A year in review: Hello 2011, Goodbye 2010
The year 2010 started off with many ambitions, among one of them was making as many videos as possible. I remember starting off the year by making one video a day, with each day dedicated to each of my big penguins (back then I only had seven big penguins – now I have eight). Of course editing was a bitch so the videos didn’t go up in a timely manner, but the point was I started off the first week with great motivation.
All in all, I created 26 videos that made it to my channel. There were a lot more I filmed, but didn’t upload due to various reasons. Here’s a glimpse at some wasted films..
Along with the tutorials, I started revitalashing. The start date was January 2nd, and the end date was the day I accidentally dropped the tube into the toilet (mid June I think?). I try not to get discouraged when I do things, and usually I don’t, but I guess I was a bit too excited about revitalash. When I read a comment saying “what’s the difference? I can’t see anything different” with the results, I lost all my motivation to continue posting the results. I shouldn’t let things like that get to me, but I guess in other people’s eyes the results weren’t as striking as I thought they were. But here is the final ‘closure’ of my revitalash experience.
The Pros: Results, results, results! (If you stick to your daily dose of revitalash, you will get the results) – Longer and fuller lashes (‘stronger’ or ‘thicker’ is debatable).
The Cons: Pricey, a bit of darkening on the lash line (I think it varies. Also, if you cease using the product the darkening goes away), not a permanent solution for short lashes.
I also remember wanting to chop off my long hair and go with a shorter look (which took me a whopping 3 months to make up my mind). As April came around, I finally managed to get that out of the way. Yes, I am glad I took the initiative to cut my hair, I still recommend Yo-C salon (coloring – ask for Yoshi himself, cuts – ask for Reiko [or Keiko, I’m not sure of her name]), and I do encourage a trim every now and then for long hair people.
In March, I started to take my work outs seriously and started to lose a lot of extra blubber I was carrying. I finally found the best cardio machine for me – which is the elliptical. I was really good with the weight loss until I started my new job.
Here’s a general idea of how my diet was programed.
1. Smaller Portions – I think I am good at eating three meals a day, but I do have to admit I used to eat huge portions. I still had a full breakfast but cut down my portions to 2/3 – 1/2 per meal. Sounds like you’re cutting out a lot, but if you try it smaller portions don’t really make that much of a difference in how full you feel.
2. Regular Workouts – I’m not a structured person and my motivation fluctuates violently, but I gave myself a set time and started going to the gym everyday. I am lucky to live in a building that already has a gym as part of the amenities, so there is really no reason for me to skip my workouts.
I started out with 20-25 minutes on the machine to 45-50 minutes. I tried not to go over the one hour mark because I didn’t want to tire myself out. After cardio I would either do some ab tone-ups, or stretching that mostly focused on my lower body. (I carry much more weight on my legs than my upper body).
3. Minimal snacking, sugar, eating out – It seems pretty obvious, but this is hard. I like sweets and it was really hard to cut off snacking (soy cream, baked goods, cereal bars..etc). If I really wanted something sweet, I would eat some fruits and/or sweet potatoes. Eating bland meals at home really helped the weight loss. Also, I’m a vegetarian so restriction on what I eat is probably broader than non-vegetarians.
I also suffered skin problems during the second half of the year, but I think I have talked too much about it :p
So Shall we get to what beauty products I liked and disliked in 2010?
The Likes
The obvious #1 is Clean & Clear Persa-gel 10
You can read my review on this here
Aveda Green Science Firming Eye Cream
I’ve never done an official review on this, but I do like this product a lot. I can really feel the immediate firming feeling and it’s not greasy or sloppy.
Inglot Eye Shadows
I really like Inglot’s eye shadows! They are so pigmented and rich in color. Currently in the US you can only get it at certain stores, but I’m sure they are going to start to expand in the market with their superior quality products.
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner – Zero
It’s pretty classic, but if you haven’t tried it out, please do. I used to be a believer in MUFE Aqua Eyes, but I have to admit, 24/7 means some serious business! I love how it stays put and doesn’t budge at all! I’ve even taken a violent nap with this on, and when I woke up my eyes were clean and crisp as they were before the nap.
My Beauty Diary Face Masks
I got a couple as gifts from other beauty gurus and I think these were the best face masks I’ve ever used! They are extremely thin and fits perfectly to the face, there’s no overpowering scent to them (although they are scented), and the results are amazing! I feel like my skin has been hydrated and well nourished after I take the mask off. If you are interested in buying some, I think the best way to do so is to google “my diary beauty mask” and shop around 🙂
The dislikes
St. Ives cleansers
broke me out, and I think the scent is a bit strong :/
Stila Barbie Smudge Pot – Little Black Dress
Unlike it’s very superior cousin (regular smudge pot in black), this little black dress smudge pot was extremely disappointing. It has pinkish/purple glitters in it but when you apply the gel liner, it really doesn’t stand out and rather makes the lines look dirty. I like the hologram cap, but other than that, there wasn’t anything spectacular about this smudge pot.
