ATOMY: Again Serum

For the troubled, sensitive, dehydrated skins! Read on: 

Excuse the over-exposed flash. Not a single picture of this product came out well :(

I always feel cautious when writing about skincare. The thing about skin, especially for those who have troubled skin, is that the skin continuously evolves and changes through season, age, and well... hormones. That means, a product that may have lifted your skin from the depths of despair, may probably be a futile product for you a year from now. Hence, to swear by a skincare product is a very cautious deal.

Therefore, this product I am introducing in this post is something that has helped me immensely these past few weeks. However, depending on the climate of where you live and what "type" of skin you have at the present moment, this will make matters different for each and every one of you.

So, what is this product that has been the most reached and loved skincare these past few weeks? It is ATOMY's "Again Serum" from their Calming System range. Atomy is a Korean brand that sells body and skincare products. They have recently launched their luxury skincare lines, and of them is their Calming System range. It is specially made for those with extra sensitive and troubled skin. Someone introduced me to these products at the peak of my "sensitive and troubled" skin period.

The Calming System comes with a toner and a lotion, and of course, this serum. I have used all of the toner and lotion without a chance of reviewing them. What was left was this serum, and what I really want to talk about is, in fact just this serum. Their entire line has this citrus scent to it, and instinctively I thought it would be troubling on my skin (citrus acid). But on the contrary, for products with such a strong citrus scent, they were absolutely calming on my skin, even on days when I had done chemical/enzyme peeling on my face.

Of late, my skin has become immensely dehydrated. On top of being oily, I also felt constantly dry. I was spraying facial mists all throughout the day, but nothing would help the feeling of a cracked dry skin! After trying a bunch of facial oils, I thought I needed something water-based and truly hydrating. The only thing I could think of was a serum, and the only serum I had at the time was this.

The reason why I had this leftover and not the toner and lotion was because according to the directions these products come in, the serum was supposed to be used very little at first then gradually used more and more. I thought, by reading the directions, this was some super sensitive stuff. Hence, I had put it off. But in need of a serum, I tried using this and goodness! My skin was instantly hydrated. Instantly!

It is truly water-based so it feels so light. It also has a citrus scent and is a bit orange too. You put it on after toner, then finish it off with a cream or lotion. The next day, my face had a glean of hydration and radiation! It worked extra well with my Mario Badescu night creams. It helped anything on top of this serum to actually sink DEEP into my skin. You know how oils or creams can sometimes feel like it is just sitting on top of your skin or just skin-deep? The outer layer may look hydrated, but it doesn't feel like it's soaked your entire empidermia? Well, this completely changed that!

My breakouts diminished, and most of all, my face felt comfortable. I didn't see my makeup crack or my skin looking tense or troubled. As you know, hydration has nothing to do with oiliness. But it did help unnecessary oil buildup, and just, I could not be more impressed!

I am also finished with it. I have made my sister use it to get her aspect of things, but unfortunately, she hasn't used it consistently so I have no reliable feedback from her. But as for me, this has been more than pleasing. Whether in the coming summer, this would be continuously work well, I'd have to see. But so far, it has been oh-so-pert!

Though ATOMY is a Korean skincare brand, you can buy it here or read more about it here.

Leave a Comment atomy, atomy usa, dehydrated skin, dehydration, korean, korean skincare, mario badescu, oily skin, serum, skincare

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No Smudgy Eyes! NARS Pro-Prime

My eyes are kind to me when it comes to smudgy eyes. However, that doesn't mean I am totally free of any creasing throughout the day. Sure enough, by the end of the day, I look at my eyes and sometimes it's just yuck! The color has seeped into the crease lines and it's just a mess. It's winter so it's not so bad, but peeps, summer is coming soon and who wants to worry about having your eye makeup melt on you throughout the day?

So as a solution, I present to you this eye primer. It's the NARS pro-prime smudge-proof eye primer. Now, I know people go on and on about the Urban Decay eye primer potions. But honestly, I'm always like: "huh?" I don't see the effects of it at all. I know, it's probably just me since so many people get the benefits from them. But, coming from someone who doesn't find "primers" to be necessary, you can guess how great this thing is if I'm saying: IT WORKS!

