Peacocking: Dressing for attention. Just like peacock’s use their feathers to get a mate. A phenomenon at Fashion Week where people dress outlandishly for the purpose of getting photographed by street style photographers.

Well. I learned a new word there, didn’t I? As I work from home most of the time, I only have the computer to “peacock” for so that’s not a lot of fun. The husband ain’t too interested and thinks I’m a bit of a moron for strutting my stuff in the living room, that git.

Still, I thought I’d have a play with a relatively new eyeshadow palette by Dior. It’s from the Birds of Paradise collection and it’s called – well you’ve guessed it! – Peacock. It’s a beautiful palette of olive green, sort-of-a gunmetal teal (if there’s such a colour), lighter green and muted gold.

I found the greens quite powdery in texture but the rest are smooth. Typical of most eyeshadow quints from Dior, these are sheer but quite buildable. The combination of colours is beautiful and if you love green eyeshadows, you’re going to love this one.

What’s a peacock without its feathers? Just for the look, I got these faux feather earrings from Lovisa. Oh boy, these sure jazz up the dullest of outfits!

Makeup I used:
Face: Chanel CC Cream, Guerlain Meteorites in Teint Rose (not pictured), Physician’s Formula Super BB Concealer*
Eyes: L’Oreal Le Sourcil eyebrown pencil (not pictured), Dior Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in Peacock*, Dolly Wink liquid eyeliner, Max Factor Clump Defy mascara*
Cheeks: Etude House Princess Etoinette blush
Lips: Hourglass Femme Rouge in Ballet

It’s a simple but pretty look that is definitely office-friendly. As the eyeshadows are sheer to begin with, you’ll have no problem wearing this to work at all.

I hope you like this simple FOTD look today. I find myself enjoying FOTD posts more as I practise and try my hand in recreating looks. That’s what blogging does to you; it makes you do things you wouldn’t normally do.

Natural unPhotoshopped bokeh and light flare!

Now, to properly “peacock” out of the house … ooh, I’m going to have to really step out of my comfort zone for that one!

Note: Products marked with * were provided for editorial consideration.

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

Months ago when I found out that Google will be retiring Google Reader on 1 July, I was livid. Of all the apps they still keep, they just had to get rid of something as useful of Google Reader. Between you and me, I don’t believe for a second that the use of Google Reader has declined over the years, not with even more blogs sprouting left, right and centre. First Feedburner and now Google Reader. What’s next Google? Oh get rid of Gmail too, why don’t you? *shakes fist*

Okay. Calm down. Damn you Google for giving me extra fine lines! *shakes the other fist*

Okay, for real, calming down now. Oh well, when all doors are closed, a window opens somewhere so all’s not lost. Sure Google Reader is the preferred feed reader but there are other websites and apps that do the same job as well.

Before you decide to move your Google Reader subscriptions to any feed readers, the first thing you should do is save all of your subscriptions by exporting its XML file and saving it in your computer. By backing up your subscriptions, you don’t have to manually copy, paste and insert the blog addresses to your new feed reader. That’s a lot of time saved.

Backing Up Existing Google Reader subscriptions

Click on the Gear icon on the top right corner of the page. Click on Reader Settings, Import/Export and click on Download your data through Takeout. A new window will open where it will take you to the Google Takeaway page. Click on Create Archive.

When data archiving is complete, click on Download to save the exported file to your computer. Keep that XML file and use it on any feed readers you come across just to see if you like it.

I’ve come across a few alternative feed readers that you might be interested in. If you know any that are good or even better than the ones listed below, please share with us in the comments.

Alternative feed readers

Feedly

• This is customisable to how you like to read the blogs you follow.
• You can change the settings for it to be text-heavy (similar to what Google Reader is like), cards-style (with blocks of text jumbled up on one page) or magazine-style (short excerpts of posts with thumbnails).
• Feedly makes sharing of posts via social media very easy within the website itself (without having to click and open individual posts).
• I like the desktop view of Feedly but not the mobile versions. I find the phone app fiddly and not intuitive.

Bloglovin

• Next to Google Reader, this is a very popular feed reader, especially amongst bloggers.
• You can follow blogs easily as a lot of bloggers already have Bloglovin in their blogs (just click on their profile and follow; you don’t have to manually insert the link).
• Easy to use interface with thumbnails on each individual post.
• Clicking a new post on Bloglovin will open the desktop version of the blog post with the Bloglovin frame on top of the page. It’s easy to leave comments and move on to another blog without needing to open a lot of windows.

