RIP Latte: 2007-2012

Dearest readers,

It's with great sadness that I announce my beloved Latte's passing. It's strange watching a pet you owned for years suddenly die. It's almost surreal. You'd think I should be use to it by now, Truffles passed away recently as well but it still breaks my heart.

I'd like to think Latte isn't really dead. She's been granted an eternal sleep by the gods. But it does sadden me that I will never see her beloved face again. We've shared a lot together and she was the sweetest guinea pig you could ever ask for. She was truly one of a kind.

She was constantly doing things to please people: learning new tricks, following us around constantly and going into it's cage when it's 4'o'clock sharp. She never failed to do that, even until her death. She died of URI. She did a very good job masking the symptoms, and by the time we had noticed, it was too late. She probably knew she was going to die because she died behind her cage. She didn't want us to see her.

Sometimes I wish I could've been a better owner. I couldn't have asked anymore from Latte but I'm disappointed in myself for a lot of things. Looking back now, she was a lonely piggie. When her cagemate died when she was 2, we never got her another buddy. She roamed our backyard everday, waiting by our front entrance door every 4 o'lock. It was truly the sweetest thing but she may have just wanted to hear someone talk. Someone to make a noise. But to think something as small as her could display such beautiful affection, really moves me.

I also believe Latte's passing was partially due to Oreo (although we don't blame him!) Ever since he arrived, she started acting cold towards us. It was very strange at first. Whenever we picked Oreo up or played with him. She'd stand nearby, almost watching us. Then she'd leave alone and we'd never see her again. She also began to grow old very fast. My parents think it's because when she saw how young Oreo was, she realized her time was up. Within a week of getting Oreo, she started growing sick really fast. We cured her first round of sickness with antibotics. I didn't expect her to die so early.


Latte lived a long and peaceful life with us. Living until the ripe old age of 5. Her passing was sad, but in a way, I'm comforted knowing she's in a much happier place now, with Truffles. We buried her in her favourite sleeping spot and along with it, a tomatoe. Her favourite fruit.

Latte--thank you for the wonderful memories you have given me. Thank you for growing up with me during my childhood. Thank you for listening to me when no one else would. You are a star. Don't ever forget it.

my beautiful little girl :)

Keep smiling no matter what

RIP Latte.

"A persons life isn't measured by the number of years he lives, but how he lives his number of years."

Lush Soaps and Bath Melts review!!!

Dearest readers,

If you haven't been to Lush, believe me, you have to! If you don't have one near you, heres the link to their online store: www.lush.com.au  The soaps  there are actually so amazing. You really can't find soaps as unique as this anywhere else. I've decided to do a really quick review on a couple of soaps and bath melts I've used.

You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt:
My Rating: 9/10

Review:

This bath melt is probably one of my favourites yet. I haven't tried all of them yet, but so far, it's the one that has appealed to me the most. It's actually meant to melt in bath water, but I don't really do that because it took forever to dissolve in the water, so I usually just rub into right onto my skin. It's not that amazing when it melts in water (in my humble opinion) it just looks like mango water! It's amazingly velvety when it goes on and acts as a moisturizer for me. My body smells like mangoes for the whole day after using it! All my friends think I've been eating too much mangoes! Anyway, it's a perfect size and the smell is divine for me! Although sometimes I can't really distingiush whether it's mangoes or oranges I'm smelling!!

Due to my love for it,  I bought three more just to keep in stock. It's pricey for a bath melt but I can't escape it's intoxicating scent!!

Porridge Soap:
My Rating: 7.5/10

Review:

So this was actually the very first Lush product I bought and I wasn't really sure if I'd like it since I blindly picked it but it really surprised me! A lot of my friends have complained the bits and pieces in the soap scratched their skin and left them looking red and scarred. I didn't experience any of that

Scent wise, it's absolutely delicious. I was sooooo tempted to eat it, but obviously I didn't! It smells like warm cookies, melted caramel with a hint of citrus in it. And unlike the previous bath melt, the smell doesn't stay on your body after you take a shower (although I wouldn't mind smelling like porridge, haha!)  It does however, leave your bathroom smelling lovely.

Initially, the Porridge Soap created a nice, rich, creamy lather which was absolutely divine on the skin. Did I mention divine? The oatmeal pieces exfoliated my skin nicely as well, but after a few uses, it becomes harsher and rougher as you're left with more oatmeal pieces. I generally feel like it's an excellent exfoliator. It takes off all my dead skin cells on my legs! Perfect for shaving afterwards. It also makes your skin unbelievably soft and baby like.