Just add a little bit of this (dap it on) across your eyelid (before or after foundation). Let it set for a few seconds or so and then go and apply your eyeshadow! Simple as that :)

I first tried this out when I received it with my 500-POINT Sephora bonus box containing bits and pieces of Nars products. I was so impressed I soon and bought the full size. With this even by the end of the day, even the thickest and creamiest eyeshadows stayed IN TACT. I know Urban Decay eyeshadows tend to crease a little bit more than other products because they are so intense and thick. This primer kept the colors alive and in place even by the end of the day!

This truly is a keeper! What do you think?

Leave a Comment eye primer, eyeshadow, eyeshadow base, Nars, oily, primer

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Perfect Spring Duo: Estee Lauder Pure Color in Raisins

www.esteelauder.com Pure Color in Raisins

I'm growing a deep and undeniable respect for Estee Lauder products. Somehow I used to think that Estee Lauder was only marketed towards mature women. But I have to say, there's no such need to categorize this brand that way! I have been wearing their foundation without end ever since I bought it. I've loved their Bronze Sands eye palette for the longest time. Now, this is a newbie to the collection. It's their Pure Color Eyeshadow Duo in Raisins.

$32.00

I've been wanting a pink eyeshadow for some time now. With my growing anticipation for Spring, it seems that I've been on an endless search for everything pink! This eyeshadow has that nice pink for its lighter counterpart. Then, it has this deeper plum on the other side. I have quite a few variation of plums in my makeup collection. It seems similar to the plum in my Tom Ford eye palette in "Enchanted". However, I've seen a few Youtubers wear it in their video and these colors were noticeably different and really catching!

So, I bought it hoping it'd be what I expect them to be. And no doubt, I am more than impressed! What's most impressing about this product is it is truly the same color that transfers onto your skin from the color you see in the pan. Usually, pinks turn a bit purple on my skin. However, I have this Estee Lauder "PURE COLOR" was indeed pure in that it transferred without changing color on my skin! The pink is so pretty. It's not even that sheer either, which is great. Somehow, lighter shades have a tendency to sink and disappear in my skin. This however, really stands out but not in some awkward way. It's really beautiful.

I'm not sure the swatches do it justice. It needs to actually be on the eye, seen by the eye to know!

Then the darker shade is the perfect complement to the pink! I apply at the ends and I also use the mini brush that it comes with. Lovely I have to say! With just these two colors and nothing more, you can create such a beautiful pink eye-look. You can go dramatic and make it a bit smokey, or you can go on the lovelier end of things and keep it more pink than plum. Either way, I love working with even just these two eyeshadows!

They both have shimmer in them, the pink more noticeably than the other. I'm a bit wary of mattes and so the shimmer was good. However, on the skin the shimmer is very subtle. The shimmer is nothing like Urban Decay's eyeshadows or even Tom Ford's Enchanted palette. It almost looks matte and the shimmer is caught only under certain lights! But, that way, it keeps the eyes so neat.

So all in all, I more than happy with this duo. It truly is a "pure color" and now that I have been more than impressed with all of the Estee Lauder products I've bought thus far, I want to try more of their products-- especially their pure color eyeshadows!

Leave a Comment estee lauder, eyeshadow, pink, plum, pure color, raisins

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Falling in Love⎪CHANEL BEIGE fragrance

Every time I think of doing a FRAGRANCE COLLECTION video or blogpost, I just get way too excited and realize that I just won't be able to finish all my obsession in one post. So, let me put that off to another day. Because, well today I'm going to be talking about my newfound IT fragrance. I'm going to telling you about my fragrance discovery journey, and how I fell in love with Chanel's "Les Exclusifs" fragrance in BEIGE.

[It's going to be a long story. It has to be. But if it's too long, skip down to the next bracket!]

