sakura0325

I'm not gone...

2011-03-25T00:35:00.001-07:00

I've been away. Had a few things to do and I'm also in the mist of going back to school and moving. I'll be back to posting when I'm done packing, moving, renovating, cleaning, unpacking. I hope everyone's been well and safe through the holidays and during the horrific disasters occurring around the world.

Coming up in April:
Reviews on all of the Stila Travel Palettes
Reviews on a few shu uemura palettes I've picked up in Jan/Feb
Before and After pictures from repairing and renovating my studio
Review + pictures of my Sephora Hello Kitty haul
Pictures of the Unii palettes I recently got

Sea Turtle

2010-11-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

Just had to share this. About 15 minutes ago I got the Sea Turtle mount in World of Warcraft! I've been fishing for this baby for months now!!!! This is by far the cutest mount in the game and also the slowest, but I don't care! I'm in love. I haven't stopped smiling since I got it. =D!!!!!

*Edit to add 2 more pics

And when you jump it hides in its shell XD

Survival Kits

2010-11-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

It's a Wednesday night. I'm out with friends celebrating a birthday and as per usual we are all downtown at a bar downing drinks and dancing. Sounds great right? It is fun until the next morning when I wake up hung over and rushing to work. It is fun until I realize that I have an important meeting at 10am and I look bad. I don't know about you guys, but I've had several days like that. I may not have been out partying but may have just been sick or stayed up late working. Either way, the morning after is always exhausting.

No matter how tired or sick I am, I still need to look and act professional when I'm at work. Some days I can get away without seeing anyone but there are many more days where I have to deal with clients and have meetings. And usually on days like those, if I'm in a rush I'll have my purse and my makeup kit with me to make myself look presentable. On the few occasions when I don't have that, I'd try to rush to the nearest drugstore and grab some essentials like mascara, foundation, eyeshadow, blush and lipgloss. While that's great when and if I can do that but more often than not it is just not feasible. So in preparation for days when I feel and look awful and have forgotten or misplaced my makeup kit or purse I've packed survival kits and placed strategically around my life.

I've always been a big fan of samples for traveling. I love taking samples on short trips and backpacking as it really cuts down on space. Now I've put them into little kits and have left them at key locations. I've stashed them in the back of my file cabinet, in the glove compartment of my car, under the bed at my boyfriend's place (so that he doesn't know it's there) and in my gym bag. I am so glad that I've done this. I have used these kits more often than I'd like to admit.

The best part is that almost everything I have in these kits I've gotten for free via GWP, samples from Sephora or department stores and in the mail. While going to the drugstore is great if I get the time to go, it can be rather expensive running me around $30 each time!

A typical kit will generally have one of the following:
Toner
Lotion
Primer
Foundation
Eyeshadow
Blush
Lipgloss
Disposible Toothbrush
No Mascara since they go bad quickly and I don't use these kits often enough to want to buy a new one for each kit

Love Samples!

Sorted into mini kits

A bigger kit for work and unscheduled sleepovers

The hair tie and pins are excellent for bad hair days. I can just do a quick french twist or bun and I'm good to go. I also like having a small bottle of a sheer neutral nail polish.

In bags

I like to reuse bags like above or from GWP's

**I was prompted into writing this after needing to use one of these kits again last week. They really are useful. I keep several kits ready at home to take with me and replace them as needed.

Matte Eyeshadow

2010-11-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

I've been sick and hence either no makeup or very boring makeup for the past couple of weeks. Over the last weekend, I decided to spice it up a bit. I love sparkly and shimmering eyeshadow but I decided to go matte and very bright this time around. =D

Yaby Eyeshadows

MUFE Eyeshadows

Sephora Friends and Family 2010

2010-11-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

Here's what I got during the Sephora Friends and Family sale! It wasn't too exciting this year. Last year I went a little nuts as you can see here and here. I also got a lot of staples that I didn't post like foundations, creams, primers, etc.

The Sephora Friends and Family discount is over for this year but if you're a VIB Member, you can still get 20% off using VIB20. This is good today, November 11th until the 15th. The code is only usable online. If you got a card in the mail, then you can use it instores.

Here's everything including some staples that I wanted to pick up for the year.

Tokidoki Comb! It is a bit pricey for a comb but I really love the design.

Viktor and Rolf Flower Bomb travel set. Been wanting this perfume for a while now. And the best thing is that this set is the same price as the perfume by itself! So you're basically getting the lotion and bath soap for free.

Love samples! Most of this went to my mom.

Sephora Birthday Gift

This is one of the best deals out there if you have a Sephora around you because it's 100% free. All you have to do is sign up as a member on Sephora or in stores. It costs you nothing and you never have to buy a single thing there. When your birthday rolls around, you can go into any Sephora, show them your membership card and get a free gift! You can usually pick it up 1 month prior or past your actual birthday so you have loads of time to go. If you don't have a Sephora nearby you can also get it online, though you would need to make a purchase. If it is within 1 month of your birthday, Sephora will automatically give you the option to add it to your order.

Last year I got a set of 3 Sephora lipglosses which also went to my mom. The year before that they gave me a bottle of coconut body wash which opened and spilled all over my package. =(

This year's gift

They're sample sized but not bad, especially for being free!

Closeup of the eyeliner pencil. No swatches though since I gave it to my mom.

Woot! Finally got the Urban Decay Primer Potion in a squeeze tube! So much nicer to use and sanitary! I also love that you can actually use up the whole bottle without having to cut it open like I regularly do with the original tube. XD

♥

Bobbi Brown shimmering blushes in Coral and Pink Sugar

And my 6-pan palette is complete!

OPI for Sephora Minis

A True Romantic, Techno Girl, Access 24/7, Ms. Can't Be Wrong, What a Broad, Just a Little Dangerous

Cab Fare, Caliente Coral, Special Request, High Maintenance, Sample Sale, I'm With Brad

Leaf Him at the Alter, Mermaid to Order, Opening Night, Already Famous, Dating the Drummer, Never Enough Shoes

I also made another haul from Transdesign. Got a bunch of minis for trips and to throw in my purse for touchups!

Zomg! Super big holo top coat! Love this

Custom Nail Polish

2010-11-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

I got my hands on some very cheap Sally Hansens nail polish at the dollar store. I've been looking for square bottles to make my own polishes in for a while now and I just hit the jackpot that day! I mostly just mixed together polishes I already owned but didn't like very much. Here are some of the ones I've made so far...

I'm not too fond of this one. I used mostly the polish that was already there =(

I really love this one. It's my attempt at OPI My Private Jet when it was a charcoal holo

This one is gorgeous indoors but kinda blah outside (as you can see below)

Butterflies!

And oh course... I can never stop with just polish

Sephora Friends and Family

2010-10-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up, Sephora Friends and Family is going on right now. Code "FF2010"

20% off all purchases
Only valid online in the US
October 22 - November 3, 2010
Free shipping on orders $50 and over (pretax and pre-discount)

This is when I stock up on my staples for the whole year like Clarisonic brush heads, face wash and lotion. This is also when I like to buy perfume sets for Christmas presents.

Have fun!

Hello Kitty Nail Polish

2010-09-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

I stopped at Target the other day for a few household items and picked up Hello Kitty nail polish... I'm very skepical about the quality. I mostly bought them for the bottles so that I can make my own polishes. I'm very surprised at the quality in some of the polishes, not bad at all! But I could do without the frosty ones.

Here are a crapload of pictures because even though about half of the polishes are not good, they are still so darn cute!

$4.99 for each of the sets and a whooping $5.99 for the egg!!! I couldn't even open it!

*Update*
I did get the egg polish to finally open and I wish I never bought it. It's like one of those peel off polishes which would be good for kids. When I put it on, it was very thick with a rough finish. After it dried, it started peeling off already!!! It was bad... I can't believe I paid six bucks for this thing...

Swatches go from left to right from the picture above.

Boardgames

2010-09-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

I love boardgames. Always have. I find that people start to think it's a kiddie thing around high school. I could never find anyone to play with me. Jr high my friends were more into boys and clothes. High school.... That didn't change. College... Well, it was that plus parties, alcohol and travel. I did know one guy who loved boardgames too but everyone else was always partying and drinking on the weekends. After college, forget it. No one I knew wanted to play any games. They would rather be seen at the bars, clubs, new restaurants, etc. Some people picked up on the poker craze which is okay but I don't really enjoy gambling with friends as money always seems to bring the worst out of people.... (I remember someone stealing the pot once, some people cheated and one girl in particular whom I hated would look at my cards when I went to the bathroom. WTF is wrong with people!!!)

Rant over. I just wished that I knew people who played. I have a cupboard full of games and I feel like a loser (heavy sarcasm here, I wish there was a font for sarcasm) because I have no one to play them with. (This is where you feel sorry for me, ha!) Here are some of my favorite games.

Settlers - I will always play this and people hate playing with me because I'm mean and I win too much...
Risk - Yes I know this game requires hours and hours of dice rolling - still love it!
Coloretto - A fun, easy, quick game. I love games with simple rules because people can get really mean and try to screw other people over with the cards. So much fun!
Ticket to Ride - Fun easymode game, nice for relaxing as there isn't too much strategy to it.
Scrabble - I'm addicted to Words with Friends on my iPhone. I always have a couple of games going
Bohnanza - Beans! Who doesn't like smelly beans?
Citadels - I've only ever won this once, it's so much fun though because it's so social. You're always having to look and ponder about the other players and it keeps you on your toes.
Battlestar Galactica - I have to be in the mood for this one and it's a pretty evil game of deception.

I'm not really up to date on the latest games as I don't get to play very often so I don't really bother buying new ones or learning of them. =/

Do you play any boardgames?

NOTD

2010-09-17T07:02:00.001-07:00

Loving my current NOTD!!! I think I've got the 3D nail art down! =D

OPI No Room for the Blues, Sally Hansen Shooting Star, Konad plate m57
The pink bow I made out of acrlyics and painted with a couple of nail art polishes

Wet'n'Wild Fantasy Makers Glitter Eyeliner

2010-09-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween! What's not to love? Candy, candy, dressing up in weird costumes, parties, candy, pumpkins, candy, scary movies, candy, etc. The best part is that this is the one time of the year where lower end makeup brands come up with whacky colors all in the name of Halloween. This year I've spotted the crazy colorfuly fake lashes in a variety of colors including yellow! Glow in the dark nail polish! Glittery hair extensions! All sorts of good stuff which I'll be waiting until the day after Halloween to buy!!! I really hope the lashes aren't all sold out. Last year I made a killing at local drugstores!!!

This year I actually bought a few things before they sold out. Fantasy Makers (made by Wet'n'Wild) usually has great displays and this year wasn't an exception. I picked up some glitter eyeliners and holo glitter!!! I know I'm going a bit overboard with the exclamation marks but I love makeup around this time of year.

They were $2.99 each and won't go on sale until after Halloween is over and only if they are still available. As far as I know, each store only gets one display with a limited number of each item. Once it's sold out, they don't restock. So grab them while you can!

Here are the glitter liners that I picked up with swatches.

11236 Secrecy, 11235 Cryptic, 11234 Mystical, 11328 Magical

A few other glitter liners I have...

Linequeen
Aodie
MAC Glitter Eye Liner in Spunsilver
MAC Glitter Eye Liner in Peacocky
Coffret D'or in BR-32
Coffret D'or in DB-03
Too Faced in Smurf You
Too Faced in Feelin' Smurfy

Water and Smudge Test

I'm a bit fanatical about my glitter eyeliners as I don't want glitter getting into my eyes. For the ones that don't hold up well, I generally do not use them around my eyes. I only have one set of eyes after-all and another 50 years or so to go, so I like taking care of them. No matter how much I love a certain look or makeup item, I won't use it if it's not eye safe. It's just not worth it to me.

I waited about 10 minutes for the liners to all dry on my arm first. I lightly sprayed my swatches with plain water and lightly ran my finger across them to see how they held up.

Everyone except for Coffret D'or fails!!!

Coffret D'or held up amazingly well! I dragged my finger over it a couple more times with the same results. Yay! Of all of the glitter liners that I used, the Coffret D'or formulation was the thickest and the glitter seemed to be a lot more fine than the others, even the MAC ones.

Fantasy Makers Confetti

I found these in the same display as the glitter liners. I love them! Going to use them with my nail polish for a hopefully cool effect.

Marbling Attempt #1

2010-09-08T00:09:00.000-07:00

Another cool way to do your nails thanks to youtube! Marbling!

This was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I didn't need to buy anything to do this. =D All I needed was my regular nail polish, a base color (I used white), tape, an orange stick and a cup of water. There are a ton of tutorials on youtube and those girls sure do know how to make it look easy. I still haven't been able to get my swirls as nice and smooth as them but I think my attempt isn't too bad.

Gradient Attempt #1

2010-08-31T00:02:00.000-07:00

I've seen so many cool youtube videos on nail art that I had to give this a try. I wanted a pink to purple nail with some shimmer and pretty butterflies.

How do you think? Good? Bad?

Make Up For Ever: The Comprehensive Kit

2010-08-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Make Up For Ever has recently come up with 3 new kits to replace the old ones. For now, the old kits are still available but I'm unsure for how much longer.

The Essential Kit

The Comprehensive Kit

The Mastery Kit (New)

These kits have some nice additions that the old kits were missing like makeup brushes and blush. A sore point for me with these new kits though is that they are missing the bright fun eyeshadow colors which the old comprehensive kit includes. Also, these kits only have the MUFE HD foundation in a variety of shades. The older kits have HD and Face & Body which I also liked as I use both.

My personal opinion is that these kits are absolutely awesome for people starting out in the makeup industry. MUFE has high quality products in every category. Ontop of that, you don't need to be a professional makeup artist to purchase these kits and they are 50% off (the normal discount for makeup artists with MUFE is 40%). This is great for people who don't have enough references/tear sheets to quality for the industry discount. However, you can't replace any of the items and you must buy it as a set which can be very pricey as the kits range from $368.50 to $787! It is a rather large commitment if you're just a casual makeup user, but a great deal if you're in the industry and are starting out or need to replenish your kit.

The Comprehesive Kit - I got one to replenish my kit.

Eyeshadow palette with neutral colors

Blush quad with pretty bright colors - I probably won't use this as much

Very awesome makeup brushes. I love the quality of these.

Brow correctors in #3, 0

Mascaras

Lip palette in #15

Concealer palettes in #1,4

Disposible mascara wants, HD primer, lipgloss, lipliners in 3c, 7c, aqua eyes eyelienrs in 0L, 2L, kohl pencil in black, sharpener

Kabuki brush in a little bag

HD foundations in # 115, 117, 128, 155, 177, 178

Makeup bag that I wanted for on-location work when I'm on a set. This is normally $70 which I think is ridiculous but not bad for $35 since it has so many compartments.

The bag opens to reveal 2 pouches that adhere to the side via velcro.

**Missing the HD powder from pictures.

Sculpting Kit in #2 - I got this extra, it's not part of the kit

NOTD Sparkle Overload!

2010-08-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

I bought several jars of glitter and let's just say I may have gone overboard. I did a coat of polish and literally dipped my finger into the glitter. Waited for it to drop and did a topcoat to hold it in. LOL

Konading Attempt #5

2010-08-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Finally! A semi decent Konad!

Klean Color in Neon Fuschia

Shu Uemura Travel Palette

2010-08-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

I love this palette. This is the first of it's kind that Shu Uemura has released. There have been palettes in the past that were similar but never have they put them in half sized pans with black gel liners and a cream base. I find this similar to other Japanese makeup palettes like T'estimo, Maquillage and Coffret D'or who also put gel/cream products in their eyeshadow palettes.

