MINISO | Lip Sweetness Double Color Lipstick | Review and Swatches

Hey there dollies!

I was really looking forward to share this post with y'all! I believe I mentioned how much I love the Korean gradient lips look somewhere, sometime. It's been a big trend in Korea for a few years now and I always wanted to achieve that look with no success. Only a few produncts seemed to do the job in a "decent" way. Decent, not good.
The gradient lips look is pretty much having a darker color on the center of your lips giving the impression that you've sucking on a lollipop. It makes you look cute, fresh and innocent.

Not (too) long ago, Laneige came out with the Two Tone Lip Bar which helped to create that same gradient effect using just one product and well... making it a lot easier.
I got really excited when I saw them but it's not easy for me to find their producst here (unless I shop online) and even tho they weren't exactly expensive, they were not that cheap.
So, when I started looking into MINISO makeup I noticed they had pretty similar lippies but a lot cheaper and, I had to try them, yeah... I loved them. There's only one shade missing here, I haven't been able to find number 02 but I'll update this post as soon as I get it.

This collection is called Lip Sweetness Double Color Lipstick and it comes with 6 different shades: 01 Muse Red, 02 Rouge Red, 03 Cherry Red, 04 Maple Red, 05 Rose Red and 06 Nude Red.
It's funny how all of them have the word "red" even if they are not all red. They come in diferent shades; from a nude color, pink, red and even orange.

Product Features: "A perfect mixture of lip balm and lipstick. Gives you a stylish and charming color."

How to use:  " Work from the center to the outer edges of your lip, following the contours of your mouth. Glide across the entire bottom lip and massage lips together. Only twist out 2mm to use."

As it says, half of the lippie is an almost transparent lipbalm and the other half has the color, It's a very moisturizing lipstick, it applies smoothly and it doesn't feel thick on the lips even if you build up the color with a couple of layers. The packaging is really simple, yet pretty. The slightly frosted white lid along with the gold base make it really pretty to look at.

Let's get to the colors!

♡ 01 Muse red

♡ 03 Cherry Red

♡ 04 Maple Red

♡ 05 Rose Red: 

♡ 06 Nude Red: 

this has to be one of my favorite colors

SWATCHES

They all have a soft sweet and a little artifitial scent but nothing I can't stand. I wouldn't say they are super long lasting but they will last until you eat or drink something. Even tho I love them all, I have to say some of the colors (03, 04) set on the lines of my lips a little.

All in all, I'm really glad I found them. They are the first lipsticks I try from MINISO and I think they were worth it. If you like the gradient look, defo check them out!

For more MINISO makeup, click here! Also, let me know if you'd like me to try other products from their collections. I'm having lots of fun playing with their cute and affordable products.

✏ Teacher chit chat #3: New year, new challenges. Will I survive?

Hi guys!
I realized that I haven't posted a teacher chit chat in a long, long time. A LOT has happened since my last one so, now that I'm having some time, let's have a little chat~

Last year, when I started working in elementary school I thought it was a big change and I knew I had to learn new things to work with older kids. I was only working for 2 hours everyday with the younger groups and I eventually got used to that. It wasn't that hard after a month. But! I got the offer to have all 6 groups this new school year and guess what? I took it.

I was already aware that it was going to be a lot more work. 6 classes a day, 6 times more work and of course, a lot of stress. But I also felt like if I said no to this opportunity, I was going to regret it later. It was a chance for me to grow a lot as a teacher and as a person. I kinda want to prove myself I can do it.
Do I regret doing it? Not really, but I do admit that I sometimes wonder if I'll be able to make it work through the whole year~

Some people think having a teaching job it's easy, but they don't really see all the work behind it. It's not only about standing in front of a group and do a random activity. There is a lot of prepping and planning behind one class. It can be exhausting!! Don't get me wrong, I love what I do but, it can get crazy sometimes, especially now that I have to take care of 6 completely different plans and try to make them all interesting and creative.