To give you a brief summary about my fragrance history, I was always never really into perfumes. In high school, I dreaded the heavily drenched perfumed girls. I never enjoyed the artificial scent, and always be surrounded by that artificiality, I never gave perfumes a chance. The one time I thought something actually smelled really nice was when my sister brought home a Chanel No.5 body powder. She had sitting on her topshelf and I took a sniff. It smelt EXQUISITE! Sometimes when she wasn't home, I remember dabbing myself in that powder and thinking: wow, this really smells beautiful.

That was the end of Chanel though, and again I thought nothing much of perfumes. I tried to like them. Took a sniff of so many other perfumes that were trending at the time, and even those that are the usual classics. I never liked any of them, all for the same reason. And really, none of them felt like me and I wasn't sure I wanted to be walking around smelling foreign to myself.

Then, I became obsessed with the world of Youtube. Well, no Tanya Burr. She mentioned Diptyque's Eau Duelle in one of her videos. She described it with so much class and elegance, I thought I'd search into it. It sounded like something I'd go for. It didn't seem artificial, and the whole idea that a smell develops on your skin and it can be "sophisticated" got to me. I went online and searched through diptyqueparis.com. I became more and more interested. I loved reading the mini-stories of the inspiration behind the fragrances.

That began my fragrance journey. I am currently still obsessed with Diptyque and my love for the ones I have collected knows no boundaries. They are displayed in this beautiful mirrored tray on my topshelf. I look at them each day while doing my makeup with adoration.

Recently though, I saw that Diptyque's Oyedo was falling short. That meant I was missing a citrus scent in my collection. No, well Byredo Parfum's Pulp is quite the fruity kind but I had to give that away to my sister who wanted it so much. I wanted something new for my collection-- something to represent the sweetness, the freshness, the floral-ness of the coming Spring.

[Here begins the real Chanel discovery story]

Chanel "Beige" 2.5oz. ($130) / 6.8oz ($230)

I took a purposeful trip to Saks, intending to use up my gift card from the holidays. After failing to find any fragrance that I loved within the cologne section of Diptyque, I cruised over to the Chanel counter. I've always found that the only brand fragrance that really smelt of anything like my taste was Chanel, but not everything from Chanel. I especially liked Chanel's No.5 and Coco. So, with that in mind I thought I'd really give Chanel a go.

I skipped the counter that had the famous ones displayed. Instead, I went the counter that had the line-ups of their Les Exclusifs de Chanel, coming in with about fourteen fragrances! Unfortunately, the man behind the counter was horrible in describing the scents. So I told him I'd try them out myself. I took a stack of the cards and started spraying all 14. I picked up Gardenia. Holy. It was beautiful. Then, I picked up BEIGE.

Wow. I was searching for something that would represent Spring, be slightly sweet, sophisticated, long-lasting, and floral. I didn't want anything too deep or heavy. This was amazing! It had the quintessential Chanel scent that we all know, but with such a lovely variation of honey and white petals! Thankfully, there was this huge book introducing each fragrance and the story behind each of them which I love to read! Each fragrance should have a story, like a poetry, or a painting that draws out the scenery of which the scents blends into.

Finding "Beige" to be the most appealing and something of a SO-ME-FEELING compared to all the other 13, I walked over to the book and read on it. That's when I thought, yes. This has to be the scent!

Here is their description:

“I take refuge in beige because it’s natural,” said Mademoiselle Chanel. An elusive colour with infinite variations, beige may seem quite ordinary. And yet, behind this apparent simplicity, it hides a discreet sensuality that builds slowly before revealing itself fully. This sensual outburst is interpreted by Jacques Polge through a bouquet of Hawthorn, Freesia and Frangipani, with shimmering hints of honey. A stunning blend of white petals and yellow gold…in other words, a breath of beige. 

A nectar fragrance, the union of sensuality and simplicity evokes the colour beloved by Gabrielle Chanel… 

How do I not fall in love if the description is written this beautifully? The name "Beige" just rolls off my tongue and I can't help thinking how well they've named this fragrance! It fits perfectly! I love the packaging. It's just a bottle with the simplest label stuck on it. Yet, how does Chanel manage to make it so utterly chic? It comes in a box that has its famous monochrome design. I purposely asked the lady at the Chanel counter to gift-wrap it since I just wanted the whole experiencing!

