MiuMiu

Happy New Year~!

2012-01-14T02:26:00.000-05:00

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!

Vampire!

2011-10-25T15:15:00.000-04:00

My attempt at doing a vampire look for Halloween..although I won't be going anywhere or doing anything for Halloween since I have SFX class.
I sort of did this look off the top of my head, while using inspirations from other vampire looks I've seen on YT and blogs.

I don't normally use so much color on my eyes, let alone dark colors. I blended purple and black on the lid and a bit of dark brown in the crease to add depth. I kept the shadows matte and didn't blend too high up to avoid looking like I have a black eye.
As I blended the outer edge of the shadows, I used a tissue to guide the blending into a wing, but it's barely noticeable, if I blended out or downwards, my eyes would start looking droopy. Using false lashes also adds more oomph to the eyes.
Brows were lightly filled in to keep them from over powering the eyeshadows. Sorry I don't have any close up pictures.

I also kept my complexion matte since I imagine vampires are pale and dull looking. I added a bit of deep red blush and a contour shade under my cheek bones, but didn't over do it to keep the eyes the main focus.
For the lips, I just dabbed foundation on and red lipstick on the inner center of the top and bottom lip.
The blood is just fake blood from my SFX kit.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color

2011-10-14T17:21:00.000-04:00

Tim recently went to Las Vegas for a business trip at Zappos and he was nice enough to help me pick up a couple items from Bobbi Brown. It's always such a confusing thing for guys, if they ever have to go into a makeup store.

I saw on the BB website the Marrakesh Chic Collection and fell in love with the Creamy Lip Color in Washed Seashell #52. It's described as a shimmering medium tone nude pink on the website.
This is my first Bobbi Brown lipstick and I'm impressed by the packaging; a sleek black tube that has a nice click when I close the cover. No need to worry that it'll come loose if it fell out of my makeup bag.

It's a nude color indeed, it pretty much matches my lip color and adds a light shimmer on top without changing my lip color. The shimmer looks almost frosty rather than crystal-y shimmer. Great for everyday wear with subtle color on the lips.

My only complaint is the texture/feel of the lipstick. I figured a "creamy lip color" would feel very smooth and soft, but I had to use a bit more pressure to apply. It feels more like I'm applying a lip balm, but it feels sort of sticky on my lips. For comparison, my Laura Mercier gel lip colors are much softer and smoother when applying on my lips.
I don't mind the stickyness too much unless it's windy outside, I wish it didn't feel like I'm wearing a lipgloss. I suppose the stickyness makes up for the lasting power. Also the lipstick has a slight plastic smell to it, which I'm not too fond of.
Oh well, it's still a very beautiful nude pink, as if I didn't have enough lipsticks already, still worth a try since it's cheaper to purchase in the states.

Just a quick EOTD with Lancome Crystal Rose duo eyeshadow. I can't believe how sheer this goes on, sheerer than my beloved Japanese eyeshadows, which I think aren't super pigmented to begin with. Throughout the day, I notice the eyeshadow slowly fading out a bit.. -___-'

Using the Majolica Majorca pink cream shadow as a base helps the pinky beige color stand out a bit more. Also blended the darkest shade on top of MUFE Aqua Liner in 2L and topped it off with Majolica Majorca liquid liner in BR601.

Hello! Long time no blog

2011-10-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

Hellooo! Wow it's been so long since I've blogged, been thinking about new posts for a while but didn't get a chance to do them, so here's a big one!
I recently went to a L'oreal private sale, I didn't really see anything I liked and ended up picking up 2 items for about $10 total.
Although I don't have much of a chance to use my nail polishes anymore, I still picked up the Essie polish in Too Too Hot, $2.50! Can't go wrong with that. I also purchased a Lancome shadow duo, which I assume is from an old collection since I can't find it on the Lancome Canada site. It was only $7.50, I didn't need any more eyeshadows so this was just a spontaneous purchase..so cheap!

I haven't actually used the shadows yet, so no pictures for now. The palette is called Crystal Rose and has a pinkish beige shade and grey with greenish tones, very nice when blended together.

However, you can see that it's not super pigmented, so it's more of a daytime natural eye shadow duo.

Even though I'm a makeup student, I stopped using so much makeup, mostly because it has to come off at school anyway for my classmates to practice on me, or I just don't feel a big urge to have so much color on my eyes anymore. I remember back when I was teaching in Korea, I would always have some sort of color on my eyes.
Nowadays, it's either brown shadows, or just brown/black liners, with more focus on keeping my skin dewy looking. I'm a bit more obsessed with my base makeup because I found one I love, Bobbi Brown. Now to finish my Laura Mercier concealer and slowly move onto Bobbi Brown.
Look how long my hair is now! So happy I can finally make a nice fish tail.

This semester, I started my special effects class. I have one more next semester doing more prosthetics. This semester is focusing on things that happen on the skin, like cuts, bruises, scrapes and burns. I haven't done burns yet, I'm pretty excited about it, as gross as it is. I hate seeing bloody things, but making a 3rd degree will be interesting.
In the meantime, here are some things I've done so far.
This is not on myself haha, I don't think I'll be able to construct one on my own face very well.
This is a laceration on my partner's jawline because she didn't want it on her face.

Bullet hole done from a close range headshot.

Bruise and scrapes....probably the easiest thing to do. The only downside to all this SFX makeup is, it only comes off with 99% alcohol...so you can only imagine how dry my skin gets in this class.

I've also played with latex to make gashes, but I wasn't too proud of my work so I didn't post a picture ^__^

Rinoa Cosplay with Dolly Wink

2011-08-31T10:35:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited about this post, thanks for all the comments on the Dolly Wink lashes. As much as I love them, I think I'd only use them when I go out to have fun, otherwise they're too crazy for day to day.
As you can see, the post is about my cosplay at FanExpo Toronto, but first I'd like to show to you the makeup I used.

I was going to purchase the Dolly Wink 01 eyeshadow at Pacific Mall to use with my lashes, but I didn't have time nor was I prepared to over spend on something I know would be over priced. But, my dear friend from Hong Kong surprised me with it in the mail! I remember asking her if these were available at Sasa and she told me no, so I was quite surprised to get the package and looked ridiculous with my smile when I opened it on the subway.

I didn't have time to do a step by step picture tutorial and using the Dolly Wink e/s is pretty hard to get wrong anyway.

Products used in order:
Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine Eyes

Dolly Wink 01

MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L

MUFE Aqua Eyes 2L

Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liner BK920

Fiberwig Mascara Extra Long

How To:
First apply Coffret D'or all over lids as a base, then:
1. All over lid
2. From lash line up halfway the lid
3. Lined upper lash line
4. Lined outer half of bottom lashes with MUFE 2L then smudged on top.
I also used to MJ liner to fill the spaces of my upper lash line, then finish with Dolly Wink 02 Lashes. I snipped off a very tiny bit of the inner part and they fit perfectly.
The lashes were a bit heavy though, whenever I blinked, I knew they were there, but it wasn't uncomfortable or anything.

I didn't do swatches of the eyeshadow since there are many bloggers that have done so, I'm just a bit late on the Dolly Wink bandwagon. However, I do have to say that I love the pigmentation of the eyeshadows and the lasting power! They're so easy to apply with my fingers.

Being a little vain before I got to the FanExpo, I kept looking at my eyes since I was so amazed at how the lashes transformed them. I totally forgot to use lipstick/gloss that day.

On to some FanExpo pictures! My nerdyness comes out.
I was a bit shy to ask people if they would take a picture with me, it seems kinda weird. I had a few that asked for my picture, or when I was posing for a picture with other cosplayers, I saw people snapping away with their cameras.

I think I looked pretty darn close to Rinoa from Final Fantasy 8. This isn't the first time I cosplayed her though, the other times I had black pants on and no boots. For FanExpo I went all out and got the boots including the grey detail on them, did the shorts and went anime eyes with the lashes. I think I also get a bonus point because I'm Asian already with my long hair and side swept bangs like Rinoa.

For those who don't know who this is, it's Tom Felton a.k.a. Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies.

Some Storm Troopers snooping around my bag.

Kairi from Kingdom Hearts 2, I love that game!

Another Storm Trooper, the guy was towering over me. He even had the mic to make the Storm Trooper voice. I do like Star Wars btw.

And just a couple pictures outside the Metro Convention Center thanks to Tim for them. I think I would definitely go again next year, or if there's any other conventions that come to Toronto that calls for the cosplayer in me haha, but I would totally think of another costume.

Dolly Wink No.2

2011-08-15T13:51:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late on the Dolly Wink lashes, my first pair in No.2 Sweet Girly. Got them to go with my FanExpo costume for those super anime eyes.
Hopefully I'll get some good pictures of my costume for FanExpo, if anyone else is going to the Toronto one on the 26th, I'll be dressed up as a video game character!

Giving them a test run, so far so good. I had to snip off a wee bit on the inner part of the lashes. They're so crazy but I love them. Not the most natural lashes but it does a lot for my eyes without even using eye shadow on top. Very light, feathery and not plastic looking at all, I like.

Base Makeup Updated~

2011-07-28T15:49:00.000-04:00

I feel a bit disloyal to the Asian cosmetics that I normally like to buy, but sometimes it's hard to look for a new powder or foundation without trying it on. Eyeshadows, blushes etc.. haven't really caught my eyes the past year, maybe a few things but I think it's because I have too many products to finish first.

So I decided to switch to using some American brands. It's also a lot cheaper too, unless you buy it in Canada. For this haul, I only purchased the Bobbi Brown foundation in Canada...$55CAD compared to $45USD, is that ridiculous? Plus our 13% tax on top.
And I got the Sephora round powder brush #41 for only $36, I think it's $45 here? My only complaint is the white bristles...when I load up the brush with the pressed powder, I don't know how much I actually pick up and sometimes I end up powdering too much.

If you've ever been to Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale mall, you might have noticed that Benefit has their Brow Bar there. However, I recently found out that Benefit was being pulled out of Holt and they weren't going to carry the brand anymore...so sad, and I was about to get my brows done.

Since they weren't going to be sold at Holt anymore, there was a mini sale going on with a bunch of the Benefit products, ranging from $15, $20 and $25. The boxed blushes were all $20, cream eyeshadows were $15 and skincare was from $20-25! There were also things like the concealer kits, lipgloss and lip sticks, liquid blushes, eyeshadows and a few other eye brow things.Cheap right? But I only picked up the High Brow.
BTW, if you're in Toronto, head to Holt at Yorkdale, the lady told me the sale ends this week, but I'm not sure if she meant Friday or Saturday.

The High Brow is a unique brow lifting pencil. You basically use it to highlight your brow bone and this helps give your eyes a nice lift. The shade is a pale pink color, I don't think it's very universal and there was only 1 color to choose from.
You draw a line under your brow on the outer half like so...

Then blend away with your finger or brush. I find that 1 swipe is enough, otherwise it gets a bit difficult to blend. The product feels a bit chalky and if I add too much, I can see a white-ish hue under my brows rather than a natural highlight.

Do you know about Murale? If you've never heard of it, it's a beauty boutique opened by Shopppers Drug Mart. They carry a wide variety of products like NARS, Smashbox, Benefit, Cargo and...*gasp* Bobbi Brown!!!! I finally found somewhere that I get purchase Bobbi Brown products...without having to deal with the snooty service at Holt Renfrew, plus you can earn those Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points at Murale.
I spent about 45mins at Murale getting a mini makeover and trying out their base makeup. The girl was super nice, if you ever go, look for Shannon.
I purchased the Skin Foundation SPF15 in Warm Beige 3.5, which gives a light-medium coverage and leaves a slight dewy finish...which I love. I don't like fully matte makeup.

I also purchased the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in soft sand when I visited Buffalo. Darn you Canada, why are things so expensive... I got the powder for $34USD and it sells for $45CAD here.

In case you ever need a comparison for online shopping, here I'm comparing the shade with Fit Me 210, they're very similar except Fit Me is a bit more yellow toned.

I LOOOOOVEE my new foundation. I normally use a sponge to blend, but I can get away with using my fingers to blend and the result is a smooth even finish. The Fit Me needed a sponge for better blending.
BB definitely has more coverage than the Fit Me foundation, but a lower SPF.
Lasting power is quite good, my skin was more dewy by the end of an 8-10 hour day but it looked so smooth. The foundation feels quite runny and it also feels very light weight which helps it give a light-medium coverage. 1 full pump is also enough to cover my face without any being wasted.
I used the pressed powder on top and it matted my skin very well, which I wasn't too fond of, but after an hour or so my skin looked more dewy when the oils started to produce on my skin.

Coffret D'or Fast Beauty Foundation UV BB Cream

2011-06-14T15:59:00.000-04:00

Today is just a quick look at the Coffret D'or BB Cream. It has such a long name! Sorry no pictures of the product on my face, I'm just fitting in this post in between studying =D
I ordered this from AdamBeauty, about $34CAD (after shipping) for 30g. I was very hesitant on ordering this because I couldn't decide on the shade to purchase and whether it would clog my pores like Skinfood and Hanskin did.
I ended up getting the darkest shade, 03 Healthy Tone. At first I was worried it would be a bit too dark, but I compared the online swatches of the P&J foundations and Lunasol (that I've used before) and concluded on shade 03 because those foundations were all a touch too light for me in the summer time. Plus, my Kiehl's Tinted Moisturizer was in Medium and it's quite dark too, so the 03 shade should suit me.

I was surprised at how small it was, knowing that it was 30g. I'm thinking with regular use, I'll probably finish this in 2 months. Which isn't too bad for the price and what it does.
I'm not going to explain what BB creams are since there are a bajillion bloggers that did. This particular one comes with SPF 33PA++ and is unscented (yay!). I don't think there's a specific target for this BB Cream (like anti wrinkle or whitening).
When I first applied it to my skin, I was surprised at how yellow toned it was! But after a few minutes, it blends into my skin nicely without any sallowness.

The lasting power is quite good. I wore it on a day that I was up early to help my friend get ready for his wedding, running around, doing touch ups on people, through the rain and it still looked fresh. No creasing except a bit around my nose. Shine on my t-zone was bound to happen but it didn't look like an oily mess, just a bit of dewy-ness that I blotted.
For comparison, I used the Maybelline foundation. Although I mentioned that it appeared very yellow, it somehow changed to my skintone, I can't explain it.

Overall, I'm quite happy with this purchase. The BB cream has a light to medium finish, but a bit leaning towards medium depending on how much you apply. It has a nice creamy texture but spreads very easily without any streaks.
I think it's worth a try if you like foundations that are lightweight and convenient because it has the SPF in it. Also, you don't need to use a base prior to applying this, so even more convenient!

Chocolate Strawberries

2011-05-25T17:07:00.000-04:00

I had noooo idea what to name this post. I was trying to decide what kind of eye makeup to do on my friend's wedding. I needed something quick and easy to do in the morning since I'm doing makeup for the guys, might as well figure it out now.
I couldn't decide on brown or pink (considering my dress was lavender with a hint of grey hue to it), so I decided on both. Hopefully I won't change my mind when time comes XD

Here's what I used:
Majolica Majorca cream shadow pink
Laura Mercier Sateen Eye Colour Duo Sandstone/Cognac
Integrate Accent Eyes PK760 (pink and shimmery highlight shade in the middle)
Jill Stuart Seductive Eyes - Seductive Doll 01 (bright pink shade)
MJ Perfect Automatic Liner BR601
MUFE Aqua Eyes 2L
Fiberwig Mascara Extra Long

I always start off with a cream base if I have one, makes the color appear more vibrant and lasts longer. And of course, I always use UDPP too.

Using Sandstone shade, apply all over lid and up to the crease.

I warm up the MUFE liner on my hand to make it easier to apply. Draw a thicker line than usual on top lashline.

Using the Cognac shade, smudge it slightly upwards and blend out any harsh edges.

Next, I blend the pink shade from the Integrate palette on top of the smudged liner, careful not to apply the pink on the lashline. This will wash out the brown color on the lashline if applied there.

Using the same Cognac shade, blend starting from the middle of the lashline out towards the outer corner, making sure to apply more on the outer.

Next, I blend and pat the bright pink shade from the Jill Stuart palette on the outer corner and into the crease. I pat the pink shade on top of the brown to avoid making it muddy looking.

Highlight the inner corner and lower half of the lashline with the shimmery highlight shade from the Integrate palette, and apply Cognac on the outer half.

Line the top lashline, careful not to make it too thick. Drag the line out a bit and create a slight wing.

Load up on the mascara top and bottom and add false lashes. It was so difficult applying mascara to my bottom lashes!..since I don't have a lot -___-'
I forgot to mention, I highlighted using Sandstone on my brow bone.