The Old Reader

• The interface is very similar to Google Reader’s.
• The left sidebar displays the list of blogs you’re subscribed to and the blog posts on the right, just like Google Reader.
• Blogs that are placed in individual folders on Google Reader will maintain in separate folders without changes.
• If you’re partial to Google Reader and its interface, this is probably the next best thing.

Reader (Android app)

• This is my favourite feed reader on Android.
• At the moment, they’re still linked to Google Reader but the developers are working on updating the application to work with Google Reader. Fingers crossed they’ll roll it out before Google Reader finally shuts down on 1 July.
• I’m not usually much of a fan of magazine-style feed readers but I’ve been using this ever since I got the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and I love it. You can customise the fonts (small/large), setup push notifications, change it to a text-heavy interface (if you’re not into magazine-styled readers) and so on.

These are just a few alternatives to Google Reader for you to check out. There are plenty more out there to choose from. As for me, I prefer to use Feedly’s desktop version simply because it’s a lot more customisable than the others. I can’t decide if I like Bloglovin or not…yet.

You can continue to follow Beautyholics Anonymous via:

• Bloglovin (just click through and follow)
• Email subscription
• Facebook, Twitter and all that.
• Any of the alternative feed readers I mentioned and more.

So shake your fist at Google with me. They haven’t beaten us yet!

What’s your alternative feed reader to Google Reader? What do you recommend?

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

I enjoy running giveaways on the blog but I can tell you this: I truly am AWFUL in keeping to winner announcement deadlines! I was supposed to announce the Olay giveaway winners last week but it slipped my mind . My apologies, folks. Please blame it on my brains which have somehow turned to mush the last couple of weeks.

Anyway, I’d like to thank you very much for participating in the first two giveaways of the Olay and Thalgo gift packs. There’s one currently going on as well; if you’d like to win some SK-II goodies, just go ahead and click here to enter.

Without further ado, here are the winners to the first two giveaways!

June birthday giveaway #1: 5 x Olay Total Effects Packs
Winners:

• Anne @ Domesblissity
• Charmaine Campbell
• Kaitlin
• Zoe Chan
• Kai

June birthday giveaway #2: 3 x Thalgo Travel Kits
Winners:

• Anti-Ageing Travel Kit: Bonta Bear
• Hydration Travel Kit: Sarah Redmond
• Essentials Travel Kit: Ling

Congratulations to all the winners! Please check your emails for the congratulatory notes and requests for your contact details.

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

Hello beautyholics, and welcome to the 7th episode of BB Creamology!

I hope I haven’t driven you to boredom with so many BB creams yet . I know, barely a year ago it was when Western brands started to flood the market with BB creams and now it’s like “BBs are so last season, dahlink. Bring on the CCs!”

I have 3 BB creams to show you today that are from Western brands: one drugstore, one mid-range and one high-end. I was quite hesitant in showing you these BB creams because while they’re all right, they didn’t perform as well as I expected. Still, it’s honesty as always at casa Beautyholics so here goes nothing.

Face of Australia BB Cream 6-in-1

Shade: Light/Medium has cool undertones. Also available in Medium/Dark. The Light/Medium suits my skintone to a T.
Texture: Thick and creamy
Fragrance: Smells a bit like lime and cola. It’s a very refreshing scent, which I really like.
Wet-To-Dry Time: Dries fairly quickly on the skin. It leaves a semi-dewy finish on the skin.
Coverage: Light to medium coverage (you’ll need good skin for this)
Sun Protection Factor: N/A
Price: $8.95
Availibility: Priceline, Kmart, Big W and selected pharmacies nationwide.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Cool BB Cream

Shade: “Glowing” shade (in what you’d call a natural beige with cool undertones). It’s only available in one shade.
Texture: Thick and creamy, but not as thick as the Face of Australia BB cream.
Fragrance: Smells just like the Body Shop Vitamin E skincare range. There’s no added fragrance to the BB cream.
Wet-To-Dry Time: Takes a while to dry and leaves a dewy finish on the skin.
Coverage: Light to medium coverage (again, you’ll also need good skin for this)
Sun Protection Factor: N/A
Price: $21.95
Availibility: The Body Shop stores nationwide.