I found collecting the oatmeal pieces afterwards extremely annoying. Sometimes 15 or so pieces will fall into my shower and collecting them afterwards is a hassle. Price wise, it's kind of pricey for me to purchase all the time. I'll still be sticking with more cheaper generic brands but if you don't use it everyday, it'll definitely be worth purchasing!

Noubar Soap:

My Rating: 6/10

Review:

 It's definitely not a soap you'll get use to straight away. I bought the Nobour Soap purely on it's looks. It was a really pretty bubbly green colour and I thought I'd give it a go. It smells like raw nuts (pistashios) with some peanuts mixed together. It also has a earthy herb smell to it and it made me feel sick after a while. Despite that, it lathers beautifully on the skin and left my skin so soft and smooth. Again, this soap does not make you smell like peanuts for the whole day.
Like the Porridge Soap, collecting the nutty pieces was a hassle. The nutty pieces itself was really rough, and the edges were really jagged so sometimes it left a scratch on my skin. I feel like the nuts weren't for exfoliating as it didn't really do much. It was more for decoration. On a positive note, it melts really quickly, more quickly than any of my soaps.

I will not be buying this soap again, purely because it wasn't up to my satisfaction and it's far too pricey to purchase all the time.

xxx

Moroccan Oil Hydrating Mask review

Dearest readers,

I've been using the Moroccan Oil Hydrating Mask for about 6 weeks now and honestly, my hair has never been better! I use heat a lot on my hair and as a result, my hair has been dryed out and really stiff and haywire like. I decided to purchase the Moroccan Oil after seeing some positive reviews about it and I have to say, it really does make a difference to your hair.

I use this as my daily conditioner and it works really well on my hair type (thick, dark hair) The thick mask is extremely nourishing to the hair and leaves it so soft and silky. I just take a little on my hand (about a table spoon if you want to be exact) and put it on the ends of my hair (where it's the driest) I leave it for about 10-15 minutes and rinse off. The results aren't immediate but after persistent use, the shine is remarkably noticable. I have to get a new tub every month or so.

Using this in conjuction with a good shampoo and conditioner (I use the Herbal Essences pin straight) really makes a difference, although most times I skip the conditioner and go straight to this. It doesn't contain those nasty chemicals like sulfite which really reassures me when I'm putting it onto my hair.

Smell wise, it's really not that great. It smells like a strong spice of some sort and I wouldn't have bought the product purely on the smell. I love the tube design, It's so pretty and nice looking!

So I'll be definitely repurchasing it. As a matter of fact, I may go and purchase another tub now, seeing as though I've got about half of the product left!

Packaging Rating:  9/10
Product Rating:  8/10
Overall Rating:  8.5

xxx

Cure 101: Split Ends

Don't want this??

Dearest readers,

Aren't split ends annoying? Well stop whatever your thinking now because here are some great tips to help fix and prevent them!

1. Obviously there are products you can buy in stores and high end brands that'll help fix split ends. I suggest investing in a good quality conditioner. Try the brand Herbal Essences, I use their shampoos and conditioners and honestly,  it can really make a difference!!

2. Use Mayonnaise- Massage a dollop of mayo into your hair once a week for at least five minutes. For best results, it is advised to keep the mayonnaise in the hair for a full hour before rinsing it out.
  
3. Use Beer – Spraying beer into your hair using an empty-pump bottle can, according to some, help you achieve a healthy, split-free look. This should be done after shampooing and rinsing the hair for best results.

4. Use Honey, oil and yolk- Saturate your hair from root to tip with a mix of one tablespoon of honey, a quarter cup of cooking oil and two egg yolks. Keep the treated hair in a shower cap for thirty to sixty minutes and rinse with cold water. This method has been said to be most effective at preventing, rather than treating, split ends.

5.  Apply Coconut Virgin Oil and smooth onto ends of hair. It'll help repair and renourish them.

6. Pamper your hair and give it a hot oil massage. Simply warm 2 tsp. of olive oil and 2 tsp. coconut oil and gently massage the scalp for 10-15 minutes. Rinse a towel in hot water, wipe and wind the hair around the head as it cools. Repeat 2 or 3 times to ensure total saturation. After that, shampoo and rinse well. It is good for brittle dry hair and for split ends.

