Update on pets (and an excuse to test a video)

Since losing our hermit crabs my life has been way too quiet especially since Scott left for America for two weeks (although he's returning this Sunday).
 

So I had to fill the absence of our Boys and did so with these amazing Fantails!...Which Scott has yet to find out about so hopefully when he returns home this weekend he won't throw a fit ;)

Also, here is my friend Abbey's gorgeous Siamese Fighting fish!

BYS face products review

When I told David from Fashion Addict that I wanted to not only master the smokey eye but also start with the bare basics of learning how to do my face from primer to concealer (or...blush and bronze?) I had no idea how much it would intimidate me actually staring at the products once I had them. Seriously, why is it foundation comes in so many different types? What does a primer do except for add another layer to your face? Why conceal when it is already concealed? Out of this foursome the blush and bronze compact was the most familiar...

BYS Face Primer with Vitamin E and Chamomile Extract

I have no previous experience with face primers so my knowledge and experience is next to nothing but what I feel a face primer should do is...prime your face. Without giving you the feeling of too much gunk, oiliness or an unworkable surface that will cause what ever else you put on your face to "snag".

(I swear I didn't sneeze on my hand...or..er...no, lets not even go there)

What I felt when using this was a light layer that made my skin feel slightly taut. I didn't really notice much difference when using this prior to foundation nor did I notice an improvement in the longevity of my "fake face". I still think face primers are unnecessary but I liked doing this extra step just for the sake of being thorough.

I didn't much care for the smell, expecting it to smell of a hint of chamomile I instead found it to be a more chemical smell with a hint of chamomile. Or maybe I was deluding myself in believing there was a hint of chamomile. Although I experienced no breakouts or allergic reactions (I fully expected it when I reluctantly used it on my face) I would expect those with sensitive skin to be more cautious with this and instead invest on something more expensive (psychologically it will put them at ease anyway). I think this is harmless and can be trusted but it all depends on your skin and what it is used to.

BYS Matte Foundation in Medium Beige

It says it is a matte foundation and so it is! What I loved was how well this matched my skin tone. Since tanning significantly earlier this year which brought out my darker Sri Lankan pigmentation (prior to that I rocked out a much lighter skin tone, my Japanese side!) and put all my natural beige foundations I owned out of business. Medium Beige on the other hand? Perfect match at the moment.

When I first got this the weather was still warm so I felt like that warped the consistency of this a little as it was almost oily and slicked on my face leaving behind...a face that felt like it had no foundation on. However now that is it cooler I feel like it has settled to a foundation consistency, that is it goes on and leaves behind a more powder-y effect. That said this hardly has a powder-y effect once on my face, it is a nice, light layer that feels barely there. Some may find this unappealing as it does little to conceal blemishes and emphasizes pimples more but I feel that - hypothetically - if I were to use foundation daily I would want something very light and barely there that wouldn't seem to suffocate my face. Although the emphasis on my tiny pimples didn't appeal to me which is why I go bare faced to begin with - less emphasis overall! Plus you don't have to worry about patchy foundation throughout the day, etc.

Also this foundation doesn't really give a smooth appearance to your face like other foundations do but it does its job fairly well and gives you some coverage that is better than no coverage.

BYS Concealer in Medium to Dark

Oh concealer, how I fail to understand you. Seriously, I have never used concealer in my life. Which could explain why the rare times I have had to do makeup myself for a shoot I always have blemishes (especially when my chicken pox scar on my face was more prominent) showing up. This has never bothered me though, and I cannot comprehend how slapping concealer over a pimple is good for you. I rather get rid of the pimple sooner than have to deal with a prolonged, concealer-dirty pimple.

Needless to say, I have no idea how to use concealer. Do you put it on before foundation or after foundation? I see people doing it either way and some people even use concealer just under their eyes to brighten them up - I am so confused but don't really care enough to learn. I'm not sure I'll ever get around to using concealer but it's handy to have one that matches my skin tone.

This concealer blends in really well with the Medium Beige foundation and is easy to apply. As for coverage, unfortunately I need to harvest some pimples and blemishes to tell you that and since my acne cleared up once I moved to Sri Lanka a few years back I haven't exactly been able to cultivate the pesky things as easily. When I get a promising one I'll get back to you - yes, I'll even risk it and prolong the darn thing just for you!

BYS Blush & Bronze Compact Mosaic in Light Glow

For some reason I always assume this will smell like chocolate. And get so let down each time I open it! Of the three mosaics available I chose Light Glow assuming it would be just that - a light glow. However I was not so pleasantly surprised to find that even using it with a light hand would give quite pigmented results! Good product but possibly a little difficult to use if you're a beginner like me in the fine art of make up.

