2010 Favorites

I don't meant to jump on the bandwagon but I absolutely love reading these posts so hopefully this will be fun for you guys too.

1) Best Products for $1



ELF's $1 Eyeshadow primer: Yes, this stuff is amazing - not as good as UDPP but perfect for everyday!

Wet n' Wild's Coloricon brow & eye liner in Taupe: This is a product I used almost everyday for 7 months straight. Love this stuff - just ran out so I had to buy a new one. My brows look so great and it costs 0.99 cents. Seriously, if you guys are looking for a cheap brow pencil - try it out - not gonna cost you an arm or a leg. It might even be your HG!

2) Best Eye Shadow Products


The first two - Maybelline's quad in Chai Latte and Revlon's quad in Coffee Bean - are two of my favorites "office/school" friendly palettes. These are my everyday palette and I tend reach for these A LOT! Right now, I like the Revlon one over the Maybelline one but in 2010 - I used them both equally. I recommend you guys checking these quads out - especially if you are on a drugstore budget and want a good everyday look.

Wet N Wild's trio in Mojave Mauves has been good to me but I only realized how much I loved it when I would use it CONSTANTLY during my trips. I would make a few palettes with me but one that I reach for every time I actually do my make up is this trio. Why? Because the colors are shimmery and they give nice washes on the face. They are also EXTREMELY pigmented and are so easy to work with and apply. I frickin love it! This is discontinued but I went to Walgreens the other day and saw new 2011 trios that are released... and OH MAN!!! They look so awesome!!! WnW makes some really great shadows - don't doubt the brand b/c of their price/packaging.

ELF's Butternut quad was my first eyeshadow and probably one of the best purchases a beginner would ever need. Besides the peachy shade, the quad is GREAT! Especially for $1... really good. I still use this all the time and the bronzy shade is awesome for summer.

3) Favorite Product Line



The Maybelline's Dream Mousse line is one of my favorites. I LOVE LOVE the texture and they are also very good products. I wrote most of my thoughts in that post but his might be the first line that I really enjoyed every single product I own! I still want to try the foundation... although I've heard mixed reviews.

4) Favorite Lip Products



Wet N Wild's Megalast lippies (I like WnW... they have a good year!!) has the best color payoff ever. So bright and bold! Really gorgeous - I love how these colors really brighten up the face. This isn't as creamy or moisturizing as I'd like but they are long lasting and great purchases for $2.99 each.

Revlon's Colorburst lipstick is FANTASTIC!!!! When I first got it, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would but after using it for awhile - I fell in love!! Ha ha... yes, this is awesome for Spring time!

5) Favorite Rediscovered Products



CoverGirl's Cheekers blush in Perfect Peach - one of my oldest blushes EVER! And for some reason, I have been using this product for most of Fall and still now. I don't know why - it gives me a really nice, natural flush! And it stays on quite well when in conjunction with creme blushes.



Coastal Scents's Italian Angled Blush Brush was also rediscovered especially since the CG Cheeker is a bit strangely packaged. But I find I get better control applying my blush this way.

6) Least Used Products



I don't want to say NYX products because I think the quality is good but I have pretty much swapped for most of my NYX stuff. I don't own any jumbo pencils anymore - not because they are crap but because I just don't use them. Also I have gotten rid of my Round Lipsticks in Thalia and Circe and the Diamond lipgloss. The picture above is the megashine lipgloss in Frosteed Beige. I kinda hate this product because it started to leak and made a mess... the only ones I still like are the single shadows. Those are still awesome. However, I still want to try their mosaic and creme blushes.

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This is all I have for now. One of my favorite things from 2010 is the lack of purchases I made and the fact that I wore make up almost everyday!!! Yes, to use up these items instead of buying more. Very awesome. I will have to do another post on products I've finished!

What about you guys? What are some of your 2010 favorites?

Eyeshadow Collection - The Motherload

So about a year and a half ago, when I just got into make up, I only had a few shadows here and there. My love for eye shadows really increased when I finally purchased an eye primer - UDPP. The problem with me and eye shadows have always been the creasing so UDPP really helped my shadows stay all day and stop looking horrible.

But the biggest problem with me and shadows is still blending and working with the colors. That is still something I must keep practicing! However, you can't practice much if you don't have a lot of eye shadows to play with. This is pretty much my collection... I have quite a lot. I wouldn't say as much as some of you out there, but definitely more than my friends combine!! Luckily, I'm a cheapie and so these are all fairly inexpensive items.

Without further ado:



Notice how there is almost two of everything???

