While completely tuning the rest of the world out with your music can be cathartic and relaxing, it’s important to be careful with how you listen. Hearing experts say the best way to help prevent hearing loss is to turn the volume down, take listening breaks, and use ear protection like earplugs when surrounded by loud environments. And this doesn’t just apply to times when you’re using your iPod. Loud noises at bars and clubs, music concerts and construction or yard work can cause as much damage. Experts say that listening devices like iPods and MP3 players are fine as long as the volume is at a reasonable level.

Photo via topnews.in

Check out Clara C’s video announcement:

Check out a preview of Clara C’s album here:

Photos courtesy of Clara Chung

This collection, inspired by the evil villains of beloved Disney classics, features four of the hottest, most cunning, and wholly cold-hearted ladies (and one gentlemen) to ever grace the movie screen. From the infamous Evil Queen (Snow White) and Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) to Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians) and Doctor Facilier (The Princess and the Frog), each character and its corresponding movie was carefully analyzed to create the colors and packaging found in the Venomous Villains.

This line is sure to be a hit, with its combination of vibrant colors and irresistible packaging. Each of the four villains has his/her own “line” within the Venomous Villains set, and all eyeshadows and blushes feature their respective villain’s face on the front. MAC spared no detail in recreating these Disney characters on the sides of lip gloss and lipstick tubes. One of my favorites is the Evil Queen dangling an apple on the top of a blush compact.

Some particular items to look out for include the shimmery nail lacquers ($13.00 each), found under Maleficent’s line, which come in red with pearl, teal green with pink pearl, and purple with teal pearl. Other great items include Dr. Facilier’s greasepaint sticks ($17.50), one of which is a dirty black green (French Quarter), Dr. Facilier’s “I’m so Vain” compact mirror, which comes with both a regular and a magnifying mirror ($12.00), and Cruella De Vil’s bright cherry red lipstick (Heartless; $15.50).

[via makeupandbeautyblog and temptalia]

Photos via temptalia

For students, Google is a prime source for finding quick answers and performing research for essays and homework. While using Google has its obvious perks, we should also be particularly mindful of exactly how we use it. According to an arstechnica article, a new study released by Northwestern University found that college students hardly pay attention to what shows up as a top link on their Google search. As a result, it leads students to sacrifice the quality of their research and work.

When researches studied a sample of 102 college freshman using Google and other online search methods, they found that students clicked on the first search result regardless of what it was. Over 25 percent of respondents said they specifically chose that result because it was the first one listed. While some students did acknowledge that websites ending in .gov or .edu may be more trustworthy, only 10 percent of all participants bothered to check who the author was on the site or whether or not they had any credentials.

Be shrewd and practical when conducting online academic research. Instead of using a cursory Google search to find important information, use academic databases first – it’s highly likely that your school or university has already paid subscription fees for valuable resources that you can use for free. These include databases such as LexisNexis, JStor, and ProQuest, which you can access through your school’s library website.

If you’re doing a casual Google search or are understandably pressed for time, quickly check if the website you’re using is that of an academic institution or professional organization. Be especially careful with Wikipedia pages, which tend to turn up at the top of Google search results. Since anyone in the public can contribute to Wikipedia articles, always check the links at the bottom for the credibility of the sources. For general webpages, does the article or page you’re referring to have a date? Does it list or refer to specific sources? If the page has nothing that you can clearly base its information off of, give it a pass.

Remember, just because you think you’re very familiar with the web doesn’t mean you can be 100 percent sure whether a webpage is credible. So Google and search with care–and if you’re ever in major doubt, you can always hit the books.

Photo: Jasmine Ako

The new Color Icon eyeshadows still come in singles ($2), trios ($3), and now palettes of six ($5). Each palette comes with three matte colors and three shimmer colors. There are currently four palettes out: Greed (beiges, pinks and grays), Pride (blues and greens), Vanity (bronzes and browns), and the one I bought, Lust (purples and grays).

The shadows in the Lust palette are organized by lightest on top to darkest on bottom, with the matte shadows on the left and the shimmer shadows on the right. Of the matte colors, there is a light beige-ish pinkish color, a medium grape color, and a dark purple (almost black). For the shimmer shadows, there is a light golden beige, a gunmetal silver, and a black with purple shimmer. The pigmentation with these shadows is just amazing, especially with the darker shadows. These shadows have the smooth feel of department store brands—but just make sure to ditch the provided sponges and use a proper eyeshadow brush instead. The back of the palette instructs you to use three shadows to create simple smoky eyes—lid, crease, highlight—but never specifies which of the six shadows to use. You can do an all matte or all shimmer smoky eye, but my favorite is to mix and match. Use the shimmery gray over the lid, fill out the outer half of the lid with the matte purple, then use the shimmery black to darken the crease, and finish with the shimmery beige as a highlight.

My favorite of the palette is the gunmetal silver color. It’s dark enough to be dramatic without being too intense, and goes well with purples, blacks, blues, or even looks great by itself.

At only $5 a pop, these palettes are well worth a shot. I may even begin collecting them.

Photo via nobelprize.org

The Sayonara Trail Mix Cookie by Chef Ruskell

This week Mochi attended an event hosted by the French Culinary Institute, showcasing alumnus Chef Richard Ruskell, the executive pastry chef of the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Chef Ruskell is a frequent participant (and winner) of Food Network’s assortment of dessert challenges, and a man after my very own heart.

“Don’t be afraid of butter,” asserted Ruskell, as he whisked up a batch of his Sayonara Trail Mix cookies, filling the room with an aroma I can only describe as a warm, sugary hug. While a few women in the audience cringed when he admitted to using butter with 83 percent fat, I wanted to give him a big hug.

