Three years,
100 interviews.
Out of curiosity, I counted how many interviews I went for and discovered- I went for 100 interviews!
What did I learn? What did I get? What did I achieve?
[NEWS] Breaking territories, entering unchartered waters
[TRENDS] 3 Beauty and The Beast Collections That Are Available In Singapore Right Now
“Tale as old as time… Song as old as rhyme…” *Sing-along session begins*
Now, who’s excited about the movie release? With the movie coming up real soon (In cinemas 9th March 2017 onwards), it’s been garnering so. much. hype on the Internet ever since Emma Watson was handpicked to be Belle.
[REVIEW] Here’s 5 Reasons Why Spending 24 hours binge-watching K-drama Goblin was worth it
“It’s a beautiful life
Beautiful day
너의 기억에서 내가 살텐데”
So finally with all the time in the world I have since I am on break hitting pause, I spent 24hours (2 days excluding sleep time) to catch up and watch Goblin.
The last K-drama I watched was Doctors? Descendants of the Sun? Cheese in the Trap? The internet was raving that Goblin was a must watch! a hit! superb! cannot miss! show so I was quite skeptical. Now, not many shows made it to my superb K-drama list but after going through a 24 hours Goblin marathon, I saw where the lure was.
Better late than never, here’s five reasons why this show proved that it was worth the binge.
[THOUGHTS] I’m not a quitter, I’m just hitting pause
After working for a solid 18 months after graduation,
I quit.
Or should I say, hit the pause button.
I’ve officially left my full-time job and am now on the dark side of “unemployment”.
It’s not a sudden decision and many factors were pushing for this decision.
I never realised I was such a workaholic. Till today, while resting, I received notifications saying that I was removed as Facebook admin and my work email access has been revoked.
Eyes swelled up. I cried.
[THOUGHTS] It sucks to lose your grandparents as a young adult
Psalm 23 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
P.S- Not religious but this verse from the bible was on my Popo’s obituary, it stuck with me and gave me peace.
[OPINION] My Two Cents Worth On The Future of Publishing
I must say, being in the main press, people often ask me what I feel the future of publishing is going to be like. The below is my two cents worth of what I feel on the whole issue. It is a personal opinion, and does not represent my company whatsoever. The opinion piece is strictly my own opinion piece, and all rights reserved.
Lengthy post ahead. So…
Basically, in order to survive… *Pun Intended*
iSurvive: Digitalize or Die is the way to go.
Happy Birthday 👄
On January 19th, Martin Luthur King Day, Happy 23rd to the boyfriend! I love you!
We had an awesome staycation last weekend, going around DC having the best food/ relaxation trip ever.
He enjoyed all the attention he got, starting from the free champagne/ macarons that Hotel Palomar pampered him with, and then to Le Diplomat getting free super good and soft nougats as a make shift cake, then to Fiola Mare where we were pampered with some delish sweet treats. THAT WAS ULTIMATE YUMMEH ALL WEEKEND LONG. He kept looking at his facebook too, and whined “nobody is wishing me a happy birthday” 👊 What an attention whore lol 💏, but I guess that makes us the same because I had compliments for my dress and make up that day too which made me really happy. *happy dance* We had a few consecutive good nights of enjoyment, which was all a good battery recharge for our hectic lives.
So here is a quick #ootd and #makeupoftheday post. I found out almost all pictures were tad blurry, that made me really upset 😞 Found one selfie with khiara, my friendly MUA from Sephora that is not that was able to see the beautiful make up done! She was busy though so my make up was done by Yasminda and Cynthia. Thanks girls for making me beautiful!
#makeupoftheday
Base: Fresh Hydrating Cream
Foundation: Stila
Eyes: Stila
Falsies: Cheapies from China… Some random place
Mascara: YSL
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills
Highlight/ Contour: Smashbox
Bronzer: Tarte
Lipstick: Mixture of NARS, Marc by Marc Jacobs, YSL, Chanel = PERFECT COLOR
#ootd
Earrings: Colette, Australia
Ring/ Bracelet: Lovisa, Australia
Down Coat: Random China Brand that was cheap, warm and good and really stylish
Dress: BCBG
Pumps: *ALL TIME FAVORITE* from Melissa, who says plastic shoes are not comfortable… I can fly in those shoes.
Alright, gonna go for class now and hopefully I have time to blog tomorrow for a full post. Some of you dropped me emails, or tags on instagram/ facebook telling me what you wanna see! Im planning something already, hoping to write it out soon!