Orly Nail Polishes
It’s somewhat clumpy a thick for my taste. I do like the cute colors, but it’s hard for beginners to play around with (IMO).
Christian Dior Eye Show
I bought two, and it really doesn’t live up to the brand name. They are vibrant when you first start using it, but they lose their lust very quickly and tend to dry out easily. The glitters are pretty in the pot, but they don’t transfer to your skin very well. If you don’t tighten the cap they will dry up into a huge clunk of useless cream ball.
Crest Dental Whitening Stripes – Vivid
Errrr… frustrating. I tried whitestripes for the very first time in my life, and I have to say that they didn’t work at all. It was such a fiasco, it wasn’t even worth reviewing. My gums became sensitive and there was no improvement with my teeth color. Rather, I feel like my teeth look yellow more easily than it did before. I wouldn’t venture on these stripes ever again.
Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Pure
I liked it at first, but the glitter is a bit too fine, and it gets messy really easily. You can read about my initial impressions here.
I haven’t been hauling much in 2010 (yay me!), so I don’t have much to share.
Another major change in 2010 was my phone 🙂 My 2 years contract with AT&T + iphone finally ended in early December, and I jumped ship to Blackberry!! yay 😀
I was waiting for the Bold 9780 to come out, and I snagged a white one! So pretty!!
oh well well, hello there smexy 😀
I love Blackberry’s interface, new OS and the keyboard, but I do have to admit I miss a couple of apps that aren’t supported (Reuter’s news app, CNBC RT app, Citi bank mobile banking app.. please BB! Hurry up and bring these in!). But other than that, I miss nothing about the iphone. I think it’s because AT&T had such a shitty reception in NYC it overall killed the whole experience.
I try to view every year in my life as a unit. At the beginning of every year, I try to look back and ask myself “What have you accomplished last year? How will you better yourself this year?”
I think I have grown to an age where I don’t really plan superficial or unrealistic goals. I look back at 2010, and there were a lot of disappointing moments where I couldn’t realize what my opportunity cost was, what my priorities were and how unsavvy and stubborn of a person I really am. I think 2010 was a though unit in my life since it was more of a “learning year.” I try to walk away from these experiences with more knowledge, wisdom and self confidence and I hope I can channel that into a positive outlook in 2011.
I hope you guys will do the same too and have a great 2011 🙂
So, without further ado, I will leave this post at this point. Next Year, when I write again about 2011, I hope the writer (me) and the reader (you) will have no regrets about 2011.
Happy New Year, and let’s all have fun in 2011!! 😀
Catalina
Kat
I have little black dress as well, use it like you would use a paint pot, much prettier that way! Hope this helps 🙂
Mindy♥
Catalina! <3
Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
I'm loving your phone as well! LOL. Hope this phone treats you well.
That's interesting about Urban Decay Zero Liners.. I'm still debating if I like that or the Aqua Eyes 0L. I'm still pondering. ^o^
Although, you couldn't make as many videos as you wanted… I loved each and every one of them! Your videos are always so amazing.
Tea2Tu
Happy New Year!
woow.. you're lashes have grown much longer(but you did have rather long lashes to begin with! hehe)~
CAMILLA
so sad, i want to watch those video
they look so good, (well the make up u created are all good) and you explain it very well,..
i tried st.ives too, but it did't work out that good, so i stop using it,..
happy new year catalina
Unknown
Hi Catalina 😀
Great post! You really got me thinking about my goals as well, especially when you wrote about working out and eating smaller portions. I also started working out in Oct 2010… late! But I have a 2 yr membership @ 24 Hr Fitness. I just thought about how I should start the elliptical as well. I've always been a treadmill person, but I know the elliptical has other benefits. I'll have to search it 🙂 Hmm, you wrote really insightful things. I may have to really sit down w/my goals now 🙂
memi3259
I wish you could do offical YouTube reviews for the things you loved this year.
And where did the SNSD Hoot, Tiffany, look go? I would love to see that one.
.blushfully.
Catalina! Happy New Year to you too, lovely!! There are agreements in those things you mentioned =p
I was rather disappointed with Stila Little Black Dress and how it's slightly drying and gets chunky. The Crest Strips made my teeth more sensitive and they started to ache so much I had to remove the strips!
And wow, those lashes!! my my my!
hehe I was about to try those St Ives cleansers, not anymore now!
My iphone recently broke just before Christmas =( and now I'm considering whether to get iphone 4 or a blackberry hehehe… I wonder if blackberry would be much better for me… hmmmmm!!
Have a great new year this year~ Love your blog~
BW
I cannot believe you have such a good opinion about Inglot. It's a brand from my country and I always thought it was terrible, esp the eyeshadows, they always crumble and the colour is not very pigmented, they are very cheap here comparing to other products but still I don't like wasting money on them. I'm really shocked to hear you prising it 😮
Jena
hey happy new year Catalina!
I don't usually leave comments but this time I really want u to know that ur my favorite beauty guru on youtube:)))
I love ur make up tutorials, which are fairly inspiring.
