Why Must You Take Them Away From ME?

WHY WHY WHY???

As you guys all know, I'm definitely a NOOB when it comes to make up so I have never had to deal with a situation like this before... but...

The drugstore is taking some of my most beloved products away and I'm like: "WHAT? WHY?? WWWHHHYYY???"

So before I get to that, I just want to do a post of other discontinued products that I dearly loved but was taken away from me before I could say goodbye.

1) Jane Blushing Cheeks Blushes



- My favorite of the three is the middle one which is Blushing Petal. I absolutely love the texture and pigmentation and I think it is so hard to find a matte, natural, everyday pink like this one in the drugstore. It blends easily and it just gives me the best look. As far as the other two, I love them both too and they are both oh so pigmented!! I like the packaging... okay so I pretty love them alright! So when Jane stopped showing up at my Walgreens, that was when I realized my favorite drugstore is gone!

2) Milani's Singles


- Okay Milani, when people are comparing your shadows to MAC, you probably shouldn't stop selling them at drugstores! I know you can still get these on Cherryculture.com but I don't like to online shop (due to shipping)... so that's that. I only have Java Bean and I really like it - so pigmented, easy to blend, gorgeous color. Serioulsy... bad move. Right now, I look at their other singles and I think... okay, that is way too glittery... why would I buy that?

3) L'Oreal's Juice Sticks


- Okay, the name "Juice Stick" isn't the best name... I'll leave you all to your imagination. BUT I LOVE LOVE LOVE mine in Chai Love You. It's probably one of my favorite item - it's like a hybrid of a lipstick and lipgloss. I absolutely LOVE it and I have a feeling it will be all gone soon. Pigmented, great smell, and moisturizing... And I hear that Personali-Tea is also a great one as well. What the heck! I also really like the packaging. The silver reflective part allows me to use it as a mirror to reapply my lip color.

Now... here are the two items that I'm most sad about.... and the reasons why I decided to make this post.

4) Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipsticks


- First of all, I wouldn't say that this lipstick comes in any amazing packaging - but I like that it's red - very signature looking. My favorite part about this little lovely thing is that, even it doesn't say so, this is what I would consider a TINTED LIP BALM to be. This lipstick has two active ingredients: one for chapped lips and the other for sunscreen on the lips. That is exactly what I want in ANY lip product: protection and moisture. The best part about it is that it is soooo pigmented - way more than any tinted lip balm can ever deliver. It has a cute watermelon scent and it comes in various color selections and finishes. I'm so shocked that Maybelline would discontinued such a great product like this one... Now I have two and that is why I didn't pick up anymore when they were on sale but if I'd known that these were gone completely, I'd stock up on them all (sometimes products go on sale but the don't get discontinued... well, with this one I should've known... I was in denial).

5) Maybelline's Dream Mousse Concealer



- This concealer is probably my current favorite concealer! The texture is just fantastic! What the HECK Maybelline?!? Probably the easiest to apply and strong pigmentation. I've written, read, and watched raved reviews for this item... I just feel sad for those that didn't get a chance to use this... that's all.

What discontinued items do you wish to come back? Let me know!

Sorry I've been away for a bit - I am trying to come back and reconnect with you all. The last two weeks have been hell and exams after exams. Wasn't the best day yesterday but I went out w/ my friends and we all had a blast - I feel a bit more relaxed now.

Thanks for reading!

My Favorite Drugstore Brand

The answer people often give to the question, "What is your favorite make up brand?", is: "Oh, I love all sorts of brand. I don't like this just one!".

This is so true - I look at my make up collection and think - I love all different brands! Each brand carry a different item that I love so it is impossible to choose. But I thought I'd think about this a little harder... and here's the extended version of my answer:

Brand I go to for face products: Maybelline

Maybelline's Dream Mousse Concealer
and
Maybelline's Mineral Power Concealer

I absolutely love both concealers! I love the Mousse one more just because it is so easy to apply!!!!!! Makes my make up routine a million times faster.

Brand I go to for Blush: Jane
Brand I go to for Bronzer: Rimmel

Rimmel's Mineral Bronzer in Sun Light (L)
Jane Blushing Cheeks in Blushing Petal (R)


Blush and bronzers are a must for me because I'm kinda pale and with the combo of both, I look like a I have healthy complexion! I look awake and ready to take on the world!! Jane blushes are so soft and, this one in particular, is so pretty and natural on me! The Rimmel Bronzer is my favorite bronzer and I love just dusting it all over my face. I feel like it brings life to my face... weird huh!

Brand I go to for High Lighter: Physician's Formula

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Vegas Strips

Love the pigmentation and texture of this! Very beautiful shimmer that isn't over stated. I use this both on my eyes and my cheeks to high light! I usually hate shimmery products but I love doing this during the month of spring because it gives me that fresh glow!

Brand I go to for Lip stuff: Revlon

Revlon's Colorburst lipstick in Soft Rose
and

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses

I really love the way Revlon lippies look and they feel great on the lips too. I find that Revlon has a lot more selections when it comes to types of lipstick, finishes, colors... etc. Their lip glosses are the only ones I really enjoy wearing also.

Brand I go to for Mascara: Maybelline

The first mascara I ever tried was Maybelline's Great Lash and at the time, I was so a n00b that I bought it in Brown! Boo! The 2nd I tried was the Full n' Soft and that was a great everyday, natural mascara! Even though I haven't tried any others, I feel like this brand has the most to offer me w/ all their new mascaras coming out. Some that I'm dying to try are: Lash Stiletto Voluptous, The Falsies, and Define A Lash.

