Missing in Action

Hey guys!

You may have noticed I haven't been posting much the last few days. I've had a few technical issues and I'm also getting ready to launch a new and improved blog for you which is taking a little bit of my time to get off the ground.

Give me some time and I'll be back in fighting force shortly.

Thanks!

Hey chicas!

Thanks so much to everyone who replied and loaded up Musings. First off, apologies if you had any problems with the site today.

Secondly, I really appreciate the feedback via twitter, comments, and email to let me know if you had trouble.

And thirdly, I have no new posts for today as I didn't have time to watermark the pictures or edit my posts that are stored up for today's edition of Musings. Sorry guys, I'll be back with more stuff tomorrow.

Take advantage of the time to dig around the archives bet you'll find a post or two you never read.

I'm off for some dinner now with friends to de-stress...been a heck of a weird day.

Love you all!

See you tomorrow!

Few Technical Problems

Hey Guys!

I'll be back soon with new posts but seems Musings is being a bit weird today. Anyone experience any problems when loading?

I'd appreciate if you posted about it loading ok and what browser you are using? If anything weird happens do let me know.

Thanks!

Pieces of Life: Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

If you follow my tweets it's likely you already read the news but fact is a most beloved Doctor regenerates at the hands of the Master very soon!

Sob.

I've kinda grown to think of David as the Doctor over the last few years. No one's quite touched me as much since Tom Baker and I must say it saddens me to see him go. It's even worst that the bloody Master is behind it all. I do understand why he has to leave but I don't always have to like it especially since I'm growing a little scared of Matt Smith lately (especially their wardrobe choice for him).

Let's hope for the best.

Love this!

"Sir are you English?" "Sir are you talking Scottish now?"

By all means discuss all things Doctor Who, I'm a listening.

Back to regularly scheduled cosmetic posts.

Pieces of Life: How To Peel a Banana The Right Way

I interrupt this flow of makeup reviews to bring you the following message.


This dude is a genius. Someone give him an award.

Top Keyword Searches At Musings

This is kinda a fun post or at least I think it is. I'm always curious what brings new users to Musings. I wonder how they get here, who they heard about me from, or what they looked up to locate my blog. I can't always tell if they heard about me from someone else or how they got here to begin with although I can make a guess as I can see where they traveled from to pop up here. One of my favorite pass times though is looking through keywords that brought a reader to my site. These are words they typed into a search engine which led them here!

I compiled a list of some of the top keywords that my stat service has collected and I thought I'd share them with you!

Click below for the list!

BB Cream, Blemish Balm Cream

With my very long post about What a BB Cream Is? it doesn't surprise me that this is one of the top keywords that brings readers to Musings!

Steam Cream is also a top search word that brings users over yonder. I find this rather funny as I fell so hard for Steam Cream and posted so much about it I'm guessing people gather around here as it's the first thing that pops up in google when I search Steam Cream myself!

Lush Reviews seems to be a top keyword as well. Not much surprise there considering how much I adore Lush!

Benefit Coralista seems to be a keyword that's led quite a few readers to my blog! Any wonder as Coralista was love at first swipe!

Stila Look Book is an interesting one as it continues to be a top keyword that leads people here. Interesting as Look Books are ages old and it's been a while since I posted about them! Obviously they still warrant an interest from some readers.

Some weird ones:

Steal It From my Friends Album
Hmmm what's this person up to?

Green Snot
When have I ever blogged green snot and why is this keyword bringing readers here?!

Naughty Maggie Gyllenhaal
I imagine my Agent Provocateur post tickles this keyword!

Are you a new reader?

What sort of keywords led you to my blog?

Share 'em!

Pieces of Life: The Woe of Comments Edition

Hey lovies!

Just a quick note in the comments section of life. I've been a bit remiss and behind on comments lately. I posted through a zillion yesterday but lost track who I did or didn't answer. I'm really sorry about that. My head is everywhere sometimes and thus the accident of comments occurred so I'm left unsure who I have and haven't replied to!

If it was something important feel free to repost is to remind me where you originally posted it. Just know I'm not intentionally not replying or answering I've just been swamped and busy as all hell!

Love ya all!
the Muse

Update Your Bookmarks Please?

Hey loves!

Quickie note. Please update your bookmarks. If you link me or if you have me stashed away on a bookmark site or on your taskbar or wherever I may be laying around please update the URL to read www.musingsofamuse.com

I know so so so so many of you have been with me since the start here at Musings when my URL used to read www.musemedia.blogspot.com but that's since been changed to a custom URL.

