Actually, this journal is semi friends only, meaning that only my site-related updates will be public. Other stuff (such as excessive rantings) will, of course, be friends only.

Friends from my previous livejournal, feel free to add me again (since I'm too lazy to add you all). If you weren't from there, feel free to comment, and I'll add you. Of course, you should at least share some of the same interests as me :)

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This is going to be a new series I'm writing, and basically it's going to be a review (more liking plugging and pimping) of my favorite makeup products. I might expand or create a new series to feature hair products, or other goodies in the future, but for now, I'm just going to stick to makeup.

This is my number one eye product that I pretty much use every day. It's part of the Kate cosmetics line by Kanebo, and it comes in 7 different shades. The one I use is the shade shown in this image (BR-3).

This eyeshadow is extremely versatile due to the gradient block it has. I was reading an earlier issue of Popteen the other day, and it showed 3 different looks you could create using this goodie. I myself came up with another 3 looks, not to mention the product itself provides a standard method/look on the back already. 

Asides from the versatility, the quality of the product is excellent as well. The colors go on smoothly without any creases. They usually stay on if I put primer (since I have oily eyelids and my Anessa sunscreen doesn't help either), and the BR-3 shade is excellent for day and nigh looks!

For my day/school looks, I usually use the gradient block as a base, controlling how much color I want by simply mixing it. The dark brown makes an excellent alternative to eyeliner, and it looks a lot less harsh than black, which makes it perfect for school.

For my night looks, I use the white shimmer (it's sort of cream like) to create a base, swiping on the darker colors in the gradient block. I finally follow with the dark brown color in my creases, ending the look with black liner. To blend the whole look, I use the brush tip to swipe colors over my entire lid. This brings me to mention their brush, which I love. It's a dual-tipped brush with a sponge and brush end. More versatility!

The product was so awesome that I got 2 more: One in pink (PK-1) and one in blue (BU-1).
(continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: HG Makeup: Kate Gradical Eyes http://s3nt.com/ssk

I'm a major credit card user (though I try to avoid if as much as possible, I still find myself swiping the card more often than not), I'm extremely sensitive (frugal?) when it comes to money, and I'm a business major (this one sounds like something thrown in here to make the argument look stronger). Anyways, my point is that I'm always on the lookout for resources that can help me better manage my finances and find the best credit card for me.

I'm currently using Blue Sky from American Express, and honestly, that card is poo. I don't like the rewards much, and it's harder to get than I though, even though I've swiped over thousands of dollars on that thing. I think one of the only reason I signed up for it was because the card itself was pretty and I liked the idea of owning an Amex. *broomed*

I'm currently looking at the Citibank Citi CashReturns^SMCard, and it offers a whopping 20% cashback for ALL purchases made in the first year, and 1-6% afterwards. My eyes are oggling and my hands are itching to sign up, but not until after I get my stupid $100 reward from Amex first. D: (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: Yet Another Credit Card Resource http://s3nt.com/ssc

I added Twitter back because I missed posting short random things on Twitter. Somehow I feel like I'd be abusing and spamming my asides if I did the same here. :0 You can click on the Twitter icon to follow me, and from now on, I'll try to participate more in other people's tweets. (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: Twitter is Back http://ping.fm/lnl18

This is my first aside entry :) I'm liking it so far. Thanks to the Sideblog plugin for making this possible. You can still follow me on Twitter, just that they won't be showing up here anymore. It was fun while it lasted... I think. (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: First Aside Entry http://s3nt.com/shh

Blog Post: First Aside Entry http://s3nt.com/shh

I've noticed that there are two major "mini-blogging" (I don't know the correct/standard term for this) methods people use: Twitter, and Asides. Asides isn't a third-party site like Twitter; I think it's actually a plugin for Wordpress, but I'm not 100% sure. I know there are other methods out there like Tumblr, but I'm not going to go into those.

