Hello! It has been a long while since I have done a tag or a questionaire entry.

Because I feel the sort of entries I am churning out, or have a mind to put out are a bit of a ho-hum lately, I thought I would do take a little breather (for myself and hopefully you) and wander into a quick tag post that I chanced upon on Roseanne's blog.

I hope these Questions and Answers are interesting enough for you so... here goes!

(inserts mandatory self-shot else the entry is all words)

I think I am wearing NARS Majella here. Think.

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1. Do you wear the same style everyday or do you change it?

Somewhat a yes and no. In terms of makeup my looks are rather standard yet I do change and try various shadows / shades if I have the time for it. Though my favorite way to switch up my every day look is by playing around with my lip shades — a bold red one day, a nude, an orange-red or pink the other etc.

2. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I prefer to file, buff and paint my nails on my own. Maybe it is because I don't have a whole lot of time to sit around now? It sounds like a nice indulgence to have once in awhile yet sometimes I feel what I do is enough for myself. ha!

3. How long does it take for you to put on your make-up?

My usual look with mascara and the works takes me about 30 minutes (a big improvement from the 1 hour that it used to take me!) while quick looks can take 5-10 minutes and elaborate / smokey ones taking longer of course.

4. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

My Face! Unless I am doing a smokey or glittery look where I know I will encounter a crap load of fall out, otherwise I always do my face first. It helps me gauge the eyelook better, somehow.

5. Do you “collect” make-up or just buy what you need when you need it?

To a certain extent I 'collect' yet I do use what I 'collect' as well so nothing remains sitting around just for display. Though of late I am starting to be more rational with my purchases and don't simply buy something for the sake of owning it. Unless it really is super duper pretty, heh. We all have weaknesses.

6. How often do you wear false lashes?

Hardly ever. I would wear them for Fashion Features just because they make the overall makeup look appear better on camera and occasionally during events but otherwise mascara is usually enough for me.

7. Do you do a full face of make-up everyday?

Everyday meaning work day then yes, pretty much. I wear close to nothing on weekends unless I have something on.

8. Do you wear make-up when you are home alone or with family?

No of course not. Who would though... just wondering.

9. Will you leave the house without make-up?

Yes. If you asked me this 4 years ago maybe my answer would be 'NEVAAAA' but over the years I have started to feel more comfortable in my own skin and aside from filling in my very sparse brows, I have ventured to Orchard without anything else on so I would say going without make-up is not a big deal to me now.

10. How many high end products do you have?

I sure don't have a lot compared to others yet I don't keep track either. Why would I?

11. How often do you change your handbag?

Whenever I need a new one. ha! I am quite fuss free in this aspect. I used to match my bags to my attire  but now I just couldn't be bothered. If everything fits, I'm good to go.

12. What time do you get up and go to sleep?

Since it is back to work, I wake up at 7 plus in the morning. As for my bedtime, it is highly dependant on what time baby wants to sleep; if I am lucky, it is usually around 12 or 1am

13. How often do you work out?

Now, sad to say, never.

14. Do you speak a foreign language?

I don't speak it well but I can understand basic conversational korean and I can read hangul, that's about it. Though I am intrigued with languages and if I had the chance / time to I would love to pick up more.

15. How did you come up with your blog name?

Oh no, not this question again. Basically icyabstract is a username that my younger teenage self created and it just stuck around till now. If I had a choice I would have renamed my youtube / blog something less poser-sounding.

16. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

For the most part my trusty SONY A350 though occasionally I throw some mobile shots on here too.

17. What is your favourite color?

Purple! Though specifically I like the light pastel variants of it, such as lilac and lavender.

18. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

TGIF! After the mandatory bore at work, the rest of the day includes some catching up with beauty pals, playing with makeup and then date night with hubs before returning to mommy duties.

Hope everyone's Friday sounds awesome be it chilling or just resting!

