Thursday, August 29, 2013

Disappointing Products #3

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel did nothing for my skin. It felt very light on the skin but did not moisturize my skin at all, and was definitely not worth its price point. I much prefer the Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief over this, which does a better job at moisturizing the skin while still being oil-free and also light-weight on the skin.

I know the Laura Mericier Primer is a favorite of many people, but I found it to be just a mediocre primer. I feel like you could find primers with similar quality at the drugstore for less price. I don't hate it but I definitely won't repurchase it because I've found way better primers than this. At the moment, my favorite primer is the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer which does everything I'm looking for in a primer; it keeps my makeup looking matte and natural throughout the day.

Makeup Forever Super Matte Powder definitely did not keep my face matte, neither did it keep my makeup fresh throughout the day. It is a translucent powder so to me it is useless because it does nothing for my face.

Dior Nude BB Cream was a letdown for me as it didn't cover anything on my face and didn't last on my face at all. It also felt a bit greasy when I put it on and actually broke me out. I've yet to find a western bb cream that works as well as my Korean ones. My favorite bb cream at the moment is the Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream which feels super light and moisturizing on the skin, covers all my redness while still being incredibly natural and lasts throughout the day.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Luxury High End Makeup Haul & Review


It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I decided to treat myself to a few luxury beauty bits that I've been lusting over for a while.

Laura Mericier Second Cheek Color in Lush Nectarine is a peachy pink that applies quite sheer on the face to give you a natural flush. It has a satin finish on the skin so you could blend this all the way up to your cheekbones to give you a natural, diffused glow. It feels super light and velvety when you put it on your skin so you won't feel like you're piling on another layer of makeup on your face.


The Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Duo in Raisins has been on my wish list for a while, and is a must-have if you love neutral shadows. It consists of a pinky champagne color and a burgundy color. These two colors may look pretty typical but blended together they look super pretty and dimensional on the eyes.

YSL Sheer Candy in Luscious Cherry is a sheer cherry red color that could be worn sheer or built up to a medium opacity. YSL Sheer Candy lipsticks feel super moisturizing and comfortable on the lips and is a must-have if you like a sheer glossy tint on the lips.

YSL Glossy Stain in Corail Aquatique is a lipstain that dries to a glossy finish and actually feels comfortable on the lips unlike a lot of other lipstains which tend to dry out my lips. The color I have is a pretty coral color, and it actually does last throughout the day. A lot of people have been saying that the L'oreal Lip Lacquers are dupes to the YSL Glossy Stains but in my opinion they're nothing like the YSL Glossy Stains, and if you have the money to spend on a highend lip product, I highly recommend you to get this!

Here are the swatches:

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Brand Overview: Caudalie

Caudalie has quickly become one of my favorite skincare brands as every product I've tried from them have made it into my skincare staples. I also love the fact that their skincare products contain mostly natural ingredients which helps to reduce the inflammation and acne on my face.

Caudalie SOS Thirst Quenching Serum is a great serum for all skin types because it gives you intense hydration without feeling heavy on the skin. This is pack full of hydraluronic acid which is the miracle ingredient for plumping the skin. I've also noticed that this has helped to reduce the pigmentation and scarring on my face significantly over time.

Caudalie Lip Conditioner is a great basic lip balm that helps to hydrate and soothe dry lips. It is quite thick so I usually use it before I go to bed to let it do its job overnight, and in the morning I always wake up with super soft lips!

Caudalie Beauty Elixir is a quick pick-me-up for when your skin is looking dull because one spray of this will instantly brighten and tighten your complexion to make it look more fresh and glowing. You can also use this to set your makeup as well as take away the powderyness of your makeup. I go through this stuff super quick because I can't get myself to stop spraying this throughout the day!

Caudalie Divine Oil is a super versatile product as you can use it on your skin, hair, body and nails. It contains a mixture of essential oils that helps to nourish and hydrate you from head to toe. Definitely a must-try from this brand!