First off, the quality is consistent with their regular line. This is awesome since so many brands make their limited edition products/palettes with sub par quality (yes MAC, NARS, Stila, etc., I'm talking about you!). Even the quality of the applicators are nice. There's a double ended brush with a fluffy brush for blush or blending and a demi decent liner brush (a bit too flimsy for my taste though) as well as a double ended sponge applicator.

The colors aren't crazy and work well together. There's a base/highlight, lid, crease, smokey, liner, cream base and a blush. You can definitely use just 1 color or a combination of colors and not look like a clown. This is definitely a palette that you can just take and go without needing too many extras. And the best part is that if you finish any of the products, you can easily replace them with other items from the Shu Uemura line as the pans are the same size. (2 mini pan = 1 eyeshadow pan, 2 eyeshadow pans = 1 blush pan)

I only wish that they put the actual names of the products on there instead of 1, 2, 3 etc.

Pressed Eyeshadow in A 1, 2, 3, 4
Cream Eyeliner in A 5, 6
Glow On Blush in A 7

With a regular Shu eyeshadow for reference.

The freebies I picked up for ordering online =D

Yaby Eyeshadow Palettes

2010-07-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

I finally got my order from Yaby. I paid for it during IMATS on June 26. I was told that it would be a couple of weeks for me to receive it and that turned into four. I was told that there would be three eyeshadows missing from the palette which is why I got to pick out duplicates during IMATS. Even so, they actually replaced the missing colors with others on top of the extra ones I already received so that I now I have three extra. I received two phone calls about shipment and when I should expect it which I thought was a very nice touch especially since they called me from Canada.

While overall I'm pretty happy with the product there are a few bugs.

1 - I like how the palettes are small so that I can have a lot of eyeshadows in 1 palette. Though because it's so small and tightly packed in, it makes taking out eyeshadows difficult. Also some of the eyeshadows don't come out easily as they get stuck under the edge of the insert.

2 - This was brand new when I received it. I think the ones that look used come from the small piece of foam that was placed in the palette. Though the foam is nice for padding, since it's not an exact fit the edges scratch some of the eyeshadows like the black one below.

3 - Since the eyeshadows are so tightly packed that any cracked or partially shattered eyeshadows crack even more when I try to take them out.

4 - The magnets are very strong which hold in the eyeshadows very well. I really like that aspect but since they are so strong, the eyeshadows snap into place a bit hard and flecks of the product come off. Quite a bit of the product from around the rims of the eyeshadow would break off and the white insert gets pretty dirty as well.

Picture of the palette as I received it.

Here are the cracked and used looking eyeshadows.

Like in the first palette that I got during IMATS, this one also came with a cracked eyeshadow. The crack was small to start but since I took it out (as carefully as I could!!) it shattered even more. =(

Overall, the colors are good. These 2 palettes encompass all of the eyeshadows that Yaby has available. I am missing six eyeshadows which are currently out of stock. I do like most of it but I think their selection is missing a few critical colors. There are no red based pinks. All of the pinks have a purple base/tone to it. They are all more fuchsia than pink. There is no solid bright blue. All of the blues are rather dark leaning towards grey. There are also very few lighter colors. Hardly any light lavenders, creams, beiges, etc.

I love having these palettes as part of my makeup kit but I still need others to compliment the colors. Also there are only a couple of different textures available. I'll be keeping my MUFE palette with basic colors, another quad with brow colors as well as a variety of loose pigments to complete my makeup kit.

I reorganized the eyeshadows to suit on my needs. I put in what I consider commonly used neutrals in the second palette. The empty spots are for the missing eyeshadows which are still out of stock.

Great Bargains in San Francisco

2010-07-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

I went to San Francisco for a bit of a visit with friends and found a great little shop filled to the brim with costume accessories like wigs, clips, stockings, fishnet stockings with bows, costume jewelry, costume hair pieces, hats, bags, clothes, lugguge, cosmetics, fake lashes, nail polish, nail tools, etc etc etc etc etc. This was a very tiny store but it was so overfilled with stuff that you could be in there for hours looking.

From their huge array of products I got a few wonderful finds, all EXTREMELY cheap. I think the cashier was shocked of all of the stuff I got. Colorful hair extensions, nail polish, nailart brushes, lipliners, glitter, hairclips, hair claws, etc.

Here's a few of the things I got.

Kleancolor Nail Polish

89Starry Night, 37 Blue Satin, 14 Neon Aqua, 68 Pink Star, 16 Neon Purple, 40 Red Sparkle, 70 Sheer Lilac, 21 Neon Fuschia, 86 Purple Velvet

I've worn Neon Aqua for over a week now with an OPI base and Seche Vite top coat. It has held beautifully with no chipping! There's only the normal wear from daily activities but that is expected. I'm loving these polishes!

Nabi Nail Art

N04 Gold Glitter, N03 Silver Glitter, N09 Silver, N24 Dark Blue, N15 Purple, N21 Light Pink, N26 Bright Pink, N07 Red Glitter

Tons and TONS of hair extensions that I got for fun. Love them!

And while I'm at it, a Nail of the Day using Essie in Sexy Divide

Free Shopping?!

2010-07-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Is that even possible in this day and age without winning a prize or taking your parents' or boyfriend's credit card for a spree?

How do I shop for free? Whenever I get a giftcard, monetary gifts, win at poker night or at a casino, return something or shop using money I wouldn't have gotten otherwise (like finding money on the ground and no one claims it after 3 days at the lost & found). With returns, it is money that I already spent and threw away. So returning an item gives me money that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Using the weekly coupon from Ulta plus their B2G1F (buy 2 get 1 free) deal, I picked up some China Glaze nail polishes. After using money I got from returning pants that were too long, everything ended up costing me around $9!!! Not bad at all for 9 polishes!

China Glaze

Turned Up Turquoise (Neon), Sexy In The City, Grape Juice, Light As Air, Something Sweet, Sugar High, Mediterranean Charm, Chiaroscuro, Awaken

I just thought this picture was pretty.

This is basically all an elaborate scheme to make me not feel guilty when shopping.

Konading Attempt #4

2010-07-08T01:56:00.000-07:00

In a final attempt to try konading before breaking down and purchasing the actual Konad polishes, I got a couple of Wet'n'Wild ones. I'm told that the black and white are suppose to work just as well as Konad polishes. They are not bad at all to try at $0.99 each! I even picked up one of their new polishes for $1.99. While there, I saw that Sinful Colors was on sale for BOGO50% Off so I picked up a couple of their new Nail Art polishes too. My total for all of it was $11.92 but I was returning something so it was under $5 for me!

Wet'n'Wild

Wild Shine in Black Creme, French White Creme - Craze in Glitz/Clinquant

Sinful Colors

Timbleberry 108 - Nail Art in 1626 A Slice To Go, 1625 Rose In Your Nose, 1621 Worn Before

Sally Hansen

Insta-Dri in 12 Blue Streak

Obsessive Compulsive

Anime indoors

Anime in natural light

Konad Attempt #4

I just wanted to try different things and see what worked best. I finally got it to kind of work for me. The prints aren't always all there and I found the images with thin lines like Hello Kitty didn't work as well. I think the best attempt was in the middle picture (3rd finger). The flower is almost completely there and stamped onto my finger without issue. The 2 big white flowers I just did freehand.

I used Wet'n'Wild Black Creme, French White Creme and Metallica to do the stamping. I added some sparkle to a couple of nails and painted in a couple of images like the stars and the butterfuly wing on the bottom middle picture (1st finger). To top it off, I used Seche Vite as a topcoat and that did not smear or leave any streaks in my images.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, but still want to order a couple of Konad polishes to see if they work better. (I'm thinking of just getting it in the same colors that I got the Wet'n'Wild ones - black, white and silver).

Spin Pins

2010-07-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

The new hair craze this year has to be the Spin Pins from Goody. They are like bobby pins but spirl like a double helix or cork screw. They are suppose to be great for holding up your hair in a bun or twist and Goody boosts that they do the work of 20 regular bobby pins.

I tried going around to the shops nearby for them but nobody had them in stock or have ever heard of them. They are pretty overpriced at $5.99 for TWO. You can get a whole pack of regular bobby pins for $2-3. Since I couldn't get them anywhere around me, I turned to the internet. Some ebay sellers had fake ones up at a very nice price. Five for $1.50 and free shipping! I picked up 2 packs and this is what I got.

Impressions
I have to say, all of the hype is justified. I wouldn't say that it does the job of 20 bobby pins but it certainly does a much better job! I simply put my hair in a bun like I usually do and instead of weaving a regular pin through my hair in MANY places to keep it in place, I just twisted a couple of these into my bun. The result? Extremely secure! My bun stayed put all day and it did not come undone as regular bobby pins are want to do.

I am extremely impressed with these pins and want to order more! But I am not paying $5.99 for TWO! I think that price is ridiculous. I'll order these online, thank you.

Outlet Shopping + What's In My Bag?

2010-07-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

I headed to the outlets to pick up a couple of birthday presents and being me, I dropped by the Cosmetics Company Outlet.

MAC Fluidline in Silverstroke

MAC Eyeshadows in Et Tu Bouquet?, Silverthorn

I also picked up another wallet. I know it's a wristlet but I just use it as a wallet/purse. I keep all of my cards/ID/money/phone/keys in there. It makes it really easy when I'm switching purses because I can just grab that. And when I'm just running errands, I'll just take that with me.

They were handing out coupons for an additional 20% off. =D

Old one! Going to keep using this until it dies, but I like the dark silver one for going out at night.

The corners of my wallet are all like this now =(

Since I was posting all of that anyways, I thought I'd do a What's In My Purse/Makeup Bag for fun...

The usual stuff; cards, ID, pen, change, notepad, keys (I don't have many but I have a big chain and stuff because it's easier for me to find),etc.

Here's what I'm currently using, a cross body bag from Gucci. I prefer crossbody bags because the're easier to carry around and leaves my arms/hands free.

I just dumped all of my stuff out...

Some kind of order..

Everything in my makeup bag - L-R: Smashbox bag with q-tips, Coffret D'Or face powder, Clean & Clear blotting sheets, Brushes, shu uemura palette (A-Pink blush, IR900P, IR800), Bobbi Brown mini eyeshadow trio (Bone, Woodrose, Mahogany), Hannari lipblam in strawberry, Prescriptives mini Lash Envy mascara, Urban Decay mini Primer Potion, Tweezerman tweezers, MAC Studio Touch-Up Stick Correcteur in NC15, Hashmi Kajal, Anastasia Matte Highlighter in Camille, Rohto Cool eye drops, Koji mascara shield

I love this pen. It's a Cross for Hello Kitty and a very rare find! I love Cross pens so a pink one with a little cuteness on it is fantastic!

Just posting this because I think these little pencils are awesome, They're like bookmarks and are great for your notebooks, puzzlebooks like this one, etc. I got them from Daiso, 10 for $1.50 I think.

Konading Attempt #3

2010-07-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Nail of the Day (NOTD) with OPI in Funky Dunky

I tried it on my thumb and pinky this time and both times it did not turn out too great. I tried a variety of polishes from my stash and none of them really worked. Will just have to wait and get the Konad polishes. So I gave up and did the rest of my nails the way I usually do.

I saw my aunt today and she gave me all of this! They are all used but I don't care! 31 free polishes including 5 OPI, 2 Essie, 2 Zoya, 2 China Glaze, 2 Orly, etc.

Update on Yaby Post
I recently checked their website for the missing eyeshadows and the majority of them are on there. On Sale. Not out of stock. Not being reformulated. For sale. I called because I wanted the missing eyeshadows but in fact they replaced the missing colors with what they already had. They also changed the eyeshadow names around on the layout as well. So the missing eyeshadows are still missing. I was estatic for while until I found that out. =(

And what about the missing eyeshadows? I actually spoke with Liz Yu (owner and creater of Yaby Cosmetics) and she told me that there is a new technician at the factory where their eyeshadows are made and he hasn't gotten the formula down for their eyeshadows yet. Ontop of that, their orders generally get pushed back for big name brands like MAC. =( So she really doesn't know when they will come back into stock but I'm hoping really soon. I'll probably end up checking back every week because the OCD in me wants a complete palette so that I can do a complete review!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Hoochie

2010-07-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

I took one of the OCC Lip Tars out for a round today. I used a tiny little drop on my lipbrush. Even with the tiny amount that I used, I was able to get a very pigmented and even coverage on my lips. The product dried up a little bit on my lips but left a slight glossy shine to it as well. I felt like I didn't need a gloss over it and I did not use a lipliner either.

I was out in for several hours. During that time I didn't eat or drink anything but it was fairly hot and very sunny. The color lasted! It did not bleed. It didn't make its way into the corners of my mouth as most of my lip products like to do. I didn't feel like I needed to touch up at all. And the thing that amazed me the most is how little I used! It was just a tiny drop on my brush (my brush looks big there but it's actually quite small and needs a good cleaning!). I think I use more gloss than that each time I reapply. Since I used so little product, it did not feel like I was wearing anything but at the same time my lips felt soft and smooth.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Hoochie

Outside in natural light

Inside with yellow lighting

I think this is my third post about lip tars. I think I am becoming obsessed. And they are such a good deal too at $12 for .27 fl oz. I also love the fact that lip tars are meant to be mixed with other lip tars to make your own perfect color. The only down side is if you find your perfect color, you'd need to get a jar or something to store your mixture in unless you want to remix it everytime you wanted to wear it. If they sold some type of refillable tube for lipgloss to store your creations, that would be perfect

Konading Attempt #2

2010-07-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to perfect Konading with my fake Konads. =) I picked these up from a Buy One Get One 50% (BOGO50%) sale at CVS.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color

02 Whirlwind White, 23 Blazing Blue, 27 Brisk Blue, 21 Uptempo Plum

31 Speedy Sunburst, 10 Lightening, 12 Blue Streak, 25 Grape Going!

Close up of 23 Blazing Blue and 21 Uptempo Plum

NotD (Nail of the Day) with Sinful Colors in Aqua 10

2nd Attempt at Konading

This time I used an old credit card to scrape the excess polish off and that worked really well. Now I just need to find the polishes that work well for this. I was told on a forum that Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes are great so I'm testing them out. So far 02 Whirlwind White works great but 31 Speedy Sunburst is horrible. Speedy Sunburst just sits in the template and I'm unable to get it out. I think I may just order some Konad polishes. I've been putting it off because I don't like ordering things online unless I can see it in person first as the colors in polishes and makeup vary. I've yet to find any store in my area that carries Konad (actually most people haven't even heard of it) so I'll probably give in and order soon.

I do need to practice how to get the print onto the stamp better. Most of the time I ended up with partial prints and I'd start over again. I had to work fast before the polish dried on the template but it didn't always work out so well. I also was very off in the placement on my nails... Practice makes perfect? Hopefully?

Stila Travel Palette: Kylie's Road-Trip

2010-07-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with Stila back when it was owned by the creator of the brand, Jeanine Lobell. Stila has since changed hands several times in the 16 years it has been around. Ever since it was sold to Estee Lauder in 1999, it has been going downhill. When Stila was sold to Sun Capital Partners in 2006, it crashed. I always thought of Stila as a brand with similar quality as Clinique; being marketed to the same group, females in their teens and twenties. Since being sold to Sun Capital, the quality went down.

Anyone remember the fiasco with their eyeshadow duo pans? How they couldn't even fit into Stila's palettes? That was a disaster and now you can find them at bargain shops.

How about Beautycrunch? That site was started by Stila (They had the EXACT same webpage layout and checkout, the only differences were in the colors) to sell their brands with heavy discounts to make a quick buck for the company. Side effect of that is that anyone who is a makeup addict like myself won't buy Stila at full price anymore. It's not worth it when you can wait a while and it'll show up on Beautycrunch.