We started the school year on Aug. 20th and it's been already challenging, no group is the same. I've had some ups and downs and even felt desperate at a certain point with some situations. Older kids have a stronger temper and not all of them are easy to handle, I'm surprised to admit I enjoy working with 6° a lot more than I thought I would tho.
I'm starting to deal with situations I never experienced before, and I'm trying hard not to get all apprehensive about it.
But, I've also been called a "Kawaii teacher", got a chocolate with a note on the second day because a first grader thought I was the most amazing thing she saw on her first day.
I've been running up and down the stairs to get to my classes, I've got to use my "mommy voice" way too many times now and, 6th graders say I'm always high on coffee because apparently, I talk too much and too fast all the time. So yeah, it's been a roller coaster... Can't wait to see what will happen next~

To me, teaching is also a learning process for the teacher, not only from my coworkers but also from my students. No day is the same and even tho I'm tired all the time and I don't go out as much as I used to during the week, I think it's worth it.
I feel like I'm finally in a good place work wise. It was a big step for me and I'm glad I took this opportunity.
This is it for now, I'll work hard(er) to make this school year, a great one and deal with the pressure.

Until next time~!!

ABC Questionnaire

Hi loves! Today I have another ABC related post, this time it's a questionnaire so, without further do, let's get to it!

A. Attached or single?
Single~

B. Best friend?
I have more than one so, Diana, Dee Dee eonni, Lu and highschool best friend Ceci.

C. Cake or pie?
OMG hard to pick! Pie?

D. Day of choice?
Saturdays. Even tho I kinda like Wednesdays because it makes my week feel shorter(?)

E. Essential item?
My camera

F. Favorite color?
Pink

G. Gummy bears or worms?
Worms

H. Home town?
Morelia, Mich.

I. Favorite indulgence?
Facemasks(?)

J. January or July?
July

K. Kids?
None yet. But I'd love to have them someday

L. Life isn’t complete without?
Those big laughs with my friends.
My parents.

M. Memory you cherish
Vacations at my grandparents' when I was a little girl

N. Number of brothers/sisters?
One sister

O. Oranges or Apples?
Oranges

P. Pet Peeves?
When people make a whistle sound with their nose.

Q. Quotes?
Hold the vision, trust the process

R. Reasons to smile?
People I love, my pets, my students.

S. Season of choice?
Fall!

T. Tea or coffee?
Coffee, always coffee

U. Unknown fact about me?
I'm a leftie. Not sure if most people know

V. Vegetable?
Broccoli or spinach

W. Worst habit?
I tend to overthink too much

X. X-Ray or ultrasound?
None of the yet. Luckily

Y. Your favorite trip?
Going to Spain last year.

Z. Zodiac sign?
Gemini

As always, feel free to answer the questions yourself. I'd love to read your answers. It's always fun to learn more from people through these things.

☕ Life Update July - August 2018: My Summer break.

And, after over a month of Summer break, I'm back to work!

Hello there! time for another life update. Going back to early July, it just felt as busy as this last week but, a LOT has changed.

July had one of the busiest weeks for us teachers because it started with our last week of school. We had to finish exams, complete grades, finish everything and prep for the end of the school year. It was stressful, yes but we survived. 

My Summer break was actually a little busier than expected, so happy about that! I went to a Studygram workshop with my friends to learn more about having pretty notes for the new school year. Also got reunited with my cousins, I was especially happy because I got to meet baby Luca and saw one of my cousins again after almost 10 years!!

Other than that I went out with friends to eat, have coffee, catch up and even do some sightseeing. I had some time to finish watching FMP! Invisible Victory which was really, really good!

But I feel that during that long break, my mind couldn't help to overthink a little and all these worries came to my mind making me feel a little emotiotional for a while. It helped me to write a very honest H2H that I'll leave here in case you wanna check it out. I also want to thank you guys for the kind and sweet feedback I got from it through different media, even from people who are not that close to me. ♡

And a few weeks before going back to work, I had some school meetings and training. I got to say the training was actually pretty interesting and it helped me a lot to learn more and new ways to work with my students. There are a lot of changes when it comes to work but, I think I'll talk more about them in a teacher chit chat sometime soon. (I don't want this to become a super duper long update)

Something I was really excited about was my friend Diana (aka Keisha) moving away to get her Master's degree. It's a big, new adventure in a new place and even tho we are going to miss her because she won't be living here for a whole year, I couldn't be more proud of her. Not only because of how hard she's been working for this, but also because of how brave she was to decide to go away on her own.

And well, I'm finally back to work, probably busier than ever but, always grateful for the opportunities I've been getting. It was a great Summer break but it is time to go back to reality~!!

Big love!

Me from A to Z

Hi guys!
Here comes a "get to know me" kind of post. I saw this Me from A to Z thing while I was looking for some BuJo inspo and thought it'd be fun to share here.
I did something similar last year in a Things I'm thankful for ABC. I'll try to find things most people don't know about me or things I haven't mentioned in previous questionnaires or tags.
Let's do this!

