Collective haul + new daily staples

It's not new news that I disappear then re-appear on my beauty blog every now and then. Sorry, again... and hi. :)

I haven't been able to splurge as much as I'd like to lately, but I've managed to buy total must-haves, except maybe the VS lip gloss since I'm not a big fan of lip gloss. It was on sale for $1.75 during their semi-annual sale.

Victoria Secret lip gloss in Ms. Mojita $7.00 - I wanted to give lip gloss another go, and since this was only $1.75, it wasn't heartbreaking. I can stand using lip gloss indoors, but I don't like it outdoors where my hair blows all over my face. I end up licking off this lip gloss because it smells so yummy. It doesn't taste as it smells, but it doesn't taste nasty.

Chapstick in green tea mint $3.99 - One day I was "craving" for that minty feeling on my lips and so I got my fix at Walgreens and bought this lip moisturizer. I've been using it everyday because I love it! Alternatively, I have other moisturizers that I love: MAC lip conditioner SPF 15, Rosebud Perfume Co. strawberry lip balm, and Ole Henriksen African red tea lip salvation.

MAC pro long wear concealer in NC42 $16.50 - MAC pro long wear is the best foundation and concealer at the MAC store suitable for my oily skin. I use this concealer to cover my dark circles as well as attempt to highlight my face, but I need more practice on that. I apply this with my Revlon crease brush, it's like a mini MAC 224 brush, sort of. Sometimes I skip concealer and just go straight to foundation.

Make Up For Ever HD foundation in 153 $40.00 - This is the most expensive cosmetic product I've bought so far, and it was worth it. I don't use foundation everyday, so this will last me a long time. I think I'm a closer match to 173, but I got 153 because I apply just a sheer layer of foundation to my face to give me a brighter complexion since my neck gets lighter than my face. I'm a number of shades all over my body, but I can't avoid how much the sun hits my face. The consistency seems thin, but it has good coverage. I love it because I have oily skin so that's a plus. Also, I could never find the right shade of department store foundation elsewhere besides at MAC, so that's why I got this too. It's a notable foundation as well as more affordable compared to other higher-end brands that I'm not willing to splurge on. This is a great buy. I've stopped reaching out for my MAC studio fix and pro long wear foundation. Then again, I've stopped reaching out for them because it takes too much effort to get to because I've packed a bunch of stuff on top of my train case.

Eco Tools bamboo finishing kabuki $6.99 - Eco Tools brushes are famous for being soft, and this one doesn't beg to differ. It's a typical stippling brush, but just softer and I got this mainly for travel purposes. Cheap and effective, love it.

MAC paint pot in quite natural $16.50 - I use this on my eyebrows in place of an eyebrow pencil ever since I colored my hair brown. Then I apply dark brown eyeshadow to make it darker since the paint pot is just a brown, not light, not dark. This product lasts forever. I've been using it everyday for two months now and barely made a hole in it.

Bobbi brown gel liner in black ink $21.00 - My beloved Smashbox gel liner has been nearing the end of its lifestyle so I decided to try out a new one. My eyelids are extremely oily and it does a good job at staying put when the weather's not too humid here. However, summer's been humid here in Hawaii, so I use some UDPP to make it last longer. Sometimes I give into the hype (not that it's a bad thing) and buy things that are being raved about, but I tend to take a while to buy it. I like this eye liner, but I think Smashbox's gel liner is better for me.

Bdellium Tools studio brush #957 (travel-sized) $15.00 - I've always wanted a brush like this and so I got it. It's a very pretty brush and my current favorite brush to apply and buff foundation and powder to my face.

Tweezerman Tweezerette tweezer $7.00 - This tweezer grips onto hairs really good. I haven't tried the original Tweezerman tweezers so I don't know how they compare. However, I have a hard time tweezing my super thin and super short hairs with this tweezer but I blame my hairs more than I blame the tweezer. I'll probably look more into the Tweezerman pointed tweezer for my next tweezer purchase. (I've never used the word tweeze so much before!) Switzerland is the best place for steel tools! ;)

April's graduation make up

Putting on make up on someone else may or may not be a difficult task. Working with different eye shapes is the most challenging, but I love experience and the feeling with a glorious outcome after having to overcome hesitation while in the process of applying make up on someone else.

This is April, a very close friend I call my sister :) and she graduated high school this past weekend. I was honored to do her make up, and very glad to see her reach such a big mark in her life. Congratulations April and class of 2011! 

Eyes: UDPP, MAC paint pot in bare story, MAC e/s in dazzlelights, mulch, and carbon.

Face: Yves Rocher foundation in beige 300, set with Coty Airspun loose transparent powder.  Blushed with MAC blush in harmony and desert rose.

What's in your make up bag?

I did a make up bag post like this a few months ago. I think that it's always fun to see what people have in their bags. After all, the contents of all our bags change on a day to day basis.

The contents of my bag, for now, have minimized to the absolute basics and must-haves for an everyday application excluding foundation.

In my Betsey Johnson bag (had to get it because I'm a stripe lover!) are:

• Sally Hansen eyelash curler 
• MAC lip conditioner
• MAC paint pot in quite natural
• Jordana eyeshadow in black
• Maybelline lash stiletto voluputous
• MAC 266 brush
• Prestige eyeliner
• MAC eyebrow crayon in velvetone
• Loreal carbon black lineur intense
• Too Faced glamour gloss in pillow talk
• MAC lipstick in spirit

Swatches & haul: ELF cream eyeshadows and other products

I placed my order about a week ago and just received my order last night. I didn't get to do a look with these products, but when I do it'll be a typical smokey eye. All I had a chance to do was to swatch the cream eyeshadow that seems to be getting great reviews. I purchased mainly ELF studio items because I had a promotional code for 50% off studio items. 

(Top row, l-t-r) ELF studio pressed powder in caramel, ELF studio matte eyeshadow in charcoal and nude, and two ELF bronzers.

(Bottom row, l-t-r) ELF studio cream eyeshadow in dawn, eggplant, bronzed, and candlelight, and two ELF mineral eyeshadows.

And here's swatches of them single-stroked:

Review: Maybelline's lash stiletto voluptuous

I've got typical straight and stubborn Asian eyelashes so it's hard for me to find a working mascara within my budget. I used to use Cover Girl's lash blast mascara for years until I stumbled upon Maybelline's falsies (a few posts ago I had lost it, replaced it, and now I found it). It would give me thick eyelashes but it wouldn't hold the curl for me, it also would somehow be a messy and time consuming application for me. However, it worked out after waiting a few minutes for it to dry, then curling my lashes... but that's just such a hassle. With Maybelline's falsies, it held the curl and gave me a little bit of length as well as volume. I feel the same way about Maybelline's lash stiletto voluptuous. There's actually one without the "voluptuous" that I haven't tried. And, I actually like the brush better because I seem to be able to control it more. I guess until something new that works comes up, Maybelline's falsies and lash stiletto mascarsas will be staples in my make up bag. 

Bare eyelashes.

Curled eyelashes.

Applied two coats of mascara. 

LOTD: smokey eyes using MAC pigment

Working with loose pigments is my least bit favorite thing about make up because it's just such a mess. It also takes practice so don't give up on them because the color pay-off is wonderful. I've tried a bunch of mineral make up such as Bare Minerals and All Natural Face and they're good products but I don't catch myself reaching for them... at all, but if I do it's usually for highlighting underneath my eyebrows.

In these pictures, I'm using my new Canon camera that catches every megapixel of my face really well. How lame, because as you can all see, in existence within the photos are my pores that make me self-conscious! But I'm flawed and I know that, so my self-esteem isn't so low. :)

We had attended a wedding reception for Dustin's aunt... so... honestly, this is the first look in a while where I had a reason to get dolled up. Lol! 

My generic Conair hair curler stopped working, kinda and what a day to not cooperate. It did a decent job though, and of course I got that replaced. :)

Products used

Foundation: MAC studio fix in NC44 set with Coty Airspun loose face powder in translucent

Concealer: Kat Von D concealer in almond

Lips: MAC l/s in spirit, glossed with Too Faced glamour gloss in pillowtalk

Eyeshadow base: MAC paint pot in bare study. I was in a rush and had forgotten to put on UDPP or TFSI! It's alright though because I was in an air-conditioned setting and it was just for a few hours.Eyelashes: Red Cherry lashes... sorry I forgot the number, but they're not as dramatic. Eyeliner: Smashbox jet set gel linerBlush and contour: MAC blush in harmony, MAC blush in desert rose, and MSF (MAC skin finish) in soft and gentle for face highlight. 

Eyeshadows 

MAC pigment: naked

MAC e/s: carbon

Stila e/s: white eyeshadow to highlight. Sorry but I don't know any of the names for my Stila eyeshadows. 

Brows

MAC paint pot in quite natural 

Jordana color effects eye shadow in total black out

LOTD: dazzlelights + carbon & new hair cut!

On Friday I went to pick up my new point and shoot camera that shoots HD video. I've been wanting to make youtube videos but my Sony point and shoot takes the smallest videos (320x240!!!) and my dSLR is too heavy and takes too much memory. So I went and got a Canon one although I haven't tested it out, and because I didn't have a chance to try out my new eyeshadows, I created this look:

Products used
Foundation: MAC studio fix in NC44 set with Coty airspun loose face powder in translucent
Concealer: Kat Von D concealer in almond
Lips: MAC l/s in spirit
Eyeshadow base: Too Faced shadow insurance and MAC paint pot in bare study
Eyelashes: Maybelline one by one mascara in black. I really don't like this mascara because it doesn't hold the curl as much as I'd like it to, although I do like the way it thickens. I just lost my trusty Maybelline falsies mascara, I hope I find it soon, but just in case I don't I already went to my neighborhood drugstore to replace it.
Eyeliner: Smashbox jet set gel liner
Blush and contour: MAC blush in harmony


Eyeshadows
MAC e/s: dazzle lights
MAC e/s: mystery
MAC e/s: carbon
Stila e/s: white eyeshadow to highlight. Sorry but I don't know any of the names for my Stila eyeshadows.

Brows
MAC paint pot in quite natural
Jordana color effects eye shadow in total black out

Incidentally, I got a new hair cut to get rid of my split ends and get rid of the tremendous amount of layers that I had from the same haircut over and over and over again. I also colored my hair but might be coloring it back to black or dark brown soon.


In other news, I'm irritated at the fact that a few days ago I had re-done my tag list and because it just had to be during the time when blogger was having issues so it got reverted back to the old tags. That was a waste of time...

Day 03- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.

I wish I didn't have the habit of browsing the internet in search of make up and beauty products! It's a waste of time and money, but hey it makes me happy and that's all that matters, right? :)

I also wish I didn't have a habit of procrastinating and had a certain time for a certain day to do a certain thing, but I'm just a slacker - always was and always will be - because this 30 day challenge is so many months ago!

Swatches: MAC paint pots | HAUL: MAC paint pot and eyeshadow pans

The latest additions to my MAC collection are: paint pot in bare study and eyeshadow pans in carbon and dazzle lights. It's taken me forever to invest in the best affordable and pigmented black eyeshadow (carbon), yet still considering it too expensive for my budget... just because I'll eventually want all of the eyeshadows! I've managed to get by using NYX's eyeshadow in black, but I wanted to try out something new and test out the intensity of the pigmentation.

This is my first swatch for make-up products, particularly eye products and I found out that it's pretty messy. I also I have to find the perfect spot on my body to swatch colors. Maybe I'll try my (skinny) arm next. As you can see my nasty looking wrist. I don't know why but it's just that way... ok, tmi.

Since I have oily eye lids, I first prime my eyes with UDPP or TFSI, then I put a paint pot over it to make my eyeshadows pop out and look better. ^_^

MAC paint pots:

Top: bare study, soft ocre, painterly, 

Bottom: vintage selection (limited edition), quite natural, constructivist

I usually use quite natural as a base for my eyebrows then top it off with black eyeshadow powder. 

Here are the paint pots swatched upon my NC44 skin. 

And then I topped it off with MAC eyeshadow in dazzlelights. Love love love this color already even though I haven't used it. I think it looks the best on bare study and soft ocre. :)

How to: Depot eyeshadows! (straightener method) & eyeshadow storage alternatives

This is what I did the whole day today!

I've been finding a way to declutter my makeup collection. The best way suitable was to depot eyeshadows from bulky containers and I did it with the good old straightener method, which can simply be googled!

The problem with depotting eyeshadows is finding a place to put them. I emptied my old Victoria Secret palette just to put some of my Wet n' Wild eyeshadows. Then I improvised on storage units by visiting my local GBC packaging store and bought some gift card containers put eyeshadow pans from other palettes including my Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland palette and my Urban Decay NYC palette. I took it up a notch and decorated the plain boxes with embellishments parted from the original packaging.

I have yet to adhere them somehow, and when I think of the perfect idea how to then I will.

Swatches: Pretty Woman neon colored nail polishes

I'm not too fond of neon colors, but I've been wanting to buy nail polishes to add to my collection particularly for some funky cheetah nail art designs. I'm not sure when I'm actually going to put neon colored nail polishes, but I bought it anyways because I found it at Ross for only $5.99. They're small, and I figured that's a good thing since it's just for small and intricate detailing. I compared it to a bottle of China Glaze. China Glaze looks like their mother. :P

Note: my color wheels make nail polishes dry matte when on real nails they're glossy.

Review: Sally Hansen "flirty eyes" eyelash curler & haul

Even though I know that you should stay away from curling your eyelashes, I do it anyways because it's the only way to make my single eyelids bigger to seem more awake. I naturally always look tired because my eyes are so small. :( So thank goodness for eyelash curlers and mascara when you don't feel like wearing falsies or investing in eyelash extensions, eyelash growth products, or the patent pending lash mascara that lasts for weeks. 

I can get away without wearing make-up... except for my eyebrows. When I'm drawing in my eyebrows, I tell everyone it isn't make-up just to make myself feel better... hahaha. So, I don't tweak my eyes every single day of my life because sometimes I get lazy or run out of time since I'm not quite a morning person. 

On another note, I love great drugstore beauty buys. One of my favorite drugstore brands from the very start is Sally Hansen. I was always fascinated with nail polish so I would be excited to see 40% off sales and would bulk up on products. Sally Hansen just came out with a bunch of beauty utensils that don't look like it's from the drugstore. I don't care whether or not things look like its from the drugstore, I just care if its decent or great quality for a bargain.

I got a nipper $10.99, brow scissors $6.99, and eyelash curler $5.99 from Walgreens. I know they're currently on sale at CVS (in Hawaii for sure) and they're 40% off which is the best deal ever. I bought mines too early. :( Oh well. 

Here are the corresponding captions to the following pictures:
First & second pic: right eyelash curled with no product on
Third & fourth pic: both eyelashes curled with two coats of Maybelline falsies mascara (my HG product! <333)

Review: I personally like this eyelash curler. It fits my eye just right so don't get it unless you have small eyes like me. It's not as wide as other eyelash curlers like Shu Uemura's or MAC's, I know that even though I don't own any of those. They do have another type of eyelash curler, so maybe it'll be a hit... or miss... for you beauties who have bigger eyes than me. :)