My first giveaway over at ThisIsAlx!

hey girlies, I'm finally hosting my giveaway over at my original blog (http://thisisalx.blgospot.com). As promised before, I said I would make it up to all of you for following this blog and listening to my boring rants about the problems I had with blogger. So you all get an extra of 10 points if you enter the giveaway! =D That's a lot of extra points and it will definitely increase your chances of winning the prizes!!

Hope to see you all entering! =]
Giveaway opened internationally, ends on November 31st

CLICK picture to enter my giveaway!

Thanks for reading =]
Alx

Haul/First Impression: Hong Kong/MACAU

My friend went to Hong Kong and my Mister went to Macau (they went seperately and on different times) but they both came back with handful of gifts and souvenirs ^^, I asked them to buy some of the things shown below because it cost soo much more if I were to buy it here in Canada.... boooo and yes I paid them back with my own money!

My dear friend got me a set of contact lens case and a black iPhone4 hard case, THANK YOU and I asked her to her me get a set of BB cream samples and 2 silicone facial cleanser pads and a tool to make a donut bun in my hair (shown below, the tool was already in my hair =P I just couldn't wait to try it out!)

Mini BB Creams, wanted to try bb cream for the longest time but didn't want to buy a full size nor buy the samples here in Canada because we get ripped off!


In this kit: Diamond Collection Pearl Luminous Beblesh Balm 5g
VIP Gold Collection Super+ Beblesh Balm SPF 25 PA++ 5g
Super+ Beblesh Balm Triple Functions SPF 25 PA++ 5g
The Oriental Gold BB Cream SPF 25 PA++ 5g

These are in the same order as the BB creams
These BB creams has a very different consistency to it
1st is very watery, 4th is a little bit thicker than 1st, 2nd and 3rd are very similar ti each other and are very thick in consistency 

1st one is very shimmery in real life, I hate it, don't think I will ever use it but still good for highlight in photography but not something I would use for an everyday look
4th is the only one with the closest shade to my skin tone but still too light and peachy =S
Still have to try 2nd and 3rd on my entire face, no comment on it  just yet but I don't think I will like it either because I hate having face makeup that doesn't match my natural skin tone or the rest of my body! : @ and these two looks too light and grey on the swatch

Blended out

Don't know the name to this thingy =P

Basically a sponge with a wire inside

I suggest you all search through YouTube to find how to make this donut bun hairstyle, I'm sure there's plenty out there. It's just too hard for me to explain and show it to you when I don't have a 3rd hand to take the pictures while I'm doing my hair, Sorry =]


But I'll try a brief description below:
I tied up my hair in a ponytail
Slide my hair through the middle slit of the hair tool
Stop a midway
clamp the slit close
Start rolling the tool upward while collecting the hair
When everything reached the scrunchie, bend the tool downward to make a circle
Then move the hair around to cover the hair tool, pin it with bobby pins to secure it

Side view and yes, I'm wearing a top; tube top to be exact. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEXT: This is what my Mister got me form Macau/HK, his sister also got me a lot of giftsss/souvenirs =D

Guerlain Meteorites powder and blush, another BB cream sample kit, NoirBlanc eyeshadow, Coach keychain and our Sony HX9V =]

• Guerlain Meteorites Blush and Powder Kit from Mister's sister =]
  Super cute packagingBoth powder and blush is extremely shimmery/glittery
  Only swatched, haven't tried on face yet
  Blush not pigmented, just gives off a light and subtle pink
  Brushes are pretty soft and fluffy but I would use my own brushes instead

• Can you see the light pink near the bottom?
• Powder swatched near the top, around the knuckle
• Shimmers are more visible in real life then in these pictures

Top: BB cream kit in black packaging
Bottom: BB cream kit in pink packaging (shown above)
-Only the third tube differs from each other

The black kit came with the BB Diamond Collection: The Prestige Beblish Balm instead of
The Oriental BB cream

This is something else my Mister's sister got me =]
NoirBlanc: S103 Deeply In Love

Sorry the colours are supper washed out, refer to the next picture for right colours

Looks pretty in the pan =]

...but not in swatches
.Super shimmery. No colour payoff. Lots of fall outs.