I think I will start with the left top corner...
ROW 1:
- I have 2 sample MAC pigments: Vanilla and another brown color... never knew the name.
- Victoria's Secret baked shadow in Expresso Lane
- Wet n Wild's Trio in Mojave Mauves
- Two Smashbox shadows: Photo shoot and Test Shoot
- Maybelline single in Beach Blush

ROW 2:
- Lancome quad that my mom gave me.
- 2 Cover Girl singles in Tapestry Taupe and Brown Smolder
- 1 Cover Girl quad in Tropical Fusion (my first palette EVER)
- Milani's single in Java Bean - if only I could find more of them in the store!
- MAC's single in Sketch.

ROW 3:
- Jane's single in Midnight
- 2 Maybelline quads in Neutral Smokes and Chai Latte
- 2 ELF quads in Drama and Butternut
- 2 Revlon quads in Nude Element and Coffee Bean

ROW 4:
- 4 NYX singles in Taupe, Champagne, Root Beer, and Iced Mocha (lots of drinks here... except for Taupe though)
- 2 L'Oreal HiP duos in Sculpted and Sassy

Then, I have the cream shadows and eye primers and what-nots!

From L-R
- MAC's paint pot in Rubenesque
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- ELF's Mineral Eye Primer and the $1 one
- 2 Revlon's Illuminance Cream Shadows in Pink Petals and Coastal Blues
- HiP's Cream Shadow Paint in Nervy

But if I had to recommend a few, I would definitely narrow down to these four:



1) Chai Latte is so easy to use. The texture is nice and smooth and you can wear this for an everyday look or a really nice glamorous look (because of that pretty metallic coppery shade). I'd say pick this up if you have been debating about it. It's totally worth it!

2) Coffee Bean is a perfect quad if you work in an office and you have to wear the most natural look ever. The colors are pretty and pigmented. You have a lot of good options with this quad. I definitely struggle between which one I like more - Chai Latte or Coffee Bean... but I think I'm going with Chai Latte... for now. Funny because I'm drinking more Chai Lattes lately than coffee too.

3) Wet and Wild Mojave Mauve is like my vacation trio. I take this with me on my vacation and I will NEVER EVER be disappointed with it. I always bring several eye shadows but this always work on me... it is so pigmented - easy to blend. And it isn't your typical boring neutrals. This has a gorgeous taupe, a nice maroon, and most of all, that lovely lightest shade... it's like a creamy lilac. I don't know, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I recommend this to everyone and their mothers.

4) Butternut from ELF is something I recommend to people who are just starting out. At $1, this quad will help you learn what your style is and you can practice and practice with it until you get better. I don't like the idea of going out and getting something expensive if you don't even know what you are doing. Besides that, I enjoy the colors! That dark brown and the lightest shade are my favorites. Together they can make some nice smokey eyes!


As for colors, I really enjoy these two quads. The CG's Tropic Fusion was my first shadow palette ever... which isn't a good thing for beginners... ha ha. But I love using the colors (mostly the blue and green) to line my eyes. It makes the look more interesting. And the HiP's duo in Sculpted has the prettiest pink color and pretty purple. It can change the typical look into something more fun and girly!

I hope you enjoy this post. Please let me know what your favorite/recommendation is! I am always up for trying something new.

Products Worth Mentioning of 2009

I know everyone's been doing this... but that is to be expected since 2009 is OVER! I really love these items - have recommended a bunch of times - it is time to put it all together!

1) Best Face Products:


>> Rimmel's Natural Bronzer in Sunlight and Jane's Blushing Petal. These might seem like dull colors but they really make my life easy. Awesome colors that make me look natural but awesome!

2) Best Nail Polish:


>> Rimmel's Lyca Wear in Posh Trash and Milk Chocolate. These needs base & top coats BUT they are awesome colors - especially Posh Trash. I think I wear that the most. BTW - horrible picture. The flash pretty much killed the colors.

3) Best Make Up Brushes:


>> Ecotools Blush brush, Coastal Scent's Pink Kabuki, and ELF eyeshadow brush. I use the blush and kabuki brush almost everyday... pretty sure EVERYDAY! And I use the eyeshadow brush every time I use eyeshadows. I mean, these are important, necessary, irreplaceable and CHEAP!

4) Best Lip Gloss:


>> CO Bigelow's Pink Tint - LOVE THIS STUFF!! Have this stuff everywhere I go with me. Will use this up like nothing else and probably will buy a million more! To bad they are a tad bit more expensive than what I am used to. But no worries, take advantage of the Semi-annual sales!

5) Best Eyeshadow Palette:


>> ELF Eye Brightening Quad in Butternut and Drama. Okay, these might not be the BEST to you but they are the BEST to me! The only thing is that they might not be as blendable as I would like (the darker shades in Drama) but that is all the complaint I will give. I love this stuff. ADORE them.