You also see a lot of sets pop up at Costco too. I posted one of these sets that I got in June. While there's nothing wrong with a bargain, when there are too many bargains and too many sales, it seriously downgrades a brand for me. With lower quality and sale prices, Stila is on par with low end brands like Revlon and L'Oreal for me. Both of those brands are more expensive than their counterparts like Wet'n'Wild, but are still low end brands in price and quality.

Stila was put on sale by Sun Capital in 2009 due to low sales and Lynn Tilton promptly picked it up. I hope that will be a great comeback for Stila. Lynn Tilton seems to want to make Stila be what it once was back when Jeanine Lobell still owned the brand. To start with, she has re-introduced Stila Girls, the face of the brand being drawings by Caitlin Dinkins. The travel palettes that are being introduced slowly over a period of five months showcases five different Stila Girls and their travels around the world. The first one, Kylie, has four eyeshadows and a convertible color for cheeks and lips.

I was able to pick up this LE palette from IMATS.

Travel Palette #1 with Convertible Color in Hibiscus, eyeshadows in Snow Bunny, Southern Pink, Valley Girl, City Chick

Eyeshadows in Snow Bunny, Southern Pink, Valley Girl, City Chick
Bottom - Convertible Color in Hibiscus (applied with a sponge applicator for more pigmentation)

Left Side: Day look with MAC Paintery Paint Pot as a base and Stila Smudge Pot to line
Right Side: Evening look with MAC Paintery Paint Pot as a base and Stila Smudge Pot as a base on the lid and to line

Impressions

I have to start off by saying that this is $10. You usually can't get a better deal with any brand from from Clinique to Revlon. Stila has had a couple of other $10 palettes in the past but they only included eyeshadows. Even if I hated the eyeshadows, I still would have bought this palette for the convertible color in Hibiscus alone. It's a gorgeous color and is limited edition to this palette only. Of all of the products that Stila makes, their convertible colors are one of their best. I never use them on my lips as I don't like the smell and it's a bit drying but the product is gorgeous on my cheeks. It blends out well on my cheeks giving me a nice, natural looking blush. The only thing that bothers me is that there's no divider or separate cover for the cream product. I imagine there will be quite a mess after a couple of months of use from the eyeshadows.

As for the eyeshadows, I found them to be nice. They aren't extremely pigmented but the colors are nice and go well together for a complete look. I did find Snow Bunny to be a bit frosty but good as a highlight if I use it sparingly. The City Chick color seemed to crumble a lot when I tried to pick it up with my brush and wasn't as pigmented as I'd like for a dark color. It only showed true to color for me when I layered it over a black base as I did on the right side of my EOTD picture. You can hardly see it when I used it in my outer V on the left side.

Overall, the convertible color was gorgeous and worth the $10 to me. The eyeshadows were ok but I wouldn't have gotten them if they weren't in the same palette. They aren't bad but I already have similar colors in better quality.

Obsessive Complusive Cosmetics - OCC

2010-06-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

While at IMATS I also got a chance to test out OCC in person. I've heard a lot about this brand and it truly does live up to all of the hype.

Lip Tars in Hush, Memento, Grandma, Anime, NSFW, Pageant, Demure, Hoochie

Loose Colour in Iced, Cherrybomb, Burning, Flicker, Ginger, Chlorophyll, Nori, Cavu Blue, Static, Tesoro

Impressions

I love the lip tars! They are extremely pigmented. I only need a tiny, tiny amount and it will last all day on me. I do not apply it straight from the tube as I would get too much product on my lips. I use either my finger or a lipbrush to rub some on. It looks glossy but dries to a matte finish that does not bleed or rub off. It basically just stains my lips and the color remains true. It also feels like I have nothing on my lips when wearing this. I actually forgot I had it on while writing this blog! On the down side is that there is not a lot of variety. While there aren't a billion shades of pink, they do carry some irregular colors that most brands don't carry like white, blue, green and black. Also, they all dry to a matte finish so I do need a gloss if I want a bit of shine. Since these dried to a matte finish on me, after about 20-30 minutes of wear, my lips did feel noticeably drier. I sure a bit of balm or gloss ontop would help though.

The loose pigments are not as pigmented as MAC but they are very pretty nonetheless. Of all the colors, the Cherrybomb and Tesoro were the most pigmented. The blues in Cavu Blue and Static were the most sheer. However, with a base they really pop up. At $10 for 2.5 grams, it's pretty good deal. It's about half the price of MUFE and MAC. The only issue I really have is that you can't try these in person as they are only sold online at OCC unless you were able to go to IMATS.

Overall, I think this is a great line. To top it off, OCC is also 100% vegan and animal-cruelty free. The staff at IMATS were super friendly and I have never found a lip product anywhere quite like lip tars. They are one of a kind and definitely worth a try at the least.

IMATS 2010 #2: Random Pictures

2010-06-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

This whole line was for Crown...

Krylon

Cute heart necklace

One of the SA's at a booth whose eye I liked =D

Student Makeup Artist preparing for the competition

Video of the Student Competition.

Pro MUA panel

Director of Artistry at MAC, Gregory Arlt doing his Makeup For the Red Carpet class

Owner and Creater of MUFE, Dany Sanz in the Iconoclast class.

Fangirl rave! Dany Sanz is absolutely fabulous and I never use that word. She was beyond amazing and her class was definitely the highlight of IMATS for me. She is such an inspiration and her makeup line is absolutely fantastic. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to go back next year.

I'll leave you with this, the end result of Dany Sanz's Iconoclast class.

IMATS 2010 #1: Hauls and Booths

2010-06-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

It was a huge freaking jumbo of a mess and the crowds were insane. I got there at 7:20am. The office to get tickets opened at 8:00am. IMATS opened at 8:30am. At 7:20am I was the 5th person in line. At 7:25 it was over 50 people. By the time they started handing out tickets, the line was out to the door with over a hundred people.

After that, I waited in line to get into the convention center. Once opened and inside, I ran for MUFE and quickly made my order. I already knew what I wanted to get so I got in line quickly. There was no one around helping as they were all busy ringing people up and filling orders. I filled out my order sheet and then promptly got yelled at by this SA who told me that I had to turn in the order sheet before getting in line to pay. Well, considering that no one told me this when I got the form, I just gave her a puzzled look while she moved on to yell at other people in line... except she took their order forms. Ok.

SA's doing orders

I got these items at 40% off and the orders were all out of order so it took forever for them to fill it. By the time I finished paying the line was wrapped all around the entire booth and that line remained like that for the rest of the day. It was an average of 1+ hour wait to get through.

Here's what I picked up from MUFE

HD High Definition Foundation in 118 and 120, HG High Definition Powder
Aqua Eyes in 14L, 7L, 20L, 12L, 3L, 11L, 6L, 0L, 8L (Sorry no closeups since I'm waiting to open them when I use them)

I am a bit sad though since I ordered the Fuchsia Pink Aqua Eyes eyeliner as well and it is on my receipt but I never got the item. =/

After MUFE I headed over to OCC. Everyone there was super nice. I loved all of the lip tars and loose powders. The lip tars are usually $12.50 and were $10 at IMATS. The loose powders are usually $10 and went for $8. The nail polishes are usually $8 and went for $5. This brand is 100% vegan and animal-cruelty free.

I went a bit overboard with my haul there...

All of their loose colours

Lip Tars in Hush, Memento, Grandma, Anime, NSFW, Pageant, Demure, Hoochie

Loose colour in Iced, Cherrybomb, Burning, Flicker, Ginger, Chlorophyll, Nori, Cavu Blue, Static, Tesoro

Nail Polish in Anime, Spanglemaker

I went to Yaby next because I wanted to get the premade 40 well eyeshadow palettes. I've been hearing about these palettes on and off for the past year and really wanted to get both. When I got there, I was not impressed with their display. Basically, they just had their palettes out on the table without anything special but I didn't care because I heard that their eyeshadows were of great quality. I got there pretty early and they only brought their palettes and eyeshadows. Stock was low. I ended up getting the Dramatically Neutral and Something Bright Palettes, but they only had 1 on hand. Not only that but there were several eyeshadows missing from each palette. They didn't even tell me until I asked about it. The response? "We're still trying to get the formulation right." Um.. the brand's been out for a long time now. The palettes on display have the missing eyeshadows. So I got to pick out extra eyeshadows to replace the ones missing but since the 2 palettes have all 80 of their eyeshadows, I had to pick out colors I already got.

To add to this, when I opened up some of my purchases during lunch, I found that one of the eyeshadows was partially shattered and had to go back to get it replaced. =/

Something Bright Palette with cracked eyeshadow

Some of the extra eyeshadows to replace the missing ones

I'm still missing 2 eyeshadows and the Dramatically Neutral Palette which I'm suppose to get in the mail in 2 weeks.

Next I headed over towards Urban Decay. On the way I saw NYX's huge booth. Here are pictures of a couple of sides. I think they had EVERYTHING there for sale which was quite a sight. I've never seen their whole selection anywhere before.

When I got to Urban Decay, I was quite excited because I saw the new Naked palettes that are coming out this week. I asked the SA there if I could get a look at the palette and she very rudely told me to look at "that one" and pointed at one I thought was being used by another SA. When I asked if they were selling any during IMATS, she yelled at me again that they aren't selling anything as if it was common knowledge and I should know better. Wow. I'm very turned off by Urban Decay after that experience.

Afterwards I headed over to Stila and was able to pick up the Travel Palette! The guy who helped me was very nice and explained the whole concept to me about there being a new LE travel palette every month and that I can follow the adventures of the Stila Girl on their site. I already knew all of that but I listened anyways because he just seemed so excited about telling me. I thought it was very awesome.

Travel Palette #1 with Convertible Color in Hibiscus, eyeshadows in Southern Pink, Snow Bunny, City Chick, Valley Girl

Note: Hibisicus is also LE and only available in this palette.

I finally got the courage to go to MAC which was even more maddness than MUFE. A friend of mine headed straight there when the doors opened and even though she was one of the very first people in line, she still had to wait over 2 hours to pay. Yikes. Apparently at MUFE and MAC people were buying hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars of product and ringing everything up took forever. I took one look at the line and passed. It was not worth 20% off one item for me. I only wanted Fix+ since I'm almost out.

Crazy line at MAC

This is just the start of the line, it wrapped around a lot

Later on in the day I got to the Bobbi Brown counter that was apart of Namie's. Everything was 40% off!!! I ended up with more stuff. Yikes. I just couldn't pass up 40% off though.

Eyeshadows in Pink Pearl 16, Lilac 7, Eggplant 5, Petal 2, Heather 15, Saddle 61

Blushes in Plum 5, Tawny 2, Pink Coral 8, Apricot 6

I actually wanted a blush in Coral instead of Pink Coral but they were out of stock. =/

Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Pink Truffle

Oi, I'm done. Done!

Nail Polishes Galore!

2010-06-26T04:31:00.000-07:00

I needed more toner so I went to Ulta and low and behold, they had a nice little GWP to go with it. Spend $28 and receive a bag with Oasis Mist, Sea Mineral Scrub, Face Oasis Ultra Hydrator, Night Oasis Oxygenating Energizer Serum.

I got 2 toners to get the GWP =)

I've been slowly getting into Nail Art since last year. I used to own only a few Wet'n'Wild polishes but now I'm obsessed with OPI. Nail stuff I've picked up in the past week or so.

OPI set with Top Coat, Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot!

OPI in Funky Dunkey, Charged Up Cherry, Rumple's Wiggin', Sahara Sapphire

Free Chic Set with $10 purchase at Ulta. OPI in OPI Ink, Rosy Future, Top Coat

Sinful Colors in Aqua 10, Dozen Roses 5, Pearl Harbor 115 - on clearance at some store for $0.49 each!

I really like some of the design templates but I wonder if they'll work

Essence Nail Art Stampy Set, Color & Go polish - no name

I tried out this set and it did not work well with the items they give you... I could never scrap off the excess polish correctly and the stamp that is provided didn't pick up the Essence nail polish well no matter how fast I went. I think the template disc is fine but that I'd need to use a blade to scrap off the excess nail polish and better nail polish.

This is the best I could do with what I was given in the set.

Since Essence didn't work out too well for me, I got on ebay and order some of these Konad ripoff's. I hope these work better.

12 discs with various designs

Also comes with a stamp and something to scraper. This is a bad omen.. It's the same stamp and scraper found in the Essence set. I hope it doesn't suck as much. =(

Picked up from blades to hopefully make it work better along with a big bottle of Acetone

Just for fun, this is my whole nail polish stash. As you can tell, I love OPI.

IMATS & Nordstrom's Beauty Event

2010-06-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

I'm going to IMATS this weekend. I'm extremely excited. For those of you who don't know, it's a huge cosmetics convention for professional makeup artists. I'm not a makeup artist but it is open to the public. Tickets range from $15 to $65 depending on what you want to do and how many days you want to go for. There are lectures, classes, shows and most major professional brands will have booths. Many brands will have not yet released collections and some will give discounts to attendees. I really hope that I'll have my iphone in time so that I can do photo updates while I'm down there.

Some of the brands I'm looking forward to:
Bobbi Brown (Namies) - If there's a discount I may pick up a few things
Cinema Secrets - I want to check out their face products
Crown Brush - Definitely picking up a few brushes
Embryolisse - I want to check out their skincare products
FACE Atelier - Foundations
Hakuhodo - More brushes
Iwata-Medea - And more brushes
Kryolan - Their theatre makeup
MAC - See if they'll have the next collection up and also if there are any discounts
Make Up For Ever (MUFE) - There is a 40% discount from what I heard so I want to pick up some foundations, aqua eyeliners, cream eyeshadows
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Definitely some lip products
Stila - Maybe pick up a $10 travel palette if they have any, I don't want to pay for shipping from the Stila site for 1 item and it's not available anywhere else.
Urban Decay - I'm hoping to see the fall collection
Yaby - I really want both of the premade eyeshadow palettes which have been sold out on their site forever

Nordstrom's Annual Beauty Event starts on July 12th but you can preorder now online and instores. I usually don't pick up much from this except a few items from the Nordstrom's exclusive MAC collection. This year, I'm not feeling it. There's only one item that I really want and that's the shu uemura eye & cheek palette.

I'm not usually a fan of palettes with powder and cream products in them as it can get really messy but I really love everything in this. Four great eyeshadows that will go great together to make an effortless everyday eye in pearly gold, pink rose, metallic brown and charcoal black. Two cream eyeliners in black and white. A very pretty and pigmented blush in a peachy pink color. This is definitely a great throw in your bag palette as it has just about everything except your foundation, mascara and lip product. I love this whole palette so much I may just pick up two.

After seeing everything from the Nordstrom's Annual Beauty Event, I'm really glad that I don't want anything else because all of my money will be going to IMATS.

iPhone 4

2010-06-19T03:10:00.001-07:00

What a mess! I got so many different answers to questions I had about preordering. I had At&t sales reps tell me I could preorder any day and they weren't running out. I had some tell me that I couldn't preorder because I wasn't eligible for an upgrade (not true!). I had some tell me that I shouldn't bother coming in on the 15th to preorder because they had a huge stock and weren't going to sellout. I had another tell me that there were going to be lines around the block...

So I showed up at 9am at my local At&t store and there were a few people in the store, definitely no lines though. I think the only lines were in NYC and maybe SF/LA. I didn't bother going into the store since we wanted to order online, but we couldn't order online due to the massive server lag. Everyone and their mother seemed to be online complaining about the error messages. Since we couldn't order online we went back to the store at 9:40 and I put myself on the list. I wanted to kick myself! It went from a few people at 9am to a 3 page list 40 minutes later. There were a ton of people in the store and many gave up and left out of frustration. They eventually got to me at 10:45am. At that point there were only a dozen or so people left. It took the sales rep over 1 hour to upgrade our account and preorder. Granted we had 4 lines to do (family plan) but only 2 of them were iphones. By the time I left more people were showing up for the lunch hour rush.

