My life in Instagram (2)

Yet another series I started and abandoned *sheepish*

I started it because I had just gotten Instagram not too long ago and wanted it to be part of the blog! Currently, I am still addicted to IG but just gotten lazy with le blog heh.

So here’s some of my favorite photos from there, I post mainly outfits and food. Follow me @ashlynechen if you haven’t already

1) one bored day in Sydney. photos from Sydney coming up next!

2) brunch with Terry, my bro and church mates. blessed afternoon with awesome food <3

3) my very first attempt at a green smoothie! spinach, bananas and apples. Does not work as a meal replacement for me because I get hungry after 2 hours =/ BUT a good way for me to get some veggies in my diet.

4) brunch I made the other day for T and I. Satisfying.

5) another selfie lol.

6) chicken mango salad, really easy and healthy I am trying to eat better for some meals, better than nothing and is a start.

7) my new bag! From Rebecca Minkoff, been lusting for it since forever and didn’t get it when I was in the States last year. But I am glad I decided to bite the bullet and order it off Shopbop when they had 20% off (score!). Very happy with my purchase, it is made really well and I love the color. Still I wish it is an inch wider, this bag can hold the minimun, good for training myself not to bring so much crap out.

 

Excited to be heading to Beijing this Thursday but feeling a bit meh about heading over to Shanghai and Shenzhen again. Guess I will probably be spending most of my time in the hotel room and catch up with my reading.

Will definitely have plenty of time to blog! xx

Su Zhou

Besides hanging around Qi Bao Lao Jie for a day when I was in Shanghai early March, T also decided that we should head to Suzhou for a day trip

The main attraction for this is 拙政园, the largest garden in Suzhou. T said that the characteristic of this garden is no matter where you turn there is always something new to look at. It does seem that way, and rather confusing for me to identify where I am.

 

I love my polka dot jeans from Zara so much! It’s been a while since I have enjoyed wearing jeans.

Pretty 梅花! I felt so happy looking at them, just because I love looking at flowers and also because you can only see them in winter and knowing that I managed to catch them makes me feel smug. Not a very good reason I know haha.

We then headed to 观前街 for a walk, but there really isn’t much there.

I really enjoyed the day with T though, love to have him all to myself and not distracted by work! <3

The ‘Use-it-up’ Project (18) – April Edition

I actually fell sick on the first day of May! What a way to start the month T_T

Where did April go to anyway? I feel like 2013 has been passing pretty quickly. Or maybe time just passes more quickly as you get older.

This month, I have quite a few Bath & Body Works items! Hope you enjoy as usual and feel motivated to work through your stash xx

1) Simple – Cleansing Facial Wipes

why did I buy it? Heard about this on Youtube from a lot of different gurus that it’s good, I am a sucker for YT reviews especially if it’s by my favorite gurus. If they love it, I gotta have it yo!

first impressions? The wipe seems a little rough on my skin, as compared to the Biore wipes I was using previously but it is much larger and I really appreciate that since I have got a huge face.

upon finishing? I ended up really liking this product because it cleanses really well, even eyeliner and mascara. Didn’t try it on waterproof mascara though. Also, the wipe didn’t seem that rough towards the end and I figured it might be some kind of an exfoliating function. The last few wipes dried out a little (but still usable) but it’s totally understandable because I only used it like, once a week.

2)  Bath & Body Works – Hand Lotion in Wildhoney Suckle

why did I buy it? First time in an actual Bath&Body Works store of course I had to get me some hand lotions!

first impressions? the smell is too overpowering, I don’t even understand why I got this scent in the first place T__T

upon finishing? I left it in the car and used it whenever I can, and since the smell is so strong it actually acts as an car freshener as well hahahha. Still, not a repurchase for me though. So over these antibacterial hand lotions.

3) The Body Shop – Satsuma Puree Body Lotion

why did I buy it? got this as part of a Christmas exchange last year!

first impressions? love the scent! This is not my first bottle of TBS’s puree body lotion so I know what to expect. My actual first impression wasn’t good as I felt that it is not moisturizing at all but it works well as a daytime moisturizer.

upon finishing? Love this scent, will repurchase if there is a sale! :p

4) Bath & Body Works – Body Lotion in Rainkissed Leaves

why did I buy it? I think I stole this from one of the hotels I stayed in while in US, can’t remember where though.

first impressions? LOVE THE SCENT SO MUCH! Which is why I stole this bottle #dontjudge

upon finishing? This scent is seriously so good! However, I have been unable to locate this in stores ;( Maybe I will try ordering online one day.

