I believe. I've been a nail biter ever since I grew teeth, maybe. I know... Gross. :P

I hardly ever get sick. On rare occasions when I do, it's pretty BAD. Each time I get sick, my voice completely disappears. I have to admit that I sometimes like when I lose my voice. LOL. I don't get pestered a lot. Hahaha...

I don't have a celebrity crush. I don't need one nor do I want one. Besides, they're too unattainable. Other than that, I am VERY happy with my Ben. He is MY celebrity. Hahaha... :D

Here are 11 questions Dee came up with for all us ladies she tagged to answer. :)

2011 is almost over, are you sad or glad that it’s over? A little bit of both. Glad that we're going to welcome another year. That means we'll have another year to fill with memories, opportunities, and changes that will help us learn and grow. Sad because 2011 will be missed...just like any year that passed.

Have you met your resolutions for 2011? I did for a bit, but I completely lost track after some stressful situations.

What is/are your resolution(s) for 2012? To get in shape. I'm considerably healthy, but I need to exercise more and improve my eating habits. I love to eat, but a lot of what I eat is bad for me. I need to stay away from whatever is bad for me. I am waiting for 2012 to do this. Haha...

Do you consider yourself addicted to makeup? Hmm... Isn't it obvious? Hahaha... Not only am I addicted, I'm OBSESSED as well. LOL. Hey, at least it's a rather healthy addiction and obsession. Not only do you make yourself look good, you also FEEL good when enhancing your beauty with makeup. :)

What is your favourite beauty product? Eyeshadow. Either when you dress it up or dress it down, you can always get creative with it.

Do you prefer mascara or lipstick? Hmm... Wow. This is hard because I like both. I guess I'll have to go with mascara though. Even when other parts of my face have no makeup, I feel like my look is complete with mascara. (And eyebrow pencil too, but we did not mention that. LOL.)

Do you like your hair up or down? I like my hair down. I'm quite lazy when it comes to hair. I don't really like to fuss with it. It gets blow-dried, then it stays down. Every now and then, it goes up. I like it better down though.

Do you shop till you drop or shop only for the stuff needed? It really depends on my mood or if I have enough money. Hehehe...

Which one you prefer; makeup or shoes? MAKEUP hands down. I can live with two or three pairs of shoes. As for makeup, I love it, appreciate it, collect it. Therefore, I prefer it.

When it comes to makeup, what is the craziest thing you have done? As in applying it? Well, there was a time when I didn't realize I took too much concealer out of the pot. I didn't know what to do with it. Because I didn't want it to go to waste, I had no choice, but to put it all over my face. Even on parts that didn't need it. That did not feel pleasant either. :P

What is one beauty product that you would recommend to everyone? Any face primer. For me, foundation feels smoother and easier to apply over a primer. SOME will even reduce the appearance of lines and pores if they really are THAT great. I have yet to find the REALLY great ones. I am happy with the ones I have though like Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Pro, Smashbox Photo Finish Light, and MAC's Prep + Prime.

If you've been tagged, I have 11 questions (and an accidental bonus one) for you to answer too. Not very creative ones, but I'm sure you'll all come up with great answers. :) In 2012, if you had the opportunity to travel anywhere around the world, where would it be and why? What three wishes do you have for this year to come? What are your three current favorite songs? What will you be doing this New Year's Eve? If you can remember 10 years back, what was your favorite memory of 2001? What is your ULTIMATE favorite fragrance you've used all throughout the past year? Since I'm going back to school this coming year, may I ask what your favorite subject is or was in school? What are your 11 favorite eyeshadow colors? What are your favorite things to do when the weather gets cold? What is your favorite dessert? What is the best gift that was ever given to you? Do you have any exciting events lined up for 2012?