After everything was done, I found out that the iphone sold out in 20 hours! I think it would have sold out a lot faster if the servers weren't lagged to death by the number of orders and upgrades. I'm so glad I didn't listen to any of the At&t sales reps who told me that I could order any day.... Anyone who ordered after it sold out are still getting their iPhones... on July 2nd!

This is the 2nd time in my life I've ever looked forward to getting a new phone. The first time was when I got my very first phone. I was XX years old and my boyfriend at the time got it for me as a birthday present. It was the newest phone Nokia had at that time and looked something like this:

on the right

I thought I was so cool back in 1999. It had a huge antenna, no color, no camera, no pictures, no internet, nothing. Just regular calls and text. I don't think we could even download custom ringtones back then either! I could not fit it in my pocket and forget small purses! Geez, I remember when nano's were cool. And no, I'm not talking about ipod nanos. I'm talking about this!

Nano pets!

Everyone had one and we'd feed and train it during class. Yeah, feel sad for my generation. Oi, I'm going to stop now, this is just making me feel old.. "I remember back when.."

(No way am I telling you when I got my first phone, then you'll all know just how old I am!!!)

Last Ditch Guerlain Haul

2010-06-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Guerlain Meteorites in Mystic. I use this everyday as a final and light setting powder which gives me a very slight glow which I love. So it was only a matter of time before I got my heart broken... Guerlain has discontinued my favorite balls. The original permanant ones were 01 Mystic, 02 Pink Fresh and 03 Beige Chic. They are replaced by Teint Rose 01, Teint Beige 002, Teint Dore 03. I can't say I'm exactly thrilled as the colors are different as well as the formulation. They are less shimmery now and a lot more matte. The only improvement I see is in the packaging but I don't think it's worth another price hike. =/

Mid-heartache I bought some more to hopefully allow me to make it through the next couple of years.

Butterfly Pearls

Butterfly Pearls

Mystic

Pink Fresh

Beige Chic

Clockwise from top: Pink Fresh, Mystic, Beige Chic

The awful brush that comes with the minis

Meteorites Voyage

I really hope they don't discontinue the refills on this. I love sticking this in my purse and for trips.

Mascara Shield

2010-06-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

I picked up a mascara shield in Japan and absolutely love it. I use it all of the time. I wanted to try a few others to see if I could find something that is easier to handle. I could not find this in any store in the US. I tried so many Asian grocery and beauty stores to no avail. I ended up buying them off of ebay.

#1

#2

#3

#4

Impressions

#1

This is the one I picked up in Japan. I cost me about $4 and was rather hard to find as most of the stores I went to had a very small selection and were sold out. I really like it but it is a little awkward to hold while applying my mascara. I love how small it is though and it's great for travel. It is pretty easy to clean except for the side with the fine bristols. I still haven't been able to fully clean out the dried up mascara that is stuck between. It fits well over my lid and I generally don't get any mascara goop on my lids except when I accidentally push it up when I am applying mascara.

#2

I picked up this and the next 2 up on ebay. They were all pretty cheap for around $1-2 each. This one does look a bit intimidating but it fits over my eye very well. It is easy to handle but a bit more difficult to clean as there are ridges that are raised and extend out. There is a lot of room so I'm assured of not getting any mascara goop on my lips. The end part is useful but again, hard to clean. Since it's not very wide or curved like #1, it was awkward placing it under my lashes and not as effective.

#3

This one is similar to #2 but it's thicker and smaller. Since the edges are thicker, it doesn't fit as well around my eye and feels a bit clumsy. The area that is suppose to 'protect' your lid is so small, I would bump the mascara wand onto my lid. Definitely not as well designed as #2. This also has the fine comb on the fine which also is a pain to clean but was a bit more effective as it is wider.

#4

This was advertised as a mascara shield and eyeliner tool. I can use is as a mascara shield but it is way too thick to be very effective. This is more of an eyeliner tool with 2 ends, light and deep. The light side has a flatter curve while the deep side is pretty rounded. You place whichever side that best fits your eye and it helps hold down your lashes/skin as you line your eyes. I do think this is very nice to use, but if you're already proficient doing your eyeliner it doesn't help as much. This is great though if you are older and your skin isn't as firm. This definitely gives you more control when applying. I can see myself using this on other people and am glad that I got it, but as a mascara shield, it sucks.

Overall I like #2 the best. It's the easiest to use. I've been reaching for it a more than any of the others though I have to say that #4 is also a great tool though I barely use it. #3 went in the trash and #1 went into my travel bag.

This is a great cheap tool to try. I'd recommend this to everyone as it makes my mascara application so much better. I'm able to push the mascara wand into my lashes more giving me a better and thicker coat. I don't know how I ever lived without one.

*Sorry the colors are a bit off but the items are either baby blue or baby pink.

Stila @ Costco

2010-06-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

While at Costco the other day, they had a huge crate of Stila sets. I've seen other Stila sets there before as well as Smashbox. They pop up in Costco stores every now and then and are a great value. This set was $19.99. You can call up your local Costco and ask for item #498587 'Stila Eye Set Cool or Warm' and they should be able to tell you every Costco that currently carries them.

I got the set in Cool and it includes everything you'll need for a full face except for cheeks and lips. The Warm set includes all of the same items but with different eyeshadows. The Warm set has eyeshadows in Lame, Chloe and Kitten. I was a bit curious how much all of this would cost if I had to buy it separately, so I made a little chart.

Item	Full sized weight	Full sized price	Set weight	Set price
Brush #30	--	$32	--	$32
Lash Visor Mascara in Black	.28 fl oz	$20	.28 fl oz	$20
Smudge Pot in Black	.14 oz	$20	.07 oz	$10
One Step Makeup in Medium	1 fl oz	$44	.1 fl oz	$4.40
Eye Shadow Trio Palette	.32 oz	$10	.32 oz	$10

Retail price of the set is $76.40. Not bad for $19.99, especially if you only want a couple of items from this set.

Eyeshadow in Stone, Smog, Kitten

Compared to a regular sized Stila eyeshadow

Swatch L-R: Stone, Smog, Kitten

Eye of the Day using everything from this set.

Top 2 are in natural lighting, bottom 2 inside

Impressions

Brush: It's not bad but it does feel machine made and rough. The brush feels a bit scratchy on my skin but it does what it needs to do. I would not pay $32 for this brush at all. This feels like a drugstore brush that you'd get for $5. The quality is similar to Sonia Kashuk or Essence of Beauty for me.

Mascara: Nothing special. It's a wet formula and doesn't add any volume or length to my lashes. It took a lot of coats to make the mascara really show up and give me a little bit of volume. There's no clumping when I applied it but there's a bit of flaking later on. Not worth $20. I'm a lot happier with cheaper alternatives like Covergirl Lashblast or L'Oreal Voluminous.

Smudge Pot: It's like any other gel liner to me (similar to MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, etc.). Creamy formula. It does not last on the waterline but works fine as a liner and to tightline my upper lashes. Since it's nothing special, I'll stick to brands I like better like MAC.

One Step Makeup: Eh. I'm not a fan of concealer or foundations as part of a set. There are too many different skin tones out there and chances are that the 1 concealer or foundation included in the set will not match. However, I think including a tinted moisturizer is fine since it's so sheer it'll work for a larger variety of people. The foundation shade included (medium) is definitely too yellow for my skin. That aside, the actual product isn't that great. From the Stila website, it's suppose to be a primer, foundation, concealer and powder all in one. As a primer, no. It's seems to define my lines and bumpy skin more than anything. As a foundation, it blends out well and applies smoothly but doesn't provide a lot of coverage. As a concealer, no. Just no. This product already doesn't provide very much coverage; it definitely didn't cover up any of my acne or scars. As a powder, it does set to a powder finish and doesn't feel oily. It leaves me with a matte look which isn't bad but this is definitely not a one step makeup. And all of this for $44. No thanks.

Eyeshadow Trio: It's not bad. Besides Kitten, the colors are a bit sheer. Without a base they stayed that way no matter how much I tried to layer it on. Eventually I used the Smudge Pot as a base to get the color to show up more. Even though Kitten was the best eyeshadow out of the 3, I am getting very sick of it. Every single Stila kit/set/palette seems to have Kitten in it. I have around 6 Kitten eyeshadows in various palettes alone. I love the color, but I think Stila needs to change it up a bit.

Overall: I wish I didn't buy it. Not worth $19.99 despite all of the items I got. I didn't love anything in the set and the quality in general was not great. I'll probably finish up the mascara just so it doesn't go to waste. Toss the One Step foundation since it doesn't match and doesn't do anything for me. Keep the brush just because. I'll use the smudge pot (probably stick it in my travel bag). The eyeshadows will probably see very little use though. I'll probably end up giving it away.

250?!

2010-05-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

Edit 06/07/2010

My petition email to reinstall the giveaway video worked! Yay! It's back up on youtube. =D

Edit 06/04/2010

Apparently someone didn't like my giveaway video and flagged it, even though it was only a series of photos of makeup and some text relating to it. I'm not sure who commented to enter so I'll try to get the video back up. If that doesn't work I'll be doing the giveaway here in my blog where I hope it won't be flagged and deleted. If not, I guess no giveaway.

I'm very upset about this as many, many other people post giveaways every single day on youtube. I don't have a lot of subscribers and I was so happy to reach 250 that I wanted to do something nice for the people who have supported and followed me all of this time. One rotten apple to spoil the lot eh?

I don't know why or how this happened but I have 250 subscribers on youtube. I don't advertise or really tell anyone that I do this so I'm very shocked. I'm shocked that anyone follows me on here too!

As appreciation for following along with my obsession with makeup, I'm doing a giveaway on my youtube channel.

Please be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's/guardian's permission.

This is open worldwide as long as USPS will deliver there.

Please comment on the youtube video and be a subscriber (1 comment per subscriber).

~~Ends June 13, 2010. I will announce winners that week.~~
**Extending it until June 20, 2010 at midnight PST because it was taken down for a bit**

Prizes:
#1 - NARS Deep Throat Blush and Striptease Lipgloss set
#2 - NARS 9947 Palette
#3 - Urban Decay Get Baked Palette

Plus all 3 winners will get a makeup bag or brush roll similar to the one in the video (different colors/sizes). (Please note that the makeup and makeup brushes in the makeup bag shown are not included.)

Visit my etsy shop to see what I have available.

All items are BN, the ones opened in the video are mine.

MAC To The Beach Haul

2010-05-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a MAC haul in a long long time. I honestly wasn't planning on it because I own so much MAC already and none of the collections excite me lately. Hipness Blush was re-released and I had passed on it in before (I wasn't in a blush mood back then) so I definitely wanted it this time around. While I was at it, I took a look at the other items they had.

Thrills lipstick looked very pretty on my hand, but not on my lips. Way too orange for my Light/Med NC30 skin tone. I range from NC25 in winter to NC30 in the summer.

I passed on all of the eyeshadows, only a couple of colors were new. Of of the new ones, nothing stood out. There are similar colors in the permanent line. Ditto on the lipsticks and lipglasses.

I also passed on of the bronzing items. The powders are similar to the permanent line and my oily skin does not like the creme bronzer at all. It didn't feel nice on my skin, more like it would melt off.

The Bronze Body Oil doesn't really do anything. There's a very slight shimmer when you apply it to your skin, but you can find that for cheaper at the drugstore or mix your own using lotion and some shimmery loose powder.

I was actually interested in the Lustre Drops as a highlight but as with the Bronze Body Oil, there's a very slight shimmer/sheen which wasn't too noticeable. I can get the same effect with my strobe cream or adding a bit of vanilla pigment to my lotion/foundation. Not worth it.

I am however considering going back for the #131 Duo Fibre Powder / Blush Brush. It's like the 187 in that it has both natural and synthetic hair. It is a flat tappered brush which I think will be nice for a light blush application. At $40 though, I'll have to think about it since I already have the #188 which is a small version of the #187.

Blush in Hipness

High-Light Powder in Marine Life

Eye Kohl in Float On By

A couple of items that I've been meaning to pick up

Eyeshadow in Shale (I fell in love when I saw pixiwoo use it on her mother)

Paint Pot in Delft (Very lovely teal green. I actually used 1 up so this is a replacement!)

I also picked up a couple of empty MAC eyeshadow quads. If you like them, I'd pick a few up soon as well since they are replacing the current quads for the ones used in the Forecast Collection. They are bigger and thicker using a magnet to close. It doesn't feel any sturdier to me, just bulky. I believe they'll also be replacing the current 15 pan and blush palettes in that style. Not an improvement but probably a good enough reason for MAC to raise their prices yet again.

And I have to thank my very sweet, very awesome, very cute boyfriend who bought all of this for me. ♥

Makeup Bags & Brush Rolls

2010-05-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'm an avid DIY'er. I've been sewing and knitting since I was 12 years old. I remember the day I saved yup my allowance (I used to get $5 a week) and went to Walmart to get knitting needles and yarn. I don't know what brought it on but I wanted to knit. Eventually that turned into sewing. I enjoy sewing but I'm not fancy, I'm not a professional at all. In high school I saved my meager allowance again (it was $20 per week this time and suppose to be used for lunch at school) and got myself a sewing machine at Walmart. It was $99.99, the cheapest one they had and I got it. I've been using it ever since. Yes, I get frustrated because it's so cheap it's very limiting as to what I can do, but I've pulled through.

When I was getting ready for my trip to Asia, I was looking around for a good brush roll or bag to put my travel brushes in but didn't see anything that I liked or easy to use. Plus most of the brush rolls I found were for standard sized brushes, not travel. My main concern was the homemade ones I found were cloth. Cloth is great, but I've used cloth brush rolls before and they get dirty very quickly. I wanted something with vinyl inside to keep it clean. Well I didn't end up finding anything, so during my trip I would wrap my used brushes with tissue before sticking it back into my bag. Let's just say.. I had a lot of lint by the end of my trip..

When I came back I decided I would make my own brush rolls in preparation for any trips I might have planned. It's been over a month (almost 2!) but here they are! Just in time since I have a trip to LA coming up. =D

Makeup Bag & Brush Roll All In One

Brush Roll

I am in the mist of editing a DIY video for the second brush roll and will post it up on youtube soon. I also got into the mood to sew again and started making more brush rolls than I need. I decided to open up an Etsy shop to sell. Please let me know what you think! =D

Amore Cosmetics

2010-05-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've found another store in my area that sells Asian cosmetics and I've very happy to have found it! They sell Laneige and Iope. Sadly no Etude House though. I was told by one vendor that Etude House wasn't avaible to buy in the US and she is not able to order it.

From Amore

Yup, everything except for the 1 white box in the lower left are samples! She was beyond generous with them and I do find this to be a common trend with Korean cosmetic vendors. The silver box had small bottles of skincare.

Laneige

Multi Professional Shadow in 03

Castledew

While there, I headed to the Korean supermarket and found Castledew lipglosses and nailpolishes. I love the lipglosses - great sweet fruity scent.

From the Shiseido store down the street

10 One time use Purederm Masks - I love these and use 1 each week to hydrate my skin

Shiseido

Sample, GWP Ultimate Cleansing Oil, Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 PA+++

Closeup of the sample, yes sample. Not a GWP. She just threw that in there for fun.

