October & November favourites!

Look what we have here! A blog post? 

Actually i have lots of fav stuff to show but these are the summarized version for the two months. I've been very keen in skincare lately. Better skincare means less fuss on makeup heh. 

December is the month of self reflecting and also to remind myself some goals that I want to achieve.

Christmas is around the corner, be sure to keep warm and.. eat more! 

Favourite things in September.

I am late while posting this, my apologies to you!

A month gone by really fast. I learn a very important lesson - that is to slow down and enjoy the current moment. No worry about the consequences or the past. 

1. Luxury face oil -Jeanie Botanicals
This bottle was gifted by my friend for my birthday last year(Thanks Emma!).The term 'luxury' isn't a joke. It literally makes me feel so relaxed while applying just 3-4 drops on my face every night. And also I'm impressed how well my skin has gotten so glowy in the next morning. For very oily skin type , I highly recommend this to try it out!

2. Nelaton, my boyfriend, visits me.
Oh boy, things gonna get cheesy here. We have not seen each other since my last visit to KL last December. So it makes perfect sense why this goes to one of my highlight thing of the month :)
P.s : long distance relationship sucks. 

3. Xmen Apocalypse movie.
The movie was great. One thing that got me is this coming when Prof x. Xavier said this to Magneto- "There is so much more to you than you know". Man, that quote really got me thinking deep bout me life because I was really unmotivated to do anything at that time.

4. Two door cinema club - sun 
This song stayed in my head when I was painting. And it still is now lol

Although this is a rather short post, I'm drafting a few things about watercolour for y'all to read about. It would be helpful to tell me what you want to know more about ! Just leave me a comment or email me.

I hope you have a great day ahead! 

x

Ashley 

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A rather awkward monthly favs. post.

August was a weird month for me. Rather boring actually. I didn't do much painting, I guess it is because my lack of motivation and I was so bummed out with my day job. Quite a number of depressing days. Well I guess it's not normal to feel happy everyday.

1. Pentel Brushpen (gray)

I love how flexible the strokes i can get from this brush pen. I always use this to ink on my sketchbook during work. I also use this brush pen for inking my sept calendar 

2. Pentel pocketbrush

This is actually a impulse buy because it was on sale in amazon. I didnt get to use it until i realise how magical they can be when I ink my drawings. 

3. Kinako cookies (vegan)

I snack alot. Especially when I read mangas and watching dramas and SNL skits (big fan of Bill Hader!) But I cannot just stayhealthy with just store bought cookies. So I make them Kinako (roasted soybean flour) cookies. I also add heaps of matcha to make it even healthier. 

4. Ipod 

So I started to pick up running as a hobby . It was great. I like the feel of running aimlessly around my neighbourhood with music in my ears. I used to suck at it last year but ironically I can now (??). The ipod is actually 4 years old now. and still doing good. (Big fan of Foo Fighters btw)

I wish September will be a good month. at least more painting to look forward to :> I hope you are too. Chin up and look forward! 

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Homemade muffins still taste better :)

July is the month that I spent alot of my money on restocking my skincare products D:


1. NYX glam shadow stick in pink ruby
I bought this a few years ago, just because i like the grapefruit shade. Only recently I figured out how to apply this on my inner corners. It perks up my tired eyes in the morning at work sspecially when I wear glasses.

2. Most used colour for the month goes to.... Winsor and Newton Cotman's Raw Sienna!
I find myself going for this colour alot when I paint food illustrations.

3. Mizon Skin Repair Ampoule.
Really like how instant the product absorb into my skin.  No breakouts ever since.

4. Frozen fruits ( grapes and mangoes)
They just taste sweeter. my coffee snack actually.

5. Homemade Banana muffins.
I wanted to make some healthy snack for work, Muffins make a great substitute for my usual white bread for breakfast at work.

6. Nubian Heritage Raw Shea Butter.
I have dry skin problem around my knees and elbows and fingers. Not the best one I've ever tried, but its okay enough to keep my skin hydrated from flaking.

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June has been good to me.

Hello Hello!

 I hope you've been good so far!

Not too late for a monthly favs yes?