7. Trim regularly (every 6 weeks for shorter hair 8 to 12 weeks for longer hair) and apply regular treatments. Following the advice in our long hair, detangling and conditioning sections will all help.

8. Avoid excess heat and too much brushing and combing.

9.   Invest in a quality combs and real bristle brushes. Throw away combs immediately a tooth is lost and never use metal combs.

10. Use moroccan oil (see review here) this product is absolutely amazing!

Comment below if you have more suggestions for Cure 101's. Otherwise, look forward to a new one next week!

XXX

7 wonders of the world

Dearest readers,

One of the things I have to do before I die (or turn 100) whichever comes first, is to travel one of the 7 wonders of the world. OMG. I've been planning this since like I was born! Carlina (my bffl) and I agreed when we're 21 we're gonna go together to these places, which makes it even more exciting knowing I'll be sharing these adventures with my best friend! A lot of people I told this to are asking how I'm going to pay for it. We haven't worked that out yet but most likely I'll be asking my dad for money :)

So here are the options. We're currently stuck chosing one of the seven wonders because obviously, we can't travel all of them. Thats far to expensive...even for my parents to pay!

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Colossus of Rhodes
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Seven Wonders of the Modern World

Channel Tunnel
CN Tower
Empire State Building
Golden Gate Bridge
Itaipu Dam
Netherlands North Sea Protection Works
Panama Canal

The Seven Wonders of the Medieval World.

Stonehenge
Colosseum
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
Great Wall of China
Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
Hagia Sophia
Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

Grand Canyon
Great Barrier Reef
Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
Mount Everest
Aurora
Parícutin volcano
Victoria Falls

Tell me in the comments below which one you recommend and what your "Must do before I die" thing is!

xxx

What does your handwriting say about you?

Dearest readers,

So I found out this really cool handwriting quiz online (click here to try) that accurately and spookily told me exactly what kind of person I was. I swear to god it's so scary, I thought there may have been hidden cameras installed around me!

Anyway, if you can't be bothered trying the quiz, I've collaborated a short list here which explains what your handwriting style is telling you:

(Also for fun, I've highlighted the ones that I am :D) You can obviously go ahead and print this out and highlight it for fun too xxx

SIZE
Small handwriting- research-oriented, good concentration, methodical, not always social
Large handwriting- people oriented, outgoing, outspoken, love to entertain and interlock
Right in the middle- you like to be with people, but value your own time

SPACING
Good deal of space- you need your freedom, to do things in your own time, don't like to be overwhelmed or crowed.
Very little space- it shows a tremendous about of irritability and constant pressure on yourself

HOW LETTERS ARE SHAPED
Rounded letters- indicates creativity, artistic abilities (writing, painting, acting, etc.)
Pointed letters- shows you are more aggressive, intense, very intelligent, curious
Connected letters- you are logical, systematic, make decisions carefully

LOOPING
Loopy handwriting- very social individual, huge imagination, sensitive to criticism
Not loopy- more isolated, reclusive, within themselves

DOTTING YOUR I's
Right over the I- attention to detail, organization, emphatic in what you say or do
High over the I- shows great imagination
To the left- procrastinator
Circle your I's- visionary, child like
Slashing it- overly self-critical, don't have a lot of patience for inadequacy or people that don't learn from their mistakes, irritation

CROSSING YOUR T's
Right in the middle- you are personally safe
Short crosses- shows a lack of determination
Long crosses- great determination and enthusiasm, can be stubborn
Very top of T- you're an idealist, ambition, good self-esteem
Cross downward at the top- you dominate your environment, authoritative nature

O's
Open- you are talkative, social, able to express your feelings, have little secrecy
Closed- you are very personal, limited sharing of your personal feelings, introvert

LEAD IN'S OR EXCESS FLOURISHES
Lead in's (or excess flourishes) - shows family orientation is important to you
Lack of lead in's (or excess flourishes)- you tackle problems in a direct, practical way, unhampered by sentimentality

MARGINS
Writing all over the page- you can't relax, constantly thinking
Left hand margin- you live in the past
Right hand margin- you are always looking towards the future

