Due to my girly image and interests, I don't think many people knew that I enjoy sci-fi/action movies as well (come on I dragged a guy to watch "Avengers" with me, and I can't believe he fell a sleep first :P). So when asked if I wanted to go to "Transformers: Age of Extinction", I was so excited. I really liked the previous movies, so of course wanted to go support the new one as well!
It was such a fun high energy event, cheering on the actors and cast as they walk past us. Some people got to talk to them, or take some photos with them. All of the actors and actresses were so friendly and tried to sign or take photos with as many fans as they can. Sorry that a lot of my photos aren't super clear/focused, I was shaking my pompoms as they walked past so hard to hold my iPhone :P
Of course got to wear an Autobot T-Shirt to support the "good" robots ;)
At the fan pit, we get to watch on TV the actors, directors and other cast/crew before they walk past us so we know who we are cheering for by the time they walk by us. Up on screen is the voice of Optimus Prime being interviewed.
Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime, everyone's favorite Autobot!
Mark Wahlberg - Cade Yeager, the new human protagonist
Stanley Tucci, as the technologist Joshua Joyce, shaking hands with fans
Tucci's beautiful wife, Felicity Blunt, was so stylish. Look at those pumps!
Jack Reynor, as Shane Dyson, the cute "Lucky Charm" driver lol
Nicola Peltz, as Tessa Yeager. Loved her choice of dress, there was a small train in the back.
She's so sultry!
Bingbing Li in a Giambattista Valli Spring 2014 peplum Gown, as Su Yueming, such a kick ass character. At first she seems just like a business women, but watch towards the end, she's awesome.
She's more beautiful in person! So graceful. And I love how she took the selfies herself with the fans. I also loved her fashion, it's out of the norm but stands out and suits her well!
Got a selfie with my style icon :)
The amazing Steven Spielberg, who was an executive producer.
Us fans with the talented Michael Bay! He produced and directed the movie.
The very cool transformers glasses! Want to make some costume out of it!
After the red carpet, we headed into the theatre to watch the screening of "Transformers: Age of Extinction". Peter Cullen used his Optimus Prime voice to introduced Michael Bay, who then introduced the movie and that he decided to sign on to this fourth installment. Which I'm glad he did, I really liked the art direction and cinematography of the whole movie, the way the camera moved through each scene. I want to learn that as well! Then he said that he's grateful to the over 4,000 people involved, and introduced some of the cast that we may not have know of. Then began the movie!
It was great sitting the theatre, clapping amongst other fans whenever our favorite Autobots and human succeed in something. Not wanting to give anything away, but I think this movie might have a deeper meaning than about the war between the robots. When (I believe it was) Optimus Prime who said somethings should have never been invented. It kind of reminds me of in our real world, there are things that scientists shouldn't meddle with, such as the debate about cloning, etc. Not saying it will result in something as serious as a war between great robots and destroying the earth (though there is also the climate change to think about), but something along that lines. Got me thinking, heh.
Although it was a really long movie because they put a few different conflict after another, at least it was easy to follow along. It's really cool that they went to a lot of places to film, you see US, North Pole, China and Hong Kong. I spotted Hang Geng in the car, which was really funny. I feel the chemistry between the people and the comic relief jokes strewn in strategically are a lot better than previous ones. Also, the Autobots and Decepticons all have a lot more personality than before, and each were design so differently. So when they fight, you can clearly differentiate them.
Some favorite quotes/scenes
Cade Yeager: Sweetie, get my alien gun!
He said it after his alien space ride crashed on a guy's car and the guy kept screaming about insurance. That was really funny.
When Bumbleebee said "I hate cheap knock-offs." because he saw a copy prototype of him, that the company kept saying is "a better version".
Su Yueming said "Is that a bomb in the back? Shit!"
So if you already love the previous movies, definitely check this out. I liked it better than previous ones.
There are so many different CC creams out there, but which one is the right one for your skin and needs? Since I have a few, I will do a quick comparison between 3 that I purchased in full size. For how it looks on my face, please watch the video. However, you can view the swatches in screenshots below.
With no foundation on, I have some red acne marks and very bad dark circles under my eyes. I need sleep!
Let's start with the Clinique CC Cream in Fresh Peach is very creamy but easy to blend into the skin. With no fragrance, and protection of SPF 30, it's hydrating but oil free, great for dry or combination skin. The texture was right between dewy and matte creating a radiant finish. Their other color choices such as very light, dark, etc, is less dewy and a bit more matte and thicker.
The fresh peach provides a light to medium coverage, and brighten up my skin a bit, which made it appear less yellow and dull. It's great for everyday pick me up. The red marks are slightly lightened, and the under eyes are brightened.
