Suki Review Part 1: Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer!

Hello, beauty junkies!  Let me begin by first confessing my dearest and most deadly (literally? and non-literally) addiction to organic beauty products. I found myself in this craze for beauty product ingredients and went on a hunt/spree to look for products that were going to be good to my skin: meaning no harsh chemicals such as petroleum, alcohol, and silicone, to name a few. I then found myself browsing http://www.saffronrouge.com/, a online beauty product store that dedicates themselves to selling products without harsh chemicals in them; my dream come true! This is where I discovered Suki.

First of all, research! I started researching for more online beauty stores and found that Saffron Rouge overpriced their products. Secondly, they weren't true to their promise: I found products on their site that were far from safe. So, I went over to http://www.essentialdayspa.com. I found great reviews on the site, they offered various brands (from organics to even famous, "chemical" filled ones that are cult favourites), and to add, they offered at regular price, Suki products, at a cheaper price than Saffron Rouge. To top if off, they had a discount code they were offering at the time and promised a good amount of samples. I knew the site was for me. (PS: They currently have a 40% off discount code going now until August 10! Use it! I fully trust their site. They are truly dedicated to their customers! You won't be disappointed by them.)

So, I ordered the Suki Color Tinted Active Moisturizer and the Suki Balancing Day Lotion, and received samples of the Suki Pure Balancing Facial Moisturizer, the Suki Pure Nourishing Facial Moisturizer, and the Suki Intensive Nourishing Masque. (I love how they knew to send me all Suki samples!)

First off, I was super stoked for the Tinted Moisturizer. I have been a long addict of high end products. I've used foundations from Nars, Dior, Mac, Estee Lauder, Clinique, and on and on, but wanted to try an organic alternative that promised to treat my skin, while evening out my complexion and letting my skin breathe. It seemed like a miracle product.

I bought the color Natural, being a olive-y, tanned complexion (a true MAC C4 in the winter and a true Dior honey in the summer).

After applying my Aveeno Baby SPF 50 sunscreen and the Suki Balancing Day Lotion (will review later), the moment came for me to use the product I have been dying to try. It comes with a pump, which allows you to choose the amount of product you want to use, an added plus! However, on the first pump, it disposed some hard residue, very unpleasing to look at, or apply onto your face. I caught it and disposed of it immediately, thank God. With the first pump, it appeared like a foundation, in texture and in consistency- not too liquid-y but liquid-y enough. I dotted my face and began smoothing it over my face. 

THE HORROR! THE HORROR! (Heart of Darkness reference... I was studying the book for school and ... This really has no excuse. I'm so weird...lol) I felt like I got a foundation 5 times darker in shade than my skin tone. To add, I looked like I smeared a top layer of oil all over my skin (I have combination to oily skin that is very dehydrated). After fully smoothing it all over my skin, I waited, hoping the product would oxidize to match my skin tone, or something! Nothing... I needed to run, so I grabbed some oil absorbing sheets and blotted away. *sigh* It took about 5 sheets and each sheet grabbed the tinted moisturizer away with it. Hint: the tinted moisturizer does not SET. So, I was stuck with oil still on my face, no coverage, and a darker complexion on my face than my neck and body-- a vile? sight... I was out of time so I had to leave. 

Later in the day, I went into the bathroom and checked the mirror. I was still an oil blob and looked extremely dark in my face, although the colour did die down a bit. The tinted moisturizer seemed to highlight large pores and the little miliae on my skin. I was not happy.

An extra detail, every time I touched my face, the moisturizer wiped off. I only noticed because the tinted moisturizer was so dark!

So, the next time I tried the tinted moisturizer, I mixed the Balancing Day Lotion, I skipped the sunscreen, but to no avail. But yesterday, before heading out to the gym with my friend, I decided I would mix the tinted moisturizer with my sunscreen. Much better... My skin looked illuminated and fresh with the slightest, barely noticeable coverage-- perfect for the gym. Who knew the combination would be such a perfect match. It was just perfect! It looked flawless and beautiful. But, would I repurchase? It's a 50/50 for me, so we will have to see!

Online Shopping at Victoria's Secret and a Bikini Review!

About two weeks ago, I made my very first online purchase on Victoria's Secret online store. The shipping came just in time and the product came without any defects; however, the sizing was not correct and the colour was totally off.

I ordered the Riviera Halter top in Shimmer summer sky. (Link is no longer available.)

Mind you, I bought it for full price... The bikini in itself was $48 and there was an extra charge of $30. That is one hefty price tag for a bikini top: one whose quality should match the price!

I got a small, based on their sizing chart, and let's say, it was huge... You could poke at it....if you know what I mean, ladies.