PRESSURE
Tremendous pressure- very intense, may have some evil qualities, aggressive, blow up easily
Average or light pressure- laid back, go with the flow
DOODLES
Boxes- you need structure, stability and order
Flowers- idealistic, romantic, creative
Triangles- perfectionist, structured, people that feel stuck- don't risk easily
Circles- dreamer, creative, takes thinks personally, visionary
Smiley faces- illusionary, wanting life to be beautiful, optimistic
Color inside the box or shape- you are very intense, serious, worrier, can suggest sign of temper because of tension or frustration

PUNCTUATION MARKS
Lots of exclamation marks- ego is involved, you want to be understood, passionate

SLANT
If you write upward- you tend to be optimist, hopeful, honest, ambitious, motivated
If you write downward- you tend to be negative, slightly depressed, dishonest

SPEED
If you write things quickly- you are impatient, dislike delays or time wasters
If you write slowly- more organized, more methodical, more self reliant

SIGNATURE (this is your public self image!)
Legible- shows integrity, confidence, leadership, open to show your true self
Not legible- very private person, hard to read or understand

Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer review

Dearest readers,

Today I'm bringing you my Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer review and just some personal thoughts and opinions. I've used this product for a week now along with my Australias Colour Corrector (see review here) and I've been really enjoying using it. The consistency of this concealer is really creamy and smooth and it's thick so you can expect great coverage. Its creaminess allows for easy application and blending. Although I suggest blending with your ring finger (as it gives the least amount of pressure) or just using a sponge. Don't use foundation brushes because it looks streaky and gross.

The utterly inconvient tube design

It's definitely thick enough to cover up dark blemishes and hide red spots but it doesn't cover up really inflammed looking pimples or spots. Keep that in mind. It does a better job on marks that have a flat surface. I had a problem with it sinking it my creases and fine lines (and take note that people with dry skin shouldn't use this product) and looking really cakey during the day. That was something I was really dissapointed about. It was also very hard to cover up with foundation as the green kept showing through.

I didn't like how the design was a lipstick tube. Some people may think it's chic looking and cute but I think it's terrible. Quite frankly, I just don't care. The design was inconvienient and terrible. There were no clear instructions on the packaging (for those who don't know what it is for), and it is very unhygenic. I would definitely not be smearing the lipstick onto my face. I used a brush instead and sometimes my fingers. Also even if you are directly using the product onto your face, it's easy at first because of it's pointy end but once it flattens, it becomes extremely hard to pinpoint a spot.

Another huge dissapointment was how much product was actually in the lipstick tube. It looked pretty long but when I turned it all the way up, it filled only half of the actual tube!!! and it costed me $15

In my fury I drew this diagram-thingy :3

Packaging: 4/10
Product: 7/10
Overall: 5.5/10

Australis Colour Corrector review

Dearest readers,

Today's review is on the Australias Colour Corrector which I bought at priceline for $11. It's pretty pricey for a 15ml bottle. But it said "Corrects red skin, imperfections, blemishes and scars" so I was like, what the hell, might as well. I bought it in the colour green because green negates red and I have quite a few red blemishes on my face.

Inital thoughts: I liked the design. It was easy to get the product out and the consistency of it is really thin which I liked because I've had bad experiences with thick colour correctors which made my skin look dry and cakey. It is fragrance free which I liked and also the colour was a little darker than I expected. It's a mossy green.

My thoughts after application: So I've been using this product for a week now before i decided to write this review. It didn't live up to my expectations and quite frankly, I'm really disappointed. Though its liquidy and applies easily, it doesn't cover up my red patches. Because of this, it's almost impossible to blend it out without getting it all over your fingers again. But if you don't blend it out and let it sit on the blemishes/imperfections, it becomes dry and cakey.

what it looks like on the skin

Again, to clarify. This isn't a concealer. It's there to reduce the redness but you apply concealer ontop of this and then foundation. Another thing I noticed about this product is that it contains glitter/shimmer. Why the heck would they consider adding glimmer into a product that is going to be hidden by concealer and foundation? Weird. But thankfully, you cannot see the glimmer once you apply concealer. Another downside is the green shows through and yet it still doesn't cover the red. I tried applying more concealer and foundation (which finally covered the green) but it made my face disgusting.

Packaging: 9/10
Product: 5/10
Overall: 7/10

Garnier Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B Cream review

Dearest readers,

Today I'm bringing you my latest review on the Garnier B.B Cream. It's pretty cheap for a BB cream ($15 at target)

For those of you who don't know what a B.B Cream is, it's basically a shortened term for Blemish Balm. It orginiated from Germany and became popular in Asia. BB creams come in a variety of different formulations and qualities mainly perceived as being anti-inflammatory and having a soothing effect. Due to its "multi-tasking" all-in-one properties — moisturizer, primer, foundation, and sunblock — the cream became extremely popular all over the world now.

