Weight Loss: the Mental Side

Recently I read a blog post saying that weight loss is "80% mental, 20% physical".  Wow, that is so true.  You have to commit to losing weight, or else it won't happen.

I'm still running each weekend, although it isn't easy. I am really demotivated about work lately, and am having trouble falling asleep and waking up.  I'm so tired during the week that all I want to do on the weekends is to sleep.  Still, I get out of bed at around 6:30 AM so that I can go to the gym before it gets crowded.

Anyone have any good tips on the mental side of losing weight?

Also, I realized that most of my meals are structured around rice. Yes, I know it's not good. It is really hard to get decent vegetables here (at least in the winter).  I say this in each post, but I am really looking forward to warmer weather, partially because better vegetables will be available then.

Any good weight loss blogs? 

xoxo, K

Review: Wet 'n Wild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner - a very inexpensive cream eyeliner

This is a review of the Wet 'n Wild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner. This was a gift to me from Diana, who said she liked it better than MAC Fluidline.  Sounds promising!!

I have this in the color Black. The other color that is available is Eggplant, which looks like a purple color. Surprisingly, it does not come in brown.

Swatched on my arm. This is a few swipes of my brush.

What it does: (from wnwbeauty.com)
The precision of a liquid liner with the ease of a cream application, this velvet-rich eyeliner provides long-lasting definition in a waterproof formula. Easy-to-use brush included.

Price: will vary. CVS.com has this for around $4.

Pros:

• This eyeliner does NOT budge from my eye. Even when I rubbed the above swatch several times, it did not move.
• Although it is not extremely black, it is black enough for me to use
• Very creamy and easy to use. I had this pot for nearly 1.5 years before I opened it, and it was still very creamy

Cons:

• Again, it is not as black as I would have liked
• I really don't like the packaging. There is a lot of excess plastic on the sides of the container to make it look bigger than it actually is. 
This is a stock photo, but you can see that the sides of the container have no product in them. The container makes it look like there is 1.5 times more product than there actually is.


• The brush that comes with this product is really big and I found it too big to use. Surprisingly, it is very soft, and it is much better quality than the brushes that I've seen come with other drugstore brand gel eyeliners.
You can see that the brush is about twice as wide as a Q-tip. It makes it very hard to get into corners or to draw an exact line.

Would I repurchase? Yes. So far, this is my favorite gel eyeliner from the drugstore. However, it takes me forever to get through eyeliner, so who knows what products will be on the market by the time I need to buy a new one!

Note: After I dip my brush into the product, I always wipe it off with a tissue. I find that this gets rid of any clumps and helps the eyeliner to apply more smoothly.

Hope you enjoyed my review!  Please let me know if you have a favorite drugstore gel eyeliner.

xoxo, K

Weekly Read #50: February 24, 2012

After talking about it for a while on Twitter, I've gotten onto Pinterest! Please follow me while I start pinning more items!

• Sweet low updo, via LetsMakeItUp1. What a cute, easy updo!
• 7 things beauty bloggers should never do, via Clumps of Mascara.  I don't usually say "don't do this", but many bloggers may not realize that some of these things are just plain wrong.
• How I cured my chronic insomnia, via Summer Tomato. Ever since I was very young, I have not been able to fall asleep easily. It usually takes me at least 1 hour! I hope these tips can help me!
• Are high-end ballet flats worth it?, via Ask Metafilter. Help me decide if I should buy some Cole Haans.
• Spaghetti alla Carbonara, via Simply Recipes. Carbonara in Japan often includes heavy cream, but I like the traditional version better!
• Chocolate cookies with toppings, via Pioneer Woman. This is such a fun idea for a party!

On a separate note, I recently passed my 400th blog post! Cosmeddicted will reach it's third anniversary soon as well!  Thank you so much for your support and love!!

xoxo, K

Review: MAC Fix+ - a spray for your face

This is a review of the MAC Fix+. This is a very popular product, so you may be very familiar with it already!

What it does: (from MACcosmetics.com)
An aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!

Price: $20/100ml

Uses: Contrary to popular belief, this product is not intended to help makeup last longer. It can be sprayed onto skin after makeup to make it look less powdery. I also spray it onto my foundation brush so that it absorbs less foundation.

Pros:

• The cap can be locked so that it does not accidentally spray.
• This product sprays out in a very fine mist.

Cons:

• I think $20 is very expensive for a product which just settles makeup.
• I loved the spray bottle, but it cannot be refilled! *EDIT: it CAN be refilled!

Notes: remember that you can Back to MAC this container!

Would I repurchase?: No. I can easily substitute distilled water for this product. I do really like the container!

Hope you enjoyed this review!

xoxo, K

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Weekly Reads #49: February 17, 2012

• 2011 Beauty Product Fails, via emilynoel83. Several other blogs/youtubers have posted the products that they most disliked last year, but I like Emily because she can give negative reviews in a professional way.
• Allie's experience with Jewelmint and Stylemint, via Wardrobe Oxygen. Please have a look if you are interested in these two subscription programs - this is the first blog post that I've seen that are critical of these two sites.
• Cheesy Jalapeno Pull Bread, via Simply Recipes. This looks like a great snack to share with friends.
• Ice cream for cheats like me, via Worship at the House of Blues. My mother used to do this when we lived in the US. Unsweetened matcha works better since vanilla ice cream is very sweet.
• Red wine syrup, via Macheesmo. Oh dear, this looks like a great appetizer.

xoxo, K

Weight loss: Winter Blues

Yep, I'm still running. I usually can only run on the weekends. C2K suggests that you run 3 times a week, so I'm still on Week 5 Day 3 although I restarted running from Week 4 Day 1. Still, I'll keep on running, even though it's tough to wake up early on weekends!

