Birthday Goodies II

Some more birthday goodies, except these I went out to buy with red pocket and birthday money.

Originally I wanted to buy the giant bottle of Philosophy Apricots and Cream body lotion, but I thought I'd probably get sick of the scent before I finish it, so I wanted the smaller one and Sephora didn't have it!

Intead I decided to get a new concealer. I wanted a better one for a while but never got around in getting it. I went to get the Bobbi Brown concealer from Holt Renfrew but the SA wouldn't sell it to me unless I got a corrector (aww...how considerate...but it saved me like $80). He led me to the Laura Mercier counter instead.

Here's what I came out with @__@

I got my new concealer and the Laura Mercier Color Preview Collection kit. I don't even see it on the Laura Mercier website or Sephora yet..I wonder how new this is????

I see it on the Neiman Marcus site and it's supposedly exclusive to that store. The lipstick picture is soo off btw.

I knew I didn't need another blush or more brown shades but long story short..I came up with some excuses and ended up getting the kit.

When the SA was trying on the concealer, I glanced over at the display case and saw the most gorgeous coral lipstick EVERR!! I said to myself that I must have it! But sadly it was only available in the kit since it was the new LE Gel Lip Color (the whole color selection is supposed to be out in the summer, but this shade was LE)

The kit comes with an e/s duo, full sized blush, mini mascara, 30mL of the foundation primer, pouch, full sized gel lip color, double ended shadow brushes and application card.

I didn't do swatches of the blush since I gave it to my mom. This shade is called Citrus Spark which is a reddish coral shade. Quite pigmented...the SA tried it on me and barely touched the blush with the brush.

Ah, the jewel of this collection.. the new Gel Lip Color in Grapefruit, a pretty reddish coral.

I don't know why I was so attracted to this shade...suddenly when you get older..you start liking shades you never thought you'd like.

The SA said it goes on sheer, I think it's still got some nice pigmentation to it and feels very light. Although it doesn't apply like "what you see is what you get", it still gives my lips a very pretty coral, hint of strawberry color. The lipstick glides on super smooth and smells kinda like vanilla. It's not as moisturizing as I thought, like the Maquillage or Lunasol lipsticks, so using a lipbalm is a must.

I'm not sure if the e/s shades are available to buy as regular shadows. It's your basic neutral brown shades that are good for everyday wear.

The lighter shade (sandstone) is a pearly beige shade that appears slightly pink. Sounds like the P&J shadow I reviewed recently? Except this doesn't have a heavy golden tone to it.

The darker shade (cognac) has a hint of gold in it and it's not as pearly as sandstone.

The shadows are soo buttery and soft and apply very well on my eyes. They blend easily and lasting power is amazing. I'd say better than some of my Japanese ones (Lunasol, Aube Couture. I wore the shadows on for more than 8 hours with UDPP and no creasing whatsoever. Sandstone is very pigmented and cognac takes a few layers to get the right intensity.

Another basic application, also using L'oreal Lineur Intense in Earthen Rock Brown. I'm also using the LM secret concealer in #3. Doesn't cake and crease as easily (still does after a day of wear) as Beauty Maker Aqua Concealer.

The brushes are full size and picks up the shadows very well.

The SA also gave me a sample of the almond coconut milk body lotion and a nice size tube of the scrub. Smells super delicious but I don't think I'd ever buy the full size.

Me and my big head pictures XD

Another birthday goodie I got was some China Glaze nail polishes. Here I'm using Golden Meringue. It's a sheer golden shade which shows up depending on the angle and lighting.

One more week of school with tons of assignments, then study week..then going back to school for 3 midterms...wha...so not fun.

Birthday Goodies I

I like having my birthday in February because it's also near Chinese New Year, and of course most of you know what that means! I got some lovely presents this year and I'm gonna show a couple that I got from a friend. It's the new Paul & Joe Spring 2011 Parasol collection!

I loooooove the packaging..well pretty much all the packaging P&J comes in. Although the designs are so pretty, I'm a bit peeved that it's still made with cardboard...gggrrrru.. Nevertheless, it's still some nice eye candy.

I forgot to take swatch pictures, so you can view them on this blog.

I received the lipstick color in Chantilly 070 which is a sheer bubble gum pink. The color actually appears quite well on my lips.

I also got the Color Powder CS in Taffeta 072 which has a golden beige pink and a golden copper shade. The lighter shade goes in a bit sheer. I wasn't able to take some good pictures, but you can still see the darker shade show up on my eyes. I also used Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine Eyes (cream shadow) in gold as a base. This really helps with lasting power and helps prevent creasing. When the shadows are used alone with UDPP, it still creases slightly.

Just did basic application, lighter shade all over lid up to crease and darker shade on the outer.

I used the L'oreal Lineur Intense in Earthen Rock Brown, also a gift for my birthday. This has replaced my precious Lunasol liquid liner which has dried out considerably by now. (*le sigh*)

I've also used the Chantilly lipstick. Very cute pink indeed.

For those of you who are a VIB member, Sephora is giving away samples of the NARS pro prime pore refining primer (what a mouth full!). It's so tiny, probably enough for 2 uses. I look like a giant holding it.

Au Natural

Hello blog world,
Ever since I started the cosmetic program at Seneca, I realized that I probably had to be at school without makeup at one point or another, just to make it easier for my peers to practice on a clean face.
So with that said, I needed to get used to the fact that I probably wouldn't be using makeup, might as well try it out when I go out, however I cheated and still used something when I went out in public.
No eye makeup at all! I tried it once yesterday and again today, it ain't that bad. Since I didn't have any eye makeup on, I decided to add a bit more blush than usual.
On a side note, I am so proud of myself for using the JS blush (fresh apricot) so quickly.

For the natural look, I just filled in my brows, did some light concealing under my eyes (with Sana yellow concealer, not pictured) and gave my lips a little bit of pink color.

I mixed the #1 colors together and applied it on the lower part of my cheek, and did the same with #2 but higher for a glow because the colors were lighter. It's supposed to imitate the pink cheeks you get after going inside from the cold.
I took the photos using my iphone which explains the washed out colors.