Sephora Haul

January Favorites

1) Dior Amber Diamond, 2) D&G 3 L'Imperatrice, 3) Revlon ColorStay in Sand Beige for Dry Skin, 4) Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, 5) MAC Peaches blush, 6) Benefit Boiing Concealer in #2, 7) MAC Fluidline in Dark Diversion, 8) Paula's Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid

Le Metier De Beaute Kaleidoscope in Silk Road

I cannot believe it. I actually ordered a LMdB Kaleidoscope. With tax and everything, this set me back a Benjamin. Kaleidoscopes retail for $95 and the brand is available at Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. To convince myself (who am I kidding? It really didn't take much convincing) to purchase this, I cannot buy any more jewelry until at least after the holidays. BaubleBar has been doing Buried Baubles every day for a period of 20 days. Which means, there is a new piece of jewelry marked down to 10 bucks hidden on their site daily. Thank goodness I will be working over winter break to pay for the sparklies. Honestly, I should be stopping anyway. I have more jewelry than I am capable of wearing. Aside from my makeup/skincare addiction, jewelry is my weakness.

Sorry for getting off tangent! Back to my horribly expensive makeup purchase. I have read innumerable rave reviews of LMdB's quality eyeshadows and what drew me in is the concept of it. I have tried blending eyeshadows together before, but they always result in a muddy mess. Well, for the Kaleidoscope, their signature application technique is called, Couches de Couleurs. For this you apply shades from top to bottom, on top of one another to create a new shade from blending. Because the shadows have been milled over four times, they are incredibly blendable and will not appear muddy. Of course, you can mix and match for various color combinations.

To see this technique in action, check out Messy Wand's tutorial here. Xiao from Messy Wands was the one who turned me over to the dark side. I discovered her blog a few weeks ago and I find myself looking forward to her updates. Here she is wearing Silk Road in one of her posts.

For awesome swatches of Silk Road, you can check out The Ultimate Makeup.

Personally, I have never been big on eyeshadows because I have seriously funky eyelids. I don't have double eyelids, but I certainly don't have monolids either. They're like a weird hybrid. I have a plethora of little creases over my lids. That sounds gross, actually. But it's not noticeable unless you're really looking. I've always just been an eyeliner girl or I'll swipe Groundwork or Constructivist (MAC Paint Pots) on as well. Lately, I started using the brown shadow in an old L'oreal H.I.P duo called Brazen.

The point is, I'm extremely excited to see if LMdB measures up to the hype. I just love the idea of having  makeup staples, it's the minimalist in me talking. I would much rather spend money on one quality item than a much of stuff I don't quite love. We shall see!

Skincare Routine

Are you overwhelmed yet by my skincare army? Honestly, it's much simpler than it looks! Before I dive right in, here's a background of my skin: Dry/Normal and Acne Prone. I have a lot of red/brown pigmentation from acne scarring (I am guilty of picking pimples at times, gross, I know). I break out when it's that time of the month and just because. I never really observed WHEN I break out, I just freak out. Anyway, let's get to it!

Day Time:

A) I cleanse with Fresh Soy Cleanser because it's gentle and non-drying. I reserve this for mornings since I don't think it has enough strength to remove makeup.
B) I tone my face with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water. It calms my skin and makes me feel refreshed. It's also a wonderful makeup setter, I much prefer this to MAC's Fix+.
C + D) I live for serums! They're so concentrated and they penetrate into the skin faster than moisturizer. I really enjoy the Fresh Soy Face Serum because I think it amplifies the moisturizer, giving my skin better texture, quicker. My mom gave me a deluxe sample size of the Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum and at first I was reluctant to use it. I don't want to lighten my skin like most Asian girls. However, I think it's really improving my acne scars! So no complaints there. I probably won't be able to afford a full size bottle once this is gone. Le Sigh.
E) Recently I started using Soap & Glory's Catch a Wrinkle in Time Day Moisturizer in place of the Fresh Soy Face Cream (saving that for nights only). Will keep you updated on it.

