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I wanted to more cohesively pen down my thoughts on what I loved about the Psycho Pass anime and how it influenced the story and themes I was trying to explore in a recent fic of mine. So, here we go:
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my skincare routine ( ˘⌣˘)♡
Dec. 25th, 2020 03:56 pmFeeling inspired to begin chronicling more of my day-to-day thoughts, thanks to hwa (๑˘︶˘๑)
Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert in skincare, nor do I have any particular reason why I use the products I use lol. They seem to somewhat work for me though!
Followed by Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Moisturizer: I used to use the Mamonde Floral Hydro Cream but I couldn't find a way to buy it without it being super expensive, so I tried this brand out and I think it does the job. I'd be down to try a different brand though. This one's awfully... sticky.
Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert in skincare, nor do I have any particular reason why I use the products I use lol. They seem to somewhat work for me though!
- Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser: I used to always double-cleanse until I got lazy after working from home / not wearing makeup on the daily. Generally I am quite a fan of Mamonde products, and I used to use more products from their range until they exited the country, so it's been a bit hard to procure the same products (cheaply).
- Mamonde Micro Deep Cleansing Foam: Mamonde products also tend to have some sort of fragrance (I think). I don't actually know for sure lol. But it works well for my skin, and I feel like their cleansing products don't sting, which is great.
- Mamonde Rose Water Toner: You know, I never actually bothered to learn what toner was used for because my mother always told me to use one, so I did. *checks google now* Ah, okay.
- AM - The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%: I don't have a lot of time in the mornings but I recently (about 3 months ago) started using this serum, which is supposed to help with reducing the appearance of blemishes and pores. I read online that it's not as effective to use this in the same time window as the BHA, so I put this in my morning routine. To be honest I think my face looks exactly the same, and at this point I'm just using this because I still have half the bottle left.
- PM - Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant: This is a godsend. I started using this around two years and it really helped I think. I used to get more cystic acne but this I feel has contributed to reducing more severe breakouts. I still get acne occasionally but it's much smaller / tamer compared to high school, which was a dark time in my skincare life.
- PM Option 1 - Rotation of face masks: Now that I'm WFH at least 4 days a week, I've had much more time to do sheet masks / clay masks every night. I know it sounds excessive to do it every day but I genuinely feel that it helps with moisturizing + relieving stress. At this point I'm starting to sound like I'm making shit up (I am).
Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque (1-2 times/ week): I think this is the clay mask that has worked the best for me. It sort of has a minty, hot feeling when I put it on my face but my face feels super clean right after. I've tried other clay masks before but this one trumps the rest (More info on products I've stopped using below)
OR Mamonde Flower Lab Essence Mask (2-3 times/ week): This brand of sheet masks fit my face the best. The eye holes are just great. I don't see any visible differences in effect when using different types of this sheet mask (hydrating vs deep moisturizing vs brightening). Lol. They all kind of work the same but generally it has helped me with moisturization. These are also pretty cheap, like a dollar to two dollars apiece.
Followed by Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Moisturizer: I used to use the Mamonde Floral Hydro Cream but I couldn't find a way to buy it without it being super expensive, so I tried this brand out and I think it does the job. I'd be down to try a different brand though. This one's awfully... sticky.
- PM Option 2 - Sleeping Mask: On most days I work till 10pm-midnight, and working from home I can usually do Option 1, but if I'm especially crunched for time I'll do option 2, which is a sleeping mask that I won't need to wash off.
Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial: I only recently started using this (just last week), and I don't want to say this works but after a few times usingit my skin looked great. It was pretty moisturized, wasn't too oily, and a little brighter. The only drawback is the steep price tag, so I probably wouldn't be using this nightly.
OR Laneige Water Sleeping Mask: I was using this sleeping mask before the Allies of Skin one and I thought this worked fine! Nothing spectacular imo.
OR Laneige Water Sleeping Mask: I was using this sleeping mask before the Allies of Skin one and I thought this worked fine! Nothing spectacular imo.
- Occasional / discontinued usage:
LUSH face masks (e.g. fresh face masks, cup o' coffee, mask of magnaminty): I used to use a lot of these previously, but the fresh face masks go bad so quickly I can never seem to finish them in time. I liked mask of magnaminty as a clay mask and probably would use this again. The largest drawback overall is that LUSH's face masks are so chunky that they consistently clog my sink.
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate: This actually worked really well for me when I was living in a seasonal country with dry winters, but ever since I've moved back to tropical weather it seems like my skin reacts differently. So after using this when I moved back it made me break out a little I think.
Weirdly, despite how that oil seemed too much for me, when I tried Tarte's Maracuja Oil, my skin turned out fine. I didn't notice anything different about my skin afterwards though.
I've stopped using sheet masks from other brands like Dr. Jart (too expensive for minimal results) and Innisfree / Lululun (the shape of the sheet is weird)
Wow, I guess after detailing out all the steps/products, I realize that I don't actually know what any of these products are doing for me lol.Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate: This actually worked really well for me when I was living in a seasonal country with dry winters, but ever since I've moved back to tropical weather it seems like my skin reacts differently. So after using this when I moved back it made me break out a little I think.
Weirdly, despite how that oil seemed too much for me, when I tried Tarte's Maracuja Oil, my skin turned out fine. I didn't notice anything different about my skin afterwards though.