Moving on, the color, shimmer summer sky, is not accurately represented in the picture. In the picture, it is a soft, light, baby blue that comes off very understated, simple, and sophisticated. In reality, it was a candy, bright, turquoise blue that clashed with my olive, tanned skin. It was horrifying.

 

The push-up aspect of it.... Oh my.... It was not push-up. It just had cups that every bikini has in a non-push-up bikini in Bloomingdales or Nordstrom. It offered no lift or added support. It was a cup, not anything "designed to dazzle with our top-of-the-line push-up technology"....

When I ordered this bikini, I imagined it to be like the push-up bra sold at Victoria's Secret. But let me assure you, it was nothing like that. Far from it actually... In all honesty, I am a Victoria's Secret bra lover. The bra in the link just mentioned is my all-time favorite bra. I only choose to wear that specific bra. Let me just say, I was very disappointed.

Oh- but let me also mention, the bikini was definitely shimmery! The fabric was extremely luxe and sturdy. So, I definitely don't regret choosing the "luxe Italian fabric". 

I filled out my exchange form and asked to exchange my Riviera bikini top for a Beach Sexy Lace Ruffle Bandeau top. It's a good $34. So, exchanging it would give me back $14 and an added $5.99 (I believe), if I use the return slip they gave in my order. Which means, I would get about $20 back... but when I went to the postal office, it cost me $12 to ship the order to VS, so I technically only get $6... To a first time online customer, I don't know if I'd buy anything else from the site, especially as a Canadian who has to pay for the extra taxes, duties, and import fees. Boohoo to us. :'(

The order for the new bikini has been placed. I pray it will be as beautiful and fitting as it is portrayed to be. If this order fails, I'll be forced to keep the bikini and ban online shopping at Victoria's Secret for good. And, when I say 'ban', I mean try hard not to browse the Victoria's Secret's site constantly. Hehe.

I'll keep everyone updated!

PS: I am extremely jealous of the girls online who have had fabulous orders with VS's swim line (bikini and bottoms included), especially the bottoms. I chickened out in buying any bottoms in their swim line because I was unsure of the sizing and fit. And, this order assured me that I had made the best decision by not ordering anything else from them.

PSS: Victoria's Secret, please make this order a good one! Or I'll have to turn to Bloomingdales, Nordstroms or the like for my bikini, and I really would love to love yours! <3 br="">
Do I recommend? Subscribe to keep updated on the following review part deux!

Bless you.

Sincerely,
me!

Please leave any comment, feedback, review, or experience that you would like to share!
Hope you enjoyed! :-)

Study Resources for Ontario G1 Takers!

The official driver's handbook:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/handbook/
practice test:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/handbook/section5.5.0.shtml

Quiz 1-signs:
http://www.apnatoronto.com/ontario-g1-practice-test-signs.html
Quiz 2- Rules 1:
http://www.apnatoronto.com/ontario-g1-practice-test-rules1.html
Quiz 3-Rules 2:
http://www.apnatoronto.com/ontario-g1-practice-test-rules2.html
Quiz 4-Rules 3:
http://www.apnatoronto.com/ontario-g1-practice-test-rules3.html
Quizzes 1-6:
http://www.drivingtest.ca/ontario-g1-driving-test/

G1 Signs Practice quiz:
http://www.g1g2.org/g1-test-practice.html

28 quizzes (middle left blue toolbar):
http://find-a-driving-school.ca/free-g1-practice-tests/g1-practice-test-one/

G1 Practice Test:
http://www.g1practice.com/

Driver's Manual Summary:
This fee includes the cost of the knowledge test, your first road test and a five-year licensing fee. In order to schedule a road test appointment, you must prepay the road test fee.

Chances

The word rings in my mind. It lingers... I can't seem to erase it from my mind. It makes my heart skip a beat. It gives me butterflies in my stomach.
The word is a vague one, a broad one; one of hope, one of rejection, one of dreams, and one that may remind us of our failures. But, it's a word I cannot forget.
I ask myself a million times a day, "Should I take the chance"? "Am I worth it"? "Am I worthy or well qualified"? I live life in fear of taking chances. I question, I worry, I fret. Why? Rejection stings like a burn. The burning sensation lasts. It takes weeks to heal, maybe even months or years.
However, what I have realized is, chances are open doors before our own eyes. The doors could open to a hell, or they can open up to a heaven. Would you take that chance for a heaven? Imagine, you take the chance and you achieve what you have sincerely, genuinely wanted to achieve. Your passions, hopes, and dreams become a reality. Would you take that chance? Would you risk your life to open the doors before your life for that heaven?
Well, it comes down to the question, "How bad to do you want it"? To be honest, I don't know. But, I do know, be fearless, like Taylor Swift sings to us. Life is too short for fear, frets, worry, and too short for you not to spend it fulfilling your deepest passions.