The Nature Republic Completed Control Cream in brightening comes in tube with a pump. However it can be hard to pump it out at times. Instead of cream, it feels and looks more like a lotion, so blended out it is very sheer. It takes a bit longer to blend, but is a lot more light weight than Clinque's. The other two versions, tinted and color change are darker and provides more color.
It has a nice relaxing floral scent but is not strong at all. It whitens, improves wrinkles and has SPF of 25. And although it illuminates my skin, it is not a warm color rather a more ashy to white tone. It is also hydrating, but was more towards a dewy finish, so it might not work as well for oily skins.
It is definitely a lot more lightweight and sheer than the Clinique. The red mark on the Nature Republic side is still very visible. Therefore, it works better as a primer, under base.
Since both have less coverage than other foundations, I will need some help with some concealer! So for both cc cream, it works the best when you add concealer into the routine.
Sorry it's so dirty! I take this every time I travel so it's had a rough life :P
Lastly is the Etude House CC Cream. It too comes with a pump for hygiene, and their pump works a lot more efficiently. The cream is not very thick, and comes out white with a lot of little colored beads. When blended out, the beads mix with the white to create a light nude color. However it takes awhile to blend it well.
This is the thickest out of the three, but doesn't feel too heavy on the skin. It has a stronger floral scent, but I really liked it as I love floral fragrances.
The Etude House has SPF of 30 and has wrinkle care and whitening base properties. This one really brightened up my skin by making it look whiter, but still natural. It is not as hydrating as the other two, but creates a matte finish that is beautiful when photographed. It's best for summer with it's oil control property. It also last me over 8 hours without getting oily.
It has the most coverage, the red mark that the Nature Republic couldn't cover has been concealed. My under eye circles are also lightened without any concealer. Etude house also offers the same cc cream in glow, which gives a dewy finish instead.
So out of the three, what's my favorite??? Dun dun dun~~
The winner is Etude House! From my previous entry I have already raved it, but I just love how it looks for photos and the scent. However, as stated, it is thicker, so if you prefer a lighter weight for everyday, my second favorite is the Clinique!
Of course there are a lot of other brands, so it would also benefit you to go swatch a few to see what works best for your skin. Hope this was helpful as a starting point. Please subscribe for more on my channel or my blog. See you guys next time! xoxo <3
This is not a sponsored video/post. I bought Clinique CC Cream in fresh peach in Bloomingdales, Nature Republic in it's NYC store, and Etude House on Amazon and also in their Taiwan store.
Miss Angel Model Contest Kickoff Party Photo credit Amanda Z
If anyone remembers me joining a model contest last year (Miss Angel Model Contest), well, its second cycle has just begun! The kick off party was last month, where Miss Angel Contest spokesperson Esther Pang introduced the new cycle's detailed information for the press. You can watch the TV news report video from SinoVision website, which is the biggest Chinese TV station in NYC. The link is here http://video.sinovision.net/?id=20988&cid=112
Great to see my friend at the party!
3 models from previous cycle, Judy, Nancy & Lala Photo credit Amanda Z
There are a few differences from the first and new cycle - the models will work closely with official charity partner, Promise Society, as well as cash prize, acting contract and charity ambassador role for the winner. The age group has also changed to 16 through 28-year-old female. What's great and reason why I joined this contest before is that it teaches young women that beauty isn't all about how we look, but how we think and act matters as well. By working with charity groups and events, it reinforces that beauty comes from within.
Judges for the audition - Teresa, Jayson & Nancy (Photo credit to its owner)
The registration closed on June 1st, wherein the board picked out promising girls for Esther to do one one one interviews with. After her selection, the girls are asked to come in for audition in front of this year's judges and coaches - Teresa, Jayson and Nancy. Each girl had their own time slot where they give a brief introduction, why they joined, show their talents (if any), walk and pose for the judges. The judges can ask questions to have a sense of what the girl's areas of interests are and pick which girls they want in their team (again something different than our cycle).
Teresa's team emphasizes on charity thoughts and willingness on contributions, Jayson considers more on the model's commercial value, and Nancy is able to help models with their talents (singing, dancing, etc) and community exposures. So by having this audition, they can see which girls falls in which category for the judges to help further improve the girl expertise. It can also break the girl if she doesn't show enough interest or if they don't fall in love with the girl, she can be eliminated.
Now that the contest have officially started and the girls have been narrowed down, I'm excited to see what this new cycle brings to the community! It's a brand-new, and so far the first and only Charity Themed Role Model Contest! Stay tuned for more on the contest!
The color I got at the end, it's such a beautiful nude peach!!
Is there a lip color you've been dying to find, but with every swatch of a lipstick that resembles it, brings you no closer? Maybe bright yellow or blue? I do, just not the bright yellow or blue - the perfect nudy pink with orange under tone that Ga In wore in her "Bloom". I have bought so many different nudy pink lipsticks (now half my lipstick is full of this shade...), yet I was not satisfied. I had to mix lipsticks and lipgloss to get a shade remotely close to it.
