Thursday, February 19, 2015

Romantic Disney Eyelashes by Sho-Bi~ Review

I've been eyeing these Romantic Minnie and Romantic Daisy lashes by Sho Bi for awhile.
The collection consists of 8 types of lashes for different looks but I felt the No.3 Dolly Eye and No.7 Sexy Eye would fit my preferred lash style best.

The lashes remind me a lot of Jumily lashes, their construction is quite delicate and the lashes themselves are very soft and lay on a thin clear strip. I love these types of lashes, Dolly Wink I would put in a similar category [but I find Dolly Wink brand is a bit more durable than Jumily lashes, and in turn same as this brand.]
 The No.3 Dolly eyes are quite similar to Dolly Wink #2 but in comparison, are a bit more even with the lash dispersal, and not as long as Dolly Wink lashes.

In general, the lashes are quite dense, which I was surprised with after application. 
The lashes are quite light and yet still have a thick and very apparent false lash appearance. 
The shape of the lashes are great for my eye shape since they open up the appearance of my eyes, with the tapered shape, and winged appearance. The spaced lashes near the center are what give off the dolly visual and add a very cute touch to the eyes. The thing I like most with this pair and also why I love Dolly Wink #2, is that the center of the lash is it's thickest part in regards to the amount of lashes concentrated there. With the heaviest part of the lash in the center, the eyes have a very doe like appearance and look and make my eyes look more rounded and larger.
For an every day lash, I think I will happily wear these. They look quite close to a stacked lash in regards to density and have just enough flair to be enhancing without going overboard, just passable for a day time lash. It's a great mix of cute and intense for lashes and great for those who enjoy a dramatic eyelash.
I tend to stay away from lashes that seem to be the same thickness throughout because I always fear they will look too heavy for my eye. But, with the No.7 Sexy eye lashes they are the more natural lashes of the two. Actually, apart from say House of Lashes Sweet Romance [I  wore for halloween since I was dressed to look younger], these might be the most natural lashes I've worn to date.. They actually remind me of how my lashes looked when I had lash extensions.
From it's appearance on the tray, these lashes are quite deceiving! These lashes are so light, they remind me of butterfly wings, and they are not as thick as you would assume, or at least I assumed when I bought them. They did give me a bit of trouble applying because they were so delicate and I accidentally was able to slide the lashes out of place on the lash band with my tweezers. I also had a bit of a problem controlling the lash, but when I finally got them on my lashes, I was blown away with how elegant they looked. 
 Because of the even lash dispersal of these lashes, they give the eyes a more sleek and cat eyed appearance. The look and shape is further enhanced with the heavier outer lashes that rather than enlarging the eye shape like the dolly lashes, work to elongate and compliment my eye's natural shape. In retrospect, I wish I work more natural lower lashes with them as the ones I wore above don't have the same feeling as the Sexy lashes and actually work against the beauty of these lashes. So; for note, Dolly Wink #13 bottom lashes and this pair are a bit awkward with each other. Shame on me, I just found I had a pair of #12's in my lash case after editing these photos;;
In person these lashes are perfect for a daily look, even for those new to lashes or want an enhanced natural look. They actually come in brown too which would look even more natural and are quite tempting to me to try out! I'm actually shocked how much I love this pair, and they make me feel so sultry and effortless. Hands down, I'm so glad I tried a pair like this and they would be great for daytime and days where you want noticeably thicker lashes but want to avoid bulky lash bands and looking too over done.

How I feel overall about these lashes are I love them. It's very rare that I would hate a lash, but I avoid the types I dislike~ Mostly those that feel overly synthetic lashes or ones with overly thick lash bands.

Since this brand is comparable to my fave two lash companies it's safe to say I can add Sho-Bi's Romantic Disney to my list of my lash staples.

They easily get a 5/5 in my book.
 I'm not going to lie, I was actually pushed to get the lashes finally because I have a new phone case and phone theme that went perfectly with the lashes.
You can find these lashes on eBay [here] if you are interested in purchasing a pair.

I hope you enjoyed and found the review helpful,
<3CarisseIris

Sunday, February 8, 2015

On Self Love~ Self esteem building.

