I've been a bad blogger...

So that workout on Sunday was definitely not a good idea because I have been super sick all week right afterwards!  I even had a fever on Sunday and Monday, and had to take days off of work as well to nurse it.  I don't get sick often, in fact I don't even remember the last time I was sick like this - usually I get over some sniffles in a day or two.  Who knows what it is this time, but people at my work have been getting sick at the same time showing the same symptoms so something bad is going around!

Well other than that, I have been studying for my test which is only 2 weeks away now.  I have so much more to do, it always seems like I won't have enough time to review everything before June 4.  But I'm dreaming about 5 pm on that day when the test is over with and I'll be so free to do what I want!  I will have my nights and weekends back from being buried in the books.  Lol.  That's the only exciting thought right now.  Then I really gotta get on top of wedding planning, and possibly finding another dress... but need a caterer first.  So if anyone knows of a good caterer in Tahoe... please pass the name along!

Ok, this is a lame post I know.  But I will have more to write about later when I receive my Lululemon order from today.  I bought the pink mist swiftly tank since the store was out of my size and I probably won't have time to go shopping again this weekend.  It looks like a nice light weight tank for the summer.  And I bought some crops I can't remember the name of right now.  I know, I'm super out of the loop with current Lulu products.  So unlike me.  After I ordered, I remembered that packages don't take overnight to arrive at my door step anymore.  Sad!  Oh well, I guess I was just super spoiled before.  But I hope to get it next week some time!

Lululemon Mind Over Matter Pullover / Small Sunday Funday

Oh good Blogger is back just in time for my new purchase!  Thought it lost all the comments from the last post.  Sorry guys.  =(

So I bought the Lululemon Mind Over Matter Pullover in Pink Mist today!  I've been feeling a little sick, but my fiance and his friend were teaching a free class at the Lululemon store this morning so I went.  I figure sometimes sweating helps to get rid of the germs.  But sometimes you get sicker, so we'll see what happens this time.  Of course after the class, which was awesome by the way, I stayed around to check out stuff.  It's actually been a while since I last stepped foot into a Lululemon store, so I wasn't familiar with any of the new stuff.  I saw lots of different things in this pink mist color, which is a faint pink and is gorgeous!  I don't usually feel compelled to buy more than one item in the same color, but I think I definitely need more stuff in pink mist.  I also have like, eh hem, 10, Lululemon running pullovers in my closet.  There was a time when I felt like I had to buy every new pullover that came out, just because I'm a hoarder.  But now I am more picky about what I buy since I have so many and don't wear most of them.

I could not resist the Mind Over Matter in pink mist though!  And I even told myself that I'd only buy running luon pullovers a while ago.  I find running luon to be more comfortable and flattering than luxtreme.  But I think the luxtreme in this pullover is thinner and stretchier for some reason.  I could be making things up.  But I swear my others that I have owned and sold over time were stiffer.  I also told myself I would not buy another white pullover, since the sleeves of my white Energy Pullover have turned grey no matter what I do to keep them white.  Pink mist is very light and might have the same issue.  But, I think I can keep luxtreme cleaner than running luon. 

I took some pictures.  As you can see, this material doesn't hide any bumps - You can totally see the waistband of my groove pants under.  I probably could have sized up to a 6, but I got it in my regular size 4.

I love the back of this pullover.  It's got very slight contrasting panels.  There's also cute little ruffles on the neck.  

I think I'll wear it around and see if I need to go back and exchange for a size 6.  I kind of have a feeling a size 6 would not be much different.  As far as style goes, this pullover isn't really different from any of the other ones in my closet that have a front zipper that goes down to the middle of the chest, a side back zipper pocket, thumbholes, some contrasting panels, etc.  But the neck is higher, similar to the Inspire pullover, which I love.  Now when I put on my old Hills Pullover, it totally bugs me that the neck is not as high.  But of course I still can't part with them though.  =)

Alright so now onto the Sunday Funday part.  I only worked out 3 times this week, since I am coming down with something.  And I also need more time to study.  