Diorskin Nude Tan BB Creme

Shade: 001 with warm undertones. Also available in a darker shade 002.
Texture: Light and creamy. There’s a high water content so you’ll need to shake the tube prior to application or else you’ll be squeezing water out of the tube.
Fragrance: Strong floral fragrance
Wet-To-Dry Time: Dries fairly quickly on the skin to a semi-matte finish.
Coverage: Medium coverage
Sun Protection Factor: SPF 15
Price: $70
Availibility: Dior counters at major departmental stores (MYER, David Jones) and selected pharmacies nationwide.

Conclusion:

The Face of Australia BB cream has the thick texture and consistency very much like a lot of Asian BB creams I know. However, the coverage doesn’t match up. It’s more a tinted moisturiser than a BB cream, to be honest and you’ll need good skin for this as it won’t be enough to cover redness and blemishes. I’m not sure if it’s my skin or the BB cream, but this flaked on me. When I applied it on my skin, the more I buff it in, the more it flaked and pilled on my skin (I looked like I had skin “dandruff”!). I’ve not read this occurence in other reviews so it could just be me. Having said that, I do like how accurately this matches my skin tone and the scent is just simply delicious.

I purchased the Body Shop’s Vitamin E Cooling BB cream on a whim. I was told by the sales assistant that it has a cooling effect that leaves the skin feeling refreshed upon application. I’ve not encountered such BB creams before so I thought I’d give this a go. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any cooling effect. It just felt like any other regular face makeup. Like the Face of Australia BB cream, this is more of a tinted moisturiser than BB cream. It’s something you’d use on a lazy weekend where you want your skin tone to look even but without the heaviness of makeup.

As for the Diorskin Nude Tan BB creme, unfortunately, the Light shade is too dark for me. I expected it will be darker because it is part of the Nude Tan range but I took a chance with it anyway and wore it out. Sadly, I was very self-conscious with it on because I looked sunburned. As the colour didn’t suit my skin tone and I’m not a fan of wearing darker colours in summer, this isn’t for me. ‘Tis a real pity because it is a beautiful BB cream. I’m very tempted to get a regular Diorskin BB cream (not the Diorsnow) because if it’s exactly this consistency and texture but in a lighter shade, I know I’m going to love it.

This month’s BB Creamology is particularly difficult for me to conclude which BB cream I like the best. Out of the three, one flaked on my skin, one didn’t perform as suggested and one’s just too dark for me. I’m not keen on the fact that 2 out of 3 didn’t have SPF either. They’re good but they’re not great.

For texture, consistency, finish and coverage, I’ll say that the Diorskin one outperformed the rest, but only to be brought back down several notches because of the shade. Then again, I already knew that it would be too dark for me so I guess it isn’t fair to say it didn’t work for me because I knew the shade wouldn’t. If it had the shade of the Face of Australia’s BB cream, I’d say it’s a top notch BB cream.

What about you? Have you tried any of these BB creams before? What did you think? Oh and have you tried the regular Diorskin BB Creme? Does it work as well as mentioned in so many positive reviews?

Note: Products marked with * were provided for editorial consideration.

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

Last Saturday, I shared with you what was probably the worst facial I’ve had to date. I’m glad it’s one of those one-off experiences that I hope never to encounter again (fingers crossed). Today, I thought I’d liven things up a bit and share with you a facial I experienced last month. I wouldn’t say it’s the best I’ve had but it’s certainly the most interesting.

Last month, I had the opportunity to fly to Sydney for a facial courtesy of SK-II. I know. When I first saw the email and opportunity, I was like “HOLY CRAP!” . I’ve never had a SK-II facial before so this was a great chance for me to give it a go.

Before the facial, I was given a skin analysis by a beauty therapist using the Magic Ring. Before you think it’s an actual ring that can destroy Middle Earth, it’s a portable light that is held to the side of your face with a bright light attached. The Magic Ring is used to capture a photograph of your skin where it will go through a fancypants program that can tell you all about your skin (Texture Refinement, Firmness Power, Wrinkle Resilience, Radiance Enhancement and Spot Control). I don’t think I’ve even had such an in-depth analysis of my skin before.