This cookie, which was originally created with a “funky, Asian twist” for a Food Network Challenge was unexpected for me in two ways. First, Ruskell is a self-proclaimed “chocolate snob.” Thus, the absence of his preferred medium came as a surprise. Secondly, I’m not the biggest fan of raisins but this cookie had such a complexity of flavors and textures that the raisins were quickly forgotten in my palette. Believe me—I was eating very slowly and trying to savor every bite.

The candied ginger gave the cookie a gingersnap flavor and the black sesame provided an earthy quality that pairs well with the mixture of nuts and oatmeal. Now this is a cookie you can eat repeatedly since it’s not sickeningly sweet. The best part: You can keep the batter in your freezer for up to a month. Too bad this is irrelevant for me, since I’ll probably go through a batch in two days flat.

The Sayonara Trail Mix Cookie
By: Chef Richard Ruskell of the Montage Beverly Hills

Ingredients
¾ cup cashews, toasted
¾ cup walnuts, toasted
2 ½ cup raisins
1 1/3  cup pepitas (or pumpkin seeds)
½ candied ginger, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup butter, softened
1 heaping cup brown sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
½ cup honey
3 eggs
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ tsp. baking powder
2 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Black sesame seeds

Recipe:

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Set aside.

Stir the cashews, walnuts, raisins and pepitas together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together until light. Scrape the bowl and add the honey. Mix and scrape. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix. Add the flour and oatmeal, scrape and mix. Then add the nuts mixture. Mix to combine.

Drop onto greased cookie sheets and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.  Bake at 350° F for about 12 min. Remove from the oven, cool and eat.

Diana Chang is a contributor to Mochi.

Photos by Diana Chang

Li Lu, far right

As Warren Buffett prepares to celebrate his 80^th birthday this year, many are wondering who he will name as his successor at Berkshire Hathaway. While Mr. Buffett has no plans to step down as Chairman and CEO any time soon, Berkshire’s Vice Chairman Charlie Munger has identified Chinese American Li Lu as a likely candidate to take over Mr. Buffett’s role as one of Berkshire’s top investment professionals, the first possible successor to be named.

Mr. Li has already established himself as a prominent investor, investing primarily in high technology companies in Asia. He has delivered strong hedge fund returns of 26.4 percent since 1998, significantly beating the S&P 500’s growth of 2.25 percent for the same period. Additionally, he has made exceptional profits for Berkshire in the tune of $1.2 billion with his contrarian investment in Chinese battery and automaker BYD, Co.

Mr. Li’s personal story is no less impressive than his professional one. Growing up during China’s Cultural Revolution, Mr. Li lived with foster families after his parents were sent to labor camps. At age 10, he was reunited with his nuclear family but natural disaster struck in his hometown of Tangshan, killing an estimated 242,000 people, including members of previous foster families. After involvement in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, Mr. Li fled to France. Shortly thereafter, he spoke at Columbia University, where he was lauded by human-rights activists and obtained three degrees—in economics, law and business.

His career took off in 2004 when Mr. Munger provided initial capital to run his own fund. Since then, Mr. Li has attracted investor interest from notable businessmen and even the musician Sting. While his position as successor is not secured, Mr. Li considers himself fortunate to be considered part of Berkshire’s inner circle. Regardless, his journey in attaining the American dream is certainly an inspiration to all. [via The Wall Street Journal]

Photo via online.wsj.com

Joining the team will also be producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of the Magical Elves who are behind hit reality shows “Top Chef” and “Project Runway.” Filming has already begun and will wrap up with Bieber’s Madison Square Garden concert on Aug. 31. The most recent concert films include “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” which grossed a sad $26 million and Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” which grossed $261 million worldwide. It’ll be curious to see how this 16-year-old phenomenon fares in comparison to the legendary King of Pop. [via Deadline]

The approach is certainly a little untraditional, but that was what 17-year-old Knives Chau did in the Scott Pilgrim comic series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Armed, dangerous and fueled by her love for 23-year-old ex-boyfriend Scott Pilgrim, Chau fights the girl everyone likes (and Pilgrim’s new girlfriend), Ramona Flowers.

And now you can catch the action in theaters. The film adaptation of the comic series, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” premieres tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 13. It was directed by Edgar Wright, who has previously directed the popular comedies “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead.”

Playing Chau is big-screen rookie Ellen Wong. Though she is the new kid on the block rubbing elbows with Michael Cera (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” “Juno,” “Superbad”) and Alison Pill (“Milk,” “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,” “Dan in Real Life”), Wong shows she knows her stuff. After months of wire training, she spent a month filming knife-wielding action scenes. She also brought out the best of both Chaus—young, high school teen and enraged, driven woman.

Wong previously played small roles in “This is Wonderland,” “Runaway” and “Unnatural History.”

While her character has been called annoying, obsessive and “stalker-ish,” Wong begs to differ and asks audiences to see Chau’s side of the story. Once naïve and inexperienced with break-ups and hardships, Chau learns throughout the film (and the comic series) that growing up and being in love isn’t just about loving your boyfriend’s band and looking like his new love interest in order to fit in. Fighting for what you want, but also learning to let go of what you want the most is part of the picture too.

And the inspiration for the name Knives Chau? “Scott Pilgrim” comic series author Bryan O’Malley knows of a wife who pulled knives on her husband when she was upset at him. He thought it was hilarious.

Photos via hollywoodreporter.com and mtv.com