Before I left Saks, I spritzed myself all over with this fragrance. The rest of the day I was sniffing myself (ew, does that sound weird?!) and thought: Yes, this is it!

I love that Chanel's fragrance lasts really long! And I love that what I have is a little different from the hundreds and thousands of ladies who love Chanel and all smell the same! It has the essential smell of Chanel, but with that younger, yet sophisticated, nectar sweet, fresh, almost airy floral scent! Oh, it's just so lovely!

So, welcome my dear fragrance to your new home. I love you so :)

Leave a Comment chanel, chanel beige, chanel fragrance, chanel perfume, diptyque, fragrance, honey, nectar, perfume

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Maybelline Color Tattoo: Worth the Hype?

EssieButton (aka Estee) on Youtube uploaded a video on products that are worth the hype. Some of them (most) were drugstore products. Even though so many people fall in love with drugstore products, I seriously and honestly without any discrimination against drugstore products, truly don't like a lot of them! I feel, only in terms of makeup, that they can be a waste of money. They do the work at times, but sometimes I feel like it's better saving that money and buying something really beautiful, luxurious, and lovely. Still yet, these amazing Youtubers are so convincing, sometimes I need to give it a try. Estee mentioned this Maybelline Color Tattoo, as she has in so many of her videos, and I thought hey, maybe it really IS worth the hype.

So I took a trip to CVS. I saw the exact shade she recommended: Bad to the Bronze. I stood there thinking if it was worth the $8-9 dollars. Thought, hey maybe I'll try it. I wanted to try a cream eyeshadow anyway. So, I bought it. Brought it home. Swatched it. Applied it. And thought. WOW.

The pigmentation is gorgeous. This is a bronze that suits my skin tone. You can blend it for a more natural look. I liked the look of packing it on. It captures the light so well and gives your eyes this dimension. Lovely!

The orange you see was a Revlon lipstick I had bought and was swatching. That post might be coming up later!

My sister is always going on and on about the Giorgio Armani cream(?) or pressed powder eyeshadows that come in a similar packaging as this. Theirs are really really lovely too, no doubt. But heck, it's so expensive! But Maybelline seems to be a great dupe for them. So. Much. Cheaper, and yet the pigmentation is SOLID, deep, and shades are really lovely!

It really seems to be a great color to pack on your eyes on those lazy days you don't want to be standing there applying two or three eyeshadows!

Now that I enjoy this so much, I'm going to try the Stila smudge pot in "Kitten" next! I've heard a lot of hype around that. I'm going to trust the hype and try it out!

Leave a Comment bad to the bronze, color tattoo, cream eyeshadow, drugstore, eyes, eyeshadow, maybelline

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Not all Topcoats are the Same: CND Super Shiney

I love this topcoat, and the real proof came when I tried it with my Butter London "Gobsmacked" nail polish. This super glittery, almost 3D black/gray granite nail polish looks so beautiful, but as days go by the shine kind of dies. But this CND Super Shiney high-gloss topcoat really brings out the shine. I'm going to stick with just talking about the topcoat, although I mean... the Butter London "Gobsmacked" is amazing and would love to go on and on about it.

Anyway, this top coat from CND promises high shine and long-lasting, hardening effect. Also, it dries quite quickly. I want to just point out that Sally Hansen's "MegaShine" is SUCH a disappointment! My nails were chipping by the next day. But so is the Sally Hansen "InstaDry". The best Sally Hansen topcoat was the Double-Duty. It actually helped my nails stay anti-chip for a week! But this CND gives such a beautiful real super shine as well as hardening the nails so that they don't chip or wear away at the ends.

CND is known for their shellac aren't they? I've never tried shellac, but I really want to! I can see why they are so recognized for their whole nail range. Love it!