Oopps..looks like the lashes are coming off =p

I might end up changing my eye makeup for night time...thinking of just using brown and gold shades..but with a heavier hand...hmmm... decisions decisions..

Anyone heard of Beauty So Clean? Well, if you haven't, it's a makeup mist that you can spritz onto pressed powders, shadows, blushes and even cream foundations!

This spray kills bacteria and helps keep makeup cleaner, especially if you're like me and just can't seem to part with your eyeshadows hehe.

The spray is mostly alcohol, but it's also got added ingredients (like isopropyl palmitate - moisturizing ingredient) so it won't dry out or damage your makeup.

I purchased mine at school as a special order. I don't think you can get this size anywhere, unless you order online from Eve Pearl. Last week, I saw they had the large bottle, but it seems like they only have the small one in stock at the moment.

Otherwise I know you can purchase it at The Bay, but unfortunately, not the large size that I have. Either way, I think it's a good investment for makeup artists and for personal use to keep everything nice and sanitized.

Check out the Beauty So Clean website and you can see a few other products they have.

Kiehl's and Lavshuca

2011-05-18T17:23:00.003-04:00

I really don't like editing my posts using Google Chrome. The pictures don't move around easily and it just makes it frustrating, but IE is always crashing on me.

Anyway, on to the post. Thank you for everyone's comments. I know I've been slacking in the commenting area but I still jump around blogs to keep myself updated.

A friend from school recently went to Hong Kong and helped me stock up on some MJ liners. I got the BR601 shade which is a deep shimmery brown. I've been using the shimmery black MJ liners for so long, I don't know why this is the first time I finally tried a different shade. Hmm...actually, I think I used to have a deep blue one, but who knows, it was so long ago.

She also got me a souvenir! It's a Lavshuca PK1 eyeshadow, I'm not too sure what it's supposed to be called, but I can imagine something like double, or duo something.

I've tried so many Japanese makeup from the past couple of years that I don't really remember if this is my first Lavshuca eyeshadow..I'm pretty sure it is.

It comes with a pale pink that applies very smoothly and leaves and nice soft shimmer. The darker shade looks taupe with a hint of pink. It's not really pigmented enough to be used as a liner though, but great for adding definition.

I thought I'd post a quick picture tutorial with the eyeshadow. Nothing too difficult =D It's been a while since I did a picture tutorial.

First things first, I always start with a color base whenever possible, it really helps the eyeshadow last longer and gives a more vibrant finish.

The shadows actually last very long without having to touch up for at least 8 hours.

I also don't always put color on my lower lashline... I'm slowly getting more used to seeing myself with some color there, although it seems to fade really quickly, or my eyes get watery.

I love the MJ liquid liners...what would I do without them.

I curled my lashes and used a heated lash curler before applying mascara. Just using 1 coat with the heated lash curler is enough to make my lashes really stand out. I skipped the second coat since I was wearing glasses. And done!

A little update to the L'oreal Color Infailble. Just some good and some bad.. I wasn't too pleased with the product but wasn't disappointed either.
The good things about this shadow is the texture, it feels very silky, almost like cream but more powdery, but very light when applied to my lids. It has a more powdery finish. I'm not even sure if this can be considered a cream shadow.
It's also super pigmented and can be layered for a more intense finish..which I think is quite nice, considering some shadows don't appear any bolder no matter how many layers.

Besides those good things, I was slightly disappointed in the application. Although very silky in texture, I found it a little bit difficult to blend out the harsh edges, maybe because I was using my fingers? I also noticed the first signs of creasing after an hour of wear so I just took it off. I'll probably give it another chance another time. The color is very pretty but I don't see myself using it much because it's so much bolder than what I usually use.

I also changed my Maybelline Fit Me foundation. After using 125 for about a month, I started to feel it wasn't the right shade. It was a bit too pink, so on my visit to Buffalo, I picked up the 210 which was a better match. It has more of a yellow undertone while still looking more cool toned, which is what I apparently am now (according to my makeup teacher). So far, I still love this foundation because of the light-medium coverage. I don't like anything too heavy. I wish I could get my hands on the Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation S, but it's so expensive online *sigh*

Sneak Peak: L'oreal Color Infaillible

2011-05-16T21:05:00.003-04:00

Look what I got in the mail! Supposedly not out yet, at least not in Canada. L'oreal Color Infaillible in Endless Chocolat. Got it from an offer from a cosmetic magazine subscription I get at school.

I haven't tried it or even touched it yet, too tired to try it out since I just got home from work. From what I can see, it looks like the Lancome Ombre Magnetique shadows.

Post on this coming up soon!

Lavshuca and Fit Me

2011-04-15T15:38:00.007-04:00

Taking a break from studying.. trying to cram 2 subjects and makeup application (by theory then putting it into actual use during my exam) on my 2 off days. SOOOOoooo not liking this work, school, or work + school schedules.

I ran out of my MJ liquid liner and since Adambeauty never seems to carry them anymore, I ordered 2 Lavshuca liquid gel liners.. as inexpensive as they were, it wasn't worth it because they were terrible!!!!

The colors are what I want but here's the bad part:
1) They take forever to dry
2) ..because they take forever to dry, if you blink, the liner transfers easily around your eyes
3) Too much liner comes out so you end up with a big glob on your eye
4) It takes layers to get the right pigmentation
=____='
But I guess it's ok, considering they were about $11CAD per liner.. since then, I've went on a desperate rampage to find my beloved MJ liner and managed to find it on Bobodave.com with free shipping. I resisted buying it from Pacific Mall, partly because they didn't have BK902 anyway and it was $27!! Bobodave only cost $20.

Moving onto the Maybelline Fit Me. My friend in class had convinced me that it was the most amazing foundation ever..and seeing how I happened upon an Ulta on my trip to Buffalo, I thought why not try it! For $6.99USD, it's cheaper than getting it in Canada plus the 13% tax on top.

I tried a sample from the Lou Lou magazine and 125 seemed to match me well.

It's definitely sheer for a foundation, but I'd say more coverage than a tinted moisturizer.

It has a weird smell to it, like of like baby powder but not really. Blending is smooth and oil control neither good nor bad, but better than using a TM.

I find that if I used this instead of my TM, my bangs don't tend to get all the oily from my forehead as easily.

You barely even notice the foundation in the picture, I didn't apply it on my whole face and I didn't blend out the spot either.

It does a good job at covering any redness, but not freckles.

In terms of lasting power, I'd say.. if I use blotting sheets, then I notice it, but other than that, I don't notice it coming off that easily. But, I'd still by it again because it's affordable, although I wish it came with a pump.

The boring nail polish I use at work..either this or pink. So sad that I can't use any color because it's not natural enough. But this Essie (Sand Tropez) will do.

I apply 2 coats and it's quite smooth and doesn't chip very easily. I had it on once for at least 5 days and still looked decent.

While I was working yesterday, a girl that came into the store said she recognized me from my blog! First time this happened hahaha..oooo I feel so special because someone actually recognized me. I'm not too sure what her blog address is, but her name is Wanda. So nice meeting a fellow blogger ^__^

Laura Mercier Gel Lipcolor

2011-04-02T10:42:00.003-04:00

The LM Gel Lipcolors are finally here!! But not at Sephora.. so I ended up going to Holt Renfrew to get one ($27). I'm in love with the formula.. I haven't tried the other LM lipsticks yet but I can imagine they're just as creamy and smooth. The gel lipcolor feels very light and goes on sheer, but I still manage to get color on my lips.

I picked up the Hibiscus Bloom shade. The other ones were a bit too flashy for me and Clementine was too similar to Grapefruit (which I already have)

Hibiscus Bloom is a bright pink slightly cool shade, but matches well with my skintone. My lips are pigmented so the color appears more of a fushia red shade but still very wearable.

It's hard to capture the colors on my camera, but Hibiscus Bloom is definitely different from Grapefruit (which is more of a coral pink).

Here you can really see the difference. The lipsticks are so smooth and lasts very long, but does not last through meal time.

Hibiscus Bloom has a slightly sweet smell and taste much like Grapefruit.

They're supposed to be LE at Holt Renfrew so check it out if you haven't already!

Have you ever seen this YT video?

It's DIY sushi candies! So worth the $5 for the fun but tastes TERRIBLE!!!!!! I've also tried the bento box set, but didn't turn out as pretty as this one. I got mine at the Pacific Mall candy stores.

Makeup Artist In Training!

2011-03-28T22:29:00.003-04:00

Nothing special haha...just decided to post a pic with my makeup uniform XD

My friend got bored in class and decided to braid my hair. So talented! She's been in the hair salon industry for a long time.

A few items I got in the past week or so. I've switched most of my skincare products to Kiehl's. They're the Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate, Midnight Recover Concentrate, Line Reducing Eye Brightening Concentrate, Ultra Facial Cream and the Photo Age Activated Toner. I'll talk more about it when I have time.

I also went to Buffalo for the day and got Maybelline's Fit Me foundation...OMG... I envy those that have easy access to Ulta, it's SO much cheaper than Canada!! It's $8.99 here while Ulta has it at $7.99 with buy 1 get second 50% off. Same goes with NYX... so difficult to find here. Also got new liquid liners by Lavshuca and I hate them.. will do a review on those shortly.

Also got the EOS lipbalm. I'm pretty sure I've never seen it here before, it's rather cute but I imagine when you use enough, it gets flat and annoying to apply.

Birthday Goodies II

2011-02-22T11:02:00.001-05:00

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

2011-02-17T17:33:00.004-05:00

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

2011-02-02T16:38:00.004-05:00

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.

Time For A New Start

2011-01-13T15:35:00.004-05:00

It begins...

I don't really like the supplies that I had to purchase. It has a very cheap feel to it, but at least the brushes are decent. I'll definitely need a new set when I finish this course.
I'm not too fond of the eyeshadows and blushes either. The shadows are a mix of shimmer and matte and they're very blah in terms of color choice, if only it came with the Coastal Scents 88 palette.
The kit also comes with a zip up tunic, which I probably have to wear to all my classes...all black.

I think I found out what brand my brushes are. I was looking at the IMATS website and happen to look at Crown Brushes and noticed that all the coding and the look was the same! I didn't know they were that cheap, I might need to add more variety to my set.

Quickie Post - Lippies

2010-12-16T22:19:00.005-05:00

I know it seems like I've been neglecting my blog, it's soo much more difficult to keep up than before. But I should be going back at it once the new year starts...because I made a decision to go to makeup school! Yay! After obssessing with makeup and skincare for so long and trying to explain to all my friends what's good and how to use certain things, I decided it's finally time I put my interest into use. So I will be going to Seneca College starting in January for the next two years and during that time I'm gonna try to start my portfolio, get some looks done and try to start posting some more!

In the meantime, here are a couple new lippies I purchased.

If you're a follower of Fuzkitte's facebook page, you may have seen her post about the Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lipstick in Poppysicle.

She said it's great for Asian skintones as it brightens the skin and is flattering for Asian skintones.

So because it only cost $7CAD, I decided to give it a go, although I was hesitant to purchase at first because it was so bright!

The lipstick feel moisturizing (although not as much as the Maquillage or Lunasol ones) and it's comfortable to wear. The coverage on me is probably medium to full, I was surprised at how pigmented it went on that I freaked out at first. The color actually appears almost identical to the lipstick when applied to my lips.

Fuzkittie suggestd I use a milky lipbalm as a base to kind of dilute the color, so I used the Paul & Joe Milky Lip Treatment.
After applying the lipbalm, I apply 1 layer and pat it with my finger to even it out and to help tone down the color as some of the excess sticks onto my finger.
Lasting power is amazing, even after I ate dinner, I still noticed a bit of color on my lips.
The color is brighter in person, but not over the top, it's still very wearable if you keep the eye makeup more neutral.

I did a very basic eye...
1. Apply Coffret D'or gold cream shadow as base up to crease.
2. Apply light brown shade all over eyelid.
3. Line eyes with Bobbi Brown gel liner granite ink.
4. Smudge dark brown over the gel liner.
5. Tightline with MM liquid liner and finish off with Fiberwig Extra Long mascara.

Of course the color is brighter in person, but you get the idea. I think the next time I want a new lipstick, I'm definitely gonna check out the other Beauty Rush colors since it's so affordable and I had a good experience with the first one I bought!

Another recent lip product purchase was the Laura Mercier lipstain in Shy Pink $25CAD. Kind of pricey, but I had money left on a gift card to use.
I was hoping it would replace my lip balm, but sadly it feels dry on my lips, so I have to use a lipbalm prior to applying the stain.
This actually feels more like a lipstick in a jar but the staying power is a lot better than most of my other lipsticks.
When applied, the color is very similar to the color in the jar, which is great at evening out my lip color.

Majolica Majorca GR750

2010-11-13T10:57:00.005-05:00

Hello Dearies, long time no blog again. Today is just a quick EOTD using the MM palette my friend bought for me in Hong Kong. She asked me what color I wanted and I just told her something green but not too crazy. I don't have any other green shadow besides the Maquillage GR366 which has a minty green shade (more summery palette imo).
The MM palette is very earthy and very wearable for everyday.

Items used! I love how I don't have to use a lot on my eyes.

Pretty straight forward and easy to use. Before I added the liner shade, I used the black pencil liner and smudged the shadow on top. Then I used the liquid liner. Once the liner dried, I blended a bit of the green shade on top to soften the look slightly.

I love how the colors are so pigmented and long lasting. I was actually a bit disappointed in the MM palettes before because of the lasting power, but this one seems to hold up pretty well.

I got a sample of the Benefit Stay Don't Stray primer. The SA said it can also be used to prep the eyes for concealer and it won't cake. I can confirm that it did a good job as a concealer primer! Prior to that I used UDPP and it would cake/crease slightly by the end of the day, but so far the Benefit one works very well.
The primer is a bit light in color and a little goes a long way. And since it's slightly lighter than my skintone, it almost evens out my eye area a bit before shadow and concealer application.

Until next time!

Hellooo Monday

2010-10-18T15:18:00.006-04:00

Who doesn't love pay day? I just had to treat myself to some goodies.
I've always wanted to use falsies more often, but it seemed like such a pain in the butt to put on all the time, plus the ends don't stick that well after a few hours of wear.
I used to use Darkness lashes whenever I had the time, but a lot of times I didn't put them on very well so I could feel it.
I went to Pacific Mall to get some more hair spray and passed by a store that sold these super pretty lashes. It was $20 for 10 pairs or $3 per pair, I got 1 pair just to test it out and so far so good.
The spine/bone(??) of the lashes are much thinner than the Darkness lashes so they feel a lot more comfortable. Although they are comfortable to wear, I'm predicting that they won't stick as well as the day passes due to the lack of surface area sticking to my eyes.

Still..they're very pretty and natural looking. Today's makeup is inspired by this YouTube vid

Makeup used:

Earlier today I just put on some mascara and brown eyeliner when I went to do my errands. Adding the false lashes plus some shadow really adds more oomph to my eyes.

Lined 1/3 of the bottom lashline with brown eyeshadow. I didn't even need black liquid liner after I applied the lashes since the lash itself was already black..it created the illusion of the liner.

I'm starting to like TM a lot more than foundation. I'm starting to find that foundation cakes easily between my brows and around the nose. Good thing for me I don't have too much extra foundation that needs to be used.
I started getting sick of using the Stila TM (there's only 1/4 bottle left anyway, so no big deal not to finish it all XD). It started feeling a bit too heavy for my taste so I went and splurged on the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer in Medium ($33CAD for 75mL). It was such a good deal, considering the amount you get for that price. Plus a little goes a long way.

Kiehl's is the most fluid of the 3 TM and I think a bit more suited to my skin tone. Compared with the other 2 I've used, Kiehl's has pretty good coverage for a TM, not heavy at all and leaves my skin nice and dewy. The thing about this TM is that it emphasizes the dry bits on and around my nose. I haven't found a solution to this yet besides exfoliating...hmm..maybe I'm not exfoliating enough?
Stila is similar to Kiehl's except it feels a bit heavier and my skin gets a bit more oily.
Covergirl is the most sheer, it has barely does anything, oh well it was worth the try.
I used Primavista pressed powder on top of the Kiehl's TM

Mid Week Reviews

2010-10-07T12:41:00.001-04:00

I haven't really gotten a lot of new makeup, I feel so deprived! Lucky for me my friend heard me babbling about how I finished up my favourite pink lipstick and didn't have a replacement..and how Shoppers Drug Mart now sold Anna Sui.. so he went out and got me a new lipstick! So sweet of him! Now that I think about my old lipstick (Maquillage PK705), I miss it so much!
This is the Lip Rouge G 303 which is the glossy type. The lipstick has the signature rose scent to it, some may think it's a bit strong, I have to admit that I think the scent is a bit strong when I first apply it.