A is for Autumn which has to be my favorite season of the year. Not only because of Halloween and its vibe but also because of its weather, colors and fashion.

B is for Beer. I'll always choose a nice and cold beer over wine. I especially like dark beer.

C is for Coffee. I know, no surprise here! I'm a coffee addict and I just can't function properly without my morning coffee.

D is for Dentist. I have a strong fear for dentists. They make me so nervous, and my last experience with them wasn't pleasant at all.

E is for Explosive. That's because I can have a very explosive temperament at times.

F is French. A language I studied for 6 years with no success. My French is pretty basic for someone who took classes for that long.

G is for Grease. One of my all time favorite movies.

H is for Halloween. I'm sure most of you saw this one coming. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I like it more than Christmas!

I is for Inpatient. Even tho it's been getting better thanks to my job, I've always been a very inpatient person.

J is for Jokes. I suck at telling jokes and... I'm too slow when it comes to understanding them. Also because, I laugh at the most silly and simple ones.

K is for Kind. I always try to be kind to others and I appreciate kindness in people.

L is for Lazy. I have an active life and as much as I enjoy it, I will always accept and take a chance to be lazy. There's something satisfying about doing absolutely nothing every once in a while.

M is for Murder cases. Not everyone knows this but I really enjoy to watch them. I find them really interesting. From the investigation, how they did it and the reasons behind it. Favorite thing to watch before going to sleep.

N is for Naive. Because yeah, I can be too naive sometimes...

O is for Obsessed. I tend to obsess over things quickly

P is for Posessive. This is not as strong as it was before but there's a part of me who stll thinks "Hey, what's mine, is mine. Period!" 

Q is for Quote. "Hold the vision, Trust the process" this is a quote I try to live by.

R is for Rabbit. My lunar year is the year of the rabbit, which is funny because I also happen to collect them.

S is for Silly. I can be veeeery silly once you get to really know me and, I'm not ashamed of it. LOL.

T is for Teacher. Which has been one of the most fullfilling and rewarding things in my life.

U is for Unbreakable. One of my fav songs from Kim Hyun Joong (couldn't think of something better hehe) 

V is for Valencia a place a fell in love with and hope to visit again someday.

W is for Witch. Because I'm obsessed with witches, magic and I'd become one if I could.

X is for eXpressive. (I didn't want to go for the typical "x-ray") I have a very expressive face which makes it hard for me to hide my true thoughts and feelings about things.

Y is for Yelling. I feel like, I'm an expert at it when I'm really mad. Oops!

Z is for Zombies. Years ago I wanted to have a zombie themed wedding reception. No joke.

This was a bit harder than I thought but I hope you enjoyed it and got to learn something else (probably random) about me. Feel free to do this too! it's always a fun way to get to know people!

❀ Cute Stationery Haul ❀

Hi there sweets!
Back to school is almost here and I have some cute things ready to go back with me because #Teacher. I got most of them from La Pape de Maria Lucrecia, others are gifts and stuff I've got from the workshops I went weeks (or even a month) ago. I'm sure I'm missing a few things but, I've been collecting these things for a while now and I already used some of them so, yeah.

I'll start with the notebooks. Most of them are still new because I want to use some of them when the school year officially begins.

The first one is a Pantone notebook in Bubblegum. It's a small journal with dotted pages. I liked it not only because of the color but also because it is really easy to carry around to take notes and stuff.

Next one is also a pink notebook from Miniso but this one has striped pages. It's also really thin and it has this nice pattern on the cover that stands out.

Excuse the light change.

Also from Miniso are these cute Neko notebooks. I feel they are more like an agenda kind of thing. They have days of the week at the top and stuff. They both have plastic covers and stiped pages.

Then we have a Fabriano notebook. This is a lot bigger than the others and for some reason, I really like that. It has 40 stiped pages and I was planning to use it as my "teacher notebook" but I also got one at work so... I'll think of something else. The cover is a really fun monster (I think) and it makes me think of halloween or a pumpkin whenever I look at it.

I am in love with this last one, which is also my latest purchase. It's a japanese bunny notebook with decorated pages. It looks like a story book. It is really, really pretty. So pretty I'll feel bad when I start to use it.

I didn't take pic of every design but, here are some of them. It has
 many more!

Moving on to pens, they are mostly black pens with cute designs.From bunnies & cat paws, to Sasuke and pocky! I can never have too many pens as a teacher since I use them all the time. But of course, I like to go for pretty ones. Most of them have that gel type kind of ink.

