Song Spotlight - August

It has been too long since my last update! I meant to post this exact same post up earlier, actually, but things have been kind of crazy with me lately. Last weekend I took a trip to what I consider my second hometown to visit friends (friends who are staying, and a friend who has since returned to Korea), and then this week I started back at the 9-5 day job that I had before I went back to university, which involved turning my sleeping schedule nearly upside down. So needless to say, it has been a bit of an adjustment, and this blog kind of fell by the wayside for the past 11 days. Boo! 

Anyway, on to the song spotlight for August! I have decided that from now on, I will choose both one "foreign" pick, as well as one "domestic" pick, because I realized that if I didn't? There would be a whole lotta kpop posted here. And contrary to popular belief, I don't just listen to kpop! (I swear!)

Pick number one is by Xiah Junsu, a member of JYJ, who I have been a fan of for nearly seven years now. The song is called "You Are So Beautiful" and is featured on the Scent of a Woman OST. This song is gorgeous, with Junsu's unique vocals, as well as overall lyrics and arrangement. Love it. Definitely one of my favourite releases of the summer. 

My second choice, the "domestic" (or English language choice) is a song that I didn't particularly listen to a lot to in August, per se, but one that I discovered in August, and have been listening to a lot more lately, haha. And that is "Titanium" by David Guetta, featuring Sia. I first discovered Sia about 

three years ago after watching her performance of "Soon We'll be Found" on David Letterman, and was taken to her voice right away. It has a really interesting quality to it in the fact that it is very distinctive -- there is no way that you could mistake her for another vocalist. This song is a really interesting mash-up of electronic sounds and Sia's trademark style. It's not really a mix that I would have ever really thought would work, but it totally does in this case.

Actually, it was somewhat difficult to pick the second choice for this month, because I don't have any set criteria in place for determining the song spotlight, and well :p I am not quite as enamored with it as I am my first pick. But in any case, I think that it is a good listen and definitely an excellent addition to my iTunes library. 

I can't believe that August is over and that September is also nearly halfway finished! In a way I am looking forward to it, because it means that I can start baking again (yay for more posting material for this blog!), but at the same time I am in mourning for summer as the days grow shorter and the nights chillier. :( 

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Summer 2011 Dramas

screencap courtesy of dramabeans

So, summer isn't quite over yet. It is only the end of August, but there are signs that fall is just around the corner. School has already started or is starting soon for those who are going back (I'm personally taking a semester off, so for me this means going back to a 9-5 day job). It is September 1st tomorrow, there is a certain chill in the air at night, the scent of apples when you drive by orchards...

Ok, so it's like that where I live, anyway. Which has put me in the mood for some end-of-season, end-of-summer related posts. And I figured that HEY, this would be an excuse to recap all of the dramas that I have watched over my 4 month summer vacation!

Since I am learning Korean and like the overall format, I pretty much only watch Korean dramas. I know, I know, call me picky :p But if anybody has any recommends for other AWESOME asian dramas, let me know?

For the tl;dr crowd, if you scroll down to the bottom of the jump, you can see which ones were my favourites and which ones sort of fell flat for me. But I hope that at least someone reads through this post, because it took forever (and I mean forever) to compose.

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Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary Palette Swatches + Mini Review

As promised, I bring swatches of the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary palette! When this first came out, I thought for sure that I would have issues getting my hands on it. One, it sold out ridiculously fast on the Urban Decay website. Two, I did not have the money to spend on makeup. Three, it's limited edition. Ahh, the woes of the broke university student who is slow on the uptake, haha.

Needless to say, I was super surprised to find that Sephora had this sucker in stock online, and it just so happened that my mom wanted to order the Naked palette, so I snatched it up without a second thought (and with an IOU to mommy dearest ;) ).

Description from the Urban Decay Wesbite:

"It’s our party, and we’ll launch 15 NEW (and only in this kit!) eyeshadow shades if we want to! With just the right balance of neutrals and brights, darks and lights, the 15-Year Anniversary Palette is both versatile and the ultimate UD junkie collection. Shades like “Junkshow” (a bright pink), “Evidence” (a deep metallic blue) and Midnight 15 (an oyster pearl shade) mesmerize the eyes. The collectible gunmetal outer box features a luxe faceted jewel “UD” on the cover and an eye-grabbing laser-cut filigree design on the sides. Inside, the shadow tray pulls out to reveal a velvet-lined compartment that can be used to stash jewelry or personal mementos."