Night Time:

A) First I remove my eye makeup with Sephora's Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover.
B) Then I cleanse my face with Paula's Choice Normalizing Cleanser from her acne line. It's a gel cleanser and it does the job. But I don't really think it's anything special.
C) Tone with thermal spring water.
D + E) Put on serums.
F) Paula's Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel:
Exfoliating 2% BHA Gel is a water-based formula that exfoliates both the skin's surface and inside the pore, reshaping the pore lining to unclog pores and improve skin cell turnover rate. This creates a dramatic improvement in the skin's appearance, feel, and function especially for blemish-prone skin. There is a great deal of research indicating that BHA (beta hydroxy acid) increases collagen production and drastically smoothes the surface of skin. Additionally, BHA has anti-bacterial properties that attack blemish-causing bacteria. The silky gel base of this exfoliant is similar to the texture of the Exfoliating 1% BHA Gel but has twice the amount of salicylic acid to combat stubborn blemishes, including blackheads.
As for what I think of it: I really can't tell you whether it has made a large impact on my skin. But I can tell you my routine has improved my skin immensely. Therefore, I do partially attribute the change to this product.
G) Fresh Soy Face Cream is amazing, as I have said many times before! Dry patches be gone!
F) At night, I also like to use a few drops of Desert Essence Jojoba Oil to moisturize my face even more. Not to mention it helps with acne (will do a post on that in the future). For the past week, I've been doing it every other night. It used to be every night, but I'm trying to not depend on it too much. I'm looking forward to experimenting with Josie Maran's Argan Oil soon.

I would love to hear your routine/tried and true products or if you have any recommendations for me!

Holiday Wishlist

1) Chanel Le Vernis in Graphite, 2) Rouge Dior Nocturne #961 Lipstick, 3) Stella by Stella McCartney roll on perfume, 4) NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Cordura, 5) MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe, 6) NARS Multiple in Maui, 7) Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, 8) Fresh Soy Face Cream, 9) Lancome Visionnaire, 10) Le Metier De Beaute Silk Road Kaleidoscope 

November Favorites

1) Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed ($25): I own exactly 3 blushes, not counting the Coastal Scents Blush Palette that I have still yet to use (from swatching, they're not very pigmented). Pigment is pretty much the most important thing when it comes to makeup. If you're going to spend an hour or however long it takes to really emphasize your features, it better show up on your face! I personally think Exposed is a universal color and will look wonderful on a variety of skin tones. It's a dusty pink/mauve color on me. It's a matte color, which is great because I hate glitter on my face (I'm talking to you, NARS Orgasm!). Does it last 12 hours? Haven't put it to the test, but my skin is dry/normal so it should last longer in comparison to someone with oily skin. [If you sign up for emails on TarteCosmetics.com, you get 20% off your first purchase!]

2) E.L.F Studio Powder Brush ($3): This brush is amazing! This three dollar brush has helped me achieve flawless skin because it provides full coverage. My favorite product to use this with is MAC Studio Fix Powder with Foundation (more on that later). I also use this with my blushes and it really grabs on to the color. The bristles are super soft and there's minimal shedding. Definitely worth a try! Great stocking stuffer, too. :)

3) Fresh Soy Skincare Set ($38): Why didn't I get this sooner? My friend had raved about it many times before, but I was delirious in my Philosophy world; hence why I discovered these awesome products so late. Picked this set up during Sephora's FF sale (but instead of the eye cream, I got the facial serum) and only started using it recently when my skin erupted like ... well, a volcano. It was badddd. I don't know who the culprit was: reaction to new product, diet, lack of sleep, hormones or all of the above. So I cleaned my slate and changed my routine. I think my favorite product of the three is the facial cream. That thing is the bomb. My dry skin felt the difference immediately! The best part is it doesn't leave a greasy sheen afterwards (I know that bothers some people). That's not a big deal to me, because I like to slather jojoba oil on afterwards before bed. If you haven't tried it, you must! It's so moisturizing and natural, this set would be a good place to start.

4) Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Ebony ($24.50): Usually I wouldn't consider spending so much on eyeliner. There are many more affordable options out there, but I've been after something that has wonderful pigmentation (there we go again) and ease of application. I picked this up for around $16 during Black Friday at a cosmetic outlet store. It goes on super smoothly, without tugging on my lids and blending is a breeze. I've used eyeliner pens, gel liners, retractable liners and pencil liners over the years, but my favorite has got to be pencil. It goes on exactly where I want it to and isn't a big inky mess.

5) L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof ($9): I've already talked about this in my last post, so let me just reiterate how much I love this mascara: I LOVE THIS MASCARA! Head to head with my Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume for sure.

6) Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey ($14.50): I purchased this over the summer and to be honest, I didn't really like it. I was going for a dark berry color, however this went on rather sheer on my lips. Plus it didn't do my chapped lips any favors even though it was suppose to be half lipstick and half lip balm. What's it doing in my November Favorites? Well, I've cured my chapped lips with the help of some Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments (love Honey and Plum) and now this baby glides on effortlessly. The color is  flattering and it's supposed to look different on everyone (I'm a sucker for universal shades). It offers the right amount of rosy tint, and you can go as light or dark as you want. I will repurchase, if I ever finish this tube.

