~ Update ~

"hmmmm... I should get up... but this rug is so fruffy..."
hehe~ the look on this kitty's face sums up my feelings so well~ ♥

So in my last post I mentioned that I had landed a few Legal Studies tutoring gigs... ultimately these fell through pretty badly (one because of sudden changes in my schedule and then the parents being super rude when I approached them about changing class times, the other because the student was incredibly slack and made any excuse to skip his classes) =.= it's so difficult trying to tutor kids who don't really care about their studies.  In any case, I'm not particularly broken up about losing those jobs, especially the one with the rude parents; tutoring jobs come and go, but ultimately I have my own career which I need to be focusing on and if parents can't understand that, and more over, are going to be incredibly rude about it (to the point of being verbally abusive and calling me 'naive', 'manipulative' and 'dishonest')... well...

I don't have to deal with that! >.<

On a happier note, other aspects of my life are going pretty swimmingly~ ^^ I started an internship at a law firm a few weeks ago which I'm pretty pleased about.  Even though it's unpaid, it's pretty good for the experience~ ^^ So far, I've been drafting pleadings, affidavits and contracts so there's definitely a good amount of hands-on stuff~ I'm really happy that I'm actually able to put to practice some the stuff that I learned during my degree, especially in Civil Procedure~ ^^  I put in a lot of work for that unit when I was studying it but the outcome wasn't as great as I had hoped (I got a Credit T^T) so it's really, really rewarding now to have a barrister who has had about 40 years of experience praising my work and telling others to base their work off mine~ ^^

Hopefully this internship will open some doors for me in the long run~ I should probably be less slack about going into the office tho :P tbh, I find the idea of being in an office to be mighty depressing.  It's okay when I'm already there because I get pretty caught up in my work and sort of power through without a care for my surroundings, but when it comes to dragging myself into the office, I usually end up finding myself at Starbucks instead because I love the (pretentious?! XD) atmosphere and I actually get a lot of work done~ ^^  Anyhoo, I should probably just buckle down and show up more often :P FOR MY FUTURE~!!! *war cry*

In other news, things with Derick are going really well~ ^^ I've always said that he's the nicest, most genuine guy I know and that still holds true.  He is so incredibly sweet and even when he's being incredibly frustrating, I never for a moment doubt his intentions.

He has his lazy moments, but when he puts his mind to things, he is also incredibly focused and determined which I find to be quite endearing.

There are those times where the conversation lapses and neither of us are sure of what to say.  I was quite worried about that to begin with, but as he said to me "topics come at go, but that doesn't affect how we feel about each other" and we're together for those moments where we go to have dinner at Yoyogi and spend the next three hours wrapped up in a wonderful conversation about video games -- to the chagrin of the staff -- and end up forgetting about dessert~ :P

Happily, those moments aren't too far or few in between~ ^^

Obviously it's still much too early to be counting chickens, but at this point in time, I'm fairly confident in how I feel about him.  It seems like over the last few years we've been going around in circles -- whether it be because of poor decisions on both our parts or, more often than not, simply poor timing of circumstances -- we've disappeared from each other's lives time and again, and it's been one hell of a ride to get to where we are right now.  I think, though, that things can only look up from here~ ^^

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My Life of Late~ Plus March Bellabox and LHI~!!! ^^

So my life has been a bit up in the air lately… complicated friendships, difficulty sleeping and being completely overworked by one of my employers means that for the last few weeks I've essentially been living off caffeine.  Even more than usual =.=

In terms of friendships, I don’t suppose it’s anything overly major; just that an imbalance in the dynamic between me and my friend is making things incredibly awkward =.=

I guess the problem is that I don’t really feel like I can be normal around him anymore because certain events from the last couple of months have raised a boundary between us that wasn’t there before.  And without both sides making a conscious effort to overcome it, it just feels like there is a massive elephant in the room.  As a result, I don’t feel like I can really be myself without accidentally overstepping that boundary and making things even more awkward =/ I’m not really sure what to do about all this but I suppose that giving things time might help... If only I were a patient person~ >.<

On the work front, things have been pretty blergh lately.  I mentioned in a previous post that I’m an English tutor. Generally this is a pretty fun and rewarding job -- it definitely is at Quantum~ ♪ ^^ -- but one of the other places that I work (let's call it 'Company E' for privacy's sake) at has been dumping mountains of work on me at the very last minute and expecting me to drop all of my other, equally important commitments to get everything done.

