January Favorites⎪Makeup Highlights

It's a little late, so even though I'm posting this as "January Favorites", it's more like makeup that I've been enjoying recently.

I kept the usual ones out of this post because I mention them all the time, products like Estee Lauder Maximum Cover foundation or my Hourglass Arch Brow Pencil. I wanted to add new favorites and products I haven't mentioned in awhile.

Products I've been loving for a long time but haven't mentioned recently: Perfekt Brow Perfection Gel. I love this stuff. Another long time favorite is the Nars lipstick in the shade Honolulu Honey. It really is a beautiful peach nude that works well with my skin tone. (See the swatch here) Love, love it! And finally, this product isn't "new" in that I've already featured it on my blog here but it is fairly a new discovery so I thought I'd best mention it. It is the BeautyBlender makeup applicator.

As for new products, I have quite a few - ones I have never mentioned on my blog before.

You know I've been obsessed with primers right? I mean just the past year, I've used three different kinds of primers for the face. And even still, if I hear about a good primer, I am willing to try it. They make all the difference in the world when it comes to how you look throughout the day. This really cute packaged primer called Egg Pore smooth balm from TonyMoly is a pretty darn good primer! It is meant to be used where you are oily and where your pores are visible. It has a tightening effect because of the egg that they use. It also contains other ingredients that helps clear the skin as well as keeping the makeup on. The egg and camellia extracts controls sebum and oil production. Because it is a balm type, it is amazing in smoothing over bumps, pores, and wrinkles! Above all else, it smooths the face and keeps makeup lasting long and that's what makes it pretty amazing. You can get this on Amazon.

Another new product that I've been in love with is Chanel's "Inimitable Waterproof" mascara. Oh goodness, where do I begin with this mascara? I guess I'll begin by saying that I love that it keeps my curls on... all day. I have thick straight lashes. I don't even expect my eyelashes to curl, let alone, stay curled. The last time a mascara kept my curls was the ByTerry mascara that they stopped selling. After that one exorbitant priced mascara, I went back to be okay with straight lashes. But then, I discovered this and just was amazed.  Read the review here.

A lip product that I'll do a separate post about is the HolikaHolika Waterproof Tint Stick. This thing is something I've never tried before - a tint that takes things to another level. Really. You'll have to take my word for it until I write an in-depth review because... it's that good.

Finally, an eye palette that I love because of its versatile use is the Pony x Memebox Palette 1. I love that some of the shades can be used for contouring and even brows. You can create so many looks with this one palette. You can read more about it here.

Leave a Comment beautyblender, chanel, holikaholika, honolulu honey, korean makeup, mascara, Nars, perfekt, Pony, primer, tonymoly

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TIPS for Brows: Combining 2 Eyebrow Gels

I've long been using two eyebrow products this way, and I found it so useful I thought I should share it with you all. A particular eyebrow gel that I've been loving for a good two years now is Perfekt Eyebrow Gel in the shade Caramel (perfect match for my brows). I love it that it just defines the eyebrow precisely and so easily. But as I use the product up, I also realized that I found myself trying to take product off when the brush just catches a bit too much on the brush.

I decided to combine the caramel eyebrow gel with Maybelline Clear Lash Eyebrow Gel. I know Maybelline has one for eyelashes and another for brows. Though it says "Lash", I remember buying this with the outside packaging saying it was for the brow. I bought a clear shade. I love this for just taking foundation off of my eyebrow. You know how when you're doing your foundation really quickly, you get foundation tinting your eyebrows? Well, this clear gel helps get that off.

But I thought, why not combine the two so that the clear gel has a slight hint of the caramel shade? Besides, I found the Perfekt brow gel to bring out a bit too much product if you're not careful with it. So what I did was take the Maybelline brush and dipped it just once into the Perfekt tube. Then I put that brush back into the clear tube and swirled it around.

That gave me the perfect, easy to use, not to worry, no fuss tint and gel in one! After awhile, I wanted a little bit more shade, so I did the dipping once more-- dipped the Maybelline into Perfekt tube and mixed it around in the clear tube. What I got was a crazy whirlwind of caramel tint swirls inside the clear tube! Shows how effectively it'll be in holding your eyebrows in shape!

