Monday, July 8, 2013

Strawberry Lemonade

I've been making a lot of cold fruity drinks to combat this hot, humid weather lately, so I thought I'd share with you my recipe for one of my favorites: frozen strawberry lemonade. Honestly it's pretty simple, but I thought I might mix (quite literally) it up a little on this dysfunctional blog of mine. The other drink I've been making a lot is this yummy strawberry-mango smoothie. If you'd like a recipe to that one too, do tell me!

When life gives you lemons and strawberries...
Ingredients (serves 2):
  • 3 lemons
  • 3 strawberries (or more if you want it to be more strawberry-y)
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 cup of ice cubes
  • 3 tablespoons of honey (add more or less depending on how tart you want it to be)

Instructions: Roll out the lemons around under your hands to get the juices flowing. Cut lemons in half and juice them. Halve the strawberries. Add all ingredients into blender and blend. Serve while cold.


How's the summer heat treating you lately? I can take heat, but humidity is just AWFUL. Stay cool, ladies! :)

Thursday, July 4, 2013

July 4th!

To all my American readers out there, Happy Independence Day! Amidst all the fireworks, barbecues, and other festivities, it's important to note that our young country is turning a solid 237 years old. (Funny how my last post was about our lovely neighbor, Canada.)

I made a little gif showing our national colors through a few makeup products. Didja miss them?

L-R: NARS 'Flamenco', MAC 'Transparent Teal', Harajuku Lovers 'G'.

Anyway, I'm off to spend time with my family. I hope you're having a great time too! :)

Monday, July 1, 2013

O Canada!

Finally, here it is! As promised, a post about my family's 4-day cruise trip to Canada. How much more befitting is it to publish this on Canada Day. The part of Canada that we headed to was New Brunswick, and Saint John to be more exact. We hadn't gone on a cruise since I was 6, which I don't even remember very well. Cruises are kind of...interesting, to say the least. However, being out in the ocean/middle of nowhere is really nice and freeing.

Onto the pictures! And a fair warning, there are a lot.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Recently

Some recent snapshots/happenings of life. Just checking back in before I bombard you with travel pictures from my cruise last week!

Recently read:
Just gobbled this up. The illustrations in this book are beautiful.

Recently purchased:
Art supplies are the bane of my existence. Highlight of purchase: watercolor brush pens!

Recently painted:
My outfit yesterday. Testing out said brush pens!

Recently made a wish:
Nothing says screams 'summer' better than this picture.

Next post will be the cruise post! Prepare yourselves for quite a few pictures. :)

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Cruisin'

Going on a cruise vacation with my family for a week.

If you want to stay updated (if I even have phone coverage/wifi), follow my instagram. Will be back soon!

Friday, June 14, 2013

I Made a Cake!


So, I'm really not a baker. Every time I tried to make cookies from scratch, they'd end up as biscuits. My baking is pretty much limited to funfetti cake mixes...which is really bad. Clearly. But with proper guidance (a recipe book and a very anal friend), I (along with a team of friends) was able to bake a beautiful cake for one of our best friends for his birthday. I got quite a workout on my right arm from all the mixing.

I was in charge of decorating the cake, and I gotta say, I'm pretty darn proud of it.



The fork is my sword!

Practicing the icing on a plate of leftover zucchini (from our barbecue).

The finished product!

It was a 2-layer vanilla cake with chocolate ganache frosting. We put a layer of the frosting and sliced strawberries on the inside. The little chocolate "trimming" and what not is just melted dark chocolate.

The candles are in the shape of a K.

If my architecture dreams don't come to fruition, I guess I can become a cake decorator, aha! I'll work on the baking, though.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Birchbox Repackaged

It's been a while since my last Birchbox post, huh? The boxes these past few months haven't really wowed me, but I guess it's perfect timing since this month, Birchbox refreshed their look with a new brand design. For a design junkie like me, it's great. They also put in a few more products probably to celebrate the "new look."

I love the simpler logo on the front.
Love the zig-zag pattern and the card too!

For this month's Birchbox, I received three Davines hair products, which includes their Love Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner, and Oil Absolute Beautifying Potion. Never heard of the brand before, but I dig the Korres-like labels. The box also had a suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, which smells deliciously lemony, and I've always liked exfoliating cleansers. I also got a LAQA & Co. Lil' Lip Duo in a hot fuschia pink color (swatch below). And the product I'm most excited about: a mini-sized Color Club Nail Polish in London Calling. I've always heard great things about this brand, so I was really pleasantly surprised when I saw this in the box! It's a slightly yellow-toned pale mint green color, and I think it'll be perfect for summer. Will show you how it looks on my nails when I paint them.