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Current Favorites #7

So cream cleansers have become pretty popular lately and a lot of brands have started to make them. Since "like dissolves like", these cleansers dissolve into an oily consistency once you massage it onto your face and really helps to break down your makeup which are often oil-based. The Borghese Cleansing Creme has become my favorite cleanser at the moment. It feels super luxurious to massage this onto my face, and it leaves my face feeling squeaky clean and also moisturized

Benefit Fakeup has become my go-to undereye concealer lately. The actual concealer is surrounded by a layer of moisturizing balm, so you're getting the concealing action and the moisturizing benefit in one. This won't cover really bad undereye circles, but if you suffer from really dry undereye area and you just want a bit of brightening then this is perfect.


I finally picked up another one of Buxom's Lip Creams as they came out with a few new colors. This time I got the color Mai Tai, which a gorgeous orangey coral color. If you remember from a few posts ago, I mentioned that these lip creams are my favorite lip products of all time, and I seriously have to restrain myself from getting every single color. These lip creams are super pigmented and they make your lips look super juicy without feeling sticky on the lips. They're just super comfortable to wear on the lips and last pretty long as well.


I'm excited to say that I finally found my holy grail primer, and it is the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer. This stuff literally does everything I'm looking for in a primer. The fact that it is mineral-based and oil-free means that it is great for people with acne-prone skin and it won't clog your pores like a lot of silicone-based primers do. I find that it is also great at minimizing shine and smoothing out the skin texture, as well as making my makeup blend to a super natural and flawless finish. I find that when I use other primers my makeup will start to separate and look cakey by the end of the day, but when I use this one my makeup doesn't do that at all and even when my makeup starts to fade, it actually fades to a beautiful natural finish.


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Monday, August 12, 2013

Brand Overview: Benefit


First of all, can we just admire at the adorable packagings from Benefit? I feel like Benefit probably has the cutest packaging on the market, which makes me love their products even more. I did not realize the amount of product I had from Benefit until I started to gather products for this post. Most of these are loves, but I do have a few misses unfortunately.

Benefit Fake Up Concealer is my latest purchase from Benefit, and what drew me to this is the fact that it's supposed to be super hydrating. I suffer from super dry undereyes and I find that most concealers tend to accentuate the fine lines in my undereye area and make them look cakey. This Benefit concealer is super unique in that it has the concealer in the middle and a layer of hydrating balm on the outside so it helps to keep your undereye area hydrated throughout the day. It doesn't have the highest coverage so I wouldn't recommend it to people with serious dark circles, but if you're like me where you just want a bit of hydration and brightening then this is perfect for you. This looks super natural and does not crease or settle into fine lines.

Benefit Watts Up Luminizer is a peachy champagne highlight that helps to impart a sun-kissed glow on your face. The fact that it's in a stick form makes it super easy to apply and blend out.

Benefit They're Real Mascara was a miss for me, unfortunately. I tried it several times and just found that it did nothing for my lashes and even weighed down my curls. I know it's a favorite of many people but it just did not work out for me.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer is definitely one of my favorite bronzers of all time. I'm the type of person who has to wear bronzers all the time because I have a pretty chubby face, and this one from Benefit looks super natural on the face and helps to make my face look more defined and chiseled. It has a grey undertone so it won't look too orangey or muddy on the face.

Benefit Porefessional was one of the first primers that I purchased and I used to love it, but after trying out so many primers over the years I found that it was just mediocre. I feel like there are much better primers on the market and this one is just overhyped. At the moment I'm just trying to use it up but I probably won't be repurchasing it.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Buckle Bunny is a must-have if you're a neutral shadow lover. It's the most gorgeous shimmery rosy taupe color that's super soft and easy to blend out, and lasts well on the eyes. I love using this shadow for the single-shadow look because it is one of those shadows that just has so many dimensions to it, so you can wear a sheer layer all over the lids and build it up in the outer corner.

Benefit Highbeam is another great luminizer from Benefit. It's a pinky beige highlight that comes in a liquid form so you can use it alone or mix it with your foundation to create a dewy complexion.

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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Products to Achieve a Glowing Complexion - Skincare



I've been all about the glow lately and these products have completely changed the way I feel about my skin. I used to be so insecure about going out of the house wearing no makeup, but with the help of these products lately my skin has been looking ten times better without having to put on any makeup. I did a makeup edition of this post a while ago so feel free to check it out. But if you're not a makeup gal, these products will help you to achieve a brighter and more perfected complexion without the use of makeup.

