Work to Play

Not that I can go out and mingle after work very often these days with a task of motherhood at hands. However I secretly hope that there will be times when my husband and I can go out and enjoy a dinner outside home in a "quiet" setting (no children please , like I have enough of that at home hehe) on a few occasions.

I thought the idea of transforming from a professional work outfit to something casual is brilliant and saves time. I am too tired to go home and change into a whole different outfit just to go out again. I recently found these pieces in my empty closet that I put together for this transformation. A high waisted pencil skirt with buttons may be too sexy for my work setting but I cover that section with a blazer while at work. Purchased this blazer at Charlotte Russe in XS about a year ago, absolutely love it. Great price, good quality (is there such thing as cheap and good, yes there are!)

Let your hair down and unwind after a long day at work

How to make grocery shopping "more" fun?

I have "love and hate" relationship with grocery shopping. Simply said, I am the kind of person who loves to eat but hates to shop. Venturing into food aisles can be fun but get old at some point. Here are some tips to make the same old grocery shopping a bit more delightful.

Tip # 1: Dress for success. Most people go to grocery store without putting makeup on. I mean who need a full face of makeup there? However, we want to make grocery shopping a bit more inviting, gloom yourself a bit.

And don't forget to paint your fingernails with candy colored polish to brighten up your heart.

Tip # 2: Put on something casual and comfy yet stylish.

Tip # 3: Don't stick with those old fashioned green recycle grocery shopping bag. Try something fun and colorful, plus you partake in saving this earth by reducing the use of plastic bags in a very stylish way.

Tip # 4: Pair your grocery shopping bag with a stylish purse.

Tip # 5: Stop by snack aisel and feed your soul with these sweet tooth goodness. Warning: do not try this thing if you are weak like me, it is so darn addictive!!!!

Tip # 6: Don't forget to add fruit and veggies into your diet (I am not sure how this tip can make grocery shopping fun lol)

Okay, I was just kidding about the tip #1. It is a little overkill to put on a full makeup just to go to grocery store :P

Last but not least, thank you so much Gabrille of Cookie By Me for the Stylish Blogger Award. Gabrille is a beautiful blogger from Lithuania, Europe. She wears dark colors a lot and she rocks them. It has been such an honor to be recognized by my fellow bloggers. Thanks again Gabrille. Since I already did the 7 confessions post, I shamelessly cheated on the rule :P.

All about hair

Sometimes "less is more" is a true statement (for many things). I notice that the more I try to do to improve my hair, the worse it becomes despite all the treatments that claim to restore and retain damaged hair. I had always had trouble managing my thick, coarse, dry and slightly wavy hair for the most part of my life. My hair was straight, shiny and full of volumn when I was young.

Those glorious hair days were over as I entered high school with crazy, unmanageable "lion king" hair - hope you can visualize it. No matter what I did, nothing worked to bring my hair back to its manageable stage. Since nothing could improve it, I decided to go in full force by changing color after color. My hair could have never been worse.

Until over a year ago, I gave up and let motherhood procrasination took over my life (lol). I was too lazy to take care of my hair but you know what my hair has never felt or looked this good!! I know it is not only the result of the hair products but mainly from avoiding harsh chemicals in hair color/perm products and regular heat contact from a blow dryer and a flat iron.

Absolutely love these drugstore hair products! I have been using YesToCarrot shampoo for almost a year now and the rest for about 3 months. They work really well for my hair especially TRESemme' conditioner.

This may sound gross but I only wash my hair once per week in the winter, 2-3 times per week in the spring and summer. Luckily, I don't have oily hair or else I can end up with greasy nasty hair. My hair barely touch heat (no hair dryer or flat iron). I usually wash, gently dry it with towel and let it air dry (sometimes still slightly damp and go to bed). Lesson learned: procransition can have a good impact towards something lol (but not always ;).

Welcome to the world of motherhood~**

You little monkey - so curious and full of energy! You have no idea you open my eyes to a whole new world (whether I like it or not). You cute little thing!!

