A Day at the Beach

Hi everyone,

About a month ago, I went to my mom's hometown in Mui Ne. Since it was such a short trip, I got to spend a little bit of time at the beach. With the help of Canon G12, I captured some pictures to share with you.

Artsy photo to belong in a calendar in the future :)
The power of the G12 is undeniable!

 More pictures ahead. So jump with me!

Belly at Large: Kitty Cousins

Hi everybody,

Since coming back to Vietnam, I miss my cat Belly dearly. To pacify my needs to hug him and call him with an assortment of nicknames, I have taken pictures of cats whenever I can. During my last trip to Ca Mau, I met this kitty at my relative's place. The cat doesn't have a name. He's just a cat.

At first, when he saw me, this cat ran away. He was a fast runner, too. However, the power of persuasion via the camera was a force to be reckoned. Soon enough, I got The Cat to pose for me:

At first, The Cat was shy. He looked at me and my camera with disbelief.

He wondered what that black thing was.

And then, he began to pose. But his career as a kitty model was cut short...

...since he began to act this way again.

 And nope, he's not a kitten. That's a fully grown Vietnamese cat. Over here, a cat is considered big if he/she is around 8 lbs. Belly the American cat weighs around 20! The Cat didn't meow at all and his fur pattern is interesting: white and stripped at the same time. I have never seen a cat like that before.

And guess whose tail this is:

Yup, it's an orange kitty cat. Actually, two of them currently live in the attic and they make awful lot of noises. Somehow, they managed to dig a hole in the wall. The material fell down while my dad was tying his shoes underneath. Luckily, he was sitting a couple of inches away from the wall. Otherwise, it could have been a nasty accident.

One interesting detail: cats in Vietnam meow differently than cats in the U.S. Maybe I was used to Belly's Southern meowing twang but his sounds are a lot softer and gentler. Cats over here just meow as if their lives depend on it.

So yes, Belly now has some kitty cousins. I wonder if they could understand each other. Belly needs to find those Rosetta Meow CDs and learn how to meow in Vietnamese :)

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Sunplay Whitening UV SPF 50 PA+++: an Effective Sunscreen

Hi everybody,

• Lesson #1: bring your own sunscreens when you travel.

• Lesson #2: sunscreens formulated for the cold climate may clog your pores when used in a much, much warmer climate.

I learned these lessons the hard way: not only did I not bring my #1 favorite physical sunblock with me to Vietnam, I also realized the chemical sunscreens I have irritate the heck out of my skin. On top of that, the extreme heat and humidity make things worse for me. A week into it and I was searching high and low for a reliable sunblock that (a) is not too moisturizing, (b) not irritating, and (c) contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Lady Luck smiled at me during my last shopping spree. My eagle eyes found Sunplay Whitening UV SPF 50 PA+++ after reading the ingredients, I was more than delighted: it contains both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, yay! After some hustling, I bought it and during my last trip to the beach, I got a chance to test it out.

Sunplay Whitening UV SPF 50 PA+++ by Rhoto-Mentholatum (a Japanese company.)

Wanna know what I think about this product? Jump!

Marie Louise Creme alpha-VC Facial Moisturizer for Mizumizushii Skin

Hi everyone,

Ever since I was a child, I wanted my skin to behave like Snow White's. When her mother wished to have a daughter "that had skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony," the three year-old me took them as beauty standards. Now, I can easily have tomato red lips by applying Revlon All Fired Up lipstick. And since my hair is already dark, I don't even need to dye it at all.

However, my skin really bothers me. Blame it on hormones, the environment, my diet, and whatever it is, I have tried very hard to achieve blemish-free skin. Now that I get to know my skin better, I've come up with ways to prevent outbursts of zits. On top of my list is to find a facial moisturizer that does not aggravate my condition.

Marie Louise Creme alpha-VC facial moisturizer came into my life through the PR channel. At first, I did not pay much attention to it but days went by, during the really cold winter months, this creme grew on me. While it did not turn me into Snow White, it did make my skin look very nice during the winter months.

Marie Louise Cream alpha-VC facial moisturizer ($109 USD, now on sale for $75 USD)

Wanna know what I think about it? Jump!

Food in Vietnam, part 3: Food for the Masses

Hello there, dear readers!

Another day, another food post. Since I've accumulated enough pictures of food in various occasions, I decided to do another food post today. I've been enjoying too much good food since I came back and they are so delicious that sometimes I forgot to take pictures. I know, my bad. But I guarantee this post is packed with pictures of the yummiest food I remembered to take some snapshots. I hope y'all enjoy it!