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And that is the tag! Word is the original tag is a whole lot longer but Roseanne (who I got these questions from) filtered them down to 18 more relevant questions. While I was not tagged by her to do it and picked it up to do on my own, I hope no one minds. I just needed a little entry to just ramble and 'unwind' in.

With that said, I tag Eliza, Sophia and Mabel to do this tag and anyone else who is interested!

Thanks for reading and do bear with me again in these busy periods where my blog is at a bit of a lull.

A long long time ago - and by long I mean a couple of months - someone had tagged me to do this. I believe everyone who was tagged had completed their duties, except for me.

One thing about going on a hiatus is while away my 'makeup life' was still going on, I couldn't take time to talk about it. Now that I'm back to blogging, it seems like I have tons of entries to get out but just not enough time to pen it all down. Those entries include reviews I had taken photos for, some hauls and loads of other extra stuff. Shan't ramble on about this, just know that entries are coming your way! Not as regularly as I wanted but more about that in a different post.

For now though, here's my first MAC purchase!

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My first MAC purchase is not the first MAC item that I owned. Confusing?

Well, the very first thing that I bought from MAC was a basic and simple item - an eyeliner.

Specifically the MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved (black) which, as most of you know, is one of my Holy Grail eyeliners. I still tend to like pencil liners more even though liquid and gel are sometimes great fun to use.

The reason why I bought this (Engraved) eyeliner was because prior to owning it I was given a MAC Eye Kohl by my boyfriend's mom.

MAC Eye Kohl in Tarnish

Tarnish is a gorgeous black with what seems to be green pearl at angles. While I loved the color and how creamy it was, I have no affinity with Eye Kohls. I didn't like how they had a 60-70% chance of smudging and not lasting too well throughout the day.

With that, I searched up on MAC's liner range and found out the Powerpoint line is more resilient to smudging and water. So that was pretty much the backstory behind my first MAC purchase. It was probably a great start to MAC as to date I've gone through 2 Powerpoint liners in Engraved.

I realized I've never done a review for the Powerpoint liner even though I mention it so much. It's mainly 'cause I can't explain why it's so much of a Holy Grail except in my experience, it's pretty smudge-proof, waterproof and creamy making it easy to draw on but not too creamy that it just smears right on and you can't control it. I like the intensity of it too, I think it's a good black - though not as dark as maybe Feline. Since I've used this from the start of my makeup obsession, it's like a familiar equipment to me, maybe that's why too?

My start to MAC is probably not the most experimental and exciting, but more of a rather basic one.

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Just to throw in a random bit, here are the 2 MAC pencils featured in my SUPER early makeup collection group shot. From way back in... early 2008?

Yeap, that was indeed from quite some time ago.

Thanks for reading and you've not done this yet, guess what?
YOU'RE TAGGED!

This is a tag that has been circulating onsugar lately and I had been tagged by the lovely Maddy to do it.

As with Diana (adorebeauty06), I do get questions from viewers/readers asking what I use on a daily basis or what are some products that I 'go-to'. So I hope this little tag will answer some of those questions, and for others I hope that it will be fun for you to read!

My definition of go-to is basically products that I feel I can reach for whenever, or products I can fall back on. 'Go-to' does not exactly equate to 'favorite' either, it just means what I know works for me regardless.

I have added a couple of modifications to the list and included a slight bit more products as well just to fit in stuff I use/like, so starting off...

PRIMER

L-R: Revlon Smoothing Primer, Monistat Chafing-Relief Powder Gel
I use these both for different things hence I couldn't choose between one. I love Revlon for an everyday routine because it helps my makeup last, but I prefer Monistat for events because it smooths my skin out really well (not as lasting though).

CONCEALER

L-R: Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW25
The Bobbi Brown corrector I use for my undereyes and I cannot live without using a corrector. I can't seem to just use a concealer on there anymore. And the MAC concealer, nothing much to elaborate there. Fab coverage and I don't find it drying on my skin.