Here's a shoutout to nine lovely ladies I'm tagging. :D I tag Dana, Huda, Donna, Nancy, Nikz, Chetz, Jamie, Jie, and Iris, if you're planning to blog again. Hehe... Once again, I apologize for having the hardest time to come up with 11 people. I guess nine out of 11 isn't so bad. :) In case you're too busy to do tags, it's okay. Consider this a shoutout because you're among my favorite people. :D

Overall, this tag was fun to do. I hope you have fun with it too. In advance, I wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR. May 2012 be a fruitful and prosperous year for you. May 2012 also be a year full of health, safety, blessings, and great times with loved ones. :)

A Smoky Birthday to Me

Yes, it's me with a smoky eye look...AGAIN. The smoky eye is my favorite eye makeup look of all time. Since yesterday was my birthday, I ended up with another one of my million smoky eye looks. Hehe... :D

I used my Too Faced Romantic Eye palette to achieve this look. The colors I used were Soulmates, I Do, Cut the Cake, and First Dance. I used I Do, which is a light, milky brown color, on the inner half of the lids. On the outer half, I dabbed on Cut the Cake, the frosty taupe shadow. I also dusty that same shadow to blend out the crease color, which is First Dance. To me, it looks quite like a blackened purple shade. Other than a crease color, I used it to define my bottom lash line as well. For the highlight, I dusted on Soulmates, the pearly vanilla color. For more drama, I tightlined my inner and upper lash line as well as the waterline with MAC's Technakohl liner in Graphblack. On my lashes, I swept on two coats of Voluminous False Lashes Waterproof by L'oreal.

On my face, I had on the bronzer part of ELF's Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder and blush in Mellow Mauve. I kick myself for not really remembering what lip colors I used other than the gloss. (Yeah, I probably might need to write it down for future reference. :P) What I used to gloss my lips is the lipgloss half of Michael Kors Very Hollywood roller ball Nancy sent me. :)

For a short summary of my birthday... It was one of the BEST birthdays I've ever had. I was very touched and happy with all the birthday greetings I've gotten. Everyone's thoughts and kind words are very well and highly appreciated. I was also very happy to have an awesome time with my boyfriend. We spent quality time with each other and had a yummy pasta dinner at CPK. I gave him his Christmas gift while he gave me my combo Christmas and birthday gift. I instantly enjoyed the Burberry perfume he gave me. I liked the unmentionables he gave me as well, but I won't be mentioning them. I just did a review on something similar. LOL.

I'm very thankful my birthday was indeed a happy one. I am hoping more happy ones will come in the following years. :)

My Romantic Eye Buy

You all might be thinking I'm on a roll here. I just posted VERRRY recently and here I am posting again. Hehe... Oh, well... Might as well. Oh, yeah... I actually have another one coming up. So, yes. It's post after post after post. Hehe... Well, for now. :P

I used the Sephora Inside JC Penney gift card Chellie gave me and treated myself to this. A Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette. :D Along with it, I bought Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed. I ended up giving that to my mom as an add-on to her Christmas present. I gave her a set of four Chubby Sticks (for lips) from Clinique, which came in a cute makeup bag. I thought she could use some blush to go along with her lip colors as well. :)

I haven't used the palette yet. All I did was swatch the eyeshadows. As usual, I CAN'T wait to play with all the colors. I know for sure I'll come up with a birthday look using some colors in this palette. I may wear some of the colors for work tomorrow too if I'm not lazy.

Just like the other Too Faced palettes that come in nine eyeshadow colors, Romantic Eye has colors for Day, Classic, and Fashion. There are three cards that have tutorials on the looks too. I find these cards very helpful. Especially for beginners, people still learning how to apply eyeshadow, or anyone who needs ideas on how to wear the eyeshadow colors.

I like how there is a balanced range of colors in this palette. There are three highlight shades, which you can also use as a base color all over the eye. There are also three crease colors and three definition colors. In some palettes with multiple colors, all you get is one dark shade and maybe, eight light. That doesn't give you much options to create a variety of looks. From the Romantic Eye colors, you can go from shy and coy to sultry and sexy.

Based on the swatches I made, I have a few instant favorites already. On the first pic, which are the Day colors, I like Soulmates. Although it's not a cream shadow, it feels soft and creamy. I can imagine this will feel so pleasant to apply all over from brow to the upper lash line. The color itself looks like a pearly vanilla. From the Classic colors (second pic), my favorite color is Cut the Cake, which is a velvety taupe. On the third pic, I like all the Fashion colors. Bouquet Toss is a nice bone color, which will make a pretty highlight. It's matte, so it will balance out Honeymoon (true gold) and Ever After (chocolate brown). Both colors have a frost finish.