She also got me this, super pretty and shiny =] quiet heavy as well so I will only use it as a hand bag chain? instead of a key chain =]

Mister got me this because he know my old camera is breaking on me and he does not like DSLRs so he got me this which I love a lot more than DSLR because it's smaller, cheaper and has great functions!
-16x zoom
-24mm wide angle lens
-Full HD movie
and a lot more of goodies refer to the youtube video below for all the goodness... I bet you can't do all this with a DSLR WITHOUT buying all the different expensive lenses and without getting tired from carrying all the heavy weight!

Watch this for more info of the best camera out there! =]

**Alx**

testing

testing

Thisisalx 2.0

Hey girls!!

I can't stand how my old blog is messed up so I decided to imported my entire blog to another portal for a fresh start:

It's basically the same thing just that the blog is functional now and not one that is messed up=]

The name to my new blog is Thisisalx 2.0: http://thisisalx20.blogspot.com which was derived from my old blog Thisisalx: http://thisisalx.blogspot.com

I would love it if you can all follow me here instead? =] Sorry for all the inconvenience but blogger was making me mad@@@@!! So I spent hours fixing and importing my new blog for you guys =]s2 it looks almost identical eh? =]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like I said on my last post on my old blog that I have finally reached 100+ followers there so I will be doing a giveaway soon (end of month or beginning of September when I finish all my examssssss!) I still have to decide where I will post it and how it should all go down but definitely follow here because this is where I will continue to share my experience and thoughts with you all! Thank you all for supporting me this long, hope to see you all here =] : http://thisisalx20.blogspot.com










**Alx**

Cutest puppies and the best hair trick!

Hey Everyone!! Missing you all a whole lot, just back from my vacay a few days ago so time to blog again =].... Still testing out whether you guys can see my blog updates on your dashboards or not =S let me know please! if it's still broken then I might make a new blog instead because I'm not happy with how Blogger isn't helping me fix it! grrr...

Anyways, I've been obsessed with these YouTube videos I watched within these few weeks. Seriously the best useful hair trick EVER no lies and the cutest puppies ever! I think most of you have seen these videos already since it's so popular but just in case you haven't yet then please enjoy! =D

Let me start of with the best hair trick I learned from Blair of "juicystar07"

-This hairstyle/trick is great for emergency situations where you need to get your hair our of the way but don't have a hair tie, hair clip, bobby pins, pencils or other sources to get your hair up:
Ex. 1: Working out at the gym; you are sweating like no other therefore turning your pin straight hair into a severe case of frizzyness
Ex. 2: Washing your face or brushing your teeth; quickly do this hairstyle and throw it to the back or inside your shirt so it won't move around
Ex. 3: Wear this hairstyle right after washing and drying your hair to add beachy waves into your hair without applying extra heat from a curling iron/straightener

- Or simply wear this style because it's cute, easy and quick
-Or do this style to avoid damaging your hair with bobby pins, hair ties etc...

*All I know is that I think this is the coolest and most useful hair trick ever!! been doing this hair at least twice a day (morning and night when I'm washing after myself*

Second lovely video that I'm loving is from Holly of "hollyannaeree" where she posted a video of her puppy Eevee! Isn't she cute!?!?!

One of the cutest puppy ever! Her fur colour is so pretty and luxurious looking! Also loving the red collar, what a stylist puppy s2!

Last but not least, this video always puts a smile on my face! I can watch it 10000000x and still not get bored of it!!! It's the Ultimate Dog Teaser by "klaatu42"

Love it!! do you?? =D

Weather been super cold lately, I thought it's still summer?
Anyway, hope you all have a greatttttt weekend! Let me know what you think about the videos? Have you watched it already? 