Stay warm and fuzzy guys, have a good weekend ahead. If you are not following me on Instagram yet, high time for you to do so @lynnesther
Ciao Bella!👯
Back to School Make Up
Left to Right: Image courtesy of Google *The mighty* 👍👍👍
BACK TO SCHOOL MAKE UP FOR THE BUSY/ BUDGET STUDENTS!
1. COVER FX BB Gel Mattifying Anti-Blemish Treatment, Available on sephora.com for USD $45
2. Shisedo Majorica Majolica Perfect Automatic Eyeliner in BK999, Bought in Asia
3. Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller- Light/ Medium, Available on garnierusa.com for USD $12.99
4. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Break in Pink Quartz, Available on bobbibrowncosmetics.com for USD $44
5. Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in 225, Sultry, Available on drugstore.com for USD $8.99
IT’S FIRST DAY (AND LAST) OF SCHOOL!
First day of my last semester studying, *hell yay* I finally waited till this day, my eyes are sparkling and anticipating the last day I hand in my papers and go…
NO MORE SCHOOLLLLLL FOREVER *everybody lets dance* *maybe for a couple of years only till I get my Masters 🐸*
Normally I go to school without make up, and look horrid. But I didn’t want to jinx my last semester so I thought I would usher this first day of school nicely with makeup. However, being a nocturnal owl, waking up at 9am is really not my thing. I had to do my makeup really quick, and go for the EXPRESS selection.Therefore the 5 items I picked above is some of the items I used to do make up quicker and more efficient. To be able to do your make up in 15 minutes is such a feat for me, the slowest snail ever 🐌 is #missionaccomplished for me 😅
However with all these multi tasking, long lasting tools, I will be able to stay fresh the entire day! I start with toner, then sunblock to prep my face for makeup. Next would be the above 5 products for a nude, everyday natural make up style. Nothing too dramatic, just something for you to look fresh, and glistening 💫💫💫 These products are also great for the BUDGET/ or BUSY students as they are normally multi taskers themselves. HOW AWESOME 🐥
1. COVER FX BB Gel Mattifying Anti-Blemish Treatment, Available on sephora.com for USD $45
This BB cream is my absolute favorite. It provides enough coverage and covers all my blemishes, dark eye circles and imperfections. However, I think the shade that was given to me was a shade too light, thus it made me looked a bit pale, but I managed to blend it out with my MAC Studio Fix Compact Powder. Everything looks nice and smooth after, perfectly blended. If you know me, I normally look for value for money products. This product deserves a tick! ✔ You just have to use a tad bit ✔Excellent coverage ✔Great for all skin types because this is such an underrated brand (Dermatologist Tested/ Researched). ✔WORTHY INVESTMENT, a little Sephora sample lasted me 10 uses for my entire face. Now imagine the whole tube? Now I just need to finish my samples, and get this full sized baby 😘 ✔Use as Make up base ✔Sunblock ✔Time saver for the busy busy people!
2. Shisedo Majorica Majolica Perfect Automatic Eyeliner in BK999, Bought in Asia
Asian version of Stila Stay on all day waterproof liquid eyeliner but I honestly feel its so much better. I’ve tried and tested many eyeliners, as this is my staple make up product. This Japanese brand under make up/ skincare giant Shisedo has the record of ✔SMUDGE PROOF ✔WATERPOOF ✔LONG LASTING ✔SWEAT PROOF! ✔After removal, would not leave a greenish/ black stain on your lids. ✔It is also very long lasting, one eyeliner can jolly well last me for about 6-8 months. ✔ NO REAPPLYING FOR THE WHOLE DAY! More time for your tasks and goals ✔INEXPENSIVE… Unfortunately only in Asia 😫 CRAZY PRICES IN REST OF THE WORLD! Getting this baby in USA/ Europe might be a bit hard, I checked that eBay and Amazon does have stock but selling at exorbitant prices. This is considered to be a drugstore brand in Japan, and most places in Asia. I got mine back in Singapore for SGD 18, but price is almost doubled here! If you have any Asian friends, time to ask them for this favor! 😉 “Good things must be shared, eh?”
3. Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller- Light/ Medium, Available on garnierusa.com for USD $12.99
Ever since 16, I have been faithfully using this product. Although it might not have lightened much of my dark eye circles, it definitely did help in the lessening of fine lines around my eyes. ✔Long term investment product. Would you rather spend $12 on this product twice a year, or spend $12 x 10000 for cosmetic surgery when your older? I choose this cheaper route, hehe. ✔BUDGET FRIENDLY. $13 a tube for a year that is a little bit more than $1 a month! I often use this after my foundation, before Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion for priming the lids for long day eye shadow. This product is inexpensive, yet very useful. Again, the effects of this baby is not instantaneously, but you will definitely be able to see a difference after the first roller ball. As it is a rollerball, you also use very little product, thus, this product normally last me for about a year before it completely running out. It might be because I only roll on once, as I will normally still use a concealer stick that is lighter than my skin tone by one or two shades to brighten my under eye 😳. Sigh, my insecurities on my eye bags is a real serious issue 😔
4. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Break in Pink Quartz, Available on bobbibrowncosmetics.com for USD $44
✔WORTHY INVESTMENT. ✔BEST EYES, FACE product for the busy bees 🐝🐝 🐝4 in 1 palette! I adore this palette. It is the most versatile item I ever had. Having 5 colors, it is called a shimmer break because of the slightly shimmery side of colors. Bobbi Brown is famous for their nude colors, and this is one of the customers all time favorite item. This $44 can be used in so many ways. ✌Eyeshadows ✌Highlighter ✌Blush ✌Contour The 5 colors nicely divide my eyelid and I am spoilt for choice as it presents me with many combinations. I normally divide my eyelid into 3 sections, placing the lightest color as a base, followed by a medium brown in the middle of the eyelid, to the darkest on the edge. Sometimes, I would also use the darkest brown to do an eyeshadow eyeliner. The lightest color would then be applied under my eyebrow bone to highlight my eyes. Next, I’ll use this palette and a stipple brush (Using Real Techniques stipple Brush) to brush it all over my face, concentrating on the T zone and suck in my cheeks to have a concave effect for a slimmer, less round face. Lastly, I will use the pinkish shades of the powder and place some on my blush brush (Real Techniques Blush Brush), just nice to give me a nice radiant glow! Being the Aunty in me, this product deserves my five stars. 🙆 And not to mention I had this palette for almost two years now, and it still very much looks intact…. I feel that application is best with fingers, but a good eyeshadow brush (Using Real Techniques Eye Shadow Brush + Chi Chi Double Headed Eyeshadow Brush) you might be able to do a more defined, color toned brown make up!💛 💙 💜 💚 for this product! For the penny pinchers, save money and buy this product. This will definitely not disappoint.
5. Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in 225, Sultry, Available on drugstore.com for USD $8.99
Many of you would have heard about make up dupes, aka cheaper alternatives to the more expensive range of make up selling at counters and beauty stores. I have heard that the Revlon ColorBurst series is the dupe of the famous Clinique Chubby Stick, and does the same job at 1/2 the price.
😱😱😱
Say what? Really? After going online, testing it at drugstores and looking at countless reviews, I got this ColorBurst Matte Balm in 225 and its taupe color just entices me. Goes well with my skin tone, and makes my lips look fuller. This product is a staple in my bag, and I have it in multiple colors. I use this as a lipstick base, placing it after my lip balm as this product tend to dry my lips out. During winter, I would use an extra step of lip scrubbing my lips before lip balm, then lip stain, lipstick and gloss. This is to reduce the dead skin on my lips as it gets really flaky and dry during the winter and I hate it 😩 After, I realized that whatever lipstick color that I matched the balm with, the lipstick color will be retained for a longer period of time until the next application. Normally at the end of the day I would still have a bit of color on my lips if I do not reapply my lipstick at all 😇. ✔Convenient to purchase ✔Budget friendly! This is a non atas, drugstore product with a pocket friendly price! ✔LIP STAIN + LIP COLOR, 2 in 1! It’s packaging is nothing fancy, resembling a fat Crayola crayon. However for this price, this product definitely wins me over in purchasing more colors instead of getting the Clinique Chubby Sticks at double the price. The make up hoarder in me just cannot take the fact that I would not be able to have quantity despite the similar quality. 😂
Urgh, it’s past midnight and I’m sleepy already. Time for me to hit the sack and prepare for the most busy day of the week for me!!! Today I was busy handling mundane adminstrative stuff, but still saved some time to shop online for some new brushes and just some ULTA love *guilty face* 🙍 Hopefully I would be able to settle my crazy timetable soon and free up some days to go travelling/ or to do things I like! Question, would you wake up early to do make up? Or prefer to sleep in and go bare faced? What other beauty products do you like that are budget friendly for students? Or quick to apply within 15 minutes? Please share with me and comment!
Have a good week ahead guys, stay warm as Elsa had set off eternal Winter❄ ⛄ in the East Coast. I sure hope for Spring and Mr Sun back soon! 🌞
2014- A pictorial review of my year
Goodbye 2014! Hello 2015!