Other than trying to contain my excitement over wanting to play with all the colors, I wish you all a good night. :)

Christmas Gifties For 2011

Merry Christmas, everyone! :) Hope you're all having a fun and happy celebration with all your family, friends, and favorite people you love. :) I enjoyed my Christmas celebration this year. My son was the one who was especially happy. He said this is the best Christmas he's ever had. Hehe... I'm so glad he liked this year's Christmas. I hope he will like the next ones to come too. :)

Christmas was happy this year because my relatives came over to visit. There were a couple family friends that stopped by too. Funny how one of them was actually a classmate of mine from high school. LOL. I did not know he knew my aunt and mom. Small world. This is the second classmate who happens to be a family friend. Another one is my sister's friend's husband. LOL.

Anyway, our celebration consisted of going to church, eating (multiple meals), games, and family bonding time. We all liked it a lot. I wish we can play games in every family gathering. It's very fun and interactive. :)

Another exciting part about our celebration is opening up the presents. This never gets old. Every year, it's hard to wait to open them already. LOL. We did something different this year to spice things up a bit. Instead of doing a Secret Santa, we had this little game for our presents called White Elephant. I really don't know why it's called White Elephant. Anyway, you draw a number from the bag. If you get #5, then you'll be the fifth one to choose among a pile of random gifts. You have to unwrap whatever you chose. You can either keep the gift to yourself or return it to the pile if you're not too crazy about it. It's great when you end up with something you like. Not so great if someone decides to steal it from you. LOL. In our version of White Elephant, gifts can be stolen from someone up to two times. I snickered while my cousin's boyfriend was trying to grab the present from me in the pile. It had makeup in it. Then again he could've given it to my cousin. Anyway, another cousin ended up with my makeup goodie box.

Okay... On with my presents. Hehe... I LOVE each and every thing I received. :D I am very happy with my gifts. Whether they read my blog or not, I give a big THANK YOU to everyone. :)

First present in the pics is from my son, Justin. It's a Premium Body Care set from Chandler Farm. It's my first time hearing of this brand. This will be exciting for me to try products from a new brand. Well, new for me at least. This was originally a gift for my mom, by the way. Tsk, tsk... :P LOL. Oh, well... She's not much into bath and body type products, so at least I can definitely put this to good use. The set also has bar soap that smells like mint. I can't wait to try that. :D

The next gift is from my mom. It's the fragrance I've been wanting for so long. Very Hollywood by Michael Kors. :) Now I have a version of this I can spritz before leaving the house and a version I can roll on while I'm on the go. Not too long ago, Nancy included a Very Hollywood roller ball (with lipgloss) in the package she sent me. So yeah, I love that I have quite a supply of Very Hollywood now. My mom got me the big 3.4 oz bottle too. :D

In our White Elephant gift exchange game, I picked out a Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea set in the pile. It's from my cousin, Melissa. The box is BEAUTIFUL. I put the box on my dresser as a decoration. It does help in storing a few random things too to save space. As for the Sweet Pea things, they smell really good. They have a sweet, floral scent. Although I'm not much into sweet scents, Sweet Pea has just the right amount of sweetness to be easy and pleasant on the nose. The set includes body lotion, body mist, and bath gel. I was very pleased nobody stole the gift from me. :D I'm glad Melissa got something from B&BW. I've been obsessed with that place lately. LOL.

Speaking of obsession, Donna included Warm Vanilla Sugar body lotion in the package she sent me. This package is meant to be for my birthday, I think. Or is it a combination Christmas and birthday present? Whatever occasion it's meant for, I AM LOVING all the contents in it. Thank you so much, Donna. You surprised me with that. Especially because it arrived so quick. :D Other than Warm Vanilla Sugar, she included a Paco Rabanne Lady Million roller ball. Another fragrance favorite of mine. :D My deluxe sample from Sephora ran out a couple months ago. I was sad about that. I'm so happy Donna included another Lady Million in the package. I can't help but gush so much. I am IN LOVE with the taupe colored scarf she sent me. My aunt liked it too. I need to wear it ASAP. Hehehe... It is too CUTE. :D Donna was also very kind to include a treat in the package for Justin too. :) The moment I told Justin he had a treat, he grabbed it from me. It was never to be seen again. If it's chocolate, I am pretty sure he downed it all already. LOL. He says thank you to the nice friend of Mama who gave him the treat. :D