Lip color lovers!
Well, luckily for me I received a Sephora VIB Rouge Day event, inviting us to the Bite's SoHo boutique to create a complimentary personalized shade of Bite Lipstick. I got there close to 12:45 and waited on the line, fortunately there were only about 5 girls in front of me waiting to get in.
As my turn approached, one of the Bite employees invited me and the girl behind me to get a sneak peak of the Fall 2014 Collection. She swatched the matte cream lip crayons for us, and allowed us to try the new agave lip mask champaign. The colors were all really beautiful, and moisturizing as well.
Then we were introduced to the Bite Lush Lip Wipes. They were strong enough to remove the boldest shades, yet gentle enough to use over and over without drying out the lips. She said the idea came from the fact they had to try on so many lip colors and were over drying their lips as they removed each shade. Since the other client was allergic to some ingredients, the employee told us how that's how Bite came along - the CEO was also allergic to certain ingredients and created a more natural line.
Color inspiration!
After a bit more waiting, I was finally introduced to my bite color technicians, Stephanie. She finished up the previous girl's lipstick while I got comfortable and stared all the jars of colors in front me. Stephanie returned and asked what color and finish (matte, cream or sheer) I was looking for, to make it easier I showed her photos of the shade I wanted.
She quickly selected 3 colors she thought would work, scooped them out and mixed them on the palette. With a cleansed lip brush, I tried it on. With her expert eyes she said there were too much white in it, and remixed a new shade. I tried it on again, and after a bit of blotting she nodded in approval. It was quite a beautiful shade, not too nude that would wash me out, and just enough pink and orange tint to the nude. A nice nude peach!
Not only did we get to choose the color and finish, we could put a scent to it, there were seven choices ranging from mangos to vanilla, I chose my favorite - rose. Then I got to watch the fun process of how a lipstick is made. She went to the cabinet full of colorful truffle like pigments and scooped out the colors she needed for my shade, and microwaved it. After adding in the rose fragrance, into the swirly mixing machine (sorry I don't know the name :P). Once it was mixed well, she poured it into the lipstick mode and let it cool down on an iced surface. It was awesome seeing how a lipstick is made, now I know what goes on in a lipstick factory (sort of...).
Cooling down
Swatch on my hand is surprisingly darker than on the lips!
Once it was cooled, she placed it into a bite lipstick holder - the matte gunmetal shade you might have seen at Sephora - and into a cute little Bite bag. It was fast, but a fun experience to create my own shade and watch it from creation to finish. Thanks to Sephora for giving me the chance to try out Bite Lab. I've always been curious what it was when I walked past, but didn't know it was a personalized lipstick shop! I'll definitely be back for more colors ;)
In case anyone liked the color I got, here is the formula! :)
Sorry I was inspired by the lips on the wall to do this too :P
I recently went on vacation (which explains my lack of posts, sorry!) to Bermuda, and decided to film a beach / swim lookbook there as their bays and water were beautiful!! Since its a swimwear lookbook, I am obviously going to be wearing less so if you're uncomfortable with that, please check out my other lookbooks link instead thanks!
Filmed by AXL Photography
https://www.facebook.com/axlphotography
I thought the EXO song (K & M version mixed by BmixerKpop) was so fun, perfect for running along the beach.
I'll have my Summer Vacation Resort lookbook video next and you'll see the wonderful little towns of Bermuda! Then when I have time I'll compile my blog and talk about each location I shot at in case anyone wants to visit Bermuda! It's a lovely place to visit, everyone's really nice and will say hello to you (don't be alarmed XD). The town houses look like from a storybook and the water is incredibleeee. I'm spoiled now, so when I see NY water I freak out haha...
Look 1
Cover up - Victoria's Secret
Bracelet - Forever 21
Last time at the outlet I saw this really cute sleepwear, but since it's chiffon I thought it would make for a cute cover up as well. The rhinestone detailing around the neck, and racerback style is so stylish! I'm loving these handchain bracelets, so cute.
Look 2
Bikini - H&M
Bodychain - Boutique
Leopard prints is one of my favorites, so I had to get this bikini set H&M, the ties on the side are cute. Bodychains are awesome for the beach as it adds some detail to your swimwear.
Look 3
Dress - Forever 21
Headband - Forever 21
There were several different colors but I chose this peach color because it's so soft and romantic! The headdress is awesome, too bad it's sold out now on the site :(
Look 4
Anklets - Wet Seal
Monokini - Forever 21
Kimono - Forever 21
I loveee the silhouette of the monokini, it follows the curves of the body to help appear slimmer. The kimono is really cute with tassels so it flows in the wind.