1. Rainy Days.

The monsoon season has changed and we have more rainy days. I like to stare outside my window during heavy rain with warm coffee.  

2. Mangas ( pardon my rusty drawing, it has been a long while 'u')

I have alooot of mangas to recommend. 

Ask me for recommendations if you like shoujo mangas.  Ask me! 

3. Oh wonder 

 My favourite will be midnight moon  and livewire .

4. Documentary about Australian parrots

(psst. check out  34:11 )

I started to get interested in bird behaviors right when i painted a few birds this month. I think this can make a good conversation starter for awkward people like me.

Fun fact: The oldest cockatoo, which happens to be the palm cokatoo that can live up to 90 years!~ 

I've been spending my long Raya weekend with my family and less time in painting. So probably explains why I'm inactive in Instagram. Long weekends like this are rare so it is better to be grateful :D I hope you have a great weekend and stay happy!

x
Ashley





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May Favs 2016 + mini reviews + making a tutorial?!

May Oh May, How slow it has been. I had a couple of bad moments, mainly from my day job that I am trying to like(ugh..). So.. I vent my frustrations on a game or two on DOTA2, and that was most of my time went to in which i am so guilty for it and I am going to work my way out. 

Anyways! Here's some stuff that made me happy on May! 

Not much of a art related post, i apologise! 

1. Uncharted 4 : The Thief's End   ( now this is the part when you might get bored a little, sorry! ) 

I don't own a PS4 therefore I watch the gameplay through radbrad . Seriously everyday I looked forward for his videos after work. I first know radbrad when I was searching for gameplay walkthrough for the uncharted 3 ( which I have played already!) and that was his first ever series uploaded in his channel! 

I love every bit of the detail in this game! the environment, storyline, prop design and the gameplay. I'd get myself a PS4 but i doubt i ever have time to play it. Probably next time :)

2. Pilot Wingel 0.5

I like how this pen goes on so smoothly on paper! I mainly use this for note taking and lettering doodles. 

3. 3ce lipstick in kiss woo. 

This goes under my impulse buy section. It was on sale and i never own a red lipstick before. I like how red it is for my lips but i'm still suck at getting the bold lip look. So i just apply a thin layer of it D: 

4. Innisfree eye shadows in Trend series # 15 and #20 

I'm learning to wear makeup to work everyday. Because I have to use it before it gets expire and i'll be guilty. These eye shadows are so beautiful. I like to use the shade #15 for base and  #20 for contouring my eyelids. 

You can find the swatches here 

5. Innisfree gel liner in Brown Suitcase

Another innisfree product! i absolutely fell in love with this liner. Doesn't smear on my oily lids and stays on for the rest of the day!  I got another liner in burgundy but i have yet to try. One thing you have to be mindful of is that you need to sharpen it manually, which sucked. 

You can get this baby here 

For the month of June, I want to try making a watercolour tutorial. so i need ides from you guys! What do you want me to do on the first tutorial on watercolours? Comment down or give me a hoot in my other social media links! 

I thank you! for reading my lenghtly post today. Thank you for being with me on this journey! 

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[March favourites 2016 ] - I like my bun crusty on the outside.

March is going to say goodbye. It has been a great month. Got few commissions finished and I recently have more time to do some personal projects for my portfolio. Nevertheless, I am always open for commissions :D 

Here are a bunch of stuff that made my march amazing!

1. Hot milo 

Brings me back to my childhood days when I got too generous on sugar-intake. Milo is just my go-to drink when I just want some cozy in my belly.

2. Pineapple bun/ polo bun

I don't know how I got so into this bun. It's just my favourite 3p.m snack that is also bad for the hips. 

3. Aloe vera

I have very nasty dry skin spots around my knees, elbows and my fingers. aloe vera somehow works magic on my skin, except that you need to apply it multiple times a day. 

4. Polaroid sunglasses

A pair of shades is a must-have especially when you reside in a tropical country. I cannot stand the glare from the sun while driving and Polaroid type shades are the good choice to go for. 