Leave a Comment butter london, cnd, gobsmacked, nails, NOTD, topcoat

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Creating a Flawless Base! (Current Foundation Routine)

I wanted to make sure to put up the reviews for all the products that I mention here before posting this one. At the moment, this is my current foundation routine, meaning after all my skincare routine is done:

1. Apply This Works "Perfect Look Skin Miracle" with fingers smoothly all over face. It preps, primes, and moisturizes my face!
2. Take needed amount of Estee Lauder Maximum Cover foundation and the Burberry Fresh Glow (1-2 pumps) and mix them together. (The Burberry Fresh Glow is optional, and something that I don't do all the time.) I apply them with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush.
3. Again only when needed, I take my Burberry Sheer Concealer in No.02 "Soft Beige" under the eyes or where I want a bit of brightening. 

So everything here is only the face-base. I've taken away the whole highlighting, blush, contouring, etc., steps to a beautiful face... just the most fundamental. The FOUNDATION routine!

I've blogged about This Works perfect look skin miracle so many times, I wonder if I need to go through that again. As for the Burberry Fresh Glow I just blogged up, linking it right here. The Estee Lauder Maximum cover foundation is perfect for me at the moment. It's a super high quality that is neither too matte nor too glowy. When I do want to create a more glowing and naturally radiant look, I mix my foundation with the Burberry Fresh Glow. It's lovely. It makes the foundation more liquidey which makes applying easier. Also, you can sort of use less of your foundation because it spreads over a large surface area. The Fresh Glow is a makeup base, created to give a luminous glow to the face. I've reviewed that here. 

Applying foundation is great with the expert face brush from Real Techniques. It's a more condensed but very soft brush that really helps my foundation stay on longer and cover so much better! I've put away the buffing and stippling brush all together! 

Lastly, only when I do need it, I apply the Burberry Sheer Concealer to make me look more "awake" and highlight certain areas. It's really great. I've reviewed that here as well.

With the coming warmer season, my foundation routine will likely change. We shall see, but for now, this is pretty much it!

Leave a Comment burberry, concealer, estee lauder, foundation, makeup base, primer, real techniqes, sheer, this works

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Bright Eyes

I'm on a roll with Burberry products aren't I? Besides their price, I love their beauty products so much (as well as their fashion). I hardly see them go wrong. Every product is such a treat to the face. This time, I want to talk about the Burberry Sheer Concealer (Luminous concealer) which is perfection for under-eye brightening.

I'm going to just put it out there. I don't have dark circles. Not unless I haven't had a week of proper sleep, which I have to say, happens time and time again. Otherwise, my usual self never finds any problem with concealing under the eye. However, there are those undeniable days when you definitely need a pick-me-up. You do your makeup routine. You look in the mirror. Something isn't... well, fresh. Then maybe you think it's the color foundation you used, or maybe the eyeshadows. But then you realize, it's the usual routine. Nothing's different, so what's wrong? Well, more often than not, I've found that what you may be needing is some... BRIGHTENING.

What I found lovely about this Sheer Concealer is that it is definitely sheer. I'm young and so I don't have wrinkles under my eyes. But I often share beauty products with my older sisters and I thought this would be a great component to look for in a under eye concealer that we could all share. This doesn't crease at all, even in the fine wrinkles. It's so moisturizing and "wet"(?... that doesn't sound too flattering but you know what I mean).

It's a pen so if you just click, a nice amount comes out. Don't click too much though! Then you can put it under eyes. I like to just pat it all along, almost like a triangle downward from my eyes. This instantly brightens the eyes and the entire face! Of course, this isn't just for the under eyes. It's great for wherever you want to brighten. Maybe on the ridge of your nose, on your chin, and maybe mid-forehead. Love it!

The color I have No. 02 in "Soft Beige". For those of you who don't know me, I have a light-medium (more of a medium) yellow-undertone skin. As you can see, this has an orange/peach tone. That, as I have learned through beauty blogs, is exactly what you want to look for to cancel out the blueness of the under eye dark circles! It really does the work.

Although I don't use this often, I have to say it feels reassuring to have it around for those not-so-good days!

