Hong Kong Haul~

Again, it's been such a long time since I've updated XD
My mom recently went to Hong Kong and I gave her a small list. Most of the products I can buy from Adambeauty so I didn't bother asking for too much.
I can get the 女人我最大 magazine easily at T&T, but it was cheaper from HK. 

I saw these pins online somewhere and thought they'd be pretty useful since they're longer than the typical pins..and they have a slight curve.

Comes with instructions for a simple "do" at the back. I was pretty disappointed with these though, they're not very strong/tight, so it slides out easily -___-'

Saw the Dejavu Lash Serum on Ichibankao and I just had to have it.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't use makeup everyday and cleaning mascara off doesn't always end pretty. Sometimes I'd lose a lash or two, so hopefully this serum will help strengthen them a bit.
The tip is sort of spongy with tons of product on it. I just wave the tip through my lashes and comb it out at night.

My beloved Koji Curving lash curler... The silicone pad on my first one has ripped through a while ago and I couldn't find my refill so I threw out the whole curler. I think I should have just purchased a random silicone replacement to use, but I think it's shaped differently. ButI got the Shiseido one to use in the meantime, which is OK, but sometimes the inner lashes don't curl.
I think I forgot how well this one fits my eye because when I go and press the curler, it curls very very close to my lashes that it feels like it's tugging at them too much. Now I just need to get used to using this again.
The one I got comes with a cute little handkerchief, instructions booklet, case and 2 extra refill pads.

Ever since I started growing out my hair, which is quite long by now, I find it very difficult to maintain the volume, especially if I don't use the crimping iron at the roots (learned the trick from Fuzkittie). Mousse and curlers only do so much so I thought I'd give these interesting clips a try.
They're basically metal hair clips that snap into place (you know the ones you would use back in elementary school to help keep your ponytail nice and snooth?). These have velcro on the top and bottom, with the top being bumped up slightly.

Just clip it on the bottom layer anywhere you want some volume. My bangs are too short to clip the pins so I tried them on the sides of my hair.
They work pretty well, a tiny bit of volume but I'm always paranoid that they're visible, especially when it gets windy outside. The clips do slide down my hair a bit, so using some hair spray underneath my hair helps give it some grip. Overall I think using the crimping iron gives the best volume.

And.... my younger brother got me the Jill Stuart Relax First debut kit as my Christmas present! I thought it was the one with the bath tablet, but this one came with the super cushy soft pouch instead. Will do a post on this soon!

Bobbi Brown Obsession

Recently, I've been collecting quite a few Bobbi Brown items. I don't know how it started.. for some reason, BB's base makeup appealed to me.
I'm not a huge fan of the color makeup, like the lipstick, powder shadows and gel liners. The lipstick feels sticky, the eyeshadow (from the shimmering nudes palette) oxidize and change color, even with a primer, and the gel liner doesn't stay put. Maybe I just haven't found the right color products yet.
I've also tried the hydrating eye cream with avocado, did wow me too much. Now that I think of it, I've tried so many BB products without even realizing it.

I recently purchased the Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup in Light to Medium and the Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Soft Sand.
I got kind of annoyed at how the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder kept crumbling whenever the hole in the middle grew too big. It happened to both of the BB pressed powders I've used, so I just gave up and purchased the loose one to use at home and I keep a Lancome Translucence pressed powder in my purse instead...hopefully that won't crumble so easily.

I haven't actually used the loose powder yet, but it's the same color I've been using in the pressed form, so I can't imagine it being that much different. I've done a post of the Skin Foundation and the Tinted Moisturizer in my previous posts if you'd like to read about it.

I've read online that the mineral makeup is very sheer but I wanted to try it anyway, and yes it is sheer. When I first applied it, I barely even noticed anything on my skin, but after a few minutes, it seemed to look better and showed some form of coverage. I think it would work well as a finishing powder for those who prefer fuller coverage on top of their foundation. Otherwise it's a great light makeup to use because it stays very natural. It doesn't oxidize on my skin like the Laura Mercier mineral powder, but oil control isn't superior. It's not that my skin looks super oily, but after a couple hours, there's shine on my nose faster than if I used the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 foundation.
But overall, I love the feeling of the mineral powder. It's soooo silky and soft and doesn't crease, whereas the Laura Mercier mineral powder, if my forehead gets really oily, I see a bit of it creasing.