Although it's the glossy finish, I feel it has more of a pretty sheen to the finish. It also has some very fine golden shimmers in it.
The color also shows up nicely on my lips without looking too rosy. I think it also enhances my lipcolor, especially because my lips are pigmented.
Even though this is my first Anna Sui lipstick, I'm really liking it a lot! It's very moisturizing, smooth and not sticky at all. In terms of lasting power, I get a couple hours before it's completely gone, only if I don't go drinking of eating anything.

I was looking at my eye brow pencil and realized how small it was! I'm actually going through this brow pencil really fast, so I decided to go and get a backup.
Who watches Michelle Phan's videos? (who doesn't!??) I saw the Lancome brow pencil and really wanted to give it a try so I went out to get the pencil in Sable. Compared to the current brow pencil I'm using (Maquillage GY950 2.5g), the Lancome one is a lot smaller in weight (1.05g). Kinda disappointed especially for the price of the pencil. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

The Lancome pencil is actually a lot softer than then Maquillage. When I first used it, I was surprised at how pigmented the color was too and how easy it was to fill in my brows. With that said, I think I need a lot more practice in using the Lancome pencil otherwise I'm gonna end up with brows that are too dark!
The two pencils are very similar, except I had to swipe the Maquillage a few more times to get the color more to show up more.

The good thing about the Maquilage is it's more difficult to make mistakes because it's not as soft and pigmented, but it also rubs off easier. The Lancome pencil takes more practice to get a softer finish but it also lasts a lot longer and stays put better.
I rubbed a tissue on my arm and you can see which one obviously stays on better.

Life has been so difficult lately, so many changes and sometimes I feel like I threw poop into the fan and I can't seem to clean it, it's everywhere!!! But I do what I can to cope with the situation. This is also another reason why I haven't blogged much.
I did learn an important lesson through all this... Don't regret your decisions in life, live with the consequences and learn from them. Don't take things for granted and enjoy what you have. Most importantly, stop thinking so much and stop worrying about the what if's...and do what you think is right for yourself.

Until next time...I'm not sure when I'll be checking or updating my blog. Hopefully I won't have this dry spell for too long XD

Random Spontaneous Stuff!

2010-10-05T11:31:00.006-04:00

OMG, it has been way too long since I'm updated!!!! I wonder how some bloggers are able to keep it up. Sometimes I think back and wonder how I did it XD
Have you ever done something soo random and spontaneous that when you look back you wonder..did I really do that?
Well for me it's quite rare but I did it 2 times and both times was a trip to NYC. Remember the MTV music awards? I was watching it with 3 of my friends and after we saw the Eminem performance, sometime during the show the host said Eminem was on his way to NYC for a concert. So my friends thought, wouldn't it be so crazy if we went to NYC to see the Eminem and Jay-Z concert? And so.. we did just that. Most amazing thing everrrr.

Since we went to NYC we might as well wander around. We didn't have much time to do anything so we mainly wandered around the Soho area, and that's where I found these super yummy cupcakes and yogurt.

And who could go to NYC without making a stop at Mitsuwa. I seriously never would have thought that I could go there because it's so far away. As cool as it is to see all these Japanese products in person, I was a bit disappointed at their selection. But oh well, I didn't leave empty handed.

I thought the ramen was kind of expensive, but totally worth it. It's not easy to find such a good ramen place in Toronto. I'm so glad I tried it at Mitsuwa, it was super tasty ^__^

My small haul. I didn't intend on doing a lot of shopping anyway. I did get a new toner and face cream for day time use. It's the B&C Hearty Lab Soy Bean products. You can find them at Imomoko here, it's actually the same price at Mitsuwa. I haven't gotten around in using them yet since I still have a bit of stuff to finish. I'm quite interested to see how the moisturizer gel will work in the dry Canadian winter.
I also purchased the Cover Girl tinted moisturizer. It was cheap and I can't buy it in Canada anyway, so might as well XD

And last but not least, some new masks I got from Tim! I've never heard of these before. It's called My Scheming (from Taiwan I believe), which is very strange. I didn't make that up! It says on the package hehe, which I find very cute.

This morning I used the Milk Extract Brightening Mask. The mask size fits my face very well. Compared to the My Beauty Diary masks, these ones are thinner and stay put on my face. I left it on for about 15-20 mins and it took a few minutes for the liquid to fully absorb into my skin.
I didn't really notice any immediate brightening effects, I only noticed that my skin felt a bit tighter and I'm not sure if it's in the good way or bad dry way.

I have a couple new products to show everyone some time this week, stay tuned =D

Foxy Tails

2010-08-14T12:33:00.005-04:00

Hi there! Sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted. There has been a lot of personal things happening for me so I haven't been in the mood for anything at all.

I thought I'd do a quick update after seeing the September issue of Vivi.

Whoever is a fan of Ayumi Hamasaki must recognize this picture..from her Evolution video. See the fox-ish tail? I was so obsessed with that back when the video came out that I bought 2 tails for myself to clip on the side! Everyone thought I was silly, but hey, you learn in highschool.

I bought these at a store in Markville mall like 8 years ago? and I didn't want to throw them out, thinking there might be a use for them some time in the future haha. The white one I would tie onto the side of my jeans while the black one had a clip hidden somewhere in the fur.

And lookie here.... September Vivi

Everyone thought I was crazy...

Hmmmm....should I clip it on one of my bags too? But I'm not sure if it'll look ok with my huge bags, I don't really own smaller bags XD

Let's be clear too, if you don't have anything nice to say about this post, I'd appreciate if you didn't say anything at all.

BB Shimmering Nudes revisited

2010-07-17T17:08:00.000-04:00

The last time (which was last year) that I used the Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes, it ended up in failure because of how it looked after a few hours of wear... but now I had to give it another chance, I didn't want it to sit around doing nothing. This time I used a cream base before applying the shadows in hopes that it wouldn't turn muddy and gross.

Using:
Shimmering Nudes 1. Nude Spice, 2. Nude Beach, 3. Espresso
Paul & Joe liner black
Jill Stuart cream shadow 10
Fiberwig
Lavshuca blush (forgot the #)

I first apply the cream shadow on my lid just under the crease.

Using Nude Spice #1, apply it on top and up to the crease.

Using Nude Beach #2, blend it into the crease.

Blend Espresso #3 on the liner, then using Nude Beach, blend on top to soften the liner.

And done! Are my tutorials easy or what? =D
The end result is a nice pearly eye. I've been doing this look for the past 3 days and it hasn't turned muddy or gross at all thanks to the cream shadow base. Now I can love the Shimmering Nudes palette again.

Since the eyes are so pearly, I stuck with a matte blush.. well the only matte-ish blush I have. The blush has very few shimmery glitters in it that it's barely noticable, oh.. but the blush itself is not noticable to begin with, it's very sheer.

I finally got a new brush for the LM mineral powder, the Eco Tools bronzer brush. I know it's not a kabuki brush, but it's cheap! I was gonna get their mineral brush set but I didn't need too many brushes and they were too small anyway.

A nice size for applying the powder. Since the bristles are so dense, I had to bend and mush the bristles around to make the brush more fluffy so the powder application easier. I can't believe how soft this brush is either.

I couldn't find a picture online to show how big the brush is, so incase anyone is wondering, here it is.

Wow I have 600 followers =D Thank you! And I'd like to say hi to all my new readers =) =) =)

1st time at Beauties Factory

2010-07-12T16:07:00.007-04:00

As nice as false lashes can be sometimes, I think they are too much work to put on and the corners don't always stay put (I use the Duo adhesive). I decided to try the single lashes just because I was bored and also because BF-Beauty.com is quite cheap. I found this site after watching Manwomanfilm on YT.
I created an account Beauties Factory a while back and I got an online voucher for I think $2??? I can't remember. So I purchased 60 individual lashes a few weeks ago and it came up to less than $5 with the shipping. I bought these lashes a while ago and didn't use them till a few days ago. They also sent me eyelid glue, nails and glitter for nail decorating.

If you have time, you should take a look around Beauties Factory. There's some pretty interesting makeup/cosmetic stuff there. I'm not too sure about the quality because it's so cheap, but it seems like on Manwomanfilm's tutorials, the eyeshadows are very pigmented.
If I had the time, I think I would get the uv gel nail set to do my own nails. It seems pretty cheap, and I've always wanted pretty decorated nails that last.

I'm not sure if this is true with all individual lashes, but the base of the lashes seem to be knoted/looped together instead of being glued together. This makes taking them out of the packaging very frustrating. I have to dig the tweezers under the lash and make sure I have a good grip on them close to the base before pulling them out....

...or else I end up with wasted lashes because they come apart. I actually threw out at least 5 because I didn't take them out properly. Btw, these are synthetic lashes.

These are 10mm lashes. They don't make a huge difference when I put them on, I just like how I can have fuller looking lashes while still retaining that natural look. You actually can't even see where I put them =p I used 2 in this picture and put them at the outer lashline with room inbetween each of them. They blend in very well with my other lashes.

Overall, they're not terrible once I get the hang of grabbing them out of the case, but I probably won't get them again because of that reason.

Don't you love how Blogger has a new layout editing tool? I put this layout together in 10 mins.

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder

2010-07-08T13:02:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I returned something to Sephora. I was close to getting the new MUFE Aqua Cream, but opted for a new foundation instead. The Stila TM and my other liquid foundations were feeling a bit too heavy for the humid weather. I searched around, read some reviews and settled for the Laura Mercier mineral powder. It seemed to look really nice on Fuz, so I thought why not give it a try.

I was matched with Natural Beige, which was surprising because I didn't think my skin was that pale.
This is the first mineral powder I've used so I can't compare it with anything else. I've always been iffy on using powder makeup because of my dry cheeks, but this foundation had a creamy sort of finish which didn't emphasize any potential dryness.
See how it leaves a mark on the lid? It's because the foundation isn't fully powder.. I don't know how to explain it unless you try it out yourself.

I applied extra sunscreen before applying the mineral powder.

Base makeup used: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie, Orbis Sunscreen on Face, Beauty Maker concealer, Sana concealer, Primavista pressed powder

No makeup... freckles and some discoloration

And after.. I took a few pictures over a few days time. I really like how my skin just looks sooo smooth after application. Although it doesn't hide all the freckles, it helps tone it down.

In this picture it looks slightly dry on my cheeks. This is immediately after application. The mineral makeup hasn't really sunk in yet so it looks matte, but after a few minutes, it has a really nice glow.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this purchase. The makeup stays put better than the liquid ones so far (after 8 hours), but still, when I have a slight itch on my cheek and I scratch, a little bit comes off.
The powder is very light and it doesn't feel like I'm wearing anything at all, and best of all, you can still create a natural look depending on how much you layer on.

Quickie Review: Shiseido Integrate

2010-06-24T13:57:00.003-04:00

Can't believe it's almost the end of June already! Did anyone else in Toronto feel that bit o' earthquake yesterday? I thought it was construction outside, then I walked into the hallway and saw my cats freaking out. It wasn't that bad... 5.0 magnitude that came all the way near Ottawa. Trust me, it was much scarier when it happened while I was sleeping in my hotel in Tokyo.

Anywho, thought I'd write a quick review of this nifty little Integrate product. It's called the Impact Double Liner, which you can purchase from Imomoko and there are 2 colors to choose from. I think I have a love hate relationship with this.
I got mine a loooong time ago while I was in Japan (I seem to keep digging up stuff from last year).
I got the black x silver one, which I kind of regret now, but I love how this combines 2 products into one. I knew the black liner was going to be a super inky black which didn't suit me, but the silver shadow got to me. I should have gotten the brown x gold one which is more suitable for everyday use.

One end of this product comes with a black liner. It's super inky and gives off a pearlish kind of finish, but not shiny. I find the brush to be too flimsy thus making application a pain. I'm used to the felt tip applicators or a brush that's more stiff.

On the other side is a very pretty pearly silver cream eye shadow/gloss. The applicator is sponge-like but a hard sponge. It's very difficult to create a straight line or even spread it properly. I end up using my fingers to do it which looks a bit messy.

The shadow is meant to be on your upper lashline and a little higher, that way when you apply the liner, you can see a glimpse of the silver.

To get the silver to show up well, it needs to be layered on. However, even if it's not layered on a lot, you can still see the silver at different angles which makes it unique.

In the end, I'm not even sure why I purchased this. It might be because it was my last day in Tokyo and I didn't want to leave empty handed from a drugstore! I think I would have been better off using a silvery white shadow to get the same effect.
If you have the patience with brushes like this and the shadow applicator, then you'd like how it combines 2 products. Otherwise, I think everyone should save their pennies for other things.

Back to playing WoW...hehe

Jill Stuart Seductive Eyes

2010-06-04T15:30:00.001-04:00

Oohh..I'm on a roll with another post in the same week! Finally making use of the Jill Stuart palette on its own rather than mixing it into other things. I never really thought the bright pink was very flattering on me, but I decided to try a different way of applying it.
I didn't use the light pink shade, it's more matte which is so not me.

Using:
JS Seductive Eyes 01 (seductive doll)
MM Liner BK911
MM cream shadow pink
Fiberwig mascara
JS Blush Fresh Apricot 06
Lunasol coral pink

I'm spending the day at Tim's place while he's at work because I don't have water in my house for the day =/ ...this explains the crummy lighting for my pictures. Stubutt watermain being fixed on my street and I need a flushable toilet! .

Start off with cream shadow, applying it on the crease area.

Using the liner shade, apply a thick heavy line on the top lashline.

Smudge the shadow up towards the crease but not any higher. Add more shadow if the gray is too light, but make sure you still create a gradient effect.

Apply the bright pink shade on the crease where the cream shadow is and lightly blend it into the gray.

Line the top lashline thinly and line the bottom with the bright pink.

Dab the silver glittery shade ontop of the gray making sure not to cover the pink or touch the liner. The silver shade is a bit gritty and won't apply well with the sponge tip, so finger is the best!

I think it would look a lot better with false lashes for a more doll like effect.

At Tim's house with his weird lighting. Oops... I see an unblended spot under my right eye =p

I had a McGriddle for the first time this morning and wow, it was a heavy meal. Don't think I'll be doing that again!

This Friday's Lotto Max is $50 million!!!!! I'm going out to get mine soon =D What would you do if you won? Swim in a pool of La Mer? I think I'd find a condo in Hong Kong with a walk in closet in my room.

Sometimes, I want bigger eyes...

2010-06-02T18:50:00.001-04:00

..and the only way to do that is to add false lashes! I envy these pictures in most magazines, such pretty girly eyes.

One day I need to try real hair falsies, in hopes that it's softer and bends more to my eyes. The Darkness lashes didn't feel comfortable so I took em off pretty much right after putting them on.

Using:
Maquillage GY865
MUFE Aqua Eyes 2L
MM Automatic Liner BK911
BB Gel Liner Granite Ink
Fiberwig Mascara

Using the lighter brown shade, sweep it up towards the crease.

Next, using the darker brown, apply on the lashline and blend up slightly.

Tightline with BB gel liner and line with MM, making sure the line is slightly thicker than normal. This helps the falsies blend in better so it's not as noticable.

Apply Aqua eyes halfway in on the lower lashline.

Use the darker brown shade to smudge the liner so it softens the look.

Add falsies and mascara! Does it look any bigger? Kinda.. well my eyes have a bit more "pop" to them with the false lashes and adding the brown shades on the lower lashline really helps too.

I went shopping during the Victoria Day weekend in Buffalo. Not really a good idea, especially if you're mom and older brother is so SLOW in the morning. We go to the border at 11:30am and waiting in line for 2 hours to get through @__@

I went to some outlet mall on the way to Walden Galleria and picked up a BB gel liner for $15USD, cheap right?
I didn't intend on getting any makeup, but seeing how I never tried BB gel liner before (and the MM liner doesn't go on easily for tightlining) I decided to give this a try.

In comparision to probably my favourite liner, the color is very similiar, minus the glitter.
The liner is black but leans more on the gray side, hence the name granite ink.

I've tried the MAC gel liner before and it just doesn't stay. For some reason it just disappears.
I like and don't like the BB liner. I find it kinda difficult to get a solid line of color without having to go back a few times. But the good thing is the liner really stays on for tight lining, but strangly it doesn't stay on well for regular lining on the upper lashline.