FOUNDATION

L-R: Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation in Sand Beige, Elizabeth Arden MIneral Foundation in 03
I chose a liquid and a powder foundation because I don't use liquid all the time, and vice-versa for powder. It was hard narrowing it down to one liquid foundation, but I chose this over everything else because of its coverage. I find that if I have no idea what to use, I reach for my colorstay. The Elizabeth Arden is one of my fuller coverage powder foundations (note: it's just medium coverage) so I tend to use it more.

SETTING POWDER

Revlon Loose Powder
Nothing fantastic here, just loose powder that works so I use it. Side-tracking, I'm actually very interested in getting the ELF High Definition Powder (Studio). I've heard it's comparable to MAC's Prep + Prime powder? If you have tried it, let me know!

BLUSH

L-R: NARS blush in Orgasm, I Nuovi blush in Dolly
My go-to blush shades are rather natural coral-ish shades (Orgasm looks pink but really goes on quite peachy-coral). I find that works well on my skintone and suits most looks, pretty no brainer.

HIGHLIGHTER

ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance
I have been raving about this ever since I got it, plus it's hit pan. I think that speaks for itself.

MASCARA

Majolica Majorca Mascara in Lash Enamel Glamour Neo (the earlier ones)
Right now it's this mascara, but about a month back it would have been Cover Girl Lash blast.

EYELINER

MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved
I don't know why but I always find myself going back to this liner. It's not the most smudge-proof (though it does stay on good) or blackest one out there or even the creamiest, but I just have this unexplainable love for it. I've been using this product since I was 16 and this is only my second pencil.

EYESHADOW

28 Color Palette (from Magical Tannsu)
Probably a cheap inclusion, in the low-blow manner, because it's 28 colors! Logically I should have just chosen a quad or something but I really think that this entire palette should be included. I find that in finals week (in school) where I don't have too much time for makeup. My eyeshadow drawers are often left unopened and I only reach for this during my makeup routine.

LIPSTICK

Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Natural Nude
I think I have raved and talked about this enough, but I must stress again. This is a great everyday, all-look compatible lipstick. Plus it is quite moisturizing (not lip balm standard!) and very easy to apply.

LIPGLOSS

LA Girl in Beige Delight, Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Neverending Nude
Is it just me or do both shades seem to look almost the same? The finish is very different though. The Revlon one is a long-lasting gloss which can be quite drying but great for events if you need to talk a lot, eat or just not have time to touch up your gloss.

EYEBROW
Now this is where it gets a bit tricky... because I change my hair shades quite a bit I decided to include what I used for my different hair colors.

Redhead: Canmake Liquid in 01 (I think, either that or 03) and MAC Browset in Show Off
Brunette: Canmake Liquid in 02 and ELF Eyebrow set in Light

And for preparation of (perhaps) going Dirty Blonde in due time....

Canmake Eyebrow Liquid in 01 (or 03?) and Maquillage Eyebrow Wax in 77

BRUSHES

Face Brushes from L-R: ELF Studio Powder Brush, Essence of Beauty Foundation/Concealer Brush, KENT Makeup Brush in 11, KENT Makeup brush in 10
Eye Brushes from L-R: Coastal Scents Crease Brush, Mary Kay Signature Blending Brush, MAC 227, ELF Eyeshadow Brush, ELF Blending Brush, Random Craft store brush

NAILPOLISH

Metro Chic from Sephora by OPI
This is fast becoming my favorite and go-to nail polish shade when I don't know what color to paint on. I almost feel like I might need a backup!

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And this is my rendition of the tag! Granted it was a little lengthy but if I were to use this to answer your questions I thought it would be fitting to elaborate a little on each segment. This format of doing the tag is inspired by Anonymous Bosch.

I wouldn't be tagging anyone in particular because everyone has already done it, so if you haven't and you are interested to, go right ahead!