On to the swatches!

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Urban Decay Naked Palette - Swatched and Reviewed

I originally was not planning on swatching this palette, since it's so ridiculously popular that it has been swatched a million times, and well. I am lazy. BUT, while talking makeup and pretty packaging with my friend Susan, she requested a swatch, so I figured why not? This blog needs more content (haha), and it is not like swatching is an all-day task or anything :p 

So, after receiving my Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary limited edition palette today, I figured that I would get 'er done. Swatches of the 15 Year Anniversary palette are still a work in progress though, so they will be in a different post!

Anyway, description of the Naked palette from the Urban Decay website: 

"You can look great NAKED! This long, lean, seductive case is packed with TWELVE gorgeous neutrals. Shades range from delicate champagnes to dark, gritty gunmetal, and feature FIVE NEW shades with names like Darkhorse, Virgin and Buck. We've also included a range of textures: everything from glitter to shimmer to matte. The chocolaty velvet case is emblazoned with the word "NAKED" in gold foil lettering. (Just wait 'til your friends see you pull this sexy thing out of your bag. Jealous!) The mirrored case also includes a professional quality, cruelty-free Good Karma Eyeshadow Brush, AND a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion in original formula. This is a shadow palette EVERYONE can use, and a truly spectacular gift. Experiment with office-appropriate neutrals, summertime bronzy looks, or sultry smokiness. With such a diversity of neutral shades at your fingertips, there's more to neutral than meets the eye."

Alright, now that we've gotten the introduction out of the way, let's get reviewing and swatching!

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Book Review: Cinderella Ate My Daughter

As previously mentioned, I made a trip to the library last week and picked up Patty Orenstein's book Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture. Originally, I was planning on reviewing ALL of the books that I picked up on that trip, but decided that I was too lazy, haha. So I chose this on out of the three that I picked up, considering it is the one that I have the most to say about (that, and I already reviewed Japanland on Goodreads - if you are interested in hearing about that one, feel free to check it out).

Anyway, when I started this book, I proceeded with caution. One, because it seemed to be marketed as a book for parents with daughters, and I am obviously not a parent. Two, because it seemed as if it may be feminist literature. Not that there is anything wrong with feminist literature, but I find that some of it is a little too sensationalist for my liking. Don't get me wrong, the concept of feminism in its very basic form is something that I agree with, but there are some practices and feminist ideas that I find tough to swallow and tough to agree with. I thought that this book may be chock full of them, but ended up being pleasantly surprised.

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Adventures in Vegan Cooking: Dubu Jorim (Korean)

I am far from being vegan. While not an avid carnivore, I definitely appreciate my meat, especially when it comes to Korean cuisine. Bulgogi, kalbi, dwaeji bokkeum... Korean bbq is seriously the best, and among some of my favourite foods. But there is still a part of me that is curious about "the other side," if you will. I am definitely not unwilling to forgo meat in meals, and enjoy cooking vegetarian or vegan every once in awhile. So, when I came across a recipe for "saucy dubu jorim" on Alien's Day Out, I decided that I had to try it. I'm not exactly a huge, huge fan of tofu or anything, but spicy tofu? Sounded pretty freaking good. 

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Luxe Box - August 2011

It is one of my favourite times of the month - my August Luxe Box is here! I was pleasantly surprised when I checked the tracking number today and found out that it was already out for delivery. Totally was not expecting it until Monday. Also kind of ironic that I received it today, considering that I had a dream last night that I received it, and woke up thinking "MAN, I wish I was getting it today!"

For those of you who have not heard about the service, for $12 a month (just over $13 including HST), Luxe Box by Loose Button delivers 3-5 deluxe beauty samples to you every month, all wrapped up in super pretty packaging. Unfortunately this service is only available in Canada at the moment, though they are looking to expand internationally.

This is my third Luxe Box, and I gotta say, I have not been disappointed with a single one so far! I have definitely gotten my money's worth, especially because I have gotten at least one full-sized product in every box. Gotta love that. I also like that it gives me a chance to try a bunch of new products for relatively little cost, especially when they are things that I normally do not sample at the store (ie: perfumes, makeup in "adventurous" shades, new face products, etc.).

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