Monday 5/9

What I did:  Ran for about 45 minutes with different intervals - sprints, hills, etc.  Then 30 minute mat pilates.

What I wore:  Juicy Couture yoga tank, with bright blue Lululemon Flow Y bra under.  Groove pants.  Run: Brisk pullover as to/from.

Tuesday, 5/10

What I did:  Ran for about 30 minutes with crazy sprint intervals.  I ran at a speed of 11-12 mph.  I did numerous sprints of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off - it's a killer.  Literally after 4 minutes (8 on/off), you feel like death.  I also did some one minute on, one minute off intervals.  I like doing this because it takes half of the time to get double the results.  Then I did a 60 minute yoga class. 

What I wore:  Lululemon Hot Class tank in coal/purple crush, and Wunder Grooves. 

I have on here my Jumpstart gym bag in foxy plaid which I love, and am so glad I got 2 of them - this one and one in angel blue.  They are 2 of the best looking duffel bags that I think Lululemon has ever come out with.  Very unique.  I wish they had more structure to them, but they look good when they are full.  The potion purple in the bag compliments the purple crush part of the tank nicely, if I do say so myself!

Sunday 5/15

What I did:  Ran intervals again, of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off.  For about 15 minutes.  Then went to Lululemon and took the hour long circuit class which had 18 different stations.  It was a killer!  We did everything you can think of.  From pushups, to burpees, to jump squads, etc.  

What I wore:  Lululemon Electric Orange cool racerback (but looks pink in the picture for some reason), Chirp Flow Y, and Groove pants.  With my teal zeal Inspire Pullover on top. 

The cool racerback that's poking out from under the Inspire pullover on the bottom picture resembles the actual color a lot more.  Maybe I need to find a new spot in the house to take pictures, because this one is right underneath a light which probably blew out the color.  Oh well.  

So I think I am going to keep an eye out for a tank in pink mist.  I saw the swiftlys and the racerbacks, and Push Ur Limits in pink mist today.  But I couldn't decide which one I wanted, so I didn't end up getting any.  I think I would have got the swiftly tank, but they didn't have my size.  Maybe I also need some new bottoms in pink mist too.  A skirt would be nice!

Nanoce BB Cream

I feel like a light bulb just went up in my head, but now I finally understand why Asian women are crazy about BB cream.  A friend of mine who grew up in China actually told me about this magical thing called BB cream a couple years ago.  I guess a famous Korean actress made it popular because she had plastic surgery on her face and then was given this cream as a cover up which at the same time had healing benefits for her skin to recover from the surgery.  Then she raved about it and got every Asian woman really into it too.  Really it sounds too good to be true.

So at the time my friend told me about this magical cream, I was definitely interested in trying it out.  But I didn't know where to get one.  There are lots of hits online when I google "BB cream", but I wanted to try one out in person before buying.  So a couple months ago I happened to be in a Japanese makeup store, and they had the Nanoce BB cream, so I decided to take it home and give it a try!

At first I was a little skeptical and thought it might be a fad.  But now after about a month of using it, I LOVE it!  It's basically a liquid tinted cream that has a heavier consistency than liquid foundation (but doesn't feel heavy on at all).  The consistency is very similar to the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation I used to use.  But the BB cream is not a foundation, it's more like a lotion.  You apply it like a lotion too, and it provides instant coverage, evens out your skin tone and gives kind of a silky look.  It's super convenient!  The coverage is on the light side but you can layer and build more.  I usually just use a pea size and it's sufficient for me to go to work.  I guess you can layer powder over it for more coverage as well which I have done to cover up certain areas when I get a pimple or something.  The BB cream actually makes the powder stay better on your face so it acts like a base layer.  My face does get a little shinier by the end of the day, but that always tends to happen to me no matter what I use.  So it doesn't bug me anymore as I can just use a tissue and lightly dab my face.