This may look like a war zone, it is not but pretty close. Your "once" very clean and organized home will never be the same when a little person is up and running. She knows what toys are for and where to put them. It is mommy's job to clean up, not once but several times a day. I am still trying to figure out the most efficient way to clean up. Should I clean up every 30 mins or wait by the end of the day?!?!

Your house is turning into a zoo - filled with stuffed animals. Cat, Dog, Elephant, Monkey, Horse, Pig, Bear - you name it.

You get free and unique decorations. There are evidences all over the place that a child lives here. You can't hide.

This is what you will most likely read instead of fashion magazines for a good while other than bedtime stories.

Take an adventure into the world of kids' fashion. Everything that comes in children size are so darn adorable and ridiculously expensive, yet you are willing to drain your wallet for your precious little one.

It is amazing how a little person has so much energy and is capable of wearing you out in no time with all the running and chasing. At the end of the day, you are so thankful that you still have enough energy to drag yourself to bed zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Creme de la Mer - is it a miracle?

Santa was very kind to bring me my very first jar of Creme de la Mer last Christmas. I had waited almost a decade to try this legendary Creme de la Mer but couldn't afford it when I was a college student. Honestly, I didn't know the history of it or how this cream would benefit my skin. I simply heard it is one of the most expensive creams available on the market (thus I assume it should work wonder).

History & Ingredients:

Crème de la Mer was invented by Dr. Max Huber, an aerospace physicist who suffered severe chemical burns when a routine experiment exploded in his face. Dr Huber could find no formulations on the market to alleviate his condition, so he focused his intellectual pursuits on developing a solution.

Twelve years and 6,000 experiments later, Dr. Huber successfully concocted a Miracle Broth that is central to all La Mer products. The La Mer Miracle Broth consists of sea kelp, which possesses anti-microbial properties; the nutrients calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and lecithin; vitamins C, E and B-12; and oils of eucalyptus, sunflower, wheat germ, alfalfa and citrus. This concoction is painstakingly fermented for three to four months to release the vital energies of each ingredient, then distilled.

Dang - Twelve years and 6,000 experiments, no wonder why this little 1 oz. jar is so darn expensive. At $130 for the smallest size, is it worth the money?

YES (for me personally anyway). As previously mentioned, my skin has become very dry and dull in the past few years especially after I enter the world of motherhood. A very few good night sleep take it toll on skin. My skin is ridiculously dry despite what season it is. On top of that, I also notice moderate rosecea on my cheeks which only gets worse if exposed to heat/sun. I pretty much tried everything under the sun from drugstore to organic/plant based to more expensive products but nothing really made a difference until I found Dior which works good overall but still not the best.

Texture: Thick but not oily at all (for dry skin of course). It can be difficult to blend/spread. Based on a little trick suggested on the website, you can rub the creme with your fingers until it feels a little warm and it will be eaiser to apply. I tried that but it is kind of hard to do so. What works for me is using The Regenerating Serum as a base then apply Creme de la Mer on top, much easier to blend into skin ($250 - I got a sample and no way I don't think I want to shell out that much on top of the cream).

I can see why this product may not ge suitable for people with oily skin since it is very very rich. It works much better on dry, sensitive, dehydrated skin.

Ordor: very pleasant, very very mild. Almost odorless

How I use it: literally day and night. You must use it with faith (lol). All you need is about a dime size. This jar will probably last me up to 3 months. I only use it on my face and use another product for my neck.

How long have I used it: almost 3 weeks. It has not been that long but I start to see some improvements of my skin texture and appearance after one week.

Miracles: no breaking out, no more dry skin, pores appear smaller, calm the skin imflamation from rosecea, more glowing /subtle looking skin.

Overall, this is a really good product and it does what it claims to do especially those who suffer from dry skin and even ezema. If you have tried all the products available on the market and nothing worked, it may be worth to give this product a try. Yes it is expensive but just think about how much money you have spent on products that do not work over years. You probably end up spending enough to buy 5 jars of this Creme de la Mer.

image from www.cremedelamer.com

Next item on my wish list - The Eye Concentrate. Better start saving money now!

