New Calgel nails~~

 New Molang nails for me to show off my love of the character!

 I finally got my nails done after a long break from my last gel manicure at Atlas Studio in Costa Mesa.
Their work is top notch and their salon so very clean!

I'm so happy with my nails and my experience.

Thank you so much!

<3CarisseIris

Straight Fringe Tutorial

 Wow, so many people are curious about my fringe! Who would have thunk!?
Well, I decided to let it grow out so I can show you how I cut my bangs~

What you will need:

 Comb
Sharp scissors, if you have dull scissors it may lead your hair to breakage~ the sharper the better!

OR!

 Fringe guide clip [bought at my local Japanese market]
Layering scissors/thinning scissors [also bought at my local Japanese market]
Comb

Optional:

 Hair tie
Clips

 First step will be to section your front strands for your fringe.
Starting at your temples create a triangle shape that meets in the middle. Please use your own discretion  on how deep you want your fringe to go. Mine is roughly one inch in..

 Personally, I like to clip the rest of my hair back so I won't snip any of the wrong pieces and also tying my hair back to keep from more hair getting in my way and in my face...

I will start with the basic scissor and comb method.

 Take your comb and comb it through your hair keeping the distribution as even as possible.
Make sure your comb is completely even and lateral.

Work in small sections and compare where you cut from a few hairs from the previous section.

 ^^ like so... so bring in a small chunk from the previous section onto the brush and use them as a measuring point for the other hairs....

 Also, please cut in a diagonal like so. It'll keep your bangs looking wispy and less harsh and thick/blunt at the edges.

 Ooh~ Nice straight fringe, compared to the left side which is hasn't been cut.
[you may need to go at a few hair wisps if you've missed any]

Next method  is the fringe clipping aid.

 Unhook the clip and spread your hair evenly into the teeth.

 Lock the clip and slide it to where you want to start clipping and make sure that your clip is straight.

[please use scissors and cut diagonally like in the previous example.]

 Then, you can go in with the thinning scissors and thin out the bang tips, for more movement.

 ^^ like so~

 No matter what method you use, you should end up with a nice straight fringe.
ALSO

Please under estimate! It's much better to cut less hair and even it out or cut slightly higher from there..
If you cut too high or too much there's not much you can do about it!
So please use caution!

Also, mind that practice makes perfect.

 I like to curl my bangs and slightly tease them for more volume and to make them look heavy to frame my face well~

And instantly, my face is framed and looks younger and smaller.
[Also, much neater;;]
I love my fringe, maybe you should try it too?
Once you get the hang of it, it's not too hard~

[Circle Lenses from Angel Contacts~]


<3CarisseIris

My all time favourite tea and tea set~

 So for the past maybe 2 or 3 years? Well, whenever it was that the Disney Wonderland Tea came out, I wanted to try all of the flavours and collect the little knick knacks that came along with it.
After I tried the available flavours, I always came back to the Mad Tea Party Blend.

 Please let it be known that I'm not a tea savant. I've been to my share of high teas and hosted tea parties, including Disney tea parties but out of all those tea blends and even grocery blends this sticks in my mind as my perfect tea.
The tea is of medium strength, and is a black tea with traces of ginger, peach and apricot. So it's a light touch of sweetness and a nice kick of spicy that's always unexpected to me but a blends so nicely together and makes it taste so unique to me.
Roughly, it's sugar, spice and everything nice~

Also, the tin it comes is so very whimsical that I enjoy displaying it on my counter for my friends and guests to pick up and read, and I always offer to pour them a cup~

 The tea is a loose leaf tea and is so sweet and fragrant with petals dancing around in the mixture.

 I even have a little Mickey mouse tea filter just for my set.

 Another little fun item that they also sell is honey spoons.. And it's not really pure honey, it tastes more like corn syrup but at 36 calories a spoon, it's not that much of a deterrent and a nice little treat if I want a more sweeter tea. Since the packs are quite pricey, one spoon is good for 3 or 4 cups of tea plus it keeps the tea from getting too sweet and using a whole spoon.

 As a treat since I let myself buy the honey spoons, I also bought myself a mickey gingerbread cookie as a little snack with my tea.
Boy oh boy, is the cookie heavy~ I couldn't finish it so I saved the other half for the next day.

