löwechen // little lion

Mon séjour à Paris !

2010-06-01T00:35:00.004+01:00

'Bonjour tout le monde !
Je suis retournée à Londres aujourd'hui ! Je suis un peu triste, puisque ma visite était fantastique mais je suis contente aussi car je suis revenue chez moi :)'

Enough with the French for now! I went to France this week for a few days and returned today for an educational trip. There was a lot of walking (especially on the way to Montmartre, aaaargh) and my feet are very tired now but I think the trip was definitely worth it. Visiting the top of Eiffel Tower and generally having a week off school - doesn't get much better than that?! ;)

It's been months since my trip but I haven't bothered to post until now - actually I did start this post ages ago but I suppose I've been too ~~lazy~~ busy to update. My exams are coming up in less than two weeks but since it's the holidays I guess I should use it. I might post a picture of the Eiffel Tower sparkling (yes it really does!) but maybe later.

I've also been able to do a little bit of shopping! This was my outfit for a recent day out. My favourite pieces are the skirt and the shoes, unfortunately I managed to break one of the chains - gah, so clumsy!

Les vacances

2010-03-25T20:44:00.000Z

Ah at last the holidays for me! The problem is the exams that follow afterwards. Gah. Well I'll be going on a trip with my class to Paris on the first week back so that should be fun for a Francophile like me, hah. (Jealous, Sophie? ;D)

ANYWAY. I am planning to do the review on the Elizabeth Arden concealer but that's when I get a new camera (my current one takes ridiculously blurry images) so yeah. Oh and another article on bedroom decorations which I will do tomorrow!

Art Project

2010-03-01T23:13:00.002Z

Wow, an actual blog about my life. So exciting, right?
Firstly, I've bought some make up products recently - an Elizabeth Arden concealer (the only thing in the store that wasn't pink/orange), some cheap green concealer stick and a Rimmel powder thing. I shall do reviews on them later, if you want. I was wondering also if you all know of any good lip glosses? I don't really wear that kind of stuff but I just thought I'd try a non-sticky one.
Okay, onto the subject!

Today we got our topics for our next project. We got to choose from three themes: journeys, exaggerations and fears/superstitions. I know they can be a bit difficult to expand on but I guess creativity is what art is all about, right? I plan to do a painting for my main piece and I was leaning towards the fears/superstitions theme to cover an issue but I'd like your input on what you'd think of when you see those particular themes and how you would cover them in your pieces. Thank you!

Once I decide I hope to keep you all updated on my progress.
Gosh school is so stressful.

Lioele Beyond the Solution vs. Missha Watery

2010-02-25T21:51:00.002Z

Since I've been running out of things to blog about in my daily life (school is such an exciting thing, as you know) I have decided to add beauty and fashion elements into Loewechen. I shall start with BB Creams. :)

I started using BB Creams after seeing a review of Missha Perfect Cover by Bubzbeauty. Apparently BB Cream (short for 'Blemish Balm') - a popular beauty product in Asia, particularly Korea - has the ability to cover up blemishes, moisturise, soothe and protect. I was a bit sceptical about this, but after having a particularly bad experience with make up following my purchase of Maybelline Mineral Powder in Rose Ivory (note this!) and ending up orange after buying it (aaah), I decided to give BB Creams a go, since they are aimed at the Asian market.

A few additional details about my skin type: I have generally oily skin with some dry patches (so I breakout occasionally) and quite pale skin with yellow undertones). Okay, onto the review!

As you can see by the pictures of the tubes on the right, both come in very nice designs (both 50ml by the way). Missha Watery you just squeeze out and Lioele is a pump. Surprisingly, I prefer the Missha when it comes to this aspect, as the pump can get quite messy as a bit of the cream stays on the pump and smudges the transparent cap.

Missha Watery
Colour: Extremely dark compared to other BB Creams. Dark brown and slightly greyish but in reality has slightly yellow tones.
Coverage: Light. It doesn't cover up my blemishes very well but it is natural and does adjust to skin tones well. It's very cooling when first applied though.
Oil Control: Good. Not fantastic.
Smell: Perfumed - a bit like baby lotion but stronger. I personally like it but I think it depends on personal preference.
Texture: As suggested by its name, its very watery. It's also very cooling when you first apply it.