I'm telling you this because blogger occasionally runs into problems with redirect (you may have experienced this the past week or more) which could cause a problem for you to view my site when in IE and using the old URL instead of the new one.

So please take a sec to update your bookmark or your blogroll or whatever to www.musingsofamuse.com

Thanks guys!

Love ya!

Pieces of Life: Hello Again!

Hello gang!

Miss me? I missed you terribly. A world without beauty blogging makes the day seem oddly serene and quiet. Nearly two weeks without beauty blogging makes it all seem scary hehe! I so need my to get my beauty fix on. Even with plenty of duty free beauty surrounding me in my travels I still was needing a dose of the interweb so I could share my finds and passions with each of you.

The Muse is back now though so hello again! I hope you're excited for brand new posts, reviews, and general insane babblings from your friendly Muse over the course of the next few days (yes, that means the weekend will probably have an up crop of new posts too! Gotta get back on my game you see!).

I have 660 unread emails in my inbox and 300 plus comments to get through so do give me a sec and I promise I'll try to reach out to each of you as fast as my little fingers can type! For now I'm off to grab some good eats with my bestest mate Martin. After a long day at my office with plenty of stuff to catch up on after being so long away I had no time to grab a nibble! Phew!

Anyway....

Do share with me what you've been up to! What's new? Any beauty discovers or breaking news the Muse should know about? How's your Summer coming along so far...or is it even Summer with all the rain in New York I felt like I was returning to Winter after enjoying many a sunny day while on holiday the past several days!

I missed ya.
I love ya.
I'll talk with you all soon!

Big Hugs!
your Muse

Gone Fishin' Be Back Soon!

Hey gang!

Happy Summer! I consider June 1st the beginning of Summer even though it's technically the 21st, hey who's countin' right?

The good news is, at least good for me, is I'm off on holiday for several days! Yay! Resting, relaxing, and enjoying a beautiful tropical island. Phew I need a break to say the least.

The bad news is that Musings is going on holiday with me which means no updates until I get back home. However, I did schedule two Summer reviews for you that should be posting right before this one. Hopefully you're enjoying those right now.

While I'm away I hope you'll find some fun in my archives or by searching my site for reviews you may have missed. Or discovering some of my most popular posts!

And of course to kick off Summer right a brand new look for Musings as well which I hope you like. Bright, Summery colors should get you in the mood for the warm weather ahead.

I'll miss you all very much!

Be back really soon with plenty of great updates.

Turrah!

Pieces of Life: The Muse Gets a Tweet From Neil Gaiman

Shameless self promotion ahead....

Neil Gaiman, himself, twittered about my Lush Stardust Bath Bomb post last night. I'm such a fan girl that this made me completely giddy after seeing it!

Thanks Neil, loves ya, alot and stuff.

See? Even brilliant authors like Lush and good sales!

Pieces of Life: Comments! Edition

Just a quickie note, I'm a tad behind on email and comments. I'm really sorry guys. Just been swamped as bloody hell. Forgive me?

If you sent an email it may take me a bit to get back to you, my inbox is a MESS. As for comments I hope to have them all answered by later today and into tomorrow.

I always love talking to you so thank you so, so much for taking time out to express your interest in a product or to tell me what you are thinking about a review, etc......I greatly appreciate everything each of you have to say.

Cheers!

Talk to you soon in the comment box, plus more reviews coming at you later on! All written up and scheduled to post soonish.

Shout Out!

Sometimes the Muse will get sudden spurts of traffic incoming from her favorite hang out MUA. If you're a beauty junkie you likely lurk over yonder as well.

About 75% of the time that traffic starts flowing in from MUA the user responsible for it is some chica nicked chix_nuggets.

This one's for you chix!

Dear Miss Nugget.

You're obviously my biggest fan and supporter and cheerleader and....and....! The moral of the story is thank you. Readers like you are why I do what I do. When I'm tired and I'm whining about having to take pictures or write an article or I don't feel like blogging today, I remind myself that you and a million other people are here reading what I type daily and expecting something new to pop up on my little site.

Thank you, thank you for inspiring me with your excitement.

Your bubbly posts on MUA pimping out "the Muse" is truly a flattering experience.

Cheers mate!

And everyone else thank you too. You're all very special.