I'm going to be heading to Port Canaveral in a couple weeks for a 4 day Bahamas cruise, hopefully I'll find some good deals for Bobbi Brown at the outlet mall and duty free store. Totally interested in trying the shimmer bricks. 

Lippies

I don't usually get a lot of lip products because it takes me a long time to finish, but for work, I decided to get a couple new ones to use. The Benefit Ultra Plush gloss is something I got from a seminar, it can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart for about $18CAD.
I like my natural lip colors, so it's no surprise that I would purchase something subtle.
The products are Benefit Coralista lipgloss, Lancome L'absolu Nu 201 and L'oreal Colour Riche Balm in Caring Coral.

The Benefit Coralista Ultra Plush lipgloss came out a couple weeks ago at Shoppers Drug Mart. I think there's about 6 shades? All designed to match their boxed blushes. Coralista smells like very sweet lychee and has a very slick watery feel. It's not sticky at all which means it's not long lasting. At least my hair doesn't stick to my lips anymore.

You can probably guess from the name that L'absolu Nu is a sheer lipstick. They were designed to enhance your natural lip color and this came the closest to my lips. This lipstick has a slight perfume scent to it and goes on quite sheer with a hint of color and shine. This doesn't last long at all, especially if I talk a lot. I normally use this at work when I don't feel like having too much color on my lips.

As for the L'oreal Colour Riche Balm, I was convinced by Raeview's video from YT to get it in Caring Coral. I honestly didn't need anymore lipbalms so it's a bit of a spontaneous purchase. I kept this in my makeup pouch for the times I needed some lip color but forgot my other lipsticks at home. Not too fond of this product though because my lips started peeling and didn't feel moisturized at all. However, I do like how this applies very smoothly.

I think I have too many lip products, but I bet there's plenty of you out there that have more than me. How does one finish them all?? 

I know I should be throwing most of these out due to the length of time I've had them, but I just can't get myself to throw them out...it's like they're my babies! 

Smoothing Primers = Dislike

I think I'm going to safely conclude that I do not like pore smoothing primers. I don't like the feeling of having a layer on my skin, although smooth, it feels so weird to me. I swear I get some of my break-outs from these silicone-feeling primers too.
If you've read my blog while I was in Korea, you might have seen the Orbis products in one of my posts, yes I still have it even after 3 years hahaha. I just haven't used it ever since and it just sat around my drawer.
I've also tried the Lancome La Base in a sample, still don't like the feeling of it >_<

Thank goodness I didn't have to purchase the Porefessional, I got it as part of a seminar giveaway. That little tube is like $34! Although I do have to say you only need a tiny amount.

I think I'm going to stick with Laura Mercier primers or anything else that has a watery light feeling to it.
Anyone like pore smoothing primers?

Summer Base Makeup

Summer's practically here in Toronto and it feels like 35C today when you factor in the humidity @__@ Lucky for me, my condo is shielded by another one right in front so it doesn't get too hot inside.
When it comes to summer base makeup, like most people, I like to know it won't melt off my face or feel heavy and icky, especially on hot humid days.

I picked up the Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free with SPF 15 as a spontaneous purchase while I was in Buffalo. This is in shade Light to Medium. I'm glad it's oil free because the last thing I need is more shine in the summer.
I also picked up the new Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 in shade Bisque 250 W $50CAD.
I initially purchased Bisque 320 W which turned my skin orange after 5 minutes!!! I've never had this happen with any of the foundations I've tried with the exception of the Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation. I took it back to the store for a shade lighter which in the end, blended into my skin tone after oxidizing.

