LaBelleMEL

So I had tweeted over the weekend that I was heading up to CT for my sister's baby shower. My two sisters and I are so so very excited and anxiously waiting for the little one to come and since it would be our very first time being new aunties; we made sure that the shower would be the best there could be. However, I ran into a big of a snafu when I drove up Friday afternoon. The night before I had put together the diaper cake that I've been tweeting about and was all ready to go the next day.

Transporting the diaper cake was a bit tricky since I forgot to get some clear cellophane wrappers to wrap it in and tie it with a bow. Anywho, I had placed it on the backseat of the car and had placed few bags on both sides of the diaper cake so it wouldn't budge. Running a little behind in picking up Georgetown cupcakes ( which to me are really comparable to Sprinkles - DROOL), it was pretty heavy enough that I placed it next to the diaper cake to keep it steady. Well one sudden stop made them both come topple over; cupcake icings smushed and diaper cake into smithereen. Well you can see that from the video. =/

Needless to say I was not a happy camper on my drive up since I had to stop and rearrange the cupcakes so they won't get any worse which meant that I didn't get to NYC in time to beat the rush hr traffic. You guessed it - it was an extra two hour of sitting in traffic going through to CT. Even when I did alternate routes, those routes were back to back with traffic. Anywho I eventualy got to my sister's house and we all started decorating and setting up. We all woke up bright and early and next morning went smoothly til the end of the day and my sister was so happy with how everything went.

We also made sure there were tons of food and no one left hungry - haha. Omg, we ordered more than enough desserts but my sister's in-laws brought even more dessert so our dessert table turned into a buffet table - haha.

With the help of my sisters, we scooped off the icings off most of the cupcakes and re-piped them. Everything was done and set aside, however, Kayla, sister's bulldog, decided to help herself to four of the cupcakes - sigh. Good thing we had enough dessert to go around - hehe.




The cute little favors that my sister Lilly did.
Seriously, she should have her own business.

took this pic from sister's cam.
other side says "a baby is brewing" - get it? coffee beans? haha.

Then Sunday I woke up early to do my sister's makeup for maternity shoot. She always wanted to go Yale Campus to take photos which was a beautiful setting. The weather was cooperating albeit a bit chilly but we made do.

Here's a snapshot of the shoot.

For more photos, you can head on over to my photo blog =)

I was sent this lipgloss probably about a month ago which I wanted to try out for at least two weeks before doing a review. At first I was a bit hesitant on the lipgloss being a plumper one since I believe my lips are way too big and always tend to stay away from those type of lipglosses. Read on to see what I think of this product.

Lipgloss in Worship Kate
Price: $25

Where to Purchase: Cool Makeup from Purple Lab NYC

Size: .2 oz

Ingredients: Isononyl Isononanoate, Polybutene, Isopropyl Palmitate, Aroma/Flavor, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Meadowfoam Estolide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Sodium Saccharin Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Benzyl Nicotinate, Menthoxypropanediol, Alcohol, Trideceth-6, Polydecene, Hoodia Gordonii Extract, BHT, Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate. May also contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Red 6 lake (CI 77891), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Mica, Silica, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Yellow 5 lake (CI 19140:1) Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985:1), Blue 1 Lake (42090:2)

What it claims: Huge Lips Skinny Hips, the yummiest lip plumper equipped with Hoodia, is for every woman who ever craved plump-looking lips that beg to be kissed. There are four shades: Clear as Crystal (No Panty Lines), Mauve Shimmer (Worship Kate), Pink Sheer (Kitty Pole Dance) and Sheer Red (Red Sole). It's light, not sticky, and not tacky and the formula is innovative and glam at once, giving you shine, juiciness, softeness. It's your new dinner party secret weapon, the perfectly chic reminder to avoid over-carbing to the point of oblivion!

It looks dark in the lucite package but it’s not. Mauve-ish, pinkish with a dose of brown and berry and a tiny bit of sparkle, it’s the perfect go-to color that’s shear and natural. It is the shade that looks good on EVERYONE

What it actually does: I had requested Pole Dancer but they sent me Worship Kate. I must admit I was a bit disappointed at first when I saw the color right out of the box. It was a deep mauve-y rose color but when applied, it became such a pretty color - so sheer-like with a rosey pinkish tinge to my lips. I honestly love the color. As I've said before, I was weary on the fact that it's a plumper. When applied, it does not hurt at all but more like a menthol-type of tingling feeling that does goes away. Almost felt like I was applying lip balm at first - not sticky at all. It also sort of acts like one as well, because it leaves my lips feeling so moist & the staying power on it is pretty impressive. I didn't have to reapply unless I was eating or drinking something.

The lipgloss does container Hoodia which I found out later is an appetite suppressant ingredient but I didn't find that it suppressed my hunger. Honestly though, I have a big appetite and I doubt any ingredient would be able to suppress it for much longer. =D I do admit thought that this is a very unique idea to combine it within a lipgloss which I give kudos for. However it may be wishful thinking but I still like the idea. =)

Scent: This has got to be my favorite part. I love love love the berry scent when applied to my lips. It just smells so yummio-licious that I could wear it all day. The scent stays with you until the lipgloss wears out which is definitely something that never happens to any of my other lipglosses. Usually the scent just fades away but since I love the scent, I am glad that it was able to stay for that long.

Likelihood of Repurchase: If it weren't for the price that is just a tad too high, I may purchase this again. The $20 range seems more doable to me. Other than that, I absolutely love the lipgloss just for the scent and the color is gorgeous. I definitely love to try out the Pole Dancer in the future.

Ratings: (4) out of 5 cosmos I took off .5 point for the fact that it didn't really suppress my appetite like it said but then again, I do like to eat. The other half point off due to the price being a tad high. The description and the packaging is great not to mention I get a kick out of the product names. hehe.

In case you were interested in applying for a MAC Pro card, here's a video on my process application. =)

This week has been one of those unschedule staycation where 2 big snowstorm; 1st one carrying 24 inches of snow and two days later, another brought 10-12 inches of snow. Since my work follows the federal schedule, we've been closed since Friday afternoon till today. I was fortunate enough to go to NYC the past weekend so I missed the big snowstorm but coming back was definitely more of a journey. Anyways tomorrow I'm heading off to Philly for CNY with my family but before I leave, I put together a nail tutorial for the occassion.

Materials:

Orly Calcium Shield as base coat
Rimmel 60 second nail polish in 521 Dazzle
China Glaze nail polish in Ruby Pumps
China Glaze nail polish in Golden Enchantment
Art Deco nail polish in black
Seche Vite nail polish for top coat