When the Adelaide Beauty Bloggers Meet #3

(Photo from Stacey)

And so another month passed and another ABBM has come and gone and I find myself wondering just how it could have happened in a blink of an eye and then I realize it is because it was tremendous fun. If you didn't know already, time flies when you're having fun you see.

This time we were lucky enough to meet as a big group and it was sensational! Of course we had Celeste of Becoming Beautiful who did an amazing job of organizing yet another meet up at Greek restaurant Eros Kafe (we thank you for enduring our craziness) and also brought us a very wonderful surprise! However, before I get into that the cast of the third ABBM included Stacey of Pop Makeup, Michelle of Eat Paint Sniff Glue, Neena of Princess Neena, Saku of Rozen Saku, and Kirsten of Commander in Chic! It was way too much fun finally getting to know those I had missed out on meeting at the second ABBM and it was great finally getting Kirsten joining our cult...I mean, meet ups.

We tucked into a delicious lunch (I had the Eros Mediterranean which was so very yummy! I think the olive tapenade won me over completely, YUM!) and chattered away happily while sneaking furtive looks at goodie bags tucked under our chairs or sitting in front of us.

What were these goodie bags you ask? They were beautiful, glossy black bags with FACEOFAUSTRALIA on them! I go through the contents in this video:

However, in short, this is what our bags contained! (You can see their Face Base primer, Pressed powder in Bronze, Translucent Loose Powder and Expert Finish Mousse Foundation in Tan in action in this LOTD.)

(Photo from Celeste)

Thank you so much Face of Australia for giving us such a wonderful array of products! We love you even more - in my case I'm definitely glad you have given me products that have changed my way of thinking and I think you have successfully won me over!

After much squealing, swatching and even some swapping we all decided it was time to move on and possibly secure some more Face of Australia products from our local Priceline! I wish I had realized when we trooped off there that I needed to get the last Molten Metallics color in Gold but oh well, next time!

We all settled into Gloria Jean for some downtime (plus coffee) and chattered away happily for a while before I had to make a move and get to university and then prepare for work. I think the lovely ladies moved on to the Benefit counter but you might have to ask one of them what happened next!

Overall a fabulous day and my favorite part of these meet ups is meeting the gorgeous girls behind the blogs I read religiously - read their blogs, follow them on twitter and just get to know them because each and every one of them is priceless and I definitely am counting down until we next meet again!

Once again, thank you so much Celeste and Face of Australia for making our third ABBM such a treat!

Can we just call it quits?

No, not in terms of a relationship. This is based on a personal incident and when something along the lines happened to my "Twin", Renee (who is the author of the amazing blog Beauty Fool), and she tweeted about it last night I thought it was about time I rant about this. It has been a while since I last ranted about anything blog related or how Bloggers blog but I thought this is becoming a bit more of an issue recently...

What exactly got me irked? To start off, recently in my life I became aware of a person I knew apparently taking offense over a tweet I made and then labeling me as superficial...because blogging about beauty is not very worldly in her opinion (by the way, her opinion is valid; I hate people who attack other peoples opinions). If she knew me better though she would understand why I have this superficiality in my life but unfortunately she based her opinion of me just on one tweet which sadly wasn't even about her nor was it related enough that it gave her reason to attack my blog.

My blog is not based on beauty. I do not categorize myself as a beauty blogger because I honestly could not give a damn about rating beauty products every single time I want to blog. When I do blog about beauty, I say what I think but you shouldn't come here for a comprehensive analysis on products. There is absolutely nothing wrong with beauty blogging or comprehensive product reviews but that is not for me, I can't see myself caring that much. I like talking about products and giving my perspective on it because how many people out there might be like me: without an iota of understanding when it comes to paraben free or differing textures?

That said, yes, as of late my posts have been predominantly beauty ones, but I do try to throw in the non-beauty ones in between as well. Recently I haven't done so because I have been going through personal issues that doesn't translate well when I try blogging generally so the easiest option and distraction is to blog about beauty. I turn to trivial things when I need to stop thinking, it isn't a bad thing and it actually is good for stabilizing a bad mood or temper.