I just love how convenient BB cream is - when I have to run out real fast, I just put it on like my normal lotion and leave home with poreless skin!  I also like the fact that it's not makeup.  I don't know about the supposed "healing properties" because I haven't noticed anything different with my skin.  I think a couple month should be enough time to tell by now.  So just by having it on, I can't tell any difference between this BB cream and a normal light foundation.  But it makes me feel better that it's (supposedly) not clogging my pores. 

I did some research online and read that most Korean made BB cream have a white tint that lightens your skin, because having white skin is big in Asia.  But I do not want to look like a ghost, and Nanoce is actually one of a few that doesn't have whitening properties.  Maybe because it's Japanese.  Who knows.  It comes with 2 color tones - they just call them #1 and #2.  Both are pretty light, so if you had darker skin, neither would work.  At the risk of stating the obvious, #1 is lighter than #2.  I got #2 and I feel like it's a good color for me, but on the lighter side.  That's also why I don't put so much on.

I noticed that this is sold on Amazon for $30 which is not bad because at the Japanese store I went to, I paid about $26, which after tax was almost $30 anyway.  The store is far away from me being on the East side of LA county where all the good deals are, but I don't get to go there often because of the distance.  So when I was over in the same area last weekend, I actually stopped by again and picked up 2 more of these!  I don't want to run out!

I'm really glad to have tried BB cream finally, and now I don't leave home without it!  I gotta listen to my Chinese friend more.  She knows all the latest in the makeup/beauty world!

Sunday Funday!

Today my fiance and I went to the photographer's place to pick out engagement photos.  We get 20 pictures with our package, and it was hard picking only 20 photos out of hundreds he took!  I guess that's a good thing since we have the same guy for the wedding.  He's going to do his touch up and whatnot on the 20 we chose and we will get the pictures in about 2-3 weeks.  Excited!!!

His shop is really close to the nail place I got my Hello Kitty design a few weeks ago, so I went over there again to get mani/pedi.  This time they put glitter acrylics on the tip of my nails, and 3D flower designs.  How cool... I didn't even know glitter acrylics existed.  This area is in East LA where prices are much cheaper.  Nail places on my side of town would cost about $100 for this kind of design, but a 20 minute drive east costs me only $30.  And $14 for spa pedi.  Lol.  Love it.

Right hand

Left hand

I thought the lady went a little crazy with the bling, and she asked me 3 times if I wanted a bow design.  I said no each time, but I still ended up with a bow.  Lol.  Oh well.  She didn't really speak English well.  I just kind of let her do her thing.  I would have liked it better without so many stones but it was too late to tell her so I let it be.  I guess she wanted me to get my money's worth with the designs! 

Anyway, onto my workouts this past week - ever since I got back from Florida, it's been kind of hard to get back to working out regularly.  I guess it's really easy to fall out of the groove of things.  But all things considered, it hasn't been too bad!  It's also because my exam is only a month away now, so I have been studying more after work instead of going to the gym.  Sigh... at least it will be over soon.

Thursday, 4/28

What I did:  Spin class

What I wore:  Lululemon Energy Bra in grape seed, and lavender Cool Racerback tank over it.  I wore the Cool Racerback inside out because I like the stitchings on the inside.  I wore my Run: Passion crops in power purple.  I really like the Energy Bra, and I really like my new 50 Rep bra.  I might pick up more in both! 

Saturday, 4/30

What I did:  A boot camp type of interval class - lots of running on the treadmill and heavy weights/reps.  We did 3 sets of 10 minute treadmill runs with 3 weight sets in between during the hour.  It was pretty hard, I wanted to kill the instructor.


What I wore:  Lululemon Push Ur Limits tank in Passion/Heathered Coal Wee Stripe.  And this is one of those rare occassions where I wore perfectly matching crops - the Run: Empower crop in passion/HCW as well.

Sunday 5/1

What I did: A tone/sculpt class.

What I wore:  Push Ur Limits tank again - this time in Wish Blue/Multi Poncho Stripe.  I think this is one of my favorite tanks/colors.  I'm really glad I picked it up in this color.  I wore my Run:Passion crop in bright blue.