The Lancome foudation is very creamy, not like a runny consistency. I find it applies best with a stippling brush and gently pressing it with a sponge to make sure it's properly blended.
If you're looking at buying this foundation, I highly recommend you try it on your skin in-store and let it sit for about 5 minutes before purchasing it.
The wear on this is very good, hence the 24hr, but I wouldn't say it's super long lasting if your skin is oily. When I blot my t-zone, some of the foundation would transfer onto the sheet. Everywhere else though, still looks relatively fresh.My skin doesn't feel like it's melting off and I'm surprised at how it sticks. When I was changing out of my black top, there were no smudges on the collar.

As for the BB TM, it's what you would probably expect out of a tinted moisturizer. I find the coverage is a little more than sheer and it provides a nice even color to my skin. I blend it on with my fingers and use a sponge to tap around to make sure it's blended. The texture is quite creamy but I wish it had a little bit more slip to it. Although oil free, my t-zone and the cheek area next to my nose would look shiny after a few hours.

The BB TM is slightly more yellow toned than the Lancome foundation, but both works well for my skin.

Pintrest

Hi everyone,
Wow, I haven't been on Blogger for so long, I didn't realize they changed the post writing system.
Anyway, have you heard of Pintrest? It's a website where you can post/link pictures you like from the internet and share it with others. I think sort of like a blog, but without words and just pictures.
I'm doing a short summer internship for Topbox's Pintrest page which features makeup, their monthly subscriptions, hair, nails, fashion etc... If you're interested in those sorts of things, I would love if you followed any of their boards =) ThankQ~!

I also bought a new foundation, hope to do a review soon since I'm still testing it out.

My Beauty Diary Mist

While going grocery shopping at T&T, I noticed they started carrying more products from Taiwan. It used to be the My Beauty Diary masks, then Naruko and slowly a few more items from My Beauty Diary. The prices for the masks are decent, however, Naruko is quite expensive compared to what I've seen online.
There was also a demonstrator when I went for Naruko products and I tried a moisturizer on my hand...totally turned off from it because of the fragrance, way too strong for my liking.

I picked up a My Beauty Diary Orange Blossom & White Lotus Moisturizing Mist when I was there. I think it was about $3.50 for 60mL
It's a nice size for the price and it fits in my purse without too much added weight. The mist comes out very fine and I spritz about 2-3 pumps, that's the right amount without soaking your skin too much. I usually like using makeup mists after blotting my skin later in the day and I find it really helps to refresh my skin/makeup and provide a nice dewy effect. If I have eyeshadows, I'll cover my eyes just in case it happens to smudge it.
The mist is lightly fragrance with an orange and slight floral scent, nothing too overpowering.
In case anyone is curious about the ingredients, here is the list... paraben free

I picked this up at the newest T&T location up by Woodbine and 16th Avenue.

Sephora Freebies and Hair-Do

Thank you for the comments =) Always like reading them.
Even though I don't blog as often, I still try to fit in a post whenever I have time. And this time I got off school early.

I went to Sephora to get my early birthday freebie and was quite surprised at what they offered. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment duos! It's the cherry tinted and un-tinted balms.
I wouldn't have ever purchased the full size for $26CAD so it was nice that this was the gift.

Here they are compared to the Rosebud Salve...cute little minis right?
The cherry tint didn't show up on my lips...blah! I think I like the Rosebud balm better though, it has a bit more slip than the Sugar Lip Treatments. But it's also nice that the Sugar ones have SPF.

For a school assignment, I had to come up with a hair-do. I took some inspiration online and from manwomanfilm on YT and made it my own.
The theme is a costume party and the hair is done to resemble a zebra. The imaginary dress has a lot of tulle and chiffon fabric that flows past the ankles.
My friend was kind enough to let me experiment on her.

I braided a silver ribbon on the bottom so it looks a bit more stripe-y and more like a zebra. The mohawk wasn't a high as I wanted, but you get the idea.

In my last semester at Seneca, I also have 1 more special effects class, this time doing more disgusting things...like this 3rd stage frost bite
Hope I didn't gross you out too much!

Happy New Year~!

