Pages

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2015 Resolutions

Hello peeps!

We are hours away from the end of 2014 and I am quite excited! As the new year is coming, I have been reflecting on everything I've done in 2014. It hasn't been the most significant or exciting year, but I definitely have several good memories in mind. I'm looking forward to 2015 and what it has in store for me!

I have come up with resolutions for the year which I aim to follow and keep up. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to and fulfil them by the end of of 2015!


Thank you to everyone for a great year! I am so grateful for all the support shown towards Love From Icy this year and I wish you all a Happy New Year :-)



Have a nice day and I'll be back on Sunday with a brand new post xx

Sunday, December 28, 2014

First Birthday! + December Favourites

Hello all!

I am super exited for this post because quite a lot has been changed! As mentioned in my Update + Thoughts post, I wanted to change the layout of this blog (I decided to keep the name as I've grown attached to it!). I've flicked through many templates, all different and unique in their own way, but finally settled on the one on the blog right now. I hope that the change will allow for easier accessibility and organisation.

Today is the blog's first birthday! I am super happy that I was able to keep this blog up for an entire year and I thank every one of you readers for all the support you have given. I hope I will be continuing for many more years to come because blogging is seriously something I love doing!

On to my December Favourites... I decided to try out something new!

What a suave thumbnail :-)
*please watch in HD*

I have to admit, I was nervous to film a video. You have no idea how many pauses and 'ums' I had to cut out because I'm not the best at speaking in front of a camera. The quality of it is not the best because I'm still testing the waters of the deep ocean that is Youtube, so please look aside that!

Whew, what a day! I hope you have enjoyed everything that I've posted during this year - feel free to check out my archive on the sidebar! - and I will be back in 2015 for much more blogging. Thank you for everything!


See you xx



Sidenote: I apologise for my overuse of exclamation marks in this post but I am just very excited with everything that has happened today. Punctuation Police, come at me!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas!

Hello guys,

Just wanted to drop by and wish you all a Merry Christmas! I hope you have a lovely day and spend it well with family and friends. If not, make sure you have a nice relaxing day; Christmas is a day to pamper and enjoy yourself. Eat lots of good food and share lots of smiles :)

That's all from me right now and I'll see you on Sunday for a new post!

Sunday, December 21, 2014

The Christmas Tag

Happy Sunday!

Wheeeee, Christmas is just right around the corner!

You know how YouTubers have vlogmas? For the first time this year I stumbled upon blogmas, the vlogmas equivalent to vlogmas. It was too late for me to join in but I may attempt it next year. But anyways, I found this nice Christmas tag post by daisydaisyxxo and I thought it would be fun to try it out. Check out her one HERE.

1. What is/are your favourite Christmas movie(s)?
I am sad to say that I have not watched enough Christmas movies. Never seen Elf or Love Actually but I am dying to watch them. I guess my favourite would be Shrek the Halls, though technically it's not a full-length movie.


2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Definitely Christmas morning. Christmas Eve seems too early and apparently you're supposed to open them on Boxing Day, but who can wait that long?

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
In 2008 my family and I spent Christmas in Vancouver with some relatives. Getting to see actual snow for the first time? Amazing. And I will never forget how my uncle dumped snow down my back!

4. Favourite festive food?
I really like candy canes. Basic, but mint is one of my favourite flavours and they are just so Christmas-y and fun!


5. Favourite Christmas gift?
A few years back my dad bought me a very nice necklace with a ruby pendent. He had it all wrapped up in a noodle packet and I was so confused.

6. Favourite Christmas scent?
Apple and cinnamon. It's such a warm and cozy scent, perfect for the holiday season.

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
Now that I think about it, we [as a family] don't actually have any particular traditions, but I feel like we should...

8. What tops your tree?
At the moment, a very lone star.

9. As a kid what was the one gift you asked for but never received?
Gosh, this is a hard question! I may have asked for an acoustic guitar one year, but never received it. It's definitely on my list this year!