Clinique Radiance Renewer is a gentle overnight exfoliant that helps to slough off dull surface skin cells and encourages the growth of new skin cells for a brighter and smoother complexion. The texture of my skin has improved quite a bit since I've started using this with smaller pores and less pigmentation and scars. It's not as harsh as something like the Alpha-H liquid gold, but the result is equally amazing.  My skin looks smooth, clear and glowing.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm is one of the best-selling products from Clarins, and is a beauty bag essential of many beauty editors and professional makeup artists. It is a moisturizer and primer in one that serves as a quick pick-me-up for those mornings where your skin just looks dull and lack-lustre. It'll seriously transform your complexion in a few seconds to make your skin look more hydrated, fresh and luminous. The priming aspect of it is also pretty awesome as I find that it really does smooth out the appearance of pores and make my makeup last longer.

Balance Me Radiance Oil is essentially glowing skin in a bottle. This award-winning product is pack full of nutrients that your skin will just drink up, and it always feels so luxurious to massage this into my skin. It works to decongest the skin a well as replenishing and rebalancing the skin, so it's great for all skin types.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask is the bomb-dot-com when it comes to creating a more luminous and perfected complexion. Every time I use this I'm always surprised by how amazing my skin looks in the morning. It is just the best thing for your skin, period.


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Friday, August 9, 2013

Outfit of the Day #2

This is definitely one of my favorite outfits to wear in the summertime because it's super bright and colorful. The key to wearing colors is to have them somehow coordinate with each other. As you can see, the turquoise necklace coordinates with the blue floral skorts, and the pastel orange semi-sheer top matches with the rosegold Sperry. All the colors coordinate with each other without being super matchy-matchy. I chose to go with a neutral black bag to balance out the colors.


Top: Zara
Necklace: Forever 21
Floral Skorts: Zara
Bag: Zara
Shoes: Rosegold Sperry
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Thursday, August 8, 2013

Disappointing Products #2



I tried the Clinique SuperCity Block SPF 40 because it sounded like it would be good for my oily skin since it's oil free. Unfortunately it broke me out. On top of that, I also found that the slight tint did nothing for my skin and did not cover anything; it also left my face looking super shiny. My go-to sunscreen at the moment is the Allie Mineral Moisture Gel SPF 50, which is the lightest feeling sunscreen I found so far and leaves my face looking matte.

I love me some shimmery bronzy eyeshadows, and Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Rosegold was rated as a must-have eyeshadow for neutral shadow lovers. Unfortunately, this shadow had too much of a red undertone in it and made me look like I had pinkeye- not a flattering look on me. This eyeshadow had a good formula though, the color just didn't work out for me.

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow is another highly-rated item and is supposed to be a super subtle and natural-looking contour/bronzing cream. I don't have any bronzers/contours in a cream formula so I thought I would give it a go. Although I like bronzers with a neutral/greyish undertone, this was just completely grey and made me look sickly instead of healthy and sun-kissed.

I tried out the Estee Lauder Shadow Paint in Pink Zinc because it's supposed to be the longest lasting cream shadow on the market. When I swatched the color on my hand it seemed like a beautiful pinky champagne color, but when I used it on my eyes it was all shimmers and no pigmentation at all. The longevity of it was mediocre as well. I'd much prefer my Maybelline Color Tattoos over this, which are much more affordable and last way longer.


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Monday, August 5, 2013

French Pharmacy Skincare Haul & Review

I've always loved French pharmacy skincare brands such as La Roche Posay, Vichy, Nuxe, etc., and recently I found a site called escentual.com which sells a lot of French pharmacy skincare brands for really affordable prices. After doing a thorough research online, I made a list of a few French pharmacy skincare must-haves that people recommended and purchased them on escentual.com. The prices are significantly cheaper than what you would pay for in your local drugstores and the shipping was only $5.

Vichy Normaderm 3 In 1 Cleanser + Scrub + Mask is a multipurpose product that you can use either as a cleanser or a quick 5-minutes mask. The Normaderm line is targeted towards acne-prone skin, and I've tried a few things from this line before and loved all of them. This mask is clay-based so it helps to clear out the impurities from your pores while also being slightly exfoliating. This is great for days where I don't have the time to do a 20-minutes mud mask but still want to deep cleanse my skin.

