Sunday, June 30, 2013

MEGA Beauty Haul




Oh yeah you heard right. I went all out these past couple of weeks and took the plunge in buying a couple of beauty product I have been eyeing for a while now.  My wallet weeps.. So let's get started!

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NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base $24
Heard about this for months from Ingrid or MissGlamorazzi on YT.  She has extremely oily eyelids like me and this will hopefully be the answer to my eyeshadow creasing woes.  It starts out white and dries onto the eyelid clear.

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OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous $8
A dark grey-blue with shimmer

OPI Happy Anniversary! $8
A white with shimmer 
OPI Which is Witch? $8
Reminiscent of Teenage Dream but has larger holographic particles and of course is grey.

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Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (smaller size) $14
My only holy grail nighttime moisturizer.  Little goes a long way so this smaller size will go a long way and is way more travel friendly than the bigger, bulkier version.

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Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (smaller size) $18
I have heard GREAT things about this primer and is seen as the top of its class which made me even more excited once I saw that it came in a smaller, cheaper size at Sephora.

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LORAC Baked Matte Satin Blush in Plush $12 (originally $24)
Okay this Lorac VIP sale, that started a couple weeks ago, was the beginning of my spending freefall.  But how could I not resist?! Lorac was having (and still having!) a great deal on their products.  This is the kind of sale that a money saver like myself waits for. 

Plush certainly does not have a "matte" finish as the title implies but it is not overbearing and is a beautiful peachy shade. Perfect for the summer on my warm medium skin.

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LORAC Blush in Rose $10 (originally $20)
Of the other blush colors available on the LORAC website for sale, Rose just looked the most flattering as you can see from the photo.

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LORAC Eyeshadow in Spice $6 (originally $19)
I'd describe this as a taupe brown with shimmer.  Unfortunately, as of now, it is sold out.

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LORAC Eyeshadow in Serenity $6 (originally $19)
A light bronze with shimmer.  Just to let you know, this color looks better in person than what is shown on the website.  As you can see from the photo, Serenity looks more pink in person and looks like a good dupe for Stila's Kitten eyeshadow!

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LORAC Eyeshadow in After Party $6 (originally $19)
A plum with a deep purple shimmer

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LORAC Eyeshadow in Bronze $6 (originally $19)
A bronze (brown that leans toward red) with shimmer

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LORAC Face selfTANtalizer $0
This was a free sample that came with my purchase.

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 I'll be back with part 2 tomorrow! 
Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Flower Makeup & Nail Polish Review




So I heard Drew Barrymore was coming out with a line of makeup and didn't think too much about it.  Lets be honest here, whenever a celebrity comes out with a line of makeup it usually is less than stellar and the range of items in the collection can be lacking.  In a nutshell, it's hard to take celebrity makeup lines seriously.

That's what I unconsciously thought about the upcoming Flower Makeup line.... that is until I saw the display at my local Walmart for the first time..... Ready for this? 3....2...1....

Ta-Dah!
O.O     Oh shit.


Holy makeup, Drew Barrrymore! The display... it's HUGE. That, ladies and gentlemen is about the size of what a normal makeup line takes up in a makeup aisle.  Just by looking at the great variety of products, packaging, and bright display, it's obvious that Drew and her peeps put a lot of effort into this so I thought I'd put some effort into trying her makeup. Let's dive right in shall we?


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An important note about Flower Beauty cosmetics is that their products are "Proudly made in the USA" and "Never test on animals" as an added bonus.





Flower About Face Foundation in LF6
I'm going to come right out and say that I love this foundation and it has replaced my "220 Fit Me Foundation" as my everyday foundation.  The foundation is on the dewy side with light/medium coverage that is build-able.  There were 14 shades available at my local Walmart with great color selection.  One of the reasons why I love this foundation is that they have my exact skin color.  I have very yellow skin that is right between the light and medium shades which is frustrating since other foundation selections have too much of a contrast of color between the darkest yellow-y light and lightest yellow-y medium, skipping my in-between skin color. Therefore, even the closest matching foundation I have with real yellow undertone (my 220 Fit Me) comes off a tad dark.  In a good way, however, like I have a natural tan, it still matches my skin undertone perfectly.

The con with this product is that it does not last long on the oily parts of my face, specifically the cheeks and forehead.  So I'll notice after about 5 to 7 hours later, the natural redness of my cheeks can be seen while everywhere else holds up a bit better.  Compare this to my Fit Me foundation that will last longer.

comes in a glass bottle with pump







Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadow in Wild Geranium
Wild Geranium is a beautiful shimmery rose gold creme eyeshadow that is extremely pigmented and a little goes a very long way.  You have been warned.  Because it's a creme eyeshadow, this would work great on people with drier eyelids.  I, unfortunately, have pretty oily lids so to make this last I suggest a trusty eye primer with a light wash of the eyeshadow on the eyelid, not within the crease.  With that in mind, I would still recommend the creme eyeshadow based on the great pigmentation and the gorgeous shades available.  I will definitely be picking more up next time.