Hi Hi!
I haven't disappeared completely, so busy with work and school! So bad for not posting in a while... =___='!!

I was on AdamBeauty recently to restock on my favourite mascara (Fiberwig) and decided to peruse some of the other items that were available. Along came the Dolly Wink mascara and liner combo! It was about $15USD for the mascara/liner combo which is a pretty good deal. Only the volumizing formula was available.
I'm always a bit iffy on using new mascaras or liners because I don't always have good experiences with them; they just keep smudging!! But seeing how it was a good deal, it went in my shopping cart.
I'm sure there are a billion reviews on these products already, but I still wanted to share my 2 cents on it =D

I'm used to using the Majolica Majorca automatic liners (which has a turning base to get the product out), so I didn't expect to see the Dolly Wink liner to not have the turning base.
I was quite surprised to see that the pen tip was so thin, slightly thinner than the MJ one I use.

Compared to the MJ BK920 liner, the Dolly Wink is much darker and doesn't have the shimmery finish like MJ. It was also a lot easier to apply and get the color on my lashline in one swipe. Whereas I usually use MUFA Aqua Liner 0L as a base for the MJ liner.

Throughout the day, I was just thinking to myself that it's gonna smudge, but it stayed put pretty well. It didn't smudge to my lower lashline, but it did fade a bit, mostly on the inner corners. It's nothing too noticeable unless you look closely at the lashline.
The mascara I was definitely very iffy on using, since the Fiberwig is the only mascara that didn't smudge. Even the MJ mascaras somehow smudged on me.
Cool thing about it is that there's a small pointed sort of end to help reach the tiny corners and lashes.

So I gave it a try in hopes that it could be just as amazing as my precious Fiberwig...but it didn't stay. Not that it smudged like crazy, but throughout the day I noticed a bit of darkness around the edges or my eyes..not impressed. Even if I layered the Fiberwig on top, it didn't do much.
Another thing I wasn't impressed about was the layering. When applying 1 layer of Dolly Wink, it was fine, then when I tried to add a second layer, it clumped easily.
Oh well, I tried, back to Fiberwig it is.


Ever since taking a course in fragrances (as part of my cosmetic curriculum), I didn't give fragrances much thought. I owned a few already, but threw most of them out after moving because I haven't used them for such a long time (I'm sure the top note has fleeted already).
So, after taking my fragrance class, I really wanted a new fragrance that was lighter than the current one I had (Anna Sui Dolly Girl Bonjour L'Amour) and something I would use more often... along came Jo Malone.

If you go to Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale Mall, there is an SA that works at the counter name Joe. He was super nice and offered me plenty of samples until I found a fragrance I liked.
I was initially attracted to Jo Malone because my manager wore the Wild Bluebell. It smelled so light and fresh so I figured I could find something light from Jo Malone.
I was going to purchase this myself as a Christmas present, but Tim beat me to it. Probably because I mentioned the fragrance so many times to him.
He got me English Pear and Freesia.
It has top notes of melon and pear, with middle notes of freesia and rose, finished off with musk, patchouli, amber and rhubarb.
I find the scent to be a bit like spicy pears. It's also light, sweet and delicate.

But...rant-age...
According to the Holt SA, Jo Malone is a unisex fragrance that can be layered, but seeing the price point of it, I doubt I'll get another one to layer, this 100mL bottle will take a long time for me to finish.
I'm a bit peeved at the SA though. I mentioned that the fragrances were labelled as a cologne, so he told me that it only says that so men wouldn't be turned off from seeing it labelled as eau de toilette. He told me that it sounded too feminine and men wouldn't buy it. So instead, Jo Malone labelled them as cologne when it's supposedly an eau de toilette.
Lies!! =_______=
Seeing how I took the fragrance class and knew the differences between parfum, toilette and cologne, I should have known better. I knew colognes didn't have the longest lasting power, but I was still sucked into wanting the fragrance. Oh well...it was a gift from Tim and I wasn't going to complain, I just got an atomizer to spritz more on when it faded.

Happy New Year once again and hope you all have a great weekend! Until next time!