31 January, 2012

banners


drawings

so i've decided beauty / fashion blogging just isn't my thing... so i'm converting this to an ~art bl0g~. i'm not gonna delete anything because i think it's kinda cool to look back at old things and being embarrassed about them. but yeah. i'll still post pictures of outfits and stuff i buy, but i just won't be so... fake-sounding when i try to review (which i notice very much)... um yeah. here's some old drawings that i found on my computer.










29 January, 2012

first impressions: sugar lip treatment



the little gift box it came in

as my birthday is coming up, sephora gifted me with a mini lip duo from sugar. in this tiny box contained a regular but cult-favorite sugar lip treatment spf 15 and a tinted version of it. they both are 2.2g / 0.08oz, which is not that bad for minis. i think the average chapstick is about 3 - 4g of product anyways.


very very very nice packaging!

the packaging is definitely the nicest lip balm packaging i've ever had... or felt. i'm not really sure what it's made of, but it's very sturdy and isn't a pull-off cap! i found that to feel really... luxurious? not sure what word would describe it, but it just feels really nice quality. what i really like is that the top half doesn't end close to where the balm actually is. i find that most lip balms that do that tend to get hairs, dust, and lint stuck in them, which really makes it gross to use. i usually have to dig it out with my nails which is even more gross!


screw-off cap

truth be told, the scent of the balm reminds me of nestle instant sweet tea. but just watered down. it's not a bad scent, and i actually enjoy it a lot. it doesn't last very long, though. they don't list the ingredients on the box i have, but i'm sure you can see what they are if you check the sugar website or sephora.


the actual product!

the balm itself is really moisturizing when you apply it. it doesn't feel like you're packing on a lot of balm as i find with the eos lip balms. it feels really smooth, like a balm really should, or at least how i prefer mine! it's not exactly slippery, but it's not heavy and tacky either. it's actually how i prefer my balms to be, so this pleases me very much! there isn't a gloss or shine when they're applied, but it does give your lips a small shine / glow. i'm really happy with that! the moisture has lasted me for a couple hours, or at least the product has sat on my lips for that long. i actually just wiped off the product that was sitting on my lips to see how much my lips absorbed... and i can say they feel nicely moisturized. they don't feel super soft or anything, but they definitely feel as though they're hydrated (which they're not... heh).


swatches (top: sugar rose tinted lip treatment spf 15 | bottom: sugar lip treatment spf 15 )

so above are some swatches (duh! haha) of the balms. they appear to have a shimmery cast in my photos, but that's just the balm reflecting off the wrinkles in my hand (what can i say, my hands are active creatures..). as you can see, the tinted lip balm isn't pigmented whatsoever. it has the slightest hair of a tint of rose. it doesn't provide any coverage of your natural lip color, but rather adds a rosey hint to your own lips, which i like. it makes them look a little more perked and, well, glowy.

xo

january favorites

can you believe the first month of january is already over? days and weeks fly by way too quickly... soon enough i'm going to be seventeen. it's really strange how quickly high school flies by. elementary school and middle school seemed to have taken forever to get over with... and now it just feels like my youth is escaping away for me. everyone is always telling me to enjoy my high school career, but how can i when it's slipping out of my fingers? oh man.



anyways, here are my favorite make-up products of january! i would have included skin care, clothes, and misc but i was kinda lazy. and it just feels like i have to gradually get myself back into blogging again... so yeah. i don't really know my own style for this blog yet, and i just wanna... do whatever. ha. i don't even know where i'm going with this. anyways, my favorites are a mix of old favorites and new loves. i think most of these fave made it into my personal favorites nonetheless.


laura mercier loose setting powder - sephora

pond's wet cleansing towelettes -
this is my second time purchasing a bulk pack of three of these! i got it for around $9, and these so far have been my choice cleansing towelettes. i use to them take of any make-up at night, and then i proceed to clean my face. these aren't amazing holy grail wipes, but they've been my favorite out of the few i've tried (baby wipes don't take off everything and the neutrogena ones leave my skin feeling strange). i tend to like pond's products because they're a-ok for sensitive skin.

revlon color stay foundation - oh gosh. the color selection in this range really is nuts. there are over twenty colors to choose from, and some of them are just so close to one another. i actually purchased one that's just slightly darker than me, but it was so hard to tell in stores! anyways, i purchased the one for oily/combination skin even though i have more normal/dry skin because i wanted a matte foundation, and i was afraid of shimmers in the other formulation. this stuff really does live up to its name! it's the longest wearing foundation i've ever purchased.

maybelline stylish smokes in "natrual smokes" - this is actually a re-purchase. i purchased it back in fall, but my sister wanted it and i gave it to her. the pigmentation in this quad is really average. it's not bad, but it's definitely not the most pigmented palette i've owned. it really isn't bad at all! however, i love it for the colors and the price. i'm happy to have re-purchased this.


MAC fluidline in "blacktrack" - MAC stores and counters

laura
mercier loose setting powder - after hearing just about every beauty blogger rave about this stuff and using my sister's, i decided to get my own. the price tag didn't bother me at all because it's actually cheaper than sonia kashuk! you pay less per ounce. can you believe that!? laura mercier is actually cheaper than a drugstore brand? and the sonia kashuk one isn't even that great... anyways, this powder is the finest powder i've ever touched. my boyfriend was amazed at how fine it was too! it definitely prolongs the wear of my foundation and it just somehow makes your face a little more flawless (even though it's colorless).

MAC fluidline in "blacktrack" - i actually purchased this over a year ago and it hasn't dried up at all! and i've still got a ton of product left. this truly is the best eyeliner i've ever used, and it's still going strong as my favorite.

xo

update + mini haul 1/28/12


powder puff - rite aid | cream blush - forever 21 | hope in a jar (deluxe sample) - philosophy, sephora | mini sugar lip duo - sephora

hello there! it's definitely been quite some time since i've posted on this blog. hopefully i'll be posting more. hopefully. no promises. i've been meaning to update this blog actually. for the future, i plan on posting OOTDs, cosmetic reviews, beauty tips, DIYs, and other fun but lame (from me) things. anyways, today i went on a mini shopping spree with my ever so lovely boyfriend. guess how much my haul total was? $1.50! my boyfriend purchased the powder puff for me, as well as an unpictured wet n' wild liner that i wanted to try... the cream blusher was the only thing i paid for, and it's actually a gift for my sister. the deluxe hope in a jar is my 100 point perk gift from sephora, and the sugar lip duo is sephora's birtday gift to me. isn't getting free stuff the best?



tna sweater - aritzia

pictured above is a sweater that i bought on sale for $25 at aritzia. the color immediately drew me in, of course. right here, y'all, is a sucker for lilac. anyways, at first i was a smidgen bit hesitant to purchase these, but i went for it anyways. i'm happy with it.

lame post, but whatevs. see you all soon!

xo