When Steve (THE Steve….Steve Jobs) announced the Apple iPhone during his MacWorld 2007 keynote, geeks everywhere spasmed in joy and set off a maddening ecstasy comparable only to the legendary feeding frenzies of great white sharks.

I admit – I was one of the said geeks. I played the keynote over and over, drooling over Apple’s latest innovation.

However, when the iPhone was finally released after months of anticipation, I did not purchase one. Don’t get me wrong – I love the product. But the lack of 3G on a device touted as the ultimate phone-slash-data retrieval gadget was disheartening.

In addition, I couldn’t forget the cardinal rule of all frugal geeks: never purchase a first-generation gadget. No matter how well-designed and well-tested a device is, a first-generation gadget is guaranteed to have flaws and bugs. The second and subsequent generations will most likely have those flaws fixed, with better and newer features.

As the months flew by, my SE M600i had really started to bug me. I still loved its design and UI, but I just couldn’t get over T-Mobile’s crappy service and slow data transfers. In addition, as I filled the phone with more and more information, the Symbian OS really started to suffer and lag.

What I wouldn’t give to have access to Asia’s cell phone technology, which has already started to migrate to the 4G networks! Alas, moving to Korea was out of the question and I needed to deal with the U.S.’ outdated systems. So after years and years with T-Mobile, I decided to switch to Verizon. After all, Verizon’s EV-DO service is probably the closest thing we have to a full 3G network here in the states.

Plus, Verizon had just released the new LG Voyager.

The reviews were in, and they were mostly good. Some even called the Voyager “the iPhone killer.” In fact, many speculated that one of the main reasons Verizon had refused to carry the iPhone (and give into Apple’s restricting demands) was because they had the Voyager in works.

I was still not 100% sold, and did a lot more research. LG or Apple? Voyager or iPhone?

I think this article probably swayed me the most.

Plus, I gotta support the mother country.

I freakin LOVE this phone!!!

For one, I had never used Verizon before, but the clarity in calls and the reception area is far superior to T-Mobile and AT&T.

I love the Voyager’s tactile touch-screen, the QWERTY keyboard, and fast (well, for the U.S.) data transfer speeds.

I especially love the built-in navigation system.

Although the Voyager is GPS-enabled, Verizon does not have a full GPS system. Rather, they triangulate your position based on their cell phone towers and work with third-party GPS companies to send you the information you need.

After reading this, I was a bit skeptical, but then I took it for a test run. I put it through the mother lode of tests, by using it on the GW Bridge. For those of you who are not familiar, as soon as you exit the bridge you are met with about 10 different options for exits, merges, and transfers to various streets, highways, and thruways.

The Voyager performed beautifully, even discerning lane changes and exits/entrances that were mere 50ft apart.

I immediately texted all my geeky friends and said, “my phone talks to me!”

So yes, I’m very happy with my new toy. I highly recommend the LG Voyager.

I’m pretty cheap when it comes to most items but the three things I splurge on are gadgets, handbags, and anything that goes on my face…aka beauty products. And as a natural researcher by heart (and trade), I research and test items from all three categories to death before making any purchases, especially if a lot of money is involved. While I can go on and on about all three topics, I decided to share my all-time favorite (meaning I never stray from these) beauty products with my readers.

(Before I start, I want to say that I have an extreme case of combination skin. My t-zone is a natural oil well, but my cheeks and chin can become so dry to the point of flakiness. So while some of these products may work well for other people with combination skin, it may not with others.)

My favorite lotions and creams:

Clarins, I believe, has one of the best skincare lines out there. I’ve tried almost all major skincare lines in pharmacies and department stores (aside from the uber-expensive ones) and Clarins beats them all. I alternate lines depending on season, and I usually use one lotion/cream for night and another with SPF in the morning.

Clarins also has a great men’s line. I’ve even converted my father, who’s very picky and sensitive about lotions. He’s tried almost every men’s line out there and swears up and down that Clarins is the best he’s used.

