For those familiar with US TV series The Office, she plays Kelly Kapoor, a somewhat shallow, celebrity crazed and self obsessed colleague whose one-liners almost make you believe that she's really that airheaded kind of character. In reality however, most people should know by now is that in her early 20s she started writing for The Office. Which for a recent graduate is pretty impressive.
The book has equal portions of humour, advice and insipration so you'd hardly call it an autobiography. The reason why I couldn't stop reading it was because it is honestly one of the funniest books I've read. I feel connected to her when she adds pictures in the book of awkward childhood photos of herself, laughing at the awkwardness of growing up. But when she writes about the difficulty of making it big after university and living in a cockroach infested apartment in New York, and moreover the steady pace to success she achieved when landing a job working as a Producer for The Office.
The real skill of a comedy writer comes from someone who can be both self deprecating in humour and also acknowledge that they're strong and confident individuals who can enjoy life and laugh at all the awkward parts of it. I found myself laughing so many times while reading this on the train. Mindy Kaling is so funny in this book that it almost sounds like you're having a conversation with a friend you haven't seen in years.
Pick it up if you get the chance! It's a short read but I'm sure you'll be watching The Mindy Project, The Office and searching for thousands of memes across the internet for her.
I can't believe I've had this palette for about 7 months now but never thought of swatching any of these colours! I almost always do the same eye makeup look for everyday and rarely ever switch it up and use bolder colours. I mean, I'm not the type of person to rock up to uni with purple and electric blue eyeshadow on my lids.
I was looking at this palette thinking, "Wow, have I really only used 4 of these colours?" so I thought I might swatch some of the more 'adventurous' shades in the palette and see how they show on the skin. I wasn't expecting them to be this pigmented or dare I say it, 'buttery'!
In the photo above, I rubbed one finger into each of the five shades: Amaretto, Creme Brûlée, Candied Violet, Cherry Cordial, Triple Fudge (left to right) and gave a single swipe on my arm WITHOUT PRIMER. So impressed and wish I'd only swatched these sooner!
What is your favourite shade in the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette?
Enjoy! ♡
Before I leave the house for a full day of work or class, I make sure my 4 essentials are ALWAYS in my bag. Most of the time I carry around way more than this because I'm a 'just in case' type of person that pulls out band-aids, bobby pins, dental floss, and tissues - but if I had to choose my 4 'ride-or-die' handbag essentials it would have to be these.
- Johnson's Baby Cologne - On a hot day especially in the Summer, the last thing you feel by the end of the day is fresh and clean. There's nothing more refreshing than a little baby cologne on your neck, arms, face, and underarms (yes, even there). Johnson's original Baby Cologne contains denatured alcohol which disinfects anything and everything and leaves a clean, fresh smell on your skin.
- Pressed Powder - I don't have overly-oily skin however there are spots on my face that do get rather oily half-way through the day if I don't set it with a mattifying powder. So I always make sure I have a matte or mineral pressed powder in my bag just in case my nose starts to get a little too shiny. Such a lifesaver!
- Lip Balm - Since I was young I've had to deal with cracked lips. When I was 9, my best friend said to me, "You have dry circles on your lip" and I remember instantly licking my lips knowing that they were peeling patches on my lower lip. Never again will I let my lips get that dry and peely! I have been using NIVEA lip balms since I was in high school although back then I would only try my sister's Strawberry flavoured one. Nowadays, I just opt for the most hydrating and repairing lip balm by NIVEA and I love it!
- Perfume/Fragrance - If you know me, you know I ONLY wear Chloe. I love how clean and fresh, yet feminine it smells. Just a spritz or two and you're good to go. I can't get enough of it!
Don't throw away your old mascara! Give the mascara wands a thorough clean and disinfecting to remove all of the old goopy and crusty mascara from the wand. Once you have your clean mascara wands, you'll be left with clean wands with varying bristles and brush ends.
Here are a few ways you can use them:
- Lip scrub and exfoliator - Apply your lip scrub with a densely bristled wand (seen on the left) and gently exfoliate your lips using the wand. This is much gentler than using a toothbrush yet more invigorating than using your fingers.