Tuesday 5/3

What I did:  Ran a couple miles, then yoga class.

What I wore:  Lululemon Dance Strap tank, and Astro Crop in Coal/Aruba/Heathered Aruba.  I'm always pleasantly surprised to find an older color match a newer one.

And here is the print of the crops - I don't know what the white one is called with the vertical stripes, but I really like this print, and the color combo of these crops.

Oh yeah, and this outfit matches my aruba yoga mat strap!  And my yoga mat actually even though the mat is not Lululemon.

Saturday 5/7 - Yes I skipped Wed - Fri!  =(

What I did:  Ran a few miles, then boxing class - it's been a while since I boxed, so I am a little sore today!  I had a hard one-on-one session too.  And I punched the bag hard.  I'm always surprised at how sore my back gets from boxing, even when I do it semi-regularly.  It's a great workout!

What I wore:  Lululemon Cool Racerback in Embossed Manifesto.  With Keen Peach Flow Y bra under.  I wore coal/chirp Team Spirit crop.

I really like the embossed manifesto print, especially in the Cool Racerback because the reverse side is solid black with hot pink stitching.  So it's like getting 2 tanks in one!  And I like the subtle manifesto print.  I don't mean to post a pic of my cleavage but here's a closer look of the print.

Now that I've been posting pictures of my workout outfits, I am realizing that I tend to wear the same outfits in different colors over and over again.  I guess when I like something I stick with it!  But maybe it's time to find some new tank and crop designs to mix things up a little...

Mother's Day Kindle

Happy Mother's Day!

I bought my mom a Kindle this year.  I actually kind of want it for myself, but I think I will hold out for an iPad.  The Kindles look pretty cool though - I got the white one with 3G.  There's no monthly fee for the 3G and you can use it anywhere in the world!  That's way cool.  It costs $189, only $50 more than the wifi one.  My mom is technically competent in some aspects - she text messages me all the time.  But she really isn't very good at others.  She can't even figure out how to copy/paste a link.  Lol.  So I don't want her to have to figure out how to connect to her wifi - I don't even think she knows she has wifi at home.  It's probably worth the $50 extra to get 3G for her! 

My mom lives in northern California, so I had to ship it to her earlier this week.  Amazon actually had free 2 day shipping which was great.  When she first got it, she texted me "what is it?  a reading device?"

But I think she will love it because she reads a lot!  I actually got the idea to get this for her when I was flying home from Florida, and studying on the flight with my big book.  This old man next to me had his little Kindle that he said contained hundreds of books - it's like carrying a library around!  I got major envy and decided somebody in my family should have it.  So I think that once my dear mother figures out how to use it and download books, she will love it!  The new Kindles are supposed to resemble real books so you can read in the sunlight without screen glare.  I will have to get an update from my mom on what she thinks later. 

I am kind of tempted to get one for myself, but I really think an iPad is in my future.  When iPads first came out, I didn't think I needed it, especially since I have a laptop at home and my iPhone.  But I don't think I can resist any longer!  I have been meaning to go to Apple and get a new MacBook (mine is over 3 years old, that's like ancient in computer world!), but if an iPad can do pretty much everything my laptop does, I may just get that instead and keep my laptop for things like Photoshop or whatever.  We'll see!

Anyways, I digress horribly.  I hope all the mothers out there are having a great Mother's Day weekend!  Getting pampered and loved, because you all deserve it!

Manduka Equa Standard On-the-Go Yoga Towel

I bought 2 Manduka Equa mat towels from Gilt about a month ago when they had the sale, at $25 a piece!  I always wanted to try one but never pulled the trigger at regular price of $42.  They finally arrived and I was able to test it out yesterday in yoga.  I think I am in love!

I got them in 2 different colors - sangria purple and marine green.