First stop: nem nuong (grilled meat)
It is eaten with banh hoi (a kind of tiny noodles in sheet form), various herbs, lettuce, and sweet and sour fish sauce

Banh xeo (happy pancakes) made by moi :)

A close-up picture at the pancakes. I made it with shrimps and chicken :)
For more info about banh xeo, click here

 A lot more pictures of yummy food ahead. Jump!

Belly at Large: Help Japan

Hello humans,

Did you miss me? It's been a long time and I miss you, too!
La mamarazzi said I looked emo in this picture but whatev, man, whatev. I was chillin' with my home girl :D

The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan left Belly so shaken that Belly has to refer to himself in third person like Elmo. You see, Belly hearts Japan. It is the homeland of "Naruto", Belly's most beloved manga series on Earth since Dragon Ball. Also, it is the home of some fabulous felines like Maru and the Ninja Cat. Belly was very thankful that Maru was not harm during these events.

After watching TV and reading news online and offline, Belly is very upset about this whole thing. Belly wants to help Japan very much but as a cat, Belly cannot haz no credit cards or cell phone. So human readers, please help Japan by donating money to the American Red Cross and/or the Salvation Army. Your money will bring reliefs to humans and kittens who are in need in Japan.

Below is the information:

• To donate to Red Cross: Send $10 by texting "Red Cross" to 90999. The amount will appear on your monthly bill. To donate online, go to www.RedCross.org or call the local chapter at 817-335-9137.
• To donate to the Salvation Army: Send $10 by texting "Japan" or "Quake" to 80888, or call 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769). To donate online, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

And now, for your entertainment, here are Maru and the Ninja Cat. They are probably Japan's best felines:





That's all for today. Belly would like to thank all of your for your help to Japan.

Domo arigato,
Belri neko-san

Marie Louise Cosmetics Cleansing Clear Gel Winner

Hi everyone,

And the result is in! We have a winner for the Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel giveaway! After tallying all the votes and entries, I conjured the power of selection via Random.Org to choose a winner. Before that, I had to check all the entries to make sure they are legitimate and thank you for the support, you guys!

As I mentioned in the giveaway post, we have extra credits and I am glad most of you took advantage of it. With the entry equals 1 credit and each extra-curricular activity earns you another one, potentially you could earn up to 5 entries. In fact, the winner did some extra credit activities and the number fell into one of them. So, in the future, if there are extra credits in My Makeup Blog's giveaways, I hope you are going to use them.

The result from Random. Org.
Number 9 is the winner!

Congratulations, Grace!
I'm going to email you for your mailing address. Please reply within 72 hours. Otherwise, I would have to pick a replacement winner.

Again, thank you, my readers, for your support and participations. Also, I would like to thank Marie Louise Cosmetics to provide the material for this giveaway. Let's hope for more giveaways in the future, shall we?

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Revlon Forbidden Lip Stain and Leslie Tyler Mint Cherry Lip Gloss Create a Vampy Lip Look

Hi everyone,

Sometimes, you have two perfectly fine lip products that you have never thought of combining together. In my case, I have Revlon Just Bitten lip stain and balm in Forbidden and Leslie Tyler lip gloss in Mint Cherry. Both are swell products by themselves until one day I decided to layer them. And BAM! I got a vampy lip look that probably makes Vampire Edward Louis look a whole lot sexier. Not like Brad Pitt needed it or anything. He was already muy sexy during the "Interview with the Vampire" era.

(Top-bottom): Revlon Just Bittlen lip stain and balm in Forbidden and Leslie Tyler lip gloss in Mint Cherry

 Wanna know what I think about these products and how to create a vampy lip look? Jump!

The Handwritten Tag!

Hello everyone,

Stephanie from Aquaheart's Obsessions tagged me to do a handwritten meme. I thought it was a cool idea so I joined in.

When I was a kid and up until high school, I used to write with a fountain pen. You know, something that looks like this. It's really old skool and I used to have some really fancy-looking pens from Waterman and Parker. I remember one of my pens had a gold plated tip. Once I came home, I found none of my fountain pens except for the cheap plastic black Sheaffer that I used some time in high school. Even the part that carries the ink was lost. I dipped the pen in water to loosen the dried ink inside the pen and voila, I can write with it!

It's a strange feeling to write with my old fountain pen again. I still can write quite fast with it, even faster than when I write with some regular ball point pens. And here are the answers to the questions:

These were the questions:

1. What is you name? And your blog.

2. Blog url

3. Write: the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

4. Favorite quote

5. Favorite song

6. Favorite band/singers

7. Say anything you want

8. Pass it along to a few bloggers

So if you have a blog, please do this tag. It's fun and fast. All you need is a piece of paper, a pen (or pencil), and a camera (or scanner) to capture your replies. Those who can decipher handwritings, I'd love to hear of what you think about mine. It's legible but I've come to a simple conclusion: the more I type, the worse my handwriting looks.