Trying to channel my (pretend) psychic abilities, I had a hunch Rachelle (a friend from work) would be my Secret Santa. I was right. :D I had a hunch, but wasn't really too sure. I was getting kinda worried either nobody drew me from the bag or somebody unknown probably did. Whoever came up with the Secret Santa idea decided to include newbies. That's fine that newbies weren't getting left out. Then again, a majority of us don't know them. I was happy Rachelle was the one who picked me after all. :D She's one of my good friends at work and she knows I'm obsessed with ANYTHING girly. Hehe... She got me a mirror and gift card to Sephora Inside JC Penney's. Yes, that's the only Sephora we have access to other than ordering online. I'm thinking of what to buy with my card. Hehe... That was so nice of Chellie (Rachelle). It's pretty much like she read my mind. :D

Other than nice presents, I am happy and thankful I had an awesome Christmas and spent it with all my loved ones. I really wish everybody had family and friends they can celebrate with too. Everyone deserves to be surrounded with the people they love and have that moment of joy. There honestly is no greater gift than that. :)

Joined in B&BW Insanity

Bath & Body Works was CRAAAZY yesterday. There were people EVERYWHERE in the store. It was a bit hard to get around without bumping into someone. LOL. I'm not one who often squeezes myself within crowds. Then again, the holidays are coming up, so I can't complain. Haha... Pretty much EVERY store has a whole swarm (like bees) of people. It takes a whole lot of patience to shop this time of year. In order to remain in positive spirit, we must accept what's expected. We must not be grumps while in the midst of waiting in a long line at the checkout. Anyway, I rambled on too much. Let's cut to the chase. LOL. :P

I know B&BW often has pretty good deals on hand soap. Yesterday, I bought four of them for $15. You can also buy six of them for $20. I don't know if this deal is still going on. Individually, hand soaps retail at either $5 or $5.50. Here are picks in the pics. Hehe... Warm Vanilla Sugar, Iced Gingerbread, Vanilla Bean Noel, and Ribbon Candy.

For me, a B&BW haul is not complete without anything Warm Vanilla Sugar. Once in a while, I can get away with it. Yesterday, I just had to get another hand soap in that scent. And yes, I get tempted to call scents flavors. Everything I bought sounds edible after all. Other than Warm Vanilla Sugar, the only other scent I've smelled (and tried in lotion form) is Vanilla Bean Noel. It is so yummy. Haha... Now you can tell I like vanilla scents A LOT. I am excited and curious about how Iced Gingerbread and Ribbon Candy smell. I won't be opening them yet though. I hid them all somewhere in my bathroom, so my son won't have access to them. He likes playing with the hand soap. In a day, half the bottle is gone because of him. He makes bubbles in the sink. :/ Now that I remember, I did that to bar soap back when I was a kid. :P

Within my hand soap stash, I threw in some hand lotion as well. And yes, it just had to be Warm Vanilla Sugar. :P The 2 oz. squeeze tubes are two for $5. (Individually at $4.) Grr... I should've bought two. I could've included the other as an add-on for the Secret Santa gift for a co-worker. I don't think she knows about my blog, so I'm safe. LOL.

I Adore My Hannah Set

Adore Me sent me this lingerie set named Hannah to review shortly after Thanksgiving. Shipping was rather quick. I picked out my set on the 22nd of November and it shipped the next day. I ended up receiving it three days later. Not a very long wait at all. :)

I was very impressed with the Hannah set as soon as I took it out of the box. It's ADORABLE. The color is a very light, warm baby pink. Both the bra and pair of panties have textured, vertical stripes on them (if that's how you describe them). Both garments also have a peach lace trim. The bra has a small peach ribbon between the cups. This set to me looks sweet and romantic. It looks very well-made too. It's made of 78% nylon, 14% polyester, and 8% spandex. With proper washing, this set should last a while.