Look, it kinda goes with the box it came in!

I'm most likely going to stop my Birchbox subscription when I move out for college because I don't want to have a giant stock pile of boxes filled with samples that I'll probably never get to using. So this or next month will probably be my last Birchbox! It's been fun. Have you heard of any of the brands from this month's Birchbox?

Friday, June 7, 2013

Cecille: A Story in Noir

This is a story about Cecille, the only daughter of a well-to-do family, and her transformation into a femme fatale, having grown tired of her boring life. (Let's see if you recognize any of the products in the photos.)

----

It was a hot summer's day. The sun shone brightly through the trees, illuminating spots here and there all over the porch, and there sat Cecille. Rocking back and forth on the bench swing, sipping on some ice cold lemonade, she was reading a novel that had just come out, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It seemed that no one was buying it at the bookstore downtown, but something about the face on the deep blue cover drew her in.

"I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

As Cecille read over this line, she began to think about herself. Daisy had spoken this line about her hopes for her infant daughter, and it became apparent to Cecille that she was in a similar situation. She had all these expectations and at the same time, a lack of expectations. She was just going to be married off to some millionaire so that her family connections could grow deeper. Everything was already planned out for her, and she couldn't do anything about it.


Or at least, that was what she'd thought. Cecille put down the book and ran back into her room. She headed toward the dresser, on top of which was a clutter of cosmetic products, perfumes, and jewelry. She saw the necklace that her mother had given her as a child: a pink acorn bejeweled with white crystals on a gold chain. It was a symbol of her innocence, her childhood. She examined it peculiarly -- why had she kept it all these years? It wasn't anything particularly beautiful. Why did she even keep all of these frilly things in the first place?



Quickly she shoved everything into the first drawer. She didn't need them. Why did she have to go by the current standards? Do they even matter? She went down to the kitchen and something caught her eye. On the table was a newspaper with headlines in big bold letters plastered across the front. There was a show on Broadway that night, labeled as scandalous and provocative, but a must-see for the new generation. She glanced over at her father snoozing away on the recliner, having fallen asleep after looking through his business papers. Glasses still on. Mother's traveling somewhere in Europe. Brothers are at the company or on some road trip. This is the perfect time to escape, thought Cecille.



She ran into her mother's room and found a lipstick, with a dagger at the end of the bullet. Perfect. She also found a pair of black leather gloves. She went through all the rooms and gathered her new wardrobe. She found a black suit jacket and pants, her brother's black dress shirt, and brought everything to her room. She took out her sewing kit and took everything in. She worked in a hurried daze, pricking her fingers every now and then, but it didn't matter because now, her transformation was near complete. She slipped into her new outfit and found that it fit like a glove, literally.


It was now night time. The hot summer haze had turned into a breezy twilight. She stared at herself in the mirror. The new her. Was she ready for the night? Was she ready to leave behind this comfy, mundane life? She tied her long flowing hair up into a bun and hid it under a hat. It was time to go. She grabbed the money she had been unconsciously stashing away and shoved it into her pockets. After applying the finishing touch on her lips, she headed downstairs to leave. At the door she looked back at her father, still rapt in his dreams.

Sorry, Cecille uttered as she rushed down the porch steps and disappeared into the mystery of the night.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Be-YOU-ty

Earlier in the year, I showed you a few pieces of art that I'd been working on for my AP Art concentration. For my concentration, I focused my pieces around the theme of makeup and its effect on the user. Over the sequence of these 12 pieces, the girl and the makeup she uses both go through transformations. The girl, once pretty, curious, but a little insecure in her natural state becomes scarred and can only hide behind a mask -- a mask of makeup. I hope you can see the story as you view the images. 

While it's a somewhat negative take on cosmetics, I do still love it, but sometimes one can get lost in the sea of products out there. Beauty is only beauty if you be-YOU-ty. (Barf, I'm sorry)

Okay cheesiness over. Here they are! I think you'll be able to tell that I'm a lot more comfortable with watercolors as opposed to acrylic paint. I ain't for dat acrylic life. Yeah, I'm gonna stick with my watercolors.