Remember kids, the Muse sees all, reads all, and knows all.

The Muse Takes On AOL Style List!

Hey pretties!

Guess what? A few of my old reviews are making a special guest starring appearance on AOL Style List this week. I feel all special and stuff.

I hope you'll click on over for a peek and maybe a comment?

Guest Beauty Blogger: Urban Decay Lip Gloss Review
Guest Beauty Blogger: Benefit Hello Flawless! Review

Yay!

A New Way To Search on Musings

Hey Guys!

Not sure if you noticed it yet or not but if you look on the left hand side of the screen I have three new buttons which allow you to search by Eyes, Lips, and Face. Simply click the button and it'll bring up all my posts that fit the category you select.

Hope you like this new fun feature!

Pieces of Life: Geeks on Late Night TV Edition

I'm a big fan girl when it comes to Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht, for the Muse they are the true dynamic duo. Watching them together brings back great memories of The Screen Savers which in turn makes me think of the great ways that I plan on herding up a bunch of geeks and torching the G4 building one day!

Anyway.

The moral of today's story is you can re-live your geeky days of youth and see Kevin and Alex outside of Revision3 broadcasting today!

Jump ahead for the deets.

So check it. Kevin and Alex are going mainstream tonight and are making a guest starring appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. If you're a follower you prob already caught the eppy of Jimmy being the first "official" guest star on a Diggnation eppy who'd think you'd see Kevin, Alex, and of all people, Jimmy Fallon together!? But tis true....see it below.


I think Jimmy is a really funny guy but I haven't yet seen his show as the word is out it's a nap but of course I got my Tivo all set for a record to see Kevin and Alex on the show. Could be the fan girl speaking but I think Kevin and Alex are amazingly funny so I'm looking forward to seeing their antics on late night TV.

The moral of the story is if you're a fan you'll want to catch the guys on Jimmy Fallon tonight. Deets for the time are below!


I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes!

Image Credit

Pieces of Life: The Hello Kitty Edition

Damn, that bloody kitty! She's popping up everywhere lately isn't she? I'm speaking of Miss Hello Kitty of course!

With the introduction of the MAC Hello Kitty Collection the entire world is being reintroduced to every one's favorite cat again! The Muse loves the fact that everyone is embracing Hello Kitty and loving all over her.

Actually since we are all feeling the love for Miss Kitty this Spring how about banking with HK herself?

Jump ahead for the deets!

If you happen to have an account with Bank of America you can sign up for their new program called My Expressions Banking.

My Expressions Banking is simply a gimmicky deal that allows you to embrace the unique side of your personality while banking. Who the hell knows why banks deem it necessary to make your banking more personal with debit cards that feature cats, dogs, and any other array of items that suit your personality! But hey I am so NOT complaining as I am loving the My Expressions Banking Hello Kitty Edition.




Basically the program simply works by taking your old ugly blue and silver debit card and replacing it with a pink and white Hello Kitty debit card! Oh my god the cuteness may make me hurl! But not only does your debit card change you'll also get checks featuring Hello Kitty and your monthly paper statement (if you get one in the mail) will be printed on Hello Kitty stationary! How awesome is that?

Sincerely, can I embrace my inner 6 year old kid with these options? I love that my bank card sports Hello Kitty! For the Muse it's the equivalent of a black American Express Card.

I actually don't get monthly paper statements as I do my banking online but I was too curious to see these Hello Kitty statements so I switched back to paper for a month and was oddly delighted to see Miss Kitty making an appearance on my banking statement...lord things can't get any cuter!

If you're a Bank of America customer you can call up and have your current debit card switched over to My Expressions Banking right now. Believe me if you're an HK fan you're so gonna wanna do this. And hey if Bank of America tanks at least you'll have a cute debit card that's virtually useless! Yay!

Click to make the switch from blah banking to Hello Kittified banking!

Tell the Muse

Hey guys!

I was curious....

What would you like to see more of? Less of? Something I haven't covered that you want me too?

Do throw your ideas at me! I'm curious what you're wanting to see at Musings or what you'd like to see more of!

Tell the Muse all about it!

Comment Subscription

Hey guys!

I know I've gotten a few questions about subscribing to comments and there was some confusion about how to do this since I started using a comment box here on Musings.

Just see the diagram below for easy to follow instructions so you can post and receive replies in your inbox when I or someone else comments! There were also a few questions on commenting if you didn't have an account and yes, of course you can comment if you don't have an account, see below for details as well.






Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your auntie. That's about the gist of it folks. Easy, One, Two, Threesy!

Hope this answers your questions!

The Muse's Honest Opinion About GMarket

I wanted to address G-Market today in a post since I get many, many, many e-mails asking me about it, have I ever used it, what's it like, how do I use it, etc....

Instead of the hassle of going through 200 or more e-mails on the topic I thought a post would be appropriate in answering the questions I get daily about it.

I've been collecting Korean Cosmetics for about a two years, possibly a year and a half, unsure exactly when I started. I get asked daily where I get my Korean makeup and the answer is I have a friend who lives in Seoul (the largest city and capital of South Korean) who ships me over random items that I ask her to purchase for me.

I have not seen anyone else aside from E-bay and Gmarket who sell Korean Cosmetics. I haven't really seen many stores in Manhattan either that carry Korean makeup but maybe I am looking in the wrong locations. If I do come across a shop that carry the lines they are normally very out of date items.

If you live within a heavily populated Asian community you my be lucky enough to have a few Japanese, Korean, Chinese specialty shops that carry cosmetics from abroad.

If you're unfamiliar with Gmarket allow me to briefly explain.

Gmarket is much like E-bay however instead of bidding on items you are purchasing them out right for buy it now prices. All items are priced extremely low and as close to retail as anything I've seen on the Internet and many popular brands I've discussed at Musings such as Etude House, Banila Co, VOV, etc...can be located at retail prices on Gmarket.

Even though Gmarket prices are amazing I have some rants about the service which is why I do not recommend using it unless you have a ton of cash to spare.

I've tried Gmarket twice and have noticed a few problems with the service and they are as follows:

Virtually no Customer Service at all.

During my first order I had some confusion of whether the funds I sent over actually went through so I decided to shoot over an inquiry about my order. This was 3 months ago and still they have not replied. Lucky enough the order arrived safely but having my money hang out in limbo while no one replies stinks.

No English speaking reps or members.

I don't believe anyone that works for Gmarket or anyone who is a registered member that is selling speaks in English. I've successfully contacted a seller when asking a question only to receive a reply in Korean. This wasn't a problem as I had someone translate it for me however if you're virtually clueless about the Korean language this can be frustrating. This leads me to believe that the reps that work at Gmarket, run Gmarket, Etc...do not speak English either. Although Gmarket has a English sub-site I don't believe anyone technically speaks English.

Shipping Prices are obscene at first glance!

Now shipping via Gmarket is fairly reasonable however as you add items into your cart from other sellers or even one particular seller the price goes up and up and up and up! This figure is a set estimate and you'll later receive a credit on the shipping amount however it's ridiculous having to set out $40, $60, or more dollars when you have 8-10 items in your cart! As mentioned you do get a credit however that credit is not put back into your Paypal account it's set as G-Cash for spending on Gmarket. If you so choose you can transfer it back to Paypal but it won't be worth it as they deduct a considerable amount in fees to do this!

Shipping, Paypal, and Other Woes....

Gmarket ships fairly quickly however the interface on Gmarket has a huge learning curve and I don't think, after using it twice so far for orders, I even understand how it works! Figuring out where my money is, where my order is, when it shipped, how to track it, etc...is like brain surgery! The site isn't user friendly in my opinion! Now when paying via Paypal can be quite a bit of a nail biting experience as waiting for the funds to go through, etc...makes me slightly nervous as my Paypal sits in limbo for 2-3 days. On top of this waiting for your credit back, for shipping, takes a fair few days. I just get a tad bit nervous when my money is sitting around and not doing anything!

All in all I currently avoid Gmarket like the plague and do all my Korean Cosmetics via CP purchases from my friend. If I can't get items from her I tend to look around E-bay and see what pops up cheap! I don't recommend using Gmarket if you get antsy about your money the way I do. I also don't recommend it because of the silly estimated shipping fee problem!

The Muse suggests asking around MUA or on Asian based Forums for a CP. Be friendly, make a friend, and I'm positive they'll be happy to help you get what you need from Korea! Don't forget to offer to return the favor!

Hope this answers all your questions about Gmarket!

If you have further questions, ask away in comment field!



An Intro to Korean Cosmetic Brands

What is a BB Cream?

A Guide to Shopping for Japanese Cosmetics

JPMon Ordering Tutorial

Indonesian Cosmetic Brands