I've been using Missha Watery for a few months now after I finished my tube of Missha Perfect Cover, although I have not been entirely satisfied with it - I wear foundation and BB Creams and such specifically to help control the oil and to brighten my complexion (my face has a slightly darker skin tone compared to to my arms and such), and this product has not been entirely successful. I am satisfied with the coolness of the application and the SPF factor though - it has its upsides!

However, if you're looking for a light product that has natural coverage, moisturises well and doesn't make you look like a ghost or anything, this product might be right for you. I think this product might also be very good in the summer because of its properties. However, if you have oily skin, you might want to avoid this.

Lioele Beyond the Solution

Colour: Lighter than Missha Watery but still a little dark. It has its yellow undertones as well but when blended has a slight 'greyishness' to it.

Coverage: Better than Missha in my opinion. A little heavy.

Oil Control: Extremely good! My skin did not become obviously oily during the day.

Smell: Perfumed like Missha. The same kind of fragrance so I think whether you like it or not depends on your personal preference.

Texture: Very thick! It gives great coverage but is hard to blend.

I bought this BB Cream following some positive reviews I've found on the Internet as a replacement for the Missha Watery. When first applied it has a kind of 'stickyness' - well not really, but it isn't very smooth feeling when you touch it and although it brightens up my complexion a little bit, it doesn't make me extremely pale but it gives me a yellowish tinge. I don't know if that's because of my skin colour or the product but it doesn't really cause a problem for me.

To conclude, I think that these products are at the opposite ends of the spectrum - so if you want a product that covers up blemishes really well and is good for oil control and probably use in winter, then you should choose Lioele BTS.
(Left: Comparison of BB Creams on skin)

So that's all on my review on Lioele BTS vs. Missha Watery! I hope you found this useful and I shall return with more reviews! Make up or clothes? Hmm, I'm not sure...

Chuc Mung Nam Muoi!

2010-02-15T17:21:00.005Z

If you didn't know, that's 'Happy New Year' in Vietnamese ;)
Well actually New Year took place yesterday (Year of the Tiger! Yay). I didn't do much really, just watched Avatar and visited my Uncle's house where I ruined all the games on the Wii we played by failing the stages. Ehehe.
Luckily my parents aren't superstitious at all so I wasn't scared into not washing my hair or anything :p What a relief!

Also I went to one of my favourite markets on Saturday and bought lots of lovely things from the market (a necklace, three cardigans, a sequined dress and a deer t-shirt) but I'm too lazy to put them up so maybe I will if I have time during this holiday. Well I'll try to eventually!

I'll leave you with a great YT vid on New Year (mychonny is one of my blogging inspirations, haha):

Look who disappeared!

2010-01-28T21:47:00.000Z

I can see why people say January is the most depressing month of the year - the end of the holidays, the return to school, etc. Do you agree?

Anyway, I haven't decided to blog recently because well there's nothing really I can blog about! I went on a little spending frenzy after all the money I received as presents from Christmas but that's about it really. Well, if I bother, I'll put up some pictures anyway.

New Layout!

2010-01-04T14:07:00.003Z

Finally on the last day of my holidays (D:) I decided to make a new layout for the blog. This time, I decided to concentrate more on the coding side for the overall design rather than rely on graphics so I hope it looks alright.

Also I've been trying to read more books recently to improve my overall English skills and at the moment I am reading Cannery Row by Steinbeck. I generally like all genres so if you've got any suggestions for books to read I'd appreciate it. :D Thank you!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:48:00.002Z

The fireworks display where I live was pretty spectacular, I have to admit :P. Did you see the ones in your country?

Birds

2009-12-30T01:10:00.006Z

Today I went shopping (not the best time to do so, I have to admit with all the sales and New Year's Parties preparations and such) and I bought a blazer (finally!) and a necklace (see above picture) in an otherwise amazingly trashy store. I also went into a few other shops including a very unusual vintage one (I know, vintage is so overrated) but it didn't have much there that I could afford and the loud music scared me a little bit, heh. What an exciting life I have!

I think my first New Year's Resolution should be: I should stop buying things impulsively. I'm doubting that I will keep that one though - I'll think of some more later.

Grr I had to change my playlist and I couldn't find any music sources apart from YouTube so please bear with the not so great video player for now.