This helps you be more flexible in working with the product (because you can make mistake but it's not too dark that you'll freak out!), and it also helps you use both products so much longer! Although Perfekt brow gel isn't too expensive, you can double the length of use by using it in combo with Maybelline clear gel.

Leave a Comment brows, eyebrows, maybelline, perfekt

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Discovery Product #2 OFRA Universal Eye Brow Pencil

Eyebrows. Nothing I spend too much time on. My eyebrows are thick and they grow in a shape I rather like. Not too arched, not too straight. Just a slight curve.

But once, I played around with the plucking and the trimming. Since then, I've had to do some maintenance.

Meaning, every now and then, I'm talking once in a few months, I have to trim a bit here and there. Depending.

But the problem came about two weeks ago when I decided to trim my eyebrows... from a distance with the mirror. My eyebrow hair is pretty thick and long. One wrong pluck and it can look like a massive gap in the wrong place.

Well, I did something like that. Trimmed the wrong strand. Ended up with really uneven eyebrows, one looking like it had an intentional gap somewhere near the end.

I looked around my room for some kind of eyebrow product. I had my Perfekt eyebrow gel, but gel was going to do it because I had some legit filling in to do!

Then, I found this Ofra Universal Eyebrow Pencil ($10) that I received in my Glossybox way back when. I had used it a couple of times. Really enjoyed it, but then soon forgot about it because as I say, I don't need to do much with my eyebrows. After they grow back to the usual shape, I would forget about this pencil.

But I discovered it again. And again, I am quite enjoying it.

Their website says it better:

Water resistant pencil suitable for the most sensitive eye area. It is the perfect solution for your eyebrows and is called Universal Eyebrow Pencil for a reason as it is one color to suit all skin tones. It is soft enough and will make it easy for you to create a perfect shape. Can be applied directly to the eyebrow area then smudge gently with a small brush applicator. Created with a Beeswax base for a smooth, soft and long lasting application.

As it says. Best natural shade. Fills in perfectly. Not too waxy (unlike those ones that actually sheen under the light). Not too creamy (unlikes those that melt on your face). Not too pigmented (unlike those that if you screw up, you'd have to spend too much time erasing what you just put on). And, it's affordable.

Ofra is not a brand I know much of, and likewise, I don't hear much about but it's good I got to try this one out!

(Ignore the red stain you see with the swatch. I was swatching a red lipstick before I applied the eyebrow product!)

Leave a Comment eyebrows, Glossybox, ofra, perfekt

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Holiday Makeup!

I know I promised a holiday look, but I missed the chance to upload a LOTD post before Christmas. However, we still have New Years don't we? So, I brought in my friend this time to do a very amateurish makeup tutorial. She was brave enough to be in front of a camera with very minimal makeup in the beginning. I certainly couldn't brave that challenge! The tutorial isn't a real tutorial because I skipped a few steps. For example, there is no step for foundation, mascara, and blush.

The reason is because she came with a tinted moisturizer and a bit of blush on her cheeks. Although most of that was gone by the time we filmed this, you can see a bit of makeup still on her face. So, I didn't bother to start with a foundation. I started with the eyes using the Estee Lauder Bronze Sands Palette.  I wanted to make a shiny eye look for the holidays. I used the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in black on her waterline. Then I took a 219 MAC brush and smudged it all along the eyes, then winged it out slightly at the end. For the brows, I used the Perfekt Brow Perfection Gel to just give her already full brows a little bit more shape and definition!

Red Lip Look

Then I went to conceal areas she needed coverage with Stila Perfecting Concealer: under the eyes, forehead, chin, and around the nose. Her skin doesn't have spots or too many blemishes so this was a breeze! Then, it was time for the lips.

Nude Look

I used NARS Honolulu Honey for the first look. I fell in love with the color, seeing how well it worked on the skin and the color payoff! It was really creamy and the nude is just the perfect shade. Make sure, as I was telling my friend, you color in your lips all the way and a little bit out of the lip line. That's because people naturally have a darker lip line than the inside lip color. If you miss out covering that lipline with a nude, then it'll look like you have a dark lipliner on, and... it just wouldn't work!