Leave a Comment brightening, burberry, burberry sheer concealer, concealer, dark circles, eyes, sheer, under eye

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Burberry Fresh Glow

Ever since I've been wearing the Benefit Watts-up highlighter, I've been really "digging" highlighting and glowing products. If you didn't know about this already, I truly love the NARS sheer glow. It just has this perfect 1-2-3 that makes it so lovable. However, there are days though that I really would like a FLAWLESS coverage. So, I've been going for my Estee Lauder Maximum Coverage Foundation ever since I bought it. I'll write in detail my foundation routine post, but point is, this Burberry Fresh Glow makeup base gives me that glow that Nars Sheer glow gives, but somehow in its own special way.

When I picked this up at Saks, the lady who sold it to us told us that when this product launched, beauty editors picked up 5-10 boxes of this at a time. It was sold out for quite some time and it's come back into stock. Supposedly we were lucky to get our hands on it. But hey, regardless of the advertising/convincing/selling superficiality of it all, it really seems to be that good. The lady at the Burberry counter mixed this Fresh Glow with their foundation and applied it on my sister (I always push people to experiment with something before I have it on my face ^^). Anyway, the result? Her skin looked BEAUTIFUL!

So, I decided to give myself a try. As I reviewed with the Burberry Glow Blushes something about Burberry makes everything seem natural and "from within". I love that whole look about one's visage. It's never a bad choice to look "radiant" from "within" or rather, "naturally". So, I really love the name of this makeup base.

Completely blended it!

I tried mixing this in with my Estee Lauder foundation. LOVED IT! It softens and liquifies any foundation so it is easier to apply. Then you get this all over, all very natural glow on the face. You see these pearls in the product. It does look scarier, especially since I took these pictures with flash so you'll see the pearls more. But really on the skin, it isn't anything like IN YOUR FACE SHINE. It's, again I say, a natural fresh glow!

It is pricey ($48). It's Burberry. But if you're on the search for a really luxurious glowing product and you need something to mix in with your perhaps all-too-matte foundation (or doesn't even have to be) this would be great. The lady at the counter said this is best mixed in with your foundation. But maybe you want to apply it as a base first and then apply your foundation, or maybe you would just like to have this product on to give this shine to your already flawless face! Whatever your preference, this really is lovely. However, I do recommend using it with a foundation!

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts on it?

Leave a Comment burberry, fresh glow, glow, highlighter, makeup base, saks fifth avenue

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The Fruity Greek-Yogurt French Toast!

I haven't been so excited to blog in awhile! Today is something notably different from any other posts I've done so far. This blog is a beauty & lifestyle post, but I haven't really been posting a lot of lifestyle posts. But today, I thought I'd do something different and show you how to make, what I think, is one of the most delicious French Toasts you'll ever eat! No, really. Homemade, organic, fresh, and oh-so-tastey crisp-yet-soft mouth salivating French Toast. It's the perfect breakfast, with all sorts of healthy food mixed in with substantial savory tastes to make your morning brighter! :)

What you'll need: (To make about 1-2 servings)

1. 2-3 Sliced bread. I used Italian bread that is fairly large. This food is perfect when you have leftover bread that's gotten a little, just a tad dry. You can use that bread and it'll work just as well!
2. One egg (organic, preferable)
3. 1/5 cup of milk (organic, preferable). The amount is seriously your preference though. The amount I show you in the pictures is actually for about 2 servings. If you want to just eat for yourself, you can do just fine with less than that. The milk is great to make the egg mix softer!
4. Greek Plain Yogurt. Picked mine up from Trader Joe. You can put as much as you want or as little. But this is the secret to having THIS TOAST so this is oh-so-necessary! 
5. Maple Syrup
6. Unsalted butter. The amount is intuitive...
7. Oranges! I have already cut just the amount I need. You need about half an orange to bring out the taste. But, on that note: feel free to use more than just oranges. I've tried them with blueberries as well. Just dump in a slew of fruits that you like. I've just found that oranges taste the best in combination with the Greek Yogurt! 

Directions:

• First heat your pan. After it's warmed up a bit, put in a reasonable amount of butter. Spread it around evenly. Make sure you leave the heat on the lowest. This gives you time to prepare the toast!

• Take a bowl and crack in the egg. Then add in milk. Then mix it all together. Make sure the yolk isn't still in shape! 
• Then add small amount of Maple Syrup into the bowl along with the milk and egg. Stir them all together. 