5. Daler Rowney sketchbook ( A4 size)

By far my most favourite sketchbook ever! I've been using this mainly for watercolour practice. The paper is 160gsm which is reasonably good for watercolours. 

Guys, If you want to have a affordable choice for a watercolour sketchbook, pick this one! ***Malaysians you can get this sketchbook from Art friend.

6. Succulent plant 

They have a pleasant colour palette that is very therapeutic to paint. I used to have succulent plants on my desk but unfortunately they cannot survive in a air-con room :(

Do you know : that Aloe vera is also a succulent? 

Let's work hard for April!

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February Favourites + hsieyingsblog turns 1 !

Hellooo! How are you today? I'm alright. i think.

I'm sipping organic Rooibos tea while chillin on Odesza's rad album "In return" 

The month of February is going to leave soon. I can safely say I was pretty productive during February( just to get my head busy form all the bad things happened in January). So! I'm ready for March- new opportunities and personal projects coming ! 

The things that I like during February.

1. Watercolour 

Winsor Newton cotman in Intense Blue 

-I mentioned this colour again from this post last year. Still lovin it. In fact this colour is recommended for a vibrant blue hue. 

Holbein Watercolours in Mars Violet

-I like to use this colour as a shadow for flowers.  

Winsor and Newton professional watercolours in Winsor Green(blue shade)

-perfect shade for painting cheery vibrant leaves.

2. Brushes

Winsor and Newton Kolinsky brush no.1

-This brush didn't receive much love since I bought it out of curiosity. I gave in to try this brush again and well, it is one hell of a good brush. Perfect to make slick lines. Comic artists would love to use this brush to do linearts.  

Pro Arte synthetic brush no. 4/0 

-4/0 means 0000 which is four times smaller than a size 0. If you like detailing and painting cute small sized paintings. go for these kind of brushes. I used this brush mainly for highlights and detailing.  I often use Pro Arte brushes and been loving it ( and affordable too)

3. Half moon choker

-My sudden liking into chokers started when my bf gifted me a ribbon choker for my birthday but unfortunately i happen to lose it D: So i ordered a few chokers from this owner. I got this half moon choker as a free gift if you spend over $14 and few other cool stuff i bought from her. This half moon choker gives me the inner Sailor Moon vibes :D :D 

4. Begin Japanology documentaries

-I actually stumbled on these documentaries when I was searching for japanese stationeries on youtube. And that was how I procrastinate (kidding!). I love watching/listening to documentaries while painting. If you are interested in Japanese culture, here's the starting of your binge watching.

5.CNY cookies 

-No need for more explanation. I just cannot give up on cny cookies. Never.

Now i'm being a curious cat to know what are the things you like during the month of February! don't be shy to leave a comment or two below.

I hope you have a great Weekend! 

P.s//  Nothing fancy to shout about but...
How times have fled so fast and my blog is currently a year old! Still young but i'm looking forward to grow this blog as my journey as an artist!

P.ss// Subscribe to my mailing list at the right side of my blog to make sure you don't miss a single update on my blog! :D

much love,
Ashley

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January favourites 2016

January is a rather eye opening month for me. I think i should make a new post about this..

Moving on!

Here's the things I like during January 2016 ! 

1. Innisfree volcanic facial wash.

Previously I used the hada labo facial wash, Didn't like it so I switch to a acne-prone facial wash. I like it that it comes in a big tube, enough to last me till july I hope.

2. Pukka three fennel tea.

I like teas with calming benefits. This tea helps with digestion and it smells great! 

3. my new watercolour palette.

I ordered this compact watercolour palette online and this is way more travel friendly than the Winsor Newton one. It can totally fit more than 30 pans which is very nice.

4. Lemon water 

I don't know why i'm so addicted to lemon water. I think it is because it tastes better than filtered water.

5. Kitchen timer. 

I recently trying to make myself more productive without any distractions ( watching too much youtube you see). So this method that I read somewhere suggests that the Pomodoro technique can help people to be more productive. So far I've been liking to use a timer and to paint more efficient than before. Also, it's a bear! 

Again, I apologise for being a slowpoke in updating this blog. I'm trying my best :)   

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