- Adding extra volume to your lashes - Lightly coat your lashes with a loose powder (translucent or baby powder) before applying your mascara for instant volume.
- Applying your eyelash growth treatment - There are many eyelash growth treatments out there but one of the cheapest and simplest DIY treatments is the humble olive oil! Apply a thin coating of olive oil to your mascara wand and apply to your eyelashes before sleeping. Gently wash off the residue in the morning.
- Brushing off mascara mistakes - If you ever get mascara on your face, nose or eyelid by mistake, wait 10 seconds until the product dries and gently use a mascara wand to brush off the dry mascara. You'll be surprised, it'll come right off!
- Darkening your brows - Tap your mascara wand into your brow powder and comb the wand through your brows for a fuller and more natural brow look.
- Setting your brows - Apply a spritz of hair spray into your mascara wand then comb your wand through your brows to set them in place!
- Remove clumpy mascara from your lashes - Sometimes your favourite mascara just gets clumpy and no matter how hard you try to remove the clumps it just gets even worse! Comb a clean mascara wand through your lashes to remove the clumps without adding any more product to your lashes.
Enjoy!
- Holdin On - Flume
- Blueprint - Eden Mulholland
- Up We Go - LIGHTS
- Pascal Cavalier - Northeast Party House
- No One Else Like You - Adam Levine
- A Higher Place - Adam Levine
- Avalanche - Walk the Moon
- Classic - MKTO
- Mind Your Manners - Chiddy Bang feat. Icona Pop
- Love Never Felt So Good - Michael Jackson feat. Justin Timberlake
- The River - Sam Garrett
- Naive - The Kooks
- Wide Awake - Josh Record
- How Do You Feel Today? - Gabrielle Aplin
- Lisztomania - Phoenix
- Consolation Prizes - Phoenix
- Lake Michigan - Rogue Wave
- Beating Hearts - King Charles
- Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
- Tried and True - Eric Harvey
This month's playlist is a collection of 20 of our favourite songs. We created this playlist with the intention of coming up with songs we would enjoy listening to on our work/university commute. Some of the tracks by Eric Harvey and Northeast Party House are new discoveries whereas Naive by The Kooks and Blueprint by Eden Mulholland bring back nostalgic memories. Whether you're getting ready for the day or on a train or bus to work/uni, we hope you enjoy!
I've made the mistake in the past of thinking an outfit looked nice when I left the house, and as soon as I stepped onto the train I realised, 'Oh no... this was a mistake.' Sure, a cute summer outfit looked nicely put together, but the looming grey clouds outside said otherwise.
Keeping with the University theme for the week, we decided to post some outfit tips for dressing for Uni. Reading this may land you an A+ in the Sisterly Social university program!
Despite the fact that our entire blog is dedicated to our obsession with beauty and lifestyle, we honestly couldn’t get our posts and photos out there without the help of our trusty compadres; our phones. Yes, we’re phone people. And proud of it! Without our phones, we'd never be able to find inspiration, meticulously (OK maybe an overstatement) prepare our posts and make our photos look just that little bit nicer.
So here are some of our favourite apps for blogging, inspiration and preparing our posts!
Instagram
Of course it’s the second social platform where we let the world know what’s new on our blog in square format. But the best part about Instagram is of course, the social aspect of it. Being Sisterly Social after all, a majority of our inspiration is by going on Instagram and going starry eyed at the Lorac hashtag or what other beauty products people are hauling from around the world.
Pinterest
Pinterest is THE best for inspiration. Whether it’s makeup pictorials or photography tips for better blog posts, Pinterest is a treasure trove for gathering ideas while you’re on your lunch break. Half the time I also use Pinterest to collate images from random places to make a virtual scrapbook of my dream Santa Barbara Ranch/Mansion/Palace.