5) Bath & Body Works – Anti-bacterial Hand Gel in Holly Berry 

why did I buy it? got this when I ordered from their site during Black Friday which is why this is a festive scent.

first impressions? does not dry out my hands and has a nice scent.

upon finishing? I love the fact that they come in all kinds of scents. Singapore doesn’t have such hand sanitizers right?!

6) ZA– Ever Brows in Natural Brown

why did I buy it? need a new eyebrow pencil and this was on sale in Watsons.

first impressions? very easy to use, actually I am not an expert on eye brows so not too fussy on it.

upon finishing? Have already repurchased this but in another shade, the good thing about this is that it comes with a spoolie for me to brush out the hairs.

7) Chanel – Pencil Eye Liner

why did I buy it? got this like super long ago! I am ashamed to admit that the only reason why I got this is because CHANEL.

first impressions? smudges like hell on my eyes and I hate it! But it’s chanel so of course I gotta make it work.

upon finishing? I figured that this doesn’t work well on its own so I usually use it to trace the line I am going to draw then go over it with liquid eyeliner. I don’t find it troublesome at all because I am still using this technique now as it gives me a softer eye look. Also, because of the ridiculous number of years I own this eyeliner, it actually started irritating my skin. I was like what is causing my eye lids to flake like crazy when my skin is not dry at all and even resorted to using a lot of eye cream -.-

So moral of the story, purge your makeup regularly! I try to do that, even though I am no good at it.

Here’s to hoping that May will pass quickly, because exciting stuff is going to happen in June (for me anyway)

Shanghai – Qi Bao Lao Jie

Headed over to Shanghai for a short trip again in first week of March.

This time, T’s sis recommended us to head over to 七宝老街 for the afternoon.

 

I really enjoyed strolling along the streets and the street snacks. It’s super crowded though!

Hope you enjoyed the photos! I don’t really have anything significant to add on, only that it was quality time spent with the husband and that is something I always cherish xx

Recent Makeup…..(2)

Jeez, I thought that having a new series would help me be more disciplined in blogging and also the topics won’t be so random but uh it’s been 3 months since I started my first post on my ‘Recent Makeup’ chat.

Sometimes I switch items too fast so I don’t really bother to document but recently I’ve settled on a routine that I really like, though I will be forcing myself to rotate items around real soon again! haha the perils of having too many makeup items

1) Too Faced Eyeshadow Primer in Candlelight

2) Everyday Minerals Eyeshadow in Seahorse

3) Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Demolition

4) Victoria’s Secret Sparkling Eyeliner in Glitter Bronze

5) ZA Ever Brows in 04 Honey Brown

6) Etude House Tear Drop Liner in 03 Pearl Sparkle

I have been going for a simple bright eyed look, using Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight which is a shimmery gold, and then setting with the eyeshadow from Everyday Minerals. That is a travel friendly loose eyeshadow as it has a roller ball for application. Definitely not suitable for looks that require precision but good enough for all over the eyelid usage. Also have been keeping my eyeliner softer by using brown eyeliners, UD is darker and I use that closer to my water line while VS is more for smoothing out any rough edges and to soften the look since it is a ligher brown.

Finally I finished off with UD on the outer 3/4 of lower waterline and then Etude House’s Tear drop liner on the inner half.

7) Skin79 Super + BB Cream

8) Benefit Erase Paste in 02 Medium

9) Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer

10) MAC Blush in Spaced Out

11) Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

As you can see I have been keeping it real simple with the face. Skin79′s bb cream is alright, nothing exceptional to talk about. I wonder how I will be able to finish such a huge bottle though (40mL!). Some days I even skip the concealer because I am not really too fussy about achieving a perfect complexion.

Hope you enjoyed the makeup talk xx

what I’ve been wearing…(21)

I am fairly certain that I will not be able to become a fashion blogger because I keep forgetting to take my outfits! But I have found a good spot which is just out at my lift in the morning when the sunlight is really good so that is going to be my new background

1) Blazer and Belt from ASOS, dress from River Island

2) Dress and shoes from ASOS, Pullover from Bangkok

3) Scarf from FCUK, Top from Victoria’s Secret, Skirt from Korea, Bag from Karen Millen

4) Dress from H&M, Scarf from Gap, Bag from Karen Millen

5) Dress from ASOS, Bag from Karen Millen, Shoes from Zara

I think I love my third outfit the most, and that was my church attire one Saturday. Also making it a point to wear my scarves more often though it can get so hot sometimes. Have not been buying a lot of clothes recently as I feel like I don’t need anything new. Also feeling the need to purge but I am not sure what to purge! Really need to spend one weekend to look through everything and think about it hard.