**Alx**

Blog Awardssss! s2

Thank you Haze from Shades of White and Diane from My Kiss 'n Make-up for these awesome awards, Thank you thank you thank you girls ^^ s2 you both so much ^^

I always get so excited when I get these; always surprise, happy, honoured and grateful that these girls actually thought of me when forwarding these awards^^

Please check them out/follow them if you want =]

From Haze

From Diane

From Diane

From Haze and Diane

Rules: List 7 random things about yourself
Since I've already list many many MANY random things about myself in many of my previous posts, I thought I would change it up and do a tag: Would You Rather Beauty Edition that I found on YouTube here

Would You Rather Beauty Edition:
1. Would you rather walk around all day with you skirt tucked in your underwear or be seen wearing a really see through dress? I would definitely prefer be seen wearing a really see-through dress because it's less embarrassing and it could have been on purpose but if my skirt was tucked in my undies then that is just EMBARRASSING period. 

2. Would you rather go to a party and not realize until the end of the night that you have lipstick on your teeth or that your fake lashes are coming unglued? I think I rather have my lipstick on my teeth because I if I even do were lipstick they are all light colours not bright red or dark mauvy colours so it won't show up too much on my teeth PLUS I always cover my mouth when I laugh =D, no one will ever notice it ^^.


3. Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?I rather forget mascara on one eye because I have side swept bangs that can completely cover one eye ;). Also because I like to use eyeliner as well so it will still give the illusion that I have mascara on when I'm not!


4. Would you rather wear lipstick/lipliner combo or frosty blue eyeshadow?
I think I rather go with the lipstick and lip liner combo although I hate both lipliners and lipstick but like I said above I can always do a light colour lipstick and even with a clear lipliner ;) Frosty blue eyeshadow is way too noticeable for me.

5. Would you rather wear foundation that is two shades too light or go way overboard on bronzer?Woah this one is hard because I'm super picky abut my foundation shade AND not overdoing my bronzers =S I think I would choose to wear a foundation that is too light because I can over/hide my neck with my long hair so it wouldn't be as noticeable that my face is so much lighter than my neck PLUS I can warm up my face with blush if I can't use bronzer. I think if I overdo my bronzer I would look like I have a dirty face LOL


6. Would you rather drink an entire bottle of ketchup or run into the guy who broke your heart on a bad hair day when your skin is breaking out?
I think I rather run into my ex looking all bad than to harm my health and body with an entire bottle of ketchup. I don't really care what he thinks now, all I care is what my present Mister thinks =]. Thinking of drinking ketchup makes me shiver =S 

7. Would you rather be able to date any celeb you wanted or wake up with perfect red carpet-worthy hair?
I rather wake up with red carpet-worthy hair because dating a celebrity is way too complicated and not worth the heartbreak when they get bored of you and find someone else.

8. Would you rather your armpits smell musky or like delicious lasagna?
LOL wth is this? haha, I think I rather have it smell like delicious lasagna because others might think you had a delicious italian lunch and got all the smell stuck in your clothes.

9. Would you rather give up your makeup or cell phone for one year?
I would definitely give up makeup than my phone for a year! I am actually trying to heal my acne and acne scars just so I neverrrrrrr have to wear makeup (mostly face make up) ever again!! I'm already more comfortable with my skin and I haven't worn any makeup in so long (well except for summerlicious and other occasions but I haven't worn makeup on a regular basis like to school, work, grocery, casual meetings with friends, etc) =]

10. Would you rather run into a cute guy you like with food all in your grill(teeth) or no makeup at all?

Easy one, I'd go with no makeup because that's just how I look he should accept me the way I am but food in my teeth is soo nasty and no lady like. I think it's kinda embarrassing as well =S so no make up it is =D

I'm actually in a hurry to pack for North Carolina now so I would like to forward this to EVERYONE who reads my blog specially my 97 followers ^^ Thank you all for stopping by and leaving me a comment, I really appreciate it s2.

I know I'm like the worst blogger at updating my blog but you all know that I'm having some technical problems with blogger and I'm just not motivated to blog as often =P. Will be away for the next week or so, hopefully I will update my blog more often but I will be having my final papers and final exams soon time so we'll see how that goes.