VSCO Cam
When Instagram consisted of only Filter > Frame > Post, there wasn’t much choice in making your photos look good. You could tell who was using Amaro because your friend’s recent post had a similar sort of visual aura as the post you just did. So to have more variety and more control over photo editing, we turned to VSCO Cam; it had the most bomb-as filters, the ability to brighten, sharpen, edit the shadows and so on, so forth. To this day we still use VSCO Cam and have a bit of a feeling that Instagram imitated the editing capabilities in its more recent updates.
Evernote
When I’m on the train and think of a blog post idea, I usually like to whip out my phone and type it all out on Evernote. With Evernote’s Sync option, all the files you’ve created will transmit to any device that you’re logged into with your Evernote account. So as soon as I get home, I open Evernote on my laptop and continue writing where I left off after syncing the files from my phone to my computer. Never miss an opportunity to write about new ideas!
And when we need some retail therapy...
ASOS
Do not even get me started on ASOS. OK, maybe I will. I could be on ASOS until the end of time. It’s one of the most phone friendly online shopping apps, rarely crashing and loading all of the products so seamlessly. It’s also a lot easier to scroll through online shopping on my phone rather than sitting on my laptop, I feel.
AliExpress
AliExpress is the eBay version of a Chinese marketplace. You can find so many bargains from clothes, beauty products, shoes and even pet accessories in that place! Because most of the items you purchase are shipped from China, you can expect to wait a couple of weeks for the items to ship. But nonetheless, it’s fantastic to have on your phone if you’re looking for some really affordable ideas for beauty or even your next costume party.
Clinique Gentle Waterproof Mascara (02 Black/Brown)
This is by far one of my favourite mascaras as it doesn't clump or get chunky given that it is a waterproof mascara. It holds a curl all day and you needn't worry about flakey dry mascara falling all over your face. I really like this mascara as it gives a natural look to the lashes as it is dark brown in colour.
Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner (Blackest Black)
This is my favourite gel eyeliner and I will continue to use this forever! It is true to it's name 'Blackest Black' and makes eyeliner so easy to apply! It claims to be smudge proof and waterproof for 24 hours which I think is a false claim since it does transfer onto my eyelid if it is still semi-wet. Overall, a great gel liner!
Revlon CustomEyes Mascara (002 Black Noir)
This one was interesting. I got this for $1 on Scoupon a long time ago and the empty mascara tube has been sitting there for months. For me, this didn't work at all because it didn't hold a curl at all. The formula is very clumpy and wet which weighs down the lashes and within less than 2 minutes of applying my mascara, my lashes would lose the curl which defeats the purpose of curling them in the first place. The concept of the brush is really cool. The top twists allowing for the silicone brush to move from the 'volumising' setting to the 'lengthening' setting. Give this one a miss if you have straight lashes.
Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara (01 Black)
I was so sad to see this mascara run out! It is teeny-tiny and has the smallest mascara wand I've ever seen! This is great when used on the lower lashes as it never clumps or applies too heavily. Sometimes I use the wand to remove any clumps in my upper lashes and at the same time lengthening them. Highly recommend this!
Chloe Signature Eau de Parfum
Hands down my favourite perfume. It smells fresh, clean and feminine - but not the girly/sweet feminine type. The bottle is so cute perfect for carrying in your handbag (that is, the 50ml bottle).
Enjoy!
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation
This is one of my favourite foundations to use during Summer when my skin is darker. I truly used this down to the last drop and even tried to scrape some out with the pump stick! It is a really good foundation for normal to dry skin however I will admit that when I got lighter after Summer had passed, it started to look a bit too pinky/orange on my face as I have yellow undertones. Nonetheless a great 'drugstore' foundation!
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder
I've used these for a couple of years now and I'm pretty sure these are my 3rd and 4th empties. These are in the shades 004 Sandstorm and 005 Silky Beige. It claims to keep you matte for up to 5 hours which for me doesn't quite work as I get oily quickly around the nose and forehead but I still like it.
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
I have repurchased this 3 times over the years and for a drugstore concealer it's pretty good! I've recently started using it as an eyeshadow primer and I'll admit it works better than the DaVinci Eye Primer which is 4x more expensive! This is in the shade 10 Light which I like to use to cover up darkness around my eyes and highlight at the same time.
