Wednesday, February 29, 2012

February Photo A Day last round!

Day21: A fave photo of me

Hoping to go Paris again and take exact photo of this.. (exact clothes would be a nightmare though haha)



Day22: Where I work

This is the tidiest state I can ever get..



Day23: My shoes

Lucia, my lovely flight attendant friend, brings me cute things from all around the world!




Day24: Inside my bathroom cabinet



Day25: Green

Green tea!! yummmmm a delightful snack I've been obsessing with lately :D



Day26: Night

One thing I love about Hong Kong is the harbour view. Absolutely stunning!!



Day27: Something I ate

Mango pancakes!! Havent had these for a really long time... almost forgot how good they are!



Day28: Money

Mum bought this (and 2 more in different size) from India :)))



Day29: Something I'm listening to



This has been fun :) Hope you enjoyed looking at our pics!! xx

- Cora

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

February photo a day (last part)

feb 16: something new
my pretty thermos


 feb 17: time


 feb 18: drink 
hot chocolate with marshmellow=love


feb 19: something i hate to do


feb 20: handwriting


feb 21: a fave photo of me
my fave black furball coat and leopard dress


feb 22: where i work


feb 23: shoes


feb 24: inside my bathroom cabinet
 super messy

feb 25: green
my fave color = my fave bear = my fave cushion


feb 26: night


feb 27: something i ate


feb 28: money
my pinocchio piggy bank with lots of 1p and 2p!

Have a fabulous leap day!

e.


Monday, February 27, 2012

Oscars 2012

Rooney Mara from the girl with the dragon tattoo

Isnt she just gorgeous? *-*

Angelina Jolie

Definitely loving her dress!
(It must be so tiring for her to pose her leg whole night long..)

Gwyneth Paltrow

Soooo elegant with her cape!

George Clooney and Stacy Keibler

Cute flower ruffle at the side!
(And Geroge Clooney in the pic is a huge plus :D)

- Cora

All pictures from Oscars

Sunday, February 26, 2012

How I clean my brushes

I know.. I know... cleaning brushes is such a chore. But it is really essential to keep your brushes clean - imagine all the bacteria growing inside your brushes for months!! Also, I have always believed in investing good brushes, because if you keep them in good conditions, they can actually last for years! 

I left a short comment in the post "Day19: Something I Hate to do" on how I clean mine, but I guess it's  easier to illustrate in details with pictures:

Instant cleansing (with Brush Cleanser)

From Rae Morris: "Some of the products out there are laughable; I don't want my brushes to have deep-conditioning treatments, be oiled or smell like roses.... A good brush cleaner will clean a filthy brush instantly, with the brush drying in seconds, ready for its next use."

I have been using M.A.C.'s brush cleanser for a year now (I'm using it everyday and yet I havent even finished a bottle!), so far it does the trick for me. It cleans thoroughly (well at least for the small ones e.g. eyeliner/ eyeshadow brushes) and dries instantly. I usually clean my brushes after my shower in the morning, while they dry it leaves time for me to put on moisturizers and foundation, and the brushes will be ready to use then. 

So first off, as the cleanser bottle comes with a cap, which I find it bit inconvenient, I dispense it to a smaller spray bottle. (Some people say you can pour the cleanser to the cap, and dip the brush into the liquid.. but it's a mess for me because I'm always in rush in the morning haha.)  


Just simply spray the cleanser onto the brushes, work it through on a kitchen paper in circular motion. Repeat until no more products coming out from the brush. That easy!


Deep cleansing (with Washing Detergent)

Once every 2-3 weeks I clean my larger brushes (e.g. blush/powder brushes) with washing detergent. Washing detergent is, in my opinion, more effective and money-friendly in cleansing large brushes, because these brushes soak up so much brush cleanser and yet it takes forever to work out all the products on them.

With a small amount of washing detergent on a white plate (so you can see the color coming out from the brush), rub the damp brush on the plate as the products dissolving from the brush. Continue rubbing the brush under warm running water until the plate is clean and the water runs clear.

Reshape, and let the brushes dry flat overnight.



The brushes are now soft and clean, ready to be used like brand-new!


How do you clean yours?


- Cora xx

Inside my bag


I always love reading posts on what’s inside people’s bags so I thought I’d do one for myself. I dislike my bag being heavy so I usually try to bring as little as I can. 