The BB liner smudges if I rub my finger on it whereas the MM doesn't. The BB liner is waterproof but the MM isn't (but it stays put all day).. in a perfect world, I would have a liner that has both of the good qualities..

Creamy Gold x Purple

2010-05-16T17:29:00.001-04:00

I keep telling myself, "Reply to comments/posts, reply reply reply!" since I'm not working, but I have been so addicted to playing World of Warcraft for the past month hahaha. I don't feel as motivated to blog as much, I dunno what to write about =/

For the past week, I've been doing the same makeup look to try to rotate everything in my vanity.
I'm liking this gold and purple combination. Although I have the Maquillage Forming Shiny Eyes 52 (which has the gold and purple combo), I like using the cream shadows for this because it's a lot more shimmery...plus it lasts along time. The purple in the FS Eyes is meant for lining and blending it is a bit more difficult for this look imo.

Using:
JS Crystal Sky 08 purple
Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine eyes gold
MM Liner BK911
MM Lash Expander Frame PLus (not pictured)
Fiberwig mascara
Coffret D'or Blend Color Blush OR24
Lunasol lipstick Coral Pink

I think I either need to apply more blush or stop sitting in front of the window to take my pics, cuz it doesn't show up at all hehe.

My eyes were so puffy in this picture bah! But better the next day.

A while back I also won a contest from AbcgrrrL, she sent me some OPI nail polishes and some other goodies! I ate all the candies on a day =p
I loooooove the OPI polishes sooo much, especially the blue one (Absolutely Alice). With 2 layers, I get gorgeous super sparkly nails. She also sent me some of my favourite drug store products! Neutrogena eye makeup remover and Aveeno moisturizer! Can't live without these, well..for the exception of in Korea haha. Thank you again!! =)

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. It has been a beautiful 20C in Toronto today =D

Quick Hydration

2010-05-04T11:58:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted! School's finally done and now I have nothing to do. It's so difficult to find a temporary retail job, some of the places I've been to say they're hiring, but I don't hear from them =/ Am I over qualified to work because I'm gonna be a teacher? haha
Since I'm currently unemployed, it gives me a chance to use up the products that I ignored. At least this keeps me from buying more new stuff.

I suffer from flaky cakey foundation cheeks after 6-8 hours. I have stopped applying powder to the areas that tend to get dry and this has helped a little, but sometimes, there's still a bit of dryness.
To help prevent this from happening, I use makeup mists before applying makeup/during the day or a mask. For a review of the Shu Uemura and Paul & Joe mist, click here.
I have since finished those mists, but I still had 2 more and some masks that I have not touched since purchasing them from Japan.

Shiseido Hadasui Skin and Body Lotion Mist 240mL 550yen
I saw this on Pink's post but couldn't find it until I went to Tokyo. You can spray this almost anywhere on your face or body and even your hair. You could also use this after you've been in the sun, or according to the picture on the bottle, after shaving. It's 100% mineral water and doesn't have a scent. I spray this on my face and massage it in before applying base makeup.

Kanebo Freeplus Air Shower Mist 50g 850yen
If I'm out and my skin gets dry, I use the Paul & Joe Moisture Gel or this mist that's more convenient for putting in the purse. I don't really like this as much as the other ones I've tried because it smells kind of like alcohol, but the Freeplus line is supposed to be free of preservatives. It makes my skin feel refreshed and adds a bit of moisture back to the dry areas. The mist also spreads out to cover a large area so I only need to spray it 2-3 times.
Adambeauty carries this line, but not the mist. However, I've read from other blogs that he did special orders before, so I don't see why he wouldn't be able to get this.

If I have lots of time to get ready then I slap on a Beauty Diary Mask or I use another quicky mask instead of the mists. I'm not sure if this is the actual Angel Cotton Purified Water Pads that Fuz talked about on her blog, but it looked close to it. All I know is this Selena brand also makes a cotton puff that Imomoko sells. I got this at a daiso for a buck a pack (5 in a pack) so it was worth a try.

I would consider this a 2 minute mask. Each pack is individually wrapped with 2 pieces of cotton (75mm x 75mm) that's soaked in what I assume is the purified water. I think it works the same as the mists but since I leave this on my cheeks for 1-2 minutes, there's more time for my skin to absorb more moisture. There's no scent and it feels very refreshing after I use it. The cotton pads are thick and soft and have lots of liquid in them.

I don't use these on top of my makeup like the mists. I'm worried that it'll smudge something or melt my makeup, so I use these before applying base makeup. These are very convenient to travel with.
Each piece fits on my cheek nicely as long as you put it on properly. The first time I used it, I put it on upside down so it kept falling off. You're supposed to put it on with the bend side facing out so it hangs onto your skin...like so

I know Imomoko sold these, but I couldn't find it on the website =/ I've also seen these sold at Pacific Mall but I'm not sure how much they were. Or.. if you want to save money and already have a makeup mist, you can try buying Shiseido cotton pads and soak it with the mist and use it as a mask or put it in a small ziploc bag for travelling.

Hair secrets?

2010-04-18T18:49:00.005-04:00

I'm surprised my hair looked healthy, I didn't think it was at all XD Hmm...hair secrets..I think it would be the Fekkai product.
I remember last year my hair was dry and prone to breakage and split ends. When I came back from Korea, I bought the Fekkai Protein Rx PM Repair Strengthener $84CAD. I already did a review of this a while ago. I haven't really been consistent in using it because I keep forgetting. I think in the past 3 months or so, I've only used it 2-4 times.
I use about a quarter size and it's definitely helped in strengthening my hair, especially during the dry winter months.

Another thing I do with my hair to try to keep it healthy is use a ton of conditioner. I go through conditioner really quickly, so it's good to stock up at Costco. After I shampoo my hair, I get a big glob of conditioner and fully saturate my hair and leave it there while I shower. I do this every night only because if I do it in the morning, my hair gets flat from the conditioner. I think that's my secret to healthy hair? I'm currently using Pantene, I used to use Herbal Essences but it wasn't moisturizing enough.

A week later and the color has faded a bit, but it's still noticable. Loving the Lunasol Coral Pink at the moment!

This is such a delayed before and after picture of my cheeks with the Clarisonic. I use the brush at night only.

Before, taken March 1. Pores are visible and enlarged with uneven texture.

After taken April 16. Pores a bit smaller and skin smoother. My skin didn't get lighter or anything, I edited the picture a bit to enhance the visibility.
Although it wasn't a huge difference, I found that foundation application is a lot smoother and blends better now. It was worth the investment.

Bubbly Hair Color

2010-04-11T17:51:00.005-04:00

Remember back in August when I went to Hong Kong, I purchased 2 Liese hair colors? Well, maybe I didn't post both up, but I did buy 2 because of my indecisive-ness.
At the end of August, I used the Cassis Berry color ($68HKD), which didn't turn out as red as I wanted it to be... click here for the review, this time I used the Glossy Brown color.

It's a pretty basic hair coloring kit, mix the stuff up and use the conditioner at the end. However, this time I forgot I wasn't supposed to shake the mix. For this foamy mix, you're supposed to gently tilt the bottle around, so the first few squeezes from the bottle came out too runny.

Before shots in the bathroom and in front of the window. My hair has grown out so much since the last time I coloured.

If you compare this with the review of the Cassis Berry, it doesn't look as foamy, partly because I shook it. The dye was so strange, it turn from a muddy red shade to a blueish shade.

I left it in for 30 minutes. The result was a coffee brown with a touch of milk in it, it actually looked a bit yellowish in the light. However, it doesn't show up like that in the pictures.
So much shinier now! The color came out a lot more even than the first time I used the foamy hair color.

The next day, I washed my hair and the yellowness died down. Now it's more like a chocolate shade.

After using the Liese hair coloring kit 2 times, I doubt I'll repurchase it. The color doesn't last very long and it's sometimes hard to get the bubbles down to the roots. But the good thing was, it didn't drip and it's a fun way of dying your hair.

I started using the L'oreal cleanser but didn't use the scrublet thing because I had my Clarisonic. It was quite runny and I'm sad it doesn't foam up very well, at least not with the Clarisonic. It left my skin feeling clean without the dry squeaky feeling and it also had a mild tingly feeling.

Smoky Brown & B-liv Update

2010-04-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

Only 7 more days of school and I can finally be certified to teach ESL yay! I'm so glad I'm done my practicum, there was so much involved for lesson planning just to get those good marks.
Now that I'm done for the day, here's an EOTD~!

Makeup Used:
RMK Jelly x Powder Eyes 05 Shiny Beige Brown LE
MM Lash Expander Frame Plus
Paul & Joe Pencil Liner black
MUF 2L
Blending brush

First using the orangey brown jelly shadow up to the crease by patting it on. It's a very strange shadow, not quite jelly and not quite powder, but has a powdery finish.

Line the eyes with black and lining on an upwards angle and extend it out slightly. I made sure to add extra liner on the outer corners for blending later. This part doesn't have to be perfect, as long as there's enough liner to blend upwards and make it smoky.

Using the brown shade, blend the liner up or until there's no visible line. I concentrated most of the color on the outer part and blended it in.

Line 1/3 of the way in with 2L and blend the brown shade on top.

I decided to dust off the MM mascara. Haven't used it for a long time because it has a history of giving me racoon eyes sometimes. I wish I had more lower lashes to apply mascara too~!

I really wish the colors weren't so washed out in pictures...

Before the B-liv update, for those who have access to Costco in the GTA area, there is a 3 pack of L'oreal G0 360 Clean face washes for $19.99!! Wal-mart sells them for $9 something each. I got mine at the Warden and Ellesmere location.

To look back at the initial review, click here

After 4 days of using only the B-liv products, I caved and went back to using the Clarisonic at night. The facewash and serum didn't do a good job a keeping my pores clean and there were noticable white heads on my nose.

Week 1
I wasn't expecting a major change after a week. The Off With Those Heads serum didn't really make much of a difference besides making my nose look a bit smoother. Maybe it's because I started using the Clarisonic again at night. I used a different cleanser when washing my face at night.

I didn't notice a huge difference for the face wash and moisturizer. However, I really liked the mask. I only use it on my nose area and after rinsing, the whiteheads were flushed out and sitting on top of my skin. This time, I used Naris Up egg shell peel to yank it out and it worked quite well.

Week 2
Again, not a big difference except for looking a little bit smoother. When I used the mask again, it did a good job at flushing out the crap from my pores.
The bad part this week is the moisturizer was either drying out my skin or not moisturize enough. The area around my mouth started to get dry quickly so I had to use another moisturizer on top.

Also, the serum started to make my nose and the area between my brows flaky and dry. I don't think it's the Clarisonic's fault either since I've been using this way before trying these products.

I had expected a lot out of these products, but sadly, it didn't work too well for me except for the mask (which I would recommend). Maybe in the summer when it gets humid, the moisturizer will be better for my skin. So for now, I have stopped using the products except for the mask and cleanser.

Toronto Food!

2010-04-04T00:22:00.005-04:00

No makeup today, too busy to even think about makeup, although I do have my update of B-liv ready..but I haven't edited the pictures yet.

Tim and I have started a thing where we try to eat food according to Best Of Toronto on BlogTO. But with school and the lack of funds, we could only try so much at one time.
I think we've found our favourite burger, onion rings and fries place at the moment. It's at a small burger place called Craft Burger. I thought I went to heaven and back after eating there.
If you're in the Bloor & Yonge (right across the Toronto Reference Library) or King & Spadina area, this is THE place for the above mentioned foods. They were listed on BlogTO as one of the best new restaurants that serve the top burgers, fries and rings. It's a local joint that serves freshly made food to order and the people there are so nice.

So far, I've only been there twice and I ordered the same thing: Craft Signature. It has rosemary garlic mayo, mushrooms, lettuce and tomatoes...I'm drooling just thinking about the mayo.
The onion rings are so cripsy even after I finish eating the burger first.
Yesterday, we opted for the poutine (which is also on the best of toronto list) instead of regular fries, something we didn't regret. The gravy is sweet and savoury at the same time with a hint of onion flavour.

A walk after lunch is necessary...look at the size of that burger. Oh, just for the record, we had a total of 2 burgers, I don't think I would have shared mine with Tim, and we cleaned our plates. It's funny how some people couldn't finish theirs!
For a price that's similar to say..Harvey's, I'd rather make the trip downtown to get something that tastes so much better.

Last week while we were looking for another burger place near Yonge and Eglinton, we stumbled upon one of Toronto's best cupcakes at The Cupcake Shoppe.
There are mixed reviews about these cupcakes, but I think they were pretty good..not really worth the $13/half dozen though.

Maquillage VI767 Dupe

2010-03-30T17:26:00.007-04:00

Thank you for all the comments on my last post! I was thinking about it, and I probably won't end up doing the look when I go out, it's not really me hehe. I also don't really take full face pictures because I'm usually in a rush to leave when I'm done my makeup...or I'm either bored at home and just decided to play with eye makeup without foundation.

Anyway, if you're a student like me, you're probably poor and can't afford to spend money if it's not necessary.
So..when the spring collections rolled out, it was hard not to get anything! Rather than spending the money to buy more makeup, I used what I had. I really liked the new Maquillage VI767 palette and I was able to find shades that were similar to those in it.
For more info and pictures, check out Lotus Palace's review.

I used Kathi's pictures as a reference for the colours and this is what I came up with. I think it's pretty close to the palette judging by her swatches.

Paul & Joe cream shadow 03
Maquillage Eyes Creator GY865
Maquillage Forming Shiny Eyes 52
MM Liner BK911
Fiberwig Mascara

I also used Kathi's eotd (thanks!!!) as a guide to how to apply it. I tried applying the shadows the way the website had it, but it didn't turn out nicely.

First using the pinkish cream highlighter shade..which doesn't show up pink at all, but I just didn't want a white highlighter.

Next, purple cream shadow up to the crease, making sure not to go beyond that, otherwise blending is a pain.

Using the light brown shade from GY865 in the crease. Applying more purple shadow if necessary.

I lined with the cream liner, extending it out a bit. It wasn't dark enough so I went over it with the MM liner.

Finished! I really like this, I'm probably going to do this for school tomorrow.

Upside Down Shadows

2010-03-26T17:01:00.008-04:00

Hi hello everyone. It's such a beautiful sunny day so I've decided to do another picture tutorial. As you may have already guessed by the title, it's an upside down shadow look, but smokey. It's very simple, as long as you have 2 shades of grey, 1 dark and 1 light.

Equipment:
Paul & Joe 062
Darkness Kma4 (I prefer the end lashes for this look)
Lunasol Beige Beige
Integrate black liner
Fiberwig Mascara

Start by applying the beige shade all over the lid. It gives the look a subtle shimmer on the top and I also think it balances out the amount of shadow on the bottom.

Tight line all the way to the inner corners, line the waterline, and very lightly line the top lashline. Extend the liner out a little.
I like using the Integrate liner for this, I find that regular pencil liners don't make a line that's thin enough.

Smudge the dark shape first from the inner corner out, making it thicker as you shade out and extend it out a bit, blending the liner. Make sure you smudge enough so you can't see the line from the liner.
Next, blend the light grey under the darker shadow and also make it thicker as you blend out.
Notice the shape of the shadow, it's kind of like a thick winged eyeliner, but with shadow.

Finish off with mascara and false end lashes and voila! Piece of cake. I don't apply mascara on the bottom because I think it takes the focus off the smoky shadow. This is probably the boldest look I would do, hmm..maybe I should wear it out more often.

B•Liv Part One

2010-03-18T14:46:00.001-04:00

A few weeks back, Selina from the B•liv (pronounced "believe") asked me if I could do a review on the products. I thought it would be sample packs so I was pleasantly surprised that these were full sized products. Thank you Selina!

For those of you who are not familiar with B•liv, it is a sub brand of Cellnique (which specializes in repairing problem skin). The only difference I find is B•liv is geared to younger people and they offer products for those in that age group. To learn more about Cellnique, click here for Eki's review.
B•liv specializes in taking care of skin that has large pores, blemishes, blackheads, oily or dryness, whereas Cellnique deals with things such as discoloration, aging or sensitive skin. I think I could categorize my needs in between the 2 brands, I need a little bit of both.

I will break down the review in 2 parts. This first one is my initial thoughts after the first 2 uses and then I will report back in about 2 weeks. I will also be using the products in the morning and night and the mask once a week.
You can check out Ji's review of some of these products.
For the sake of this review, I will stop using my Clarisonic, but I'll still be using my cleansing oil and Skinfood toner.

