Speaking of face masks, I made a mistake on my MBD Blooming of Beauty Overview post, so I've updated that. Basically, there are actually 9 masks in the series, not 6 >_> The three masks I forgot to list are awfully expensive online because they're "rarer" for some reason - ugh... So I doubt I'll get to ever try them but I did want to let you guys know the proper information. MBD has also just released ANOTHER (arghhhh!!) mask series called Tea Time this month, which Elisa posted about. They sound effing delicious and now I want to try those too -_- However, I'm on a strict mask ban for the next 2-3 months though while I use the ones I have. Also if I keep buying more sheet masks I'll never finish my sheet mask compilation video -_-
Nonetheless, I did find some places that are selling these rare MBD masks. They're awfully expensive but these are literally the only 2 places that ship to the US that I've found so far. So yeah...for people who can't resist:
- Buying in Taiwan Ebay Store: Selling the three Blooming of Beauty masks that aren't on BonjourHK website for $13/box. Despite the fact this is literally 2x more expensive than what BonjourHK sells the Blooming of Beuty masks for ($7.60/box), this is the cheapest place I've found that ships to the US where you can try the Moroccan Rose, Pink Rockrose, and Mediterranean Orange Blossom masks.
- Zizizaza Ebay Store: Selling not just the Tea Time series ($17.25) but also the adorable MBD Hello Kitty Honey Milk and Strawberry Milk masks ($17.25). The HK masks are 10/box so that's not as bad as the Tea Time series, which come 5/box.
Get a piece of paper and write the answers to the following questions:1. What's your name/your blogger name?
2. What's your blog's name/URL?
3. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
4. Favorite quote?
5. Your Favorite song?6. Your favorite band/singers?
7. Anything else you want to say?
8. Tag three to five other people.
Usually I write in a crash of cursive and print that is barely legible. This is my neat, tidy, "I'm gonna fool people into thinking I have nice handwriting" handwriting ;)
People I want to see handwritings of (b/c I'm a creeper ;) ):
Jess (Oh pretty!), Pop Champagne (I know you don't do tags but it doesn't stop me from flinging them at you ahah xD), Elisa, Rinny, Mara, Jess (Bubbles & Beauty), Fannie D, Susho, Beauty & the Scientist, Jennifer
And some new bloggers I've started following :D
Faye Lu of Faye Lu Review
Yelena Kim of Korea Through My Eyes <-- a Korean Russian living in Korea, among the few expat blogs I like reading
Choiii of Hooligan Choi
Magdalena of I Like Makeup
Lena of Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know <-- I've been following her for awhile so she's not a "new" blogger to me ^^
aki! of 7% Solution
And last but not least, one girl I keep forgetting to tag (I swear it's because we're both "Elle")...Elle of Bitter & Sweet.
Also I did a video tag over the weekend!
Here are the 15 Questions:I don't have the energy to tag more people but anyone willing to do this tag (especially via video!) be my guest :D yuuuup also Elisa tagged me for a pretty cool Childhood Pictures tag, which I'm looking forward to doing. I love digging up old pictures but I am the epitome of someone who went through an ugly duckling phase so hmm...retinal scarring anyone ;)? Now onto the second half of this post...
1. What do you think you can do but can't?
2. What's a difficult word for you to pronounce?
3. What is a favorite TV show from your childhood?
4. What are your virtues and vices?
5. What's more important: love, fame, power, or money?
6. If you could live in any era/time period, when would it be and why?
7. If you had to redo your entire wardrobe with 2 stores, what would they be and why?
8. Can you recall what you were doing a year ago on this day?
9. Do you have reoccurring dreams? If so, explain?
10. What's your horoscope?
11. What does your dream bedroom look like?
12. What position do you sleep in?
13. Who is your favorite vampire of all time?
14. What are you currently wearing on your feet?
15. Do you have neat handwriting? Show us!
...I wanted to post some intriguing movie trailers that have caught my eyes in the past few weeks. I'm one of those lazy bums who'd rather read recaps than watch a movie in a theater ^^ but I do love watching trailers. Does that even qualify as a hobby xD?
