vitamins are not created equal!

think you're doing yourself good by popping them vitamins? you know, if you normally eat a well-balance diet, you really don't need to take any vitamins; more than the daily dose comes out in your peepee. =X however, because many of us live busy lives, we don't always get all the nutrients we need in the foods we choose to consume.

things to look for when buying vitamins:
look for vitamins that are easily absorbed, meaning made from natural ingredients. most people don't know that many of the vitamins sold at drug stores are not 100% natural, but are actually man-made/synthetic. for example, a vitamin can be labeled as "100% vitamin _" even if it only contains 10% of it naturally and 90% of it man-made.

why does this matter?
man-made vitamins do not absorb in the body as well as natural vitamins. so when you read the label and it reads, "2000% DV (Daily Value)," this does not also mean 2000% absorption. in simpler terms, your body does not absorb all 2000% of it, but only a fraction! so try to buy all natural (vegetarian) products. in addition, certain man-made vitamins (e.g., vitamin A) can damage your liver if overdosed (squidoo.com).

a few recommended brands (per my school nurse):
- Garden of Life*
- Metagenics
- Eclectic
- Solgar

i am currently trying out Garden of Life's VITAMIN CODE right now. BTW, all-natural vitamins are usually more expensive, but i'm sure there's a reason for that!

note: i don't claim to know everything about vitamins, so feel free to inform/correct me. for more info about vitamins & minerals, go to eatwell.gov.uk, squidoo.com or to kidshealth.org (yes, a kids' site!).

quote of the day

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." — Marilyn Monroe

Best.TopCoat.Ever. - Seche Vite

this has got to be the BEST top coat ever. i first found out about seche vite overhearing a girl on the bus (in NJ, not cali) rant to her friends about how great it was. so, i tried it and absolutely LOVED it. i never really thought there were so much variability in nail polishes but there definitely is. not only does it dry fairly quickly, it also allows your nail polish to stay on for @ least a few (to several) days longer before chipping. of course, this also depends on if you have a good base coat underneath your color polish to keep it from sliding off. however, this is one top coat that i can consider my HG. love, love, love it! (btw- when i went to taiwan earlier this year and got my crazy nails did there, they were using seche vite too.)

Price: $4.50 - $10.00
Where to Buy: drug stores, beauty stores
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Tip: if you buy it at a drug store (e.g., CVS), expect to pay around $7.99 for it. i bought mine at Sally's for $4.99 (or so) w/ my membership discount (membership costs only $5/year) -- well worth it.

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to piggyback off of this nail polish post, i'd also like to share another nail polish that i LOVE:


OPI strawberry margarita ♥

if you're looking for a nice candy pink (w/o glitter), this is the color for you! over the weekend, i got my nails done and picked this color to try. it's not a light pink or a dark pink -- it's just in between. the color is so vibrant - it really pops! it would make a really cool m&m color. lol


my crappy webcam doesn't take good photos. the pink actually looks more bright and slightly coral-ish than what is seen here.

i ♥ OPI.

k-fashion

my aunt from korea came to visit this month and gave me this poppy dress! my initial reaction was what the... but i fell in love w/ it after i tried it on. the bottom half of the dress really flares out. it makes me feel like a character that should be on the cover of the candyland game box. this picture really doesn't do it justice. per my aunt, this type of dress is currently popular among young korean celebs. hehehee

mascara mascara mascara!

i usually don't care much for mascaras because i ALWAYS wear fakies when i got out, but now, i've been on an el naturale phase. i'm on a quest to find the BEST mascara ever and still haven't found one to call my HG (holy grail). maybe there isn't one for my short lashes but i will continue to look until i find one close enough. here are a few that i've tried recently.

Blinc Kiss Me Mascara


blinc's kiss me masara works differently than other mascaras in that it doesn't stick/coat the lashes but it "tubes" the lashes; therefore, removal doesn't involve messy panda eyes. it offers moderate volumnizing and lengthening (i've had better). overall, it's cool to try but not worth repurchasing.

PROS: not very clumpy, doesn't uncurl the lashes to straight pieces of nothing like the other mascaras.
CONS: pieces of the "tube" flake off and may fall into your eyes during the day - very annoying. i could use more volume and length too.

Price: $24.00
Where to Buy: amazon.com, sephora, and random cosmetic stores
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars (it's OK. it gets 3 for the no-mess cleanup)

L'Oréal voluminous

I decided to try this drugstore-brand mascara out because my sister LOVES it. well, i can't say i LOVE it, but i can't say that i hate it either.

PROS: it definitely volumizes and lengthens, and it's CHEAP! ($7.50 or less)
CONS: very clumpy! i guess if you have a good lash comb, you can comb out all of the clumps. removal is also messy because of the clumps (you have so much mascara on your lashes).

Price: $7.50
Where to Buy: any drug store and almost any market.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Tip: use a good lash brush to remove the clumps after application.


MAC zoom lash



i got suckered into buying this when i was exchanging my eyeshadow base (oh, that reminds me... i need to post a review of eyeshadow bases!). i was told that it was their "best-selling mascara" and that it lengthens and volumizes just like the L'Oréal voluminous (yes, i asked the MA to compare it to the volmuminous and she even told me she used to use it!), but without the clumps. overall impression... it's O-K. i think i will return. =X

PROS: not very clumpy, volumizes and lengthens (however, not impressive).
CONS: completely straigthens your curled lashes! whoa - worse than the voluminous.

Price: $13.00 (not bad)
Where to Buy: you know where
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
Tip: this mascara might be good if you already have curly lashes (i.e., if you're not asian! lol)

revitalash update!

my lashes grew!! (sorry, i didn't take a before pic because it was too embarrassing... although now, i wish i had.) believe me, they used to be a lot shorter n more sparce!

quickie update

ok, so it's been a while since i've last posted. i've been really busy these days w/ my internship, bridal event planning (for my friend's wedding), and FINALS (which are next week)! aaakk!

here are my brief beauty updates... not much, but whatever:

** picked up my preorder of kitty kouture dazzleglasses! woot woot!
** thinking about getting eyelash extensions (totally was against it @ first but might've found a place that is reasonably priced to TRY) -- will post a review if it happens.
** urban decay "sin" eyeshadow primer is horrible!