Thank you for reading (:

Thanks you Roseanne, xladyerika, chloesque and popsyche for nominating me for this award! The nominations were made awhile back but I haven't gotten this entry up because of the 'rules' of it.

Here are the rules:

• Thank the person who gave you the award

• Paste the award on your blog

• Link the person who nominated you for the award

• Tell 7 interesting things about yourself

• Nominate 7 bloggers or less

• Post links to the 7 blogs you nominated.

Yeap the highlighted rule is what I am talking about. I have actually posted a couple entries listing interesting facts about myself so coming up with seven more was actually quite hard. Therefore I will not be listing seven more, instead I'll talk about one fact and link my past entries/videos that contain random facts (for those who haven't seen or read it).

So my one fact is:

I love glow in the dark things.

To make up for the lack of facts, here's a random video about some glow in the dark things in my room. (filmed with phone cam hence the quality is crap.)

Past Random Fact Entries/Videos:
- Kreativ Blog entry
- 16 Facts/Tag entry
- 20 (more) interesting facts entry
- 5 Random Facts Video

And now I'm going to break another two rules by not nominating anyone since almost everyone is nominated already. If you wish to do this tag definitely feel free to do so! So that is it (:
Thank you for reading!

A big shout out and thank you to Liana for having nominated me for the "I love your blog" award.

The rules for this are as follows:

• Post the award on your blog
• Link the person who has given you the award
• Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered
• Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they've been nominated.

Okay I am going to cheat a little.
I didn't nominate the full sum of 15  and re-nominated some of those who have been nominated already. I mean in a way it is a good sign right? It means a lot of people love their blog. heh..
Also the people I nominate aren't exactly people I have just discovered, but anyhoo:

- Sophia (http://retailtherapy.onsugar.com/)
- Kas (http://cocomotion.onsugar.com/)
- Rosanne (http://roseannebeauty.onsugar.com/)
- Chantana (http://everbluec.onsugar.com/)
- Diana (http://adorebeauty.onsugar.com/)
- Liana (http://www.beautybag411.com/)
- Maya (http://heavenlygorgeous.onsugar.com/)
- Linnera (http://linneraloves.onsugar.com/)
- Lynn (http://poeticflower.onsugar.com/)

Mm okay I'm getting a little lazy and I am sure this award will circulate about onsugar, so I'll keep my list like this.
Off to school work now, bummed~

I had been tagged by Sophia to do this interesting (non makeup-related) tag.

The rules for this is as follows:

1. open your 1st photo folder in "My Pictures"
2. scroll to the 10th photo
3. post that photo on your site and write about the story behind it
4. state who you got the tag from on your post
5. then tag 6 blogs

As I am quite organized with my folders, most of them tend to be folders in folders in folders. If you know what I mean? So following the sequence of selecting the first folder, I finally went to the end of the 'fork road' and choose the 10th photo from that particular folder.

This picture was taken back in 2009 at Long Beach (seafood restaurant, for those not local). Icky quality because I think it was taken with my mom's phone cam or something? Not sure. Anyway, I had gone there to have dinner with my boyfriend, parents and some relatives. It wasn't the actual day of my birthday, I think, so I was not expecting them to celebrate my birthday there but they surprised me with a cake at the restaurant. I believe it was because my birthday was on a weekday so they held a mini celebration on the weekend.

In 2009 I must say I was very fortunate to have been able to celebrate my birthday four times. Once with my parents and relatives (as pictured), once with my besties from secondary school, once with my god parents (and my family again), and the final time with my boyfriend and his parents. It was quite an experience and I definitely have wonderful people to thank for this (:

So anyway, on to tagging people!
Trying not to tag the same few people:

1. rosannetangrs
2. FacesBySarah
3. lxflickr
4. linnera
5. rainyydays
6. clarachan

And anyone else who wishes to do this, go right ahead! (:
Thanks for reading.

