For the record, I am a fan of NARS. Has to be my fave high end cosmetic brand to date besides Urban Decay. Ever since my mom bought me my first NARS shadow duo in Kuala Lumpur and blush in Deep Throat before we went to Australia for my birthday last year (not to mention the 3 free mini glosses in Sweet Revenge, All Night Long, and Missbehave), I was hooked in spite of their prices.
So last weekend, we headed off to Rustan's to get my brother his birthday gift for his 24th birthday and I couldn't help but stop by the NARS stall and find myself something I'd need as a prelude to Christmas (yeah, Filipinos celebrate Christmas starting in September). And I got myself the Loose Powder in Eden:
I often discover new music from YouTube, specifically fanvids (or fan made videos). I downloaded and saw the 2004 film Alexander (with Collin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, and Jared Leto) but the Final Cut version which is basically the uncensored 3.5 hour take of the movie. Becoming enamored with the doomed love story between Alexander (Farrell) and Hephaistion (Leto), I began searching for great fanvids dedicated to the pair. And I stumbled upon this one:
I was curious about the song because quite frankly I did like it. And at the end of the video, the creator had written down that it was entitled The Takers and was written by a band called Barcelona. Being the Curious George that I was, I researched the band. Barcelona is an indie group originating from Seattle, Washington. They said that their music is "piano-based with an element of rock" and draw inspiration from such bands as U2, Coldplay, and Death Cab for Cutie. I was surprised that they had only made one album considering how good I thought their music was. And said album is named "Absolutes".
The original release was in 2007, but in 2009 they added a couple more songs which included the one used in the Alexander fanvid. Don't be fooled, the video only utilized 2 minutes of the 4 minute song.
Listening to the entire 2009 album (yes, I downloaded it and synced it to both my iPod and my iPhone), I was hooked because their melodies and lyrics both evoke feelings of pain, longing, love, and youthful passions that often plague today's generation of young people without being overly angry or angsty. Barcelona's songs are by no means "emo". It makes me imagine couples from a small, suburban or working class town rather than jilted teenagers who have resorted to wearing all black as an outward sign of hatred for love. Although some might find that their songs to be too "Vampire Diaries montage"-ish like when the pair is separated by unforeseen forces. I don't know if someone would have a problem with that, but I certainly do not. I have become such a fan of theirs because it is a rarity in today's musicsphere to have a band or artist compile a set of songs that are contemporary and at the same time their lyrics tell a story or give their listeners something "concrete" to imagine. For me as a writer of fiction, I draw inspiration from music and the meaning the words contain to draw out a sequence for the plot because it allows me to imagine the scenario through the lyrics. For the most part, Barcelona's songs have done it for me.
The band has a small following and I wished that they had really broken out into mainstream media. It's music like theirs that would make me want to watch MTV more often, rather than skip it because of all the Bieber, Rihanna, and KPop videos they'd rather air. Then again MTV was never really for the indie crowd. Now that Barcelona has ended their songwriting, it makes me very curious as to "What could have been" for them.
FAVORITES:
The Takers
Please Don't Go
Falling Out Of Trees
Come Back When You Can
I am blogging about House of Flair and Thriftshop Girl's giveaway that is currently ongoing! Okay, I am really happy about transacting and buying US items from Ms. Suyen (who owns both stores!), so I am joining the giveaway and posting all about it on this blog! Look how great the prizes are!
Well, not much of a haul but I'd like to call it that!
My order from House of Flair just arrived in the mail and I couldn't be more excited! Coz it's my first ever Urban Decay purchase as well as from Sonia Kashuk! Was so happy with the very speedy transactions with the seller Ms. Suyen!
I know it's still September, but in the Philippines we celebrate Christmas as soon as the -BER months hit. Yes I know I can't possibly acquire all the stuff on this post for the holidays, but a girl can dream right? So here's the short list:
It's been a few days since I received my Charm brushes through the mail and I have tried and tested each of them. So now here's my review of the retractable kabuki!
The flat top brush has definitely risen among the brush ranks for its versatility. It can be used for liquid, powder, and cream foundations or blushes (as a foundation and blush brush) to achieve the desired airbrushed effect, and even for contouring (serves the purpose of the angled contour brush). With all the hype over this brush, I wanted to find out what the hoopla was all about. Trouble was I was looking for a brush that didn't cost so much and would do the job for me.
Well, it's not so much of a haul, so I call it a mini-haul.
I've been lemming AND needing additional brushes lately -- for both traveling purposes and for my foundation. I swear that I do not have the standard foundation brush in my basic sets, so I have to apply my liquid foundations with my fingers. Plus another boo-boo of mine is that I don't have a travel size brush that I can chuck inside my makeup bag for quick touch ups of my powder or blush.
Taking a trip to the Beauty and Minerals online store and the effective persuasion of Ms. K of Loving Sunshine, I decided to grab these two babies to join my growing brush family:
It's a rainy, rainy day and I love it! Plus I got my certificates from the Philippine Red Cross for my Basic Life Support and Standard First Aid today! :) That's 1 out of 3! So all I have to wait for now is my IVT ID and nurse's license from the PRC!
Anyway, I have the urge to write a new blog post and this time it is about moisturizers. It's such an important part of my beauty ritual because dry skin just feels rough and looks unappealing and unhealthy. Besides, everyone wants to have baby-smooth skin, right?