Watercolor
Watercolor & Pen
Watercolor
Watercolor
Acrylic
Watercolor
Acrylic
Watercolor
Micron Pen
Acrylic & Watercolor
Acrylic
Acrylic

The photographing+uploading do not do some of these justice sadly. Can you tell that last painting is me? I couldn't find a model haha. I felt so accomplished when I finally finished everything. I feel a slight void now that I don't have to rush finishing a piece in two weeks, but well time to paint for leisure!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Cairo & Baby Lips

To get back into the groove, I thought I'd show you two new additions to my makeup collection! I've been thinking more wear-ability lately since I can only bring so much to college. I bought these a few months ago on my birthday (which happens to be the last time I bought makeup -- woot!).


William the Hippo in Pop Art Tumbler from The Met.

First item is a NARS eyeshadow in Cairo. It's my first actually. I'd always gone into Sephora and admired the NARS eyeshadows but never actually bought one. Now I have, and I do not regret it!



Cairo is a pale, beige-taupe with the slightest hint of shimmer. It's basically matte, but if you look closely, there's this subtle iridescence that is just beautiful. Hopefully you can see it in the swatch below. I think this is the perfect everyday eyeshadow color (for me at least). Definitely give it a swatch whenever you can!


Cairo on the eyes and finger.

The second thing I got is a Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Color in Baby Lips. I've been really loving sheer lip products lately so I went for this. It's sheer, but not too sheer that there's no color. Sheer lippies are my best friends on lazy days or when I'm in a rush. You don't need a mirror!


Just a pair of"baby lips", just kidding they're mine.

Baby Lips is a soft, warm pink. It's kind of a 'my lips but better' color for me. The lip product is like a lip butter -- the color is sheer, but the product is creamy and moisturizing. In the swatch, I only applied Baby Lips to part of my bottom lip so you can see the opacity. It has a nice amount of shine too! I digz it.

This has been...kind of...a mini haul...? Signing off now!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Hmph.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I disappeared again.

*sigh* -____-

I guess that's a thing with my blog, huh? It shouldn't though.

Well, remember last year when I also disappeared around this time of year? I was making the stage backdrop for my club's annual Asian Night show. This time around, I was the one planning the whole show so I had no free time at all. When I got home, I'd pass out on my bed, skipping dinner many times. It was a lot of work, but I'm glad it turned out almost hitch-free.

Here's a shot of our grand finale! I'm holding the sign right in the middle -- yup, I'm just a pair of legs.


But anyway, that's over and done with now so I have, literally, N-O-T-H-I-N-G to do. I'm just waiting to move out to college (which is pretty far away from Boston by the way). Time to start blogging again!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Sweet Spring

The vernal equinox has finally arrived here in the northern hemisphere! While there is still some patches of snow melting off where I live, I can't help but look forward to the bright, breezy days. When I think about spring, the first thing that comes to mind is flowers. When I see tulips and daffodils popping up, I know that spring has finally arrived.

It was still gloomy and gray here a few days ago, so I reached for some soft pinks and peaches to remind me of the fresh flower petals of spring.


Used a new dress for the background -- can't wait to wear it!

Didya miss my flashing numbers?
  1. Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Strawberry: One of the brightest lipglosses I own! I thought the soft color selection needed a little pick-me-up.
  2. MAC Sheertone Blush in Springsheen: What's a spring post without Springsheen?
  3. Benefit Eyeshadow in Nice Melons: This iridescent light peach is my favorite spring eyeshadow ever.
  4. Sephora Eyeliner in Flashy Pink: More like a subtle flash! It always brightens up my eyes without being too noticeable like white eyeliner.
  5. AVON Eye Pencil in Floraluscious: The name says it all, luscious flowers please!
  6. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Honey Bunny: This pale salmon color screams pinky nude spring dresses to me! And the name, Easter anyone?
  7. Lancome Juicy Tube Gloss in Kiwi Slice: Fresh cut grass, eh?
The shade names ended up painting a rather befitting picture of spring, huh? Very fruity. Kept them in mind and surprisingly enough, the colors all coordinated with each other. Don't you love it when the pieces just fall together? Happy spring, everyone! Are you looking forward to the warmer weather?

Saturday, March 23, 2013

A blog lost in time...

Yes, you're right.

WHERE THE F*CK HAVE YOU BEEN, MAGGIE?!

I know, I dropped off the face of the earth. Especially after promising that I'd be back soon. I'm terrible. At first, my excuse was that I had to finish my senior research paper (a graduation requirement at my school), but then I finished that almost three weeks ago. And now, all I've been doing when I come home is pass out on my bed and catch up on all the sleep I've lost these past six years. I've been awful. I've been a mess.