My favorite exfoliator:

The Korean ddae soo gun (exfoliating rag). These are relatively cheap and you can buy them for less than $1 at almost any Korean market. I use this to exfoliate my entire body once a month and my face daily. Since new ones can be rough, I usually rub it across rough surfaces before using to break them in a little. This is not recommended for anyone who has sensitive skin. And although I use it on my face every day, I do it VERY gently with a light hand.

My Favorite Cleanser:

The Prescriptives All Clean Fresh Foaming Cleanser For Normal Skin, $21 for a 6.7oz tube which lasts about 3 months with twice-daily use. I’ve tried soooooo many cleansers out there (practically everything at drugstores as well as Sephora) before finding this one, and I’ve stuck with it for the past 5 years. It has everything I look for in a cleanser: some foaming action but not too much, unscented, and leaves my face squeaky clean without it being too dry.

My Favorite Eyeshadow Primer:

The MAC Paint, $16.50 for a 6.5g tube. Okay so it’s not meant to be an eyeshadow primer. But it still works great as one, even better than the popular Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion! I use it in Bare Canvas, which matches my skintone perfectly. My eye makeup stays put for 18 hours straight with no creasing whatsoever. And although it’s a tiny tube, mine has lasted more than 8 months with daily use.

My Favorite Eyeliner:

The MAC Liquidlast Liner, $16.50 for a 2.5ml tube. I swear up and down that this is the best long-lasting eyeliner out there. It even stays put after you wash your face! I’ve tried all other long-lasting eyeliners, even the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner that my friends love so much, but even that smudged at the end of the day. The only bad thing about this liquid liner is that the brush that is part of the packaging kinda sucks – it’s too long and flimsy. So I use the MAC 266 Small Angle Brush to appy it. And, as with all liquid liners, you need a very steady hand.

What are your favorite beauty products? Also, I still haven’t found THE mascara yet….what do you recommend?

Are you one of those lucky people who are blessed with long, lush eyelashes that never need mascara or even curling? Well, I hate you. I have very short and very sparse lashes that are practically non-existent.

I still remember a couple of years ago when my mother first read about trichotillomania (the disorder where you pull your own hair). She immediately called me and asked me if I have it.

“Of course I don’t have that, why would you even ask me?”

“Because your eyelashes are so short and sparse! Everyone else in the family has long and full eyelashes except for you! You can tell me….is there anything you want to share with me? Do you have trichotillomania?”

Over the years I’ve been trying to make up for this disadvantage with eyeliner, mascara, eyelash curlers, etc. I redefined the word ”irony” when I purchased the ever-so-popular Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler to find that my eyelashes were too short for it.

False eyelashes never worked well for me. The first time I successfully applied a set, J said I looked scary and ran away from me. I tried flares, thinking that it would be more natural looking, but it looked like an army of spiders had died under my eyelids, leaving their legs dangling over my eyelashes.

So when I first heard about eyelash extensions, naturally I was ecstatic. Individual eyelashes are applied between your natural lashes with a semipermanent adhesive. Depending on the life cycle of your natural lashes and other factors, they usually last 3-4 weeks.

I immediately began calling around and received a shock. All the salons I called in the NYC area charged $300 $350!

When I mentioned this to my mother, she exclaimed, “$300?!? That’s ridiculous. My salon does it too – I’ll ask them how much they charge.”

It was $100. Not exactly small change, but definitely a lot better than $300. I asked my mother to set up an appointment.

Normally I shudder at the thought of being the subject of “before” and “after” shots. But I decided to suck it up and share these photos with the world…purely for the sake of research, of course.

My lashes before:

My lashes after:

Wow, I never realized how many freckles I have… Anyway, the closed-eye view looks a little freaky but I have to say I LOVE how my lashes look now!

