June 2012 Favorites

love & beauty Hydrating make-up wipes: I actually got these in a 2-pack for $2.80 at Forever 21. They come 30 wipes each, so 60 wipes for under $3 sounded fantastic. love & beauty is Forever 21's beauty brand, known to just use other cheap brands's manufacturers (e.l.f., LA Beauty, some Korean brands). At first I hated these. They're so thin that they rip, and don't take off waterproof make-up. I continued to use them and figured I just need to fold it in half to layer it up. I use two to remove my foundation and other make-up products. I've been using this the entire month and I like it. I wouldn't repurchase, though.

Maybelline Fit Me! Powder: I believe I bought this in April or May. I picked this up because I wanted a powder to set my foundation and give me a little extra coverage. I've come to really, really enjoy this product. It's not opaque enough to use as a foundation on its own, but on top of a foundation it covers really nicely. What I like is that I have dry skin and this isn't matte! It's more-so a velvet finish, and really comfortable to wear.

Revlon Lip Butter in "Creme Brulee": Definitely my go-to lip product! My favorite shade of the four or five lip butters I've tried. It's a sheer and warm neutral color, which is perfect for nude-ing out your lips. I can't get over how I love that it's a WARM neutral! It's my perfect everyday lip color.

Maybelline Baby Lips: This is the clear one with blue packaging. It smells like sweet lemonade. It's more slippery than most lip balms, which I like. I don't think it's done any long term healing or nourshing to my lips, but it's comfortable to wear and helps throughout the day.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze": I did a review on this a couple months back and it turned out the me the only Color Tattoo I still grab for! It's really just a neutral shimmery bronze. It's truly perfect for everyday alone, or as a color base for your neutral shadows.

Covergirl Outlast Lipcolor in "Red Affair": CVS has an annual clearance sale, and I heard itsjudytime rave about these. Supposedly L'oreal has a similar product, but I haven't tried those. Let me tell you, this stuff is AMAZING. It truly stays on all day. It's not a lip stain, but it certainly stays on way better than one. The down side is you can't rub your lips together with this product, which I have a bad habit of doing. This stays on through kisses, napkin wipes, food, drinks, you name it! The balm that comes with it is actually pretty good too. 

Philips Electric Brow Groomer: Okay, this isn't the official name of this product, however I can't remember what it's called. It's basically and electric trimmer. I use it to quickly and easily trim and clean up my brow area. I love this. I use it on my upper lip as well. 

Etsy Eyecandy

Etsy has been such a wonderland to me. My favorites are quickly getting filled up with handmade treasures, vintage finds, and unique supplies. I can't help it. I think I'm addicted.

All cases from iCaseSeraSera

Sometimes I wish I had an iPhone just for all the cute cases available for them.

All prints from AvantPrint

I think EVERYONE loves Miyazaki films... right? It's impossible not to!!! AvantPrint actually goes far beyond just Miyazaki films, but I really couldn't resist. Apparently they print on one-of-a-kind vintage book pages. I'd love to have these hanging in my room.

There's actually a lot more I've been drooling over on Etsy, but I figure I'd break them down into multiple installments!

What are your recent Etsy finds? x

disco nails inspiration

 

I'm kind of crazy about nail art. I'm also kind of crazy about Disco Nails. From what I've collected, they are a Japanese nail salon known for their intricate and crazy nail art. A famous client of theirs is Eriko Nakao (who is a personal girl crush of mine!)

They also have a tumblr, which is where all the photos are from.

Aren't you inspired by these photos? x

May 2012 Favorites

May has been a mixed bag for me. I finished my junior year of high school with mixed feelings. Anyways, my make-up has been pretty simple due to so many finals, exams, projects, and such. On any day I spotted eyeshadow, it was almost always neutral. I also went to my boyfriend's prom this month! Since it's nearly the end of the month, I figure it's time to include my monthly favorites.