Then I tried using the MAC Rebel lipstick for the second look. It is rather a dark red/plum. After applying a few coats, I thought she'd look better with a brighter red so I went for the NARS lipgloss in Mexican Rose. Mexican Rose is a beautiful red-pink shade that lasts... FOREVER. If you're looking for a long-lasting lipstick/gloss, this is the one. Anyway, it was just the color I was looking for!


Excuse the horrendous lighting in the room, and the unprofessional editing skills. Still, I hope this was something fun and new for my blog. Hope you enjoyed :)

Leave a Comment Asian, christmas, concealer, eyeliner, holiday, MAC, Nars, perfekt, stila, Urban Decay

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Per-fékt Brow Perfection Gel

Brows have never been a thing of interest for me. I was born with full-on, thick eyebrows. Up until college, I never touched my eyebrows and (let me boast a little) heard many-a-compliments that I had a naturally full and arched eyebrow. For the hairless folks, I guess my eyebrow was something worth envying. I went along with it and never thought much about them.

But, there comes a time when a girl looks in the mirror and feels something ticklish to go pluck them. I don't know what it is! But you look at a perfectly shaped eyebrow sometimes, and you feel like you just have to do SOMETHING to it. Well, I had that moment as well. I wanted something a bit thinner, but not too thin! My mother objected adamantly to me grooming my eyebrows. However, against her wishes I plucked it and... well, it didn't go so well.

Then since then, I was on and off with grooming and not. Eventually, even if I had plucked them all out of shape, they'd grow back to its usual arch and shape... and definitely, back to its fullness. The fullness bothered me time to time, and eventually, my natural arch changed shape and somewhere somehow something went a little bit wrong.

So, within the past two years, I've had to touch them up here and there. There are days when I get the exact shape and pluck just the right amount. Then, there are the days when I completely ruin them and I'm left thinking... what do I do... You see, what comes with the fullness of my brows is that each hair is so thick that even taking out one single strand of hair, I could change the entire shape of my brows!

Okay, so with my whole narrative about brows... let me finally get to the point. I'm not a brow girl so I may not have the depth of the brow world knowledge. However, recently I ruined my eyebrows and had a weird shape with few tiny bald spots. I went to my sister's room, picked up this per-fékt "Brow Perfection Gel" and started playing around with it.

It didn't take long before I had these really pretty arched eyebrows again! This filled in the little empty spots and mattified the prickly short hair down smack on my skin. The unruly ones were tamed by this paste, and the finish? Absolutely natural!

The shade she bought was "Espresso" and it was the perfect shade for me. The slight dark brown tint wasn't overbearing. It's really easy to work with as well, considering that even a brow-newbie like me could "per-fékt" my brows. I've tried per-fékt products before and I found they were really nice. However, I never got the chance to venture too much into them. With this though, I think I'll either steal my sister's forever, or go out and get my own handy wand! I love it. And let me say again, most brow gels have this really tacky and slimy finish. But this has a really natural one. You can't detect the gel, but it does the work of organizing those unruly bits into one fine arch! I find them to do the job of both a gel and an eyebrow pencil.

What are some of your favorite brow products?

Leave a Comment brow gel, brows, eyebrows, per-fékt, perfekt

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If Snow White Wore Lipsticks! RED LIPS

If Snow White wore lipsticks, she'd probably go for these shades of red. Red lipsticks are classic. It's hard to wear when you're young but as you grow older, you'll find this inner "Sasha" (so Beyonce would call it) or fierceness awakening you to Red Lips craving. According to the look you're going for, you can look any of sexy, lovely, innocent, bold, fierce, and chic! Although I can't rock a pure red lips like some girls can, I try to wear red as much as my visual allows it.

I looked through my lip collection and gathered the Rouge ones, whether they be lip gloss, lip stains, lipsticks, or lip treatments. I've got a mixture of them all!

The newest members are the YSL glossy stain and the Perfékt lip treatment gel. The tricky thing about color is that they seem somewhat similar yet vastly different in subtle way. Yes, I'm aware I used a bunch of paradoxes there but that's what colors are like and also what makes you want to find just the right shade.