It's the month of love!
So, in celebration, I thought it would be fitting to create a rough outline on attaining and building self love. I know it might sound a bit corny, but it is an important aspect to cultivate your self esteem and self worth not only as a confidence builder but cultivates your own self respect can help hone your empathy to others, will help you own up to your personal decisions and can create an inner happiness that is sometimes lost.

I will start this off with a quick forewarning, that I am no expert, but a lot of what I've learned cam from amazing mentors when I was younger. I was a theater kid, so often times there were other participants who were shy so our instructors would guide us though esteem building exercises to get people out of their shells and gain confidence to perform on stage. Little did I know these exercises would roll over to influence my outlook and be a great aid to others.

A lot of what I will go over aren't quick fixes, as there are no easy paths in this life. Many of the things I will talk about are outlines and exercises, that will need to be done regularly over a span of time. Self esteem is something you need to tend to and be proactive in improving. It's not some magic cure, but in a few weeks, months, maybe a few years you can feel the difference in how not just the way you carry yourself but in how you view yourself and even interact with others.

~ Let's get started.

I like to start with positive affirmations. An affirmation is a specific statement that helps you visualize a positive change with[in] yourself. They are actually quite similar to how self fulfilling prophecies work, as they can set the tone for your day and the way can sink into your subconscious.
So, always start with positive affirmations ‘I am’, ‘I can’ phrases~
I love writing them down on post its or in my journals~ and with post its, putting it on my mirrors, 
above my bed, and places I frequent. 
Initially, affirmations don't have to be true, yet, but something you aspire to be or to accomplish. 
Like, if you are inclined to be soft spoken, your affirmation can be something similar to, 'I am a 
confident person.' 'I am just as worthy of being heard as my peers.' 'I enjoy speaking to new people.'
Something similar to that.
I found a bullet list of self affirmations, if you need any help.

    • I love and accept myself unconditionally.

    • I approve of myself and feel great about myself.

    • I radiate love and respect and in return I get love and respect.

    • I am a well loved and well respected person.

    • I am a cultured and wise and yet, a humble person.

    • My high self esteem enables me to respect others and beget respect in turn.
    • I am free to make my own choices and decisions.

    • I am a unique and a very special person and worthy of respect from others.

    • My high self esteem allows me to accept compliments easily and also freely compliment others.

    • I accept others as they are and they in turn accept me as I am.

    • It matters little what others say. What matters is how I react and what I believe.

    • All is well in my world and I trade love and acceptance with the world.

    • I have high self esteem as I respect myself.

    • I deserve all that is good. I release any need for misery and suffering.

    • I release the need to prove myself to anyone as I am my own self and I love it that way.

    • I am solution minded. Any problem that comes up in life is solvable.

    • I am never alone. The universe supports me and is with me at every step.

    • My mind is filled only with loving, healthy, positive and prosperous thoughts which ultimately are converted into my life experiences.

    • My mind is full of gratitude for my lovely and wonderful life.

    • I consciously release the past and live only in the present. That way I get to enjoy and experience life to the full.

Like for me, even little happy phases like ‘You're a hot mama’ on a post it note put on my makeup 
bag can bring smile to my face and boost up my confidence before stepping out the door. 
Affirmations can be as specific as you feel they need to be, or as simple as you want. As long as it 
can help you visualize a positive change for yourself, it's all good.