This incident led me to being irritated over how Bloggers are attacked for "not blogging about one thing". Who is to dictate what a Blogger blogs about? Yes, there are specific blogs out there, so why don't you take a hike and find one that suits your specific needs? Even so, I think it is ridiculously silly to throw a hissy fit if the Blogger chooses to blog about something unrelated to what their blog may be about. There is no one forcing any Reader to read a particular blog post, if it isn't your cup of tea (or coffee as in my case) then why bother reading it past the title or first few lines? This is what puzzles me, in a world where we have all the freedom and choices to make people still act offended and restricted as though they are being strapped into a chair and tortured against their will...when in fact they are doing it to themselves.

So without ranting endlessly, let me just clear it up in simple terms:
1. Bloggers have the right to do as they please with their blogs
2. If the above doesn't please you then find another blog
3. If the above still doesn't please you, why don't you try writing a blog that suits your needs?
4. Attacking Bloggers is ridiculous, no one really cares to "suck your" whatever and "die" - what does that have to do with an upside down peach cake?

And most importantly:
If you think The Suki Chronicles is based on one area only then you are mistaken and perhaps you should move on before I suddenly write about my childhood imaginary friends and it leaves you disturbed for life.

When Adelaide bloggers meet up...again!

So the last time there was a blogger meet up it was on a rather small scale with just Celeste of Becoming Beautiful, Stacey of Pop Makeup and myself meeting up for a lunch, cupcakes and good conversation. Today there was a bigger turn out (despite some of us not being able to stay for long or attend most of it unfortunately but still!) of Adelaide-ian bloggers (and I think we can say now that there are some of us who aren't just 'beauty' bloggers but all-rounder bloggers more specifically - I know I for one am the latter!).


The bloggers of today? Celeste of Becoming Beautiful of course who arranged todays meet up as well and is simply amazing for also bringing goodies for us! Stacey of Pop Makeup who apparently looked gorgeous in her wedding attire (I wish I saw you!), Michelle of Eat Paint Sniff Glue (whom I didn't get to meet unfortunately!), Neena of Princess Neena, and Saku of Rozen Saku with whom I spent hours with after everyone left chatting away! Unfortunately we couldn't get Kirsten of Commander in Chic today but hopefully we get her at our next meet up!

The beautiful ladies (and a very special guest as well as Celeste's housemate) all went for Yum Cha at Zen House which I had to miss because I had to finish off my politics essay - seriously devastated! But I worked hard enough so I could meet Celeste (and her housemate!), Neena and Saku at Cocolat for coffee later in the afternoon. After Celeste, her housemate and Neena left Saku and I had a great afternoon/evening filled with amazing talks about our lives and...fish. That is probably all I will tell you about our time together!

Celeste is sooo wonderful for giving us some goodies! You spoil us already by visiting us every month, I definitely cannot wait for your longer visit next month! Thank you for the BYS lipstick in Coral Kiss - probably a bit too bright for me but it will be well loved in a special giveaway coming up.

What I missed at lunch was a very special guest - Owen from The Face Shop! How exciting and I was even more devastated I missed out on meeting him. However, later on while Saku and I were going all over Rundle Mall looking through shops we couldn't resist but visit The Face Shop (and I think I will probably spend ALL my money on their seriously gorgeous new eye shadows which can be chosen and put into a palette thus creating your own custom palette!) and I got to meet Owen who then gave me a goodie bag...

I am still in serious shock over how nice he is and I think I want to camp outside The Face Shop now with big huge banners proclaiming my undying devotion to them! Not just because he was SO nice as to give me a goodie bag but because what he gave us all?