My major issue right now is eating. It's hard to get fresh produce in the winter here. The quality of produce that I find in the supermarkets is dismal. Spring is coming soon, so hopefully that will change soon.

My other major focus is getting enough sleep.  I don't fall asleep easily, and lately things have been worrying me so that I can't sleep at all. Yes, I know I should forget about these things when I'm at home, but it's not easy.

Hopefully, it will get warm here within a month. I haven't seen sunshine in 2 weeks and it's really, really tough on me!

xoxo, K

Review: Lush Smitten Hand Cream - a cult favorite

This is a review of the Lush Smitten hand cream. This was a gift to me from Mona.
Smitten is a limited edition hand cream that Lush has released every winter.

The current packaging looks very different. (Picture from the Lush USA website)

What it does: (from Lush UK website)
Protective, almond scented hand cream. Lush customers asked persistently for Smitten to be put into Retro and we delivered. It's a lighter hand cream with the same delicious fragrance as our Snowcake soap. Smitten is made with natural oils, calming chamomile and beeswax to protect the hands from extreme weather or nourish them when they need it most. Use it regularly for soft mitts 

Price: $18.95/3.5oz, or 7 GBP/100g (around $11).  This product is more than 50% more expensive in the US!
 
Scent: like almonds. The Lush Snow cake soap smells similar.

Pros:

• Very moisturizing hand cream, but does not leave my hands greasy
• The scent does not linger on my hands. I don't like my hands to smell strongly because it bothers me when I do makeup or eat.

Cons:

• I don't like the packaging. The pump on the bottle dispenses only a very small amount at one time.
• I also think creams in pots are unhygienic. 

Would I repurchase? Maybe. This was really a great moisturizing cream. I would repurchase it if it came in a tube!

Hope you enjoyed this review!

xoxo, K

Weekly Reads #48: February 9, 2012

• A review on DUO boots, via Wardrobe Oxygen. If you have wide calves and have problems fitting into boots, this is a great brand!
• 10 tips for aspiring beauty bloggers, via Clumps of Mascara. I agree with tip 1: take good pictures!
• 5 warnings about containers, via Future Derm. I personally really don't like products in pots.
• DIY mini magnetic palette, via Mai-Kat Oshaberi. I love Altoids, and I always buy a few tins when I go to the US. The tins are very useful! Just remember to wash the tins first!

Hope you are having a great week!

xoxo, K

Weight Loss: Getting back into running

Guess how long it's been since I did a weight loss post? It's been about 4 months.

Some of you may know that I've really been in bad health this winter.  On the weekends, I wake up with a huge headache that doesn't get better even if I sleep longer. I had a breakout of itchy skin, leading to bloody red bumps all over my arms and legs. I used this as an excuse not to run, which of course leads to worse health.

After I finished Couch to 5k, I started on Bridge to 10k. I immediately realized that it was too tough for me. The first day of B210k is 40 minutes worth of running, which was infinitely harder for me than the last day of C25k. What's worse, I would get super tired after running and would nap for 1-2 hours, throwing off my weekend schedule.

I've decided to go back to C25k.  I'll get back to running 30 minutes, and then I'll find a more challenging way to run. It will take me longer, but hopefully I can keep at it.

After I went back to Japan during Chinese New Year, several people commented that I gained weight. I really want to lose it, but my priority is getting back to being healthy.

The cold, dark days here are really affecting me. I had no idea it would be this tough, but it is. Last year was easier since I went to Hawaii in December, and had that trip to pull me through the 4-5 months of SUPER cold here. 

I'm not going to weigh myself until I get back into eating and exercising again.  Wish me luck!

xoxo, K

Up and Down #20: February, 2012

Wow, the first month of 2012 is already gone! I can't wait until it gets warmer here. The high temperature is still below freezing here, and I miss sunshine!

On to my ups and downs!

Ups:

Wet 'n Wild Mega Eyes Cream Eyeliner

This was a gift from Diana a year and a half ago, but it is still very creamy. A review of this is coming up soon!

Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara

I bought this when I was in Japan, but it is a product imported from the US. A review of this is coming up as well!

Downs:

Cold weather

I can't stand being in hot, humid weather all the time, but cold weather makes me miserable. I can't go anywhere because it's too cold here!!!  I realized that if I continue to live somewhere that it soooo cold in the winter, I need to take a winter vacation to a some place warm and sunny!

xoxo, K

Weekly Reads #47: February 2, 2012

• Weight Watchers advice, via Wardrobe Oxygen. After several months of being too ill to run, I've decided to get back on track.
• How do I make websites less social?, via Ask Metafilter. In case you want to blog Facebook/Twitter/G+/etc from websites (including this one!)
• How to avoid content theft, via Phyrra. The image she has put in place of stolen ones are hilarious!
• A must-have tool for someone who always gets tangles in their hair, via Nouveau Cheap. Bonus: it's cheap!

Hope you are having a great week!

xoxo, K