Clinique Almost Makeup Teint Natural Parfait
I got given this by my aunt and although it was too light for me (02 Light), it was really good for mixing in with other darker foundations (like the Rimmel Foundation). My sister Sophia also uses this foundation because she is a lot lighter than me. It is fragrance free, oil-free and gives a sheer coverage for those days when you don't want to wear a lot of makeup. So far, all good things!
What are your empties and what are you favourite products you always repurchase?
Enjoy!
If you've been looking for a dupe for Urban Decay's Naked (original) palette, I think we just found it! The Lacura Barely There Eyeshadow Palette comes with twelve shadows that are comparable to the Urban Decay Naked Palette and Chi Chi Nudes Palette. So many brands have come out with their own dupe for the Naked Palette however I think this one takes the cake!
The palette comes with a double ended brush and applicator (is this even necessary? :-P), 10 shimmery shades and 2 matte shades each containing 1g of product in each pan. The packaging is fairly sturdy and has a magnetic closure which is another plus! The palette is only $9 from ALDI - yes, ALDI!
Hopefully this was helpful!
Enjoy!
No joke, this was the first time that I'd painted my nails in a year. A YEAR. Mainly because I've been full time working at a desk, typing away at a computer which means that the lifespan of my nail polish has gone to zip after busying my hands for hours on end. It came to a point where I actually looked at my nails and saw the boring, blank hands before me and I thought, 'DANG, I'm becoming a boring office robot!' So I decided that something needs to change.
I wanted a zap of colour, quick to apply, easy to dry but still good on short nails. Since it's summer, I picked out a bright green shade from the hordes of nail polish that I already had. And praise the gods, I had Revlon's 'Posh' nail polish!
I know that you might think Green Nail Polish = Grade 2 sleepover party, but when you think about it, Revlon did name the shade 'Posh'. 'Posh' isn't Nickelodeon, kiddy bright but a nice cool green that's actually quite ladylike and looks good with or without jewellery.
I've had this nail polish for about a year now and usually by now you'd think that the formula has gone thick and goopy, but in fact it's as sleek as the day that I bought it. It's heavily pigmented so you don't even need to apply two coats, meaning that heavy feeling on your nails is pretty much non-existent.
I have so much love for this nail polish that it's lasted so long and not only that, but it still looks great. It's now a go to for me, and shows no signs of going out of style or the formula going bad.
We recently just got back from holidaying overseas and thought that we'd share our makeup travel essentials! Although makeup is part of our daily lives back home here in Australia, things completely change when you travel to a different country. There are limits, people! Luggage allowances, weather conditions and the fact that your number one priority is to explore the amazing place you're travelling to are all things that all affect your choice in makeup travel essentials. So here are some tips to get you started!
Skincare has been a long and winding road for me. While my skin still isn't at all perfect, it's definitely cleared by making some small changes in my routine. The old me would usually think, 'This cleanser doesn't work, let's go buy a new one'. After buying a new cleanser, there'll be a honeymoon period of when it reduces those oily areas and then suddenly, it'll turn its back on your and dry up your skin like the Sahara Desert. In the bin it goes, and you're back with the same cleanser that you thought didn't work for you in the first place.
What I realised though was that it wasn't quite the fault of the cleanser that was either drying out my skin or not really clearing my breakouts at all. It was, in fact the way that I was applying my cleanser.
I picked up this little brush from Forever 21 when I was on holiday in Manila earlier this month and decided to give it a go.
I used a cleanser that seemingly never had any effect on my skin, which was the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser combined with the brush. Since I've been using it throughout the month, I've noticed that my skin has become a lot softer and smoother, and not only that the oily breakouts have definitely reduced. It gave new life to a cleanser that I was ready to toss out and has been extremely effective so far in improving my skin!
Using the Facial Cleansing Brush:
- Rinse the bristles of the brush with warm water
- Give skin a splash of warm water to start opening up your pores
- Apply cleanser on the bristles and (if possible) lather
- Brush in circular motions into the skin and target oily prone areas (i.e. chin, forehead, nose etc). At this point you'll start to feel your skin becoming smoother as dead skin cells are gently being scrubbed away.