6) Best Eye shadows:



>> NYX has the best singles as far as drugstore goes. LOVE the texture, the pigmentation, the blendability (not a word), adorable packaging. Ha ha - BUT, one thing that I hate about these shadows is the staying power. They have crappy staying power even w/ a primer sometimes. Eh well - they are only $3-5 though.

7) Best Lipsticks:


>> Maybelline's Moisture Extreme are amazing! I have 3 shades - Rosy Glow (my first lippy EVER!), Rum Raisin (I'm starting to fall in love w/ this color all over again(, and Winsdor Rose (which is in the picture!). High pigmentation, amazing moisture, and great color options. I doubt that you guys reading right now haven't tried these yet... but just in case you haven't set your lips on these little beauties yet, GO GET SOME! And YES, these are the best in my collection.

8) Best Fragrances:


>> Anything Bath and Body Works is fantastic. So I would say the products from that store in general. From left to right - PS I Love You, Pink Grape Fruit, Cherry Blossom, Sea Island Cotton, Twilight Woods, and Japanese Cherry Blossom (which I kinda want the perfume version - also, best selling fragrance from BBW... correct me if I am wrong).

9) Most Disappointed Products of 09:


>> This doesn't fit w/ the rest but I had to say something about this line. Jane oh Jane oh Jane... I wish you came out w/ newer and better products yet you completely disappointed me. SIGH!

10) Best Youtube Beauty GURU:


>> There are so many amazing GURUs out there but MichellePhan's videos are to unique, artistic, and just beautifully done. It isn't just about the make up and I think that is just fan-frickin-tastic!

There ya go... Hope you guys enjoy. I would LOVE to hear what you have to say... or what your favorite products of 2009 are.

FOTD: Rustic Midnight

Ha ha YES!! I'm gonna start naming my looks. I was talking to this person the other day and I was like - "If I don't get into Pharmacy school then I will just get a job where I can name all the make up products!" I think it would be so much fun... so, I'm just gonna practice that here.

So, here it is:







I'm surprised my camera captured the colors so well. Usually, it just washes everything out.

Products I used:


- NYX eye pencil in French Fries as base
- NYX eye shadow in Iced Mocha on lid
- ELF quad in Drama (black) on outer corner/crease
- NYX eye shadow in Taupe as a blend out color
- Maybelline trio - 2nd color - on the edge
- ELF quad in Drama (white) for highlight brow bone and inner corner

So that's what I came up w/. One thing I completely forgot to use is EYE LINER! I can't believe I forgot it... but whatever. I already took all the colors so nothing I can do about it now.

Anyways, I'm off to write my application letters. Enjoy your Sundays!

This week is finally over!

This week has been the most insane, stressful, intense week EVER!! I had so much school stuff (exams, quizzes, practicals...) UGH! Plus my immune system is not doing very well - I hard a major sinus pressure headache yesterday! Horrible!

BUT THAT IS ALL OVER!! WHOOHOO!! Time to focus on my make up :D
(I almost did another "week diary" of what I wore and all that but I didn't end up wearing any make up at all :D. Plus with all my hard classes, I tend to rub my eyes a lot when I'm stressed out).

Anyways, first thing I'm gonna do is change my nail polish!

This is what I'm wearing right now (thanks to Kalmo), and I really really like this for the fall! I mean, it hasn't been that cold yet but is slowly but surely getting there. I've had this on for a week now (YUP- 7 days) and it hasn't chipped too badly. The only thing is that my nails are growing and so it just doesn't look right anymore - you all know what I mean. I've been meaning to get rid of it but I've been soooo busy!

So, more about this nail polish - it's got a nice consistency to it. Definitely need 2 coats (no more, no less... in my opinion). Takes a little bit for 2nd coat to dry. The brush is good but because the color was so dark, I had to be really careful with the edges of my nails just because I don't want a mess on my skin. Overall, I really like it. I would definitely prefer it on my fingers than my toes...

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Also, when I study, I usually give myself little breaks (10-30 mins). During this time, I either eat, watch TV or rest... or play w/ make up. So, this is a look that I came up w/ my NYX Rootbeer. I've had this for a long time but never played w/ it... until now :) Also, I wanted to try lining my waterline and making my lower lash more dramatic - which I never do normally. I guess you can say this is sorta inspired by Emma Watson's Burberry ads - really dark liners. But I can never go that dark - even though I wanted to... I just couldn't do it.

BTW - I'm starting to really like Emma Watson... and her sense of style. I used to hate her but she's definitely grown up and really classy and pretty. I love it.

Anyways




Okay okay... one more:

** Ha ha - what a forced smile/laugh :)


Yes! That Revlon quad is new! Yes, it is brown... and yes, mostly matte colors YAY!! It is called "coffee bean" I think. I love that coppery color before the darkest colors. Pigmentation is okay... the two darker colors have better pigmentations. Overall, not a bad quad. Got it for $3 at Walmart.