They all have different shades of red as well as different content and pigmentation. 1) Guerlain lipstick 2) Perfékt lip treatment 3) Nars lip gloss 4) YSL lip stain. The thickest content is #2. It's a lip treatment gel that hydrates and nourishes the lip while giving it a full on color. You can wear it just as a tint and dap on a bit, or wear it full on. It, to me, is the reddest of the red-- a near "Russian Red" color from MAC. Considering it's a lip treatment/balm it stays on like a stain and has high pigmentation. Also, because it is a lip treatment, it does smell like a pharmaceutical treatment smell (?). The sheer one seem to be #1, the Guerlain Rouge. It's not as pigmented but you definitely get the red going. It's also a rather light red with a tint of coral pink. However, you wouldn't say this was all too sheer since you do get a good color wear from it. The Nars lip gloss in "Mexican Rose" seems to suit me best. The color is surprisingly pink, though on the lips it comes out a red that I thought was almost identical to the YSL glossy stain #10. I started to swatch the two and found them vastly different and ending up swatching all the reds I had! The YSL glossy stain is seriously a stain and lasts forever. It's not the most nourishing and you might need a lip balm (mainly for those who have overly dry lips). But I was looking for a deep vintage red, and this seemed to be the darker of the two three red shades they had from the glossy stain line. This also smells really nice!

Above I have listed the products and shade each one are. I personally love the content of Perfékt, the color of Nars, and the wear of YSL. Guerlain is a classic lipstick that I don't find myself reaching for all too often. It smells amazing though! Perhaps in the winter or fall, I might look for it more. Overall, when swatching, I love how different these reds are!

If Snow White did wear red lipstick, which one do you think would have suited her best? xx

Leave a Comment disney, disney princesses, guerlain, guerlain lipsticks, lips, Nars, nars lip gloss, perfekt, red, red lips, red lipsticks, snow white, YSL, YSL glossy stain

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NOTD: NARS Version of Baby Pink in "Trouville"

We've got all sorts of Baby Pink nail polishes out there, but I think this one is my favorite! I had forgotten how good the higher end nail polishes are. I realize sometimes you get what you pay for. Featured in yesterday's Sephora Haul was this goody, Nars "Trouville". It is baby pink in every sense of the word. 

I fashioned it with a few other accessories of mine that are baby pinks as well. I've got my Nikon J1 in baby pink, my lip perfection gel from Perfékt that I bought yesterday as well, and my polka-dotty Kate Spade iPhone case (which has a pink bumper).

There is more true pink, if ever there is such a thing, in this shade of Nars than any other baby pinks I've used. Some other more white-based, purple-based, pastel-based, etc., but this one seems like a good ol' baby pink with the awesomest gloss to it! It has a wet look to the gloss and I love that!

The applicator for Nars nail polish is amazing, and what's not to love about their packaging!

I feel this color is perfect all year around, but even more so in the summer. It's not a flashy color which I like, but it makes its statement nonetheless. The only downside is that it took me an hour and a bit more for it to dry completely. I sat immobile and unproductive as I waited for my nails to dry. I ran out of my quick-dry spray from Sephora so I had nothing but time to use.

Also, the shade is so versatile. You can put one, two or even three layers of it. Unfortunately, ever since I started wearing a lot of nail polishes, my nails have grown ridges and chip a lot. Two coats didn't seem enough. With the third coat however, it was just the finish I wanted (perhaps the reason why it took so long)!

Anyway, love this shade! What are some of your favorite baby pink nail polishes?

xx

Leave a Comment iphone case, kate spade, nails, Nars, nars nail polish, nikon j1, NOTD, perfekt, trouville

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Sephora Haul ♥f Shame

I'm calling this a "Haul of Shame" because honestly, I think I bought a lot. Still I proceed by saying that  this is by far one of my most exciting hauls! I am so in love with each and every product that I sit now to remind myself that I must contain myself in order to write this blog in a professional manner. That being said, I believe I was in Sephora for 40 minutes plus and my primary goal was to find "THE LIP STAIN". With the summer full on approaching, even lipsticks seem to be bother me. Tints are long-lasting, dyed into skin, and just an easy flush and prettiness to the face. I've tried the all famous Benetint from Benefit several times but I don't seem to get along with that at all! It dries me out, and the color does not evenly work on skin. Also the applicator bugs me a lot. That being said, I wanted something that would give me great pigmentation, wonderful texture, zero heaviness, and efficient sleek applicator.