Selina sent me 4 products to try out (plus a travel pouch and reusable bag). There are 2 products for blackheads/oily skin. The cleanser is called Squeaky Clean and a serum called Off With Those Heads. The serum is for the T-zone or any areas that have problems with white/black heads. It is also one of their best sellers.
The blue label bottle is the moisturizer called Submerge Me, which is from their dry skin collection.
The purple tube is the Glow and Shine from the large pores collection and it's a mask that helps reduce pore size, rejuvenates and exfoliates.

The cleanser is green tinted and gel-like with a kind of citrus smell, it's hard to describe. It has fine micro beads to help exfoliate and does not feel drying at all. There is 130mL ($25USD) of product and I use about 2 pea sized amount.
I was a bit irritated by the bottle though, it was very hard to get the product out easily, I had to press the pump so many times before the cleanser was dispensed.

After cleansing, I use a toner then apply the Off With Those Heads serum ($63USD 45mL, also available in 30mL for $49USD). I mainly have white/black head problems on my T-zone, corner of my mouth (I know eww..) and a little bit off the sides of the bridge of my nose, so those are the areas I apply to.

I haven't noticed any immediate results other than a cooling sensation which didn't last more than 5 minutes. Since I only need it on a small area of my face, a pea sized amount is sufficient.

As for the moisturizer ($49USD for 45mL), it's a very light and slightly milky. I use 1-2 pea sizes which is plenty. The best part of this moisturizer is it absorbs almost immediately and doesn't leave any residue or oily feeling.

Remember that this is a moisturizer that's designed for dry skin so it might end up making those with oily skin even oiler. Besides that, the moisturizer says to help with anti-aging and brightening the skin.

I was kinda surprised how small the mask was, considering the instructions said to put a thick layer all over your face and neck. I only put enough to cover on my cheeks, t-zone and a bit on my forehead and it already felt like I used half the tube ($25USD 50mL).
You're supposed to leave it on for 5-10 minutes and it gave my skin a bit of a cooling sensation. However, after 5 minutes, my chin started so sting so I had to rinse it off.

I like this mask because it doubles as an exfoliator (there are micro beads in the mask). After the time is up, you add a bit of water and massage it around your skin before rinsing. This is the only product that provided immediate results. Some of the crap on the side of my nose was pulled out with the mask and was sitting on top of my skin. If only I had a nose strip to yank it out, but I didn't, so I just scratched it off.

These are the results after the first use. It doesn't look that much different from before I used it. You can see the pores are still big and there is nasty stuff in the pores, excluding my freckles

I personally think these products are way out of my budget. But, if they actually show results then I will repurchase them when I can fit it into my budget.

Since you've made it through my extensive review, Selina has provided an offer to the first 50 readers to try an Off With Those Heads sample.
Simply e-mail fbfreesample@blivskin.com with the subject line mmmiu.blogspot.com. Be sure to include your full name and address. The sample takes 4-6 weeks for delivery. Enjoy!
Offer ends a week from today!

Facial Hair Remover

2010-03-11T16:19:00.004-05:00

I'm sure most women out there have some sort of facial hair, whether it be super thin or peach fuzz to the bit more annoying ones, we would all like it to disappear.

If you've ever tried threading or waxing I'm sure you know it stings or hurts. I've never tried bleaching so I don't know how that feels. Well rest assured, there is an alternative in removing facial fuzz.

I can't remember where I first saw this neat little gadget, probably in some store in Hong Kong a while back but I never got around in purchasing it.

It's a steel spring facial hair remover which removes hair very similar to the threading method, though I think it doesn't hurt at all.

I got it from Deal Extreme for less than $3 plus free shipping (buy here), so even if it didn't work out, it wasn't a huge waste of money.

Hmm..where to start.. well it definitely works but it takes some practice to get it right. The spring needs to be bent into a U and you twist the handles outwards so the hairs will get trapped in the spring and thus be yanked out. It's not as bad as you think, unless you have sensitive skin. I think it's similar to the feeling of threading but with less pain involved (it may vary from person to person).

As easy as it is to use, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't pull all the fuzz out (but enough was gone), most likely because it's difficult to maneuver around my face. But I can still see this as a worthy investment, for those who don't have time to get waxed/threaded, to get the quick touch ups.

And if you're curious, I tried this on my legs and it hurts. Cleaning is simple, just gently pull the spring apart, spritz some alcohol on and rinse.

I also ordered a mini Hello Kitty nail dryer from Deal Extreme. Sometimes when the weather is too humid, it takes forever the polish to dry, or I'm just in a rush. It was only about $6 with free shipping.

The dryer uses 2 AA batteries and it's quite loud, so I wouldn't recommend anyone using this at night

Sorry if you're leaving comments and I'm not replying back, I haven't gotten back into the habit of doing so, but I still enjoy reading them =) Also, I'm quite flattered that so many people are following my blog! I'll definitely need to hold a contest again later this year <3

Weekend Update

2010-03-07T13:38:00.007-05:00

My second TESL course is starting tomorrow so I'm not sure when I'll have time to post again.
It's such a beautiful day today but I'm stuck inside doing nothing but playing with my makeup.

I have another long lost eyeshadow I got from my Tokyo trip, the Coffret D'or single eyeshadow in WN-33 that came out last spring/summer.
It's a really deep purple shade that's meant for lining. It has a lot of fine shimmers but doesn't really show up upon application.
I picked it up as an impulse buy in Japan, I didn't want to leave empty handed from one of the drugstores. I've only used it once but didn't like it at the time due to the lack of staying power, but I had to give it a second chance.

I chose this color because the model at the time was using it. I skipped out on the white shadow because I already had my Jill Stuart one.

The shadow is a bit deeper than in the picture, there was too much light in my room.

The first time I used this as a liner, the shadow went everywhere and didn't stay. This time I used a black pencil liner as a base to help it stick and last longer.

I made a pretty thick line with the shadow but it didn't appear too overwhelming when my eyes are opened. It's a nice change from using black all the time.

It's Sunday, I get lazy and didn't do the base makeup nicely which explains the blurring.

With the Coffret D'or Shining Eyeliner in WT-04 for more shimmer.

So that's it for now! Still waiting for my Yes Style package. One of my items was discontinued so I had to call them to replace with something else and now I gotta wait all over again for the item to be in stock.
I also ordered 5 China Glaze polishes from 8ty8beauty and it's almost been a month's wait. They're located in New York so I don't understand why it's still not here. I didn't realize that there was no tracking number until after I placed the order. They didn't e-mail me back to let me know until after it was sent out. $15 shipping and no tracking number? I thought UPS has one. Grrr... Has anyone else ordered from them?

Glamourous March 2010, not a lot of makeup tutorials.

Sweet (March) This issue was a bit on the boring side, didn't find any makeup tutorials. They have a list of top 35 makeup items though.

Vivi March 2010

2010-03-01T17:15:00.012-05:00

Some scans of the new Vivi. I already have the April one but haven't looked through it yet.

Seems like this season is all about the nude eyes, time to break out my Lunasol Beige Beige palette more often!

Notice in one of the makeup tutorial pages there's a Maybelline BB base? I wonder if it's gonna be available in North America, unless it already is and I'm just outdated.

I'm so in love with one of the new Coach bags.

Yet Another Visee Palette

2010-02-23T17:33:00.009-05:00

I have yet another Visee palette and EOTD to show everyone today. This palette was from Kay when she did the secret Santa, and what a Santa she was!

Seeing how much time I have now that school has finished (for now), I decided to do another step by step tutorial using the Visee Glam Hunt Eyes in Mauve. Again, I was quite surprised for the amount of pigmentation from the Visee palettes. I think this one showed up better than most of the palettes that I used for my EOTDs.
I have to admit I was kinda intimidated by this palette at first because of how dark the colors were (from the usual ones that I use), but I ended up liking the results.

I just sat in front of my window to take the pictures and if there's too much glare, I just pull the curtain over to change the amount of light that I want. I prefer taking pictures late in the afternoon, that way there's a good amount of light without washing out the colors.
If anyone is interested, I'm using my Panasonic Lumix FX38 that Tim got for my birthday last year.

Very beautiful shades, makes a nice day time or smokey look.

Using the MM cream shadow again.

Highlight with shade #1. I used the steps that were printed on the box of the Visee palette.

Applied shade #2 all over lid and used a bit of shade #1 to blend it together at the crease.
I must say, the Etude House brush does a very good job at picking up lots of shadow.

Using shade #3, adding more color to the outer and brough it up just a little.

Haha, you don't understand how many times I had to take this picture to get the liners at the right position.
Line 1/3 of the way in on the lower lashline. As for the top, it doesn't really matter how thick or thin since it'll be smudged anyway, it depends how dramatic you want the finished look.

Smudge shade #4 on top of the black liner.

Smudged shade #2 on the lower.

Highlight the inner corners using shade #5.

The finished look! It's not as shimmery as I thought, but still has some sparkle to it.

For extra oomph, add false lashes.

Thank you for all the comments on my last post =) I'm doing my best to start catching up on blog reading. Better than me sitting in front of the TV all day.

Do you remember my video on my weird Japanese curling comb? Click here if you forgot.
Well, Tim and I like looking for deals and he found a website that sells some really cheap stuff and some nifty beauty products, including the amazing comb I got from my friend. I know KT did a review on it as well, but I can't seem to find the post.
He's ordered from the site before and he already helped me order some things yesterday so there shouldn't be a problem with the sellers. And best of all, the shipping is free. I believe the products come directly from the manufacturer that's why they're so cheap.

Anyway, if you've always wanted to try that curling comb (Bobodave sells it for $43USD) or the fringe styler that I showed in this video, here's your chance to get it for a great price from Deal Extreme. I believe the prices at in USD.

Visee Brilliance Forming Eyes

2010-02-21T17:18:00.008-05:00

This is super long over due, I've had the Visee Brilliance Forming Eyes A-1 since August 2009 and I haven't used it other than swatching. Finally decided to try something different for a change, no neutrals today!
I didn't bother taking a FOTD, I spent the entire day being lazy and didn't have to get ready to go out until late in the afternoon, I looked too tired in the pictures.

Using a cream shadow base really helps bring out the colors (Majolica Majorca PK705). If I didn't use it, the final look would be washed out. Even though the MM cream shadow is sheer, it still helps a lot. I do this step everytime I use eyeshadows if I have the right cream shadow colors to use.

The sponge applicators that came with this palette isn't the best, so I just used a brush.
I'm amazed at how pigmented these shadows were for a drugstore brand. This is my first Visee palette and I got it while in Tokyo.

Blending the pink shade up to the gold. I didn't use the glittery cream shade, didn't really like it.

Line the top and lower 1/3 of the way in with MUFE.

Blending the brown shade almost halfway up to make the liner look softer.

Do the same for the bottom to make a softer look.

And the final outcome, with my tired looking eyes.

Geez, a little change in the weather and my allergies go crazy. It's a high of 6C in Toronto which isn't normal for February. It should be covered with snow and freezing outside.

I've ordered some clothes from Yesstyle at the beginning of the month and they should be coming this week, I'm sooo impatient! Also, my order of China Glaze still isn't here bah!

No Title Today

2010-02-15T10:31:00.004-05:00

Uhhh..so apparently there's someone out there who reads my blog/cbox and went on to another blog to write crap using my url.. seriously, why? That's why I don't like cbox because anyone can use your url/email. Having a cbox is nice to read/reply to quick comments, but not this.
As for the blog who got shitted on with my url, sorry, the world's not perfect, I'm not going to add every single blog out there. If I can relate to a certain blog or if I feel that it will be a good link for myself (or any readers out there), then I will add you, and that's mainly the reason why I do so.
Life goes on...

Happy Chinese New Year, belated Valentine's and for those of you in Ontario, Happy Family Day~! There's so much happening in February so I guess that's the reason why it's so great to have a birthday around this time. ThankQ for all the birthday wishes =)
I got a prepaid Amex as a gift which went towards my purchase of the Clarisonic Mia. I had to put down some extra to get it and let me tell you, it ain't cheap. It's really too bad that Sephora Canada doesn't sell it in stores or online, so I probably paid a wee bit too much for it from Holt Renfrew (the equivalent of Saks I believe).
Hopefully it'll live up to what it says it does.

Quarter Century

2010-02-13T23:31:00.009-05:00

I'm officially a quarter century old and I was id-ed while I was at Moxie's yesterday. I don't think the mid 20's thought has really hit me yet, sooner or later it will *gasp*
It's so nice to have a birthday around Chinese New Year (Feb 11), I get an extra bit of money which is always good. With that said, I already planned out what my next big purchase is later this week, if I can find it.

I decided to go bold for my birthday look, and by bold I mean putting some eyeliner on the bottom and using false eyelashes! I used brown to line the bottom and I liked this look quite a lot, you know the "your eyes but better" if there is such a thing.

I forgot to mark the shadows I used, but it's the lower 2 on the Lunasol Beige Beige palette.
The blush is Lunasol EX01 Soft Silver Rose and lipstick is 02 Coral Pink.
Powder touch eyebrow pencil is Maquillage GY950.

The picture tutorial pretty much speaks for itself, so I'm not going to explain. I think I'm starting to like using false eyelashes I went and bought another Darkness in Kma1. I used the Duo waterproof glue in this look and by the time I got home after 4 hours or so, the middle part of the lashes weren't sticking anymore except the ends, maybe I need more glue.

I honestly hate using flashes on cameras because they don't always come out nice, but I like this one XD

Only 3 more days of school and my exam, then I can finally rest for 2 weeks yay! Speaking of school, there's this woman that's terribly annoying and stupid. There's so many questions that is just common sense but she is out in space somewhere. Once she was trying to argue with the prof on why she shouldn't make a lesson plan even though it was one of the required assignments. A couple weeks ago, she asked me, "Is rice a vegetable?" Really? And you're trying to be an English teacher??

Time To Go Out

2010-01-22T19:41:00.020-05:00

I found time to update! And eewwweee....I don't like this layout, but I wanted my pictures enlarge-able when clicked on so I had to change it. Haha, and this was the best I could do with my banner picture.
Waiting to go out right now so I just took a picture of what I did. Why are the colors all washed out!? -__-'
I'm almost out of my favourite lipstick (Maquillage PK705) so I changed it up to Lunasol 02 Coral Pink so I can savor the last bits of the Maquillage.

Tried to do a smoke-ish eye with lotsa silver shimmer.
Ayumi Hamasaki on February Vivi, gorgeous as always.

More Study, Less Blogging

2010-01-13T17:03:00.002-05:00

School started on Monday and I'm already feeling so overwhemled by the amount of info I need to absorb.
I knew taking the TESL course would be difficult, but didn't think it would be that intensive. So many readings and so many things to remember and re-learn, namely grammer.
I was so embarassed during participation in my observation time because I didn't remember what "parts of speech" were and how to explain them!
When you've grown up learning English all or most of your life, you don't stop to think "A preposition is the words used to describe yadda yadda yadda.." I say that because I still can't remember it!! It just comes naturally to you and who really stops to think about what is what in a sentence?

With that said, I probably will be putting my updating to maybe 1-2 times a month. It's difficult to deal with this course especially when I have to cram a lot of info into 6 weeks.

On with the post...
A while back, I entered Katie's (GirlAboutTown88) collection contest and won! Yippee! This girl is super generous. She jammed packed the box with lots more stuff that wasn't even included in the prize pack =D Quite exciting for me because I've NEVER used MAC in my life! I don't think using eyeliner and the eyeshadow 2-3 times really counts haha. She sent me 2 pretty MAC lipsticks one including the LE Hello Kitty. Thankq Katie!!!!

Oh, she also slipped in a box of mini food. I let out a little scream when I saw it. This is super cute. I've never seen this set before, it's called "Special cakes for me" and you can probably guess it's a cake mini food set.
It's super cute and detailed! I immediately made room in my display case for it =) Thank you again Katie!

And before I head to do some more reading.. I thought I'd show you a picture of one of my cats sleeping with his little tooth sticking out =p His name is Wasabi, but I like to called him "bum bum" because he also sticks his tail and butt in the air whenever he sees someone.

That's it for now, hope to be back blogging some more soon, but for now I'm just gonna lurk.

BeautyQQ Inspired Bling

2010-01-04T23:37:00.003-05:00

Happy (late) New Year!!
If you're a follower of BeautyQQ on YT, I'm sure you love her videos as much as I do, so I decided to do a look that was inspired by her.
Also you might have noticed that her dog, Fergie, had an injury, I hope she gets better soon!!
Queenie's videos are quite entertaining and she's definitely not afraid of being 37, did you see how gorgeous her skin is!? And just how beautiful she is?
Here's the video tutorial that I inspired me...