What I learn at school:

I just wanted to make a really quick quick quick post; It is another try at a school make up. This is my typical look really - combining different neutral shades :)






Here's what I used:

Eyes:
NXY shadow - Iced Mocha (crease)
mark shadow - Minx (lid)
Maybelline's quad - Chai Latte; matte dark brown for upper lash line and brows; matte light taupe is for lower lash line.

Lips:
L'Oreal Juice Stick - Chai Love You

He he ... lots of 'Chai' stuff today.

Oh, to end this post is a pic of:

He's sleeping on my bed right now... as I should also.

Hope you enjoy~
Toodles.

How To Be Nude - Lesson 1

First, you clean, moisturize, apply, and gloss!

What am I talking about - ha ha - silly me! I mean nude lips~ Thing is a have a big old problem of having really pigmented lips so its kinda hard to wear lipstick - in general. It always makes the color look different - in some cases - BAD!

But I've found two ways to achieve a decent nude-lips look w/out killing my wallet.

My star products:



NYX's Circe - it is like a lip pigment erasing tool! Don't need a lot of it because it is REALLY pigmented(but you do need to blend this out w/ your finger or it'll look cakey and fake). It is creamy but not so much moisturizing so do major moisturizing underneath first. It is matte so make sure you wear a gloss over it or else you'll look DEAD. But this is a good nude lipstick just because it will make your lips a skin color or really light. But I really should reinstate that you should wear it w/ a gloss - preferably a darker gloss!


Lips w/ Circe and NYX's l/g in Beige (pictured below on the left)

Again, I like to use the gloss to manipulate what kind of nude lip I'll have - a peachy tone, a golden/bronzy tone, or a pink tone (like the one above). These are glosses that I would generally choose.

Rimmel's Birthday Suit - one of my first lipsticks. That's why it's lost it's shape at the top :) Even starting out, I was working for a nude lip. This doesn't have the same pigmentation as Circe but I like that I can just wear this for an everyday subtle nude lips. It gives me a glossy glow and lightens up my lips just a bit so that it looks natural. I don't know, I just like that it does for my lips. Also, it is moisturizing and no need for gloss. It's already pretty the way it is (I feel though this has been re-formulated since I last purchased it).



** Doesn't do the lipstick justice! -_-;

** The real nude lips ;p


EEK, so many pictures of lips! YECH. I really thought this was gonna be short post... eh well.

HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY~

These Are My Favorite Things

These are my summer favorites. I don't have monthly favorites b/c I'm trying not to buy anything new but this summer - I had to come up w/ whole new routines, color selections to work w/ my new tan and oiliness :p

- Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - LOVE! Works amazingly to keep shine away~ Sometimes, I just put on moisturizer which would make me shiny and then I'd put this on and VOILA~ SHINE BE GONE!

- Revlon Mineral Mousse Foundation - WEE!! Goes on all airy and moussy but great medium coverage! Feels so light but it works amazingly well. LOVE IT. Keeps shine to a minimum - not good for dry skin though.

- NYX shadow in Champagne - if I'm lazy (which it is summer, yes I will be LAZY), Put this on my lid, liner, mascara, DONE and DONE!

- Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Blackberry - speaking of liners, this is my absolute favorite. It doesn't go on as smooth as other liners but it isn't like stretching your eyes until they bleed! Actually, this color I feel goes on pretty easily and nicely. I have not problems! This color though as a nice purple undertone which is suppose to complement brown and green eyes :)

- Jane Blushing Plum - last but not least, this beautiful gorgeous little thing. This thing brightens up my face and make me look so FRESH! YUP YUP YUP! Has a bit of shimmer but even I didn't get bother by that. Now that is a good blush since I despise shimmering blushes.

Hope this helps. Now I'm off to study for my PCAT. Yes, I'm taking it again. I did decent (but could do much better) on everything except for my BIO. I got a really low score... yeah... I'm working to fix that in October.

Wish me luck!

Oh the Randomness that is my blog

No, not so random. It's the usual FOTD :D




Major eye shadows (I forgot to take pics of these ;p)


I did this a while back, thought I should show it to you guys. Anyways, I'm thinking of writing more reviews on products that I've recently tried:
- Rimmel Face Primer
- L'Oreal Decrease Shadow Primer
- Some Maybelline stuff (blush, mascara, shadow)
- MAD Minerals ... Yeah!!

Biggest dilemma with me right now is that I have no money left to buy anything and there's always some sales going on right now. URGH, my make up addiction is driving me insane!!
I didn't buy anything from Stila when they had their discount... nor will I buy anything from MAC w/ their discount. HECK, I haven't bought anything from ELF and they always have a discount. And yet, I'm still broke... what the hey? Oh well, maybe come July - that's when the big stuff's gonna happen :D!