I picked up three of the ones that does just what I was looking for! First off is the Tarte LipSurgence in the color "Joy". Can I just say now that I am really starting to love Tarte products? After that one blush I bought a few weeks back, I'm building trust with that brand. That being said, this lip stain  is beautiful. The shades are various and though I wanted the pink or red shade, this orange shade seemed to suit me very well. It is oh so moisturizing that it will leave your lips swimming in its own moisture. (Don't mind my weird descriptions!) There were darker or brighter shades of orange than the one I bought but this color was pigmented enough! It made my lips look clean and supple and the color was gorgeous!

The second lip stain I bought was from a brand called Perfékt. This brand is very new to me but it seems it's been in Sephora for quite some time. I came across this brand through instagram. One of the girls I was following posted a picture of this babe and said it was the PERFECT LIP STAIN. So, I had to go try it out for myself today. And lo and behold! It truly was astoundingly nice! I bought mine in the color Hollywood and it's this really glam vibrant red color, the perfect shade I was looking for! It has such a unique texture and the applicator is more than amazing. This is supposed to be a lip treatment with intense pigmentation, that leaves your lips not only feeling great but looking great. I can also say that this lasts ages. I still have a blot of this on my hand where I swatched it, hours since I erased it with a makeup remover. I can't say enough about how this is very quickly becoming a fave of mine!

Next is the well hyped about lip stain from YSL. Yes, I know. I'm much behind the hype but I'm with you guys now, aren't I? I was hesitant to buy it but I thought I'd give it a try. It's a lip gloss like "thing" that dries as a matte finish, leaving your lips looking like they have lipstick on when it's been merely transferred as a stain! Complicated? Well, I believe that's what it does. Whereas my Tarte lip tint is glossy, this is less like so. I heard it could be a bit drying so I'll have to watch out for that. So far, I don't have a problem with it. The shade I have is in 10, a beautiful vibrant red again! The content is creamy and the packaging shouldn't even be a discussion. It's a beaut!

I also picked up a Clarins UV Plus Day Screen to wear with my new favorite foundation, NARS Sheer glow. The foundation doesn't have SPF so I needed something to wear underneath-- something that was lightweight and oil-free. I tried this on at the store and was more than impressed at the texture and finish of this sunscreen. FYI, I had wearing sunscreens so if I'm willing to use this, it means a lot :)

Next I picked up another NARS eyeshadow duo in the color Isolde, which was actually they first eyeshadow I really wanted to buy from Nars. But I resisted because I thought I could do away with my NAKED palette from Urban Decay. However, every time I pass by the Nars counter, this thing just begs me to be picked up. So, today I've caved in! Really creamy, beautiful pigmentation-- by far the best out of all the Nars eyeshadows!

Finally, I have two nail polishes I bought. One is from Dior. Their Safari Beige 219. A true nude I say. Not pink-nude, not brown-nude, and not gray-nude. Just a nude-nude! Lovely I say, just lovely! The other nail polish is the Nars Trouville which is the sweetest baby pink pea you'll ever see. It's just irresistible!

So here they are, my thoughts on them and why I bought each and every one. Now I'm going to take these essentials under the bush and resist myself from wanting to buy other things on my want-list. This is truly a bit of a haul of shame for me, but judge me not! I've been wanting these for ages and besides, a girl can splurge like this one in awhile... right? :)

xx

Leave a Comment clarins, clarins UV plus, dior, Isolde, lip perfection gel, lip stain, lip tint, nail polishes, Nars, nars eyeshadow, perfekt, sephora, sunscreen, tarte, tarte lipsurgence, trouville, YSL, YSL glossy stain, YSL lip

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