The reason why I bring this up is because I'm curious why some people use Twitter while other simply choose to use a Wordpress plugin, as I'm now debating which one I should use. I'm currently with Twitter right now, but I like the idea of having these mini-posts as an actual part of my site (as opposed to just downloading the feed and having it show up on the sidebar) and allowing readers to comment regardless of whether or not they have a Twitter account.

On the other hand, I like the social aspect of Twitter, where people can follow you and you can follow them, though I feel like I'm not really putting that feature to much use.

Anyways, my question for you guys is: Which do you use, and why? Comments much appreciated. :) (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: Asides vs. Twitter http://s3nt.com/r93

I've had the opportunity to visit New Jersey once for a church conference, and I'm not sure if it was just the place we were staying at (it wasn't any major cities. as a matter of fact, it was in the middle of nowhere. o_o) or if New Jersey is just like that in general or maybe because I'm tired of boring old Maryland, but it was absolutely lovely. I've also stopped at Jersey City several times, and compared to New York City, damn, that place is clean. But then again, downtown Manhattan is really dirty, so I don't know how much this comparison really says about Jersey City. Nonetheless, I've enjoyed my times at the Flower State, as short and few as my stays were.

Now for those of you who don't know, I'm a huge fan of amusement parks, but I'm tired of going to Six Flags and Kings Dominion. Been there, done that, give me something new. Reading about Morey's Piers was definitely something new, and I'd love to go should I get the chance to visit New Jersey again. It's a beachfront and amusement park combined, which sounds totally awesome for me since I'm a huge fan of water rides. They also have information on hotels around the area, so be sure to visit their site to find out more about Wildwood attractions. (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: Morey’s Piers http://s3nt.com/r91

Blog Post: Morey’s Piers http://s3nt.com/r91

I know I just wrote about my credit card dilemma and offered a great site for picking out the right swipe for you, but today I'd like to share another site with more general information on how to consolidate debt and... save money!

As of now, debt isn't a problem for me because I still have my parents around to clean up my butt should I get into any financial mess (followed by a long lecture about carelessness and lack of responsibility afterwards), but it's important to build up good financial habits now so that when I do become completely financially independent, I don't find my self drowning in a shitload of debt and unpaid bills. D: Especially with the US economy currently at its bottom low, with umemployment sky high, finding a stable and decent-paying job gets harder than ever. This makes it all the more important to learn how to save and spend money wisely.

One of the most important tips mentioned in that site is establishing and maintaining a personal/household budget. It really helps out a lot if you're constantly aware of the money you have available versus how much money you're spending. I've made a habit out of writing down all my purchases and deposits, and it has cut down my spending by over 50%. My American Express statement used to contain at least 10 items, but now it barely reaches 5. If you're a major credit card user, it's especially important to keep track of your spendings since it's so easy to spend more than you can afford. Damn them for giving us such a high credit line when we can't afford it. D: (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: More Financial Tips http://s3nt.com/r63

Blog Post: Ever After's Website Grade http://s3nt.com/r34

I visited Website Grader out of boredom to find out what this blog would be grade, and to my surprise (and delight), it scored a 94/100. So what exactly is Website Grader?

Website Grader is a free seo tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how the website can be improved from a marketing perspective.

You can read a copy of my report here, and following the advices they gave, I've made several changes to the site:

• I've shortened my meta description from 225 characters to 149, which is within the recommended 150.


• I've decreased the number of keywords from 68 to 10. Why? According to WG, having too many keywords can dilute the effect of the most important ones. Quality > Quantity.


• I might consider removing avatars from my posts from now on since having too many images will affect the loading speed. What do you guys think? Does Ever After take a long time to load? Are the avatars worth having around?

The rest of the areas, like inbound links, Alexa rank, PR rank, will take time to work on. If you're interested in finding out the marketing effectiveness of your site or would like to know what areas your site needs working on, I'd highly recommend submitting your site in to Web Grader. They say the best things in life are free c: (continue reading &aquo;)

Blog Post: Ever After's Website Grade http://s3nt.com/r34