As much as I enjoyed the skin analysis, I almost cried when the beauty therapist told me what my skin age is. No thanks to my growing hyperpigmentation, my Spot Control and Texture Refinement scores pulled my average percentage way down (hello Asian competitive gene in me springing into action), which gave me a total skin age of 30. That’s just 3 years lower than my actual age!

Having said that, at least I know what problematic areas of my skin to concentrate on now. I’m currently on a SK-II skincare regime (again, courtesy of SK-II) and it had better work miracles, I tell ya. 30! *sigh and shake head*

Right, so back to the facial. I had mine done by the lovely Fumi Yamamoto of Zen Facial using SK-II products. She adopts a remedial method to facials and that was what I had. She pressed on my belly, pressed the small of my back and pressed a lot of my face with firm pressure. It was a very interesting facial because I’ve never had anyone press my face that firmly before and in ways that I’m not used to in facials. I don’t exactly know what it was that she did, and I wish I did because when the facial was over, my face was smaller (how the hell did she do that?!) and my skin glowed.

I’ve had glowy skin after facials so it’s something I expected but I never expected this level of glow on my skin. I practically had a halo above my head and could almost hear the Hallelujah chorus when I walked out of the room. See the picture of Fumi and I above? It’s not edited at all, not with filters nor Photoshop. I would usually edit my photographs for brightness and clarity but this, THIS was clear and far brighter than I expected. I sent this picture to my mum when the facial was over and she immediately asked me what it was that the facialist did to give me such incredibly radiant skin. I want to know too, Ma. Trust me, I want to know too.

That was one awesome possum facial I had and when I’m in Sydney again, Fumi, I’ll be sure to have you “do” my face like this again!

Many thanks to SK-II for the fantastic experience and because they love readers of Beautyholics Anonymous too (excuse me, why shouldn’t they?), they’re offering you a chance to experience SK-II for yourselves too. So, for the 3rd birthday giveaway of the month, I have 5 SK-II skincare packs to give away to 5 lucky readers!

Each pack retails at AU$80 and includes:

• 1 x 30ml bottle of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
• 1 x SK-II Facial Treatment Mask
• 1 x complimentary Facial Treatment Mask when you visit any SK-II counter to get a free skin consultation with the Magic Ring (oh yeah, you get to try THE RING too. Muahahahaha!)

I’ve used the Facial Treatment Masks before for a number of years and they’re really good. Mum likens the results of each mask to be equivalent to an actual facial and I concur. This is a great opportunity for you to try out their bestsellers which is the smelly water (that’s what I’ve called it for years. It contains pitera, which is what gives out the yeasty scent) and the facial sheet mask.

HOW TO ENTER:
Just leave a comment below answering these simple questions: Do you enjoy facials? Which salon/spa would you recommend?

TERMS & CONDITIONS:
1. This contest is open to Australian residents only.
2. The total value of prizes in the contest is approximately AU$400.00.
3. Anyone can enter the competition regardless of whether you’ve won anything here before.
4. Only one comment per contestant will be accepted.
5. Please keep it clean and spam-free.
6. The closing date for this giveaway is 22 June 2013.
7. Five (5) winners will be selected at random and announced on 24 June 2013. An email notification will be sent to each winner.
8. The winners will be required to submit his/her name and contact address to Beautyholics Anonymous. The contact details then will be submitted to Saunders & Co (the PR agency providing the prizes), who will be sending the prizes to the winners (please read Beautyholics Anonymous’ privacy statement for more information).
9. The winner must respond to the notification email to claim the prize within 5 working days.
10. Beautyholics Anonymous and Saunders & Co reserve the right to change the terms of this competition at any time.

Have fun and good luck!

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

© Galaxy Glass Studio

Today I thought I’d have a bit of fun with a couple of beautiful nail polishes I recently stumbled upon, and that’s Sinful Colors‘ San Francisco and Blue By You. The mixture of the blue and green gave a rather lovely effect that resembles dichroic glass.

I’m by no means a nail art expert (for that, please refer to So Nailicious. Maria does stunning nail art!) so please do excuse the shoddy work, especially around the nail bed.

If you’re a lot more steady with nail polish than me, do give this style a go. It’s pretty easy to do. Just paint two strips of colours on the nails without worrying about keeping the line in the middle straight. I like to dab the lacquer on to give it a stone-like wash instead of a straight swipe.