My first impression of the packaging was very nice. The product itself is more like a tinted moisturizer. If you've tried Asian BB creams before, you may be disappointed with it. Its much thicker than a tinted moisturizer and blends into the skin beautifully. It's great because it evens out your skin tones and promotes a healthy subtle glow. Your face will feel moisturized and fresh afterwards. I also LOVE the smell. The smell is really lovely, although some may disagree but many of my friends have been asking what I put on my face, and they were surprised it was just a BB cream!

What Light looks like on my skin tone

A problem with this cream is that it comes in only two shades. Light and Dark. Luckily for me, the shade was perfect (picture) but for others, it may be a nuisance. Maybe combine the light and dark together (?) I wonder what shade that'll create.

It blends in smoothly and nicely

This cream is perfect for people who have normal/combination skin. If you haven't got blemishes, acne etc, just slap this on and you'll be ready to go out! Its perfect for the summer and leaves your skin feeling like you haven't got anything on. The mineral pigments in this BB cream mattifying once you put it on your face so you don't need to worry about blotting during the day (unless you have super oily skin!)


If you have pimples or scars, it doesn't cover them up. So you'll need to go ahead and use concealer over it. Also, for people who have dry skin, I recommend applying generous amounts of moisturizer beforehand. Though it contains moisturizing properties, I have noticed applying a moisturizer beforehand makes your skin even better!


Packaging: 9/10
Product: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

Oreo #3+ Introduction (A little late!)

Dearest readers,

So I realized today I never fully introduced Oreo to you. You might know by now he's a 10 week old (now 12 week) male and I named he Oreo because I was hungry that day. But he's more than just that! Over the past two weeks, I've realized Oreo is much like Po from Kung Fu Panda. He's not a terribly smart guinea pig, in fact, I don't think he's smart at all. He's very timid and prefers to hide or run away when he can't handle something. Latte's personality is very sweet but she's also daring, adventurous and always ready to take the lead. You'd think those traits would be more common in male piggies. Well, alas no.

Teaching Oreo simple tricks like "Circles" "Stand Up" and "Give me your paw" has become a nightmare. Usually teaching these tricks are easy if the piggie likes eating. Latte loved tomatoes so we always used tomatoes to teach her these tricks. It's been almost 5 years and she still remembers all of the commands *applauds* Oreo hates eating. He prefers to squeal all day and all night than to eat. So naturally, I have up.

I did however learn that I couldn't teach Oreo like I taught Latte (Kung Fu Panda reference) He's a very affectionate piggie, which means he loves piggie kisses, hugs and pet time. Latte hates them. She does not like being held. So I realized, the first step is to get his trust. The second step isn't to teach him tricks with food, but to use poop. Yes. I said poop. You see he's awfully attracted to Latte's poops. He'll go around sniffing them and start squealing like mad afterwards. Young teenage love I suppose. It's like he's on drugs or something. Anyway, I've decided since he likes Latte's poops more than he loves cucumbers and generally delicious food. I'll use that to train him.

Anyway, enough with my rambles. I took some beautiful pictures of him today sleeping on his cushion. I think it was just soooooo adorable! :3

All photos taken with the Canon EOS 60D


*yawning* I wanna go to sleep mommy

Me tired...me wanna go sleepy

Goodnight everyone :3

xxx

Oreo #2: Sweet and Lovely

Dearest readers,

I took some really nice photos of oreo today and thought I'd share it with you all. I haven't taken much photos of him lately because I've been super busy settling down with him that I just totally forgot to. Today I thought it was about time I took some photos of him and well, yeah. Here they are. They're a little blurry because he's so fast. He moves at lightning speed and my poor camera just couldn't keep up with him.

Photos are taken with Canon EOS 60D.

Am I a pretty piggie?

Who's a pretty piggie??

Ohh it's me!!

Look at me. Aren't I Kawaii :3

 

Piggie Bum

 

You know you can't resist looking at me...meow....




Awww...Oreo is so photogenic :3 He'll definitely be a womanizer when he grows older. He's already charmed Latte and he's not even 3 months old yet!!!!