 Yummy~

 I also really love the tea set, I have yet to get my hands on the Tea pot that matches the cup and saucer but I see no rush to purchase it for myself. My friends aren't too fond of tea so most times it's a tea party for one while everyone else sips on coffee.

But the details on the saucer and cup are very darling with bread and butterflies and rocking hose flies from the cartoon. Same with embellishments inside the rim of the cup.

 My friend a few years ago also got me the mini filter tea pot which will pour 2 cups of tea.

 The design is a cut out of the Mad Hatter and Hare with alice and tea cups and pots of varying sizes.
Though be forewarned that the black metal isn't stainless steal and over the years has developed some rust from repeated washings and pourings.
But it's still a cute item that I use frequently~

Do you have a favourite tea or coffee? Or have you ever tried the Mad Tea Party blend and what was your take on it?

<3CarisseIris

GEO Nudy Blue Lens~ Review [Sponsored]

Long overdue review on my GEO Nudy blue circle lenses from Angelcontacts.

The Nudy blues are basically my every day contacts and my latest staple lens. Not only are the a gorgeous clear looking blue lens, they are wonderfully natural looking on my brown eyes!

I've been using them in multiple blog entries over the past month too!

The nudy lens is the lens on the right hand side~

[If you want to see the wonderful packaging, I have another review of the GEO Angle blue lenses from Angelcontacts [here]]

 Here's the stats:
Diameter : 14mm 
Base curve : 8.6mm 
Center thickness : 0.04mm 
Water content : 38% 
Lasts up to 1 year after opening.

 Natural light and Flash~

Now, let me tell you how infatuated with these lenses I am!

I've been wearing them almost every single day since they came in the mail, not only are they comfortable, it feels like I don't even have contacts in and I can wear them for over 10 hours without them feeling dry, but I don't think that recommended, haha.

Also, no picture seems to do them justice. They look incredibly natural and blend into my eye so well, it's almost seamless. The pixelation that seems apparent in pictures is no where to be found when looking at them in person.

They almost look clear in person, and very well mimics the glassiness of natural blue eyes.

Once again, just like the Angel blues, I'm surprised that the lenses are only 14mm, because they make my eyes look wonderfully large.

Ah, I want to do another photo set for them, but none seems to bring justice to the design and look of them, and I'll just keep getting frustrated with myself.

So, to sum it up, 

Comfort: 7/5 [haha, I'm so biased... I love the lenses too much]

Design:  6/5 <3

The lenses are so good that they deserve a GIF.

AND since Angel Contacts is a sponsor, they kindly let my readers have a 5% discount off their entire purchase with the code: carisseiris !!!!!

AND on top of that I'm glad to announce that they're having a Christmas promo! [with super good deals!]
Buy 2 pairs, get $10 off~
Buy 3 pairs, get $15 off~

So stock up or buy some lenses for your friends for Christmas or as stocking suffers and go flutter your doe eyes at a cute boy under the mistletoe~

Yes we need a little Christmas, right this very minute!

Ah! Christmas is my favourite season!

And for the first year, I've actually felt inspired to decorate my room for the season!

 All around my room, is fairy lights bordering the top rung, it's so pretty!

 Then on my table I set up a glass container with blue ornaments. I decided to stick with blue/silver as a theme to contrast the pink in my room. I was severely tempted to go all out with pink garlands and accents but I thought that it might be a bit to gaudy for my tastes.

I also took some of the Christmas tree trimmings for a fragrant touch added with my sweet smelling candles, Gingerbread; Sugar cookies; and Cinnabon brand cinnamon roll candles in original and pecan.
My room smells like holiday happiness!

 I also put garlands everywhere! Around every door, mirror and even my couch~ It looks like everything is trimmed with snow, ah, so magical~

 Even my pink chandelier got the holiday treatment~

My vanity also joined the merriness, and was decorated in ornaments.

While I was decorating, I decided to pull out the tripod and snap a few pictures. Mind you I just have a bit of bb cream on and lashes and eyeliner, that's it... I was very simple makeup wise today.

Also, the 10 lbs I've lost since Halloween is showing in my face, it looks much slimmer now...

I love frosted garlands! It's as close as I can get to snow in sunny California!

Have you decorated for Christmas? Do you have a colour theme? I'm so intrigued!

<3CarisseIris