Given that I also tutor English, English Language and Legal Studies at Quantum, it would be completely unfair to my students there if my quality of teaching suffered as a result of having to put all my effort into picking up after my co-workers at Company E >.< 

In any case, I guess this isn’t such a big problem anymore because, after putting up with their terrible worksheets and poor organisation for three terms, I’m pretty intent on quitting that job.

They just don’t really seem to take their students’ education seriously IMO… =.=

Anyhoo~ enough of my whinging~ ^^  I was super happy that I received both my Bellabox and my LHI subscriptions really early this month~ I haven’t blogged until now tho coz I’ve been pretty swamped (*cough* lazy~! *cough* ;P).  So without further ado…

~BELLABOX – MARCH 2013~

March Bellabox~ ♥

 I'm always super excited to receive my Bellabox each month and the March box was definitely not a disappointment, although now that I look at it, I think I got more items in my LHI box this month :P In any case, I was still much happier with my Bellabox~

Ocean Essence: Summer Breeze Shower Gel --  I haven't gotten around to trying this product yet as I've already got shower gel in my shower and I keep forgetting to take this one into the shower with me :P  In any case it seems to smell alright so I'll give it a go as soon as I remember~ :P

I know some people got a Coconut Moisturiser instead which seems like a nice, convenient 'chuck-in-ur-purse-and-go' sort of product~ hehe that would have been great for me since I'm so forgetful =.=;

Anyway, moving on~

Suigo: Ultimate Control Shampoo and Conditioner -- I loooooove getting shampoo samples in my Bellabox~ they're always so decently sized, making my Bellabox super heavy which makes me feel extra special~ :P (don't judge me~ XD)

They even came in a pretty bag~ ♪

Anyway, I was really excited to try the Suigo shampoo because it smells absolutely awesome (kind of fruity and sweet) ~ :3  It lathers really, really well and leaves my hair feeling super nice and moisturised~ ^^ I've been having a bit of trouble with really dry hair of late (since I dyed it last December =/ ) but in the last week that I've been using this product, my hair has regained some of it's sleekness~ :D

As I mentioned in a previous post, I don't use conditioner because it makes my hair feel kinda greasy so I think I'll give away the conditioner sample :)

Designer Brands: Lip Pencil (Pink) -- I've tried a few DB products before and even though I know that a lot of people think that it's a cheap brand, I've never been disappointed.  This lip pencil was no exception~ ^^ I got one in 'Pink' which is a really nice colour and suits my skintone perfectly :) It's got a creamy texture, is easy to apply and blends really well~ I would definitely recommend this product~ :3

Yes to Carrots: C Me Shine Lip Gloss (Flirty Pink) -- So Bellabox said that they were going to include two colour products in this month's box and I must say that I have absolutely not been disappointed even though I didn't receive the Clinique lipstick.  As my lips aren't particularly pale or anything, I definitely prefer lip glosses for a more natural (if somewhat shiny~ :P ) look.

I'd never tried anything from the 'Yes to' range so I wasn't sure what to expect.  That said, I was definitely impressed with the lip gloss which has a lovely minty smell and leaves a cool, refreshing sensation on the lips. In terms of colour, it's quite sheer and un-intrusive although it has a little bit of glitter which actually adds rather than detracts from the overall effect of the gloss.

I tried it over the DB lip pencil and was very happy with the result~ ^^

TOP: DB Lip Pencil (Pink)
BOTTOM: Yes to Carrots Lip Gloss (Flirty Pink)

Swisse: Active Energy Bar -- I'd been looking into these bars recently as I have decided that I should perhaps get more exercise so I was pleasantly surprised when I received this in my box.  That said, I haven't actually gotten around to doing that exercise so I might give this to my brother =/  I'll get round to it eventually (maybe...)~!!! >.<

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My favourite part of the March Bellabox hehe~ :P
♥ Strawberries~!!!

So overall, another good month from Bellabox~ I loved the items that I received and I'm looking forward to the April Box~ ^^ My birthday is around the time of the month that I usually receive my box too so it'll be like getting a prezzie in the mail~ :P

~ LustHaveIt! MARCH 2013~

March LustHaveIt box~

 As I mentioned before, I was much happier with my Bellabox this month despite getting more products in my LHI box, largely because Bellabox never fails to send me products that I will be able to make at least some use of.