I just needed to pick up some more of my favorite sunscreen and since it was a buy 2 get a GWP deal, I picked up 2. The GWP was a Shiseido beach bag in blue and the cleansing oil. I was very happy to find more of the hydrating cloth masks. I tend to find them in Korean beauty and cosmetic stores. They are very smoothing to put on after a long day at work.

Asia Trip 07 - Last Forgotten Japan Haul

2010-05-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

I had some time to kill before my bus to the airport left and decided to go on 1 last hunt for the elusive eyelash guard/mascara shield. There's no set name for this item when I search online. Sometimes it's called an eyelash helper. It's basically a piece of plastic that's shaped to fit over your eyelid. You put it behind your lashes when you apply your mascara so that you don't get mascara goop on your eyelids. I know I can probably do this easily with a piece of paper, but I hate the waste. Plus this is a lot studier.

I thought this item was a pretty standard makeup tool in Japan as every store I visited and asked carried it, but it was out of stock everywhere! It drove me a little nuts. I ended up finding this, a small travel sized mascara guard by Koji. I've also ordered a couple more online and will do a review on them when I receive them in the mail.

BTW, Koji makes a wide variety of eyelash curlers. If you have any problems with the eyelash curlers that are available in the US, I highly suggest looking into Koji ones. The best eyelash curler is one that fits your eye shape and doesn't pinch while making a nice rounded curl. Koji delivers and they also make them in a HUGE variety of different sizes! You're sure to find one that fits your eye shape.

Koji Mascara Shield/Guard

Opened with fine bristles on 1 end to help separate your lashes.

Shiseido Maquillage

Eyes Creator (3D) in VI367

I also picked up this last eyeshadow palette. I've been wanting it but hadn't seen it anywhere until this last store that I visited.

View from my hotel room in Tokyo

Shibuya 109! The infamous shopping mall filled with only shops targeted for females.

A closeup of an event they were having there. That place was always crazy crowded.

Hello Kitty Flowers!

I also got to the flagship Sanrio store in Ginza, which was a huge disappointment for me. This is the homeland and birthplace of Hello Kitty! I was expecting a lot more. There was 1 small store on the first floor with Hello Kitty collections like Reebok and jewelry but honestly there was hardly anything there worth looking at. There was also a teeny tiny boutique that made Sanrio flower arrangements at outrageous prices. The flowers I posted above go for over $100US!

The second floor was bigger. When you go up the escalator, the store actually is centered around it. Each section was devoted to a 'theme' or type. There was 1 wall of charms, which after a while all started to look the same. There were some collectibles, but not much and overpriced. One little wall for Little Twin Stars, One little wall for Hello Kitty Vanity/makeup type products. One wall for kitchen products, and so on. They had more than your average American Sanrio store, but definitely LESS than the old flagship store that used to be in San Francisco. There was hardly any stationary or pens either. Ontop of everything, I was expecting products that were exclusive to Japan. Most of the products actually had the same price tag stickers that we have in the US. In English! I found that funny. They put their own store stickers over it with the Japanese price which was higher than the US prices on there.... Needless to say, I didn't buy much and it was a huge letdown. This was the biggest Sanrio in Tokyo. I went to a few other stores and they were tiny little hole in the walls.

If you are interested in seeing more Sanrio, I would suggest going to Puroland. It's a Sanrio themepark about 40 min west of Tokyo by train. From the train station, it's a 5 minute walk to the themepark. Be forewarned though, it's small.

I Hate Google.

2010-04-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

I hate Google. Yes I use blogger but I've just about had it. I hate how Google links every single account that it owns and then how you can't unlink or delete them without deleting ALL OF YOUR ACCOUNTS. That "Edit" next to "My Products" is a joke. You can't edit anything. It's USE everything Google and be linked to EVERYTHING GOOGLE or delete it all. I'm 99.999% to the delete it all button. Might be time to go back to livejournal...

Keeping It Clean

2010-04-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Belletrist9 posted this on Makeupalley in response to this article in the LA times. I think this is a wonderful breakdown addressing fears/peeves about sharing makeup and makeup testers at stores. There's also great information on how to sanitize makeup.

1. I'm not picking on you or anyone else who's written a response to this post, but I call this all a load of crock. I read the article, and I thought it was actually quite intelligent, balanced and fair, and pointed out how it's dangerous to use products that can't be sanitized, like creams in jars or anything that doesn't have a top layer that can be scraped off. Even then, I call bullsh*t on trying to find skincare items in squeezy tubes which are supposedly more safe, which I'll explain a little later.

2. I really disagree with the ridiculously germaphobic culture we have here, and the promotion of it. It's like everyone is living in a delusional little bubble. There are bacteria and microorganisms EVERYWHERE. Most of them actually come from us and each other. When I plate e. coli in lab, I light a bunsen burner and let it burn a little, before opening my petri dish and conducting my entire experiment under a flame. The reason for this is that bacteria and other microorganisms are constantly falling off of my skin and from my breath. Most of them are fairly harmless (but would ruin my experiment), every once in a while there's a bad bug, and this is why you get sick from being around sick people. Therefore, if you think you're preserving the sterility of your face cream by using a spatula to scoop it out, you're delusional. There is bacteria falling into it all the time. Likewise, pump bottles are not actually much more sanitary unless they're airless pumps because each pump draws in contaminated air. This is why products with no preservatives are a total load of bullsh*t unless you're keeping them in the fridge and tossing them every two weeks. They are much more potentially hazardous to your health (especially if you're smearing them all over your face, near your eyes, nose and mouth) than something with a minute amount of preservatives which no scientific evidence has showed to be conclusively dangerous.

3. Most makeup testers are just fine to play with. Powder products cannot harbor bacteria or other microorganisms because there's nothing they can feed off of. Alcohol is really very, very effective at killing microorganisms and evaporates off safely. In the lab, we use 70% alcohol to sterilize. Spraying powders and wiping off the top layer is really just fine. Liquids can't be sanitized and shouldn't be tested (liquid liners, glosses, etc). Lipsticks need to be held in alcohol for about 60 seconds to kill all the bacteria and other microorganisms, but alcohol can't kill viruses - this is not because they are that much smaller, it's because viruses can't be killed with alcohol. They have to be pressure cooked to disintegration. However, most viruses naturally degrade outside a host organism after several hours anyway (except for tuberculosis which can lie dormant in a glacier for thousands of years and warm up just fine).

4. However, given Herpes Simplex Virus 1 is what is most likely to be present, especially in lip products, I really wouldn't worry about it as it is a very, very prevalent and relatively benign virus. The World Health Organization estimates 80% of people are infected by middle age (say 40). First infection in adults is usually asymptomatic and many people carry the virus for life and give it to other people without ever having a sore (on the lips, in the mouth on the attached gingiva - the hard parts, and/or fever blisters - look like whitish cystic pimples but hurt like hell and don't pop - around and in the nose). You don't have to have a sore to be contagious, but you are definitely contagious if you have a sore. Once you have it, you have it forever as HSV-1 particles hide out in the nerve cells at the base of your neck (around there anyway) and recur due to various stimuli (heat, cold, spicy foods, etc). Most people actually get it from kissing their parents as kids. You would have to never ever share a utensil, food or drink, or kiss anyone on the lips to avoid getting this virus for sure. The only way to test for it is to swab a sore, so you can't test for it if you don't have a sore since the virus is not bloodborne. In general though, it's such a non-life-threatening, mostly just annoying thing, it's really just social stigma that makes it psychologically painful for people to have it. (Though, in infants and immunocompromised adults, it can cause disseminated visceral lesions and death if it does get into the bloodstream.) Herpes Simplex Virus 1 is genetically very similar to Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (genital herpes) which hides out in the nerve cells at the base of the spine, therefore recurring in the genitalia.

5. Anti-bacterial hand washes are also counter-productive. The hand sanitizer ones are great when you don't have water, but they are really no more effective than regular washing with soap at killing bacteria and other microorganisms. Soap, and other detergents, have a nonpolar end and a polar end, just like the lipids that make up the cell membranes of microorganisms (and our own bodies' cells) so when you put them in soapy water, they are literally ripped apart. Continuously using cleansers with antimicrobial ingredients kills less than 1% more microorganisms and promotes resistance and breeds superbugs.

I hope that was coherent, and I hope that makes people think a little. And if anyone is curious, I'm a 4th year undergraduate student in bioengineering and I have been doing university level cell biology, microbiology and synthetic biology research in 5 different university labs at 3 different institutions in the last 10 years.

[I did ask for permission to use her information]

Asia Trip 06 - Japan Haul

2010-04-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Saving the best for last, the prettiest makeup brand I've ever laid eyes on. Jill Stuart! I waited to buy this last to prolong my excitement. I think I need help. =(

In their boxes

All opened..

Blush Compact with detachable brush

I love this brush!

Mix Blush Compact in 06 Fresh Apricot

Mix Blush Compact in 02 Rose Bloom

Eyeshadow Compact

Jewel Crystal Eyes in 01 Crystal Ruby

Jewel Crystal Eyes in 03 Princess Sapphire

Illuminance Eyes in 06 Blossoming Shine

Jelly Eye Jar

Jelly Eye Color N in 04 Platinum Satin

Jelly Eye Color N in 08 Crystal Sky

Liquid Eyeliner in 06 Taupemist

I can't say it enough. Everything is beautiful. Of all of the brands I was looking forward to seeing in Asia, this was at the top of the list. The quality of the makeup is phenomenal. The packaging is right up my alley. The only thing is, it's one of the more expensive brands in Japan so I had to practice a lot of restraint. I tried to make sure I didn't go into any department stores until towards to the end of my trip. I was afraid I'd spend all of my money on Jill Stuart instead of food. =(

Asia Trip 05 - Japan Drugstore Haul

2010-04-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

When in Tokyo, I dropped by a random store near my hotel for medicine. Low and behold it was also had a huge selection of cosmetics, bath and body products! I can't say it enough; I love cosmetics shopping in Asia. I might not understand the language but pretty, pretty I understand. =D

Everything

Shiseido Maquillage

Compact and blush

Shiseido Maquillage

Design Cheek Colors in 70

Kanebo Coffret D'or

Jewelcious Eyes in 04

Kanebo Coffret D'or

Compact and eyeshadows

I thought that compact was for the eyeshadows since they were place next to each other but alas I was wrong. That compact is for their blushes. There's a smaller compact for the eyeshadows but it only houses one! Umm.. no thanks. I meant to pick up a blush to put in the compact since I couldn't return it but I forgot. Proximity =/= Compatibility

Kanebo Coffret D'or

Single Eyeshadows in WN-33 and GY-37

Kanebo Coffret D'or

IC Blush in OR-25 and PK-25

I love these blushes. They are a knockoff of the Jill Stuart ones at half the price! Very pretty princessy packaging which I adore and they come with a very cute brush just like the Jill Stuart ones. I'm still not sure if I want to keep them or give they away yet hence why they're not completely opened. I love the packaging, look and feel but I usually don't wear loose powder blush.

Kanebo Kate

Gel Eye Liner in BU-1 and GR-1 (looks like poo..)

Asia Trip 04 - Singapore Drugstore Haul

2010-04-19T04:40:00.000-07:00

I think I said it all in the previous post. These items I got from Watson's. It's a pretty well known drugstore which I found in one of the many malls. The selection of cosmetics and bath products was great! I definitely loved looking around and testing out the colors there. They had testers which weren't stolen or nasty like the ones I'd typically see in the US - that's if they even have testers...

Altogether now!

Shiseido Majolica Majorca

Jeweling Eyes in VI782

Shiseido Majolica Majorca

Cheek Customize in PK333, OR322, OR211

For this and the single eyeshadows, you can actually buy a compact to put them in but I didn't think it was worth the extra expense, especially since the blush compacts only fit one. I think the current eyeshadow compacts only fit two. The older ones which were discontinued years ago used to fit more. If they brought those back, I'd definitely get one.

Shiseido Majolica Majorca

Frozen Splash Eyes in GR732

Shiseido Majolica Majorca

Rouge Majiex in PK313, PK338, OR317

Kose Fasio

Shade Trick Eyes in GR-4

Wet'N'Wild Silkygirl

Funky Eyelights Pencil in 07 Solid Gold, 10 Cool Blue, 08 Frosty Silver

I'm in love with these eyeliners. I already had four of them and wanted to add more colors to my stash. Very creamy and easy to put on and the lasting power is great for the price. I would definitely love to get the rest of them someday.

ZA and Linequeen

Ever Brows in GY 70, Glitterliner in Silver Lame (might be Dame, I can't make out the letter)

I'm in love! I used to use MAC brow duo and now all I ever reach for is the ZA Ever Brow. The color is a great match for me and is hard to find in American brands as they generally do not make grey brow products. It works for me though since my hair is so black. Definitely HG status!

I love everything I got in Singapore and wish I got more since they had items from older collections that weren't available in Japan. The prices were great too since the US dollar was strong and I got a tourist tax refund at some places. In the end some of the prices were cheaper than what I'd pay in Japan! Very happy with everything I got and very happy with the service I got everywhere too.

Asia Trip 03 -Singapore Department Store Haul

2010-04-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

First off, I love Singapore! I went there on a whim (wanted to go to Thailand but there's that little tiny revolt that's kind of in my way... J/K). I have to say that Singapore is by far the cleanest and most visually appealing country (in a modern way) I've ever been in. In major areas of the city, they have tiled sidewalks. I kid you not. They are so well kept that I kept slipping when it rained, they were so slick. They mop the sidewalks there. They banned chewing gum. There's a $500 fine or community service (picking up trash) for littering. Public transportation is quick, easy to navigate and CHEAP. Even the taxis are very very reasonable, probably the cheapest I've come across yet still very clean, orderly and polite. The food was wonderful! They speak English! They have many different races there and everyone seems to get along! The people I met were friendly and polite but also so laid back and easy going. If I had to live anywhere in Asia, I'd pick Singapore, hands down. It's small, but they have everything including 3 very impressive zoos. I'd go back for the bird park alone. I can't praise it enough...

Here's most of it, I did buy some as gifts so they're not pictured.

Kanebo Coffret D'or

CM Eyes in 05 and 04

Shiseido Maquillage

Eyes Creater (3D) in GY865, GR366, PK366

I really love these. The fact that you can remove and insert different ones is a huge selling point for me. I wish more brands did this. You get 3 eyeshadows in different textures, 1 eyeshadow base and 1 gel liner for around $40US. If you want a single to replace, it's about $9US. They also sell empty compacts that hold 3 items but I'm unsure of the price. The filled palettes are definitely a great deal.

Kanebo Kate

Gel Liner in GD-1 and SV-1

Kanebo Coffret D'or

Luxulight Collection in 01

Kanebo Coffret D'or

Luxulight Collection in 02

These are actually limited edition but because Singapore gets these collections much later than Japan, they were still in stock! I was so happy to have found these. You get 2 eyeshadows, 1 shadow liner, 1 lipgloss, 2 lipsticks and what looks to be another very glittery lipgloss. There's a clear lid that flips ontop of the cream products to keep the powder out. It comes with the compact, but for some reason they package it so that you have to put it together yourself which I found odd. Either way, I love how cute the palette is.

GWP!

Each counter had their own GWP (if they had any) and what I loved is the more you buy the more you get!. Since I got so much stuff from 1 counter that had all of the Kanebo brand items, I actually got FOUR GWP's from them!!! I think it was one gift per $50 spent or something similar. It included the 2 Kanebo skincare bottles on the bottom right of the picture and a free bag. They had several bags to choose from too. I ended up giving this all away along with the GWP bags so I have no idea what I got now. Oh well! The other GWP I received had everything else that you see in the picture plus a little makeup bag. I gave that away too.