- Rinse off the excess cleanser with warm water. End the rinse with cool water to close your pores and moisturise.
- Rinse your brush and let it air dry. Once it's dry, keep it in either an air tight container to keep it sanitary at all times. After all, you wouldn't want a dirty brush going into your skin!
Although this process is great for keeping your skin well exfoliated and smooth, twice a week uses of the brush is enough. Enjoy!
I remember back in 2010 when I was a beginner in makeup (not that I’m a pro nowadays) the least important part of my beauty routine was brows. It sort of sat at the bottom of the list. In fact, back in pre 2010s, I do recall that it was actually the fashion to pluck your eyebrows so thin that they were kind of like small little trails of hair that kind of just sat there.
But with the advent of bold brows ruling the stratosphere of beauty, my eyebrows are the first and most important part of my beauty routine now. Because going out with a fresh face of makeup but meh brows just doesn’t sit feel and look quite right.
One of the best things about this product is that it comes with a wax to apply on your eyebrows prior to adding the powder shades on top. It works really well in keeping all the stray hairs in place and adding a lot more definition to your brows. So well that you don’t need to wear any brow gel afterwards because it sets so nicely without the crusty frozen feeling that brow gel gives.
I’d definitely recommend it if you have rather sparse eyebrows because the wax really adds body to your eyebrows. But if you’re like me, where your eyebrows are already quite dense, you might want to go easy on the wax because of how pigmented it already is. At times even just skip it altogether because you don’t want to make your eyebrows look ratchet. Yes, ratchet. Too dark can often be too much.
At about $9.45, it’s a hardy little thing that does make your eyebrow definition last literally all day. Go for it if you’re looking for a brow kit that’s low budget but still delivers!
The NYX Center Stage Collection includes six jumbo pencils that are highly pigmented and so easy to use. The neutral shades are perfect for when you're in a rush and want a shimmery all-over eyeshadow that will last all day. No need for an eyeshadow base or primer for these as they are so pigmented and blend-able.
The best thing of all, you can use these jumbo pencils in so many ways! Here are some tips:
Jumbo Pencil in Milk (white):
- All over eyeshadow base
- Under-eye brightener
- Eyebrow highlight then blend
- Inner corner highlight
- In the waterline to highlight and make your eyes appear bigger
- Highlight all over the face including bridge of the nose, cheekbones and cupids bow (then blend)
- Under your concealer to act as a base over dark circles, spots, or redness
Jumbo Pencils in Yoghurt and Sparkle Nude:
- All over the lid as a single shadow (it will stay all day!)
- Highlight the inner corner
- In the waterline to highlight and make your eyes appear bigger (less harsh than using a white)
- Highlight your cheekbones, inner-corner and cupids bow (then blend)
Ah, welcome to the family. For the longest time I've been reading reviews and watching YouTube videos on this palette and at last, it's here.
Of course, I had to take a photo before actually swatching and using the palette.. (we all do this!) Surprisingly I've had it for three weeks now and still haven't gotten round to playing with it! With the uni semester finishing and only a week until exam period, I haven't been able to try it out yet. From the looks of it, the Pro 2 palette has the same concept as the original Pro palette - all mattes on top and shimmer/sheen shadows on the bottom row.
What are your favourite Lorac products?
♡
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Thumbs down: Savvy Long Lasting Brow & Eyeliner Pen
Sunday, October 26, 2014Unknown
Give this one a skip, guys. It's not worth ruining your skin for.
The best thing about midi rings is that they don't feel distracting to wear when you're doing everyday things with your hands. The most cumbersome feeling is having a heavy ring on close to the joints of your fingers while you're typing or writing. Whereas having a midi ring is light, small and so easy to wear. As I work the 9 to 5 job at a computer, midi rings are the best type of jewellery for me. Though it sounds random, I kind of like looking down at my hands while working and admiring how dainty they look!