10. What's the best part of Christmas for you?
I just love all the decor. It brightens up the mood and puts everyone in the holiday spirit. Of course, the family and food are a given.


I am looking forward to spending time with my family, eating lots of food and snuggling up with a good book and tumblr. How are you going to spend your Christmas? Comment down below because I would really like to know :)

Sorry for the slightly late posting, last night we had a wedding dinner to attend and I was beat!

That's all from me, have a nice day x

Sunday, December 14, 2014

CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm: Haute Pink Twist

Hey there!

Today's post is a review on a CoverGirl lip product: the Jumbo Gloss Balm in Haute Pink Twist. I own another colour from the collection, Ballet Twist, and it has served me well. The formula worked well with my lips and I was eager to try more from the line.


As usual, packaging must be mentioned. I quite like the packaging if this balm, the twist-up crayon function is handy and it's easy to slip into a small crossbody. The coloured lid is also useful for identifying the product colour.


The balm has a pointed tip, perfect for filling in your lips accurately. It has a subtle olive oil scent; it may not sound like the best scent but it reminds me of a very moisturising product, which luckily this is. The colour glides on well but beware if you have chapped or flaky lips. I like to apply a layer of lip balm before applying this balm to ensure that my lips are hydrated and the colour won't sink into the lines on my lips.


I'll admit, I was a bit intimidated by the colour at first sight because it just seemed so bright. After the first try, I fell in love with it! It's a nice Barbie-esque pink with a slight blue undertone and an actually wearable colour. Pigmentation would be light to medium.

 natural lip colour

Haute Pink Twist

CoverGirl, unfortunately, is not available in Hong Kong, which is a pity because I would really like to try their nail polishes, specially the Hunger Games line. Anyways, if you have a chance to try out these balms I would definitely recommend it. 


How are you guys? The holidays are coming and up, and I'm excited to have a break and do more DIYs. I'm thinking a small dish for keys etc. but clay doesn't always agree with me...


That's all for today and I'll see you next week x

Sunday, December 7, 2014

DIY: Jewelled Beanie

Happy Sunday!

I've held this post back for so long since the weather hasn't been up for it, but it's now the first week into December and I think it's time. Today I have for you a jewelled beanie DIY, perfect to jazz up a basic winter bundled-up outfit whilst still keeping you nice and warm. I found these earrings on a sale rack during my trip to Japan, and I immediately fell for these eye-catching jewels. The earrings overall weren't exactly my style so I came up with this DIY.


You will need:
1. a beanie - found mine at Monki
2. jewels - this can be from broken pieces of jewellery or individual jewels
3. fabric adhesive
*optional* needle and thread, and wire cutters




Let's begin!

1. Detach your jewels from any chains or clasps. Take your jewels and lay them out on the edge of the beanie. Your aim here is to make sure they line the fold.



2. Glue down the jewels once you have positioned them in the correct places. I used F-6000 as I seem to have misplaced my bottle of E-6000, which works just as well.


3. You can stop here and just wait for a few hours for the glue to dry or for extra security sew the jewels onto the beanie.

4. You are done!



Another simple DIY for a chilled and chilly Sunday! These beanies are so easy to decorate and they make the perfect Christmas gift. You can use a beanie and jewels of the same colour, or use contrasting colours to make a statement. I'm thinking for my next beanie I could use a dark grey beanie with some mint jewels.

This week has been a rest week for me as I caught a cold. My nose is super chapped from all the blowing into tissues, and my skin is ridiculously dry. Boo :( I definitely need me some ultra hydrating cream or lotion to fix all that!



That's all from me today, have a good day xx

Friday, December 5, 2014

November Favourites

Hello there!

It is finally the end of November, which means I get to do my November favourites! This month has truly been full of ups and downs, and things got real busy. Today I'm going to be sharing what I have been loving throughout November.