This is what I got in my March LHI:

Goldwell: Dualsenses Rich Repair -- I haven't actually gotten around to trying this product and I probably won't any time soon.  While I have been having a problem with unusually dry hair of late, my lifestyle and my general lack of patience means that I rarely get the time to actually go out of my way to treat damaged hair.  That's why I find that products such as the Suigo Shampoo that I got in my Bellabox are much more suitable in terms of hair treatment as they don't require extra effort.

I think I'll give this sample to my mum who actually has a nightly beauty regime beyond teeth brushing and face washing ~ :P

BioElixia: BodyShaper Cellulite Contour Creme -- I have absolutely no idea why LHI decided that this would be the best product to include in every single box this month.  Given that they already don't do beauty profiling and merely divide their customers according to age catagory, in my opinion they really don't have much excuse for dropping the ball with this product.

While I understand that there are some young people out there who will find this product useful, I think that it is fairly safe to say that most 23 year olds like me don't suffer from cellulite.  As a result I think that it was a complete waste to send us cellulite cream which we will probably never use, not to mention that it was sure to (and has done) spark a lot of complaints.

In any case, rant aside, I did actually give this product a try because I thought 'what the hey'...

On top of being a bit sticky after application, it really smells =.= I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it smells like, but it's nothing pleasant.  It is an overwhelming smell and the worst part is that it stank up my entire box to the point that I could smell it even though the lid was closed =/

Definitely won't be trying this product again, largely because I really don't need to, but I'm sure that other ladies out there might have had a more positive experience :)

Ocean Essence: Strawberry Rose Rubber Mask -- I don't generally use masks as they tend to dry out or sting my sensitive skin, but I must admit that I am intrigued this the idea of a mask that can be peeled off like rubber :)

The promise of  a strawberry and rose scented half hour as well as being able to relive my childhood memories of peeling PVA glue off my fingers means that I will definitely be trying this product~ ^^

...when I get the time =/

Keratase Paris Nectar Thermique -- Hmmm... like a lot of other LHI subscribers, I have a hard time believing that a 10ml sachet would have pushed the February LHI box over the weight limit but I can understand that it was better safe than sorry.  In any case, I dislike sachets with a passion (except makeup sachets that u can just empty into a tub) so I'm not particularly enthused by this sample.  I think I'll shelf it for now.

Alash: False Lashes in 'After Work Drinks' -- This is perhaps the most exciting product for me in this month's box and even then it's a bit underwhelming, all things considered.  Anyway, I've been meaning to try false lashes for a while now but have never gotten around to buying them so I'll definitely enjoy giving these a go the next time I go out :)

The Natural Source: Camouflage Colour Skin Crayons in '044' and '038'-- According to the little card that I got from LHI, these skin crayons "can be used anywhere on the face or body to create your own individual look".  I received one crayon in nude and another in a sort of plum colour.  I think that I might have been a little more excited about these crayons when I was in high school and could have used them to show what little school/ house spirit that I had :P (yes, I was the girl sitting in the corner reading while everyone else competed in the sports carnivals :P)

Still, I suppose that I can at least use the plum colour as an eyeliner now :)

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So in summary, while I was super happy with my March Bellabox, it was another disappointing month from LHI.  Aside from several coupons that I'm never going to use (that includes the one from The Iconic... although I am more inclined to use that one than the others, I would have much preferred to have gotten the Buy 1 Get 1 Free voucher for Warm Bodies coz I actually go to the movies a fair bit) LHI's continual inclusion of full products that are so incompatible with my beauty needs -- Summer Tan last month, Cellulite cream this month -- is quickly making me consider unsubscribing.

This is especially the case since they're implementing a price hike from next month.  While an increase of $5 isn't particularly drastic, their lack of beauty profiling and the inclusion of incompatible full size products every month continues to get my goat... and I only have so many goats =.=

I'll give them one more month (my birthday month!!!) but if the products prove again to be a disappointment, I'm going to have to unsubscribe as I would prefer to spend $15-$20 per month on things that I will actually use and enjoy.

And while I was happy to see the lovely packaging, I don't think I'm going to spend $20/month on a pretty box.

Were you happy with the products in your March beauty boxes?

What would you do if you had friend troubles?