Following in the foot steps of Diana and Sophia, I've decided to list down my Christmas wishlist as well.

Though I do celebrate christmas, it's not quite the western way whereby you run to your parents/relatives with a list and they get what's on there. It is the I'll-get-you-what-I think-you-want method. Which usually ends up with me getting random t-shirts or knitted scarfs and sweaters? I don't mind that, I mean receiving something is better then receiving nothing. My point in this? I doubt I'll end up getting anything on this list, but it's fun to plot one anyway. (:

plus I think the best part of Christmas is really the feast, above everything else.
p.s. I am not Christian, but celebrate Christmas because we used to celebrate it with my god-parents who are Catholic. So the feast, caroling, gift exchange and all that is something we are used to doing? I really don't know the backstory.

Okay, here's my list and you'll be surprised to know how little makeup is on here!
(or maybe not?)

iTouch
For some reason I'd rather get an iTouch then an iPhone, so yes this is something I've been wanting for almost a year now.

Sony HDR-XR500V
Just cause I want a good cam-corder to record videos and all on. I believe this is the one Blair (juicystar07) uses, amazing quality.

Baume De Rose - By Terry
Very frivolous to want this seeing as it costs close to a hundred bucks and it's not totally a makeup-makeup item? Still, it's nice to just wish for it.

Polaroid camera - not exactly this, it can even be the new age/modernised one for all I care.
I've been wanting a polaroid camera for-ever. Granted the old ones are hard to find, expensive and the films are costly to up-keep. I guess an alternative would be the get the modern polaroid cameras with the much smaller film.

Action Sampler
Have been wanting this for a long time, but it's not at the top of the list of the film cameras I want, so that's why I haven't gotten it yet.

Golden Half
Super cool film camera, love this little thing but like the action sampler, it wasn't the top of the list. Though it's something I want to get my hands on eventually!

Okay, I feel rather frivolous after typing this entry. I know it might seem like I want a lot? But I know I wouldn't be able to get all these at one go anyway, so it's like listing down some products I've been wanting and borrowing the mood of Christmas to post it up here.
The reason why there isn't much makeup? I sort of prefer buying makeup products on my own, unless I get gift money or gift vouchers. For some reason, I just prefer it this way.

I want the new macbook pro too, but I'm not giving up on my current one just yet. Besides, that's more of an academic need than a want? Hmm.
Everyone's tagged! You can list your list (no pun intended) below as well, if you don't blog or don't feel like blogging it.

I was tagged by heavenlygorgeous, thanks love!

What I got from this tag is that you are to list down your essential/must-have items or items you seem to use on a daily basis.
Now I switch my products around a lot and unlike some of the girls who are really organized and store their go-to makeup items in a compartment of it's own, mine are stored away in their own compartments. For example, foundation in foundation drawer, blush in blush drawer etc.

As such:

Looks kind of messy and cluttered, I know. But I suppose I'm the kind of a person who prefers things in organized mess? If that's even a right term to use. ha!

Still, I managed to pick out the items that I used rather often or I feel is a go-to item.
Some are absolute essentials in the sense that I cannot do my makeup without it. While others are 'if I had a choice out of its category to just pick one, this is what I'll choose' kind of a thing. I hope this analogy is right...

(click to enlarge)

I know, I am so bad at eliminating products that I end up wtih what 17? Is that even legal in this tag?
And as I am typing this, I noticed I've missed out on some rather important items too, e.g. a kabuki brush. Because how else am I going to apply my loose powder without a kabuki. I think all this school work is getting to my brain.
Nonetheless, items I've forgotten to photograph are listed below but marked with an asterisk (*).
I would not be elaborating on all the products since there are quite a few to name already, don't want to turn this tag into too long an entry.