  1. Umbrella
  2. Tissue
  3. Key with tesco clubcard and bear (I need it to be a big chuck so I can find it easily when I fish down into my bag)
  4. Pen
  5. Rabbit pouch with random stuff inside (see the next pic)
  6. Hand cream (currently using YSL's Parisienne and it smells sooooooooooo good)
  7. Book (reading Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton at the moment)
  8. More tissue
  9. Phone
  10. Wallet

Inside my fluffy rabbit pouch:

a.       Band aids
b.      Lip balm (using Rose Petal Salve by Rose & Co. Apothecary now, and I definitely recommend it! It smells nice and is very moisturizing)
c.       Vaseline (great for everything if you have dry skin like me)
d.      Klimt’s The Kiss mirror
e.      Hair clip + bobby pin + hair band
f.        Perfume + lipstick + chapstick (this Nivea Pearly shine chapstick is a little glossy, so it’s nice if you want to be less lip-prominent than putting lipstick on)
g.       Pen (why do I have so many pens!?)
h.      Hand sanitizer (I am not a cleanaholic, but this Body & Works thingy smells really good so I use it whenever I feel like smelling something flowery)

So these are the stuff I usually have in my bag. I am not a tech-savvy person so I don’t have any gadgets with me. Plus I am a supporter of the printed word (see sidebar for my pledge!), so there is always a book, magazine, or newspapers in my bag.

What’s the one thing that you always have in your bag? 

 e. 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Quick snack for the weekend: Cinnamon Bread Sticks

So I went to my friend's house-warming party the other day and his fiancee made this really yummy appetizer: Cinnamon bread sticks! I love love cinnamon.. love it with apple pies, love it with donuts, and definitely with bread! And it is real easy to make:



Ingredients:
  • Slices of bread
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar
  • Butter

First, pre-heat your oven to 180 degree.

Mix the ground cinnamon and sugar, and spread it evenly on a plate.

Butter a slice of bread, on both sides, and place it on the plate so the bread can get a generous amount of cinnamon and sugar. Same for the other side. 

Repeat for the rest of the slices.

Oven the cinnamon-ed bread, until both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Cut the bread and style it the way you desired. As you see in the picture my friend made it like a Jenga tower haha, it looks presentable and adds fun to eating! 

Enjoy with a cup of tea or hot cocoa!
Have a lovely weekend xx

- Cora


Friday, February 24, 2012

Participant Observation: The Parisian


Starting this Friday, I will be writing about my Paris trips, not really the cultural traits that I observed as an anthropologist (I just like the phrase "participant observation"), but more just like a tour guide for those of you interested in going there in the future. 

For some reason I have always had the opportunity to visit Paris although I don’t have special feelings towards the city as many people (especially girls) do… but I thought many of you would be interested in seeing the places and food and random things I encountered there. And I’m not gonna lie, it is a beautiful place with lots of amazing museums (probably the main reason to why I keep going). 

This week I commence with my favorite thing about Paris.

My favorite museums

  •          Musée de l'Orangerie
It has a whole gallery of Monet’s water lillies where you can immerse yourself into the beautiful colors, and get that panic attack of knowing how you will never be able to make such great work (I get this feeling ALL the time). And many Matisse, Cezanne, and Laurencin. Plus it’s a fairly small museum so you really get to take your time to look at the work, unlike the Louvre where its million pieces of work can become distractive (to me at least).  


 

 
  •          Louvre
Although the Louvre can be too big too filled of objects, I gotta admit that it is simply a treasure for art lovers. The pyramid is a nice spot to take photos (yes Asians!), and I have this thing about the Gold Room. I don’t even know the official name of that gallery but I have been calling it the Gold Room and people seem to understand me… If you haven’t been there and have a thing for shiny/golden/blingbling things like me, then definitely pop in there next time. It is a whole room decorated in gold, with pretty sculptures and paintings and ceiling art and they result in this super decadent golden image that stayed with me since my first visit to the Louvre more than a decade ago.  A general tip for visiting the Louvre: if you want to see the whole museum, plan three days there. No kidding. 


  •          Centre Pompidou
Great place to see modern and contemporary work. But the main reason I like the Pompidou is its gift shop! They have an amazing postcard collection there, and also cute stationery and fun weird designs from up-and-coming artists. 



These are just three of the more well-known ones among the many museums in Paris.  
What's your favorite museum in Paris?



And I end this post with these super pretty egg-containers. I WANT THEM!
Next week I will talk about Parisian food: eg. Laduree and Pierre Herme (must-eat for Gossip Girl fans!!)

Happy Friday :) 
e.