La Roche Posay Cicaplast was mentioned in quite a few blogposts that I read and caught my attention. It is a pro-recovery gel that helps to accelerate the healing process of your skin, so it's great for people who use a lot of acne-fighting products which can be quite harsh on the skin and cause the skin to become quite sensitive over time. It contains ingredients such as copper, zinc and manganese which have been shown to speed up the regeneration of skin cells. Basically it helps you to build a new layer of skin. I find that it really helps to calm down the redness in my skin as well as making my pimples go away faster without leaving any scars. I've using it as a nighttime moisturizer and so far I'm loving it.

You guys know that I love my Dior crem de rose lipbalm, but I find that I go through it really fast and I just can't afford to use it everyday. So I picked up the Caudalie Lip Conditioner to use as my daily lip balm because it was significantly cheaper, and I think I'll save the Dior one for special occasions. I use it before I go to sleep because it is super thick and takes a while to absorb, but in the morning I wake up to super soft and hydrated lips. Definitely another love from Caudalie!

I had to get the Bioderma Sebium Pore Refiner because Lisa Aldridge mentioned it in several of her videos as her go-to primer for her clients with oily or acne-prone skin, and I always trust her recommendations since she's a professional makeup artist. It keeps my face matte throughout the day and works as a primer for my foundation to prolong its longevity. It also works as a skincare product to regulate sebum production and tighten pores over time. I find that a lot of primers can clog my pores overtime but this one doesn't and actually makes my pores look smaller.


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Friday, August 2, 2013

Current Favorites #6


I decided to add Trilogy Rosehip Oil to my bottles of facial oil collection after seeing it on practically every beauty blogger's blogs. Rosehip oil has become pretty popular lately for its ability to decongest pores as well as heal breakouts. It is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E which help to repair skin cells and fade any pigmentation. It feels super light on the skin and absorbs into my skin right away, and I find that I can pair this with my moisturizer without feeling like I have too much products on my face.

I've been looking for the perfect yellow nail polish to wear in the summer time for a longtime, and I finally decided to splurge on a Butter London nailpolish. Butter London Jasper is the perfect shade of pastel canary yellow that adds a great pop of color to your look. The formula of Butter London nailpolish are always super creamy and opaque.

I got the Benefit Watt's Up Luminizer as part of my Sephora Beaut Insider b-day present. It's been on my to-buy list for a while and the fact that I got it for free is even more awesome. It's a peachy golden highlight that helps to give a luminous glow to the skin, and I've been all about the glow lately.

I got the Etude House Cute Eyes Maker after hearing so many Korean beauty bloggers rave about it. It's supposed to help you to achieve aegyo sal which has been pretty popular in Korea and a lot of k-pop stars even undergo surgeries to get it. It has two sides with spongy applicators. One side is super shimmery which you're supposed to use in your inner corner, and the other side is a very subtle matte brown color which you're supposed to use underneath your aegyo sal to bring it out even more. Definitely try this out if you want that Korean ulzzang look!


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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Outfit of the Day #1

I want to start making these outfit of the day posts because fashion is another one of my passion. I would describe my style as casual chic and street-style, and I often get my fashion inspirations from people I see on the streets. This outfit is definitely a more feminine side of style.

Top- Urban Outfitters
Skirt- Motel Rocks
Belt- Asos
Bag- Modcloth
Shoes- Crocs Adrina Flats

I wore this outfit while strolling in the park one day. The ombre skirt is definitely the statement piece in this outfit; I feel like I could throw on anything with this and still look super put-together. A basic white top is definitely a wardrobe staple piece because it goes with everything. The embellished collar and pocket of this top makes it a little bit more unique than the typical white tops. I added a belt to accentuate my waist because both of the top and the skirt are quite loose. To add a bit of pattern into this outfit and to make it a bit more casual, I went with this photorealistic canvas tote bag from modcloth, and I think the details on this bag are just breathtaking! For shoes, I went with my Crocs Adrina flats, which are my favorite shoes to wear in the summertime. They're literally the most comfortable pair of shoes I own, and the fact that they change color in the sun just makes me love them even more!



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