This blog has been crying out for me in my head all this time, but those cries have been left unanswered. I'd tried many times to appease those cries by taking pictures of some new acquisitions, but never got to posting them. I've lost the spark. But it's still lit, just barely, singeing the edges of my mind, occasionally, to remind that it's still there.

How poetic.

In short, I really regret neglecting this baby of mine for so long. I need to get back.

Wearing MAC Satin Taupe on the eyes and NARS Flamenco on the lips.

In other news, I've heard back from 6 of the 10 colleges I applied to. I've been accepted to all of them so far, and I am bracing myself for the last four which will come out in the next two weeks. Life is moving so fast, but this blog has been stuck in the past. Time to change that.

I've also missed talking with you gals oh so so much.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Hrrrrr...

Greetings from Planet Maggie.

It's been some time, hasn't it? My apologies, but in the past few weeks, it seems my immune system had kind of...broken. First I caught a cold, then my blood pressure dropped too low so I had these horrible headaches and dizziness, and then I caught a stomach bug. Amazingly all in a matter of two weeks. Kind of a sorry state of affairs at the Maggie HQ lately, so I kind of abandoned the blog/twitter for a little bit.

But now, I'm back! I'm feeling a lot better now and as long as another sickness doesn't throw itself at me, I'll be fine. And blogging! My giveaway ended at the height of my health issues, so I didn't get to post the winner. Anyway, I used random.org and it generated...

...15, which was Makeup Morsels! Congrats, MM! :D


So, I just wanted to check in with you guys and update my sorry blog. I'm alive!!!!! (I actually felt kind of nervous writing this post because I felt like I disappointed you all. Sorry. u___u)

Monday, January 21, 2013

Five Things

Eeeek! Sorry for the absence this past week. It was a busy one. I got a total of 3 hours of sleep on Wednesday and Thursday combined. D: It was bad. But anyway, this week should be much more relaxed AND this weekend I'm going to be going with my Art History class to New York City! I'm so excited. I can't wait.

In addition to that, here are five things that have been keeping me going. If you're new to this blog, these posts (inspired by Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere) are just a compilation of five things (not just beauty) that have been making me happy/lifting my spirits lately. Without further ado...

{Getting my Birchbox early this month.}
{My best friend lately.}
{Braided headbands I got for Christmas.}
{Filling up my makeup bag but not having a physical makeup bag, any good rec's?}
{Making my first speed painting video. Speeding things up always turns out so cool.}

I hope you're having a great day, and have a lovely week ahead! What's been floating YOUR boat lately?

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Looking Back: 2012 in Blogging

I know it's been a week and a half since New Years, but I thought it would be nice to take a look back at 2012 on The Polka-dotted Jellyfish. It's actually so rewarding to blog and document your life. Looking through the archives and picking out these pictures really brought back such pleasant memories. Let's take a trip through Maggie's year, shall we?

Click the captions if you would like to go see the posts themselves. 
In 2012, I...
JANUARY

FEBRUARY

...went to California and tasted my first In-N-Out

and jumped for joy,

MARCH

...found five things,

...bought my first red lipstick,

APRIL

...became consumed in quite a big project,

MAY

quite BIG indeed,

...kicked off the summer with a rooftop barbecue,

JUNE

...wrote a little story,

...found an everlasting love,

JULY

...went to Puerto Rico,

and made a video,

...created a beach on my arm,

AUGUST

...concocted some rose gold,

...became 3 people in 1 post,

...created a design about depression,

SEPTEMBER

...ended the summer with some fishin'

and welcomed the fall with some pretty colors,

...said 'bye bye' to brights,

and said hello to a few sisters,

OCTOBER

...got my first Birchbox,

...'played' with some MAC,

...took you along with me on a hike,

...became a panda,

NOVEMBER

...started finding colors around the house,

...experimented with grays and purples,

...reconciled with an old friend,

...became caught up in college applications so I shared some art,

DECEMBER

...finally bought a Korres lip butter,

...fell in love with churches,

...shared some more art,

Blogging has been so fun and it is such a great creative outlet for me, and all the while I'm documenting precious memories. Upon this reflection, I've realized what a great year it has been. Really, such a great year. 

There are so many ways to approach blogging. While I still haven't really found my "niche" yet, I am starting to see a style/trend in my posts. However, I'll never stop experimenting. (Also, I'm glad that I never made self-promotional comments!) My apologies for the long post. Back to regular scheduled programming in the next one! 

Happy Sunday! Now I want to ask you, what does blogging mean to you? Do you ever just take a few moments to look back through your archives?