Take the chance! I do admit, it's harder said than done! ^^

How bad do you want it?

"I am living a lie. I'm the one hurting myself. I'm the one choosing to hide."

Freedom Writers Poem named Moment

Moment

Let him wish his life
for the sorrows of a stone
never knowing the first thread
of these
never knowing the pain of ice
as its crystals slowly grow
needles pressing in on the heart
to live forever
and never feel a thing
to wait a million lifetimes
only to erode and become sand
wish not for the stone
but for the fire
last only moments
and change everything
oh to be the lightning
to exist for less than a moment
yet in that moment
to expose the world to every open eye
oh to be thunder
to clap and ring
to rumble into memories
minds and spines
to chill the soul and shake the very ground
pounding even the sands
into smaller pieces
of the mountain brooding, extinct,
yet gathering for one fatal moment
to power to blow the top clean off the world
oh to last the blink of an eye and leave nothing
but nothing unmoved behind you

Vincent Guilliano
January 9, 1991

Poem is from the movie called "Freedom Writers".

Oceans will Part by Hillsong Lyrics

If my heart has grown cold
There Your love will unfold
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
When I’m blind to my way
There Your Spirit will pray
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Oceans will part nations come
At the whisper of Your call
Hope will rise glory shone
In my life Your will be done

Present suffering may pass
Lord Your mercy will last
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
And my heart will find praise
I’ll delight in Your way
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Oceans will part nations come
At the whisper of your call
Hope will rise glory shone

Writing Reviews for Plays, Shows, Theatre, etc. Review Example:

I found myself having to write a review on a play for my English class. The last time I had to write a review for something I watched was in middle school. I looked for examples of what would be appropriate but also qualified to hand in as a high school student in senior AP English. Here are the reviews I found:


The Story: Family patriarch Max lives in perpetual struggle for supremacy with his two grown sons, Lenny and Joey and his brother Sam in a run-down part of London in the 1960’s. Their fragile but dysfunctional apple cart is upset by the arrival of Max’s eldest son, Teddy, and his wife Ruth, home after living in America for six years.

 “Pinteresque” is a phrase used to describe typical features of Harold Pinter’s plays; dramatic pauses, black comedy, an absurd story, repeated phrases that seem to mean more than they appear. A Pinter play is as much about what is not said as is spoken.

A Pinter play is not light fare; Max and his sons are not The Waltons, this is not your feel-good kind of story. Unless your own life looks better by comparison, you are not apt to exit this play feeling very good about the human condition.  Even The Grapes of Wrath – depressing as it is – leaves you with the life-affirming knowledge that the characters will soldier on, in pursuit of something better. With The Homecoming, you just hope you never run across people like these characters and that they never procreate.

This story is for those who like examining people’s unspoken motivations. It is a marvelous play to study; to delve into, pick apart its meanings, dissect characters, to examine themes. It is not a play one enjoys watching.

Not that the direction is not crisp or the acting sharp. Jennifer Tarver has a knack with the darkly humorous, there is no doubt about that. Aaron Krohn makes Lenny into a sociopath – menacing one moment, charming the next; Cara Ricketts is an enigmatic, shrewd Ruth; Stephen Ouimette’s Sam is a gentleman out of place among predators, both haunted by and reveling in secrets. As portrayed by Mike Shara, Teddy is strangely apart but still very much one of Max’s son’s, and Ian Lake turns Joey into an animalistic man-boy.  As their father Max, Brian Dennehy is at his best when quietly bullying, switching gears from intimidating to nostalgic as fast as Lenny changes from charming to snaky.  

But as good as the direction and performers are, it is not a play one can enjoy watching. The characters are cruel or at best aloof. The comedy is of the uncomfortable kind, the laughs generated by pitiless insults and emotional abuse, rather than any genuine mirth. It is a joyless story, the characters remorseless, the action callous. 

Watch The Homecoming forearmed with knowledge of the play for best results; Robert Cushman provides a fine analysis of the play’s themes in his review. The Homecoming continues until October 30 in repertory at the Avon Theatre. 

reviewsbyrobyn.blogspot.com

Sunday, 14 August, 2011 reviews.robyn.blogspot.com

Members of the Misanthrope cast. Photo by Cylla Von Tiedmann

The Misanthrope

By Moliere; translation by Richard Wilbur

Directed by David Grindley

Featuring Ben Carlson, Sara Topham, Martha Farell, Juan Chioran, Kelli Fox

The Story: Alceste is fed up with the two-faced nature of everyone at court, and is resolved to leave mankind behind to live like a hermit where he is free to speak the unvarnished truth. Unfortunately for him, he happens to be in love with one of the falsest creatures on earth, the charming coquette Célimène. When Alceste’s brutal honesty lands him in trouble with the law, and Célimène’s behaviour gets her censured in public, these two opposites may have a chance to attract – but can either of them bend enough to accept the others’ faults?