• Take one loaf? wait, slice? of bread and dunk it into the mix! Let the deliciousness seep through into every air hole! Flip it side to side, and make sure each side is full covered and SOAKED.

• Then take that slice and bring it to the evenly buttered pan. Place the bread. You'll hear it all sizzle in butter!
• Make sure you still leave the pan on the lowest amount of heat. Then go work on your second slice. Dunk it in, soak it up, and let it rest until you have space to place the second.
• Make sure you keep on eye out on the bread that's toasting! Flip it twice and make sure it doesn't burn. You'll know when it's ready when the surface turns golden brown! Also, the reason to keep the heat low is so that the egg that's seeped into the bread is nicely and softly done!

• While those two slices are toasting up, go work on your fruits! I sliced up my oranges into small pieces so I can spread it all over the plate. 

• When I felt that the loafs were all done with their crispy golden brown surfaces (but still oh-so-fluffy-and-soft insides), I place them nicely on the dish.
• I take the oranges and spread it nicely over the toasts.

• Then I take a NICE BIG spoonful of Greek Yogurt on top of the toasts. 
• After that's done, I pour maple syrup all~~~~ over! YUM.

• Then voila!!!!

• COMPLETION OF THE MOST DELICIOUS FRUITY GREEK-YOGURT FRENCH TOAST :)

Yum. Yum. Tell me if you do try it! I'm quite crazy over this really all too simple dish :) The greek yogurt, like most plain yogurts are not the sweet kind that we know of. Yet somehow the mixture of the greek yogurt mixed in with the citrus taste and the maple syrup, along with the crunchiness of the French toast soaked with egg filling is just... SO GOOD!!!

1 comment breakfast, cooking, food, health, healthy, lifestyle

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BREAKOUTS!

I haven't been talking about skincare much. However, there are a few things here and there that are worth a bit of mention I feel! Of them is the following:

During the end-of-the-year sale at SPACE NK, I went crazy. They were having an 80% sale on selected items and those items were pretty good. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. I put about 15 items in my online basket and by the time I was ready to checkout, more than half of them were sold out. I mean, I'm talking about Tocca candles for $8. Seriously?!? But all the candles I added to my cart were never sent to me. They were instantly sold out. It sucked even more that I didn't get to know I wouldn't be getting it UNTIL the only batch I was to receive actually came, with that disappointing notice that the rest were gone. Okay, still I was able to pick up TWO of these Dr. Sebagh BREAKOUT powder and cream. I never heard of this before, but the title was good enough for me. Then I saw this thing was selling for about $90 and I thought... it must be of some good value, right? (a bit materialistic, I admit). But it was on a super sale... something like $30? Come on, it doesn't hurt to try?

So I received it, read the directions, and read up on some of the review. It seemed pretty fantastic. The cream is a really really thick cream. You are given about six(?) powder tubes. What you do is take about .5 powder and an equal amount of cream and mix it up together. Then you apply soothingly all over your face.

The thick paste like consistency did not feel drying. I thought it would but surprisingly, my felt no tensing at all! And seriously, it keeps oil away. The next day after I applied this at night, I had less oil production! They recommend you use this cream and powder combination at night time. Then, during the day, since the cream might be too thick, you can mix a bit of powder with your own moisturizer. I've tried that too and it feels wonderful!

Quoting from the website:

Dr Sebagh says:

Activate by mixing the powder with the cream to let this potent formula clear, calm & mattify a problem skin. For the best skin balancing results use Breakout Foaming Cleanser morning & night, and the Deep Exfoliating Mask twice a week.

I don't try to use it day and night, first because it's pretty expensive and I just don't know if I could afford this when it's not on sale....... and second, because I have my usual daycare skincare. If anything, I use this when I feel especially oil or when my hormones are working up! I think this would be great in the summer, but I have yet to await the coming season.

So far so great. Only problem? The price, but hey. If you're up for something that keeps breakouts at bay, keeps oil levels down, and helps your overall skin... maybe this expensive combo is worth it!