Award-winning director Joe Wright creates a boldly original suspense thriller with HANNA, starring Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Atonement) in the title role. Raised by her father (Eric Bana of Star Trek), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.Hanna - I love movies about emo-bad-ass-chicks! The fact that this girl a young 'un with a traumatic past sounds somewhat stereotypical but the trailer reminds me a lot of the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which is good in my book. That girl's cute as a button too, killer instinct and all. I can totally see her being the next big Hollywood starlet, she has the intense look about her~ I have a feeling she's going to find out her target (Cate Blanchett) is her mom or something and there is some genetic "defect" that gives her amazing speed/intelligence, something like that. Anyway, Eric Bana is smoking up the screen too *sigh* he's so fine ^^ so this is a movie I'm considering actually seeing on movie screen instead of reading the synopsis ehehe~
WHEN HARRY TRIES TO MARRY is a cross-cultural romantic comedy about a young Indian-born bachelor who lives in New York City. Harry's handsome and charming, but he's cynical about love. He's never really gotten over his parents' divorce -- they were a modern Indian couple who married for love and it didn't last. So to improve his odds of living "happily ever after," Harry decides to have an arranged marriage, and asks his uncle back home in India to assist him in arranging the introduction to an appropriate Indian woman. To the dismay of his parents and friends, Harry finds the perfect girl and embarks on a long-distance courtship. But unexpectedly, Harry's friendship with Theresa, a fun and sexy American student, becomes confusing, appealing -- and maybe a little bit romantic. Once Harry, his friends and the entire wedding party converge in India, Harry's plan to avoid romantic risk becomes a recipe for chaos. Can anyone protect themselves from a broken heart by leaving the passion out of marriage? And, when all is said and done, does Harry really want to?When Harry Tries to Marry - The title reminds of "When Harry Met Sally" (I thought it was a sequel at first). In any case, the recent influx of Bollywood trailers on Apple is very intriguing! This movie caught my eye because it has a k-drama flair with that unmistakable Bollywood signature to it. Don't get me wrong - it's pretty obvious this won't be winning any Oscars xD but come on, who doesn't love BANGHRA ^^!? This trailer really drives home the reason why the Hallyu Wave reportedly even reached India - I see a lot of "East Asian" sensibilities in this trailer that I think K-poppers can relate to. What I particularly like about this trailer/storyline is that it has that uniquely Indian twist of arranged marriages. We don't get that set-up in K-flicks/dramas (at least not quite so bluntly though Koreans do have a love of "dating contract" sort of things :P). Also the premise of the dude "going traditional" in a modern world instead of "breaking free from tradition" is rather fresh if you think about it. This approach is very relevant to not just Indians of this generation, but also all Asians. Personally, I see so many second generation Asians "looking for their culture" after years of happily being a "Twinkie." I also like how this movie shows modern Indian culture as it exists today (aka the parents are divorced, they live in America, they're happily integrated in American society) and come on, the scenes in India look gorgeous.
Plus that dude (Rahul Rai) is kinda cute ;) He doesn't seem to be a "good" actor per se (I say this as someone who judged only from the trailer) but there is something quite quirky and charming about him. Bollywood is still rough around the edges when it comes to producing slick, mass-audience films that Hollywood has down to a fine art, but I already know Bollywood is going to invading Hollywood in the next decade or so and this promises to be a taste of how they might do modern rom-coms. Let's face it, we all know how the movie is going to end and the acting already looks a little awkward but it looks like an entertaining chick flick to me :D!
Inspired by the bestselling novel SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See, the film is a timeless portrait of female friendship. In 19th-century China, seven-year-old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong - or "old sames" - bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan. In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong's descendants, Nina and Sophia, struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers, complicated love lives, and a relentlessly evolving Shanghai. Drawing on the lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection, hidden from them in the folds of the antique white silk fan, or risk losing one another forever. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.Snow Flower & the Secret Fan - I read the book a couple years ago and I remember thinking of it as a quieter, rawer version of The Joy Luck Club, but I re-read the book again recently and it has a complexity to it I don't remember the first time around. I definitely recommend the book, especially for people who've enjoyed "The Joy Luck Club" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Coincidentally, the director of this movie also directed "The Joy Luck Club" film version. Interestingly, I get a distinct "Memoirs of a Geisha" film vibe from this movie instead, it has that shiny, expensive look to it. I'm not sure how I feel about that but I will say I am very excited to see how the book plays out as a film.
Even more interestingly, Jun Ji Hyun (Gianna Jun, she of "My Sassy Girl" fame), will be playing the role of Lily, a very tragic figure in the book. JJH is one of the few A-list K-actresses who actually seems serious about making it in Hollywood. Her first Hollywood attempt was not good; Blood: The Last Vampire bombed and was critically derided. Oddly enough, her acting was praised and she came out of the mess pretty much unscathed since most of the blame was laid on the director. In any case, "Snow Flower" promises to be a much better vehicle for her - it has that Asian exotica that America is so fond of and she's in the hands of a much better director. I'm curious to see how she'll do speaking both English and Chinese though, she doesn't speak either if I'm not mistaken. "Lily" is a pretty dynamic character so if she does well in this film I can totally see her breaking into Hollywood. As for first impressions, I am pleased to see that she is looking very raw and "into the role." She certainly hasn't lost her round cheeks and while they make her seem a tad chubby, she looks very charming and somehow suited to the role of the emotional, stubborn Lily.
Li BingBing plays Snow Flower and she looks gorgeous! So polished and sophisticated, a great contrast to fierce Lily, who was born poor. Again, I am curious to see how her character plays out on screen. There are so many intense, tragic scenes in the book that would test even seasoned actresses - but I have very high hopes! Maybe we're looking at two new Hollywood stars ^_^ Hugh Jackman is in this movie too so I am seeing at least a decent audience draw :) Fingers crossed!