For one, is simply too generous and amazing! And for another? Everything from The Face Shop from what I know is not test on animals! And this is most important to me these days as I give up numerous brands and so knowing that at least one that I do shop from is animal friendly is SUCH a relief! Thank you so very much Owen, this made me a very happy girl seeing as I only just purchased a face mask the other day thinking it would be my only treat for a while and you give us all this amazing array of face masks! Definitely hugging these and sleeping tonight...or possibly rampaging through the rest of this weekend so I have a good excuse to try one tomorrow night!

Such an amazing day and I am so glad I managed to meet Neena and Saku as well as catch up with Celeste again. Looking forward to the next chapter of the Adelaide Meetups!

I leave you with my look for today - Darling Girl Cosmetics, featuring the new All The Pretty Little Horses collection and my newly chopped hair!

HP & Intel Front Row Blogger Competition

Oh my goodness! Somehow I made it into the voting round of HP & Intel's Front Row Blogger competition!!! This is so exciting to just even get this far!

This is where you could possibly get me through to the next round dear readers! Depending on votes, I could possibly make it through to the second round where five finalists will be chosen to proceed to the third round where a final decision will be made.

For me, this opportunity would be amazing because it is something I have always wanted to do! I will never make it onto an actual runway (no, it's not pessimism but more like a lack of height!) so the next best place? In the front row chattering away about what is on the runway!

If you would like to vote for me - pretty pretty please! - then please go below! Thank you!






P.S. Here is my belated reaction!

33 followers is a big deal for me ♥

This is just a quickie to let you wonderful readers know that I will be doing a giveaway hopefully soon to celebrate gaining 33 followers for Suki Chronicles - 33 is my number, it is that number I have always had on the back of my sports jerseys and it is my favorite number. Not my lucky numbers, I have different lucky numbers but it is a special number and that is what you all are to me - absolutely freaking special!

If you have any ideas or prize wants (that are available in Australia and not easily elsewhere) then let me know! Just a heads up that I might overboard with this giveaway so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

THANK YOU for making my blogging career that much more amazing.

♥Suki, xxx.

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you to the lovely Sophie for tagging me for this! Her blog is my new favorite to read when I'm having my downtime (AKA procrastinating instead of working on a 50% Moral Problems essay) so definitely check it out because it is so refreshingly good to read!

Seven Things About Me

1. I love food and I cannot wait to cook in my own kitchen one day, perusing recipes online is my favorite way of relaxing after a particularly long day.

2. This is becoming a bigger and more obvious aspect of my life: I am an animal lover and big tree hugger. I do run around hugging trees routinely in fact...provided they have no spiders on them.

3. I own a hermit crab (I used to have two, one passed away earlier this year ): ) and apparently this is amusing and unusual for people to hear. They make wonderful and adorable pets and I am being honest, this is coming from a person who has severe arachnophobia.

4. A recent revelation and apparently makes me "legendary": I drink Guinness and I love it. My drink of choice also happens to be scotch and coke. However that said, I do not drink all the time and see no point in getting drunk.

5. I used to be a law student until I broke up with it last year because we had no more passion in our relationship. We are still close though and may get back together next year but are taking it slow.

6. Being a true Japanese (half anyway), I can eat noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still want more. Ramen or udon, I will not complain. Pasta works too. My parents think I am a bit of a freak.

7. I have been a model for four years now and I still do not have an inkling of how to even use basic make up. I know basic basics but I horrify a lot of people with even the little knowledge I do possess. Hence why I am trying to learn. Also, I am preparing for when old age kicks in and I lose my youthful looks and will need make up to bejazzle my face.


Now, I tag...Susan of Darling Girl Cosmetics because she is amazing and Darling Girl is amazing so you should check both blog and store out; Wendi of Makeup Zombie who does spectacular looks and is just a wonderful person; and Stacey of Pop! Makeup whom I just met in person and love all the more - she has such wonderful blog posts that are a great read.

What happens when beauty bloggers meet?