Crazy fact > The biggest size of Creme de la Mer comes at a hefty price tag of $1,650!! O_o

Disclaimer: I received the Creme de la Mer from my husband who is not associated or affilated with the company which owns and sells this product. This product review is based on my personal experience.

My Little Sins

No, I have not been bad but my post title implies to these gorgeous and very affordable new found nail polishes at one of the America's favorite drug stores - Walgreen that is :). At $1.99 per bottle, you can't beat that. Personally, I do not paint my nails on a regular basis. I can probably count in one hand as to how many times you see colors on my nails in a year. These little nail polishes caught my eyes when I walked by last Friday, I couldn't help myself but bought some just for fun.

Other than its amazing price, these nail polishes are made in USA. If you are concerned about long term use of dangerous chemical substances found in most nail polishes which may cause health harzards, you will be relieved to know that they are toluene / formaldehyde and DBP free (Yay..).

I love how easy it is to apply and how fast it dries. Great price, amazing quality especially solid colors. The glitter polishes are nice too but it takes quite a few coats to acheive the color shown on the bottle.

Disclaimer: I purchased these nail polishes with my own money and am not affiliated with the company that sells them.

Missions to accomplish in 2011

I recently got tagged by Sydeny of Petite Little Girl to do my New Year's Resolutions. I am hoping to have my goals written down somewhere and revisit them again at the end of the year to see how good I do throughtout the year.

1. Be a better and calmer mother: I didn't do too good last year, I admit. The transition of my little girl from a little baby to a toddler took me by surprise. In a sense, it should be easier but it is not. I caught myself on several occasions that I was on the edge of losing my cool. I really need to be calm and handle things differently. Sometimes I feel like I am such a lousy mother!

2. Limit blog time and keep up with things around the house: This was a really tough one. A hobby that was once a hobby almost turned into a serious addiction. I found myself browsing, reading and commenting blogs way too much than intended. I had been thinking about the way to steer away and stop myself from reading blogs but couldn't do so as long as I had my smartphone in hands. One day out of the blue, my smartphone permanently lost an internet access, voila...problem solved lol. I will not bother getting it fixed because I know what would happen once I gained an access to an interagain..I am not strong enough. I love blogging and interaction with my blogging buddies, that's the part which contributed to my addiction. I have no plan to quit blogging, but it seriously is a time draw a fine line. Blogging twice a week should be enough for now and I have been doing great so far.

3. Make a smart(er) financial move: 2010 was quite a successful year of saving despite the temptations from fashion blogs. I was strong enough to resist several sales and products reviewed by several bloggers. I didn't quite meet my goal but acheived 92%. The saving plan went really well until the last quarter of 2010when holiday shoppings and plane tickets came into picture. What a major financial blowout! It was our fortunate, my annual bonus and a generiosity of my in-laws came to the rescue just in time. Both surprised money covered a huge portion of the costly plane tickets (to Thailand) so we didn't have to use our savings. I reallly want to have a six months' worth of emergency saving in our account, right now we have about three months' worth. However, we are going to Thailand this year and it will be hard not to shop. I just have to make sure not to go overgboard, it will be hard but I will try my best!

4. Be more creative and innovative in the kitchen: you know what happens when you have a long day at work and feel too exhausted to cook at the end of the day? I ended up cooking the same thing over and over and over again (luckily my husband bears with me and is very understanding, he ends up eating the same thing over and over and over again too lol). It is just the matter of convenience and familiarity, I cook what I am familiar with. So this year, I am determined to venture out and try more new recipes.

5. Spend more time outdoor: since I cut down the blog time, I should have more time for other activities and do fun things with my little girl like gardening and crafting. I used to grow some home grown / organic veggies in the backyard before I was pregnant and never got back to doing it. So this year, we are going to play with dirt and grow some veggies under the sun.

Upcoming posts:

**The Legendary Creme de la Mer

**A little black dress from eShakti

**Vacation Plan - Things to do, Places to visit