I numbered the steps for the shadow application. If you follow the video, you'll understand how it all blends together.
The only difference for me is I didn't line the waterline. For step 6, I blended both the jelly and powder shade to line halfway on the lower lash

1. Paul & Joe Pencil Liner Black
2. Paul & Joe Color Powder 062 (left side only)
3, 5. Jill Stuart Seductive Eyes in Seductive Doll 01
4, 6. RMK Jelly x Powder Eyes (LE) 05 Shiny Beige Brown

Since the silvery cream shade goes on last on top of the shadows, I made sure to pat it on top to prevent messing up the colors.
Oh, as a side note, the RMK shadows I used on the lower lashline didn't last, it was gone after a couple hours.

This is my take on it. It's not as "blingy" as her look nor does it stand out as much without falsies, but I like it the way it is.

Christmas Goodies

2009-12-28T14:08:00.003-05:00

This year, I'm on a bit of a money crunch so I wasn't able to get any of my friends anything for Christmas. We didn't exchange any gifts, but lucky for me I participated in Kay's Secret Santa! Kay was my secret santa and this is the only present I got from a friend this year. She sent me the Visee LE Glam Hunt Eyes in Mauve and a Rimmel quad plus lots of goodies and candies. The candies are all gone now XD Thank you so much Kay!! <3<3 I'm excited to try the shadows out.

Boxing Day sales usually suck. I find that as the years go by, the crappier the sales are. I still went to Eaton Center to see what I could pick up because my grandma gave me some red pocket money for Christmas. I didn't find anything I liked, so as I was going back to the subway, I noticed Lush had some sales. And what a sale! It was buy any wrapped gift get 1 free or buy any holiday product or soaps and get 2 free! I ended up getting about 0.8kg of Snowcake and a sample of the Figs and Leaves soap. I actually went 2 separate times to Lush cuz I had to stock up on Snowcake XD Any other time I wouldn't splurge there.

It's also finally snowing some more. It hasn't been winter in Toronto because of the lack of snow, it even rained on Christmas day, wth... Oh well I shouldn't complain, since I'll be the one shovelling it later anyway.

Golden Brown

2009-12-20T13:32:00.001-05:00

I've done this look before, but I got bored so decided to make a video of it. I call it my go-to look. I use this look like 90% of the time with the same lipstick.

Eyes:
Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine Eyes 03 Gold
Jill Stuart Jelly Eyes 10 Vintage Decor
Lunasol Skin Modelling Eyes Beige Beige
Lunasol Nobel Shade Liner Deep Brown
Paul & Joe Pencil Liner 01 or MUFE 2L
Fiberwig Mascara
Maquillage Powder Touch Eyebrow GY950 (forgot to use it in the video)

Cheeks:
Jill Stuart Blush Fresh Apricot

Lips:
Maquillage Moisture Rouge PK705

Vivi and Classy January 2010

2009-12-17T13:07:00.001-05:00

Click here to be one of the first to read the new Vivi! Once you click the link, you can also look at the full album by clicking the link on the left, that way you don't have to go through the ads.

Also, for those that are into the OL styles or just need some ideas, take a look at this magazine, Classy. I think it's definitely a more grown up version of Vivi. Click here to see more.

Soft Smokey?

2009-12-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays! I just realized I haven't updated in 2 weeks. Hope all is well in the blogger world. I receieved my secret Santa package from Kay and I'm uber excited to open it!

As you probably all know by now, I don't like to line my lower lids, which is why my post title is soft smokey. The "soft" is also due to the fact that this dang P&J shadow is so sheer.
LE things like to grab hold of me and tempt me to buy them. Who could resist though? Because how many other people might have this LE item? (Lots probably)

ANNYwaay... the LE item is P&J 062 shadow duo. I got this waaay before I came back to Canada, on my second trip to HK in August. By now I can't remember the price or the collection name, I just remember I got it from Langham Place Mall in Mong Kok.

This is a cute little palette and there's barely any fall-out while applying. I think that's all I have to say that's good about it. This was quite a disappointing purchase from P&J and I wish I had swatched it and thought carefully first before buying.
The pan width is a bit bigger than the MAC shadows, big enough to last me a lifetime. Sadly, the packaging will probably not last a lifetime because it's made of cardboard. Eventually, I know the sides and edges will start to mess up.

The lighter shade is grey, although it has been sometimes described as blueish-green, I honestly don't see it hehe. The darker shade is a deep navy. The lighter shade has very little hints of shimmer while the darker shade is near matte. They're not shimmery enough for my taste, but it's a change to my usual shimmery colors. These shades are so sheer it bugs me. I hate having to layer on so much shadow that it might crease badly as the day progresses.
I know I'm just bashing this palette right now, but one last thing, the applicator, it's so small!!! I can barely even hold onto it so using a brush is a lot easier.

I used the MM shadow as a highlight, applied the lighter shade as the main color and used the darker shade to blend the eyeliner up 1/4 of my lids.

You can see how sheer it is, but I supposed it's good for looks that aren't too dramatic for daytime. But, I have to confess, I haven't used this palette when going out yet, I've only played with it at home XD

I'm sure most of you have heard of Bubbi of BubzBeauty on Youtube. I was inspired by her Messy Updo Bun video. I tried it out and loved it!
This look is super cute and easy to do. I especially love how it gives an illusion that I have more hair. Making a real odango bun is a bit difficult for me because of my fine hair, so this is a great alternative.
I used 10-12 bobby pins and this held up through the day. If there were any flyaways, all I needed to do was add another pin without redo-ing the whole thing. The head band was from Korea. I wish I had stocked up on more, they're really cheap there.

I'm putting the comment box up, but I do apologize if I don't reply to your comments, but it makes me happy to see them =)

Pearlish Beige

2009-12-02T19:51:00.000-05:00

Hello hello, long time no blog.
It's almost Christmas and there hasn't been a lick of snow in Toronto! I remember, back in the day, it snowed so much that school got cancelled. Saying that makes me feel old.

About a month ago, I ordered 2 Christmas presents for myself, one being the Aube Couture holiday palette and the other being the Lunasol Full Glamour Lips S Pearlish Beige#36.
I first saw it in the Sept 09 issue of Vivi and wanted it ever since, but Adam Beauty didn't carry it until recently.

Lunasol's lipsticks are great because they're creamy, smooth, and not sticky with the right amount of shimmer. It's got medium pigmentation, but as usual for me, lipsticks generally don't show up to what it looks like because of my pigmented lips. BTW, the lipstick is a bit lighter than in the picture.
The Pearlish Beige is one of the prettiest looking lipsticks I purchased, with a swirl of multi color glitter on it. The other ones are the P&J 061 and 062 from the Spring 09 collection with flower designs etched on the lipstick.
The shade is a beautiful beige with a bit of a golden undertone to it with very fine shimmers. I think this goes great with any of the eye makeup I consider more dramatic for me, like Lunasol Dazzling Night.

Here's a quick FOTD with Dazzling Night and Pearlish Beige. I much prefer not lining the bottom lashline with this palette. I've tried many times to get it right, but still, lining the bottom looks strange o_O

Oh, I'm also taking down the comment box since I'm not around blogger enough to keep up with it. Blogging is starting to become more and more difficult as I'm watching my spending a lot more with makeup. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone! But I'm going to school in January to take my TESL certificate in hopes that I'll be in Hong Kong by August 2010, thennnn...the frequent posts shall commence XD Wish me luck!

Skincare Things

2009-11-18T19:19:00.000-05:00

This is a super over due post of some more items I got from Japan (back in August).
As you might recall, I was using Orbis with a mix of Paul & Joe. During the day time, I used the Orbis Aqua Force moisture lotion because it absorbed quickly, but as the weather started to change, it wasn't moisturizing enough. After finishing it in August, I purchased the Sofina Beaute Emulsion.
The emulsion comes in 3 varieties, Fresh I, Light Moist II and Moist III. I think the difference is the moisturizing levels. The one I got is II Light Moist 120mL, I can't remember the price, but HK sells it for $290HKD.
I've been using it for daytime since the end of August and there's still a bit more than half the bottle left. So I think it's worth the price.
The bottle is very pretty with the white flowers. It's plastic and you kinda half squeeze half pour the moisturizer out.

I translated the HK Sofina website using Google, but most of it doesn't make sense in English. It basically says that this moisturizer penetrates the cell's core and helps with anti-aging. It's supposed to also help dry damaged skin from the environment. You can read it yourself here.

This moisturizer is super milky, I'd say a bit more than the Laneige emulsions. It absorbs very quickly and has a light floral aroma. I definitely think this is a great moisturizer because it makes my skin really soft and doesn't leave any residue, whereas Laneige did (back when it was my fav skincare). The floral scent goes away quickly so there's no need to worry about leftover smells. Since it absorbs quickly, I don't have to wait before applying makeup and worry about dry patches on my skin.
I use a little more than what this picture shows and it's more than enough to moisturize my skin.

Other Sofina Beaute items I'm using is the Wrinkle Essence. I got that in HK in February for $380HKD 25mL. I use this under my eyes everyday and sometimes on my face and neck. I can't really give good results since I didn't notice much. I think it's just good to prevent any further wrinkles though. After I'm done all my P&J products, I'm going to slowly switch over to the rest of the Sofina Beaute items as they're supposed to help with anti-aging.

I've been using nose strips for a long as I can remember, but sometimes they just don't pull out all the junk. In a quest to find something to boost the nose strip power, I found the Kose Softymo Hot Cleansing Gel from Japan.
This is a small tube, 25g for I think $5-6CAD? But it works well with the nose strip. After cleansing and drying my skin, I rub a 2 pea sized amount on the areas that the nose strip will touch. There's no hot feeling at all, but whatever haha. The gel is black and has a bit of tiny scrubbage to it. I do this for about 2 minutes then rinse off with water and apply the nose strip.
After peeling off the strip, here's what I'm left with... a lot more crap out of my pores than if I didn't use the gel. Whhheeee!!!!

Weekend Goodies

2009-11-14T01:00:00.006-05:00

Thanks for all the comments and all my new followers!

I found a link to download the Mina 15 minute makeup tutorial book/magazine. Click here to download! It features very basic makeup application for beginners.

Also, here's the link for December's issue of Voce. Most of it's writing and it doesn't have as many picture tutorials like Vivi.

Check out this blog for swatches of Maquillage's newest collection. It's so beautiful!!!!!!! The lipsticks look more like jelly and it's more like a lipgloss than lipstick according to the blogger. (if I translate that properly haha)

Christmas Present!

2009-11-13T19:26:00.001-05:00

Since I'm being terrible at commenting back, I'm considering taking down my comment box and just leaving my cbox open. What do you think?

I know, Christmas is more than a month away, but how could I resist not buying a present for myself already? All the holiday collections make me drool. I could only pick one thing otherwise I'd be broke before buying everyone else's present.
My present for this Christmas (along with one more thing coming from Adambeauty) is the Aube Couture holiday palette. I didn't own anything Aube Couture before so why not start with this right?

The package is so beautiful. The case is a shiny pink with a silver border, white and jewelled snow motifs. This is also a huge compact, 3x4, to hold applicators, 3 lippies and eyeshadow.

I chose the 03 gold eyes x red lip variation. I figured gold would go with most outfits and I didn't own anything gold to begin with.
Isn't it so gorgeous? Sadly the snow design is only sprayed on top and is rubbed off immediately after touching it with the applicator.

All of the shades are very well pigmented except the main shade, even with BE Prime Time. I have to layer on the main shade 2-3 times to get the desired amount of color. However, even with all the layering, the shades lasted very long (about 10 hours) with no creasing and minimal smudging. I'm quite impressed by this.

The liner and brown shadow is very similar in color. A light hand is needed with applying it to the outer corner to prevent it from over powering the gold.

The lipsticks are very smooth and medium pigmented. I'm a bit sad how red these came out, it doesn't match me very well. The top shade is similar to the P&J lipstick 062 but a bit more rosy.

I lined with P&J pencil liner 01 before smudging the liner shade on. I think the gold appears more brownish than gold, but that's probably due to my skin tone.
I'm using the top and bottom lip color in the last picture. It doesn't look as red as I say, but it's just not very flattering.

Stila TM

2009-11-11T00:15:00.000-05:00

After using the LM TM for a couple weeks, I couldn't stand it anymore. As much as I like the dewy-ness I get from it, my face got soooooo oily after a couple hours!! I didn't even want to try the oil free one because according to some people on MUA, it's still oily for them.

I went to Sephora to try something else and the SA gave me a Stila Oil Free TM sample. I was convinced that this was the one for me after using it 2 times so I returned the LM.

The one I purchased is Dark Medium 03, which seems kinda silly because I never considered myself in the dark shades, but yet it doesn't look dark at all. This is supposed to have SPF30, but the packaging doesn't say so. I asked Sephora why and they said it's because Canada has different labelling restrictions or something, but it still has SPF30. Weird.

The TM is quite thick and not as easy to blend as LM. I use this with the Paul & Joe Moisturizing Foundation Primer 03 and it makes blending a lot easier. Something about the P&J added more blendability to the TM.

Coverage wise, I think it's pretty similar to LM. It's light-medium without covering all the imperfections. Oil control gets a pass. I don't get as greasy as LM but I still blot once, although if I didn't blot it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Oh, I'm also using the Maquillage Powder Touch Eyebrow (GY950), though you don't really notice a big difference. I use a light hand just incase I look crazy with dark brows XD I also just follow the natural shape of my brows. I don't really shape them either because I don't have a lot of brow hairs to begin with.

Vivi December

2009-11-04T00:44:00.005-05:00

I don't know what's up with my blog, but some of my pictures can't seem to be clicked on to enlarge. I might have to go back to using the generic blogger layouts soon. *sigh*

Vivi December is out already! My friend got this in HK a few days ago before she flew back. I also have the November issue but haven't taken pictures of it. Vivi seems to be less and less makeup-y these days, but I can't complain.

This issue has a little booklet called Christmas Coffret Super Catalog. I've already ordered from one of the holiday collections for my Christmas present. It better get here by the end of the week, I'm sooo impatient!

There's yet another collaboration of Vivi and Visee. There are 2 palettes (mauve and beige brown) and a mascara. The mauve one reminds me a lot of the Bobbi Brown mauve collection, except I'm sure the Visee is a lot prettier.

I finally got my first brow product! This is Maquillage's newst one called Powder Touch Eyebrow in GY950. I can't really compare this with anything I've used, but this pencil is supposed to be powder. It's also thicker than the average pencils.
It glides on with a powdery feel and finish so it looks super natural. For a first time brow product user, this is pretty idiot proof as the color is very buildable and it's easy to correct mistakes.
The color is darker than what it looks like on the pencil, but I haven't taken a good swatch or before/after pictures yet.

I got this on Adam Beauty for about $12. What a great deal! Plus it'll probably last forever.

Still Alive

2009-10-28T22:32:00.005-04:00

No, I'm not abandoning Blogger XD I just find that I use the computer less and less now that I have my laptop. Please excuse my lack of commenting and catching up!
Tim's dad came back from Hong Kong, which means he helped me bring back the stuff I purchased. I stocked up on Beauty Diary masks, I can't remember the price, but it's more expensive than here for sure. I haven't had a chance to use any of these yet haha, except the apple one. It stings the area under my nose so I have to rip that part of the fabric off. Haven't really noticed any significant differences from using them though.

So, Tim's dad came back from Hong Kong to attend a wedding in Punta Cana 2 weeks ago, Tim's older brother. I was undecided on going due to some issues, but decided 2 days before that I should go and rushed to Urban Outfitters to get some new dresses. Lucky me, they were half price.
99% of the pictures are on Tim's computer, but here's a couple pics, one with the dress. I have plenty more I wanna post up when I get them from him XD

My stuff from Hong Kong included my new toys. If you didn't know already, I collect mini food, the ones mainly made by Re-Ment. My precious mini house made it in one piece ^__^
The new stuff also includes a sushi set, Mini Sweets and Fun Meals.

I ordered a Maquillage brow pencil from Adambeauty, it was only like $12! I hope it's not super tiny and that I'll know how to use it!

Oh, I also got my hair cut today and I promised my stylist to mention the salon here hehehe. It's called Initium Hair (located on Hwy 7 and Warden next to HSBC). I've been there many times before and the stylist I go to is Wilson Lee. He's been the most consistent stylist I've been to so I highly recommend him! I pay $32 excluding tips.

Laura Mercier TM

2009-10-05T17:52:00.001-04:00

Wow, my picture quality looks butchered on Blogger, more than before..hmm...

I've been using the Lunasol Modeling Water Liquid Foundation and Control Makeup Base since mid-May and I'm down to 1/3 of the bottles...and I was itching to try a new base makeup that gives light coverage. After much thought, I purchased my first tinted moisturizer, which also happens to be my first item from Laura Mercier.