I used the sangria one yesterday, and it was amazing!  I gave the marine one for my fiance to try out since it is less girly, but if he doesn't like it I will gladly take it back.  I always have problems with my slippery hands during yoga - probably because I usually run before class so I'm already sweaty by the time class starts.  I would always put a regular towel on my mat, but it gets annoying because it doesn't lay well due to thickness and short length.  And sometimes rough on the hands and knees.  So when I tried out the Manduka towel yesterday I couldn't believe such a thin little towel worked so well!  Problem solved!  I always thought they were a rip off before, but now I see that they are worth the price.

I also love the fact that when I roll the Manduka towel together with my yoga mat, it becomes thicker (obviously) and my Lululemon Velcro Mat Strap fits perfectly around it!  No more hanging velcro strap to stick onto my clothes!

Now this (semi) yogi is all set!  Bring on the downward dog!  Namaste.

Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara & Blinc Kiss Me Mascara

As usual, I like to pretty much try every kind of mascara out there.  For the past few months, I have been trying the Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara which was a disappointment, especially considering that it costs $30!  I thought it looked cute, and was an intriguing idea.  But I should have just returned it after the first time.

So the little stubby brush head is supposed to be designed so that you can get to the deepest root and corner of your lashes.  But it really just doesn't work well.  It takes some getting used to too.  At first I was so frustrated because no matter how many times I brushed it on, it still looked like I had no mascara on.  Then, I figured out that it works a lot better if I hold the brush like a pencil and brush it onto my lashes with the point towards my eye.  But still, it is not the "phenomenal" volume like I expected. 

It's also a pretty wet mascara, so if you curl your lashes first, the wetness will just drag the lashes down so you have to curl your lashes again afterwards.  Whatever.  It's just not very impressive, and I'm peeved that it costs so much.

So after like 3 weeks of messing with it, I decided to get the Blinc Kiss Me Mascara.  I've heard great things about this mascara, so I expected a lot too.  Sadly, it does not live up to my expectations either.

This is a tube mascara, and it was my first time trying the tube technology.  It's called tubing because the mascara forms little tubes around each lash.  Here is the description in their words:

Blinc Kiss Me Mascara is the original tube-technology mascara. It's invented to form tiny water-resistant "tubes" around your lashes for maximum amplification and hold, rather than painting them like conventional mascaras. Once applied, the tubes bind to your lashes and cannot run, smudge, clump, or flake, even if you cry or rub your eyes.

The only way to remove it is with hot water (cold doesn't work).  No makeup remover can remove this mascara.  But with hot water, it comes off really easily.  The little tube residue gets washed off in the sink and kind of resemble lashes.  I had read that this technology has been around for years, but in the beginning women were scared since they thought the mascara was taking off their lashes each time they washed their face.  I do like the fact that it's not paint, so it comes off easily and completely, leaving nothing behind.  I feel like it's probably healthier for the eyelashes, for some reason.  

With this mascara and the tube technology, you can build your lashes.  It really works too when you put multiple coats on, the lashes just seem to grow and become super long.  I love the length it builds.  At the same time, it doesn't look clumpy at all.  But what I don't like about it is that when you are applying the mascara, it is very very wet and takes a long time to dry and set.  But once it sets, it won't budge at all.  If you try to comb your eyelashes after it sets, you will take off some of the tubes with the comb so then it looks like you have no mascara on again.  So you have to re-apply.  If some of your lashes stick together from applying multiple coats, it's a huge pain to try to separate them.  Plus, since it is a super wet mascara during application, it's definitely pointless to try to curl your lashes first.  But when you wait till it dries to curl your lashes, the lash curler kind of takes off some of the mascara with it on the base of your lashes.  LOL!  It's really stupid.  So I've been wrestling with this mascara for about a month now and it's not getting any better.  When I used it in Florida, the humidity in the air kind of destroyed the mascara too.  It didn't smudge, because tubes can't smudge, but I did notice that at times some of the tubes fell off.  Hmmmmm... not good.  

I really love how long it makes my bottom lashes look though, so I think I need to only use this mascara on my bottom lashes and find a new one for the top.  I really do like the tube technology, so I think I will try the De Javu Fiberwig mascara next.  It also has lots of good reviews and I hope it will not disappoint like the Blinc Kiss Me.