What I did like about this was the fact you could get good results by using it sparingly but what I didn't like so much was how it is more of a bronzer than blush. Also the shimmer doesn't really appeal to me but it is very pretty on - personally I just prefer matte over shimmer, glitter, frosty, etc. You get quite a bit of fall out using this but at least the next time you open the compact you already have product to work with!


I love these face products because...
- They are all affordable
- They do their job even if it is just the bare minimum
- They are easy to use if you are a complete beginner (like me)
- The foundation and concealer come in a variety of shades for all sorts of skin tones

I didn't really love these face products because...
- They don't give you the results higher end brands would give you
- Weather seemed to make them temperamental, for example in terms of texture



You can watch my ramble on this here if you'd like:

Run! Suki is on YouTube!

I started a brand new channel called Suki Chronicles (I know, so unoriginal but better than babygirlz0283208 or something similar) which will feature all my videos for this blog - hooray! Now it is totally new and making videos is alien to me (except for the ones I made for Scott...NO! Mind out of the gutter! I used to just make him update videos when I was abroad and he was working, it makes a twist from writing letters.) so be nice. Or whatever, be mean and I probably might not care. Much.

Now, I had so many issues with my webcam which I cannot be bothered getting into for the life of me now. Instead I will share with you how I combated the problem of lighting with webcam videos as you will always have a shadow-y effect or over-lighting happening. And in my case it was shadowing so one side of my face got barely any light and I looked like Two Face.

(I know, I have a weird bar above my head...I have no idea where it came from...)

See what I mean?

(Oh! Wait!...DUH!...I'm an angel, so I haz halo!)

But then I found a way to combat the problem! And thought I would share in case this works for anyone else. I hope it does, that way I look like a genius.

1: You have your main light source (in my case, plus the ceiling light and my webcam light but this lamp is the main source of light for my videos)

2: You have the object that rebounds the light and throws it across the darkened areas you need light to shine upon! (In my case I used my hundred year old mirror and my diary as extra height)

3: The object meant to be the center of attention will be all lit up!


You can watch my first video here!:

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.

Monday Meow: Web Responsibilities

Gotten intrigued first thing Monday

Over the weekend it came to my attention that certain web personalities were not exactly being responsible with their image, attitude and influence that they portray online. I'm not going to go into who exactly they are and what they've done wrong because I don't want to get involved in the entire fiasco - I'm twenty-something years old, these trivial dramas belong in high school, not otherwise. And that is my opinion on that matter.

What my Meow is about therefore is what [I believe] makes up a good web personality and to throw out some caution to think about before embarking into the vast world that is the internet.

How do you get started?

Being a web personality essentially means you create an image and personality that becomes well known throughout the internet. You might do this through a blog, twitter, youtube, blogtv, a website, so on. Most often you portray yourself or you amplify your personality in some way. So for example if you're really hyperactive then that will be the sole trait you portray online.

What traits make up a good personality?

● Be genuine: Don't give the internet world the entire nitty-gritty on yourself but generally being somewhat of a genuine person helps a lot especially if you connect with people on a large scale like through youtube. Going by an alias is fine, even choosing not to disclose your age but otherwise don't pretend to be someone you're not, it isn't the best way to make an impact with people.

● Being upbeat, positive and opinionated: Well, not necessarily in that order or all together. Also there are a lot more traits you can have that aren't those three! Just to give you a head start, I've noticed that people mostly enjoy upbeat personalities who have a sunny, happy-go-lucky sort of life that shows through whatever they have going online. Also, the more interesting you are and varied in your interests, the wider range of people you'll get through to.

● Keeping up appearances: By this, I don't mean you have to be drop dead gorgeous in order to make it out there online. No, that is really not true at all! What I mean is, give off a good example especially if you know you cater towards a younger circle. Be responsible, and at least give disclaimers!!!

What you should look out for?

● Make sure you don't violate any copyrights: Even if you're using a song in a video that is otherwise entirely content you've come up with, make sure you credit the song. There is a high risk of being sued or warned about copyright infringement - the law is tough these days!

● Prepare for criticism, rude remarks, know-it-all comments and all forms of negativity you can think of: Not everyone is going to love you, like you or even tolerate you but it doesn't mean it's a bad thing! The best way is to not be rude back, people have a right to say what they think and even if they say something entirely uncalled for don't retaliate since it'll cause a bigger mess! Be smart about the negativity and just let it pass, in the end people shouldn't even bother with you if they don't like you to begin with (: Oh, and always embrace constructive criticism - people give it as so you take it into consideration and can improve!

● The commitment: You're going to have to be really committed to your online life if you want it to get out there! Throwing out content on a daily basis is no easy feat but always remember that the people who absorb that content are going to want it to be consistent...after all, it is so easy for them to move on and find someone else who is doing the same thing you're doing!

By all means this entry isn't extensive nor is it something to live by but I just thought it would be interesting to address this issue. What do you think about web personalities? Do you think they ought to step up and be responsible about the image they portray?