On the last day of 2014, I looked through my exploding photo album (5k pictures, I don’t like deleting them 😅) on my trusty iPhone 5 and dug out some pictures that mostly summed up my month of the year 2014. Here is a quick pictorial review of my year ☺
👯 JANUARY 👯
January was spent in Shanghai doing a summer course in Fudan University for my Chinese Major. My return back to China was a fulfilling journey, making new friends, connecting with my old friends and spending quality time with my dearest godsister Jutta! I love her, and thank my lucky stars in meeting her while I worked there almost three years ago! She also recently told me that she is getting married 👰 I cannot wait to be her bridesmaid team! So happy for her, wishing her eternal happiness! Not to mention in China I fell really sick, and thank God for travel insurance and expat medical clinics- I refuse to be on an IV Drip to get well for my very very bad flu. NOT COOL CHINA, NOT COOL 😠.
🎊 FEBRUARY 🎊
Went home back to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year, and connecting with some really old Choir mates (& my primary school crush of 6 years😁 LOL). Was really happy we stayed friends! Such a miracle. It was also a painful month with a slipped disc due to the car accident I had back in Shanghai, and I almost, almost had to not go back to school because of my medical condition. Spent Valentines Day at home, with a tub of ice cream and sappy love dramas, my twinnie Lynn decided to come and give me some peanut cakes she made herself. I love her so much and really appreciate all the love she gave me. Bedridden most of my time but what can I say? Resting is to prepare for a longer journey. Good life with all the binge eating!
💔 MARCH 💔
I guess LDR was a bitch, and we were both sick and tired of each other at this point. It resulted in a temporary break up, and with me collapsing and crumbling down. I stayed home for 4 days, skipped school, cried my hearts out, wolfed down desserts and sweet treats. Wailed, wailed and wailed till my neighbors had to scream “hey, stop crying!”. I thank my friend, Joyce for being with me during this tough time, and giving me sweet support. She brought me out the entire day, and ordered me desserts and listened to me. Everyone needs a girl pal like her 👭👭👭
📷 APRIL 📷
April I was back in action, as it was Melbourne Fashion Week! I was kept busy with shows, and photoshoots! A month zoomed by doing things I loved. #achievementunlocked was finally a #legit magazine spread, and getting on runways (big/small) and my first BILLBOARD appearance for AVEDA Australia, Zucci Salon!
🎂 MAY 🎂
#lynnx21
Turned into a legal adult on May 18th, commemorated this special day with a photoshoot (how original, that’s the best thing I can do) with my favorite wedding photographers Guan Hui & Silvia from Bloc Memorie Photography. Also had a mega party on the 17th, held my party at my workplace, Starbucks Bourke Street! I love Starbucks (haters gonna hate hate hate, shake it off, shake it off💃) No alcohol (during the party), just specially made drinks (secret Starbucks recipes revealed) and anything from the bar on the house by Barista Lynn’s closest team of baristas. They are the best work team ever, and I could not have done my party without them. Purple themed for my birthday, and had my pastries made by Maria, who is so talented in everything and made my day perfect. Hair styled with love from Shakira, Zucci Salon and Make up from the place you would never thought of… PRICELINE! I love drugstore make up, some products are seriously underrated! I thank the Fudan gang for coming as well, + Monika, Liam for attending. Raymond, Joyce for spending my actual birthday with me, just with a nice high tea, some shopping, all peace and quiet… Just the way I like it 😚
☕ JUNE ☕
June was finals month, busy with school (as usual) and worked my ass off to save money for my USA exchange! Reconnected with my favorite KUMON instructor Mrs Leong. She gave me so much strength and motivation. Even after I went back home she showered me with love and even let me go back to KUMON to goof around😝 Starbucks Bourke Street also experienced certain incidents that were life threatening, and definitely memorable. Perfected my coffee making skills (and rusty again).
👋 JULY 👋
Mr Kangeroo bidding me goodbye! As I leave Melbourne with a very reluctant heart. One year already?! My last day was epic, as my girlfriend Monika and I went to Oriental Tea House, had a drink too many, HALF SOBER and went home to continue packing my luggage and prepare for my flight back home IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS😂😂😂. It was an epic journey, but looking back. I lost two friends that was very dear to me as they decided to cut ties with me. Although I don’t know why, I guess they don’t treasure me as much as I treasure them! I wish them all the best though. If they ever want to connect with me again, I am here. July is also the last month where I had great quality Aussie coffee, awesome brunches and the best raw produce. I MISS MELBOURNE AND QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET AND WORKING WITH THE BEST STARBUCKS TEAM EVER!!!!!!! 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 x 100000 Can’t wait to go back for graduation in 2015!