What I like about this set is that the bra provides really good support from the straps to the cups. I get annoyed with bras that always have falling straps. The straps on the Hannah bra are completely adjustable, so you won't have to worry about "wings" flapping about. :P For those who need a lift, there is slight push-up padding in the cups. I also like how the set is very comfortable. For guaranteed comfort, make sure you get this set and others from Adore Me in the right size. Like what I mentioned earlier, I was impressed with its appearance. :) I've seen other sets on the website and each of them range from styles that are casual, sweet, romantic, sexy, and elegant. There is a set for every woman. :) The price is very reasonable too. Each set costs $39.95. That's for both bra and pair of panties.

Now here are my two cons. I would love to order the other sets, but a lot of them don't come in my bra size. I originally wanted to get Savannah, but the available bra sizes for that set are way bigger than my size. (I am pretty well-endowed, but the sizes on the drop-down menu come in D, DD, E, F, and G. I'm a C.) Another con is not having the option to try the sets on before buying them. When I shop for bras, I prefer to try them on first before taking them to the checkout. Luckily with the bra from Adore Me, my size didn't run any bigger or smaller. The panties fit nicely too. (I normally don't try those on at the store though.)

In case your undergarments don't fit you, exchanges are free. You can return your items too, but you get charged $5.95 for a restocking fee. Make sure you do your exchanges or returns within 30 days. I think it's a reasonable amount of time.

Just to let you know, you must sign up as a member if you'd like to purchase lingerie sets from Adore Me. Membership is free. You don't have to worry about paying for subscription fees each month.

Would I purchase from Adore Me? I definitely will. I love how I can buy a whole set for only $39.95 without having to worry about matching each piece together. The quality of the lingerie is decent too. I can see the Hannah set and future sets sitting in my drawer for a couple years or so. Speaking of future sets, I have a few on my wishlist already. :D

For more information or if you are or would like to be a fan of Adore Me, please visit and like the Adore Me Official Facebook page. :)

Amazing Package From Canada

Nancy rocks for sending me this amazing package. :D If I remember correctly, I received this lovely batch of goodies a couple weeks ago. Before I go on about how happy and excited I was to open the envelope, I thank Nancy a million times for being so kind to send these items to me. What she chose was well thought of. It's quite like she read my mind. Hehe... :D If you haven't done so, by the way, please visit Nancy's blog. You will enjoy her posts on makeup, fashion, and travel as well. :)

One of the pleasant surprises I found in the envelope was the Michael Kors Very Hollywood double ended perfume roller with lipgloss. Very Hollywood has been on my wishlist for quite some time now. My mom is actually giving me a 1.7 oz bottle this Christmas. (Not only did she tell me, she showed it to me. :P) I'm glad Nancy gave me the roller though because I can throw it in my purse and take it everywhere with me. The liggloss color is a very pretty and flattering shade of pinky peach with tiny golden flecks.

Yay for another addition to my Annabelle products in my makeup stash. I love the blush color Nancy sent me. The name goes by 48, which looks mauve to me. It's very pigmented and easy to blend and swirl on the cheeks. Because it is very pigmented, I apply it with a light hand. The shade is very fitting for both fall and winter. Adding to the excitement was seeing three of the Gosh eyeshadows she sent as well. I can imagine all three colors complimenting the 48 blush from Annabelle very well. I still have yet to play with them.

One of the things from the package I had already played with are the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Wishnets. The strips are ruby red with a black fishnet print on them. The design is oh, so sexy. Hehe... I actually have the strips on my nails right now. I can't wait to show them to Ben. LOL. :D

Other than cosmetics, Nancy threw in a few trinkets too like bracelets and earrings. I love, love, LOVE the feather earrings that come in a set of three from Forever 21. :D I've been obsessed with feather earrings for the past few months. I've heard they're more suitable to wear in the summer. For me, it doesn't matter. I am wearing my feather earrings all year round. Haha... They work for me. :) As for the bracelets, I've worn the beaded, silver charm bracelet. I love pairing it with my black cuffs. I have yet to wear the cute bracelet with tiny beads. I'm looking forward to wearing it soon. :)

Included in the package is a really neat card entitled "99 Ways to Survive the Holidays." Reading this guide on the card comes in handy. Inside the card is a very sweet message from Nancy. And I know I've said this so many times, but thank you very much, Sis. :D I am so blessed to have a friend like her for many years through blogging. :)