Asia Trip 02 -Vietnam Haul

2010-04-19T02:57:00.000-07:00

A head's up for anyone traveling to and thinking of shopping in Vietnam. Vietnam is a maze of horribly fake designer products. You can find horrible fakes everywhere. They're sold on the streets, in shopping centers and in department stores. Yes there are some legitimate stores there but I would still not buy designer items in Vietnam even if the price is cheaper unless I can distinguish and be 100% sure that what I'm buying is real AND new. Even then, I would probably still not buy it. I'm not saying that every single establishment is bad, but as a tourist, I do not know which ones are bad and which ones aren't. Even my relatives in Vietnam do not know most of the time.

Why I won't buy:

1. There are many merchants, owners and employees who will use the product FIRST and then repackage it to sell as NEW. They do this with clothes, electronics, cell phones, computers, laptops, bags, etc. Basically anything they think they can get away with. Major western looking stores do it too.

2. At some places, employees will switch out the real products for fake and sell you the fake as real. Be careful of any bottled drink you buy for this reason! If you do not see the bottle cap completely sealed, it means they drank it and refilled the bottle to sell which is why some bottles have plastic shrink-wrap on them. Many places will do this with beer bottles since the caps are a lot easier to put back on. Always buy beer in cans.

3. If you're a foreigner, just be prepared to be ripped off no matter where you go except for department stores with set prices. However, there are only a couple of those. Usually for a foreigner, they will at the very least double to triple the price of what they would sell at to a native.

4. There are no returns. A couple of the department stores will say that they will return an item for you if you're unhappy with it, but that it must be brand new. Even though they say this, they will give you hell and a half to get it done. I bought a dress for my cousin but she was not there. The salesperson told me I could return it if it was not to her liking. They had a sign that stated this as well. It did not fit. When I went to return, first they were rude. Then they got angry. Then they completely refused to do so. When I pressured and demanded to speak with a manager, they begged. After 15 minutes of this they said I could call the store and ask to return it. I told them that is completely ridiculous and stupid since I'm already in the store. I demanded to speak with a manager and eventually someone went off to a corner and got on her cell phone. Five minutes later I got my money back.

5. Outside of the downtown area of Saigon, be careful of your purse. Many thieves will come at you with a motorcycle and just grab it. They also do so when you're on a motorcycle yourself. This is why you almost never see any Vietnamese women carry purses unless they are in the downtown area where is it relatively safe to do so since there are so many foreigners there.

There are 2-3 legitimate department stores and a few western ones as well. Most of the ones who sell American items are extremely overpriced. For example, Legos. A normal sized set over there will run you about 1,700,000 dong. That's almost $100US!!! American makeup brands are also overpriced, however Japanese and Korean makeup was not bad. The price was around what I'd pay for it in Japan. I do remember seeing Kanebo, Laneige and Etude House there. Each of these stores are real and do in fact sell the real products at Japanese prices, which is normal for us but very expensive for a native Vietnamese person. At the department stores I saw Clio (a Korean brand), Beaute de Kose, Coffret D'or, Kate, T'estimo, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Shiseido, Revlon (yes! it's a dept store brand over there) and Clé de Peau to name some. The selection was ok, but they do not get new collections for ages.

One last note. I find that in some Asian countries it is custom for the sales person to open up your item when purchasing to make sure that everything is in order. They also do this in Vietnam in some places. Be careful in case your item is switched or used.

Anyways, enough ranting!

Here's everything that I got over there.

Coffret D'or

TD Eyes in 03, 3D Lighting Eyes in 04

T'estimo

Gradually Eyes in 05 and 04

Laneige

Snow Crystal Blusher in 02, Multi Professional Shadow in 02
These were not sealed so I definitely had to look at them first.

Coffret D'or

Star Dazzling Liner in DB-03 and BR32

Star Dazzling Liner in DB-03

Star Dazzling Liner in BR32

I actually wanted the one in black. She told me it was in stock and got it for me. I checked my items and everything seemed alright. She went to charge my card and when I got back later on, I found that she switched it with the brown one. I went to do an exchange and she refused saying that I wanted the brown one all along. I got my Aunt to go separately and check if it was even in stock and they never had a new one to sell to being with. She just wanted to make a sale. This was at 1 of the 2 biggest department stores in Saigon which carried the a lot of Japanese and American Brands.

Kate and Etude House

Reflect Mirror Eyes in PK-1, Etude House blush (the label was covered with a price sticker that I can't remove.

Both of these were purchased at the only major department store in Nha Thang. The department store sucked for the most part and was very small. They had some Kate items on sale though and I knew they were legit. All of them were opened for display and you actually have to buy the ones on display since it was all they had (around 15-20 items). The packaging for Kate was taped together but the Etude House wasn't packaged at all. The Kate trio goes for 1,400yen which is around $15US and was on sale for 52,400 dong which is roughly $3US. The Etude House blush looked like it might have been tested, but it was 50,000 (around $2.50US) dong so I took the plunge.

Overall, I'm happy with what I got in Vietnam but it just felt like more of a hassle than it's worth. I definitely have to rethink buying anything there in the future after these experiences though. I know not every place is bad but there's only a few places in all of Vietnam that sells the brands I want so I'm very limited as to where I can shop.

Asia Trip 01 - Airport Duty Free Haul

2010-04-19T02:37:00.000-07:00

So this is the only item I got from the Duty Free Store. I got to visit several since my trip had a few stops, but nothing really jumped out at me. I saw some cute Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Lancome kits but again, nothing I really wanted. I did get to see the MAC Trip palettes in person which was nice. For the first time ever MAC is selling them online as well so if you're not traveling internationally you can still get them. Though I liked what I saw, MAC is ridiculously overpriced overseas so I got nadda.

Small side note for those who think Duty Free makeup is cheaper. It's NOT. Generally I see French and American brands there and they are all overpriced overseas. Even tax-free, it's really not worth it. I would only buy from American Duty Free Stores (since they have the same prices as other US stores) and only sets that are exclusive to them. Otherwise it's better to wait for a sale for these brands.

I did however end up with this cute Guerlain set. I've been wanting this set for a while and yes it's a bit more than the sale online price I've seen, but the packaging is a lot cutter!

Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection - Asian Seasons Limited Edition

Mystic, Pink Fresh, Beige Chic

Yes it's cute. Yes I love Guerlain meteorites but I felt a bit yipped when I opened it up. Each jar contains 7 grams (.24oz) of product. The older miniature meteorites had 8 grams (.28oz). I did count the number of balls. These jars had 16-17 balls in each and the older jar contained 19. It's not too big of a deal but I still feel a little ripped off.

These jars also did not come with the little puff pad that helps keep the loose powder from flying everywhere when you open it. I got a spray of powder on my pants as a result. In addition, the older jar was made of plastic. These are cardboard just like the current full sized products. I was thinking of using this for travel, but since there's so much fallout when I open it up, I'll probably be sticking the older packaging or a compact.

I'm back!

2010-04-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

I've been back from Asia for a couple of weeks now and am over being jet-lagged. Finally! So here's a taste of what I got while I was abroad. I'll be back with more detailed pictures of everything soon.

From the Airport Duty Free

From Vietnam

From Singapore (Dept Store)

GWP!

I received this from the OG dept store for my purchases.

From Singapore (Watson's Drugstore)

From Tokyo

From Tokyo

Spring Travel

2010-02-25T04:17:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Asia for a bit! Vietnam, Japan and possibly stopping over in Thailand and Hong Kong.

Usually I pack a small cosmetic case or a mini soft traincase for trips for a week or less but I'll be gone 5 weeks this time. I think I may have gone a little overboard with it, but I couldn't pick anything to leave behind. =( This might be a poor excuse, but the reason why I'm packing so much is because Vietnam is hot and humid right now but Tokyo is FREEZING! I'll be going from 60-65F (15-18C) here in the US to 85-90+F (28-32C) in Vietnam to 57-59F (14-15C) in Tokyo. I've had to pack twice as much as I wanted to bring because of the drastic change in weather. From bikinis, shorts and tanks for Vietnam to gloves, scarves, jackets, beanies for Japan.

In addition to the ziplock bag, I'm bringing these 4 bags.

small black lesportsac, small lesportsac case, Juicy Couture hanging travel case, small shu uemura soft traincase

Three of these bags are going in my carryon and backpack, the other is getting checked (I'm praying that it won't get lost). I don't usually check my baggage but the weight allowance is ridiculously small these days. Plus I want to make sure that I'll have enough of everything as the bulk of my trip will be in Vietnam and they do not have most of these products or anything similar.

In the small colorful Lesportsac case I have some travel essentials.

Earplugs (I always sleep on the plane)
Single use toothbrushes
Q-tips
Bandages
Pepto
Advil
Vaporub (I find that this really helps with a stuffy/stale environment)
Hairpins/Hairbands
Extra headset for my ipod

In the little black Lesportsac bag and ziplock bag I'm carrying the makeup I'll be using before I land.

NARS Blush in Deep Throat
Bobbi Brown Basic Eyeshadow Palette
shu uemura Foundation Powder
MAC Brow Duo in Browning/Porcelaine
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero
Laura Mercier Undercover Pot with Translucent Powder
shu uemura Eyelash Curler

In addition, I'll be carrying all of this in my ziplock. I know it's a lot but I will be using most of it. I also wanted to make sure that in case my checked baggage gets lost I'll have what I really need and want on me. Since I'll be in South Asia where it's very hot and humid right now, I'm bringing several MAC Liquidlast Liners. They truly last on me and do not smudge under any conditions. I like to dot it on my lids and smudge it out to look like eyeshadow. Usually I have plenty of time to blend it in with other colors as it takes a while to fully dry. I also have hand sanitizer to help keep me germ free on the plane as well as eyedrops and a skin hydration spray for the stale dry air.

Neutrogena Acne Face Wash (I like to wash my face on long flights)
shu uemura Cleansing Oil A/O (to remove the makeup before I sleep on the plane)
Bath and Body Works Antibacterial (because.. you know)
Too Faced Glitter Liner in Feelin' Smurfy
MAC Liquidlast Liners in Visionaire, Aqualine, (label is missing and I can't remember), Powerplum, Point Black
Clinique Mascara
Rohto Eyedrops
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude
Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer in 01
Shiseido SPF 55
Etude House Dear Darling Lipglosses in 03, 13
Lancome Artliner in Noir
shu uemura Depsea Water in Chamomile
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Duo Surgical Adhesive

In my carryon I'll be packing my Juicy Couture Hanging Travel Case. I absolutely adore this bag. It is perfect for travel and hotels. I love that it hangs, I really do.

A bunch of eyeshadow palettes listed below
Q-Tips (again!)
Guerlain Meteorites (older packaging)
MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Shy Beauty
Random Loose Pigments
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
MAC Tendertone in Tender Baby
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Shinny Jeans
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
MAC Lipsticks in Buoy-O-Buoy, Strawbaby, Most Popular, Patisserie
Indian Kohl Stick
Anna Sui Compact Mirror
Urban Decay 24/7 Liners in Zero, Lust, Electric, Covet
Silkygirl Funky Eyelights in Lime Green, Ocean Blue, Pure Purple
Gosh Velvet Touch in Purple Stain
NYX Liner in White
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
MAC Pigments, Sephora Glitter, Rhinestones

MAC Quad with Bisque, Wedge, Espresso, Carbon
NARS 9951 Pleasures of Paris Palette
Bobbi Brown mini quads with (left) Bone Shimmer, Copper Sand Shimmer, Gold Dust Metallic, Espresso, (right) Navajo Metallic, Gunmental Shimmer, Rockstar Metallic, Navy
MAC Jewel Palette with Mylar, Sunnyside, Era, Honey Lust, Mulch, Parrot
MAC Crystal Palette with Retrospeck, Romp, Pink Freeze, Hepcat, Brill, Humid
MAC Royal Assets Smokey Eye Palette with Maid of Honor, Rondelle, Palatial, Courtly Grey, Majestic, Knight
MAC Infatuating Rose Cool Eye Palette with Satisfy, Cavort, Bon Fete, Platonic, Feast, Deep Feeling (possibly my most and absolute favorite palette)

MAC Pigments in Blue, Entremauve, Goldenaire, Fairylite, Apricot Pink, Blondes Gold, Old Gold, Teal, Quietly

And I can't go anywhere without some brushes. I've been a bit obsessive about them lately and have been trying to find older sets. Older MAC sets have better quality SE brushes in my opinion. The ones made nowadays are ok, but not nearly as good. Yes, I know it's a lot of brushes, but I like them.

And last but not least, my small shu uemura soft traincase. This one is getting checked with all of the liquids I could not fit in my ziplock bag as well as my skin, hair and body products. If it gets lost, I think I might just cry. =(

MAC Prep+Prime Powder
Sephora Sharpener
Tweezers
Brow Brush
MAC Fix+ in a small bottle
Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer (I know I have another tube in my carryon but that one is almost empty)
MAC Prep+Prime Skin Base
Conair Brow Trimmer
Maybelline XXL Mascara in Waterproof and Regular
Etude House Dear Darling Lipglosses in 04, 16, 19
MAC Lipglass in Spring Bean and Wonderstruck
Too Faced Glitter Liner in Smurf You
shu uemura Lipgloss in PK 382S
Urban Decay Heavy Metal in Distortion
Kanebo Tiffa Eyeliner in BK&SV
MAC Fix+
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
MAC Strobe Cream

Aveda Dry Remedy Lotion
Hanae Mori Butterfly Body Lotion
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer
Bath and Body Works Antibacterial Gel
Almay Eye Makeup Remover Wipes
Santo Hydrating Face Masks
MAC Cleanse Off Oil
Brush Cleanser
shu uemura Cleansing Oil A/O
H2O Marine Toner
Alpha Hydrox AHA Exfoliating Cream

Soap (I know I can get it anywhere..)
Chi Silk Infusions
Tooth Paste
Decanted Perfumes in Hanae Mori Butterfly, L de Lolita Lempicka, Aqualina Sugar
Small Cutting Blade
Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby SPF 60 (I didn't like this for my face so I'll be using it on my body)
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 (same thing)
L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray (My all time favorite!)
shu uemura Pleasure of Japanese Bath Oil
Secret Deodorant
Garner Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner
Single Use Toothbrushes

I think I might be a bit loony but at least I'm happy. =D

A Visit to the Outlets...

2010-01-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

It was stocked full of great items! Check out our local CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet) if you get a chance. I picked up some great items. I was so happy to see so many things, I wish I had more time there.

MAC Trip Palette (you can only buy this at the Duty-Free shops at the airport when you are traveling internationally or at the CCO if you get lucky!)

Sweetness Blush, Lightfully, Idol Eyes, Print

Tendertone - this was from an LE collection last year

Tender Baby

Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow Palette - I love this palette! It's a great everyday palette and was LE a couple of years ago. I'm so glad I was able to pick up another one as my current palette is starting to show pan!

Nude, Cement, Woodrose, Wheat, Mahogany

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow - After Hours 4

MAC Brush - I took the picture over the eyeshadow to better show it. It's a mini fan brush with thin stiff bristles. This is great for applying mascara and also for de-clumping your lashes after using a bad mascara.

#205

And while I was at the outlets I dropped by Gucci and picked up this baby! Patent leather heaven. I love crossbody bags, they are so convient when shopping.

Great Finds at TJMaxx

2010-01-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

I saw some NARS being put out at TJMaxx! They had 3 items. A blush/lipgloss set, an eyeshadow palette and a lipgloss. I actually visited 4 different TJMaxx's that day and they were all JUSt putting them out. What a great find! I didn't end up getting the lipgloss, but they all had the same 1 (can't remember the name) for $16.99.