Happy August Everyone =D
**Alx**

July's Luxe Box by Loose Button

I know I'm kinda late on this post but better late than never =]

I will assume that you all know that Luxe Box is a monthly subscription that delivers 3-5 deluxe beauty samples in a pretty box for $12/month, $36/3month or $120/year, currently only available to Canadians and that you can purchase your Luxe Box hereeeeeeeeee ;)

-------------------------------------------

I was just thinking that I might be creating a lot of waste if I were to receive a Luxe Box per month for the next while because they are heavily packaged. So I kindly emailed them to ship my July Luxe Box in the bubble wrap envelope only and skip the box, ribbons, tissue papers and the sheet of cotton even thought I know  we can completely recycle all these materials with the help of some imagination and creativity but I just wanted to try this out for a month and see how it goes. Let me tell you, it's not as exciting opened a Luxe Box WITHOUT the box and all the other goodies so I will be requesting my future Luxe Boxes to be shipped as it used to be and I will recycle the materials myself =] (will make a post in the future on how I reuse these boxes, tissue papers, ribbons and cotton =]).

This month, I was away from home so couldn't open my box until a week later so I spoiled my own surprise by searching it on YT and google. 

• I was kinda sad that we were getting another polish because I'm not a polish girl. 
• Kinda sad that we were getting a lip liner cause I never use a lip liner.
• But glad that these were full sizes =].
• Kinda sad that there was a fragrance sampler because I'm not into perfumes.
• Kinda sad that there was another oil treatment sampler since we already got one from Joico last month
• BUT THEN, THAT'S JUST ME... Don't even know why I still love them soooooooo much when I dislike so many types of beauty products, I think it's the surprise we get each month and the fact that we can really find things we love or hate just so we know what to buy and what not to buy in full sizes.
  
  
  
  *I got some different products than what is listed above, so keep reading to find out more =]*

Super small packaging compared to what it used to be

Greeting Cards, description and price of the full size products (just wished they would include how big the full sizes are)

Not too appealing to the eye without the box is it? =P

I got four things this month and no chocolate =[, perhaps it's because of the hot weather? I would love to see some sour candies as a substitute *yumm*

This box includes:

• 2 eye cream and 1 moisturizer sample from Consonant Skincare
  Full size eye cream retails for $36, moisturizer retails for $54
• (Full Size) Essie Nail Polish in Formal Affair (Red with tiny reflexes)
  Full size retails for $8
• Stella In Two Peony fragrance sampler
  Full size retails for $56
• (Full Size) Trucco Pro Eye Pencil in Sebastian 7094
  Full size retail for $20

Consonant Skincare

Consonant Skincare
3 small samples, haven't tried these yet but I think I will love it because I  loved the natural soap bar and the foaming face cleanser that I received in past Luxe Boxes

Stella In Two Peony
Love how it looks but didn't really care for the scent. It's too woody, and heavy for me. 

Essie Nail Polsih
I HATE RED! lol, already got a red China Glaze polish last month so I don't really need another one =[

Formal Affair
Applies sheer
needs 3-4 coats to get get it opaque
has tiny gold reflexes
looks like a coral-ly/orangy if you only apply one coat

Pro Eye Liner (bottom: swatch and top: blended)
Very smooth and moisturizing
Feels like a melting lipstick
Colour suitable as a cheek stain or lip colour
I might be able to use it as an eyeshadow/base/primer by for now I think I will only use in on my lip because its too moisturizing for my oily eyelids

Overall, I still like this service and the idea behind it so I renewed my subscription for another year. July's box wasn't really for me because I was really bummed when I saw a red polish but the rest of the box is workable, not loving but workable.
However, I did love almost all the products in my past Luxe Boxes, if you'd like to check those out then feel free to click the followings:
June's Edition
May's Edition
March's Edition

For those who have bought this month's Luxe Box, did you find anything you love/hated? Let me know by commenting below =]


Want more of these services? Try GLYMM BOX, it's a little different but I will explain it when I get my next box arrives but feel free to explore their website to find more about glymm box. I am currently subscribed to both LUXE BOX and GLYMM BOX so I'm supper excited to see what's in my August edition and how they compare =]

**Alx**

Review: ELF Cream Eyeliner (requested)