Nail Lacquer in Gorgeous Gerbera
Now onto the nail polish.  You know me, I LOVE nail polish and the color selection had me sqeeing with delight.  Gorgeous Gerbera is a pale peachy pink, leaning more pink than peach.  The color goes well against my medium skin.  As far as the quality, I would give this nail polish an overall definite thumbs up.  The opacity is wonderful, only taking one coat to show up in all its pale glory.  A negative for this nail polish was that I felt that the dry time was a bit long after applying the second layer which is no bueno for an impatient nail person like me.  However, once everything was set in stone with my trusty Seche Vite top coat, this polish lasted the entire full 2 weeks with barely any chipping on the front edge of the nail.  Yes folks you heard right, if you are interested check this polish out! Of the two nail polishes I bought, this one is my favorite.

Flash - 14th day

Natural light - 14th day




Nail Lacquer in What's the Daffodilly-O?
What's the Daffodilly-O? is a more intense coral pink color that would be a great pop of color for the spring time.  I have another similar color in my nail polish collection called I'm Wired from the Sephora by OPI but found it to be too bright and intense of a hot pinky color against my skin tone. So I was slightly hesitant to get this one but caved anyway.  Thank goodness I did because I ended up really liking it.  In comparison to Gorgeous Gerbera, this color seemed to clash a little against my skin but was a hell of a lot better than I'm Wired so I kept wearing it and found that Daffodilly-O grew on me.  In terms of the quality, everything that was said about Gorgeous Gerbera's quality goes the same with this color as well.  Opacity is great with only one coat, slow dry time but held up like a champ for 2 weeks with a good top coat.  I'm not in love but I still see multiple uses from it.


Flash - 14th day

Natural light - 14th day


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So to recap....
About Face Foundation - great selection with slight dewy finish, natural, but weaker staying power
Color Play Creme Eyeshadows - extremely pigmented color that can last with a good primer
Nail Lacquers - great opacity, little chipping, great lasting power, longer dry time

If I had to go back I repurchase every single item I picked up. Two thumbs up!

 Btw, from what I saw, the collection has liquid foundation, stick foundation, BB cream, powder, blush/bronzer duos, nail polishes, lip glosses, lipsticks, eyeliner, eyeshadow quads, cream eyeshadows, concealers, and the list goes on... @.@ so there is plenty to choose from.

Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty can found in Walmart or online. 
Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

What I’m Loving - Fall & Winter 2012 (Nov&Dec)


BEAUTY
Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette
($18)
“Walk of Shame” matte light beige
“Free Love” luminous golden peach
“Chopper” luminous copper with silver micro glitter
“Last Call” luminous plum burgundy-purple
“Roach” luminous deep burgundy brown
“Toasted” luminous burgundy taupe

Natural Light: WOS, Free Love, Chopper, Last Call, Roach, Toasted

Flash: WOS, Free Love, Chopper, Toasted, Roach, Last Call

 Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows in “Scratch”, “Shag”, “Underground”
“Scratch” shimmery rose gold pink
“Shag” shimmery copper
“Underground” shimmery earth-toned brown

Deluxe packaging
Natural Light
Flash


Wet n’ Wild lipstick in “918D”
My fav because it is one of the few affordable deep dark reds without a hint of purple in it.  Only $1.99, this lipstick miraculously does not dry out my lips and is without patchiness = more bang for my buck.
TIP: Use Revlon’s Red Velvet on top of or underneath 918D to make the lipstick feel less dry and give more of a hydrating creamy look and feel.




















 
Revlon Lip Butter in “Red Velvet”
Red Velvet doesn’t have the same punch of color that W’W918D does but then again it’s not meant to be a lipstick.  It’s a great buttery wash of color that can be worn by itself or combined with matte (W’W918D) or patchy (Revlon’s Black Cherry) lipsticks.





















FILM
Hunger Games (DVD) I already gave a mini review of the film here.
Home Alone 1&2 (DVD)
Finally purchased these movies during the Holiday season because.... well, duh.
Frankenweenie
Had a lot of heart and the overall creepy black and white feel of the movie really stuck with me.

MUSIC
Bat for Lashes -The Haunted Man
      fav tracks  - Laura
                        - Lilies
                        - Marilyn
                        - A Wall
                        - Deep Sea Diver
                        - Daphne


Bat for Lashes is an indie musician who is slowly gaining more and more followers since she started in 2006.  She had my heart when my art teacher showed her music video “What’s A Girl To Do” to our class in my freshman year of college in 2008 and I've been purchasing her CDs ever since. She has collaborated with Beck, did an amazing cover of The Cure's A Forest, and did a song with Band of Horses featured in The Twilight Saga: Eclips movie. Check her out.

Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday, February 24, 2013

2013 Oscars Live Blog + Mini NOTD




3:54pm Hey peeps. Live blogging the Oscars again this year so let's get to it.
3:56pm Already I’m noticing from all the fashion here on the red carpet, that THE color of the night so far is beige.  Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, and Amanda Seyfried. 
3:58pm Yay, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Sally Fields. I love how they are interviewing together with her hand is wrapped around his arm. Very Cute.
3:59pm What?! JGL, Daniel Radcliffe, and Seth MacFarlane doing a skit together? Love this scoop I’m getting watching E!News.
4:01pm Oh no. I’m not liking Melissa McCarthy’s hair or dress. First fashion dud of the night for me :(.  Looks like something out of Dallas.  Best dressed so far? Amanda Seyfried for sure.
Credit: Popsugar

4:05pm Another color I’m seeing a lot on the red carpet is blue. Jennifer Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Amy Adams.
4:40pm What a surprise, Jennifer Aniston with her hair down.  She looks so happy with her bf but I expected more fashion wise. Then again, she isn't nominated for anything so I won't hamper on her too much.
4:46pm Adele looks great in her classic black outfits, but has a bit of sparkle. Also, I NEED her makeup person.

5:27pm Ok, so quick thoughts before the show.  Judging from all the red carpet interviews, it sounds like there is going to be a lot of musical numbers with most of the Les Mis stars singing. As for the actual awards, I am actually hoping Life of Pi gets some awards.

5:30pm Ah, I see the theme is actually Music in Film. Makes sense.
5:33pm Some of the jokes are falling flat but hey it's only been 3 minutes. Also I kinda saw this coming since he's not known for stand-up.
5:40pm Aww Channing and Charlize dancing was ....unexpected but nice.
5:42pm Haha the sock puppet Flight reenactment was actually funny. And I detect Jay Paroh from SNL as Denzel Washington.
5:43pm Yup, JGL and Daniel do a song with Seth.  Too bad they weren't given much to do. Boo.
5:49pm Waltz wins another oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
5:56pm Is it just me and my love of beards or does Paul Rudd look sexy tonight? Just me.
5:58pm Man I felt sorry for Melissa and Paul.  They were barely getting any laughs with that bit.
5:59pm BRAVE?! Brave?! Seriously Brave? Ok whatever.  I feel like the voters just penciled it in just because they saw it was from Pixar. *Sigh* Sorry Paranorman.
6:02pm So looks like they are grouping up 3 Best Films nominees at a time instead of showcasing each of time at a time.
6:06pm Haha, this RobertDJ roasting is hilarious.
6:07pm Life of Pi wins Best Cinematography!!!! Alright, I thought Skyfall would have it but this is a nice surprise. :)
6:09pm This Avengers bantering is great. Sam Jackson knows what he is talking about.
6:10pm Another Life of Pi win for Best Special Effects! I like this, let's keep this Pi-ball rolling.  Also, I just love listening to the theme music every time they win.
6:12pm Aww he didn't get to finish! The Oscars putting the Jaws theme to signify impeding doom was actually a nice touch though.
6:17pm Channing waxes? Makes total sense with his exotic dancing past lol.
6:19pm Les Mis wins for Best Makeup/Hair and Anna wins for Best Costume.
6:23pm Halle Barry looks extremely fashion forward in presenting Years of Bond.
6:25pm Wow, Shirley has still got it after all these years singing the Goldfinger song.
6:32pm I know Jamie was probably trying to be serious with the whole importance of Shorts but I couldn't help laughing. He sounds like he's delivering a line on SNL.
6:36pm Yay! Inocente wins. I remember seeing this Short on MTV and crying like a baby.  Who says MTV isn't good for anything anymore. Good for her.
6:45pm Searching for Sugarman wins Best Doc. I remember hearing his story on 60 min.
6:46pm Best joke of the night so far, "The cast of Prometheus tells us what the hell was up with that".
6:51pm Amour wins Best Foreign Language Film. I think we all saw that coming from a mile away.
7:02pm Yes......yes....YES! One More Day, this is my shit! I'm totally singing long! Even though they shortened the song down considerably. The recent stage version is still my personal favorite version of the song.
7:13pm Les Mis wins for Best Sound Mixing. The Ted bit is actually pretty funny. Doesn't overstay its welcome.
7:15pm A tie for the award. Too bad I don't remember the name of the award, just the very audible gasp from the audience when there was a tie announced.
7:21pm Anne Hathaway wins Best Supporting Actress.  And I actually liked her speech too.
7:33pm Argo wins something! Film Editing.
7:35pm The Skyfall song by Adele is literally the best part of Skyfall, hands down.
7:48pm Oh I always get goosebumps whenever I hear the Harry Potter theme. And Kristen Stewart looks like she needs to fart, big time.
7:49pm Lincoln wins for Production Design.
8:09pm Best Musical Score goes to....Life of Pi!  Yes! Score another one for the Pi.
8:13pm Best Song goes to ... Adele for Skyfall. Trust Adele to have a great short speech.
8:23pm Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Argo. I honestly thought it would between Argo or Life of Pi.
8:27pm Best Original Screenplay goes to Tarantino! Pleasant surprise seeing how people were thinking ZD30.
8:32pm "Cocaine trees" That is all.
8:35pm Ang Lee, bitches! Life of Pi wins Best Director.
8:40pm I have to say that Seth's jokes are getting better and better as the night rolls along.
8:42pm Best Actress is Jennifer Lawrence! Oh and she fell >.< Haha but she handles it like a champ. Finally SLP wins something.
8:48pm Oh and Phenoix is not having it. He's eating, looking down, and slightly shaking his head in shame.
8:50pm Best Actor is Daniel Day Lewis. I for one would have loved to see him play Margaret Thatcher.
8:52pm All hail Michelle Obama's bangs. O.O I am not worthy.
8:56pm Argo wins Best Picture? Don't get me wrong, I thought Argo was good but not THAT good. Oh who cares! Good for you Ben Affleck!
9:03pm And the show ends with a loser song to plug in a couple more jokes. Too bad the music was too loud. I couldn't hear what they were saying half the time.