And I know ur currently quite busy but I still hope to see more of ur videos!
Hopefully everything in 2011 is gonna be great for u:)))
Catalina
@Kat: I'll try that 😀
@Mindy: haha, I'm still a fan of aqua eyes, I think they both serve their purposes in a different way. And thank you 😀 you really keep me going!! XD
@nostalgia: my lashes were shockingly short :p but I do think they grew longer than I anticipated while doing revitalash :p hehe, it was worth the investment
@CAMILLA: Oh, yeah.. :/ wasted effort – but there were various reasons why they didn't go up. some were skin issues, some were mis-focused and my face cut off more than half the time.. etc :p I still have to master a lot of things!
Catalina
@Rainy days: haha, it's great that you're committed for a long time 😀 I cringe when people think they could lose 20lbs in a month and keep it off for the rest of their life. Good luck with the working out! Once you get your body going, it's going to be the momentum and everything will be so much easier XD
@memi3159: yeah, me too :/ but editing takes too long and I have backlogs, it would have turned out to be Jan favs.. :'(
@blushfully: haha, we're on the same page with a lot of things! If you're an app/game/heavy usage/technology person you should go with the iphone 4 (I think you already know the pros and cons of the iphone since you've used it). I mostly do texting/e-mails/reading newspapers/social networking sites and they aren't really app intensive so blackberry is def. better for me :p
hope you figure out what is better for you and make a smart decision 😀
@Kotoko: what is there so unbelievable when someone has a different opinion from you? I have an inglot store a couple of blocks away from my house, I have a good amount of inglot products i use daily and I find them great. If my small opinion is to a point to "shock" you, you're up for multiple shocks per day in the future. Not everyone has to have the same opinion as you, and I understand that not everyone shares my opinions with me. There's nothing to be shocked and upset about when someone has a differing view from yours :p
@ching wen: Happy New Year 😀 Aww, thank you so much!
I am in the market to buy good, portable professional lightings so I could film in the evening rather than having to wait for weekends + sunny day combo :p I will try to coup with the situation and pump out more videos -_+ thank you for the support!
A Shine Bunny
Happy New Year!!!
Oreleona
awwnnn good memorries!! and a very organized post!! happy new year catalina!
25FLNDN
I've been pondering whether to try a lash growth product for a while. Still not sure because I have really long lashes, they're just not full I guess?
That picture is edging me closer to trying one out! xD
Samily
Happy New Year to you too Catalina!! <3
I love your blog so much – glad to see you have a bit more free time to blog and post videos ^^ I really hope you do upload that awesome heavy liner and blue look on the far left in your pic of discarded videos! You look stunning and I want to try that look *0*
Sorry to hear about feeling discouraged by that one comment – I personally see a lot of change with the revitalash! And UD Zero huh? I bought a MUFE Aqua a while ago after seeing your raves about it (I used to use Lancome) but once I'm done the MUFE, maybe I'll give the UD a try since nothing seems to stick on my lower waterline. Ever. TT___TT I can't wait till 1 more year and I'll be free of my own ebil cell contract and be able to get a cool android phone! Canada seriously has the worst possible cell contracts in the world @__@
Sam
Happy New Year! Would have loved to see your tiffany inspired tutorial. I absolutely love your yt videos! Also, I think I may need to get the revitalash..your results are amazing! Take care 🙂
Unknown
Hi Catalina,
I really enjoy visiting your blog and can identify with the skin issues. Have you tried Korean brand Atom? It's relatively cheap, but it has really helped me with my sensitive and patchy skin. Shampoo has been amazing to my hair as well. Sorry if I sound like advertising, but really wanted to share that with you.
Looking forward to more of your reviews and tutorials! Can you do more 2NE1 inspired looks?
Leta Ko
can you do a more elaborate post comparing the blackberry and iphone? Because I'm sorta considering the fact that my iphone does really suck.
Anonymous
Hey Catalina, love your blog..!
I was wondering..not that you've stopped your lash treatment… are your results still holding up??
Thanks!
Charlotte
Catalina
@ultimate_ng: nope! once you shed the long lashes, you grow out your original length lashes.. :'(
Zahra
aw yay you are a vegetarian too : )
im in love with korean food…
i wish it was more vegetarian friendly haha
Karen
Love your blog Catalina! I just stumbled upon it not long ago… still trying to make my way through your previous posts. So helpful! =D
You probably have a way to getting them already, but just in case you can buy My Beauty Diary Masks from facial-shop.com! I use their site regularly to buy from brands I can't get here and although there isn't a whole lot, there's still a good selection to choose from!
Karen
Love your blog Catalina! I just stumbled upon it not long ago… still trying to make my way through your previous posts. So helpful! =D
You probably have a way to getting them already, but just in case you can buy My Beauty Diary Masks from facial-shop.com! I use their site regularly to buy from brands I can't get here and although there isn't a whole lot, there's still a good selection to choose from!