Eyeshadow Palette for $29.99

Palette 9947: Kilmanjaro I, Bohemian Gold II, Surabaya II, Himalayas, Ondine, Night Flight

Blush and Lipgloss Set for $24.99

Striptease Lipgloss

Deep Throat Blush

Great Deals and Sweet Steals from Sephora

2009-12-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

Sephora's having an extra 20% off all sale items sale. They also have a bunch of items for $10 or less. The $10 items are "Sweet Steals" and I must admit they are as they sucked me in!

Here's everything that I picked up.

I love this great little Benefit set. I've been wanting to try these items for a while now, especially sweet for $10!

Some Kind-a Gorgeous Foundation Faker, That Gal Brightening Face Primer, High Beam Luminescent Complexion Enhancer, Posietint Poppy-Pink Tinted Lip & Cheek Stain

Another $10 deal with 2 mini Fresh mascaras.

Supernova and Fresh Firebird

Yet ANOTHER $10 deal - Mini Anastasia Brow Set.

Matte Highlighter, Tweezers, Clear Brow Gel

And these items were on sale with an extra 20% off!

I just couldn't help myself.. it's a Smurf!

Smurf You!

Feelin' Smurfy

Urban Decay Eyeliner Set

Zero, 1999, Flipside, Mildew, Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner - Distortion

Urban Decay Get Baked Palette

Twice Baked, Half Baked, Flipside, Baked, Bourbon Eyeliner

Mini Sin Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Kevin Aucoin Eyeshadow Palette

Eyeshadow Palette #4

How to Depot Urban Decay Box of Shadows

2009-12-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

As much as I love the Urban Decay eyeshadows I have, I can't stand the packaging. They look pretty but they're much too big and bulky for me. I depotted all of my Urban Decay palettes so far (not that I own that many!).

This is what I started out with.

And here's the end result.

I mixed the eyeshadows with ones from the first Book of Shadows and Ammo palettes. I put them all in a Stila palette. I took out the insert and laid down strips of magnet. I'm not too happy with this as it doesn't fit all of my Urban Decay eyeshadows. I may get a Z-palette to put these in.

Yet another Tutorial using MAC Old Gold Pigment

2009-12-26T03:18:00.000-08:00

I'm really starting to love my new camcorder. It's a Canon FS200.I've been wanting one for a while to make better videos. It is definitely a lot of fun making videos with it. I love all of functions and how small it is! I also got one of the new Ipod Nano's for Christmas. There's a little camera and and speakers! This kicks my old Ipod's butt by a mile. Old Ipod is 3-4 years old with 80 gigs. Great for taking all of my music and tv shows/movies with me when I'm traveling, but it doesn't have all of the new do-dads and gadgets. Out with the old and in with the new. =D

Here are the products I used in my look. I forgot the mascara... Oh well best I can do at 3 in the morning. Old Gold has been done to death on youtube, but I still love the look and this is how I usually wear it. I hope you all enjoy this one!

This is one of my favorite looks. Old Gold pigment is gorgeous so I'm very upset that MAC discontinued it. I have not found any other eyeshadows or pigments that even come close to this (well MAC's Green Brown and Blue Brown pigments have the same type of texture/dimension - but they are different colors!). Now I'm hoarding this pigment and only using it on special occasions. *Shakes fist at MAC!*

I don't do false lashes often as I hate pulling them off at the end of the night. They are definitely fun and add a certain amount of seductiveness to any eye look in my opinion (unless you get the very sparse natural looking lashes). I'll be wearing a pair New Years Eve. I hope everyone has a great time counting down to the end of 2009!

New Video Up

2009-12-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

I got a new camcorder for Xmas and thought I'd test it out. It's a bit different from what I'm used to (crappy old webcam). I ended up doing this video staring at the lens and not the little LCD screen! Everytime I looked into the LCD screen my eye moved and it was just a disaster. It was very weird not looking in a mirror or screen doing my makeup and I definitely messed up a lot. On well, hopefully I'll get used to it and do more videos. =D

These are the products I used. It always seems like a lot when I take the picture but not so much when I'm actually doing it. The Kanebo Tiffa is my current favorite eyeliner. I love the applicator, it makes lining my eyes so easy.

And here's how my eye ended up. I'm not 100% happy with it, especially with how thick the liner is.

FYI!!! Nordstroms has lots of holiday makeup on sale from 10-20% off. A lot of the MAC holiday sets are 20% off. Get them while they're hot! =D

Cyber Monday Sales!

2009-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

I only picked up a few items from shu uemura since they had such a great deal. A black mesh bag with a 7 piece GWP with free shipping and 20% off with a $125 purchase all day. I ended up making 2 orders!

Here are all of the items in the GWP. It's huge!

Depsea Water in Chamomile, Skin Purifier - Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O, Pleasure of Japanese Bath Oil, Skin Purifier - Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/I, Red Juvenus - Intense Vitalizing Concentrate, Powder Foundation - Natural Glow Finish 764, Lipgloss PK 382S

Here are a couple of the items I picked up

There's a deal for a free empty compact with the purchase of 4 eyeshadows OR 2 eyeshadows and 1 blush OR 2 blushes. I think it's kind of ugly...

$15 without the deal

And here are a few of the eyeshadows I picked up.

IR White 900P

ME Purple 700

IR Brown 860

ME Black 990

Sephora VIB 20% off

2009-11-14T22:36:00.000-08:00

Sephora had a little 20% off event for VIB members. If you spend a certain amount of $ per year, they upgrade you to VIB. So far, it just sounds like another gimmack to spend more money but I'm happy to take advantage of offer.

I went in to pick up a "Sweet Deal" item. They have sweet deal items by the cash register and they are instores only. This time around it was 2 Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows for $10!!! A fantastic deal as they are normally $19 each. I ended up with a few more items this year.

The Benefit set in a little mesh bag, Stila Made in Your Shade set, OPI nail polishes and a mini MUFE eyeliner set.

This Stila set is TINY! It just seems to be deluxe samples of their products. I'm not sure if it's worth $18 at all. Maybe $10. I only got it because of the 20% discount... I guess this would be a good way to try their products if you didn't own any, but you could probably get about the same amount if you asked for a free sample. It comes in 3 shades; Light, Medium and Warm. It was sold out online so I was happy to see it in the store - though I had to ask for the Light set as they were hiding them in the back.

Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer 01, Hydrating Primer, Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer in Light, Natural Finish Oil-Free Makeup, Illuminating Liquid Foundation in 30 Watts, Convertible Color in Lilium

The liners are the same size as last year. They're great if you don't own any of the MUFE liners, but kind of small otherwise. They are the same size as the eyeliners in Urban Decay's Super Stash set.

0L Black, 21L Dark Grey, 12L Blue with Green Highlights, 4L Shimmering Plum, 23L Champagne

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows

Recess, Honey Bunny

Swatches - Recess, Honey Bunny and MAC Painterly Paint Pot
Flash

No Flash

Now I'm definitely done for the year! Hopefully...

Holiday Shopping

2009-11-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

Urban Decay 24/7 Super Stash

Zero, Oil Slick, Stash, Eldorado, Graffiti, Binge, Ransom, Rockstar, Corrupt

The other eyeliner is from last year's holiday set. It's a lot smaller but you do get more colors.

Urban Decay Book of Shadows II

Perversion, Gunmetal, Ecstasy, AC/DC
Nylong, Sellout, Mushroom, Sphynx
Half Baked, Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, YDK
Jinx, Flipside, Homegrown, Midemeaner
Eyeliners: Zero, Bourbon
Primer Potion

NARS Mekong

NARS Silk Road

shu uemura Glow On M Amber 89

MAC Holiday Pigment Sets - I love these!

Warm Set

Reflects Gold Glitter, Copperized, Rushmetal, Museum Bronze, Jardin Aires

Cool Set

Deep Blue Green, Grape, Fushia, Kitschmas, Reflects Transparent Teal Glitter

Sexpot Smoky Set

Reflects Antique Gold Glitter, Dark Soul, Chocolate Brown, Sunnydaze, Naked

MAC Magic, Mirth and Mischief!

2009-10-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to resist eyeshadow palettes, as much as I try. I ended up with 3 of the 4 MAC came out with this season and even a blush palette to boot! My wallet weeps for me. =(

Hocus Focus Colourful Face Kit - So far, the only thing I really liked from this collection

Beauty Powder: Sunsparked Pearl and Pretty Baby
Sheertone Shimmer Blush: Peachykeen

These palettes threw me off a bit. They are very tiny! I compared the net weight from this year's palettes and last; they are the same. I guess the eyeshadow pans are just deeper in the 2009 Holiday palettes. All of the colors are "new" but new is relative in the world of MAC. Most of these colors look similar to other colors in MAC's mainline and in previous collections.

Smoke and Mirrors - This reminds me so much of NARS Best palette

Fire in Her Eyes, Wide Eyed Wonder, Black Magique, Spell No. 9, Deception, Smoke & Mirrors

Sorceress

White Rabbit, Hold My Gaze, Edge of Dark, Magnetized, Hypnotizing, Altered State

Mystic Cool - They might as well rename this palette Ornamentalism Take II

Cool Incantation, Blue Enchantment, Deep Secret, Shhh Don't Tell, Rose Potion, Violet Vow

I don't usually buy Mineralized Eyeshadows but I couldn't resist these. I should resist! They are very similar to NARS Night series eyeshadows.

Blue Flame

Gilt by Association

And if you haven't already, Sephora's Friends and Family is going on starting today. 20% off everything using FF2009. This offer is good on all online purchases and can be used multiple times. It's good until November 02, so enjoy!

Instant Gratification

2009-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

I was feeling kind of down yesterday and decided on a bit of lunch time shopping. I did not expect to get so much but I've hardly bought any makeup since the Etude House haul and before that, nothing since MAC for Hello Kitty! I'm starved for new makeup.

Everything together...

Bobbi Brown Nude Eye Palette
Navajo, Pebble, Beige Linen, Chino, Maple Sugar, Caviar
This Bobbi Brown palette actually came out during the Nordstrom's Anniversary Beauty Event, but I was lucky to snag one now. I really like how her new palettes are made the same way as her standard eyeshadows and palettes. This way I can mix and match as I please.

New Bobbi Brown Eyes and Cheeks on the Go Palette
Warm Eye Quad: Bone Shimmer, Copper Sand Shimmer, Gold Dust Metallic, Espresso
Blushed Rose Pot Rouge
Cool Eye Quad: Navajo Metallic, Gunmetal Shimmer, Rockstar Metallic, Navy

Closeups of the quads

MAC Lipsticks: Patisserie, Naked Paris

MAC Pigment: Brash & Bold

MAC Pigment: Push the Edge

Patisserie is my new favorite nudey pink lipstick. It's just about perfect on for an everyday look. Ahhh, l'amour.. =D

Etude House Haul

2009-07-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

Someone I know went to Korea on vacation and I was able to score my beloved Etude House Dear Darling Lipglosses. These are very sheer and simple with a fruity scent. Definitely not for people looking for more color. Since the price markup is pretty high when buying on ebay, I asked for a ton in a variety of colors. At $5 a pop including shipping, not bad! My friend placed an order for me that was send to their house in Korea. I also got a ton of free goodies. =)

Summer Travel

2009-03-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

Spring Break and Summer are coming up so I'm making plans for a respite from work. With that in mind, besides planning on where to go, the biggest issue for me is what makeup to bring?! I definitely love planning out what I'll take with me and minimize it down to the bare essentials so I won't have to check my baggage. Hopefully my OCD travel planning helps you out.

Here are some questions to keep in mind:

How long is your trip? If it's short, I like to cut my stuff down to the bare minimum so that I don't have to carry a lot. If it's a long trip, I want to make sure that I have a lot more with me to choose from and to make sure that I bring enough. If I'm on a long backpacking trip or one with a lot of stops, the less I bring the better because I'll be carrying everything.

Where are you staying for the duration of it? It's one thing to be staying at a hotel and quite another to be at a hostel. While I love hostels as a great way to meet new people, they aren't exactly the safest or most secure places. I'd definitely stick to cheaper products or ones I know I can replace easily if lost or stolen. If I'm renting a room with other roommates/flatmates, I may want to bring some type of traincase that locks. There are wonderful people out there, but there are also many with light and swift fingers... I've heard too many horror stories of girls who share rooms with strangers in college to take that chance.

How are you traveling (boat, train, plane, car)? If you're on a cruise or a semester by sea program, you're probably going to be very limited in space, so pack sparingly. Going by train is horrible for makeup. The constant rattling, shaking and vibrating can shatter powders so I'd be more careful with packing. If by plane, I'd pack more samples as we're only allowed a quart bag (get a freezer bag, they're slightly bigger and are sturdier). Also get your perfume in a solid form if you can, if you can't, get a sample. Sephora carries most perfumes and will sample any of them for you. A sample will normally last me 1-2 weeks. By car? I'd bring everything!!!

What kinds of activities are you going to do? Traveling for work? I'd probably stick to my basic work regime/makeup. Traveling for a wedding? I'd make sure to coordinate my makeup with the dress I'll be wearing and bring enough for a few different looks for going out to parties/dinners. Going on a safari? I'd probably only bring a few basic items and lots of sunscreen - skip the smoky eye makeup.

I love samples. Even more, I love traveling with samples, especially for short trips and long backpacking excursions. I get them from various sources; magazines, GWP's, Sephora or a department store. Walmart has a few you can get in the mail on their website. Whenever you buy from Sephora online, you get 3 free samples. And if you go into their stores, you can ask for 3 samples from any item they carry. You can also buy basic things like shampoo and deodorant in smaller sizes at most stores. I love these for short trips so I don't end up lugging a big fullsized bottle along and also for very long backpacking trips so that I can discard as I go along and lighten my pack. You'll also find that a sample or deluxe sample of most things will last you for an entire trip.

For eyeshadows, I love palettes. They are compact and easy to pack. I generally like bringing two, one with colors I can wear everyday and one with a few fun colors for going out. If I can't find what I want with one of the premade palettes, I'll make one up from one of the cosmetic lines that allows you to create it yourself. Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, MAC, shu uemura and Stila are a few lines that sell empty palettes with corresponding eyeshadows/blushes. Unless you get them on sale, the cheapest by far is MAC ($11 for a propan eyeshadow and $3.50 for an empty quad), but not always the sturdiest. I always fold a paper towel to put inside to cushion the eyeshadows when I travel.

Whatever palettes you end up choosing, I highly recommend getting one that closes tightly. The older Stila cardboard palettes, while very pretty, do not close with any type of clasp. If an eyeshadow were to shatter, the product would get everywhere. Opening a makeup bag to an explosion of powder is never a pretty sight.

To save on space, I'll often bring a GWP palette with me. They are a lot smaller but there is a lot of product in them. Lancome and Clinique make very usable GWP palettes that often include a blush.

Usually GWP's also come with deluxe sized mascaras, makeup remover, lotions, face wash, etc. All great for travel. I just save them up until then. Just make sure not to open any of the mascaras and put them in a sealed bag so they don't dry up.

When you can't get a sample or smaller size of something, try buying sample sized jars and filling them with what you need like foundation, concealer, powder and pigment. If you can't find any jars, usually you can get a couple from a department store or Sephora when making a purchase. If anything, it can't hurt to ask.

Now that you have all of your makeup, what brushes should you bring? I normally do not like bringing my fullsized brushes on trips unless I will be gone for a long time and am not backpacking. Good brushes are expensive to buy and replace, so I'd go with travel sets.

L-R, Lola holiday set, YSL deluxe gwp, Too Faced kabuki
Sephora face & eye travel tool kit, MAC holiday eye brush set
These are a few sets that I like. None of them come with a kabuki, so I love bringing my Too Faced one. It's very soft and very travel friendly. Otherwise, I always make sure I have the following brushes: blush, fluff, crease, shader, slanted liner. Besides the Sephora set pictured, older MAC sets and Trish McEvoy holiday sets, I've yet to find any that encompass everything I want, so I usually mix and match for trips.