Leave a Comment acne, breakout, dr sebagh, oily skin, skincare

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Wishlist #2: FRAGRANCE AND RINGS!

So, you know I have an unhealthy obsession for fragrances and rings. Rings are a fairly new thing, and I blame it all on Catbird because before I discovered this little shop in Brooklyn, I never had an "obsession" for jewelry. That's all changed now, and I've collected about five Catbird rings thus far. Still, there are more I want to purchase. I've restrained myself and chose the two top rings I am dying to have! It's the rose-gold Cat-ring ($150) and a twisted ring ($65). It will be perfect for staking the rest of what I have!

As for fragrances, I mean I'm name my favorite three brands. Diptyque. Byredo Parfums. and Jo Malone. It's all pretty European since one is French, another Swiss(?), and lastly, English. For Diptyque, I have three eaux des toilettes but because they are so light, I wanted to try the colognes. I couldn't choose between the three they had. I will pick one up though for sure! My giftcard to Saks will get pretty handy soon :) As for Byredo Parfums, I have two from them: Pulp and Seven Veils. But recently, my big sister has been eyeing my Pulp. I'm afraid I'd eventually have to hand it over. So, in replacement I have been thinking of getting Blanche. When I went for a test sniff at Barneys, I was truly mesmerized of the purity and clarity of the scent. Still, I was set on getting the ones I had decided beforehand. Also, Bal D'afrique, one of the top-selling fragrance was another excellent sniff! Due to the fact that it is really expensive, I am thinking of choosing between the two. I still haven't made up my mind! Lastly, Jo Malone... the most affordable of the three is also a safe yet luxurious English fragrance. I have the large Wild Bluebell scent, but it seems oh-so-lonely on its own! I want to find something that will give it more dimension. Since the weather is getting warmer, I am thinking of picking up something that has a floral and/or fruity family scent! So far, I am thinking of the Blueberry Bay. I have yet to have a test sniff!

Finally, just because it looks really elegant & chic, I want to buy Catbird's roller-ball perfume case. I currently use Travelo to carry around my perfume, which is excellent. But just look at that long white elegant stick. Doesn't it look so classy? Another must on my wishlist I have to say!

So, this is some of my fragrance & jewelry wish products! If I were to add beauty products, it'd cause the collage to BURST. So I kept it as minimal as I could. What are some of your wish products?

Leave a Comment byredo parfums, catbird, diptyque, fragrance, jo malone, perfumes, wishlist

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HOT ORANGE

Summer, hurry!

Here's some bright hot orange to heaten things up! Orange Galaxy Note II case + Giorgio Armani lip maestro in 300 + Deborah Lippman's "Lara's Theme" (named after the supermodel Laura Stone)

Leave a Comment deborah lippman, giorgio armani, lip maestro, orange, summer

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NOTD: ButterLondon "Kerfuffle" & CND Top Coat!

Butter London is addicting... and so is this color. It's a color called "Kerfuffle". I love this so much. It's pink but not just pink. It's pink with a bit of peach. I've realized that I look good with shades that have a bit of peach in it. I like it that it's not just baby pink. It's this soft pink with that hint of something that makes it softer and more milder. Love it!

Remember I bought the Sally Hansen "MegaShine" topcoat? Oh, I was very disappointed indeed. If ever considering a top coat, stay clear of that. The shine isn't that great and oh dear... my nails were chipping so much! So, I decided to try CND's SuperShiney topcoat. CND is known for their Shellac nails (which I so want to try!) and since they are very recognized and a professional brand, I thought I could trust them.

I really wanted that super shiny effect. Also, this top coat promises hardening so that the nail polishes don't chip too fast. So far, I love it! It really is SUPER SHINY! :)

The next picture is one I took with flash.

Oh and please excuse how horrendously I've applied this! The brush was actually deformed, which is unlike Butter at all! I might go back to Ulta and exchange it. 

Take note! My rings from Catbird :))))

Leave a Comment baby pink, butter, butter london, catbird, catbirdnyc, cnd, kerfuffle, NOTD, pink, sally hansen

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