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Celeste of Becoming Beautiful and Stacey of Pop! Makeup on Saturday and boy was it fun! They were so very beautiful and lovely in person and we definitely hit it off really well and I know there will be plenty more opportunities in the future for us all to meet up again and also for more Adelaide beauty (or even just all-rounder bloggers too I'm sure) bloggers to meet up so keep in touch and lets create an Adelaide community!

I won't go into details of our day but it involved lunch, lots of talking, a strategy at Priceline in order to secure a $50 gift bag filled with amazing products that we pooled out onto my lap (refer above photo) and squealed over - on a bench in the middle of a bustling Rundle Mall!

Also there was an epic journey to secure cupcakes (all proceeds went towards the flood relief - how amazing!) and the cupcakes were so spectacular - there was such an array, even gluten free ones! Celeste, Stacey and I only had one each and the rest you see above I actually gave to Scott (I'm sure he is hiding them under his bed away from his housemates, I would if I were him...) so you would have to ask him how they were but I hear the ones he is slowly demolishing have been good thus far (:

All in all it was such a wonderful meet up and I cannot wait to do it again! Goodies, good food, great company - what more is there to want? Thank you for taking the time to meet up ladies! ♥

Blog sale results!

 

 
When Dee aka Miss Prissypants held a blog sale recently I may not have made it in time to grab some of the more coveted items (staring down Stacey and Celeste...) I still grabbed some of the items that I knew I had to have for my daily wear collection.

 

Everything came so securely sealed! Dee is so amazing for ensuring all items came safely and I thank her to no end for doing so. It really made my day to get this package....

...and to find that not only with the lipsticks and eye shadows I got off the blog sale, Dee had also thrown in four loose shadows! I was so ecstatic over that, they're neutral colors and will be so loved.

 

First off is the Revlon matte eye shadow in 009 which is a very dark looking brown but the color is not as intense as I thought it would be.

I was a little disappointed but at the same time I quite liked it nonetheless since I can see it being a good softer dark shade for day looks and I am quite fed up of using only very light colors during the day and looking like a wannabe vampire when I use darker shades that are better suited for the night. So this will probably work out better for my day looks.

Next is the Revlon Colorstay in 02 Coffee Bean which is literally all the neutrals you would ever need. I rarely find - if not rarely, never - a good highlight shadow to use under my brows so I was pretty excited when the lightest shade in this turned out to be the perfect highlight.

The intensity of colors is the same as the matte so nothing exciting but I found it quite lovely when worn, it was nice having a soft, subtle dash of make up on and still feeling pretty without needing primers and bases and what have yous in order to make colors pop.

The claim is that it is a 12 hour eye shadow and I can see how it would be but at the same time I wonder whether it would fade. I will definitely test it out on a day I run around university a lot and come back to this claim...

Too much flash (:

I was so very glad I got to pick up the final NYX colors! I think everyone might have been intimidated by how dark they would be but I am in love! I think it is also because I have tanned considerably so it is certainly easier to pull off these colors (also, Mummy who is much darker in skin tone than I am would always be able to wear these so I might actually give these to her since she loves lipsticks). They are beautiful colors in their own way.

Saturn  is a pretty metallic reddish-brown, I feel it might be a bit too drying though so I am working out ways to wear it without destroying its true color since I find even clear glosses or Vaseline makes it a bit duller. I might have to get a good balm under it but I find balms tend to make these lipsticks move around a bit making application that much more tedious. Hmmm...

Fusion is definitely my going out, having a wild night of clubbing (er...if ever) color - it is such a gorgeous purple-pink! I love it, it is very retro and the best pop of color you can use to brighten up a dark outfit.

Gardenia is just your average color...neither here nor there and I do not have much to say about it really. Enough said as it is. But it is a good lipstick.

I love the extras I got, especially since Femme Fatale is my first Sassy Minerals product ever, even if it is a sample! And of course, Heatheresque is always awesome so I'm quite pleased!