Fine fine fine.. I'll post something!!.. even if I'm super mad at blogger for not showing my updates on dashboard for the LONGEST time!! a month or so already? T_T.. anyone else experiencing the same problem? How can I resolve this? A fellow blogger told me that I can't fix it =[, does that mean it will always stay like this? =`[...I'm totally unmotivated to blog =[

Moreover, I have to pick out my courses for next year and it's pain in the tush! because it's my last year and I can't mess this up! I need to make sure I have the right courses and the right amount of credits so I've been slacking off a WHOLE lot......But I am pretty active on Twitter. Follow me there if you want small little updates, giveaways, freebies, awesome sales like 60% off ELF, food posts, mini hauls and quick tips and tricks on how to beautify yourself. Tweet me and I'll make sure I follow back =].

Okay, lets move on with this post. Tiffo wanted to know how I liked the  ELF Cream Eyeliner when she saw it on my ELF haul here. Yes, it was a month ago!!!, I really am lazy, no? So here we go, read the captions below each picture for the Review =]

ELF Cream Eyeliner in Black, comes with a mini angled brush which I love!
Buy it here
$3 (but never checkout without a coupon code!)

*Ignore the other swatches, focus on the black liner please =P*

One layer of swatch, went on smoothly, dried quickly and it was very pigmented
Using the brush provided, you can easily line your eyes as well as tight lining you upper lash lines
With an eye primer, this eyeliner will stay better but still smudging a little
Without an eye primer, this eyeliner will smudge like no other, you will end up with a raccoon eye

*Sorry about the bad photo quality, I took it with the front camera of my phone*
After 5 hours: oily eye lids, hot and humid weather
The line is already less pigmented, needs touch ups if you want a sharp and define line
However, if you want a more natural and softer look then this eyeliner would be great because throughout the day, it will get less intense
*Wearing L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on upper lashes only*

With a primer: I used ELF's $1 eyelid primer, maybe it will stay even better if I used a better primer?
Hope you can see a small amount of smudging on the lower outer corner of my eye, not too visible but it's there.

Without a primer: Yes, I went to school with one eye primed and not the other, came home having one raccoon eye =P
You can clearly see how badly smudged this cream eyeliner is without a primer! So make sure to use a primer of any kind! Even the $1 ELF eyelid primer helped a whole lot =].

Overall,
PROS:
- The formula of the liner is very pigmented, and creamy therefore making the application super easy
- The brush that it came with is very soft to the touch but stiff enough to perfect a line of any thickness (maybe not a super thin line but still loveable to use it to tight line)
- Can easily do a winged eye-look
- Can easily reverse a mistake by wiping it because the staying power is not that good
- Affordable and suitable for beginners
- Would repurchase it just because it's so user friendly, inexpensive and works fine with a primer
CONS:
- Does not stay long
- Easily smudged
- Cute but over packaged product
- Brush is very short and tiny, can't be easily found in my makeup bag

Has anyone else tried this cream liner before? How do you like it? Any inexpensive primer alternatives (I just ordered their mineral eyeshadow primer which I heard is a dupe to the urban decay primer potion)?




Hope my problems gets resolved quickly or else you all might not see me smile anymore =[




**Alx**

Guu Izakaya

I was so excited to try Guu (a Japanese sushi bar) for the first time. It was such an impulsive decision, my friends and I were playing around with their DSLR (yes they all had one except for me..one of my friends brought two DSLRs so he lent it to me^^). After a few hours we were so hungry that we wanted to quickly grab something to eat at Timmies but I was like "I WANT GUU!!"... soo we all just went to Guu to suprisingly find no line-ups! Maybe because we went around 6pm and we went to their new location on Bloor Street.

Guu was a hit and a miss for me.. I loved the atmosphere and the service but some of the food are not worth the bucks! I will indicate which one of the following pictures of the food I thought it was worth it and a must try! These dishes ranges from $6-$10 (not sure about this because I was way too hungry that I just let my friends who have tried Guu before order the food, I don't even know what they were ordering (which is why I exactly don't know what the price were and the names of the dishes>< SORRYY).. I was practically there to sit and wait for food to come to me =]. We re-ordered a few dishes because we really didn't get full at all.