Also, if you decide to do it, please post a comment so I can read yours. But srsly, do it! It's a lot of fun!

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

My First Beauty Haul in Vietnam

Well, hello there, everyone!

A few weeks ago, I got a chance to go to Saigon Co-op Mart, a major grocery chain store in Ho Chi Minh City. To my surprise, I found a quite healthy selection of skincare and beauty products available there. My mom and I bought a few of them to use. Until I got home, I didn't realize this was my first beauty/skincare haul since I came back to Vietnam. Let's see what I found, shall we?

The haul as a whole

Hada Labo Arbutin Lotion

It's a hyaluronic serum/lotion type that reminds me of the famous Hada Sui from Shiseido. Somehow, Hada Labo lotion is a lot cheaper and comes in 2 types: with and without arbutin. The ones with arbutin has 2 different varieties as well: moisturizing and extra moisturizing. All of them are fragrant-free and color-free. My mom is using it since her skin is dry. So far, she likes it.

More stuff ahead. Jump!

Belly at Large: How It All Began

Hi everyone,

A couple of days ago, I went through my photo albums in my laptop and realized Belly has been in my life two years. The first pictures I had of him was taken in March 2nd, 2009. It took me more than a year to persuade him to blog here. Since then, the Home Kitty has been globally recognized as one of the top felines in the beauty and lifestyle blog world. It's just a tip of the iceberg as Belly the cat is extremely talented. The only things he lacks are opposable thumbs, which makes it difficult for him to type. But he recently acquired the Dragon Naturally Speaking software for cats and he is going to post more in the future.

For those who are not familiar of Belly's upbringing, the story is here. But anyways, the first time we met happened as followed:

 It was a rare sunny day when winter slowly turned to spring. A stripped brown tabby cat was sunning on top of one of my neighbors' cars. He did not give me any attention but after I saw him, I realized this cat has some cool factor in him. I called out, "Hey, kitty, kitty!"

He jumped down from the roof and walked over to me. His strides were full of swagger.

More about Belly ahead. Jump with me, ok?

Sue Devitt Silky Eyeshadow in Lonely Splendor: a Possible Dupe of MAC Satin Taupe?

Hi everyone,

Many moons ago when I started using Twitter, I won an eyeshadow from Sue Devitt called "Lonely Splendor." It was a nice surprise as I've been a fan of Ms. Devitt's work and her contribution to makeup artistry. Upon receiving it, I realized Lonely Splendor has a familiar vibe. I knew I've seen something similar to it before but it took me a while to realize Lonely Splendor is a close cousin to MAC Satin Taupe!

The packaging is sleek and cheerful.

The compact is really slim and made of metal

Sue Devitt Silky Eyeshadow in Lonely Splendor ($18)
It has a mirror, too!

 Wanna know what I think about it? Jump!

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler is The One

Hi everyone,

Die-hard fans of My Makeup Blog probably know how I feel about my lashes. Like many Asians, I do have a nice head of hair. However, I always wish the long and luscious hair on my head were my eyelashes. I have straight and stubby lashes that need heavy coaxing to look barely visible. Sad, I know.

Since I discovered the 8th wonder of the Universe that's called an eyelash curler, my life had changed for the better. I said au revoir to the sad droopy lashes and welcomed a more curvaceous lash line. Sadly, I cannot go against nature that easily. During 2009-2010, I went through approximately 5 eyelash curlers. And that was a conservative number. The actual amount of curlers that I threw to the trash can was a lot higher. The reason?

The pad.

Everything looked fine and dandy during the first week when the rubber was barely broken in. However, things went downward from week two and beyond. I felt like my lashes were chewing on leather the whole time I tried to curl them with the curler. I could have avoided all of the drama had I shelled out 19 bucks and bought a Shu Uemura eyelash curler.

By the time I wised up, the Shu curler was no longer available at Sephora. Le sigh. So I did the best I could: I went on Twitter and raved. Many other beauty bloggers commiserated my sorrow but they could not do anything since they live in the U.S. However, my friend Dreezy came to the rescue. Since she lives in Singapore, she could get me a Shu curler. So we did an impromptu swap: she sent me a package that included the Shu and many other gorgeous extras in exchange for some Formula D products.

The moment her package arrived, I almost hugged the mail man, then ran to my (then) apartment and ripped the bubble mailer open. I could feel the wind flowing from heaven and somewhere outside my apartment, birds just sang a joyful song.

"The Shu! The Shu! I got the Shu!" I yelled.

Then I gently put the legendary eyelash curler to my eyes and did a quick walk from root to tips. And OMGee, people ain't lie when they said this stuff is the ish!

Shu Uemura eyelash curler ($19)

 Wanna know why I think so highly of The Shu? Jump!