I really like the dichroic glass-like effect on the nails. In future, I’m going to try other combinations and perhaps use a toothpick to swirl the colours as well.

Have fun!

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

© FoundryParkInn

I’m sure by now you’ve seen viral stories of Singaporean beauty blogger, Bun Bun (who’s also a long-time reader of Beautyholics Anonymous. Hello Juli!) circulating on Buzzfeed and other websites about her horrific experience with a particular facial she had that spiraled to epic proportions. Zoe Foster-Blake talked about it on her blog too and shared her story of bad facials.

I cannot even express how sorry I am for Bun Bun and how my skin cries out whenever I see pictures of what that one facial (and subsequent ones to try to “fix” the problem) did to her skin. There were many factors that contributed to what she’s experiencing now but it came down to a very serious skin allergy she encountered. I shan’t be posting any pictures of her here but if you’re interested in checking it out (and give our fellow beauty blogger some support at the same time), please check out her updates on how her skin is faring.

As for me, I’ve been lucky. Up till about a week ago, I haven’t experienced anything bad from a facial before. Me, I love facials. My mum introduced me to my first facial in my teens and it’s something I’ve been doing on an almost monthly basis ever since. I’ve had a bad reaction to a particular beauty product once at the salon where I felt as though my cheeks were burning and immediately told the beauty therapist to remove whatever it was that she applied on my skin. Other than that, it has been smooth-sailing so far, even with chemical peels, microdermabrasion and minor laser treatment on my skin.

That was until last week. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me ranting about it there. I thought I’d also share my experience here for you just so you know what to do in future if you do experience the same thing as well (touch wood!). Just to be clear, my experience has nothing to do with Bun Bun’s. It doesn’t even compare to the pain and distress she experienced. This is not to take away anything from her nor does it undermine what she did. This is my story.

It was my birthday last Wednesday. I decided that I’d treat myself to a massage and facial on my day so I had the treatments booked a month in advance. This was at a beauty salon in the city. The massage was truly awesome and soon it was time for my facial. Everything was fine up to the point where the beauty therapist started to apply a mask on my face.

Now you know that most if not all beauty products do not go over the eyes. In fact, most beauty products come with a disclaimer that the eye area is to be avoided (wash if product gets to the eyes, yadah yadah yadah…). I have had masks applied over my eyes back in Malaysia, but always with a mesh/muslin cloth over my face first and then the mask applied over it. It’s not something I’m not used to.

However, this time, the beauty therapist applied a very thick mask directly on my skin all over my face. When I say all over my face, I meant she brush this thick layer of goo over my eyelids and lips. The only place she did not cover are my nostrils. I thought something wasn’t right when she applied the mask all over my face but I thought, I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.

Soon after she applied the mask, she dimmed the lights and left the room. The mask started to harden on my face. It hardened to the point where my eyelids and lips were glued shut. I couldn’t open my eyes and mouth at all. It was like someone applied superglue on them. At this point, I became quite distressed. I couldn’t call for help because I couldn’t even open my mouth. I tried opening my eyes but to no avail. Gosh, even thinking about it now and writing this is giving me the heebie-jeebies. I almost had a panic attack on the table.

I finally clawed the mask around my lips to create a hole and heaved a huge sigh of relief. I was about to claw at my eyes when the beauty therapist returned and peeled the thick mask of my face. Another sigh of relief. My heart was beating a million miles an hour throughout the whole time I was supposed to be “relaxing”. I asked the beauty therapist if it was normal for her to directly apply the mask over the eyelids and mouth because I sure as hell couldn’t even open my eyes. Sadly, she couldn’t speak English well and in the end, showed me a pamphlet to the product. It’s from a brand I’m aware of but it didn’t mention anything about applying the mask over the eyes and mouth! I couldn’t get out of the salon soon enough.

This very almost ruined my birthday. I was still hyperventilating when I stepped out of the salon and had to calm myself down with slow, deep breaths. Having my eyes and mouth glued shut for what seemed like forever was really distressing.

That facial thought me a few lessons.