For the past few months I started with my TV show of the month, so I'm just going to go with that.

TV Show favourite

'Selfie' on ABC


I found out about this show through Karen Gillian's wiki, when I went through that "Argh GOTG is amazing" period. It stars Gillian, who plays Eliza Dooley, a self-centred, media-obsessed girl, and John Cho as Henry Higgs, a marketing image guru who has no idea about social media. Eliza begs Henry to teach her how to be less narcissistic, and things happen along the way. After watching the pilot I immediately wanted more. It's that kind of chick flick-y, girly show that is fun to watch after a long day. Everything is upbeat and colourful, and I adore it. I have to add that Karen Gillian is so pretty! I was BEYOND disappointed when they cancelled the show only after seven episodes aired. Apparently there weren't enough views but I really don't understand how! Anyways watch those seven episodes if you can, and I'm sure you'll love the show!

Music favourites

1. '1989' - Taylor Swift
 Swifties unite! I can honestly say that this album has to be my favourite T-Swift album out of all; I actually prefer pop Taylor than country Taylor. It suits her changing style and the new tracks are well-written. My top 5 are (in no particular order):
1. New Romantics (this song reminded me of 'One Night in Winter' by Simon Sebag Montefiore; a lovely and really interesting book)
2. Style (I love the James Dean reference!)
3. Wonderland
4. Wildest Dreams
5. Blank Space 

SLAY TAYLOR SLAY

2. 'RUN' - San Cisco
A very dance-able track with a catchy bass line, San Cisco won my heart over with the first listen. Alongside 'Fred Aistaire', 'RUN' is now one of my favourite songs of theirs. 


3. Drowners
I stumbled across this band through my many hours of Tumblr-surfing. Pictures of Matt Hitt were clogging up my dashboard and I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I'm very glad I did because Drowners is a seriously cool band. They have a vintage, The Strokes vibe to their music and 'Luv, Hold Me Down' quickly became a favourite.


4. 'Silly Boy' - The Blue Van
Not much to say; the song speaks for itself!


Other favourites

1. Peppermint Mocha
This season Starbucks did not bring back the Salted Caramel Mocha, but it did bring out the Peppermint Mocha. Peppermint is one of my favourites flavours, and mixing it with chocolate is just *heart eyes*. The perfect winter drink, complete with the Red Cup!


2. danisnotonfire
I've never done a person favourite before, but this month I have constantly been watching Dan Howell['s videos]. His videos are full of relatable comedy and are hilarious; I always find myself laughing out a snort whilst watching his videos, and then catching my family members giving me awkward looks. Thumbs up for that! He doesn't upload often so when he does it instantly puts a smile on my face. Also, his and AmazingPhil's The Sims 4 series is so funny!

 photo tumblr_nft2e6Sfz01tafy5lo1_1280_zps2oio3lht.gif
source

3. Bath and Body Work's Winter Bean Noel
I might've mentioned this in a previous post, but Winter Bean Noel is my all time B&BW scent. It smells like cookies with hints of musk and winter-y goodness. After a few days of using the lotion I really did notice a change in my skin; it was a lot more moisturised and smooth. I apply the lotion after I shower, and when I get ready in the mornings I spritz on the mist. By doing this, this mist refreshes the scent of the lotion from the night before without being too heavy. As a sucker for packaging, I really like the updated packaging of this scent.


4. 'The Maze Runner' series
After watching the first movie I decided to start reading the books. Once I started I could not stop! James Dashner has a very straightforward approach to his writing; everything is detailed but he doesn't dawdle. I enjoyed all three books and the movie very much, and cannot wait for 'The Scorch Trials' to be out.



That is all for my November favourites. It feels good to be writing more as I feel that this month's posts have been quite short. Tomorrow will be December 1st, which means Christmas and this blog's 1st birthday will be coming soon! I simply can't wait to see what December brings :)

Have a nice day xx

Back to Top