The swatches speak for themselves really, I did these with Evil Shades Evil Eyes in Naked as a primer. The matte color was not as partial to the primer but the shimmery shades held well. I think the matte color (which is Dream Big Dreams) will hold up well just applied on its own as long as it is patted on rather than swiped. Very pretty array of neutrals that are definitely good additions to my growing neutrals collection!

Doe a deer a bow a...beer?

When Celeste (go read her blog here) tweeted about Katie's blog Be Inspired I was inspired. Inspired by a beautiful blogger and her amazing make up and clothes and it seemed like after a very long time I was inspired to actually get back into the swing of make up and caring about what I wear, for you see dear readers, I've been so very down for so long.

Anyway, one particular entry of Katie's caught my attention and out of curiosity I wondered if I would be able to do the style myself. The style? Putting your hair into a bow, literally!





So after watching the video recommended by Katie and featuring the cute Nee, I took my hair tie and managed to actually replicate the style without the aid of bobby pins or hair spray! Maybe it is because my hair is so thick? I didn't do the style too high up as I preferred it a little lower as so I didn't look too sickly adorable and quite liked it that way. What do you think? My hair isn't as neatened up but this was my first try so it's imperfect! Cannot wait to actually try it out for a proper day out to see how it will hold up with just a hair tie holding it together.

EDIT: In my excitement over blogging again, I forgot to mention how I managed to do the bow using only a hair tie! 
- You tie your hair up into as high of a ponytail as you desire (this is where your bow will sit), tie it up with your hair tie and tight as possible (I do about three ties)
- Just before you do your final tie, you pull your hair through only half way so you have a semi-bun and a tail (get my drift?)
- Split your semi-bun in half (the bow) and then take the tail and curl it around the base of your semi-bun and bring it through the middle where you have split your semi-bun then tuck it into the hair tie
- Voila! No need for bobby pins and if you have super thick and evenly long hair like mine you do not require hair spray to hold it together or keep stray strands in place but if you need to use hair spray to neaten it up and maybe use a bobby pin or two to keep the bow standing upright more if you do not want it drooping.

Bloggers, don't apologize for being YOU!

I keep noticing over and over again how many bloggers feel the need to apologize for things that should not need to be apologetic about. Straight away I am going to include myself in the guilty party as I know I have been there too, where I feel the need to say 'Sorry for this and that'.

What are we apologizing for, Bloggers? I send out this plea to all of you: do not apologize for trivial things! It does not matter that the lighting in our photos are not studio quality, it does not matter that we did not bother changing out of our pyjamas before documenting our look of the day, it does not matter that there is one strand of hair falling across our face - none of these small "issues" should be apologized for! If we feel the need to be so apologetic then perhaps we should not be bloggers to begin with. Is it not true that bloggers are regular individuals? Should we not therefore then be given the allowance to be ourselves and not be ashamed or worried about how we are perceived by our audience?
All of us will have that small gathering of loyal followers and even though we may be unfollowed just because - goodness forbid - our eye was a little red in a photo (this is a natural occurrence for a lot of us contact lens users by the way, our eyes are dry all the time!), we should not care for the loss of these superficial people! In the end we must blog for those loyal followers who actually care to read our entries - bad hair day or rumpled pyjamas they love us for the blogger we are.

This will not turn into a rant but it is just a reminder that maybe we should stop apologizing so much for being imperfect. It is far braver to face the music as your honest, true self than hiding behind a mask of photoshop or apologies.

After all, those haters out there nit-pick for honesty do they not? So honesty they should get! If they complain, well hey, they cannot deny that at least we are giving them a hundred percent true us!

Do you agree or disagree with me, Bloggers?

Suki's fond memories of 2010

What a year 2010 has been! I personally found it to be one of the happier years of my life: I finally went off to pursue a degree after years of waiting after graduating from high school, I discovered a quaint city I fell in love with upon arrival, I have met and gotten close to some very wonderful people who will most certainly be life-long friends, and most importantly I have been fortunate enough to find in Scott a soul-mate and best friend.