🙋 August 🙋
Hello GWU! George Washington University, is my exchange University in Washington DC, USA🇺🇸. School is amazing, and although momentum is different, I finally got to live my American “dream”! Finally came to the USA and met up with my LDR boy-friend of two years. We were in a really complicated stage, and I guess he regretted the breakup, I couldn’t bear to really just cut ties with him, after all… It’s been two years and coming to America was influenced by him, and this whole journey of coming to America is a tough one too. Sigh, another blogpost maybe 😢 All that heart wrenching stories… I was also really amazed with school stuff and was really interested in sorarities and fraternities. ITS LIKE GOSSIP GIRL, GLEE AND ALL MY USA DRAMAS COMING TO LIFE! Not to mention I actually got to go to NYC and it was a dream come true. Awesome!
😎 September 😎
Roomie Love! Meet my UK roomie, Ellie! She is pretty awesome. Although I don’t call myself extremely clean and have organized clutter, I suspect I am OCD because I like to put things in my way and like certain areas clean (bathrooms, kitchen especially). Till the extent my dorm room’s name sticker was vandalized by some really creative people: my name Lynn was spoofed and became Clynn (Clean) HAHAHAHAHAHA very very innovative guys, very innovative 😑😑😑 We spent a lot of time together, and I did learn new recipes from her as well! She is a great cook too, which is awesome! Spent most of this month trying to adapt to school, and to hang around DC finding great food and spending time with the boyfriend (yes somewhere in September we decided to give it a go again… *warm fuzzy feeling*)
🎃 OCTOBER 🎃
MY FIRST TIME CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
I LOVED IT! We went to Embassy Row, which has Embassies from all around the world and for the first time in my life i went trick or treating. It was a very sweet experience I must say- the sweet treats I got lasted me a long time!
😞 NOVEMBER 😞
November was bittersweet. First weekend was a relaxation trip from school to NYC again with the boy. We discovered new brands, and some really cool fashion finds, and eateries. Stuffed ourselves with authentic Asian food. New York, no words can express my love for you. Next weekend I was back in Shanghai, China and that sunday was dreadful. My paternal grandma passed away and I literally rushed back home to see her. Got news at 9pm, and I caught the next flight out of DC at 8am. I went back to see her for the last time. The flight was an emotional journey for me as well, as I was crippled with grief. I finally saw my dad and youngest sister too, it felt great to see family again, but definitely not in such occasions. Going home is never the same again. No more nagging, no more grandma’s dishes. Its all memories now. The photo was taken when I last saw her in January. This really told me not to take somebody for granted, and cherish your old folks… You never know when they will leave you. Leaving my apartment in China was different too, she used to stand at the balcony and see me leave and wave goodbye. Not anymore, as I said my final goodbye… I miss you Nainai, I really do.
🎅 DECEMBER 🎅
SEMESTER 1 ENDED! & All I do now is to work for my new personal shopper job which I love, do product reviews, blog and spend time with my boyfriend as he embarks on a new journey with his new company soon (on break too yay)! Good times never last though, and school will be resuming shortly but hey, 2014… You had your ups and downs. I said hello, I waved goodbye, heartbroken a couple of times, but sweet moments most of the times. A year older, a year wiser.
Have a happy new year guys! How you gonna spend New Year’s Eve? Its just me and the boy for a classy dinner tomorrow, and a celebratory drink 🍸🍸to usher in the New Year at a restaurant near home… If your interested! Follow me @lynnesther on INSTAGRAM 🎥 for #ootd #liveaction and more prompt updates 🎆 + more glitzy beautiful stuff! *please please*
& Hopefully, next year when I write this post again welcoming 2016, I hope to have more fruitful stuff to share with you all! 💝 2015 is also my graduation from university, moving back home to Singapore and starting to work like an adult! Milestones to be achieved, and I hope you readers will continue this journey with me 👣👣👣My New Year resolution is to eat more good food, shop more, learn Korean properly, get my degree and find my dream full time job. Also also to have a nice happily ever after with my boyfriend, and hopefully work something out on the distance issue🙍
Have a lovely New Year’s Eve everybody, stay safe! Giving hugs (I have Chanel Chance on), kisses (Gucci Lipstick) to wish you all in having the prettiest, most beautiful NEW YEAR! 2015, BRING IT ON!
xoxo, Love Lynn
Lynn Esther Says... 