1. Don’t cheap out when it comes to facials. When beauty treatments are advertised at $1 a minute, run the other way.
2. Stick to brands of beauty products you’re familiar with. Of course, this doesn’t mean that proper hygiene is maintained even with beauty products you know which leads me to point number 3.
3. Stick to reputable salons. I’ve been to dodgy beauty salons with services I purchased from group discount websites (that’s another hair-raising story which I’ll tell you another time) and a high percentage of them have cheap services for a reason. You get what you pay for.
4. Speak out at the slightest hunch that something is not right. I should have questioned the beauty therapist when she applied the mask on the first half of my face if she’s doing it right or if she could leave my eyes and mouth alone. I didn’t because I thought she knew what she was doing. It doesn’t matter if she does. If you don’t feel it’s right for you, speak up. I should have done so rather than having to scrape the sides of the table in distress and hyperventilate.

Again, I have to stress that this does not undermine Bun Bun’s situation. The lessons I’ve learned from this do not mean that’s what Bun Bun should have or have not done. It’s just what I’ve experienced and learned.

I hope that this does not deter you from facials, especially if you enjoy them. These are just some tips to keep in mind when you’re deciding on salons/clinics for your beauty treatments. Please remember that there are no stupid questions. Better to ask so-called stupid questions than regret not asking them at all.

Have you experienced any bad facials or beauty treatments before? Do share with us if you have.

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

{ 1. Diane von Furstenberg 440 Envelope Embossed Lizard Clutch | 2. A Grand Weekday Out Dress | 3. RumbaTime Orchard Gem Watch | 4. BE Typographic Poster Print Teal Green | 5. Barbora Rybarova Jewellery Statement Ring }

{ 6. MDsparks Gold Gem Earrings in Green | 7. Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in Iridescent Lagoon Green | 8. Alexander Wang Rocco Duffel Bag | 9. JULEP Nail Vernis in Emilie |
10. My Kind of Twirl Dress }

{ 11. Radley Catch of the Day Kindle Cover | 12. ScissorsPaperMouse Art Print Watercolour Live Laugh Love | 13. Chanel Le Vernis in Azure | 14. Hepcat Dress in Clover | 15. Sephora + Pantone Universe The Color of The Year Collection }

{ 16. Nails Inc Bling It On Emerald Kit | 17. ReComputing Geeky Cuff Links | 18. push BY PUSHMATAaHA The Spider Ring | 19. See and Be Screen Sneakers | 20. Michael Kors Gia Ostrich-Effect Leather Shopper }

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

I’ve seen a lot of Gatsby-inspired looks on beauty blogs and YouTube of the beautiful Daisy Buchanan (played by Carey Mulligan) but not many of Myrtle Wilson (played by Isla Fisher). Just for fun, I thought I’d do a inspired recreation of her look.

For the very first time in an FOTD, I actually used false eyelashes! I don’t have the long feathery eyelashes Isla Fisher has so falsies have to be used for this look. The left side looked a bit wonky but I think I got the right side done correctly. I’ll definitely need a lot more practice with falsies.

It’s not an exact recreation of Myrtle Williams in the poster but it’s what I intepreted the look to be. I’m not a fan of the thin brows that Isla Fisher sported in the poster so I kept my brows full and thick.

Makeup used for the look:
Face: Rimmel Match Perfection foundation, Guerlain Meteorites in Teint Rose
Eyes: Physicians Formula Super BB concealer, Urban Decay NAKED Basics eyeshadow in Venus, Revlon PhotoReady Primer + Shadow in 505 Impressionist, Max Factor Clumps Defy mascara, Revlon Beyond Natural false eyelashes, Lord & Berry liquid eyeliner in In The Black, L’Oreal Color Riche Le Sourcil eyebrow pencil in Deep Brown
Cheeks: Dior Cheek Creme in 871 Bikini
Lips: Hourglass Femme Rouge in Raven
Nails: Dior Vernis in 858 Tie & Dye

Outfit:
Coat: MANGO Suit
Scarf: L’avion
Earrings: Made it myself

I had a lot of fun recreating this look. It allowed me to push out of my comfort zone with false eyelashes and I’ve forgotten how beautiful the red lippie by Hourglass is. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too.

Have you watched The Great Gatsby? I can’t believe I haven’t even watched it yet!

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Copyright © Beautyholics Anonymous

At the beginning of the year, I decided to take the plunge and do blogging full-time. I’ve been focusing so much time on blogging the past year that I’ve decided to move on and put my jewelry on the back seat for a while. Plus, on top of blogging, I’ve decided to take on freelance blogging projects as well (helping clients with WordPress, web hosts, etc) so I’ve been quite the busy bee.

