Out & About #314 | Partial February Visuals

​Reading Week is finally upon us!!!

The school refers to it as a "Winter Recess", though it's not like we, the hardworking, social life-less students ever really get a break anyway. (A lengthy capstone report and impossibly labourous simulation assignment is awaiting me as I speak - er, type.)

Reading Week hangouts are essentially a must, considering that the academic semester is generally too chaotic to schedule meetups. Prior to sharing my above-seasonal adventures though, I'd like to introduce several happenings that have taken place since the start of the month

1) The Face Shop x Pixar - Monsters. Inc Sulley CC Long-Lasting Cushion
Should the constant Sulley references (1, 2, 3, 4) throughout this space not already been a distinct enough indication of my unwavering fondness for the furry monster, the purchasing of this cushion pact should aid in resolving any uncertainties.
While the collaboration line was launched some several months ago, it wasn't until recently that I discovered the limited edition item on ebay. Needless to say, I quickly completed the purchase and awaited its arrival for a solid few weeks.

​The packaging is simple, but absolutely lovely with a glossy James P. Sullivan on the front and right side of the otherwise brown paper box. Inside is a substantially-sized compact with an adorable 2D horned blue monster emblazed on the surface. Consistently themed with a cool sky blue-lilac colour scheme, the inside features a spotted microbial puff separated, a plastic white separator, and the formula-containing cushion-sponge apparatus. It's a sleek design that's both attractive enough to display as part of a Sulley collection and sufficiently practical to toss into one's bag for on-the-go usage (not that I would ever, because Sulley is precious to me).

After conducting an incredulous amount of research on the most effective way of applying the product, I took the plunge and ripped the seal off the cushion-sponge thing. The item was surprisingly easy to use, despite its intimidating appearance.
To my dismay, the once-pearly white puff quickly absorbed the high-coverage product, instantly becoming stained. I made desperate attempts to restore its unblemished state, but neither body wash nor cleansing oil nor  beauty blender soap proved to be the solution. (Cue the exasperated weeps.)

The formula itself provides much greater coverage than expected - almost to the point where concealer can be omitted on days where sleep deprivation is not a probing issue. However, it was admittedly pale (and lumpy/cakey) for a colour-correcting ("CC") product; thankfully, it later oxidized to match my skin tone, yielding a "my face but better" complexion.
Longetivity of the cushion could not be properly determined during a wear period of five hours, though I was pleased to see that it hadn't settled into the ridges of my nose after the three-hour mark.

All in all, the cushion compact performs decent enough for my purposes. My investment would have merely been justified upon unveiling the marvelous packaging itself, so the practicality of the device was really a bonus. (Ahaha.)

2) Attempts at recreating Spagetei's insanely delicious garlic bread at home (with the help of runnyrunny999's recipe) ultimately resulted in failure due to parsley overuse. (I'm going to miss the now-shuttered Japanese restaurant the next time I visit BC...)

3) Friday night karaoke sessions feat. late-night dinners at Macey's - do you spot GOT7 in the background?!
(Beware of the manager that pulls in towards the end of Happy Hour and dons a blazer in hopes of swapping his pudgy, midget-like stature for a chicer alternative. His despicable, condescending attitude and revolting behaviour shall be etched in my mind for eternity, and hopefully in the hearts of other innocent karaoke-goers who merely wished to sing in peace.) 

4) Complimentary soft serve cones at Galleria

5) Revisiting latte art with homemade matcha lattes
6) Miku visuals from the final weekend of Winterlicious 2017

7) It's customary of our family to consume steamed nian gao in abundance during the New Year, though my aunt's baked rendition had us curious about the recipe. Let's just say that we'll adhere to our traditional butter-less version instead.

​8) Early-morning classes are positively dreadful, even more so after twelve hours of constant demand for attention from the previous day.
9) Cold Brew + Ma Lai Go is an easy breakfast solution
10) One can never go wrong with Chocolate Chip Cookies

11) Breaking my Starbucks streak to buy Timmies during Roll Up The Rim has led to nothing beyond sadness and disappointment. (Current "Reessayez SVP" count: 3/3)
12) Brown cheering me up with a Lindt heart
13) A new favourite has been discovered: My Beauty Diary's super-hydrating Hylaluronic Acid Moisturizing Mask

14) Hodo kwaja never fails to put a smile on my face, though I find the Thornhill location's to contain less filling than the Oakville outpost.
15) Custom Frappuccino with a Double Chocolaty Chip Base and Smoked Butterscotch Syrup

16) Special Feature: Jinyoung, who effortlessly makes the hearts of fangirls skip ten thousand beats with his upgraded mature visuals

To claim that his appearance in the March 2017 issue of Ceci was merely astounding would be an understatement. Rather, one could describe reactions to be explosive, formidable, and starry-eyed.
In short, majority of us found ourselves asking one question and one question only: "WHERE CAN I GET A HOLD OF THIS MAGAZINE??!?"

​I suppose some may have also asked a second question: "How can such a flawless mortal exist on this planet?!" I know I found myself questioning this fact as well.

​If my wallet turns itself inside out before the end of the month, you'll probably know the reason. (Oh, and let's not forget ASTRO and GOT7's steadily approaching comebacks. I'm hyped already!)