Today's makeup is light and simple. I started off with the P&J Moisturizing Foundation Primer 03. I've had this for a couple months already and haven't started using it until now. It doesn't have SPF which is a bummer, but the LM makes up for the missing SPF. The P&J primer is a white runny base which goes on clear and doesn't feel sticky.
Then I used my fingers to apply the TM. I'm glad it's runny enough to spread evenly with my fingers and it gives my skin a nice dewy look. This is the first time I've used a TM so I can't compare it with anything else.

I think I love and hate this product at the same time. I love that it gives my skin light coverage but I hate how I get oily faster than using the Lunasol foundation (even with powder).
I debated on getting the oil free version, but some reviews on MUA said it's not as easy to blend and the color seemed to oxidize, so I stuck with the regular formula.
Look, dewy! I generally don't apply a lot of blush which is why you don't really notice the JS blush.

Here's another Liese Designing Jelly picture (III nuance wave) and another way I use it. This time I didn't use a curling iron. After drying my hair, I use about one or one and a half pumps of product and spread it evenly on my hands. Then I grab my hair from the bottom up and scrunch it into a really messy bun without twisting it and hold it until I feel the gel dry. I finish off with the Osis hair spray and I get instant waves and messy hair without an iron! The best thing about the Liese is my hair doens't look stiff, it still has a nice bounce to it.

To Line Or Not To Line?

2009-09-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

I'm giving the Lunasol Dazzling Light another chance after the first few failed application attempts.
Something about dark shadows is difficult to get right.
For these two looks, I used a couple brushes to apply, for some reason it came out better than using the sponge applicators. I also blended the white and silver shades together to highlight rather than using them separately.
If you've been reading my blogs for a while already, you might be able to help me, which one suits me more? Lining on the bottom or not lining?

Lined bottom?

Or no lined bottom but with winged liner?

Hmmm...

Next, to use the Paul & Joe 062 duo shadows..the grey variation..and get that right!

Toronto Meet-Up?

2009-09-28T22:35:00.003-04:00

I'm sure some of you who know Miss Tia knows that she's in Toronto at the moment. Annd...I'd like to know who else is in Toronto that would like to get together at the Markham Fair this coming Sunday (Oct 4) It's $10 admisson. Here's the website for details.

If so, please contact me on Facebook (Millie Yip) and let me know no later than Friday Oct 2 and I'll try to organize a time and meeting place for us! =)

Weekend Update

2009-09-27T19:40:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to be a good blogger and blog some more hehe. Sorry for not replying to comments -__-'
The job fair wasn't what I expected, nothing useful except the teaching course I looked at while in Korea. I managed to get a part-time job though, through my friend's mom. I just work 4-5 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays checking application forms and emailing them to insurance companies. I get $12/hr, not bad, it'll pay for my monthly tuition and other stuffs.

I don't think I posted this MM swatch before. This along with the yellow was part of their most recent collection. This is the PK441 shade. Out of all the MM polishes I have, this one applies most evenly and least streaky.

Cam-whoring.. I don't think I've ever used this term haha.
I think the Geo Nudy Greys go very well with purple shadows. I love using them with the JS 08 Crystal Sky or the Lunasol Purple Gradation palette. Seems to make my eyes pop out that much more hehe. I'm using the Lunasol here. Compared with the JS, the Lunasol looks more "sweet" and the JS looks a bit more dramatic.

For those of you in the Toronto/GTA area, don't forget there's the Markham Fair happening between October 1-4!!! It's a $10 entrance fee but you can download the $2 coupon on their website. I'm so excited to go! Wonder what I should wear. Dang Canadian weather, it's so chilly already.

Yellow As Lemons

2009-09-21T18:55:00.004-04:00

I know I haven't really been around blogger a lot. I'm still unemployed and I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm home about 90% of the time and don't really have motivation to blog and use with my makeup when I'm not going out.
But good thing for me, there's a 2 day job fair at downtown Toronto that I'm going to attend on Wednesday. I really hope that there are some job offers for Hong Kong, that'll be quite ideal for me.
Thankq for all the recent followers! Although I haven't been updating daily XD

Here's a long overdue swatch of the LE MM nail polish. I had a very difficult time locating it in Hong Kong, probably because it's so popular, so I ended up picking it up in Tokyo.
This is the YE242 shade, super bright yellow, great for the summer, too bad I've only started using it right when summer is ending hehe.
I also have a picture with the D Nails Gel Look Topcoat. You can purchase this on Ichibankao for about $23USD. I got mine for about 1500yen.

The D Nails is top coat is supposed to give your polish a gel nail like finish by being super glossy/shiny. I honestly didn't really notice a huge difference with this and the usual PA top coat I use.
This top coat is made in the states and I'm sure you can find something similar in North America. I don't think it's really worth the 1500yen because it's not over the top glossy.

The yellow polish is very similar to the Vita Lemon Teas, yum!

Since I don't have anything to do at the moment, I started to spend more time cooking. I made this Buttery Apple Cake from the William's Sonoma Savouring Desserts cook book.

I've been meaning to do a look with the Lunasol Dazzling Light palette, but I can't seem to get it to work for me. Maybe because I'm not used to using such dark colors, but when I apply it like I normally do for shadows, it just looks weird. I tried following Fuz's look with the palette, but it still looks strange on me. Hope to get it right soon.

Hair, Gloss and Food

2009-09-13T19:55:00.001-04:00

Haha, my titles are so uncreative.
My latest addition to my lippy collection. I purchased this Maquillage Perfect Gloss in PK353 while in Tokyo. PK353 is the gloss that's on the model that's holding the coffee cup, I can't remember the name. This came out in July and it's supposed to be part of the Maquillage x Alexander Wang collection.
The picture didn't come out quite the way I wanted. It's a bit more coral than pink. The gloss has fine golden shimmers which is uber pretty.
I find it a bit sticky, but it's long lasting. I do have a rant though, even when I wipe the gloss off, my lips still feel a bit sticky.
The applicator is a flat spatula with fuzzyness on both sides. I really like this applicator since it's easier to apply evenly than then doe foot imo.

My attempt at super voluming my hair.

I applied the Marc Anthony hair thickener to damp hair then blow dry (the hair dryer I have is so crappy, it's not hot enough bah!). Then I put 1.5inch curlers, 1 on my bangs, 1 on both sides and 2 at the back then sprayed the Lucidol curling water and put heat on it.
After doing my makeup, I take out the curlers then curl the ends of my hair inward and outwards with a large barrel iron. Scrunched up my hair with some Liese Designing Jelly in Nuance Wave and used Lucidol Designing Pot in Smash Fixer near my roots. Finish off with Osis hair spray.
Whew! So many things just for my hair, I wish it wasn't so flat. The Liese Designing Jelly was advertised in the Vivi magazines with Chikako (spelling?). It's a very runny gel like product. It gives my curls enough hold to last the whole day and just one pump is enough for all my hair. You can get it on Ichibankao.com If you download the Nuance Wave demo vid here, you can see in the video that pieces hair is supposed to stay if you just push it up a bit, and I can confirm that it doesn't do that, at least not with my hair.
Next time, I'm going to try adding the Osis dusting powder in hopes for more volume.

Did you know I've never made an omlette in my life, until yesterday? Haha..I never thought I could do it, but I didn't want the typical scrambled eggs. I made mine with sauteed mushrooms, cheddar and some proscuitto. Mmm...

I love breakfast foods. It's been a while since I've been to Cora's for their breakfasts. It closes at 3pm and there's only 2 locations that I know of in Toronto. Omg, it's so freaking good, but expensive.

Hair Products

2009-09-12T20:38:00.004-04:00

Remember how I said my hair is falling out more than usual in Korea? Well, Mika from Beauty Snap had sent me some samples of hair products that included the Fekkai Protein Rx hair treatment. I tried it out and the next day I noticed less hair fall out.

Once I got back to Canada, I immediately went to Sephora and grabbed a bottle. It cost me $94CAD after tax for the 125mL bottle (wow!), but I think it's worth it. Besides, if it starts to fail, I can always return it XD

The Protein Rx is a leave in "protein treatment" and you apply it all over your hair just before you sleep, then you wash it out in the morning. It's like a thick cream that absorbs very quickly into the hair so it doesn't get all over the pillows. I don't know if I can describe the smell properly haha, but it smells a bit like sweet coconut and milk.
I've used it at least 6 times already and even though I still have a few fall outs, there's way less than when I was in Korea. Besides less hair fall out, I think this is totally helping my hair get stronger because I recently dyed it.

The orange tube is the Marc Anthony hair thickener. It saw 2 tubes in the washroom when I came back. I think this might have come from the shampoo/conditioner sets from Costco.
I used to use this product a long time ago, but stopped because it was too sticky and didn't really do anything for my hair. Now I think the formula has changed because it's not as thick and is easier to rub into the hair.
It works a bit for me because it helps make my hair thicker, but volume wise, it's not really that noticable. Still, it helps, I need all the volume/thickening I can get.

After spending days cleaning my room, it's still not really organized yet, but here's my new vanity table from Ikea. The drawer is enough to hold all my makeup and fit everything on top!

Busy busy, going back to clean my room again. I was slacking a lot on room cleaning and blogging. The past 3 days, I spent at Tim's house playing Resident Evil 5, and we beat it yesterday puhaha.

Koji Curlers

2009-09-08T20:09:00.003-04:00

This is long over due. Sorry I haven't got the time to reply or catch up on blogs, but I will try to post some more things for you to read =)
I got a new lash curler while in Hong Kong. I saw it on a display at Log-On (City's Super) and it's supposed to be the newest curler by Koji. It was highly recommended by a Japanese magazine, I think Spring?? I got this for about $125HKD.

The curler that I used to use is the pink one with the spring inside. (picture from Adambeauty) For those of you who don't know, when you press the handles together, they pop back into place so you don't have to open it yourself. Seems kinda like the lazy way of curling lashes.

So what's special about these curlers? Nothing really for the old pink spring one that I used, the new one however, is supposed to have a new design to curl your lashes in a special way.

Before I tell you how the new Koji curler does its work, here's a comparison of both the curlers. You can see on the left side, the curler is not as rounded as the spring curler on the right. This alone sells it for me because the old curler didn't fit my eye properly, sometimes I nip my eyes. Ouch! With the old curler, I always had to curl my lashes before I did my eye makeup because it would smudge everything due to the poor fitting.
The new Koji curler fits my eye shape perfectly that I can curl my lashes after doing my eye makeup without smudging anything. But, the best part of the curler is the design.

Since I don't have a picture of the back of the Koji box I'll have to tell you why it's so good. If you look at most curlers, you'll see that the front of it is relatively straight across, but the new Koji curler isn't straight. Instead, the ends curve down allowing the curler to hold onto as many lashes as possible and curl them in a fan shape. It also doesn't smush all your lashes together and it kind of separates them as you curl. Do you get it? Haha, that's the best I can explain without the packaging. If you look at the picture, you can kinda see what I mean.

For me, this is a brillant curler because I'm able to curl more lashes than the old one, plus it fits my eye!
You can purchase this on Bobodave for $20USD.
If you speak Cantonese, watch this YT vid to see how the curler works.

Back Home

2009-09-04T21:25:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone! Didya miss me!? XD
I'm finally back home in Toronto. I got home last Saturday and this whole week has been non stop cleaning! I don't know how I managed to fit everything into the tiny room in Korea with Tim because I'm having such a hard time organizing everything.
I probably won't be around to catch up on blogs and commenting until I get everything settled down, but I miss everyone! =)

I got the new Lunasol palette from the Incheon Airport duty free, it was only $39USD. This is Dazzling Night 03. The lighting isn't very good in my room unless it's daytime, but I'm sure most of you know what the colors look like.

Jill Stuart Debut

2009-08-29T04:52:00.001-04:00

Another scheduled post....
Apparently, there has always been a Jill Stuart counter in the Shinsegae Department Store. I never knew about it because it's at and area of Seoul I haven't even heard of. I can't remember where either haha.
I went to a book store earlier, and flipped through the Korean version of In Style or Cosmo and saw JS items in it! I had no idea that JS was availalbe in Korea, so now I had to look for the counter.

When I went on the JS website, there was "Korea" available, I think it's new, otherwise I would have seen it there earlier. So I found the nearest JS counter and it was a Shinsegae Dept at Myeong Dong and they recently opened up the counter on August 14.

I went there the next day with buying the blush in mind. I didn't think it would cost more than 60,000won, but it did, it was 75,000won and I got it anyway. I got a JS cellphone charm as a GWP.
I also bought another Orbis Cleansing Liquid. My last little haul in Korea!

This is Fresh Apricot. The brush that comes with it is really cute, but I'm terrible at using small brushes for blush, so to me, it was difficult to get it even on my cheek. The powder is very soft and nicely pigmented, but not so pigmented that it's difficult to blend. I like how I can mix the colors or use each individually.

For the FOTD, here's what I used. I just wrote the tutorial on the picture. I also used the JS blush, just under the apples of my cheeks up towards the ears.

Terrible lighting in here.

Well I'm gonna be at the airport by now! I'm very worried that my luggages are too heavy. It's so difficult to pack a year of your life into 2 luggages. I hope to find something at the Duty Free shop.

Lunasol Lippie!

2009-08-26T07:30:00.000-04:00

I bought a new lipstick and lipgloss the past 2 weeks, one here and one from Japan, but that'll be another post.
This lipstick is the Lunasol Full Glamour Lips G in Coral Pink #2.
I think I love this lipstick just as much as my Maquillage PK705. It's super smooth and creamy and lasts quite a while. The only difference I find is Lunasol is a bit more pigmented and less shimmery than the Maquillage Moisture Rouge (sheer).
Both lipsticks were 35,000won, so about $30CAD. I'm rather tempted to buy another one just because it's more expensive online ($42USD on Ichibankao), but I know if I get another one, it'll be another pink.

I can't remember what I used for my eyes, you can't see it anyway lol, but on my lips is the Lunasol lipstick. Surprisingly, it shows up quite nicely on my pigmented lips.

I like my bangs at this length, that way I can sweep it to the side if I want. I only wish it wasn't this blunt.

I'm gonna be taking down my makeup sale probably tonight because I'll be tight on time to go to the post office and such.

This week has been SOO slow!!! It's only Wednesday. All I do is laze around at home and watch sitcoms or movies. Can't be spending all my money now because I closed my bank account now.

I know Anastacia has tagged me, but I haven't got time to do it right now =/ will soon tho, thanks =D

Back Home Soon

2009-08-25T11:31:00.004-04:00

I'm leaving Seoul to go back to Toronto this Friday. There's a lot I have to deal with such as packing so I probably won't have time to reply to comments to catch up on posts. I will try to schedule some posts for everyone to read =)

Some thoughts after my year away from Toronto.
So back home to Toronto...
It's been a good year. I got the teaching experience I needed, but in the end, I still didn't get accepted to the teaching programs in Toronto. Hopefully next year. It's been a tough year as some of you might know, mainly due to my school. I didn't leave with a good impression of my school and the way the education system is. I did however, make some good friends here and from blogger.
Even though it's great to be out somewhere away from my comfort zone, I don't recommend anyone to teach here. Just not yet, because the English programs are not set in stone/standardized so nothing goes smoothly for anyone, even if they like their schools.

I know you read my blog sometimes, and I thought I'd just say it here because we don't talk much nowadays.
I want to and not want to go back home.
I feel like there's some unfinished business with some and I just don't want to deal with it. Being away for so long really opened my eyes to how some people really are. Sometimes I don't think people care about you as much as they say. So going back, I feel like I don't know how to face certain people anymore. I want to run away from it all, but that'll never solve the problems between us.
Well, the good news is, I've reconciled with a close friend, and I'm glad to be talking with her again. Even though we don't talk all the time on msn, she still messages me to see how I'm doing when others don't.
I don't want to keep chasing something that's just going farther away from me. The more I want to, the farther away you all seem to go. So what am I supposed to do?
Just so many thoughts on going back home to reality.

Kao Liese Bubble Hair Color

2009-08-25T06:26:00.001-04:00

While in Hong Kong, I saw many ads on Liese hair color set that's supposed to color hair using bubbles. I also saw this on Ichibankao and Imomoko, so I thought why not give it a try. I haven't dyed my hair in over a year anyway.
The set cost $68HKD, cheaper than most hair coloring sets I've used. I got the Cassis Berry color.