The pocky pen smells like strawberry!

I've been loving these Marvy Le Plume II markers. They have avery fine marker tip on one end and a brush type one on the other. The two colors I have are NO. 67 Bubblegum Pink and NO. 60 Salvia Blue. Both pastels of course. I'm planning to buy more in the future!

Still on the marker family, I got (more) highlighters! But, These are tiny Miffy highlighters. Because, 1. Bunnies. And 2. since they are small, I can take all of them to work with me.

Sakura craft punch because I'm obsessed with Sakura flowers, cute washi tapes and sticky notes.

I got this set at Office Depot. They are plastic sticky notes and you
 can use markers to write on them

And that is it for this cute stationery haul, hope you guys like it and, let me know what other type of hauls you'd like to see in here in the future.
Bye for now!!

Heart-to-heart: How I really feel about love & relationships

Hey there loves!
Long time no H2H~ I think this is actually the first one this year.
I asked on IG and most of you said you wanted an other one so, after a long time thinking about what to write about, here we are.
The other day I was doing this kind of "Mind Dump" in my journal about some things that have been on my mind lately and I thought it would be a good thing to talk about in here.

I'm not sure where to begin tho... guess I'll start with saying that people who are really close to me know that one of my dreams is to get married someday and have my own little family to care of, among other things.
I am in love with love and the idea of having a romance like the ones I see in dramas and stuff, even if sometimes I pretend not to care. And I feel like I try not to talk about it much or pretend that it doesn't affect me because I don't want to be one of those people who are always talking about how much they long for a partner and how finding one is the center of their universe because, it is not my only goal in life and because I've met people like that before and I know it is exhausting to be listening to the same thing over and over again as if nothing else mattered.
And, I guess I've been a little emotional lately so, sorry if this H2H becomes a bit of a rant...

I always try to tell myself I shouldn't let anyone put pressure on me to find someone or date but somehow I end up mentally worrying about those things. And, as much as I love to see my friends in love, some of them having a happy married life, my cousins having super cute families; I can't help to wish I could join them on that same level. I can't help to compare myself to others who have what I wish for even if it's people on random social media. And I don't do it in a nasty, envious way, I just wonder when is it going to be my turn.

One of my friends once told me that life never really goes the way we plan it, and that's ok. And it's true; If I look back I was planning to get married on my mid 20's (yeah, right!) and, I never thought I'd end up teaching.
It's not all bad and I'm not saying that I'm not happy with the way my life is at this moment, I'm very thankful for many opportunities I've had so far, trips, work, life lessons and even amazing friends that always make me smile and feel good about myself but, there's also that part of me who wished to have at least a very stable relationship at this point in my life.

It's funny cuz when I was little, I never dreamed about getting married or having a fairy tale love story but, as I grew older I started loving the idea. I am aware that I am not going to have a kdrama-like love story and that I can't idealize a relationship because, it's never going to be like that. I also know I am a very difficult person who has high standards. I'm trying to change that because it won't take me anywhere. I'm also someone who needs her space to work on her own things. As much as I want to share part of my life with someone, I want to have things on my own too. I don't wanna become "someone's girlfriend" and lose myself in the process. But the idea of never meeting "the right one" can be a very scary thought~ I don't want to come to terms with the idea of always being that forever alone friend/cousin/auntie.
I know I'm still young and I'm open to the idea that anything can happen when you less expect it but, sometimes waiting can be harder than others.

I'm amazed to see how people find it easy to meet others and just feel that "click". How do they do it?
Some people always tell me "you need to go out more", "meet new people", blah, blah, blah. But what they don't know is, I really try, I've met new people, nice and interesting people but, nothing! I suck at dating too. Especially when it comes to "dating" a stranger. Ironically, I once considered opening a profile on a dating site or something (Not gonna happen but, oh well xD).
Like, What in the world is wrong with me?!! Why is it so hard for me to find someone I really, really like? Sometimes I feel like the more I want it, the more I push it away (if that makes any sense). I still believe there's someone, somewhere who is meant for us... I hope to find my someone someday.

I really don't want to get too caught up with this feelings or this topic, and I know it'll only be temporary~ Guess I just need to go back to my job and stuff to keep my mind busy with other things but, I just had to let that out and open up about it. As always, sorry if this stopped making sense at some point, it always happens to me when I talk or type too much. I always speak from my heart on these posts so, thank you for reading until the end and, let me know what you'd like to read in future H2Hs.

Untl next time~~!! ♡