The next exercise I remember practicing in one of my classes and I felt was a great help to me and others. What you will need is a mirror or some way to see yourself/visualize yourself as a whole and take in what's in front of you. I personally find body mirrors are the best, but you make do with what you have.
I know that this exercise can seem a bit silly at first, but if you mentally prepare for it and take it seriously it can be quite emotional if you get into the right head space for it. 
First thing first, stand or sit, which ever is most comfortable to you, in front of the mirror and really look at yourself. Take in what is in front of you and absorb that is who you are and what you look like.
Remove those thoughts in the back of your head that might pick and judge at what's in the reflection, and just take in as what's there is the truth and accept it for what might seem is the good and the bad.
Moles, freckles, beauty marks, wrinkles, folds, indents, imperfections and blessings. Every single part of you in that mirror is yours and you need to own it.
Once you take it all in, out loud, your task is to compliment the features that immediately jump out at you that you like. The list can be as long or as short a you want, it depends on you and where you are at personally on your journey. For me, it helps to keep eye contact with myself to drive home the point.
After that is done, you will again, out loud, compliment the features on yourself that are okay. Please feel free to stretch and build up that bravado. The aim is to condition yourself to create a more positive view on yourself. Yes, this step can be a bit hard to find the positives to some of your features but you can do it. Even if it's a simple 'I like my nose because it's my grandmother's nose and she is beautiful.' or 'The ratio of my hips to thighs are gorgeous.' will work.
The hardest step is acknowledging the features you don't like and complimenting them out loud. If you can't think of anything At least taking it in and telling yourself it's okay or good or complimentary phrases are still a positive step. I highly implore you to try this step. It's very easy to skip but it does get better with practice and time.
The point of these steps are similar to the positive affirmations and will help shape your self appreciation.  Over time the list of features you like will get longer, it'll get easier to find the positive within yourself and the features you weren't fond of will be easier to accept and hopefully you will grow to love them, and yourself totally.
After the mirror exercise, I like to say a few choice affirmations [maybe affirmations specific to where you are at in life. Like, if you have an oral exam, an affirmation relevant to that. Or if you are feeling particularly low on the self love scale maybe an affirmation about your confidence or self acceptance.] I find repetition helps a lot in these instances. Again with the eye contact, I like to repeat the affirmations maybe in threes, and try to say it with confidence.
I personally like to end the mirror session with the affirmation, 'I'm perfect as I am and I love myself.'
I understand the mirror exercise can be a bit intimidating, but I find it very worth trying and practicing. If possible, once a week would be great to do. For me, I like to do a few affirmations out of the shower or after washing my face in the mirror just to pump myself up for the day.

Another practice is to treat yourself every so often~
Don’t forget to do something for yourself, if it’s a bubble bath, seeing that movie you always wanted
 to see, take a walk in the park and read a book, draw or even just trying out a new hair part, do
 something that will make you happy and that’s purely selfish~
You can also start getting involved in your community, and building up your own self value and 
getting out of your head and focusing on a bigger picture~ You can look into cleaning up your local 
wild life or helping out at an old folks home or even animal shelter. At least for those few hours you 
can focus on something outside of your head space and feel like you are doing something valuable to 
other people and making a difference. Because, remember, you are more than your physical self, 
and worth more than what’s on the outside and sometimes we need a reminder of that.

Re-asses how you filter things and your self view, and try not to compare yourself to others, it’ll take 
time to do but when you catch yourself doing it, actively rationalize how you are a different person 
and how you are your own person with your own and different positive traits.


Remember building self esteem and positively changing yourself takes time, patience and 
perseverance… It’s not easy but with effort you will see small changes and things will get 
better.


<3CarisseIris

Sunday, February 1, 2015

I Have Been Changed, For Good~ A gift to my friends.

My belated Christmas presents to my friends just arrived, and I finally packaged and wrapped them.
I thought I'd share what I got them before I give them out since my friends don't regularly check out my blog, haha~
For Christmas, My friend, Pepsi and I thought it would be wonderful to bring our friends to see Wicked the Musical, since some of them have never been to a musical and it is a great musical to start off with and would have a lot of meaning to our group. 


Happily, everyone liked it and loved the experience, doubly great because I already ordered my custom gifts for my friends, which correlate to the musical, from Layered and Long [found here on etsy].
 I ended up purchasing some beautiful simplistic bar necklaces, for very subtle and grown up versions of friendship necklaces. I thought it would have a meaningful touch for everyone since we had a beautiful memory to go along with it.
 I am very proud of my packaging I created for the necklaces and that it conveys the sentimental feeling I want to pass to my best friends.

As you open the box, necklace reads 'Because I knew you'.
Below, on the card continues the song lyric, 'I have been changed'.
Then when you remove the card that holds the jewelery, the last part of the song sits at the bottom, completing the phrase, 'For Good'.


I hope my friends enjoy the gift and sentiment, as it rings true at least on my end, that they are an intricate part of who I've become as a person.

I know I'm a big sap, but I hope they enjoy the gift when I give it to them!

But I thought I'd share the gift because I'm so happy with how it turned out and the planning I put into it~

<3CarisseIris