The captions are COLOUR coded for a clear overview of what kind of food I would recommend or what I would re-order if I were to go back again:
GREEN: Will order this again!
ORANGE: mmm, maybe, probably not
RED: No way!, rather save up those bucks and order a Big Mac!

Octopus Balls?
Did I say we were hungry?, yet we ate right away and forgot to take any pictures!!
Tasted very good but nothing too special that I can't get elsewhere for cheaper

Jellyfish Salad?
This was very very good, a MUST
Pricey but worth it because you can't find it elsewhere

Beef Udon
Their udon are so good!!, also a MUST
Very chewy and tasty, wish it came more in that plate LOL

Large Sweet Shrimp
Very fresh, big and meaty
A must, even if it's pricey but it's way too good to pass on this

Baked Oysters
Yummmmie.. but made mostly out of mayo, cheese, and fillings like potatoes, mushrooms. Oyster itself was very small. For the price, I can get better oysters elsewhere. Best if it's raw oysters!!! I recommend DIANA'S SEAFOOD for the freshest and cheapest seafood s2.

Scallops
Ahhhh.. soo blurry, oh well... This was average but not bad, only came with 3 medium scallops and some mushrooms. Would recommend this but I can totally make this at home by grilling it with butter and season it with salt and pepper

Grilled Cheese
I disliked this even thought I LOVE cheese but I don't like eating sweet things so the dressing on this was not my thing. Also dislike fried food so that's another no no

Spicy Tuna
Taste good, but nothing special and very small portion

I think this was salmon sushi and tuna rolls
This was so good, much better without the mayo but this is a MUST =]

Creamy Udon with Bacon
We were way too hungry still so we ordered more udon, this was the one with bacon and again we dig in so quickly because we were THAT hungry LOL. Very creamy and chewy, another MUST =]

Fried Fish
This dish was alright, only had 3 pieces of fish on a bed of fried fish bones. Not worth it at all, not that yummy either =P

Black Cod
This was sooo good!, I think it was black cod but all black cod taste just as good. Wished this piece was larger too =P. Recommend this too even thought it's so pricey. It's a MUSTx100

Salmon Sushi
This one is a must too, it's suppose to be 3 different flavours but we had 5 people so we each only had half a piece  LOL. We did re-order another set of these but I don't think it taste that much different. All I noticed was that two of these were partly grilled.

Partly Grilled Salmon?
This was goooddd tooo!. Another must =]

Beef Sashimi
Nop, this had NO taste at alll!!!!, very disappointed. Do not recommend this dish at all.

Almond Tofu
Their dessert was sooo yummy, I told you guys I don't like sweet things right? So, if I think this was good then it MUST of been very good. Very soft and fresh tasting maybe because it was cold? Also loved it because it had a very strong taste of almond and its not super sweet at all. LOVE one of the best thing of the night =]

Overall, I love some dishes and hated some. Dishes were small, pricey and made out of too much sauce, mayo and dressings. However, I loved the freshness and quality of food also loved the atmosphere and the service they provided. This is one of those places where you would only go once in a while rather than going very often because it's very pricey and it's not filling at all. The bill came up to $40 per person (we had 5 people, and we weren't that full but we were satisfied). The washrooms were very clean and spacious, loved how they provided things like toothpick, mouth wash and pads!! haha never seen other places like that, so I love it. Next time I go, I think I need to order more udon and sushi/rolls in order to get full =P.

Have you guys tried GUU before? Do you LOVE it or HATE it... or in the middle kinda like me?...I don't think all the hype is needed around GUU, I mean it's a wonderful place to enjoy authentic Japanese food and drinks with great service and atmosphere but if you're gonna need some McDonalds right after then why not save up that $40 and go else where that still has very good atmosphere, nice Japanese food and services? I don't know maybe because I hate it when I eat and don't get full =P. I would recommended WATAMI, it's not own by Japanese but they serve some GOOOODD sushi, trust me... and at reasonable price s2!

**Alx**