Ok, so overall i liked the show.  Seth had a rough start with his jokes but he got better and better as the night kept going.  I think my favorite joke had to be the Von Trapp gag with Seth's reaction.  It was so hilariously stupid.
"Sir, they're gone!"
I was pleasantly surprised with some of the winners.  For days, all I was hearing was Lincoln, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, DJango Unchained, and Silver Linings Playbook. And in the end these films barely got any awards.  Argo got like 2 to maybe 3 awards at best.  But each of the real big awards were evenly distributed between these films. Life of Pi definitely has something to celebrate by winning most of the awards and Ang Lee totally deserved his win.  The man spent four years creating this film. That's devotion. I'm happy with the results and I hope next year will be even better!


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Mini NOTD:  China Glaze - Fast Track 
flash
One of my absolute favorite nail colors OF ALL TIME. I am not kidding.  Consider this a sneak peak of the full length NOTD I have planned for this baby. Definitely appropriate for live-blogging the Oscars.


Friday, February 22, 2013

My First Time (Ep3) - Nail Stamp Art




Today I thought I’d post about my *cough* shitty *cough* first experience with a relatively new and seemingly fun trend in the nail world called nail stamping art.  I first heard about it a year or two ago when a lot of beauty Youtubers were using Konad’s nail stamping kit with beautiful results.  It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I finally bought this ‘Salon Express’ version at a Marshalls here in San Diego for 6 dollars so I thought “what the hell, lets give this a go”.

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Here is a photo of the packaging for those of you unfamiliar with what it looks like.  Seems easy enough with the simple steps shown visually on the back.



And here is a picture of main the contents of the Salon Express stamping kit, excluding the two nail polishes shown that are actually from my own nail polish collection.  





  • Double-ended stamper (for larger designs and smaller designs)
  • Scraper
  • Plate holder
  • Metal plate(s)
  • Mini instruction booklet

The kit comes with 5 metal stamping plates with a range of about 6 to 7 designs on each plate. The stamp I’m using is the one with the zebra print (SE 22) but I was sad to  see that of all the designs, there was no leopard print design. *Sigh* That was a bummer but that was a design I could do free-hand anyway.

As for nail polish, I used Essie’s “Carry On” as a base color for all my nails and used a light lavender color, Sally Hasen’s “Lacey Lilac” for the zebra design.  


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So here it goes >.<

Metal plate with zebra design ready to go on the plate holder
Placed a nice layer of "Lacey Lilac" on design

Scraped excess nail polish 
*I should have scraped this design vertically not horizontally*
I couldn’t photograph this part since I had to work quickly but I firmly laid, but quickly lifted the larger side of the stamper on the design.

Ta-dah! ..... Yea, needs a bit more work.

I think with this nail stamper kit, it just takes patience and practice to get your nail designs to look flawless.  Also, apparently it just depends on the nail polish you use because I know that for the Konad kit, specific nail polish is to be used to work well with the metal plating.

Overall, I don’t quite love it yet aka you wont see it in my Winter favorites post.  I really just need to get my hands on some nail art polish at Sally’s Beauty Supply and I'll try again!