I've stopped using sheet masks from other brands like Dr. Jart (too expensive for minimal results) and Innisfree / Lululun (the shape of the sheet is weird)
writing wish list
Sep. 25th, 2020 11:23 pmThought it would be great to put into words the exact things that I'll likely not end up putting to words. Maybe to put the idea to rest, or to table the idea till later?
fic titles in my back pocket (or a playlist of sorts, because i'm an unoriginal b)
✰ ungodly hour
(untitled) psycho-pass, ginoza nobuchika / kogami shinya
fic titles in my back pocket (or a playlist of sorts, because i'm an unoriginal b)
- I imagine this as something tender and intimate. In an ideal world this would be the perfect title for morning sex, but I've come to accept that I will probably never find my calling as a Rated E writer. Lol.
- from Chloe x Halle's ungodly hour
- The plot of this has kept me up for several nights in a row... I am thinking of a wangxian au where after his resurrection and after things have settled down, Wei Wuxian still does not realize his feelings for Lan Wangji yet. Back in the Cloud Recesses, in a time of relative peace, Wei Wuxian decides to run an advice column in the Gusu Lan weekly newsletter, solving all sorts of mini mysteries of the heart, as he'd like to call it. It doesn't start out that way, of course. He'd merely started running the column to publish short essays about his work and answer any questions, and he supposes, questions of the heart are valid questions as well. In the process, he starts he receive oddly targeted questions about his relationship with Lan Wangji, which makes him scrutinize his surroundings more, and by the end of it he realizes he's been in love the whole time.
- Does this make sense? I don't even know. I'm trying to figure it out. My biggest issue with this plot is on reconciling the fact that this is not canon / i.e. Wei Wuxian doesn't realize his love for Lan Wangji until much later. As I'm writing this I realize that I didn't actually finish reading the canon material either lmao. SO I guess it's fine. I think the drama ended somewhat on this ambiguous note too. Cool I solved my own problem???
- Am thinking of writing this for the MXTX mini bang (!!!) but I am always so bad when it comes to writing for events
- from The Neighbourhood's devil's advocate
(untitled) psycho-pass, ginoza nobuchika / kogami shinya
- I have ALWAYS wanted to write this pair, but I find it so difficult for a couple reasons.
- The dystopian setting of this series makes the tone of my writing always emerge pretty sombre and solemn (i'm not sure if people like reading me on Angst mode. As much as I "write for myself", I also don't really enjoy writing for no audience.)
- This is a pairing with a pretty tragic relationship backstory - one that deals with the fear of being left behind, the actual experience of abandonment, years of living apart wondering if they are even still friends. Pretty much makes for angst.
- These two men are, in my opinion, the two most beautiful anime men to have existed and sometimes it just... cripples me. Lol.
- I had initially planned to write a story to fill in the gaps between Sinners of the System and season 3 -- to write in Kogami's return to Japan, and his return into Ginoza's life. I had wanted it to culminate in a scene where Kogami asks, sitting on the kitchen counter, if Ginoza had started to love him again, and Ginoza, eyes soft, replies that he'd never stopped.
Ginoza, knees on the ground with his head growing heavy, feels his vision waver on an unwelcome figure in the distance. The man is extending a hand towards him. His hand is shaking. And Ginoza is too -- his suit is soaked through from the rain and tight on his skin, almost constricting. He can barely breathe.
“Gino,” the figure calls out. His hand is still extended.
Ginoza watches this play out before him like a broken TV. There Kogami is with a warm, persistent halo around his body, like the afterglow from the tip of an extinguished cigarette bud. This used to be something Ginoza longed for. Four years later, it’s become a curse.
Nothing feels real, not even after the man scoops him off the ground and hauls him onto his back. The alleyways and stairwells in the abandoned zone are run down, and every step up the stairs feels like a balancing act. Kogami’s leather jacket is thick enough to chafe against his cheek, but not enough to stop him from hearing the faint beat of his heart.
Our Childhood
Aug. 28th, 2020 09:48 amBecause of the absence of empty parking spaces
you yanked out the keys and threw them into your lap.
We were wading in the quiet, like an island
in the open sea, water slapping the skin of our necks.
I remember this story as if it were being told
to me, again, a tiny display projected
onto the side mirror. The neon lights behind us
splintered, deceiving in the manner it stroked
the sides of the Honda and touched
the darkness in the car. A sudden wave --
Subdued, the whipping of gravel on the tire of a passing car.
Above the dashboard, the bobblehead shivered
when we locked the doors at the sound
of the howling wind. The quaking before a collapse
is as subtle as the stir of a machine coming to life.
A projector playing a silent movie
in reverse. Our car changing lanes. A long look
into the mirror, to see if it has caught up to us.
you yanked out the keys and threw them into your lap.
We were wading in the quiet, like an island
in the open sea, water slapping the skin of our necks.
I remember this story as if it were being told
to me, again, a tiny display projected
onto the side mirror. The neon lights behind us
splintered, deceiving in the manner it stroked
the sides of the Honda and touched
the darkness in the car. A sudden wave --
Subdued, the whipping of gravel on the tire of a passing car.
Above the dashboard, the bobblehead shivered
when we locked the doors at the sound
of the howling wind. The quaking before a collapse
is as subtle as the stir of a machine coming to life.
A projector playing a silent movie
in reverse. Our car changing lanes. A long look
into the mirror, to see if it has caught up to us.
( author's note )