Director David Grindley was last at Stratford to direct the punk-rock-n-roll Midsummer Night’s Dream of 2009. In that production he gave the play a fresh, almost wild look; in directing Moliere’s The Misanthrope in 2011 however, he stepped back and set it in the Rococco period, roughly 100 years after the Baroque play was penned. This means that this very talky play has little action, but a lot of style.

The set, designed by John Lee Beatty, is a veritable chocolate box of gilding, drapery and light. And the costumes! Robin Fraser Payne’s designs must have take the wardrobe department a year’s worth of work to stitch, and in particular the dress worn by Sara Topham is a frothy confection of pink ruffles, bows and flounces, that could have been lifted straight from The Swing, a 1767 painting by Jean-Honore Fragonard. (Not that the other women’s dresses and men’s multi-layered suits are anything to sneeze at either.)

The acting is anything but frothy, even thought the tone remains light. As Alceste, the Misanthrope of the title, Ben Carlson is as masterful with Moliere as he is with Shakespeare, turning translator Richard Wilbur’s rhyming couplets – which could sound like Dr. Seuss in many actors’ mouths – into everyday conversation. He takes Alceste from rage to heartbreak without ever missing a beat, and one does feel the truth and conviction of the character at every turn.

Sara Topham as Celemine, Ben Carlson as Alceste.
Photo: Cylla Von Tiedmann

Alceste’s love interest, Célimène, is played with both fire and wide-eyed – but false - sweetness by Sara Topham. She shows Célimène to be immature with her petulant rages, but with a slowly dawning realization that she may have gone too far with her behaviour. She also gives as good as she gets, taking on both her rival Arsinoé and her lover Alceste and often getting the better of them. Ms. Topham and Mr. Carlson share one fantastically stormy scene which is riveting in its passion, humour and sweetness.

Kelli Fox as Arsinoe.
Photo: Cylla Von Tiedmann

Alas, Alceste’s ‘radical honesty’ and Célimène’s gossipy slander is no more popular in 1666 as it is in 2011. When the two lovers finally part, the audience witnesses two hearts breaking.  

The other actors are equally strong in their performances; Kelli Fox makes Arsinoé a pleasure to dislike, as does Steve Ross and Trent Pardy in their roles as the simpering courtiers Clitandre and Acaste – Mr. Pardy’s Acaste is particularly glittering and mean. Not to be outdone, Peter Hutt takes Oronte’s foppishness down a notch and replaces it with a shade of chilly malevolence.   Robert King, Brian Tree and Brigit Wilson are wasted in their small roles, although Mr. Tree makes the most of the inarticulate Dubois .

Martha Farrell as Eliante.
Photo: Cylla Von Tiedmann

As for the true lovers in the play, as Philinte Juan Chioran is at his best when imitating a raging Alceste and exchanging knowing looks with Eliante; played by Martha Farrell, Eliante becomes not just the steady voice of reason, but also a lively woman entirely capable of throwing palpable sparks at Alceste (it is not her fault that it is Philinte who catches fire for her).

All in all, this is a classily acted and designed production of a classic play that is a pleasure to hear and see. It continues at the Festival Theatre until October 29 in repertory.

A Leader Engages the Lost...

A Leader Engages the Lost...
I’m pretty much a type-A personality. I am the photo editor of The Harvard Crimson,
a member of the Freshman Advisory Board, and helped launch DREAM, a studentrun
weekly mentoring program with children from a local housing complex. Although
I enjoy being part of many activities, it’s hard to let go and let God take the lead.
Through Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA) Bible Courses, the mentoring of
the ministry staff, and discussions with fellow students, I’ve learned how to prayerfully
discern how to invest my time. A recent leadership opportunity was the summer
reading program sponsored by HCFA, which enabled Christian and atheist students to
dialogue about two books, Atheist Delusions and The God Delusion. Through this
engagement, HCFA members were able to dispel commonly held stereotypes about
Christianity and share the most important truth there is, the Gospel, to a largely
unbelieving, skeptical audience. This project reminded me of how important it is for
Christian students to take a leadership role on campus.
— Emily Lowe, Harvard '14

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39 NLT

Titus 2:11-14For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.