7) MAC Studio Fix Powder with Foundation in NC30 ($26.50): If your face is spotless and without flaws/discolorations YOU DO NOT NEED THIS. This powder is full coverage and it gives me a perfect airbrush look when I use it in conjunction with Lancome's Miracle Teint Foundation and/or any glowy foundations. Since this powder is matte, once it goes on top of a dewy foundation it totally sucks up the sheen. If you have oily skin, I think you'll enjoy this powder. I like to top it off with a bit of highlighter and blush to create some dimension to such a matte face. Also, on my repurchase list.

8) Chanel Le Vernis in Peridot ($25): I have been lusting after this for months! It was sold out at my nearest Chanel counter so I gave up on the search. It's $25 nail polish, after all. I tried to find dupes, but nothing comes close. When Chanel offered free shipping (till mid-December) online, I leaped for this. Two coats were enough and I still can't stop staring at my nails after a week. I never having chipping issues with polish, and this includes Peridot. Graphite is next on my list!

9) Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02 Medium ($19): This was a spur-of-the-moment purchase for me. I'm always on the look out for good concealers; most tend to be too drying on my skin. When I tried this at Sephora, I was immediately enamored with how smooth and "wet" this was. It glides and blends easily. The color selection is a rather lacking with only 3 shades, fortunately 02 matches almost perfectly! I use this after foundation and before MAC powder. I haven't really used it for dark circles, mostly just for blemishes, acne scars and all around redness. I was devastated when I realized I lost this concealer today. Hopefully, it's somewhere in my parents' house. I've already bought another one, this time on ebay (for $10!!!) to replace it. I WILL NEVER EVER BE WITHOUT BOI-ING! lmao

Hope you guys had a splendid Thanksgiving!

Mascara Mania

First things first, I just want to apologize for the lack of posts (but who's reading? lol). Honestly, I've just been busy slash lazy. Not going to lie! However, I do have some good news. I recently applied to two Spring graphic design internships (Inked and Seventeen). Inked gave me an almost immediate response to set up an interview, which will be on Wednesday. I didn't really have much hope for Seventeen because I know they get thousands of applications, so I've kind of just focused on smaller publications to try and build my way up. Then suddenly, I saw a response in my gmail account earlier this afternoon! Apparently, after going through all the Spring applicants, I was one of the top 10 candidates! Needless to say, I freaked out. Interview is on Friday :) Wish me luck!

Now back to beauty. As of late, my skin has gotten much better than it was before and I am so thankful about it. In celebration I've started using tinted moisturizers for lighter coverage, rather than my army of foundations. It's definitely a very glorious feeling. Along with that, I'm going through a mascara phase! For the longest time a. Cover Girl's Lash Blast Volume Waterproof has been my staple mascara. It lifts, it curls and it doesn't transfer! What more can a girl want? Before Cover Girl, I had the hots for c. DiorShow, but with such a high price tag, a girl just can't commit. Then, I met b. L'oreal Million Lashes Waterproof... and goddamn I was in love! It's much more dramatic and a tad bit heavier than Cover Girl. At the beginning, it gave me spidery lashes on occasion. But we're through with our rough patch now! I tend to like mascaras more after they've dried out a bit. I tried wearing Cover Girl first and adding L'oreal after, and man does it look good! (I've also tried Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe (red) and Fusion (purple) and I do not suggest either).

Many friends of mine have raved about d. Bare Escentuals' Flawless Definition Mascara and I can sort of see where they're coming from. In my experience, this mascara does not clump and is very smooth when applied. Unfortunately, my Asian lashes do not stay lifted and look rather sparse with this on. No volume for me whatsoever. I do like this for my bottom lashes though. Another mascara that many people seem to love is e. L'oreal Voluminous Mascara. Personally, I thought it was too inky and wet; therefore, it made my lashes heavy causing whatever curl I had to droop. Not a fan. Lastly, I purchased f. L'oreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara after reading about how much Vivianna from Vivianna Does Makeup loved it. I don't think her's is the Carbon Black version though. It's brush is quite similar to Bare Escentual's. I thought the formula was a tinsy bit thicker than BE's and much inkier. One coat is usually enough, otherwise it'll take forever to dry. This also does absolutely nothing for me.

Another mascara that I dislike is Maybelline Great Lash. Complete waste of money!

Let me know what your favorite and least favorite mascaras are :)