It's pretty straight forward, mix the stuff and apply it to your hair. The pink packet in the front is a leave in nourishing conditioner after you've rinsed your hair. You can use a conditioner of your choice after you rinse the color out too.
My hair before. The color from last year is almost gone so it's back to super dark brown again.

Once you pour the little bottle into the large one, you put the white cap back on a gently tilt the bottle side to side about 8-10 times until it's mixed up. The instructions says you're not supposed to shake it like most other hair dyes, otherwise it'll create bubbles inside the bottle and therefore not come out properly.

After mixing, replace the white cap with the pink foaming top.

To get the product, you squeeze from the center of the bottle while keeping it upright. The foam comes out kinda light but it doesn't slip or melt.

I applied the foam gently all over my head before using my fingers to massage it in. Once you start massaging the foam in, it gets a bit thicker. The great thing about this foam is, there was no dripping and it didn't stain on my skin as easily as other hair dyes.

I waited for 30 minutes then rinsed it off. I was surprised the color rinsed off pretty quickly, then I applyed a generous amount of conditioner and let it sit for a minute before rinsing. Once I towel dried my hair, I apply the whole packet of leave in conditioner, which is enough for my length of hair and maybe not any longer.
The results afterwards...

It's great how it didn't drip and it was easy to apply. Even if I thought the foam was gonna start dripping while I waited, it didn't happen. The whole concept of the bubbles is so the product reaches the root of your hair because it's kinda liquidy. Also, it didn't sting my head at all.

The bad thing is, my hair didn't turn out as red as I thought! It looks more brown than red. I thought it was cool that the bubbles would easily go through my hair to get the roots, but I noticed the day after, the back underside of my hair wasn't colored properly. It was darker than the rest of my hair. Also, the smell of hair dye is so strong I could even smell a bit of it the next day, even after shampooing.

Would I buy it again? Yes, just because I like how I didn't get the bathroom messy with hair dye. I didn't even get it on my shirt. Even though it wasn't really even the first time I used it, I'm sure next time I could massage the color in better to get the underside of my hair.

More Circle Lenses

2009-08-21T10:14:00.012-04:00

Just a quickie!
Here's the other pair of Geo lenses from Asian Fashion City. These are the Geo Angel Browns. According to Asian Fashion City, the difference with the Angels and Nudy is the Angels have a black rim on the outer edges of the lenses while the Nudy ones don't. The Nudy lenses are also lighter, which I suppose means more natural.
I hate to have a complaint about these lenses, but they didn't stay centered very well. If I look all the way left/right, I can feel the lenses moving. Other than that they look quite natural and you only notice your lenses if you look closer imo. I don't think these really make my eyes that much bigger, but it gives them that bit of somethin somethin.

Eye makeup is JS jelly eye color in 08 and 01 and lined with MM Neo Automatic Liner in BK911. The JS e/s are very vibrant and pigmented, but I noticed that they faded after a few hours =/

I went to On The Border again for some Tex Mex food, so tasty.
I'm gonna miss this restaurant, Toronto doesn't have a nice selection of Tex Mex food..not that I know of at least.

Mister Donut!

Eri, Begsbee, and Alice, nominated me to do the Meme award =) (i hope I didn't forget anyone!) I'm sooo far and behind on this haha, so I don't even know who's been tagged and did it.

Award Rules:
1. Acknowledge the person who gave the award.
2. Nominate seven other blogs.
3. Share seven personality traits so we can get to know you better.

1. I'm lazy - terrible thing...because Tim isn't and he gets annoyed when I "forget" to do things like wash the dishes or do the laundry
2. I talk a lot - is that a trait? if there's something that sparks my interest, I tend to talk too much
3. I complain a wee bit too much - I'm trying to improve on this XD
4. I over analyze things - like if someone said this, did they really mean otherwise?
5. I can be quite loud
6. I love laughing, but who doesn't right?!
7. I baby talk whenever I see animals, esp baby ones...then I give them names. For example, the new baby pygmy hippo at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, I started to say..in a baby tone, "Awww..look at the cute baby hippa-potta-mus! He sh-ooo cuuuu-teee!!!"

Funkiimonkee tagged me for 10 things I love a while back =D

1. Kitties!

2. Staring at my makeup collection. If I buy something new, I like to look at how perfect it is before using.

3. My mini food collection

4. Eating

5. Shopping

6. Watching nature shows and foodtv

7. Hong Kong

8. Video games, esp Tomb Raider

9. Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Mexican, Indian, Hong Kong style and American foods!

10. Hong Kong style milk tea

I'm sorry I didn't tag anyone. I'm still behind on a lot of posts so I haven't gone through who did it or not yet =p

Current Cleansers

2009-08-20T03:27:00.004-04:00

I feel like I change cleansers brands so much, but in actual fact, I probably use the same ones for at least 2 months.
This time, my cleansers have changed from the Orbis Cleansing Liquid to the Hanskin Cleansing Oil Black Head and from Orbis Mild Cleaser to the Softymo Airy Whip.

The Hanskin oil comes in a hard plastic pump bottle with 200mL of product. It's like your typical oil cleanser, nothing too special. It has a slight citrus scent to it and that's about it.
Compared to the Orbis Cleansing Liquid, the Hanskin doesn't wash off as clean. My skin feels a bit oil afterwards so I follow up with a facial cleanser (I always do anyway).
I prefer the Orbis over Hanskin because Orbis washes off cleaner and doesn't have a scent to it.

As for the Softymo Airy Whip, I first saw this on the Muse's blog. I've been wanting this for a long time already but Adambeauty does not ship aerosol cans overseas.
Airy Whip is pretty much a standard facial cleanser except it comes out like mousse. I like how it's kinda pre-lathered up for you. The mousse is dense and really holds up, even when you massage it on your face a few times.

It's got a pleasant fragrance, almost floraly and not too strong. The product rinses off clean without drying out my skin.

There's 180g of product and if you ever have a chance to order or get someone to do a CP for you, you should try this out. Not expensive either, I got 2 bottles at $35HKD each.

Here are just a few pictures from Japan, most of the pictures are on Tim's laptop.
Ayu is plastered everywhere in Japan! It got me excited haha.
This is the outside of a drugstore in Tokyo. I love how they have all the cosmetics I want in one store AND with no SA to be a bitch about it!

Can anyone tell me what this is?? All I know is, there are tons of these kinds of ad trucks driving around, but this particular one got me wondering.

ST: My Newest Love

2009-08-18T06:05:00.000-04:00

I finally got me my Samantha Thavasa purse in Tokyo! I kept seeing these in the Vivi magazines and couldn't wait till I found one of the stores.
I believe Samantha Thavasa is only limited to Japan and New York. I only found one store available from the US site and on the Japanese sites, there's plenty of em. Some big celebrities have advertised for the brand in Vivi, such as Paris and Nicky Hilton, Beyonce and Solange, Jennifer Lopez and I think Victoria Beckham.

The bags are just so gorgeous. The range from casual to more dressy, and with a variety of wallets as well.
I got one of the newest purses which is advertised int he Vivi magazine as well as Beyonce.
Ah..my precious 285yen purse, the most expensive accessory I've ever purchased.
I love the design on this. The inside has the same design, except the words are black with a white background. This comes with a small clutch that's attached to the bag.
I forgot to take a picture of the inside and I probably won't remember since I won't be using it in Korea. I just can't stand all the pushing and shoving so I don't wanna risk ruining my bag.
The arrow just points to the same one from Vivi, except in pink.

There's another one I want so badly, but this time it'll be easier for me to go to NYC to get it.
When I have enough money again... XD

I also got Ayumi's 10th Anniversary book from Japan. It's got a bunch of supposedly never before seen photos and messages from Ayu. I think it's also sponsored by Vivi, hence the Vivi written all over and being advertised in the magazine.
I wish I could read Japanese right about now.

Just before I went on vacation, I ate at Marion Crepes at Wangsimni Station and the guy took a Instax picture for the store. I never saw the picture after it finished developing, but here it is now!

I'm waiting for this book to come out in Japan in September, hopefully I'll be able to nab it online or have Tim's dad help me get it from HK.
Don't know who this cat is? It's Maru from Japan!! Check out his blog and YT channel! Super duper cutie!

Please bear with me, I'm slowly reading all the updates and commenting ^__^v

Asian Fashion City

2009-08-17T08:24:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, Adrian from Asian Fashion City, contacted me and offered to send me 2 pairs of Geo circle lenses. I was uber surprised and excited about this because I've wanted to try circle lenses for a while but didn't know where to start looking, especially in Korea.
I ordered the Geo Angel Brown and Geo Nudy Grey, which I thought would look the most natural.
I think the package came sometime within the past 2 weeks while I was on vacation, so it was a nice surprise to come back to.
*Oh I forgot to mention, Thankq Adrian!

Asian Fashion City sells a variety of goodies, from BB cream, MM and circle lenses, so it's like a one stop shop. They even sell some cute clothes. Do check it out when you have time!

I haven't tried the Geo Angel Brown yet for this FOTD, probably will this weekend.
The lenses in all its glory. I chipped a nail trying to pry the cap open, I didn't realize that it was attached to the metal.

So before I put the lens on, my regular ol' eye.

And to show you the eye makeup used. I used the Jill Stuart Aquatic Nymph and the Coffret D'or model as inspiration.
Jill Stuart 01 Diamond Snow and 08 Crystal Sky and Coffret D'or's newest single eyeshadows in WN-33.
The Coffret D'or shadow is quite pigmented and not super shimmery, good for lining the eyes. This is the same shade as the one featured on the Coffret D'or model.

For some reason, the JS 08 shade didn't show up well in pictures, it looks rather brown here.

Do I look different? I think it's a pretty cool look. The only complaint is, if you look closely at my eye, you can see a bit of the brown from my natural eye color peeking through. The lens is also not centered very well, maybe it's my eye shape.
I didn't wear them for a long time so I can't tell you how they feel after long wear, but I'll definitely wear them again so I'll let you know soon.

The end for now, I gotta plan lessons!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm loving them so far, hope to try some more colors in the near future too!

Vacation Time Finished!

2009-08-16T07:32:00.005-04:00

Wow! It seems like forever since I've blogged, but I'm finally back from my vacation. Had tons of fun even though it was super hot and humid!
Got a lot of catching up to do, can't wait to read all the updates. I'm so pooped so I'll just leave you with a glimpse of what I got from HK and Japan combined.
This is maybe 70% of my haul excluding clothes. I didn't buy a lot this time since I did most of my hauling back in February. I was just at the maximum for my free luggage allowance...25.1kg haha.
Most of my purchases were influenced either by other bloggers or sites like Imomoko, Mihoko and Ichibankao..things that are hard to get.
I was kinda disappointed that Sasa didn't carry the Beauty Maker brand in their stores.

Some things that I got:

Kao Liese Bubble Hair Color in Casis Berry and Glossy Brown (I couldn't make up my mind). I got mine in HK, in Japan, they were called Prettia, not too sure of the name difference.
Kenassy hair remover puff. It's the pink and yellow thing. I also got a pack of tiny versions of the hair remover, but I think I left them in the hotel =/
Free Plus Air Shower Mist (facial mist)
Hadasui Mist (bought with my last bit of yen at the airport)
Love Clover Marshmallow Fit Base UV SPF50 Pa++
Sofina Beaute Emulsion II
P&J Whitening Serum
D-Up Gel Look Top Coat. As seen on Ichibankao.
Air Arrange hairspray (as seen on Yumeko's blog)
Angel Cotton. I think it's the same as the one from Fuz's blog. I couldn't find it on Mihoko to check. It's got the same Chinese name but the packaging is different. I got these at the 100yen store.
Liese Designing Jelly - Nuance Make
Airy Whip facial cleanser

Oh! You know those UFO catchers that drive you crazy when you're trying to get that darn prize? Well I actually won something on my last night in Tokyo! I played 2 different UFO catchers and this Rilakkuma machine had giant Rilakkuma heads. I got my Rilakkuma on 5/6 tries!
Funny thing was, I pressed the catch button too quickly and one of the prongs went into the area where the toy drops into while the other 2 prongs went on top of the plushie. As the prongs went back up, the other 2 prongs that were touching Rilakkuma hooked onto its ears as it went back up! The plushie is of good quality too!

Vacation So Far...

2009-08-05T12:49:00.004-04:00

Greetings from Hong Kong!
It's been pretty toasty and humid, about 29-33C everyday. It's also kinda typhoon season so it's been gloomy for the past 2 days. Umbrellas don't do anything!

The mall I'm in front of is called City Walk (duh). It's located near Tseun Wan Station. I don't really know how to give you directions because I took a bus there with Tim and his dad. It's a decent mall, in the middle of an old part of the city. Once you walk outside the boundaries of the mall, it's like you're in a different place.

My haulage so far. This was waaaay smaller compared to my purchases in February. There wasn't a lot that I was interested in. This is about half my haul. I didn't even buy a lot of clothes, maybe tomorrow.
The lash curler is new by Koji. It was featured in a Japanese magazine (Spring?) and it's got a unique design on it. I'll show close ups and talk more about it when I get back to Seoul.
I found the 3 Beauty sponges at Sasa but they're so weird compared to the ones I bought from Bobodave. The ones from Sasa aren't as dense and the pink package ones were also smaller than the ones from Bobodave, something doesn't seem right here...but they were cheap so I'm not too worried about it. I bought 5 of the small sizes from $5HKD.

I can't believe my trip in Hong Kong is half over, but I still have Tokyo to visit! I'm looking forward to the cosmetics and Muji.
My internet is kinda limited so I won't be replying to anything. See you soon =)

Concealer Comparisons

2009-07-31T05:58:00.000-04:00

This is a scheduled post...
Finally did some comparisons with the concealers side by side. I only own 4 that I use for my eye area, and 1 of them doubles as a regular concealer.
These aren't the best pictures of my eyes, mostly because I never took good care of my eye area. I never gave it a thought until last year, so it's in pretty bad shape puhaha. But I did my best to show you some pictures. I had all the concealers on for at least 3 hours.

I forgot to label the before/after on the pictures.
First is the Maquillage Liquid Concealer in Natural and Sana Concealer. The Maquillage concealer comes in a clicky pen dispenser. Sometimes the product doesn't come out immediately so I press it 2 times. The second time I press it, there's enough for 2 eyes. I don't use the brush attachment, just my fingers.
The Sana Concealer just comes in a yellow tube with a pointed dispenser. Nothing special. I did a short review on this a while ago, but this time I'm comparing it with the rest of the concealers.
Prior to getting the BM and Lunasol concealer, I used both Maquillage and Sana at the same time because Sana didn't provide enough coverage, but it helped neutralize the darkness. The Sana Concealer gave my eye area a pretty good base to apply the Maquillage.
The first picture is without any product.

This next picture, Sana is on the leftside and Maquillage on the right. You can see how Sana helped reduce the darkness, but didn't cover much. Same goes for the Maquillage concealer. It's got light to medium coverage, so this won't work for those who have dark eye circles. You can still see that the area near my nose is still a bit dark.

3 hours later, there's some creasing on the Maquillage side. There was no creasing on the Sana side, but there wasn't enough coverage anyway.

The next comparison is with the Beauty Maker Aqua Concealer for under the eye area. This is in shade #2? (natural) The Lunasol Concealer is the Under Eyes Base 01.
The BM concealer comes in a sleek black compact with a mirror inside. The product is super creamy and smooth.
The Lunasol concealer is a sample, which is taking me a long time to finish. The sample is just in a tube. It appears slightly orangey imo.
This is the before shot:

On the left side of the picture is the Beauty Maker and the right side is the Lunasol.
You can see both faired well against each other. The only difference I noticed was Lunasol appeared more orangey. Also a little bit goes a long way for Lunasol. If I over apply, my eye area would look orangey.

After 3 hours, both did held up very well, although I experienced some slight creasing for both.

After doing the tests with all the concealers, I think BM would be my favourite out of the lot. It covered very well and lasted a long time. Even though it might crease a bit in the fine lines, this could easily be fixed/blended in with a q-tip. BM is also affordable, on Imomoko, it's only $13.

My new baby! A few years ago, I bought the Fuji Pivi. It's like a mini printer but for your cellphone. I got too lazy to use the Pivi because I had to send photos from my cellphone using infared so I got this camera instead.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to get it one day. I've already been eyeing this camera for a while. This is the Fuji Instax Mini 7. It's similar to a Polaroid, but these pictures are the size of business cards. Very cute and only 75,000won! I went back to the camera store to get it just in time for my trip =p

Anyway, I should be in Hong Kong by the time this is posted. I won't be blogging till 2 weeks later. Thankq for the comments on my previous post, I'll get back to blogging as soon as I'm back =D