Who had thought that being vain can be so difficult?

The ‘Use-it-up’ Project (17) – March Edition

Hello, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter break!

I’m glad I managed to keep myself away from chocolate eggs BUT I feel like I am developing a double chin <:(

Here’s what I used up in March, thankful that I am not too late this time round. Right now I am kind of worried about what I am going to use up this month, and next because none of my items seem to be finishing! Time to reorganize and change up my routine a little.

1) Origins – VitaZing SPF15

why did I buy it? Makeupbytiffanyd always raves about this so I decided to get it. Recently she has switched over to Smashbox bb cream though!

first impressions? smells a little weird, and I didn’t really know the right amount to use. Did give a tiny bit of coverage though.

upon finishing? I got used to the smell in the end and figured out that I had to use just a tiny amount. I had all along thought that this is a moisturizer but now they are marketing this in Asia as a bbcream? Anyway this lasted me for over half a year because I was only using it as a morning moisturizer. I felt that it was alright, but not fantastic so I won’t be repurchasing it.

2) The Bodyshop – Vitamin E Moisture Serum

why did I buy it? got this during one of their sales because I had wanted to start including serums in my skincare routine.

first impressions? absorbs really quickly and doesn’t smell weird like some Vitamin E products!

upon finishing? I really like it! I felt that it really did help my skin to be brighter and remain clearer. Right now I have a few other serums on hand but I do think that it is very likely that I will repurchase this in future but maybe use it as a daytime serum instead of night time.

3) Dollywink – Eyelash Glue

why did I buy it? needed a good eyelash glue and spotted it in Watsons.

first impressions? I just had to use a tiny bit but the glue stayed on really well!

upon finishing? I liked it so much that I included this in my 2012 beauty favorites <3 You know how some eyelash glue’s quality detoriate towards the end, like my eyelash wouldn’t stay on the whole day but this quality is the same throughout. Much love for it since I use falsies like 90% of the time I put on makeup haha.

4) Canmake – Lash Care Essence

why did I buy it? wanted to take care of my lashes because I do eye makeup almost every day.

first impressions? didn’t irritate my eyes which is good.

upon finishing? I didn’t finish it, because I was too lazy to use it routinely to really see a difference so I don’t really have much to comment about it =s

5) Silk Naturals – Blush in Carnal

why did I buy it? bought this when community sprees were all the rage! also when mineral makeup just started getting a lot of attention and Silk Naturals was one of the companies that were being raved about besides M.A.D. minerals and Everyday Minerals etc.

first impressions? a little too pigmented, but still manageable. The color is towards matte, and it was alright. Not the kind of color I would go for everyday since I prefer bright blushes.

upon finishing? I thought it was an ok blush, if you are into mineral makeup then it’s worth taking a look. Personally I prefer pressed blushes because it’s much easier to work with. And again, the color! Just not something I would reach for everyday.

6) M.A.D. Minerals – Mineral Foundation

why did I buy it? also, during the time when mineral makeup was all the rage so I wanted to try out mineral foundation too! Honestly quite glad that I got mini samples only especially since I dragged on for years before using them. Good thing about mineral foundation is that they don’t have expiry date (please correct me if I am wrong!).

first impressions? buildable coverage, and surprisingly it stays on better than I thought it would. However, it is just too troublesome for me to use it as I had to pour it out, and use a brush to work it.

upon finishing?  it is not that bad, except that it’s too troublesome to use. I also prefer the finish I get from my bb creams/liquid foundations since I am more of a dewy finish kind of girl. I got an olive and a natural one and I mixed the two together to get my perfect color although the olive is too yellow for me so I actually still got a little leftover from the olive.

And that’s all for this month! I am really glad that March is over, it has been a crazy month with so many things going on and T being away for like 2/3 of the month. Looking forward to more quality time spent together in April and also hopefully start planning a summer holiday at the beach!

Thanks for reading xx