Checklist!
1. 1 Foundation
2. 1 Face primer if you need it
3. 1 Setting powder
4. 1 Concealer
5. 1 Blush (but if you're going out a lot or are on a long trip, I'd bring 2-3 in neutral pink, pink, coral/peach)
6. 1 Neutral eyeshadow palette (lid, crease, outer V, highlight)
7. 1 Colorful palette (I'll usually get one with various shades of violet or green)
8. 1 Eyeliner
9. 1 Eyeshadow primer
10. 1 Brow product (powder or pencil)
11. 2 Lipsicks (1 neutral, 1 pink or coral)
12. 2 Lipglosses (1 neutral, 1 pink or coral)
13. 1 Lipliner if you think you'll need it
14. 1 Eyelash curler
15. 1 Mascara
16. 1 Highlighter if you think you'll need it
17. 1 Lipbalm

Don't forget your sunscreen, makeup remover, toner (if you use it), facial wash, moisturizer, eye cream, shampoo/conditioner, hairbrush, blow dryer (if you need it and are not staying at a hotel), Q-tips, brush cleanser (for long trips), compact mirror, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, mouthwash and flipflops (because you never know how clean that shower is).

Just a few last tips. Don't bring anything you think will break easily because it might. Don't bring anything expensive and hard to replace just in case it gets lost or broken. Less is definitely more, if you forget something, you can usually replace it very easily wherever you're going. Put your makeup (non liquids) inbetween or wrapped inside your clothes to provide extra cushioning. And finally, you're on vacation for fun and to relax, don't spend all of your time on makeup (like I do)!

Bon Voyage!

I Can't Stop Smiling

2009-03-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Etude House - I Can't Stop Smiling Cheek Balls

This is a very cute collection from Etude House. The product is very similar to Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Mythic. There's only 0.7 oz vs. 1.2 oz for Guerlain. I paid $24.99 including shipping online, Guerlain is $53. That comes to $35.70 per ounce for the Etude House balls and $44.17 for Guerlain's. The packaging for Etude House suits me better, it's a cute little cardboard with little smiling faces in different colors. I get the same effect and glow from these balls as I do with Guerlain. A very cute and cheaper alternative, just harder to find as this is from a Korean drugstore brand.

Ladybug

2009-03-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

In this economy, the only thing better than a sale is something that's free! MAC has a wonderful recycling program for its customers. Use up 6 items and turn it in for a free lipstick! If you have a freestanding or pro store near you, you can trade them in for a lipglass or eyeshadow as well. With a little spare time today, I dropped by and picked up this lovely red lipstick in Ladybug.

I exfoliated my lips, carefully lined with a cheap Sephora red liner and brushed it on with a lipbrush. Ladybug is a lustre finish, so it's a bit sheerer swatched. Definitely a very wearable red for my skintone (NC25-NC30).

Outlet Shopping

2009-03-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

I headed down to the Outlets today for a pickmeup. They had some great stuff come in. I picked up a couple of staples and a few fun items. There are 2 main stores, Cosmetic Company Outlet (CCO) and Designer Fragrances and Cosmetic Company Outlet (DF&CCO). You can find most of their stores by visiting Outletbound. There are some stores in other outlets not owned by this company.

CCO generally carries brands owned by Estee Lauder. You'll find items from Bobbi Brown, Clinique, MAC, DKNY, etc there. Normally the discount is 30% off and usually you'll find overstock products and stuff from previous collections that did not sell out. These stores have a few very weird rules/policies. For instance, you can only buy up to 3 of any item with the same SKU, there's a $300 limit on your purchase and they hide things behind the counter. At the CCO I go to, I have to ask for MAC eyeshadows, pigments and palettes. They are not on display anywhere and testers are in a bowl in a drawer out of sight.

DF&CCO is owned by Lancome and like-wise sells brands they own - shu uemura, Giorgio Armani, Khiels, etc. They tend to carry mostly overstock items and GWP's which are sold for $10-$25. There isn't as much selection outside of Lancome items and fragrances. The sales vary and are sometimes very very good. Currently they're doing a 4 for $40 promotion.

shu uemura Rose Marble

shu uemura Sienna Marble

shu uemura Antique Pink

MAC Trip: Sultry Lips and Eyes - Sun Cruise lipglass, Freckletone lipstick
Filament, French Grey, Carbon eyeshadows

MAC Glitter Eye Liners: Peacocky, Spunsilver

Bobbi Brown: Woodrose, Penny eyeshadows

Bobbi Brown Basics Eye Palette: Navajo, Cement, Heather Mauve, Mahogany

Coach Wristlet for spring

Sephora Discount

2009-03-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

I just found out, 15% off your order at Sephora when you use "J89LM" - hurry while it's still good. No ETA on expiration date.

Spring Madness!

2009-02-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

I know that spring is just around the corner when major department and online stores cart out big, fantastic, over the top Gifts With Purchases!!! Here are a few of my favorite ones this spring.

While supples last
This is a huge GWP. There are a ton of huge deluxe and full sized items like a Stila lipstick, Lorac Breakthrough Performance Foundation, Tarte Blush Bride Cheek Stain. All your's with any $100 purchase, up from $75 last year, but still one of the best GWP's out there at the moment.

Online 02/23 to 03/08, In Stores 02/25 to 03/07
Saks is doing a Hothouse Beauty event. Enter "HOTHOUSE" for $75 you get a Stephanie Johnson designed bag in black, lavender or orange (which you can't choose if you buy online... kinda sucks) and seven samples, nothing great and only a couple of deluxe samples. But I must admit, that bag looks very pretty for a GWP

From 02/21 to 03/09
From Neiman Marcus, for $100, you'll get another ugly GWP bag in either pink, blue or orange and nine small samples. BUT if you buy a certain amount from a specific brand, you get their added GWP as well! There are a few very nice ones from Laura Mercier ($100), Chanel ($200.. they are kidding themselves..), she uemura ($125), Kiehls ($85), Trish McEvoy ($85), Lancome ($100), Clinique ($75), etc.. And some very lackluster GWP's from the likes of Bobbi Brown ($150 for a 2 lipstick palette...), NARS ($125 for 3 mini lipglosses). But all in all, a great event for your spring makeup shopping.
Ontop of this, if you buy $1000 or more, you'll get $100 back in the form of a giftcard online when you enter "NMBEAUTY" and $100 off your purchase in stores. That's 10% off, so if you have friends who are making any purchases soon, it might be a good idea to pool your purchases together for the discount (but you'll only receive 1 NM GWP bag).

I'm very interested in the NM event and am eyeing the Laura Mercier GWP. Hopefully I'll be able to hit the mall soon. The beauty.com GWP would be a great excuse to load up on basics and a few more NARS blushes, especially with all of the great items they included in their GWP. I will definitely have to check these deals out.

Indian Hashmi Kohls

2009-02-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ever since L'oreal came out with the Loose Kohl Sticks for their H.I.P. line (this is a cheaper knockoff of the Guerlain Loose Powder Kohl Liner) and the Kohl Mineral Loose Powder Liners, I've been dying to try the original products these were based on.

Guerlain Loose Powder Kohl Liner

L'Oreal H.I.P. Loose Kohl

L'Oreal Mineral Loose Powder Liner

Hashmi Kohls...

Surmi - Kajal

Stick & Loose

Hashmi Kajal Kohl Stick

The Kohl Stick is a fairly hard cone shaped stick, but applies smoothly. Each swipe is sheer, so I have to draw it on my waterline several times to get it as dark as I'd like it. I think the sheerness of the kohl is great, I'm able to build the color up to as light or as dark as I'd like it. It's very easy to use and the lasting power is decent. It's as good as any other highend eyeliner pencil I've used on my waterline.

Hashmi Surmi Loose Kohl

This one is tricky! The applicator just like the Guerlain and H.I.P. ones - a little stick. I've tried applying it several different ways and no matter what I do, I get the black powder all over myself and my vanity. It's definitely harder to apply as well. I keep getting the powder on my eye and cleaning that up is a mess. Once it's on though, it's great! Even though the picture is very similar to the kohl stick, it's much darker with only 1-2 applications with great lasting power and doesn't smudge off like most other products I've used.

Two methods for applying:
One: Put the stick on your waterline, close your eye and pull it through. This is a little tricky and takes getting used to, but it'll also line your upper waterline and tightline a bit, though it's easier to get the powder on your eye this way.
Two: Apply as you would with a pencil kohl, but with the stick on the side. I found this method a lot easier but I get more powder fallout this way.

In the end, I love both, but the stick is definitely easier and faster to use. I'll probably only use the loose kohl for dramatic smoky eyes.

Kanebo

2009-02-25T03:15:00.000-08:00

I was so in love with the first Coffret D'or quad that I went back and got another. This one is Pink Variations and the colors are gorgeous and well coordinated for a great look. I can't wait to try it out. I also picked up a Kate quad. They're from the same parent company, Kanebo. Kate is a drugstore brand in Japan.

Kanebo Kate line spicy in BU-1

Kanebo Coffret D'or in 01

Stila Sale

2009-02-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Stila Set Sale! Stila's having a great warehouse sale on their site. Use code BIGBEAUTY for free shipping. Some of these sets are also on Beauty Crunch for a lot cheaper, but they are out of stock.

I'm loving these sets, they seem to be a good value....

15 Year Anniversary Set

The A-Lister Set

MAC for Hello Kitty Collection

2009-02-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

3 years ago I prayed for a Hello Kitty Collection
6 months ago I heard a few rumors about a possible collaboration
3 months ago it was confirmed!
2 months ago I started seeing a few possible product photos floating around the internet
and today I got it!

Hello Kitty (which officially launches on Feb 12) came out early in MAC stores and counters today. The collection has it's ups and downs. It doesn't compare to the Barbie collection they did 2 years ago, but I'm about 75% happy. I had hoped for a real Hello Kitty collection, full of white, pink, red, happy hearts and bows. Instead we got a black Hello Kitty swinging in heels and a dress that surely came out of the 60's. While I'm not fond of how they chose to present her, I'm still happy overall that they did a collaboration.

Everything still in boxes, I ended up buying 2 of everything I wanted.

Everything except for the pigment.

Lipsticks: Cute-ster, Big Bow, Most Popular, Strayin'

Lipglasses: Mimmy, Nice Kitty, Fast Friends, She Loves Candy, Nice to be Nice, Sweet Strawberry

Tinted Lip Conditioners: Popster, Pink Fish

Beauty Powder Blushes: Fun & Games, Tippy

Beauty Powders, Tahitian Sand, Pretty Baby

Not Pictured: Milk Pigment, Hello Kitty cup with brushes #109, #187, #239

I loved everything I got, but I think I would have loved it better if MAC came up with a better artistic view of Hello Kitty. I don't imagine her in heels or a mod dress. The swirls of black and gray did nothing for me. If they kept it simple, like with the tinted lip conditioners, I think it would have been better. Heck, even the pattern on the outside of their boxes was better than the products themselves.

Packaging aside, I loved everything except for the eyeshadows. I liked the palette, the eyeshadows themselves were a huge letdown for me. Nothing pretty or unique, 3 colors were either permanent or a repromote from previous collections. Of the new limited edition colors, nothing was worth a 2nd glance, and I'm a huge eyeshadow fan. I didn't get Deep Green Blue pigment (it is a regular Pro color) as I already have it and did not pick up any of the glitters or glitter eyeliners. A couple of the colors are unique and pretty so I may be going back for them.

Smoky Pink EOTD

2009-02-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

I used mostly Lancome products for this one.

Products From the Top:
Covergirl Lash Exact Mascara
Lancome Artliner
Lancome Stylish Neutrals Holiday Palette: Backstage Pass, Exhibition, Stylish, Off the Rack
MAC Paint Pot in Paintery (I realized that I didn't use this after I took the pic!!)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Another Asian Haul!

2009-02-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

Wandering around an Asian shopping center, I found a wonderful little shop that sold Japanese and Korean Makeup! Everything looks gorgeous, I can't wait to try it all.

Everything

Kanebo Tiffa Eyeliner

Sony CP Lipbalm in Orange

Hannari Komachi Lip Cream - Strawberry

Bison Hannari Komachi Lip Cream - Sakura

T'estimo Grande Shine Eyes 01

Coffret D'or 04

Happiness comes in small packages..

2009-02-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

I got these 2 beauties recently...

shu uemura Golden Summer palette
P White 900, IR Beige 800, P Pink 900, ME Brown 855

shu eyeshadows are, as always, very high quality, great pigmentation and just plain pretty. This quad has been on the Sephora site for a while, but I finally plunked down the $65 for it. It was well worth it and is starting to become one of my favorite palettes to use.

Guerlain Mini Les Meteorites in Mystic

Guerlain products are a hit/miss for me. I love their lip/face products, but stay far away from their eye stuff. Don't get me wrong, the quality is superb, but I like my eyeshadows more pigmented and not as costly. Guerlain Meteorites is a wonderful way to highlight your face and give it an iridescent glow. The effect is similar to MAC's Lightscapade mineralized skinfinish, but that item was sadly from a limited edition collection. The only con to this product is the smell. I'm not overly fond of it (a strong powder/rose scent) but it goes away after I apply it.

Stila Palettes

2009-02-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

I got these palettes from Beauty Crunch, they sell a few different brands of makeup at heavily discounted prices. It's a great place for bargains, but beware of any lip or cream products you may want to buy. They seem to stock makeup items from older collections. I have received a few lip products that were already rancid. The lipglazes in both of these smell fine, but the lipsticks smell waxy and rancid so I will probably scrape them out and replace with other products. Otherwise, a great item for travel or to stick in my purse.

Night Flower - Blu Orchid

Nectarine, Venus, Sunkissed, Mahogany eyeshadows
Quaint blush, Melissa lipcolor, Apricot lipglaze

Night Flower - Rouge Orchid

Fleur, Rosette, Grace, Espresso eyeshadows
Pretty blush, Marissa lipcolor, Grapefruit lipglaze

Asian makeup haul

2009-02-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

A few things that I picked up

SkinFoods Aloe Sun BB Cream, Etude House Lipgloss in 03, SkinFoods Cream Blush in 2

SkinFoods is a Korean brand. They make some good BB Creams for decent prices. There are a few different types in 2 shades (01 and 02). This is a great foundation that has the feel and coverage of a Tinted Moisturizer but is suppose to be very good for your skin with healing properties for acne and scars. The cream blush is very soft and easy to blend. It's a gorgeous color that leaves a nice glow on my cheeks.

Etude House is a popular Korean drugstore brand. I just picked up another gloss. Very pretty and the smell is sweet but not sugary. The texture is not sticky but the color is pretty sheer.

Canmake Dual Sparkle Color in 03, Majolica Majorca Customize in BE111, 17, GR162

These are Japanese drugstore brands. Overall great quality for the price. The texture is a little more on the sheer side than what I'm used to, but beautiful nonetheless.

Shiseido's PN Sparkling Eyes in BL709

These are similar to Shiseido's Hydro-Powder eyeshadow. Very vibrant, creamy and easy to blend. The only down side is that it creases if I do not use a base.

BRTC BB Cream

Another BB Cream. This is a lot smaller than SkinFoods at only 1.06 fl. oz. SkinFoods BB Creams are 1.76 fl. oz. It is 2-3x the price for a smaller bottle, but the quality is a lot better. BRTC makes a few different types of BB Creams, but they only come in 1 shade. When you blend it out, the cream becomes sheer and will match your skintone. The cream is thicker and a little harder to blend, but the results are definitely worth it. Hands down, the best BB Cream on the market for me.