The procedure itself took about 30-45 minutes. The false eyelash is real human hair (which is a little freaky now that I think about it) that is pre-curled for this procedure, so no more need for eyelash curlers! The lady who did my lashes explained that each false eyelash is placed between my real eyelashes, so if the person has more natural eyelashes the ending result would be fuller as well.

Since this was the first application it cost the full $100, but if I come back every month for touchups she’ll only charge me $50.

If you’re interested, the salon I went to is:

Hye Chung Salon
10 Sylvan Ave
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
(201) 944-0220

They speak some English, but not much so if you don’t speak Korean you may want to ask someone who does to call for you. Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll gladly answer them!

Last Friday a friend and I had planned to have lunch at BonChon Chicken. However, upon arrival, we were disappointed to see that they weren’t yet open for the day. Walking around K-Town for an alternate restaurant, I noticed Pho32 & Shabu:

It’s a tiny place on 32nd St, and we wondered why we hadn’t noticed it before (did it open just recently?). The decor was cute, and each table had two round heated openings for the shabu-shabu pots. I was in the mood for some pho but we ended up going for the “Land and Sea” (combination of beef and seafood) shabu-shabu instead.

Yummy….my mouth’s watering just looking back at this picture. Needless to say, the food was great. The majority of people were eating pho so I assume their pho isn’t too bad either. We were very lucky to have arrive just as the lunch rush hour was starting – we only waited 5 minutes. However, those who arrived after us waited up to 30 minutes.

The bill came out to a little over $30 for the “Land and Sea” shabu-shabu and extra sides, which was perfect for two people. I highly recommend this restaurant. And since they’re open 24 hours, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit after a night out on the town.

I had read in last year’s August issue of InStyle and the September issue of Vogue about a new foundation that SK-II was releasing: the Air Touch Foundation.

A description of the product from the SK-II US website:

At a touch of a button, the amazing ionisation technology delivers foundation one particle at a time for a most precise and natural coverage. When the ioniser is switched on the positively charged micro foundation particles are instantly attracted to the negatively charged micro particles on the face, covering the skin in a single, even and precise layer – no mess, caking or streaking.

In addition, Air Touch Foundation is formulated with SK-II’s seemingly miraculous ingredient, Pitera, and moisturising agents to provide skin caring benefits and hydrate skin.

Both InStyle and Vogue had raved about this foundation. Personally, I wasn’t sure if I believed all the ion mumbo-jumbo; after all, so many cosmetic companies these days claim scientific breakthroughs in their marketing campaigns that I’ve started to ignore the majority.

Besides, the damn thing costs a whooping $150.

And it was sold out everywhere.

However, this was touted as one of the best foundations out there…in a gadget form. My inner geek wanted to try the little battery-operated ionizing machine.

I continued to research this product on the web. There were very few bad reviews on this product, if you can even call them bad. The only repeating complaint I read was that it’s too expensive. This is VERY rare for a foundation, since there are so many different skin types and preferences.

By Friday, I had read enough – I wanted this foundation! I called Saks to see if they had it in stock – luckily, they had just received a shipment. I hopped on over during my lunch break to try it out.

As soon as the makeup artist finished applying it and held up a mirror for me to see, I was amazed. Wow. I was sold.

Because the particles are only attracted to negative ions, it doesn’t get on your hair, eyebrows, or clothes (unlike airbrush foundations). In addition, you’re supposed to use it AFTER you put on your concealer, eyeshadow, blush, etc. Only mascara and lipstick come after the Air Touch Foundation.

Not only does this give your face a glowing, finished look, it also FEELS great. My face feels moisturized and it really, honest-to-god feels like I have nothing on.

I should, however warn that this isn’t the product for you if you’re looking for medium to heavy coverage. It’s very sheer so that your true skin shines through.

You can buy refills in packs of two for $80. Each refill is supposed to last 6-8 weeks, so I figure, after paying for the dispenser, you’re not spending TOO much.

Okay, so I’m done with my quarterly luxury expense.