Some of you have asked me how I spend my days and I thought I’d share that with you today. I’m sure you’ve read how other bloggers’ days works and that there’s no fixed daily schedule. It’s true. I don’t have one either. I could be working on the blog all day without even leaving the house at all or out all day for meetings, events and/or more writing. Before you go “wahh she gets to attend so many events!“, let me clarify that that’s not true. In Melbourne, I get the opportunity to attend a media event once every 2-3 weeks. We’ll be lucky to have one once a month!

For the days that I am home, I do try to keep to a schedule if I can as I’m more productive with one. When there’s no structure being self-employed, one has to create the structure as best as he/she can and that’s what I do.

7.30 – 8.30am

• Wake up, brush my teeth, have breakfast with Tim
• Catch up on the news on TV and the Internet

8.30 – 10.30am

• Review my to-do list of the day (I’m a list addict. I probably have lists for my lists).
• Write and reply emails.
• Plan and review my blog content for the day and week.
• Photograph products or myself if I need to show the makeup on the face (this is the best time to take photographs for me because I get enough light through my window but not as strong as the noon light)

10.30am – 12.30pm

• This is my best time for writing. Once the photos are done, I’m ready to write. I like to get images out of the way first before tackling the words.
• Post new blog updates on Twitter and Facebook at about noon (this is when most of my traffic is having lunch)

12.30pm – 1.30pm

• Have lunch. I normally cook my lunch and seldom do takeaways. I used to live next to and opposite lots of takeaways. I had so much takeaway lunches back then that it’s no wonder I gained so much weight! Now that I don’t live near any takeaways (pizza joints don’t count since I’m not a fan and won’t eat it unless I have no choice), I like to cook my own lunch.
• Catch up on Twitter and Facebook. I don’t have social media switched on unless it’s to reply tweets or comments on Facebook. I do cheat from time to time, which is why you might see me on Twitter or Facebook earlier

1.30 – 3.00pm

• Write and reply emails to bloggers, brands, potential advertisers, etc.
• Go through my blog comments and reply them.
• Continue with blog writing and editing of images if those aren’t completed.

3.00pm – 5.30pm

• Work on client’s blogs. My writing juices are usually out by this time so it’s a good time for me to remove my creative hat and put on my technical one. This is when I’ll need more coffee.
• If there are no projects for me to work on, I take photos if the sun is still out (even on sunny days, I get an overcast through the home office window that is perfect for photos. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work during winter months when the days are shorter and the sun sets at 5pm).

5.30pm – 8.30pm

• If there’s an event, I usually leave for one by this time as it takes me about an hour to get to the city by bus and train. As our household only has 1 car, I rely heavily on public transportation (have for over 5 years now). I’m usually back in time for a takeaway dinner.
• If there isn’t an event on that day, then I continue with client work till 6pm, which is when I catch up on the evening news and start preparing our dinner.

Thursdays are usually my going-out days (excluding any events, appointments or errands to run) so I’ll usually be at my favourite cafe with my iPad and writing. I find that I’m a lot more productive and write better when I’m not always at home. People-watching and window-shopping (well, most of the time, it’s just the window ) have planted a lot of inspiration and content that you see on the blog. You know the “A Beauty Blogger’s Media Kit” ebook? Wrote that in 1.5 hours at Coffee Bean.

Fridays are mail pickup days. Most of my blogging-related mail, magazine subscriptions and so on go to my PO box. I don’t give my home address away unless I’ve worked with the brand long enough to trust that they won’t give my details away or rob me. Plus people steal my mail. Oh yeah, I’ve had that a number of times.

I don’t blog on weekends unless it’s necessary. Weekends are for me to “live” . It’s also a good time for me to tidy up the home office because throughout the week, the place will look like it’s been hit with a hurricane. Yikes.

That’s my rough daily and weekly schedule and how my days as a beauty blogger work. Not very interesting at all and definitely not glamourous as some people might think. In fact, it can be a lot less glam than regular office work because most of the time, I’ll be at home in front of the computer in my pyjamas! (the posties can attest to that)

I hope you’ve enjoyed an insight to what my days are like. What’s yours like?

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