L to R: Maybelline Fit Me! Powder in "310" | Wet'n'Wild Mega Last Lipstick in "Cherry Picking" | Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze" | Wet'n'Wild Color Icon in "Brulee"

A month or two ago, my friend who works at Target gave me his 30% off employee discount, so I picked up this powder. I was interested in a colored pressed powder since I was unsatisfied with my Laura Mercier loose powder. At first I regretted this purchase, but I've learned to love it! It's not matte, and leaves a decent lightweight coverage. I love that it adds a bit more coverage to any foundation or BB cream I wear.

I love these Wet'n'Wild lipsticks, and I think I've found my new favorite red. This is new to the permanent line (the shade). I grew tired of my bold true reds, and this just brought something subtly new. It's bright, but not true red. It comes off a lot different than it does in the tube!

The Maybelline Color Tattoos are fantastic. I particularly (and surprisingly) loved this shade the entire month. It's my go-to all over the lid shade. The word "bronze" originally turned me off to this shade, however I find that it's more a neutral shimmery shade... Bronze makes me think of more orange/warm tones. You can read my initial review here!

Wet'n'Wild truly kills it with their matte shadows. They truly make the best matte shadows I've ever, ever, ever used. They're soft and pigmented. This makes the perfect highlight and inner corner color.

L to R: Milani nail polish in "Totally 80s" | Maybelline Color Show in "Fierce n Tangy" | OPI "Mermaid's Tears" | NYC Quick Dry in "Lavender Cupcake"

I hope my selection doesn't seem too cliche. I wouldn't say it is! It's sort of a "twist" on the brights and pastels that often come to trend in the spring and summer time.

I love chartreuse, and I think Milani's "Totally 80s" captures it. This is the only nail polish I own from them, and I really want to try more. It's a great formula. Maybelline has a new range of nail polishes out, as I've mentioned in a previous post! I've been lurking around for a primary yellow and I've finally found it!

So looking at OPI's "Mermaid's Tears," you're probably just like, "God, another mint..." Wrong! I think this is a fresh take on the whole "mint" trend that's been around for the past three years. To me, this is more of a jade color and I love it! It looks so classy and polished. It looks really great with gold accessories and white clothes.

And then following the traditional pastel trend, NYC's "Lavender Cupcake" totally embraces the whole shebang. What attracts me to this color is how it looks like a pretty pastry (macaron perhaps?).

L to R: Physician's Formula Enriched Dry Skin Concentrate | Clean&Clear Advantage acne control moiturizer

Two skincare products that really helped my skin recover from a breakout are Physician's Formula's Enriched Dry Skin Concentrate (which I'm sure I've done a post on before!) and Clean&Cear's acne control moisturizer. PF's skin concentrate really helps hydrate and heal any dry skin of mine. I especially love applying it on my dry patches right after I shower. It seems to really lock in the moisture and keeps my skin feeling baby soft! It's helped with the healing process of my acne, since after they go, they get really dry. C&C's acne control moisturizer is something I used in middle school. The scent is nostalgic. Ha. It has salicylic acid in it, which is something I've been dying for in a moisturizer. I love wearing this during the day because it sits on my skin and creates a barrier between my skin and my make-up while treating acne. I'd definitely say it's helped clear up my skin.

What are your favorites for this month? Thanks for reading!

spring nail polish favorites

so i know it isn't exactly spring yet, but we're nearing it! warm weather, come to san jose already!

so there's basically three 'trends' (not sure if they are trends, but 'styles' i've been digging!) i'm enjoying right now are: duo chrome / beetle-y, muted bolds, and neon.

duo chrome / beetle - so basically i've been really into duo chromes. to summarize, duo chromes are like holographic (micro) glitters that change color depending on how the light hits it! some cars have this effect too, but i don't know them well enough to go on about that. the two i featured are 'beetle' by hard candy and 'grey's anatomy' by wet'n'wild. you can see the duo chrome effect in the photos!

muted bolds - the one i'm featuring is essie's 'go overboard', which is new to spring 2012. this is the only color i've worn twice in a row (as in, as soon as it chipped after a week, i painted it again until it chipped!). i LOVE this color. i never liked a blue nail polish before until now. what i mean by muted bold is like... i've been into colors that are sort of deep, but standout-ish. colors that you'd find in a crayola marker pack in "BOLD." haha.

neons - i never ever thought i'd be into neons. ever. however, i love milani's 'totally 80s' from their neon collection. it isn't really neon, though. it's more chartreuse to me, but i still love it. people have frowned on it and said it looked ugly, but i think it looks really good with a tan! the last bottle in the photo is urban outfitter's 'jerk,' and it is a true HIGHLIGHTER yellow/green. they both have this velvet finish. it's pretty cool, actually. these would look good if you put a matte top coat over it! i love the way these two look when i wear black clothes.

february 2012 favorites

a wee bit late, but never too late!

(school) lanyard: i don't care what any fashion-conscious person says about lanyards. hate them all you want; i love mine! my parents are always scolding me for forgetting my keys at home, so i decided to help myself (and my friend, she was selling this as a fundraiser for the swim team) and purchase a nifty lanyard. why not keep my keys on my neck the whole day? i've been wearing it nonstop since i've gotten it, and this is the best $2 i've spent in a long while. i haven't worn any necklaces since, but i don't mind. i kinda think it looks cool... school spirit, preppy, whatever. and yes, i have no car key. take note of the bike lock key! and the heart thingy is actually an audio jack splitter that lets you plug in TWO headphones. nifty on nifty!

the body shop vitamin e face mist: i purchased this along with a handful of other stuff during december when the body shop had their sale (BOGO free and B2G2 free). i think what drew me to this product was that 1) it's for dry skinned folks like myself, 2) i already really liked the vitamin e line, and 3) it claimed to set make-up! the make-up setting property probably sold me the most. does it really do that? not really, i find my face getting oily much quicker when i use it as a setting spray. but golly gee, this stuff is hydrating! i love spraying this whenever i felt my face getting tight or dry throughout the day and it helps reduce any powdery-ness of my face.

missha bb cream no.27: i LOVE this bb cream. more than any foundation i own! i got this for $8 during their promotional sale, but it's originally around $30! what they say about bb cream is true, it's good stuff. i won't get much into it, but i truly do love this product. i haven't been into my revlon colorstay lately because i've been wanting a dewey / glowy finish.

wet'n'wild coloricon single "panter": wet'n'wild seriously makes the best matte drugstore eyeshadows. ever. i was in love with their six pan palettes and i think the one called "greed" had the same matte black shadow. it's matter and ultra pigmented... perfect for setting my gel liner. i was so torn when they announced that they were discontinuing it, but jumped out of my seat when i saw this single pop up on blogs!! it's even more pigmented than in the palette! but less soft, and the packaging hurts my fingers when i try to open it. HG line-setting shadow, though!

MAC fluidline "blacktrack": this was featured last month and is one of my HG products. what else is there to say? good stuff.

shu uemura lash curler: yup. just about everyone's favorite lash curler. i've tried shiseido, tweezerman, and some other brands but none fit me as well as this. given, not everyone will love this because not everyone has the same eyeshape! i've just been diggin' curling my lashes a little bit more this month. another HG product.

favorite bloggers / youtubers of the moment

lately i've been finding myself to be obsessed with these lovely girls... they're like, ultra babes with rad style ♡ their style of blogging / youtubing isn't exactly like something you'd find from michellephan and the like. it's definitely more... 'unprofessional?' but in a good way, trust me. i guess it seems more relaxed (less serious) and personal, which i really dig. they all seem really down-to-earth and just totally... cool.

chrissstttiiine
http://chrissstttiiine.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/chrissstttiiine

i think i discovered christine when she interviewed clothesencounters some time back. i didn't get into her blog or youtube until recently! she really really really channels this cool vibe, and kinda reminds me of my sister in 2004 - 2005. i truly dig listening to her voice in her videos (creepy haha) and i LOVE her style. and she takes pictures of good food and cute cats.

meesheo
http://www.meesheo.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/megaintense

i discovered meesheo (michelle) through looking up 'bettie bangs' videos on youtube haha. i actually considered cutting my bangs like bettie page multiple times in my life... but anways, i recently got into her via chrissstttiiine! i ADORE this chick's style. i'm trying to draw inspiration from them actually, but ican't seem to. i guess she's just more fashion eye-candy *-* !

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