1. 28 Color Palette
2. Cover Girl Lash Blast (Waterproof)
3. MAC Blush in Eversun (Style Warriors Packaging)
4. MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved
5. Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Natural Nude
6. MAC Studio Finish Concealer (NW25) - I love the Magical Tannsu one too, they are very similar, but this was more convenient to photograph. Lol!
7. Wet N' Wild Bronzer
8. ELF Eyelash Curler
9. Lumiere Invisi-Veil (setting powder)
10. Bobbi Brown Corrector (Light Peach)
11. MAC's Browset in Show Off
12. Silky Girl O2 Liquid Foundation
13. ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder (Luminance)
14. MAC 129
15. Loewe Cornell random brush - nothing to it, I just use this for my bronzer.
16. ELF Eyeshadow brush - If I am in a hurry this does everything. Lid, crease, outer corner, highlight. 1 brush fits all!
17. Random Liner brush - to set my eyeliner with
*18. Kabuki brush
*19. Urban Decay Primer Potion - how in the world did I even forget this?!

I believe that is it for my outrageous list of essentials. I think a rule needs to be enforced on how many products not to go over. haha!
But regardless, most people have been tagged so I tag everyone else reading this who hasn't done it yet! :D

I was tagged by jorelle (aka thmunchkin) to do this. Thanks for tagging!
The rules are simple and that is to answer all the questions and not skip out on any.

10 questions:

1. Dramatic eye looks or Natural Eye looks?
Hm, I would have to say Natural. I love them both but I seem to wear natural eye looks more often these days.

2. Matte or Shimmer Shadows?
Matte. I don't mind shimmer once in awhile, but not all the time.

3. Purple Pinks or Blue Greens?
I love purple, but not paired with pink so I'll say Blue Greens.

4. Lips with gloss or without gloss?
With gloss. Though I face the same problem as jorelle and that is hair magnet! But I still like how gloss makes the lips look so pretty.

5. Contour Or Bronzer?
This is tough... I love them both but if I had to choose, I'd say contour.

6. Nude lippies Or Pink Lippies?
Nude lips, for sure.

7. Coral or Pink Blush?
Coral.

8. Drugstore or Departmental Store Makeup?
Can I say both? I like to indulge in departmental store makeup, but sometimes I find drugstore makeup more practical, bank-friendly and accessible.

9. Sponge or Brush for LIQUID foundation?
Brush. I've never gotten the hang of sponges.

10.  TAG or Tutorials?
I like both, I can't choose. haha.

So now the people I am tagging are:

retail_therapy
lxflickr
EGheartsSSC
Weiduo (magical tannsu)

and of course anyone else who wishes to do it!

I was tagged by the lovely Diana (adorebeauty) to do the 5 guilty confessions tag.
It's definitely something different. Took awhile to come up some, but I hope they are entertaining enough.

1. Similar to Diana and Sophia, I have this habit of being too lazy to wash my (makeup) brushes. There are instances where I don't wash some of them for up to 2 months! Gosh! I'm definitely working on that. (I think this is a confession most of us have! haha)
2. I do know animal testing is a sad thing, and if I find a product that doesn't test on animals, yay. But I know L'oreal and some other brands tests on animals, yet I still use their products... I'm sorry ):
3. I seem to buy makeup to 'collect'. Especially brushes! Meaning, I buy them, but I never use them. I have some brushes that I have never ever used though I've had them for months (e.g. MAC 129SH).
4. I don't drink very much water. I'd rather grab a can of coke, green tea, coffee,
   anything but water.
5. I don't have my meals regularly. Not something I choose to do, but I guess it just happens? I always have breakfast, but I'll not eat lunch and then have dinner and supper. I don't skip meals to keep thin or anything, because I am the biggest glutton I know. I am hungry all the time it's ridiculous. Which is probably 2 confessions in one point, I'm a glutton and I don't
   eat regularly. Lol.

Those are my 5 guilty confessions.
Since diana has already listed almost everyone in her tag, I'll just do the usual
"I TAG EVERYONE READING!"
stunt. (:

So yes, you are tagged!