Brand I go to for Brushes: ELF

ELF's $1 Professional Eye Shadow Brushes

I own two of these along with the $1 crease brush. These three are my essential weapons for eye make up! Besides that, I also own a few studio brushes and I really like them all! They are so cheap that you can have great tools but you can also save the money for more products to play with.

Brand I go to for Single Eye Shadow: CoverGirl

CoverGirl's Single in Tapestry Taupe

I am starting to fall in love with these shades! They come with so much products and various types of colors! Now, I do love the NYX singles but I feel like I don't reach for those as often as I reach for CoverGirl... not sure why! I also have Brown Smolder and Swiss Chocolate - both fantastic shades with great pigmentation and easy to wear.

Brand I go to for Palette Eye Shadow: Wet N' Wild

Wet N' Wild's Mega Eyes Trio in Mojave Mauves


This is my go to palette - eye shadows are soft, pigmented and freaking fantastic! I have two other palettes: Sugar Plum Fairies and Silent Treatment. Here are two recent FOTD's I did with these WnW eye shadow palettes:

1/29/11 w/ Mojave Mauves
1/25/11 w/ Sugar Plum Fairies

Brand I go to for Lip Balms: Burt's Bees

I am quite sure I've used up about 4 tubes and that's only because I wanted to use up my other lip balms too. I've used so many different lip balms but always go back to this one! LOVE IT - will repurchase when I run out of my other lip balms!

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.

Jane: Aguaceuticals; Hit or Miss...

So, I bought 3 things from the Jane Aguaceutical line and I want to do a bit of a review. First of all, Jane is not discontinued - only at Walgreens. I still see their products at Ulta. Second, I love love love their $3 blushing blushes! I own two and I absolutely LOVE them! Third, these are my own experiences. I feel like these products are worth mentioning and therefore I want to talk about them but it doesn't mean what happens to me will happen to you.



1) Agua ceuticals (I don't know if it is one word or not) Sheer Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Light Warm Tones for beige or yellow undertones

FIRST THOUGHTS:
+ I want something not too heavy but definitely moisturizing for summer
+ Oooh, really healthy ingredients
+ BOGO! YES! :D

PROS:
+ Claims to have natural organic ingredients
+ no parabens (which is really good)
+ SPF 30 is awesome
+ Gives light coverage so it can cover up some redness and discoloration

CONS:
+ Thick formulation - doesn't feel like a moisturizer should
+ Not moisturizing (excuse me! When I buy a tinted moisturizer, I obviously want some moisture in my skin... right?? NOPE).
+ Feels tacky - I can feel this on my skin once I've applied it.
+ Smells funky!
+ When I wash my face w/ my cleanser and I feel like everything is gone - I lick my lips and I taste bitterness... what is up w/ that?
+ I usually squeeze this on my hand and when I'm working on putting the stuff on, I notice the border of the moisturizer turned ORANGE
+ It started clumping into groups on my face

FINAL THOUGHTS: 2.5/5
Okay so I hated the product. Strangely, the first time I used it (and the second and the third), I didn't hate it. I thought - hey, nice coverage... wish it had more moisturizing feel though. But as time goes on, I start to hate it. I don't know, I feel like it is just me and that it could work on other people. Overall though, I don't like this tinted moisturizer at all. Although I don't say - BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK - I say - try it out but keep the receipt!

2) Blushstix in Shimmering Pink

FIRST THOUGHTS:
+ Yikes - don't like shimmery blushes
+ But I want to try more cream blushes
+ BOGO... why not

PROS:
+ Actually has color :D Not just shimmer!
+ Shimmer is not so bad!
+ It is totally wearable by my standard

CONS:
+ Hard to blend - texture sucks
+ Probably can't last without a powder blush on top
+ Smells bad

FINAL THOUGHTS: 3.5/5
I don't hate it but it's not something I MUST HAVE, you know. The color is okay and I think that is the problem - the color. Not my favorite. I don't think I would repurchase but, again, I don't hate it! I really think it is the color but there were 3 color choices... I thought pink would be the safest.

3) Mousse Eyeshadow in Sandstorm

FIRST THOUGHTS:
+ Could be a good eyeshadow base
+ Color looks awesome
+ Walgreens on sale! YES xD!

PROS:
+ Lovely color
+ Mousse texture - I love mousse texture

CONS:
+ Blends out to little or no color but just shimmer
+ I hear this can cause irritations to eyes...
+ Not that great for shadow bases

FINAL THOUGHTS: 2/5
Let me just say I love the color and texture but hated to use it :) It looked so nice when swatched on my hands but then it just didn't work out xp. Oh well.

In conclusion - this line is a MISS for me so far. If you guys have any inputs or anything to say, please comment! I would love to hear your experiences.

Thank you for reading,
have a lovely day :D

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!

The Blush Attack

So, Jane. going out of business and all has amazing sales lately and me, being a cheapo and all, got some coupons and decided to go shopping. I am now a proud owner of 3 Jane blushes!!

*image quality sucks! I miss my photoshop! Had to use my crappy Paint....



Blushing petal is matte - which is so awesome. It's a cool tone pink though so it won't warm up your face. Looks good for winter.

Blushing earth sheer is a lighter peachy pink color. Pretty shimmery (but I feel like the shimmer dies down a little after a while). Very light so it won't work on darker tanner skin tones.

Blushing plum is awesome! Plum is not like the actual fruit where it is like a bruised purple. No, it's really bright fun pink! Perfect for spring and summer. I like it. A bit shimmery so beware.

I find that all these blushes are pigmented and they are all last a while. I honestly recommend them especially now w/ a huge sale and all. I got Earth Sheer and Plum for 0.50 cent each b/c of the coupons. So be on the look out!