Life could not have been more perfect this year even with its downs (the amount of times I have been ill this year has been considerably fewer than other years but the severity of each bout of flu has been terrible!) and I am so grateful that my beautiful parents have provided me with the opportunity to further my education and have been so very supportive and loving at all costs and at every hour I have needed them.

I have lost two very cherished pets: Jodhaa (Jodi), my barely a year old guinea pig earlier in the year and Pebbles, my fourteen-year old cat just this month. However Scott and I have our two adorable hermit crabs, Jackson and Trent, while my parents still have our two remaining cats, Sydney and Prince as well as our beloved still-nameless tortoise. Pets are beautiful additions to a family and I have benefited from all of mine in so many ways and 2010 has taught me to cherish them that much more.

2010 has taught me so much about myself and changed me in a lot of ways too. I was able to become a better person this year and most definitely a happier person for which I am most grateful for. Scott, my family and friends are an incredible support system in my life and they all are too amazing for words. It is them I thank for all the happiness and success I have gained this year.

Enough of me rambling away! I leave you with some photos of this year and a tale of each.

From the moment I arrived, fell in love with Adelaide and university and college life, 2010 has been amazing. I can only thank my parents for giving me this opportunity to study abroad and further my education and my life.

Life in Adelaide has been fun no matter what everyone has to say about the quaint, sometimes slow city. Trust me, after a 1am jaunt to Glenelg and getting a photo with a police jeep life is never unexciting unless you choose to be boring (:

The people I have memories with are ones I hope I know for life, because they are beautiful and like I did with Laura on the engineers pub crawl, there is always much fun to pursue and laughs to have.

Scott is the most amazing person in my life and probably the most important after my family. With him I have experienced so much and have yet to experience more with him. He is the one person I want to go through life with, he is my best friend as well as my boyfriend.

From wind farms...

...To caves (:

And not to forget, some very long car journeys together.

Our tradition is going to the zoos of SA and hopefully in the future we will be able to go to others.

My memories of this year show how much I have changed as a person - me stealing even a candle?! That was unheard of a mere few months prior to me moving to Adelaide!

I have kissed pandas...

...And gotten slushies from my boyfriend when I need them the most (:

I take myspace style photos unintentionally but love the people I take photos with.

My girlfriends are SO important to me...

...And we always get up to no good!

This year has been full of experiences...

And I cannot wait to go through it all over again with Lex as my partner in crime (:

I thank all the professionals I have gotten to work with this year and for the beautiful photos they have given me.

Let me know what your fond memories of this year have been!

Merry Christmas Bloggers!

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

(Photo taken from Jacqueline's blog)

No matter your religion (I'm Buddhist) or how you feel about the holiday season (I for one can be a grinch some years) I hope you all will still have a great Christmas celebration or even just a relaxing, love-filled day. It's Christmas Eve and I hope everyone remembers the most important part of this time of the year:

Family and Giving.

Loads of love,
xoxxx
Suki.

In Between: Kobi Levi

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

 

 (Photo taken from Kobi Levi's blog)

When I saw Kobi Levi's shoes in Doe Deere's blog, I had to check him out further and holy moly I'm loving his shoe designs! They are so very creative and outlandish and I know I'd risk wearing a few designs because they are all so very wearable despite being so out of the box. Definitely take the time to check out his designs, I have no idea if he sells these masterpieces but I reckon I'll be in line for one or two of his shoes if he is open for business!

In Between: Vote Now For Beauty Fool!

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

This is a shout out post (sorta) to my best friend Renee who is the author of Beauty Fool and also a favor post (not that she asked me to do this but I'm doing this because I believe she deserves it!).

Renee's blog has been entered for Cosmopoliton's 2010 Blog Awards and she needs your vote! Please head over HERE TO VOTE for Beauty Fool! It's under 'Beauty' and you can cast your vote there. It'd mean a lot if you could help out (: