From Head To Toe

How To Apply BB Cream

2012-01-25T02:23:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I said I would start doing more "basics" videos this year and I wanted to kick-start that trend with one of the most highly requested videos, a "how to apply BB Cream" tutorial.

I was actually surprised to see that so many of you wanted to see this, but like with foundation, the texture of the product has a lot of impact on how best to apply it. My technique is actually a bit different than how I apply foundation so here's a step-by-step look at how I prefer applying BB Cream.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Skin 79 VIP Gold Triple Functions BB Cream (use code FRMHEADTOTOE for 5% off!)
NARS Concealer in Custard
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

ON ME:

Lipstick is Urban Decay Naked
J. Crew bateau tee (similar/similar)
Nailpolish is Urban Outfitters polish in Hangover (similar/similar)

So for those of you new to "bb cream", they are Asia's answer to an all-in-one tinted moisturizer. They give a natural coverage while giving additional benefits like sun protection, anti-aging properties, evening skin discoloration, and help to heal blemishes and unbalanced skin. I do have an overview review and post of several different kinds which you can check out here.

I show you the entire process in the video, but I'll break down my process into a few easy steps:

1. Dot all over face

2. Blend into skin

3. Add extra dots where more coverage is needed

4. Pat into selected areas to get more coverage

5. Add concealer if needed

6. Set with powder if needed

I also added some of my favorite natural blush, Tarte Exposed, as well as a bit of Urban Decay Naked lipstick to get the final face that is fresh, glowy, and perfect for everyday.

I hope this was helpful for those of you who wanted some extra-precise direction in applying BB Cream. I do want to mention as a disclaimer that there really is no "right way" when it comes to makeup and to experiment with brushes, fingers, sponges, etc. to see what works best for you! For me, the ease of using no primer, brushes, or even setting powders most days makes bb creams a great everyday face makeup winner. :)

Let me know in the comments what you'd like to see in the next "basics" video!

Drugstore Haul & Bloopers!

2012-01-19T16:15:00.000-06:00

I'm sure most of you have heard tons of hype about several new drugstore products that have launched recently. In addition to Revlon's Lip Butters and L'Oreal's Infallible eyeshadows, Maybelline has also come out with a new cream shadow product that had me literally going to 4 different stops around town to find!

Here's what I picked up during my hunt below:

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow (999 Eternal Black, 889 Midnight Blue, 891 Continuous Cocoa, and 888 Iced Latte)
Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Eyeshadow (Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze)
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine
L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Black
Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Sunbaked Neutrals
Sonia Kashuk Large Crease Brush
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Revlon nail polish in Scandalous

ON ME:

Victoria's Secret Shirt (similar/similar/similar)
Ebay scarf (similar/similar)
Square ring is from Hautelook (invite here)
Nailpolish is Urban Outfitters polish in Hangover (similar/similar)

The black furry thing is my dog, Cherry. :) You can see more of her in my Bday vlog here.

So here are the new Infallible eyeshadows I picked up:
Clockwise from left 891 Continuous Cocoa, 889 Midnight Blue, 999 Eternal Black, and 888 Iced Latte

And here are swatches. You can see the silver glitters in Eternal Black. Midnight Blue and Iced Latte both have a pretty metallic sheen to them while Continuous Cocoa is more of a satin-matte finish. All are incredibly pigmented and long-lasting.

999 Eternal Black / 889 Midnight Blue / 891 Continuous Cocoa / 888 Iced Latte

Here's an alternative swatch image screencapped from my video footage. You can see how Iced Latte has a gold tint to it which is why I love it so much!

The next item I wanted to highlight are the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows which are a long-wearing cream shadow similar to MAC Paint Pots.

Tough as Taupe is a beautiful matte mushroom grey with slight purple undertones.

Bold to the Bronze is a medium bronze that is slightly cooler than it looks in the pan. I could see this looking nice on both warm and cooler skintones.

Here are my swatchs for the 2 colors I picked up. I only got the 2 most neutral shades because those are the ones I thought I would love the most, but they also do come in several more brighter colors including orange, turquoise, purple, and burgundy.

I have worn these for the last couple of days (ever since I bought them) and they have been stellar in terms of wear. They do dry pretty quickly so I actually prefer using my fingers for application versus a brush to get maximum smudging control. When I swatched my hand yesterday, these didn't come off until I used cleansing oil to remove them at the end of the day! This is something to note for those of you who tend to have issues with, say, NYX Jumbo eye pencils creasing. You'll probably need a waterproof makeup remover to get these off at the end of the night but they last throughout the day which is precisely why I LOVE them!

I want to test some of the other items in my haul out more before I give them a full review but I'll try to put them up here on the blog soon!

Hope you enjoyed my haul and let me know if you picked any of these items up as well, or if you have suggestions of other items I should try. :)

Everyday Monolid Makeup Tutorial

2012-01-13T18:02:00.002-06:00

I feel like it's been quite a while since I last posted up a strictly monolid tutorial! I've had a lot of requests for looks that don't involve any type of false lashes. I know falsies can be intimidating and over-the-top for most people to wear on a daily basis, so I wanted to show you guys what I've been wearing lately on days when I want to look a little more dressier but still working with my creaseless eyes.

Watch the video below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Buck, Virgin, Darkhorse, Creep)
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in 892 Amber Rush
Wet & Wild Gel Eyeliner
NYX Slide-On Eyeliner Pencil in Jet Black
Stila Pencil in Topaz
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
K Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Yeyo
Skin79 VIP Gold BB Cream
Nars Concealer in Custard
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch

MY OUTFIT:

Target gingham shirt (old)
J Crew honeycomb sweater
I don't remember where I got the necklace & earrings from!
Silver rings are from ebay
Nailpolish is OPI Pamplona Purple with bronze tips

For those of you who are new to the term "monolid" it refers to the lack of an upper eyelid crease which is common among (but not exclusive to) Asians. As you can see here, there is no distinct crease on my eyelid. To enhance the flat surface, I layered my eyeshadow to create depth and interest, accentuating the almond shape of my eyes.

When I recorded this tutorial, I actually had uneven eyelids, the left eye being a true monolid and my right eye had a very small crease which in Korean we call "sok ssangapul" which literally translates to "inner/hidden eyelid crease" which you can see below.

The main point for this look is to create a soft winged cat eye to emphasize the shape of the eye when open, while avoiding the dreaded "black hole" on your eyes while your eyes are closed which so many monolidders default to. Ideally, the eyes should be attractive open or closed. :)

Layering the steps of waterproof eyeliner (gel liner, then waterproof pencil to smudge, then set with eyeshadow) will help the eyes to stay strong all day and not smudge around giving you panda eyes.

And you know me, I always have to take some sillies with each photoshoot. Kiss, kiss!

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial and let me know in the comments what you would like to see next.

I'm thinking I want to focus on doing more "basics" tutorials like how to apply gel/liquid/pencil eyeliner, how to apply foundation, how to apply bb cream, etc but I'd love your feedback on what is most important on your list!

How To Wash Makeup Brushes: 3 Ways

2012-01-10T19:12:00.000-06:00

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "How do you clean your makeup brushes?" It seems like it would be a really simple task, but with all of the levels of cleaning and various methods you can do, it can easily become a daunting endeavor.

Here, I show you the methods I use most frequently broken down into 3 levels: spot cleaning, basic cleaning, and deep cleaning.

Products mentioned:
Wet Ones
Parian Spirit (Japonesque version here)
Sigma Dry & Shape (use code 0112XJML for 10% off through 1-31-11)

American Apparel turtleneck dress
Hollister ponchor (similar / similar)
Headband is from Forever 21 (similar / similar)
Nailpolish is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Tyin' The Knot with Sephora for OPI Traffic Stopper Copper on top

1. Spot Cleaning - Best for daily use or on-the-go situations

For spot cleaning I actually learned the Wet Ones trick from another makeup artist and I've found it to be a really great tool not just around the house but absolutely in my makeup kit as well. It can clean up little mistakes on the face as well as wipe down and disinfect makeup tools and brushes. When I need to apply makeup to many faces in a short period of time, I always do a quick disinfecting of my brushes between clients using these wipes as well as a spray of rubbing alcohol if needed.

2. Basic Cleaning - Quick and easy for a few brushes

Parian Spirit is a liquid cleansing system that I bought at IMATS last year. It's great for cleaning & disinfecting brushes in most situations as long as you don't have a million brushes to clean at once. Just pour the citrus-scented liquid into the small glass jar, swirl your brush on the plastic mesh, and wipe down on a paper towel! I like this method the most because brushes dry quickly and it removes even the toughest gel liners and residue of brushes. You can even use this to remove eyelash glue off of lashes!

3. Deep Cleaning - A thorough wash and reconditioning of brushes

For deep cleaning I use several methods. Since I have my bad habit of going through a million brushes before I finally deep clean them (as evidenced in the video) I showed you the method that I use most often since I don't want to waste my MAC brush cleanser. With a simple mixture of olive oil, dish soap, and water, you can get through a large batch of brushes while disinfecting and conditioning them at the same time.

I also wanted to mention my new best friend for brush bath sessions, the Sigma Dry & Shape! Oh man was I so happy that this thing actually works. You guys know how much I love my F84 brush for foundation but those buggers (and most synthetic brushes) take a lot longer to dry than their natural bristle counterparts. With the Dry & Shape it takes brushes that would still be damp in the morning to being totally dry in 4 hours. The only downfall is that with hardcore use, some of the elastic bands on mine have started to become unstitched so I'm going to need to buy a replacement soon.

I finally went through nearly all of my brushes and deep cleaned them on the day I recorded the video and let me tell you, it took hours. Ridiculous, but necessary for a fresh start! For the first step of my New Years resolution to pare down my brushes to my favorites, I'm putting most of these into storage to try my first grouping of just my favorite brushes. Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: Sigma Dry & Shape was kindly gifted by the company. All other items were purchased myself. This post and video are not sponsored in any way. :)

Korea Times Los Angeles Feature!

2012-01-09T14:41:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to share with my Korean readers this recent article from the Korea Times Los Angeles newspaper. I feel very honored that they would feature me and I feel like it's extra special since it's in Korean. My parents aren't the type to give me tons of accolades for my online achievements, but somehow if it's written in Korean they seem to become very proud of me, which means a lot. ^_^

You can click below for a larger image.

Hopefully it's clear enough to be read with no problems.

To my Korean and international readers, thank you so much for all of your love and support! I would never believe in a million years that a small midwest girl like me could reach so far around the world and receive such great love and kindness back. It's a truly incredible thing to know that we can touch each other's hearts simply through a computer screen. That, to me, is magic!

I love you guys and with my humblest and joy-filled heart, I want to say thank you!

December 2011 Hits & Misses

2012-01-03T20:27:00.001-06:00

Hello early January! It's time for another monthly hits & misses! Last month I found myself consistently grabbing the same products over and over but I think that is partially because of the fact that a few new products I bought have easily integrated into my daily routine. It's always a good sign when a new item steps in so easily, and I have a few of those in this month's favorites. :)

Products mentioned:
L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow 890 Bronzed Taupe (swatched here)
Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
Milani Liquif'eye Pencil in Black
NARS Immaculate Complexion Concealer
Diorskin Poudre Shimmer in Amber Diamond

On me:
Nailpolish is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength 32 Tyin' The Knot (bought in this haul) with Sephora for OPI Traffic Stopper Copper on top
Lipstick is Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch
Sweater vest and coral blouse are from LOFT (recent, on sale in stores)
Sequined collar from H&M
Ring is YSL Arty in lapis

So one of things I really want to highlight this month is Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch. As you can see, in the tube it's an almost intimidatingly Barbie blue-pink.

Thankfully this is one tinted lip balm that truly does feel more like a balm than a lipstick and it swatches to a pretty, translucent pink that is still pigmented enough to make the lips super girly without drying them out.

Overall, I'm really loving this lip product! It sells for around $4 at drugstores and I've seen it for around $2 at Target so it's very affordable. I'm not a huge fan of the childish-looking packaging (I can do princessy childish but bright yellow puffy letters aren't really my thing) but I'll forgive it since it's a good all-in-one product that I can throw in my purse and easily apply on an everyday basis.

The other product I wanted to mention is the NARS "Immaculate Complexion" concealer in Custard. After being disappointed with quite a few concealers after the discontinuation of my favorite Lancome Photogenic potted concealer in Camee, this is the first one to be an adequate replacement. My biggest concealing concerns are my acne blemishes and post-acne hyperpigmentation spots and the dry formula works to cover these quite naturally. It doesn't give me breakouts or look cakey. I wouldn't recommend this for just undereyes but I find that even wearing just this over bare skin looks flattering on non-foundation days.

The only disappointment with this concealer for me is the value for the size. For $22, a 0.06oz product is super expensive! My Lancome favorite was $27 for 0.16oz which is over twice the amount of product. Knowing that the NARS one used to come in a larger lipstick bullet and downgraded the amount for the same price is only salt in the wound! For now, this is going to be my go-to concealer replacement but I'll keep my eyes out for a more affordable HG.

You may have also noticed that I was wearing an accessory that I've been lusting after for years, the YSL Arty ring. Hubby and I both had late arriving Christmas presents for each other and I am completely in love with this one! I received the lapis blue color which has gorgeous flecks of gold in it with medium-to-deep mottled royal blue. As a ring collector, I am totally obsessed and in awe of my new acquisition! The size 4 fits perfectly on my right middle finger.

Cherry is admiring the shimmers

That's it for this month's hits & misses. Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know in the comments some products I should try... Maybe someone out there has a perfect concealer for blemishes suggestion? A NARS dupe maybe? ;)

New Years Resolutions 2012

2012-01-01T22:09:00.005-06:00

Ahh, 2012 is finally here! Last night as the seconds hit to midnight, I was already busy tweeting away wishing everyone a Happy New Year. 2011 came to a delightful end as we spent time surrounded by friends with a taco and Dance Central party. Could I ask for anything better? ;)

Today is officially the first day of January, 2012 and it's time to slough off the old and begin anew with brand new goals, hopes, dreams, and ideas for self improvement for another year. In this video, I share what my personal goals for this year are.

My New Years Resolutions for 2012:

1. Redesign my blog, Youtube, twitter, etc.

I designed my current blog layout about 3 years ago and it's really in need of a good facelift! As much as I do love this layout, it reflects the person who I was three years ago and I think I've really changed a lot since then. I want to focus a lot of my energies into visually expressing the person I am now, as well as improving the usability and navigation of the site. I'm not a web designer so it will be a challenge for me, but it's a challenge I am looking forward to tackling. Any of you coding gurus out there are free to e-mail me if you might be able to help. ^_^

2. Get on a regular sleep schedule

I'm a night owl by nature and I've always had trouble falling asleep ever since I was a child, so going to bed "on time" has always been a challenge for me. I just feel more awake and productive at night! Unfortunately, this leads to tired, unproductive, and long work days where I just feel like I'm not operating at 100%. I really want to change that this year for my health and workday efficiency. 7-8 hours of sleep every night! Bright, productive days full of energy! Yes, please!

3. Gold star every song on Dance Central 2 on Hard

My current favorite method of exercising is playing the XBOX Kinect game, Dance Central 2. In the game, if you do very well you can 5 star the song. If you do extremely well, almost perfectly, you can gold star the song. I want to make it my goal to gold star every song in Dance Central 2 on the hardest difficulty. Hopefully this will keep me motivated to go through each song and stay fit at the same time! Although I don't diet, I try to live a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise is an important part of that regardless of age, weight, and body type. :)

4. Use and wash only my "favorite" brushes regularly

I honestly detest deep cleaning my brushes. It's probably one of my least favorite things to do when it comes to makeup maintenance. I have a ton of brushes and this fact has enabled me to go through brush after brush before I finally use them all up and am forced to deep clean the whole lot which takes a very long time. Since it's annoying using second and third-tier brushes that I don't love as much, I've decided that I want to curate a selection of favorite brushes which I can stick to and deep clean once a week. Hopefully soon, I can share with you this group of favorites as well as showing how I both spot clean and deep clean my brushes!

5. Read more books!

I know this really isn't beauty, health, or blog-related but I want to get back into reading. I've always been a big nerdy bookworm and really enjoy delving into some nice fiction about free-thinkers breaking from a socialist society (o hai Hunger Games, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Anthem) or children rising beyond their youth and maturity levels to be the hero (Ender's Game, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia) or even guilty pleasure reads (Charlane Harris's "True Blood" vampire series, Twilight). My goal is to finish at least 1 book per month with the key word being finish, as the past year saw a few books half-read and abandoned. I've listed a few books above that are in my queue but let me know your suggestions of good page-turners!

Fingers crossed I will stick to all of my goals this year! Do you have any resolutions for 2012? Let me know in the comments!

New Years Sparkle Makeup Tutorial

2011-12-28T23:00:00.001-06:00

Hey guys! I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and restful break if you had one. It's time to gear up for 2012 so I wanted to start it off right with a fun makeup look.

Today's tutorial is another dramatic look that is perfect for the upcoming New Years celebrations. I've had tons of requests for a New Years party look and when I grabbed my NYX Glitterati Palette, the hot pink spoke to me. Who am I to refuse very compelling hot pink glitter?

Products mentioned:
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Beige 60
Nars Concealer in Custard
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner Pencil
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette (Blackout, Junkshow, Midnight 15)
Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in Woodstock
NYX Glitter Cream Palette
Sugarpill Cosmetics loose shadow in Lumi
Eyeko Pen Eyeliner
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara
Darkness Wxos lashes
Urban Decay Urbanbrow Setting Gel
Urban Decay Urbanbrow Brow Tint in Brunette
NARS Danmari Palette (Desire) individual blush here
Urban Decay Stardust Sparkling Lipgloss in Andromeda

Here are some pics of my look:

I'm a fan of the yin-yang thing going on with the inner corner of my eyes and the outer corner wing at the end. With makeup, it's all about balance. Heavier smokey eyes need this balance to not look overwhelming on the face.

Here you can see the sharp angle of the crease and how the hot pink pops. I also want to note that the end of the wing is at the end of my eyebrow. If you want a wider wing, draw the eyebrows out further as well to match.

Here's a close-up of the eyes. Can I just say that I'm totally obsessed with the Sugarpill Lumi pigment? It's so glowy and iridescent, but not too shockingly teal that it clashes with other brights. I need to use this as a main part of a future tutorial!

Obligatory smile! :) I noticed a few perceptive Youtube commenters saying that my eyebrows are more arched than usual. I trimmed them and decided to go with a sleeker look, which works really well with these types of dramatic eyes! What do you guys think? Does it suit me?

I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial and have an incredible last few days of 2011! I have so many new projects in store for 2012 including more Kpop looks, "basics" tutorials, and some HIGHLY requested tags that I know at least a few girls will be looking forward to. Until then you will just have to sit here and patiently wait, and ponder, and maybe also consider giving me suggestions for videos you'd like to see in the new year.

*cue mysterious music*

Naughty & Nice List 2011! (and Merry Christmas :)

2011-12-26T02:19:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are at home, relaxing with your loved ones and enjoying the holiday break. Tonight I'll be heading off to a couple different family Christmas get togethers, but I wanted to quickly post this year's Naughty & Nice list!

You may remember last year's list where I came up with my top 5 disappointing products and top 5 most loved products for this year and I wanted to continue the tradition.

Naughty List

1. Suave Dry Shampoo $3
Initially a medium-hit, this affordable dry shampoo ($3) is readily available at mass retailers and comes in a 5oz container. The smell is actually quite nice, like candied grapefruit, but the big miss is that by the afternoon my hair would become greasy again. Unacceptable in my opinion!

2. Covergirl Lashblast Length Water-resistant mascara $6.23
This mascara was a huge let-down for me. I was hoping for clean, long lashes and instead got wimpy lashes that neither held curl nor lengthened my lashes much. There is no volume added to speak of and it just did none of the things I look for in a mascara. Remember ladies, there is a big difference between water resistant (boo) and waterproof (yay)! Waterproof holds curl, water resistant does not.

3. B&C Pore Peeling Tsururi $9.80
After testing this out incorrectly the first time, I tried it out again with tips from helpful youtube comments who could read the instructions. ;) Sadly, even after massaging this nose mask as instructed, I found no difference in the state of my blackheads. I don't think I would repurchase this, plus is smells pretty strongly of glue and chemicals. I'd rather use my Queen Helene Mint Julep mask!

4. Shiseido Tsubaki Head Spa Extra Cleansing Shampoo $12.60
This shampoo was very liquidy and hard to manage. It doesn't spread well though the hair and smells very strongly, reminding me of tea tree oil. It left my hair stripped to the point where my conditioner couldn't compensate and my hair just felt drier. I'd skip this and try a drugstore option instead.

5. Barielle Intensive Hand Treatment Cream $20
This hand cream came with cotton gloves and the idea is to apply this at night to supposedly wake up with soft, supple hands in the morning. Instead I had waxy, coated hands that didn't feel super hydrated. The product just didn't sink into my skin even with the cotton gloves on all night. I'd rather stick with my beloved Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy instead.

Nice List

1. Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter $6.39

This is by far my favorite lip product for this year! Revlon Lip Butters are a moisturizing lipstick that imparts more color than traditional "lip butter" products. It's much more of a lipstick than a lip balm and is nearly identical to my former favorite Dior High Shine lipstick. I love this lip product so much that I dedicated an entire video/blog post to my collection of these lipsticks. My favorite shades are Peach Parfait (everyday natural peach) and Lollipop (flattering fuchsia).

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed $25
A surprise favorite, this is hands down my favorite blush of the last year. I bought this on a whim from Ulta since I don't tend to go for brownish blushes and I knew it would be unique in my collection. Ever since, it has been difficult to put this baby down. It's been an everyday favorite and I don't even remember the last time I've been this consistently devoted to one blush! The other pinks, plums, and corals in my collection are jealous. ;)

3. Stila Hair Refresher in Jade Blossom $28
This dry shampoo is the best-performing dry shampoo that I've used to date. The smell is nice and fresh without being too heavy or powdery and the clincher is that at the end of the day, my hair still looks as nice as it did in the morning. I don't really think any other dry shampoo I've tried has lived up to that! The only downside is that the powder is white and my hair is black so I have to do a thorough brush-through, but the effort is worth it for no grease all day.

4. Sigma Sigmax F84 Angled Top Kabuki brush $16
This is the magical brush that makes your foundation look airbrushed. The fibers are very soft and dense and I like this rounded angled version because it gets in all of the contours of the face easily. Using this brush makes foundation application quick and flawless and makes streaky liquid foundation a thing of the past.

5. Tarte Smooth Operator Powder $28
I first got a sample of this powder from Sephora via a suggestion from the sales associate. I've tried quite a few powders this year and didn't have high expectations, especially since I tend to avoid loose powders due to inevitable powder accidents, but this powder had the smoothness of MUFE HD Powder with the oil-controlling abilities of my favorite MAC Blot powder. Actually, I think this powder actually holds up longer than my MAC Blot! It's the best of both worlds.

I hope you enjoyed this year's edition of the Naughty & Nice list! I'll be posting up the makeup tutorial of the look in this video very soon. Let me know in the comments your own naughty and nice products and if you'd like to also do this tag, feel free to link to your post as well. Have a restful holiday and be safe!

Acne Update & Clearasil Review (and giveaway)!

2011-12-21T22:13:00.002-06:00

So today I have something to share with you that will again touch upon a topic that is a struggle that I've been dealing with for quite some time now: ACNE. I know many of you may think that acne is something that only teenagers deal with but it's actually something that has been very up-and-down for me (mostly down) for the last 16 years. It may seem like I have very nice skin in my videos but there is a lot that can be said for lighting and glow, the latter coming from meticulously taking care of my skin since I was young, throughout the good and bad.

So to give you an update on my current skin condition, it is combination, sensitive, and acne-prone meaning that changes in hormones (like switching birth controls), weather, traveling & work-related stress, proper sleep, or skipping washing my face can all lead to a lovely few breakouts. After a few of these events combined 3 months ago, my skin went really unbalanced and I had some uninvited cystic bumps covering my cheeks, chin, and sides of my mouth. Ouch, super painful.

Since the manufacturer of my old beloved prescription face wash discontinued making the product, I've been on the search for "the one". I know this sounds so cliche, but when Clearasil wanted me to review their new Perfectawash specifically targeting those with acne, I was actually feeling desperate and crossed my fingers that it would help. You guys know I get tons of requests for product reviews but this one is something I would 100% be interested in myself so it just felt right. :)

Here are my thoughts on the product!

Basically, the Perfectawash is a face wash system that comes with a hands-free dispenser and 2 face wash scents, Superfruit Splash (pink) and Soothing Plant Extracts (green). It contains 2% Salicylic Acid which I will say in high school did nothing to help my acne but nowdays is my acne fighter of choice. It's the same ingredient that is the super acne fighter in my beloved Mario Badescu Drying Lotion and I actually do see results with it more so than Benzoyl Peroxide which tends to dry out my skin and bleach my towels and clothes.

I don't want to repeat everything I said in the video here, but to make a long story short, over the month that I have been using it, my skin has steadily been improving so I really do think this face wash has been helping over my non-acne-fighting washes that I've been testing out lately. It also doesn't strip my skin of moisture and the hands-free dispenser, which may seem gimmicky to some, actually does look quite nice and is hygienic and fun to use. At $19.99 for two 5oz washes plus the dispenser, the kit is a pretty good deal and refills will retail at $8.99.

The kit will be sold at here starting December 26th and I believe will be at other retailers next year as well.

I still have a few cystic bumps that are healing and others that are now hyperpigmentation spots, but hey, if I truly did have perfect skin then what kind of acne product reviewer would I be, right? ;)

If you would like to be entered into the giveaway for one of these Clearasil Perfectawashes, please leave a message in the Youtube comments letting me know what your biggest skin concern is. There will be 5 winners randomly selected and the giveaway is for the US only, ending in 1 week.

Readers, what is your greatest skin concern? Acne? Eczema? Blackheads? Let me know in the comments!

Birthday OOTD & Vlog :)

2011-12-16T17:07:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I just first off want to say thank you so much for the lovely birthday messages you've sent me. I'm not gonna lie, it's not something I was expecting and I actually got a bit emotional reading all of them. Maybe it is redundant for me to say it, but I really want to say how deeply I appreciate all of your love and support.

As I told you before, I recorded an Outfit Of The Day (aka OOTD) video for my birthday, and I also included a reveal of a couple of special presents.

Items Mentioned:
Abercrombie Lace top (similar / similar)
Forever 21 tank top & satin blazer, size 2
J Brand "Clocker" legging jeans, size 23
Stuart Weitzman Wedgelin boot, size 4
Necklace and bangle were from various Hautelook sales (my invite)
Michael Kors "Blair" watch in rose gold
Louis Vuitton Trevi PM

Lipgloss is MAC 3D glass in Racy (Sadly it's an old limited edition which I am crossing my fingers that they will re-release because it's one of my favorite lipglosses of all time!)

So here is my outfit in pieces since I didn't have room to do a full-body with the giant Christmas tree behind me. ;)

My bling for the evening. Gold tones and Urban Decay Zippy glitter polish. This crystal quartz necklace is especially one of my favorite pieces of the moment. I got it from Hautelook (for a dang good discount) and the designer is Vivian Tamayo. I'm also lusting after similar crystal pieces like this and this. There's just something about rock crystal that is really cool and edgy, and matches everything I own.

Birthday present reveal! This is the Michael Kors Blair rose gold watch that I bought during the Macy's Friend's & Family sale. The Macy's site listed the face as being 41mm but Nordie's and Dillards lists it as 39mm. No idea which is true but I think it looks nice on me even though I have tiny wrists.

Also available in champagne, chocolate, silver, and silver with rose gold accents.

And here is my bag reveal of what I got from Louis Vuitton in Paris! It's the Trevi PM in Damier Ebene. I love the pleats and how it has both top handles and a shoulder strap for versatility. It's my first and only LV purchase and I am totally in love with it!

Here's what it looks like worn using the top handles.

And my favorite way of wearing it, using the top straps which is much more comfortable and convenient.

And of course, here are the two cameos from the vlog at the end of my video.
First is my very special birthday cake appearance, Hello Kitty. =^_^=

And second is my long-haired Chihuahua, Cherry. She's a total sweetie!

I hope you enjoyed my outfit and getting a little peek into my birthday activities with my family as well. It was truly a wonderful one this year and I feel so grateful to be with the people I love, and of course to be given the blessing of your love and support as well!

Just out of curiosity, since the purse was a huge splurge for me, I want to know in the comments how you guys feel about big splurges on luxury items? Is it something you do and do you feel it's worth it? What was your favorite splurge purchase? Let me know!

L'Oreal Infallible Shadows & CVS Beauty Clearance haul!

2011-12-14T17:03:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! Today is my birthday and I've been running around doing lots of important birthday things like renewing my driver's license, eating birthday lunch with my mom (yummy 양장피!), and posting a birthday blog post on my blog. I might even eat cake later tonight, who knows! I'm crazy! Hehe.

It seems like retailers lately are really taking advantage of it being my birthday this month. (You know I'm kidding! I guess people buy gifts for other people sometimes too.) I'm not gonna lie though, I have thoughtfully made my contribution to our economy thanks to the holidays this year and my birthday is no exception. In lieu of the season, as well as some decent new products and sales, I bought some new stuff on the cheaps and want to share my haul with you!

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Amber Rush, Bronzed Taupe, Golden Sage, Perpetual Purple
Physician's Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation in Natural Beige 7072
Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Quad in Copper Spice
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Gel CreamLiner for Green Eyes & Hazel Eyes
Wet & Wild 6-Pan Eyeshadow in Vanity (trios / 8-pans)
Sally Hansen Diamond Strength polish in Tyin' The Knot 32
Revlon Scented polish in Mon Cherry 335
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Cream
Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm in Pink Punch

First of all, can I just say the L'Oreal Infallible shadows are pretty fantastic? The wear on these is ridiculously good and they do NOT crease on me, which is awesome for those monolid/sok ssangapul (hidden crease)/wonk eye days. I've cried through wearing this and my makeup was surprisingly intact later on.

Here are some swatches of Perpetual Purple, Golden Sage, Bronzed Taupe, and Amber Rush.

This was just a screencap from my video, but you can see how pigmented and metallic they are! In real life they are even more saturated and vibrant than shown here. I for sure need to go back and get the deeper colors for doing easy monolidded looks!

As for the big beauty clearance, I wasn't even really planning on hitting up CVS but I spotted the big red letters as I picked up some alterations and couldn't resist.

If you'd like more info on the CVS sale including a "Master List" of items to check prices on, visit Nouveau Cheap, my favorite drugstore beauty blog. She has helped me on endless hunts through drugstore beauty aisles and I credit a lot of my drugstore favorites to her hard work!

For anyone who picks up Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow quad in Copper Spice, you can check out my previous tutorials using it here and here.

I'm going to try and record a quick birthday Outfit Of The Day before going to dinner tonight. I hope you enjoyed the haul and thank you SO MUCH for all your sweet birthday wishes on twitter and youtube! You don't know how immensely my heart feels lifted when I read them, knowing you guys took the time to send me your warm wishes. <3 This birthday I feel so loved and it wouldn't be the same without your continual love and support. THANK YOU!

Naked 2 Holiday Tutorial!

2011-12-09T18:21:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I'm so excited for this weekend! My birthday is the 14th so I'll be celebrating tomorrow with my family and I'm actually really looking forward to it. I even think I may record some vlog footage just because hubby and I special ordered a cake and it's just too awesome not to share. As another year has gone by, I somehow feel like I am comfortable being the age that I am although being officially in the upper 20's probably means I should stop posting my age, right? ;)

Anyway, this time of year is also the time for a lot of celebration and tons of holiday parties! In lieu of that, I thought I would create an updated holiday look my Naked 2 Palette (review here) which also has a modern twist!

Products mentioned:

Skin79 VIP Gold BB Cream (also here)
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (Verve, Snakebite, Foxy, Bootycall)
Wet & Wild Gel Eyeliner
Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow pencil
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara
Covergirl Lash Exact mascara
Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in powder pink
Darkness Wxos lashes
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
NYX Mosaic powder in 01 Highlighter
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter (Peach Parfait and Lollipop)

Here are my pics of the final look:

Somehow I feel like I can't get the exact true color of Lollipop to come across properly, but it is somewhere between these photos and the video. It's a vibrant orchid fuchsia pink with plenty of pigmentation, which I feel is a fun take on the classic red holiday lip!

Here's a close-up so you can see the shading of the eyeshadow. Verve really is such a pleasing oyster, silver-taupe color that brings a lot of light to the eyes.

Gotta love those holiday lights! Classic makeup during the holidays is always a no-fail look. For those of you who shy away from bright lipsticks, I encourage you to take a step out of your comfort zone and try a bright fuchsia or red! I love Cherry Tart and Lollipop from Revlon's Lip Butters, but I also really LOVE NYX's Round lipstick in Fusion, Snow White and Eros (swatches here) as well as Black Label lipsticks in Orchid and Cherry (swatches here).

Happy holiday partying and I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Let me know if you decide to try out this look, or at least attempt a bold lip this season. ^__^

Beautybloggers.org Charity Auction!

2011-12-08T16:33:00.002-06:00

Hey guys, I wanted to post up a blog dedicated to the Beautybloggers.org charity auction which is being held for the second time this year, ending soon on December 12th. I was so insanely happy to see how well last year's auction went, especially with my particular contribution, because I know it included my beloved readers who were amazing enough to give such a generous amount (far exceeding the value of the actual blush) to Doctors Without Borders.

This year's auction is already off to an amazing start, with bids reaching above the total amount collected last year in the very first day! It has been such a blessing to be a part of this yearly donation that the incredibly sweet KarlaSugar has put together and I wanted to show my support a second time by donating a limited edition item, the unique Paul & Joe "cat" Lipstick C in 068.

Paul & Joe's famous "cat lipstick" was released as a limited edition item in the Claire de Lune A/W 2010 collection. The Lipstick C 068 shade is called "Moon Shadow;" it's a raspberry pink with gold flecks. The finish is moisturizing and glossy with semi-sheer color. It's a very wearable color that would be flattering on almost every skintone.

This year's auction has other really incredible items including the entire collection of Tarte's Amazonian Clay blushes. (omg!) You guys know how obsessed I am with shade Exposed (which I went on and on about in my Nov Hits & Misses) and I'm so tempted to collect them all!

Another jaw-dropping auction item is Urban Decay's contribution of "the Ultimate Collection" which includes:

• Ammo Palette
• Sustainable Shadow Box
• Midnight Emergency Kit
• Ten 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils: Binge, Graffiti, Covet, Lust, Ransom, Zero, Stash, Rockstar, Lucky, Electric
• Five 24/ Glide-On Shadow Pencils: Delinquent, Rehab, Sin, Narc, Clash
• Five Lipsticks: Rush, Revolution, Trainwreck, Hotpants, Midnight Cowboy
• Three Stardust Lipglosses: Space Cowboy, Glitter Rock, Andromeda

I may have peed my pants a little when I saw that one. Seriously, these are only just scratching the surface of all of the amazing things available this year so definitely check this one out!

Each contributor is donating the shipping price as well so shipping is included for each item. As a bidder all you have to do is sign up for an account which will securely hide your e-mail and personal information, bid away, and see your lemmings go to a good cause. :)

As with last year, your winning bids will be directly donated to Doctors Without Borders which is an organization that focuses on people all across the world in need, especially to women who have been through a disaster. For example, they treat victims of rape in Papua New Guinea, flood victims in Mexico, and women at risk of death from childbirth in Pakistan.

I hope that you guys can head over to the site to see all of the lovely beauty products before the auctions end. Again, they will close down Monday, December 12th at 5:00 PM CST so make your bids before then, and good luck!

November Hits & Misses

2011-12-06T22:37:00.000-06:00

It's time for another monthly Hits & Misses roundup! This month includes plenty of lip products to keep those puckers nice and moisturized during the frigid cold. I woke up this morning to snow on the ground, which may be our first tangible snowfall this year. Burrr, I'm so glad I don't have to drive a terrible distance through bad road conditions anymore like I had to for my last job!

In the video I also talk about my new blush obsession (seriously) which you can check out below:

Products Mentioned:

Revlon Lip Butters (my full post on them)

B&C lip cream in Peach (lemon/apple) <-- peach is out of stock everywhere I looked :(
Blistex Deep Renewal Lip Balm
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in Exposed
Jeune d' age Organics eye cream
Lancome Le French Touch Absolu lipstick
Darkness Lashes in WXOS (drugstore options Maybelline / Modlash / Ardell)

For some reason I feel like I have been drawn toward more natural makeup lately with the shorter lashes and neutral-colored blush. It's so weird because I've always been a pinky-peachy type of blush person! Maybe the weather has also caused me to be lazy with my makeup and just grab my go-to favorites but I must say, it will be very difficult in the future for me to find an obsession beyond the Naked palettes, Tarte blush in Exposed, and Revlon Lip Butters.

click below for my full review

Speaking of Revlon Lip Butters, I've heard some comments from people saying that it dries their lips out (Maybe similar to how the Lancome one dried my lips out?) after a couple hours of wear. I haven't had this problem personally but I just wanted to bring up the possibility in case it's been an issue for you. Everyone's chemistry is a bit different so feel free to have an open discussion in the comments.

I also wanted to bring up a lip balm that others love but I've actually had a terrible time with: EOS lip balms.

It's possible that I bought a dud but mine was very dry and stiff to the point that it was difficult to even apply. It just does not glide on! After not using it for a few months, I recently tried it again and it smelled like cardboard. Yuck! It promptly went into the trash. For those of you who love this lip balm, please let me know in the comments how this is supposed to feel because my experience with it was like an awkward first date. I should like him but maybe the chemistry just wasn't right! ^_~

Oh and for the Tarte blush in Exposed, I have swatches here and used it in this SNSD The Boys tutorial. Don't let online pictures fool you (such as this stock photo from Ulta above), this is a neutral pink blush, not a bronzer brown! I don't think I've had a blush obsession this strong since I first fell in love with my dearly discontinued Rock & Republic blushes, may they rest in peace.

Let me know if you've had any recent makeup obsessions. I've had so many recently and I want to know I'm not the only one. Leave it in the comments! ;)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review & Swatches

2011-12-01T18:30:00.004-06:00

Wowee, what a busy week this has been! There's just been too much to post I hope you guys have been as excited about all the fantastic new products that have been coming out as I am!

One of the most hyped products right now is the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette which was just released on urbandecay.com earlier today for $50. It won't reach other retailers like Sephora and Ulta until mid-January 2012 so if you want to be the first to get this, you'll have to fight the masses on Urban Decay's website each day. So is this palette worth the hype? Let's take a look.

The palette comes nicely housed in a tin-style container, reminiscent of Asian pencil cases, with a mini Lip Junkie lipgloss in the shade "Naked", of course.

Opened up, the layout is quite similar to the former Naked Palette with 12 full-sized eyeshadows and a full-length mirror going across the top. Value-wise, this is great for neutral lovers since 1 eyeshadow for Urban Decay retails for $17 so you are getting $204 worth of eyeshadow for $50 and that's not even taking into account the brush and lipgloss included.

This mirror is actually much larger than the old palette, embedded in cardboard. I didn't use the mirror on the last one since it was so small but this one is a more adequate size for actually putting eyeshadow on. The synthetic brush is dual-ended with a rounded blending brush end and a flat brush end.

The lipgloss is a cute miniature size with a pretty filigree cap. The color is quite wearable and pretty, and it also has a cooling minty sensation. I also show in the video that the angled squeeze applicator is a bit rubbery to give more "drag" in application. This will be an easy addition to throw in my purse since it's so tiny but it also probably doesn't hold a ton of product.

Here you can see the palette contains 12 shadows, 3 of which are mattes (foxy, tease, blackout) and I think it's a good call that they added a matte highlight shade and matte black this time around. I was actually hoping for more mattes since I dearly love Buck from the last palette but they have quite a lot of metallics and satin-finish shades instead, and of course a signature metallic-with-glitter Chopper.

Here's a close-up of each section:

Foxy - matte cream
Half-Baked - metallic neutral gold
Bootycall - satin champagne (very similar to Virgin from the original Naked palette)
Chopper - metallic rose gold with silver micro glitters
Tease - matte mushroom taupe with purple undertones

Tease - matte mushroom taupe with purple undertones
Snakebite - satin deep bronze (gooooorgeous)
Suspect - satin light taupe
Pistol - satin warm steel grey
Verve - pale metallic slightly pinky grey (I really love this shade from the Rollergirl palette)

Pistol - satin warm steel grey
Verve - pale metallic slightly pinky grey (I really love this shade from the Rollergirl palette)
YDK - metallic toasty taupe with coppery micro micro glitters
Busted - satin plummy dark brown
Blackout - matte black

Here are swatches of all the shades on my arm:

foxy / half baked / bootycall / chopper / tease / snakebite / suspect / pistol / verve / ydk / busted / blackout

Comparing this to my original Naked palette, the Naked 2 contains more light metallic shades as well as more medium greigey-taupey colors. The original leaned very warm and I would not say this one is cooler, per se, but it does include more of those medium, I'm-not-sure-how-to-describe-this-color, greyish purplish taupish tannish shades.

Here's a dupes list:
Foxy - Used to be available in individual pot form, but not anymore so it's not "new" but new to me.
Half Baked - The only shade that is included in both Naked palettes.
Bootycall - Palette exclusive shade. Very similar to Virgin (Naked) and I think it was a little unnecessary since you have Foxy for highlight and Verve for inner corner brightening.
Chopper - You can buy this individually. It's much rosier and more glittery than Sidecar (Naked 1).
Tease - Palette exclusive shade. I wanted this matte to be silkier than it is.
Snakebite - Palette exclusive shade. Slightly darker version of Smog (Naked 1).
Suspect - This shade was in the Rollergirl Palette.
Pistol - Palette exclusive shade.
Verve - This shade was in the Rollergirl Palette.
YDK - You can buy this individually. Similar to Sidecar (Naked 1) but a touch warmer and without glitter.
Busted - Palette exclusive shade.
Blackout - This matte black has been in several palettes including the 15th Anniversary palette.

Technically there are 5 new shades, but since Foxy was formerly discontinued, there are 6 in this palette that are new to UD's current lineup. Did I mention I LOVE my Rollergirl palette? I'm happy they included 2 of those shades in here as well.

One thing that does slightly bug me about this palette is the layout of shades. Naked original had a logical progression from lights to darks with a few coordinating lighter-darker shades being placed next to each other. Naked 2 on the other hand seems to skip about more instead. I want the coordinating lighter shades to the left of darker ones! (Original Naked Palette below)

Do you need both Naked and Naked 2? Honestly probably not. Most of the shades are close enough to being duplicated from the first palette that it wouldn't warrant another expensive purchase. If you don't own either palette though, I think the Naked 2 is a really wonderful and well-rounded palette with a good range of light to dark colors in a variety of finishes. The glitter shades from Naked (Sidecar, I'm looking at you) went less used than the rest of the shadows but the glitter in Naked 2 (gorgeous rose-gold Chopper) is such a beauty and the glitters seem less dense that I think it might be one of my most-used shades in the very near future.

It just comes down to what shades you prefer on yourself. If you want traditional warm browns, I recommend the original Naked. If you prefer medium, taupier colors then try Naked 2.

As for me, my perfect palette would be:
Naked original except replacing Sidecar (metallic taupe with glitter) with Chopper (rose gold)
Toasted and Hustle (purples) with Verve and Pistol (greys)
and Creep (almost black with glitters) for Blackout (matte black)

In other words, you can't make me decide! Too bad we can't have it all unless we own both.... ;)

So what do you think? Will you be picking up the new Naked 2? Which palette do you prefer?

Disclaimer: Thank you to Urban Decay for generously gifting this palette! This post is not sponsored.

Revlon Lip Butters Review & Swatches

2011-12-01T00:36:00.001-06:00

Hey guys! Today I wanted to share a product with you that has become my go-to lip product: Revlon's new Colorburst Lip Butters.

This is a balm-like lipstick that has a medium-to-high amount of pigment but still retains a lot of smoothness and moisture like tinted lip balms. It's seriously my new holy grail so I thought I'd do a full review of them with swatches and a comparison to my previous lipstick love, the Dior Addict High Shine lipstick.

Check out the video below:

Here are the Lip Butters that I own:

Cherry Tart, Berry Smoothie, Lollipop, Tutti Frutti, Sweet Tart, Cotton Candy, and Peach Parfait.

070 Cherry Tart

Sheer jelly red

I took screencaps for each lipstick from my video. In real life this lipstick is much less orange and more neutral red.

015 Tutti Frutti

Bright orange

This color is easier to wear than true opaque oranges and looks flattering on warmer skintones.

075 Lollipop

Bright raspberry pink

This one is pretty bright and I'd wear it as a statement lipstick with neutral eyes. It's darker and more fuchsia in real life than in this photo.

050 Berry Smoothie

Medium, natural pink

Again, this color seems to be darker in real life than my screencap, but you can tell it's a very wearable shade and it's darker than my natural lip color. It's a more "mature" color in my opinion.

090 Sweet Tart

Warm, bright girly pink

I love this color but it's definitely a bright one. It's more barbie pink compared to the fuchsia look of lollipop so I'd consider it a statement lippy.

045 Cotton Candy

Pale pink with a golden sheen

I love this as a wearable nude lip on me. This would pair really well with any smoky eye but I find myself grabbing for it to wear sheerly on an everyday basis as well.

025 Peach Parfait

Pinky-peach with golden sheen

This lipstick is my favorite of the bunch since it's the perfect everyday lipstick for my skintone. It's very wearable and looks good with any makeup. It is slightly more saturated in real life than in this photo.

Here are my arm swatches so you can see the colors side-by-side:

Cherry Tart / Berry Smoothie / Lollipop / Tutti Frutti / Sweet Tart / Cotton Candy / Peach Parfait

And here's slightly closer and blurred so you can see the shimmers in the last two, Cotton Candy and Peach Parfait. The shimmer particles are so delicate, they feel totally smooth and undetectable on the lips.

As far as wear goes, these last about 3 hours on me and the darker shades leave a slight stain of color on the lips after they wear off. They are very moisturizing, although I will say that if your lips were very chapped to begin with, the lighter colors can accentuate that since they tend to slip into the cracks of dry lips. Otherwise, I am overall very impressed with the quality and pigmentation of these and will definitely be picking up more!

I found mine at CVS for around $7.50 during a buy 1 get 1 50% off sale but I've heard people finding them for cheaper at Target as well. If you have trouble finding them, I do want to mention that it wasn't in the regular Revlon section but instead on its own promotional display.

I hope this was helpful for those of you who were interested in picking up this lipstick! I know other raved-about colors are Creme Brule (looked too brown for my taste) and Red Velvet (more vampy than what I usually wear) but I think the next one I want to pick up is Strawberry Shortcake!

How about you? What colors are you planning on snagging?

OOTD: Bright Winter Layers

2011-11-29T16:01:00.000-06:00

It's been a seriously long time since I posted an outfit last! For some reason I just didn't grab for the camera much this Summer and all of a sudden it was already Winter.

Honestly, I think Winter looks are more fun to post anyhow since the layers and textures are more interesting to boot! I don't love the chill but I do love me some collared-shirts-under-cardigans and a warm cup of hot cocoa. In rebelling against the Winter gloom, here is how I do bright Winter layers.

Items Mentioned:
Target flannel shirt (similar here / here)
Ann Taylor Factory ruffled top (similar here / here / here)
Ann Taylor LOFT cardigan (similar here / here)
Frankie B Jeans (similar here / 7FAMK here / Paige petites)
Accessories from Hautelook, Ebay, and gifts from friends
(more statement rings I love Pamela Love / Erica Anenberg twosome ring (I own this & love it) / YSL Arty)

One thing I love to do with layers is to wear something in a way that I never have before, like this ruffled top. I wanted to do some sort of additional layer with my flannel shirt but I got bored of wearing my tank under the collared top all the time and thought I'd try switching it up. Layering it like a vest allows the ruffles to be really vibrant and adds a contrast of texture.

I love to really layer accessories as well, especially delicate necklaces which I've been doing since junior high. Since I'm petite, big chunky jewelry can overwhelm me at times so I like to add 2 or 3 thin-chained necklaces that are different lengths to add interest to the neckline.

I never used to be a bracelet person since I can never find bangles that will fit my thin wrists, but I lucked out with a Hautelook sale for Isharya jewelry which comes in size XS which I believe have a diameter of 2.3". They were pricey even at a steep discount but I was very happy with the quality in person and will definitely splurge on them again at the next sale! (If you don't already have a Hautelook invite and would like to join you can use my code here but you can also sign up on the site if you want as well.)

As for the big silver artichoke ring here, it is a newly acquired purchase from eBay which I was so, so excited about! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I actually collect sterling silver and vintage gemstone rings and this is one of my most prized acquisitions. The ring is signed Napier and is a size 3.5 which fits my ring finger perfectly! I often pile on tons of rings all at once like a magpie (oooh, shiny distractions on my hands) but this baby deserves to have more of a spotlight. :)

This close-up photo is one I took on Instagram and posted on my Twitter. The nail polish is my mother-in-law's in Sally Hansen Slick Slate which is super classy and perfect for Fall/Winter.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post!

I will be doing another post/video on Revlon's Lip Butters lipstick very soon (maybe layer today?) which will go more in-depth with the lipstick I'm wearing in this post so check back again later! Just a little hint: I absolutely love this lipstick. ;)

TAG: Get Your Freak On! 15 Weird Facts

2011-11-24T02:54:00.000-06:00

Today's post has nothing to do with beauty and fashion but it's a tag that has been going around youtube that is one of my favorites to date! The "Get Your Freak On" tag is a fun group of 15 questions that give us a bit of insight on the weird inside all of us. ;)

Questions
#1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?
#2. What's a weird habit of yours?
#3. Do you have any weird phobias?
#4. What's a song you secretly LOVE to blast & belt out when you're alone?
#5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
#6. What's one of your nervous habits?
#7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
#8. What was your first stuffed animal && it's name?
#9. What's the drink you ALWAYS order at starbucks?
#10. What's the beauty rule you preach.. but never ACTUALLY practice?
#11. Which way do you face in the shower?
#12. Do you have any 'weird' body 'skills'?
#13. What's your favorite 'comfort food'/food thats 'bad' but you love to eat it anyways?
#14. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
#15. Time to sleep- what are you ACTUALLY wearing?

I hope you enjoyed watching me being silly (as usual)! I'd love for you blogger ladies to do the tag as well so please feel free to post a blog on your answers as well and share your link in the comments.

I know I'm not the only one who listens to Powerline and wears the best PJs in the world the bed, right?

Have a super wonderful, amazing, thankful Thanksgiving holiday everyone! I feel truly honored and blessed that I have you guys to watch me share makeup tips, or even when I'm just being silly, or times when I'm being serious as well. I realize very much that it's a give and take relationship and you've given me such a warm boost of hope, inspiration, and love everyday. I'm thankful for this always but today, especially, I want to say THANK YOU. I'm humbled by your support and I will try my hardest to continue to work hard alongside you, my online family. :)

SNSD 소녀시대 "The Boys" Tiffany Makeup Tutorial

2011-11-19T19:12:00.000-06:00

Happy weekend everyone! Today's look is on another Kpop music video, SNSD aka Girls Generation's "The Boys". When I first saw this video, I was instantly drawn toward Tiffany's gold glittery eye makeup with milky pink lips and fun lower lashes. I haven't worked with glitters in a long time so it seemed really appropriate with the upcoming holidays. I hope you guys enjoy watching!

Here is my tutorial for Tiffany's look:

And here is the original Girls' Generation music video for The Boys:

I also took some screencaps/reference photos for the makeup here:

And here is my version of the look:

Products Mentioned:

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ in 40
MAC Select Cover Up Concealer in NC30
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Smokey Eyes Palette
Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in El Dorado
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (Vanilla)
NYX Glitterati Cream Palette
K Palette Real Lasting Tattoo Eyeliner
Lioele Waterproof Pencil Liner
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Buck for eyebrows)
Shu Uemura eyelash curler
Covergirl Lashblast Volume Waterproof mascara
Pretty & Cute false eyelashes in #S4
Individual false lashes
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
NYX Round Lipstick in Circe
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 6 Istanbul
Lioele Blooming Gloss in Vanilla Pink

And my own photos:

So I'm actually a bit surprised at how well the brown eyebrows worked for this look because I normally would only fill my brows in with an ash grey! It seems to warm up the whole face and plays off of the gold glitter nicely. Also, if the lower false lashes are too long for you, then you should try cutting them a bit shorter and only wearing them near the outer corners of your eyes. I snipped the inner 2 slightly shorter to look more natural as well.

In the end, I was really happy with how the look turned out and I hope you guys enjoyed watching too! It was nice to have fun with a thinner double-winged eyeliner which is pretty opposite of most kpop looks nowdays. If you end up trying this look, feel free to share it on my facebook gallery and let me know on Twitter as well so I can go and check it out. :D

Thanks so much for watching/reading and let me know in the comments the next look you'd like to see!

TAG: Top 5 Perfumes

2011-11-15T22:21:00.005-06:00

Hey guys! It's officially mid-November and I can't help but think to myself that time is traveling by extra-fast this month. Maybe it's because I've started preparing gifts for Christmas and, like last year, I am preparing to donate an item to the BeautyBloggers.org charity auction. I'll give more information about this year's auction closer to the starting date (Nov 28th) but as a little teaser, I am donating a very special lipstick this year. ;)

For today's video I wanted to share some of my very favorite perfumes in a fun tag:

As I mentioned in the video, my favorite types of perfumes are fruity-florals and I try to avoid perfumes that have baby powdery scents and "old lady" classic perfume scents like the plague. They just don't work with my personal body chemistry and end up smelling very flat and unflattering.

I also appreciate adorable packaging like this cute DKNY Be Delicious apple! ^_^

Here are my top 5 altogether in their cute glass bottles.

Paris Hilton (2005)
Fragrance Notes: Frozen Apple, Peach Nectar, Wet Ozone, Sparkling Muguet, Freesia, Mimosa, Jasmine, Tuberose, Skin Musk, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Oakmoss, Pheromone.

I'd describe this one as being "cute and sexy" on me. It's on the sweeter end of perfumes I like but it's great for a night out. It's purported secret ingredient is pheromone in case you want to bring all the boys to the yard.

Marc Jacobs Daisy (2007)
Fragrance Notes: Violet Leaves, White Woods, Strawberry, Gardenia, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Jasmine Petals, Violet Petals, Vanilla, Musk

This perfume is a lighter floral that is a bit preppy and appropriate for everyday. It's not too strong that it's distracting but it's still nice and put-together. I also find that this one doesn't seem to change on different people's skin as much as other perfumes, or maybe it just smells good on most people. The clean wearability reminds me of Clinique's Happy perfume and it's a good "starter" perfume for those new to fragrances.

L L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani (2007)
Fragrance Notes: Water Hyacinth, Violet, Fresh Pear, White Freesia, Jasmine, Muguet, Sweet Pea, Rose, Orange Blossom, Heliotrope, Peach

This perfume is one of my more sophisticated and heavier perfumes and has fresh, floral top notes but definitely has a cooler, muskier base to it that is more masculine than my other perfume picks. I like it for an elegant date night since it's very classy.

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom (2009)
Fragrance Notes: Apricot, Cassis, Grapefruit, Smooth Skin Accord, Blond Woods, Jasmine, Rose, Apple, Muguet

I really love this perfume as an everyday daytime fragrance. It's a bit sweet, floral, and feminine. The "Fresh Blossom" name originally scared me since I usually stay away from heavy florals but it's actually quite light and I absolutely love undertones of apple in it. It's a really nice balance of florals without trying too hard.

D&G 3 L'Imperatrice (2009)

Fragrance Notes: kiwi, watermelon, musk, pink cyclamen

From Sephora, "3 L'Imperatrice is a confident, charismatic, boundary-shattering blend with a top of rhubarb, kiwi accord, and red currant; a heart of pink cyclamen, watermelon, and jasmine; and a base of musk, sandalwood, and grapefruit wood."

I don't know if I would call this boundary-shattering but it's certainly the first scent I've ever felt wholeheartedly connected with, like we stared each other down and we knew it was meant to be. From the first application through the dry-down, I absolutely adore this perfume. On me, the rhubarb-watermelon notes really come through and smells to my nose like sparkling strawberry mixed with cherry blossom. It's sweet and sophisticated at the same time and I never feel like its wearing me. On the contrary, when I wear this I find myself constantly smelling my wrists and thinking I wish I could smell like this all the time! Although this line of D&G perfumes claim to be unisex, this one is definitely NOT for guys. Come on, it's pink for goodness's sake!

The one downfall is that the scent disappears pretty quickly (3 hours max on me) so it takes reapplication throughout the day to keep the scent lingering. It also doesn't have as much depth on my friends or sister, so it really has to work with the chemistry of the wearer. For me, 3 is my #1 perfume love!

Some honorable mentions I wanted to include are:

Burberry Brit Sheer
A fresh, fruity floral that I don't own yet but want! I recall it being slightly more citrusy than my other loves, which I enjoy.

Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Shine

This one reminds me a bit of the Paris Hilton perfume. It's on the sweeter side but it's very fresh and lovely. It doesn't last too long on me though, unfortunately.

J'adore Dior
I love the sample of this I have but won't buy the full size until I run out. It's a fresh floral that is sexy, sophisticated, and very lady-like. This is another date night at a nice restaurant kind of perfume for me.

Lacoste Essential
Clean, fresh, long-lasting, and sliiiightly citrusy without losing any masculinity in the process. Ugh, so sexy. I die. This is my current favorite cologne.

Victoria's Secret Very Sexy For Him 2
Both Very Sexy For Him and Very Sexy For Him 2 are very sexy but 2 is a bit cleaner and lighter for day-wear. It's my original fav scent on hubby and I can't imagine this would smell bad on any guy, it's that good.

Giorgio Armani Aqua Di Gio

This is another scent that I think would smell good on every male. Very clean, very sexy, very I-smell-hot-but-I-don't-try-too-hard. Hubby also has the deodorant of this and I swear to you, his t-shirt pits smell fantastic.

I hope this was informative if you have a similar nose to myself or if you are in the market for a new scent! Let me know in the comments what your favorite perfume is (and why, if you can describe it) as well as your favorite cologne... Who knows, maybe hubby can find something new too!

Fall Drugstore Makeup Tutorial

2011-11-12T03:58:00.000-06:00

Hey guys! Today I wanted to share with you a makeup tutorial that I have been wearing SO often for the last month. It has seriously been a go-to look that I haven't felt this strongly about since I first got my Naked Palette. Not only have I gotten tons of requests for this eye look specifically, but I've always gotten requests to do an all-drugstore look for those of you on a budget so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. I know it's silly since this eyeshadow has been out for a while now, but I absolutely adore the L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow duo in 510 Electrified (see swatches here).

I don't know what it is but I feel like lately drugstore makeup has really stepped up its game! To see my everyday Fall drugstore look, watch below:

Products mentioned:
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in 60 Natural Beige
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear powder in Beige
NYX HD Eye Shadow Base
L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in 510 Electrified
NYX Single Eyeshadow in Vanilla Sky (now also available at Nordstrom!)
Wet & Wild Gel Liner
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof mascara
Model 21 #63 lashes
Milani blush in Luminous (baked version here)
NYX Black Label lipstick in Diva
Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss in 43

My nailpolish is China Glaze Ruby Pumps
Top is from Wildfox Couture which I wore in this post (cream version here)

Sigma Brushes used in this video are from the Make Me Cool kit which you can browse here.

So I know in my video I said that I would have more pics in this blog post but I completely blanked out after recording and forgot to take nice pics. Oops! I did take some screencaps from the video for my blog readers though, so you can at least get an idea of the look. :)

Full face: Metallic taupe w/ deep purple contour, golden pink cheeks, peachy lips

Close-up of the eyes so you can see the shading

And at an angle so you can see how the contour color wraps around the metallic shade.

This gives the eyes a deeper, more dramatic look.

As an aside, I hope you had a happy Pepero day (11.11.11) or maybe 가래떡데이? Hehehe~

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial and let me know if there's another look you'd like to see. If it's a request for SNSD's The Boys look, then you can go ahead and do a little happy dance because I've already recorded it! ;) Also, if you know any fun tags let me know too!

Sept Oct 2011 Hits & Misses!

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Today I have another Hits & Misses video to share with you guys. I had missed last month due to being very busy traveling around, so I have some products this month that I'm extra excited to tell you about. Just to give a hint, those of you who are skincare junkies are in luck!

Products mentioned:
Philosophy Purity Made Simple
Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash
Philosophy The Microdelivery Purifying Peel
Aveda Intensive Hydrating Mask
Pore Peeling Tsururi
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (MAC version / NARS version / Lancome version)
Koji Black Fix for Eyelash eyelash glue
K Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24 hour waterproof tattoo eyeliner
Tarte Smooth Operator micronized clay finishing powder
Stila Hair Refresher in Jade Blossom

feeling squinty?

My nailpolish is China Glaze Ruby Pumps

(My next video will be a tutorial of this look!)
Lipstick is NYX Black Label lipstick in Diva
Lipgloss is Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss in 43
Eyeshadow is L'Oreal HIP Shadow duo in 510 Electrified

As I mentioned in the video I am on the lookout for a more moisturizing eye cream than what I currently use (StriVectin for the orbital eye area...maybe the exact type was discontinued?) so if you have any good suggestions, I would really appreciate if you let me know in the comments! My eyes have been feeling super dry and suffering in this cold weather and it's definitely contributing to my wonk-eye prevalence! O_o

Anyway, I hope you guys had a wonderful October and first part of November. I'm going to keep downing these matcha lattes to keep warm and hope that my skin, which is currently broken out like woah, will calm down once it gets used to the rapid weather change. :)

My Sephora F&F Haul!

2011-10-31T17:41:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed and are still enjoying Halloween fun. I suppose that this year part of our seasonal fun is the annual Sephora Friends & Family sale, am I right beauty community? Everyone loves a good sale off beauty products!

Products mentioned:
NARS Danmari All About Cheeks palette
Lancome French Touch Absolu in Rouge St Honore
Tweezerman Harajuku Lovers Slant Tweezer in Love
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed
MAKE UP FOR EVER Duo Mat Powder Foundation in 203

On me:
Mesh-inset Sweatshirt is by BB Dakota (similar here, dress version here)
Earrings were from Hautelook (my invite)
Foundation is FAIRYDROPS BB Cream in Ocher
Lipstick is Dior Addict High Shine in Sensation Coral (discontinued / current Dior Addict lippies )
Nail polish is Zoya Blair
Lashes are Pretty & Cute Glamorous Lashes #088

This year is a little different than most years in that instead of a universal coupon code, every person gets an individual coupon code for 20% off which you can get from http://www.sephora.com/friends. I will say that when I went to get my own code the site crashed but I'm thinking that it should work fine this late into the game. The sale will go on through November 3rd, so you can still take advantage of the sale for a couple more days!

Here are my photos and swatches of what I hauled:

NARS Danmari All About Cheeks palette

Hungry Heart / Orgasm / Desire /
Casino / Super Orgasm / Sin

I made this image purposely large so you can click to view closer.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Duo Mat Powder Foundation in 203

Tweezerman Harajuku Lovers Slant Tweezer in Love

Lancome French Touch Absolu in Rouge St Honore

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed

And here are my swatches:

NARS Danmari All About Cheeks palette

Hungry Heart / Orgasm / Desire /

Casino / Super Orgasm / Sin

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed / MUFE Duo Mat in 203 / Lancome French Touch Absolu

Side-by-side so you can see how the NARS palette compares to the Tarte blush. Tarte Exposed's base shade is in the same family as NARS Orgasm but rosier, slightly deeper, and matte. Sin and Desire are both cooler-toned blushes in the palette. You can also notice here how sheer the Lancome lipstick is. Like other moisturizing lipsticks, the formula is not as long-lasting as more pigmented lipsticks, but I personally prefer reapplying versus having dry lips.

NARS palette / Tarte Blush in Exposed / MUFE Duo Mat in 203 / Lancome French Touch Absolu

I hope the swatches and video were helpful for anyone interested in any of the items I bought! I'm already knee-deep into trying out the products (wearing MUFE powder today with Tarte blush, and Lancome lipstick) so you can look forward to having them pop up in a future Hits & Misses video too.

One last thing before I forget, today I got a mailer for Sephora V.I.B. "Holiday Shopping Event" for 20% off an entire purchase with code VIBDREAM from November 10th-14th. This coupon is valid for in-store as well as online so if you end up missing this Friends & Family sale there's still a chance that you can get the discount in a little over a week! (Sorry Canadians, I think this is US only.) There is also an invite to an in-store event where a friend can get the 20% discount on a single purchase transaction as well, so keep your eyes peeled for this mailer.

Happy Halloween and beauty shopping! :D :D :D

"Gangster" Smokey Eye For Any Costume (makeup & hair)

2011-10-28T18:17:00.004-05:00

Hello lovelies! It's now right before Halloween when plenty of you are probably knee-deep into preparing your costumes for the parties going on this weekend. Since a lot of costumes don't require a specific look, I thought I would do a more generic smokey eye look to compliment any costume. If you want to have striking, smokey charcoal eyes this year then watch the video below!

And here's the hair tutorial for using a wave iron:

Products mentioned:
Makeup Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Foundation in 40
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean and Cottage Cheese
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (Ace, Blackout)
MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom
Lioele All-in-One Gel Liner
NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil
NYX Eyebrow Shaper
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof mascara
NYX lashes in 101
NYX Blush in Pinky
NYX lip pencil in Red Hot
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Bordeaux
NYX Round Lipstick in Eros

For the hair tutorial:
Rusk Thermal STR8 Protective Shine Tonic -this is old (current Rusk thermal shine product)
Bedhead "Wave Artist" Deep Wave Iron

Here are my pics of the look:

You can see how the black wraps around the charcoal color here.

You say gun? I say makeup brush.

And here's a screencap of the whole costume. It's a collared halter dress, plus my own blazer, fedora, fishnet tights, and boots. See the cute gun garter straps? So fun! :D

My nailpolish is Zoya Blair

"Suzy Silencer" costume provided by Leg Avenue, size xs

Feathered Fedora is from Forever 21

Lace-up Boots by Max Studio (similar here / here / here)

Blazer is from Macy's (similar here / here)

I hope you guys had fun watching and fingers crossed, it will come in handy for some of you as well. If you happen to do any of my tutorials, please post a pic of your final look to my Facebook page gallery!

Have fun, be safe, and go all out with your makeup this Halloween weekend!!! :D

For my past Halloween blog posts click here.

Boxer Girl Bruised Eye Halloween Tutorial

2011-10-25T20:43:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! With only a few days left until Halloween weekend is officially here, I wanted to do a tutorial that most of you could easily pull together last-minute. Today's look is on a boxer girl, which is an idea I came up with 3 years ago because I wanted to do something non-traditional that wasn't soley about being "sexy". I knew there would be plenty of Disney princesses and sexy creatures about, so why not do something a bit more man-repelling? ;)

Here it is folks, how to give yourself a (fake) black eye for a convincing boxer girl costume!

Products mentioned:
Makeup Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Foundation in 40
MAC Select Coverup Concealer in NC30
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (Junkshow, Blackout)
Milani Liquif'eye Pencil in Black
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Yeyo
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof mascara
NYX lashes in 113
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Black (current version here)
77 Eyeshadow Palette (no brand)
Sugarpill Eyeshadow in Buttercupcake
Wet & Wild Color Icon blush in Pearlescent Pink
MAC Lipglass in Revenge is Sweet (limited edition but I heard this looks similar)
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder

The brushes used in this tutorial were Sigma Make Me Cool brushes which you can browse here.

And here are some pics of the look:

I felt like Two-Face from Batman. This is my better half. XD

Real girl power! RAWR!

And I added this just because it's hilariously deceptive. Muahaha!

This is so I can freak more people out, unawares. A whole story in only a few pictures. :D

I hope you guys enjoyed seeing something a bit different for Halloween tutorials! If you'd like to see my full costume back when I did this look originally you can find it here. Some people asked me if I really got hurt so I'd say the costume was a success!

I do want to mention, just because it inevitably came up on youtube comments, that this look in no way is trying to glamorize abusive relationships and violence toward women. On the contrary, I feel that the idea of the boxing girl costume is empowering because girls can be proud of themselves even if they aren't trying to be sexy. As I wrote in the Youtube annotations, people dress like vampires for Halloween but don't actually eat people in real life. Don't take it to seriously because, after all, it is just a costume. If we know right from wrong and empower ourselves with that knowledge, we can always use makeup to have a bit of fun. :)

Have fun trying out the look and let me know in the comments what you think! I'll have one last smokey eye tutorial to post before the big day that will work for any costume, so you can look forward to that soon. Until next time~

TAG: Fall Loves ♥

2011-10-20T19:18:00.001-05:00

Mmm, Fall... Where I'm at in the midwest, the cool Fall season as really come upon us quickly and as much as I hated to see the warmth of Summer go, I am loving getting to pull out my sweaters and boots and layer to my heart's content! This is why when I saw the Fall Loves tag going around on Youtube, I was in the perfect mood to record a video for you. ^_^

Products Mentioned:

Vanicream
Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy in Summer Hill (Lavender, La Source, Citron, Gardeners)
MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Briar Rose
L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in 510 Electrified
Milani Liquif'eye Pencil in Black
Emergen-C in Super Orange
Kao Essential Damage Care Rich Premier Hair Treatment
ORLY Nail Polish in Rage
Bath & Body Works Wallflower in Creamy Pumpkin
Urban Outfitters Floral Wrap Scarf
Franco Sarto boots

Face:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in 60 Natural Beige

L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in 510 Electrified

MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Briar Rose

Urban Decay Lipstick in Naked

Clothes:

Asos Petite Cable Knit Dress

Urban Outfitters Floral Wrap Scarf

THE QUESTIONS:

Beauty & Fashion:
1) Top 5 fall makeup items?
2) Favorite fall hair product?
3) Favorite fall Nail Polish?
4) Favorite fall scent?
5) Most worn clothing item & accessory?

Random fall Questions:
1) Who's your fall Style icon?
2) Going to a corn maze, what do you wear?
3) Favorite Halloween movie?
4) Favorite Halloween candy?
5) What are you being for Halloween?!

As I mentioned in my video, I'm still not sure what I'm going to be for Halloween this year... Maybe this fox? I don't want to give away the other tutorials I still have yet to do this year before the big day but there will be plenty of looks to choose from. ;)

Share the love and let me know in the comments what your absolute must-have Fall beauty/fashion item is. :) If you would like to do this tag, feel free to also leave a link to your post/video in the comments! Happy October everyone!

Beauty and the Beast "Belle" Halloween Tutorial

2011-10-10T19:51:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to share with you my first Halloween tutorial for this year. After having such a fun time recreating Princess Jasmine's look last year, I decided to try out another one of my favorite Disney Princess: Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

I distinctly remember the first time I watched the opening scenes of this movie and being totally awestruck at the graphics and instantly fell in love with Belle's pure-hearted and book-loving character. I knew that's the kind of person I wanted to be someday. Maybe tutorial-recording day became that day. ;)

Products mentioned:

Makeup Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Foundation in 40
Graftobian Concealer Palette
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Sin, Buck, and Virgin eyeshadows)
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Black
NYX Eyelash Curler
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara
Darkness VX lashes (similar here)
Urban Decay Urban Brow Pen in Brunette
NYX Eyebrow Shaper
Josie Maran bronzer in Beach #1
Wet & Wild Color Icon blush in Pearlescent Pink
NYX Lip Pencil in Natural
NYX Black Label Lipstick in Bling
IPKN It Gloss in Lilac

Here are some images of the gorgeous Belle which I used to base my look of of. As you can see, her look is elegant and natural with a focus on long, black lashes, sweet pink cheeks, and warm rosy lips.

And here is my take of the look. Neutral colors, but more put-together than your average "natural" look. Slightly more defined brows, soft cheeks, gentle highlighting, and layered lip products to last all Halloween night! :)

A close-up to show the soft, cut-crease eyelid shading. Juxtaposing a matte crease shade with a metallic lid color gives the eyes a glowing and dimensional appearance.

Here you can see the whole look pulled together. I flipping love this Leg Avenue golden dress! I always, always wanted Belle's dress and this cute Halloween version makes me feel more princessy for sure. ^__^

And of course, my beloved Beast. Can't you tell we are in love? I looked past his snaggle tooth because come on, anyone who has an appreciation for roses and fine, bright blue-with-gold-trim suiting is a catch in my book.

Full-length images of the full outfit, hair, makeup, and heels. If you are interested in my actual "Storybook Beauty" costume, I am wearing size XS which is slightly too long in the torso on me but would be perfect for someone 5' or taller. Leg Avenue costumes are sold nearly everywhere though, so it shouldn't be too hard to find especially online. :)

Costume: Leg Avenue size XS

Hair: Mom's vintage necklace (similar here)

Earrings: Pearl studs (similar here / here)

Heels: Simple Leather Platform Pumps size 210mm

A huge thanks to Daniel and the Leg Avenue team for sending me off with some fab costumes during my visit to the main office this past summer! You guys are SO creative and make me love dressing up for Halloween each year. <3

Also, my heels are from jgshoe.com which is a new petite shoe website which I am super excited to share with you since they carry heels that fit my petite feet. I actually stumbled upon them while browsing around so I'm looking forward to telling you more about them in the future. ;)

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and as always, I hope that this look will come in handy for the holidays or whenever you want to look a bit more polished!

Paris, je t'aime - Day 1 & 2 pics! :)

2011-10-04T23:24:00.000-05:00

I found a bit of time after training to edit some of my Paris photos! I have images from days 3 & 4 yet to work up but here are images from the first half of my Paris trip along with my vlog if you haven't seen it on Youtube yet. Warning, this post is pic heavy! :)

Eiffel tower at night, our first evening in Paris for our dinner cruise on the Seine River.

The original Statue of Liberty (she's much more petite than her NYC sister) ;)

At a the turn of the hour each night, the tower lights up and shimmers all around for only 10 precious minutes. It's really quite a magical thing to see!

The next day, we visited the Louvre Museum which is beautiful both in its exterior and of course the breathtaking artwork inside as well. As a graduate of design, I've taken many art history courses and it was exciting to see paintings in real life that I had seen in my books for class. The details really capture my heart!

Jumping in front of the well-known glass pyramid that sits atop the entrance of the actual museum below.

Before I totally forget, here are the details of my outfit:
Lace dress - from Yuna's Closet (closed but I found it at soyfashion) (similar here / here / gorgeous)
Blazer - Aritzia shrunken Talulah blazer in 00 (similar here / juniors fit here)
Necklace - delia's chain ribbon necklace (old, similar here / here)
Heels - MICHAEL Michael Kors Carla sandal (on sale here)
Bracelets & rings - ebay and Forever 21

Lots of cute, fat piegeons were everywhere! I fell in love with this fluffy one who seemed content amidst the prevalent tourists.

Of course, the famed Mona Lisa. As you can see in my video, she is actually quite tiny and encased in a huge glass container that I'm sure is extremely photo-and-light-proof. There was a man next to me who was explaining about the painting to his friend and said, "If you look into her eyes, from anywhere, she is looking back at you" which I thought was fascinating. You can see what he means, right?

Josh getting his photoshoot taken inside the Louvre. He looks very regal here and I loved the lighting. :)

Egyptian mummy. The layering of fabric on the face is just really mesmerizing when you look at it closely.

Next, we went to Champs Élysées which is the famous shopping street in Paris. At the end is Arc de Triomphe which unfortunately I didn't get to take pics/vid of since I had my photoshoot there. While the rest of the group went to the giant Sephora during my shoot, I meandered to the original Louis Vuitton store alone. As you can see, there was quite a line to get in!

You can see the road sign here. 101 Avenue des Champs Élysées. :)

Inside, I sneaked a photo. You aren't allowed to take pics... hehe. Aren't those walls magical?

I may have bought myself a little splurge. My very first LV item ever! I try to be very good with how I spend my money but it just felt really special to get something at the original Louis Vuitton location in Paris. I know it's a souvenir that I will always remember and always hold dear to my heart. Not to mention, it was also considerably less expensive than in the US as well! Shall I do an official reveal in a later post? Hmmm... :)

A staircase inside the Swarovski store... so sparkly I had to take a pic!

And of course we stopped by Laduree, the famous macaroon shop. I recommend the vanilla flavor which tastes the best of all the flavors I tried. The filling is like ice cream! That's Christine xteeener on the right. ;)

I'll try to find time to edit and post the second half of my Paris adventure soon, but I hope you enjoyed this part!

A Little Bit of Paris... :)

2011-09-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

Hey loves! I am currently typing from my laptop in my hotel room since I am training for a new job in New Jersey (eeks!). I anticipate that updating will be rather difficult during my two weeks out here because the workdays are long, and I'm so exhausted from the travel while still getting over jet lag from Paris! I know I don't mention it much, but sometimes I think I seriously overwork myself. XD

Anyway, I don't want to keep you guys waiting in too much anticipation for my next video (Paris vlog maybe? ;) so I thought I would post a few pics from my photoshoot at my Paris "monument". Twitter followers may have already heard a bit about it, but the Paris trip was for a project with Sigma Beauty who made the brushes I talked about here which I am REALLY excited about, but am not allowed to share quite yet.

I just wanted to say that I am thrilled, honored, humbled, and feel incredibly blessed and unworthy to have gotten the opportunity to go on this trip. I've thought about it so many times in my head and still it seems unreal for my name to have possibly come up amongst such AMAZING people who I really admire not just in makeup skill but as people. (I know, I know, I am so cheesy but I seriously can't help it. I'm still in shock.)

Thank you SO much to Simone & Sigma Beauty and Rasun, as well as xteeener, MakeupByTiffanyD, macNC40, petrilude, xsparkage, and my Paris roomie DulceCandy87, for all the love, laughs, late night talks, and I'm-not-even-kidding-unforgettable memories. <3 (I KNOW! SO CHEESE BUT I SWEAR MY FINGERS, THEY KEEP TYPING!!)

But most of all, I have always thought about you, my supporters, readers, friends, who have always carried me through so many of life's ups and downs... So much more than you will ever know. On days when I just want to give up, I have had so many times where I was moved to tears to read the kindness and camaraderie that you've been so generous to give so that we can all feel like strong, beautiful people at the end of the day. With open arms and a truly grateful heart I want to say thank you.

Ack, I've talked myself emotional. I better hurry and share the pics. ;)

Arc de Triomphe at Champs-Élysées
Paris, France
Credit: Rasun Mehringer

Thank you so much for reading/watching and I hope you enjoyed this tiny peek at Paris. I promise, more photos and vlogs to come!

Much love, hugs, kisses, thoughts, and prayers. <3

xoxo

Twisted Rope Braid Updo

2011-09-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

It's been some time since I've done my last hair tutorial, hasn't it? Well ever since I posted my "Would You Rather?" tag video and MAC Turquatic Inspired tutorial I've had a large number of requests for the rope-braided updo that I wore in both posts. It's a look that I've sported a lot this past summer, and I think it would still be really chic to wear this fall with a warm scarf around the neck. :)

Products Used:
Snag-Free Hair Elastics (similar)
Goody Spin Pins (for blondes or mini pins)
LOFT Sequin Flower Pin (similar, similar, similar)

One tip that I find useful with this hairstyle, and most other updos in general, is to work with dirty hair. I know! Some of you might think it's gross, but if you skip a day of washing hair and instead use a dry shampoo (I'm currently using Suave Dry Shampoo which I talked about here) to soak up the oils and give volume, you actually get a ton of texture and the hair really holds the style nicely.

Great for those too-lazy-to-wash-hair days! I know I'm not the only one who gets those, right? ;D

And a view from the back. I can't tell you how much of a lifesaver this hairstyle was during the hot summer days when I didn't want anything touching my neck!

The best part about this hairstyle is that it's easier to do than a traditional 3-strand french braid or dutch braid so it goes much quicker. At the same time, not many people do this type of twisted rope braid so you'll get people asking you how you did it because it looks more complicated than it is! I'm all about the high impact-low effort when it comes to hair. ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed this hair tutorial and let me know in the comments if there are any other hair requests that you have!

Mall of America Haul!

2011-09-20T22:16:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! A few weeks ago I took a little roadtrip break to Minneapolis, MN which is home to the infamous Mall of America. I'm talking about the largest mall in the US! Literally, there is a Nickelodeon theme park in the middle of this mall, it's so huge. I had lots of fun shopping so I hope you enjoy seeing what I got while I was there too. ^__^

Products mentioned:
Abercrombie Kids pants (Current style is "Audrey")
Forever 21 orange skirt
Forever 21 blush pleated skirt
Forever 21 orange shawl neckline cardigan (similar here and here)
Forever 21 navy chiffon blouse (similar here and here)
Ann Taylor animal pint belt (calfhair here)
Ann Taylor green scarf (similar green here and here)
H&M orange belt (similar here and studded here)
Banana Republic chartreuse lace blouse
Ikea scarf organizer (could also use a tie hanger)
Ikea Alex cabinet

I also forgot to add in my video that I stopped by Nordstrom Rack and picked up a pair of these cute Kate Spade rainboots for about $75 (orig $150)!

I LOVE the bow on the side as well as the small heel and the toe isn't too boxy so it has a nice overall sleek shape in comparison to most rainboots. The rubber is also thinner and more pliable than other rainboots I've tried on which makes them slightly lighter and easier to walk in. If you can find them on sale I'd definitely pick them up!

So what do you think? Should I keep the orange blazer and alter the shoulder pads or return it?

Let me know in the comments if you ever went to the Mall of America and what you thought!

Cameo in Michelle Phan's "Catch My Heart" Video!

2011-09-16T08:00:00.060-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm currently enjoying the wonders of France, but I realized that I forgot to post on my blog a really fun experience that I had recently.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a couple days hanging out with Michelle Phan and Joseph Vincent while they shot Michelle's "Catch My Heart" video. If you watch below, there are a few scenes where you can see Michelle, Hannah and me having fun and being friendsies. ^_~

Can you spot us?

Here are a few pics that I snagged from Michelle's site. LOVE these! We look ridiculously happy, right?

Thank you so much Michelle for letting me tag along with you to the festival! I had tons of fun and it's something that I will definitely never forget. Joe, you are hilarious and you are both great balls of awesome to be around. Please also tell Richard thank you SO MUCH x100 for going out of his way for us. :] Love you guys!!! I hope I can see you again soon!!

Updated Skincare Routine!

2011-09-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

Hello hello and happy 추석 to all my Korean readers. I hope you are having a lovely Korean Thanksgiving holiday!

Today I would like to share with you a very highly requested video, my updated skincare routine. I checked and it looks like the last time I posted my skincare routine was about 1 year ago so it's about time I refreshed you all with what I've been doing to keep my skin in order.

Products Mentioned:
Re-10 Wash (generic prescription for Ovace wash)
Elisha Coy BB All In-One Cleanser
Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30
Josie Maran Protect 40+ Sunscreen
Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum
Juju Aquamoist 100% Hyaluronic Acid
Differin .1% (I'm now back to using the .3% which I like better)
Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream (large tub I have is here)
Clarisonic Mia in Pink with Sensitive brush head
Vitamin E oil capsules (Bio-Oil can be used similarly, or liquid form here)

As you can see my update isn't drastically different than what it was last year. (If you'd like more info on my skin history please read up on my past skincare and acne posts.) I'm still using pretty gentle products although I have somewhat "weaned" myself off of my prescriptions containing antibiotics. That being said, my skin is still really breakout-prone! Especially in the last 2 months my skin has been very unpredictable.

Since recording this video, I have actually gone back to the dermatologist so I am now again using Differin .3% which, as the name implies, is three times stronger and it seems to keep my acne at bay better than .1%. I am also trying out a new daytime prescription called Finacea (azelaic acid gel, 15%) which is apparently very natural and gentle enough for even pregnant women. So far since starting it I've had zero skin purging! I'll keep you guys updated on how my skin progresses but I will say that I'm very happy to be on a prescription skincare regimen that contains no antibiotics. As of now, my skin has improved from 2 weeks ago. :)

Now I need to go and finish packing for my trip to Paris tomorrow! Eeeeeek, I'm so excited! Has anyone been to Paris before? Any packing tips or experience on what to bring would be excellent. Blog posts and video uploads will be put on hold until I get back but I promise I will take tons of photos and video footage to share with you when I return! Wish me luck!

August Hits & Misses: Drugstore Edition!

2011-09-09T20:32:00.002-05:00

Remember that drugstore haul I did not too long ago? Well I have a follow-up on how well I liked the products in my August Hits & Misses video!

Products mentioned:
Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation in 325 Sandstone
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Cream
Wet & Wild 8-Pan Palette in Comfort Zone
L'Oreal HIP Shadow Duo in 510 Electrified
Wet & Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara
CVS triple sharpener (similar here and here)
Milani Liquif'eye pencil in Black
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
Wet & Wild Mega Eyes Cream Eyeliner in Black
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Face Powder in Beige
Unii Palette in Black
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Blush in Blushing Glow

On me:

My nailpolish is Maybelline Express Finish in 155 Speedy Hot Tamale

Lipstick is NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul

Foundation is Fairydrops BB Cream in Ochre

Eyeshadow is L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in 510 Electrified

Necklace is Amrita Singh Shelter Island necklace via Hautelook & currently on sale (my invite)

As I said in the video, I feel a bit justified for being biased toward high-end makeup for the face and low-end makeup for the eyes. It is probably because of the area I live in not being very diverse (midwest) but seriously, I was shocked when I tested out the Maybelline concealer because it was SO light! It's true that I'm currently in my "tan stage" after this heat wave of a summer, but I know for a fact that there are plenty of white girls who are my skin color or tanner and they would not match this concealer either!

Also, I felt pretty sad about the Covergirl Natureluxe foundation not working for me because G over at Nouveau Cheap loves it. A little bird mentioned to me that the formula may have been inspired by Armani foundation but I have not tried it and cannot speak for that myself.

It almost worked out and it doesn't look that bad on my face in person especially after initial application, but it definitely gave my face a ruddier look since it has pinker undertones than what I should be using. It starts with a nice satin finish but my face gets oily within a couple hours. Definitely a return.

Check out this screencap I took of Covergirl's page for this foundation. Pink, pink, pink, pink, and dark.

Did Covergirl not get the memo that most people are warm-toned? I guess it makes sense why they chose Taylor Swift as their spokesmodel. It certainly wouldn't have been Jessica Alba, which to that I will say, "Thank you Revlon, for making yellow-based foundations!"

I'm sure in the future they will get the hint and improve but for now, I will stick with Makeup Forever and bb creams for my base makeup. ^_~

Anyway, to do a quicker recap about the rest, I loved all of the eye products I tried save for some packaging flaws that could be improved, and kudos to Wet & Wild for really stepping up the drugstore game in general. I appreciate their pigmentation and quality, especially in the face of bigger companies (*cough*Covergirl*cough*) who are great at some things like mascara, but really suck when it comes to blushes and foundations!

I hope that my reviews helped those of you who were interested in picking up some of the items I tested out!
If you want to see swatches you can see my haul blog post here as well.

Now I have to go pack for... shall we say... a search for that je ne sais quoi! ;)

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ever since featuring the new Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners ($18) in my last Hits & Misses video, I've gotten a lot of requests to fully review the line and show swatches of the collection. As followers of my blog know, I am a forever fan of UD's 24/7 pencil liners so I had a lot of anticipation for these eyeliners.

from left to right:
Woodstock, ElDorado, Smog, Siren, Radium, Sabbath, Retrograde, Demolition, Perversion, Bobby Dazzle, Revolver

Structurally, they are very slim and study. The cap twists off and the handle is the longer end while the product is in the shorter, slightly thicker end. I'm mentioning this because I usually find myself thinking the opposite and open it upside-down with fear of the product running out.

The brush is in a thin wand is very fine and a length that is good for drawing long, even lines but may take a bit of practice to give perfect control since the brush does have give to it.

The most important thing I can say about swatching and using these liners is that you MUST SHAKE them up before use. When I first swatched, they came out weak and watery and not at all the quality that I expect from Urban Decay products. When I shook, I realized it has a metal ball in it to help mix the product like nailpolishes do. After shaking, the product was nicely opaque and excellently pigmented.

The eyeliner dries totally waterproof with a glossy finish.

From left to right:

Bobby Dazzle - Metallic shimmery pale silver

Demolition - Cream finish dark mushroom brown

ElDorado - Shimmery liquid gold

Perversion - Flat black

Radium - Shimmery electric blue

Retrograde - Shimmery dark purple with purple shimmer

Revolver - Shimmery metallic gunmetal

Sabbath - Very dark, flat navy blue

Siren - Gorgeous mermaid green-blue teal (used in my Turquatic look)

Smog - Shimmery metallic olive

Woodstock - Shimmery hot pink

Here is one with flash just so you can see how nice Woodstock (hot pink) is as well as how reflective and shiny my two favorites, Bobby Dazzle (silver) and ElDorado (gold), are. I love adding the silver or gold to my inner eye corners because they stay on ALL DAY even if I accidentally rub my eyes. :D

Overall, I love the variety of colors available and how smooth and pigmented they are. They are also killer long-lasting and waterproof and I'm guessing 98% of the population will be completely in love and satisfied with these. You can wash with the strongest soap and these will not rub off unless you grab an oil-based makeup remover.

When testing these with false lashes or monolidded, I did find that they did disintegrate slightly on my inner eye corners by the end of the day (as does just about every eyeliner out there) but for the most part performed very well. Those with higher creases will likely not run into this problem. On my upper lash line I particularly adored Sabbath (deep navy blue) because it looks nearly black but not as harsh and has an eye-brightening effect as well.

The one thing that I wish was different is the finish. I love the metallics being very reflective but I wish the cream-finish shades dried down to a matte finish. This is of course down to personal preference but I think truly matte eyeliners are less distracting to an overall look. If the star of the look is the eyeliner (hello hot pink eyeliner anyone?) then it's not an issue. ;)

I give these eyeliners a very hearty A-. Definite recommend.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Urban Decay for generously gifting these eyeliners! This post is not sponsored.

Makeup For Uneven Eyelids

2011-09-02T13:53:00.002-05:00

Today I have a tutorial for what I lovingly call "wonk eye" aka when your eyes go like this: O_o

I'm sure I'm not the only one who deals with this but lately I have had uneven eyelids on a pretty regular basis. For those of you who haven't experienced this before, uneven eyelids can happen to people of any ethnicity although I won't lie, it is SUPER common among those of us with Asian eyelid types. (I say types because people can have many types of eyelids for example, I have several Caucasian friends who happen to have a flatter eyelid shape with small creases which is common among Asians.)

I personally can get them from crying, allergies, being sick, not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep, rubbing my eyes, or sometimes I just wake up with them in the morning with no explanation. Every morning is an exciting opportunity for a different eye shape! Haha.

Tired of going makeupless or being frustrated when you suffer from Wonk Eye®? Here's my technique for eye makeup on uneven eyes!

Products mentioned:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Wet & Wild Mega Eyes Cream Eyeliner

Wet & Wild Comfort Zone Palette

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Yeyo

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Waterproof Mascara

IPKN It lipgloss in Lilac (thank you Pretty & Cute for this lipgloss!)

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear blush in Blushing Glow

Just in general, the most important, irreplaceable items needed for successfully doing this look is:

1. Use an eyeshadow primer. This is imperative for uneven lids because creased lids can transfer shadow color unless you have a really good base. My favorite is Urban Decay Primer Potion.

2. Use a cream or gel-type eyeliner like MAC Fluidline, Wet & Wild Mega Eyes Cream Eyeliner, or Lioele All-in-One Gel Eyeliner. Cream liners are more waterproof than pencil liners, won't peel or flake like some liquid liners, and can give a soft or hard line depending on application so the versatility is perfect for those with monolids or uneven eyelids.

3. Lash curler and waterproof mascara. This will also keep your makeup from smudging and will hold a curl for eyelashes that naturally may point in different directions. Large creased eyes tend to have lashes that point out or up while hooded eyelids and monolids often have lashes that point downward. Not all waterproof mascaras are equal so go for drier formulas like Covergirl LashBlast Waterproof, Shiseido Lasting Lift, or Fairydrops Platinum Waterproof mascaras.

Here is the look on me. If you look closely you can see the more defined line of my crease on the right and softer line on the left mimicking the creased arch shadow shape.

With my eyes down they look almost the same except the creased side is a bit more softer. This is to look less harsh when that eye is open. They are still pretty close so it's not very noticeable in real life.

Here's a close-up of my eyes for a better look.

Instead of a dark brown, you could also use a metallic gunmetal, the duochrome gold/brown from the Comfort Zone palette, copper, or really any other medium-to-dark eyeshadow that you prefer but I do find that light colors tend to be less effective. Multi-dimensional shadows are perfect since it's a 1-shadow look and shimmery or duochromey colors really add a look of extra effort without the extra time.

I hope you guys found this tutorial practical, helpful, or even just plain informative. If you have had any experience with uneven eyelids, please share your experience or tips as well in the comments!

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Ann Taylor Store Opening Event: South Coast Plaza

2011-08-28T14:47:00.000-05:00

While I was visiting California, Kelly of Alterations Needed kindly invited me and a few friends to the new store opening event for Ann Taylor at South Coast Plaza. If you didn't already know, Ann Taylor has been a huge fan favorite of fashionable petites especially after their brand facelift a couple years ago. The brand has found itself a nice little niche in my daily "I'm a classy lady" wardrobe so I was very excited to see what was in store.

I had never been to a store opening event before so I didn't know what to expect but the outdoor venue at Noguchi Garden was festive, cute, and filled with handsome waiters and fabulously dressed women.

There were a few tables decorated with items from the Summer 2011 collection. Plenty of eye candy.

There were also several lovely headless mannequins dressed in Ann Taylor's latest frocks and accessories.

One of the first ladies I spotted when I arrived was the always put-together petite, Kelly! Probably one of the most exciting things to find out is that we are height twins. Also, we both wore seersucker, blazers, hemlines at the EXACT SAME LENGTH (you know it's right when it's done twice) and even similar almond-toe heels. Love this girl! (P.S. If you are petite check out her blog Alterations Needed. It was the first personal style petite blog I ever followed years ago!)

Long-limbed cactus. We don't have cacti like this in the midwest but I saw TONS in Cali. You guys are sitting on a desert, masked by green things that pretend to be grass and foliage! So amusing! :D

Lots of ladies decked out in Ann Taylor gear as well. Gotta say, I think we may have been the youngest of the bunch there.

A few bridal and formal-wear mannequins.

A little wind-blown!

A sel-ca shot of me and my lovely photographer and dear friend Kassia

Oh, and look who we found! It's the sexy-classy Wendy of Wendy's Lookbook! Love her color-blocking.

Seriously, I think this is my favorite shot from the entire event. It just makes me so happy for some reason! 3 dainty, almond-toe heels. ^__^ Wendy, I think I need a pair of purple suede heels right now!

I also spotted this incredible purple Hermes Birkin bag on one of the very stylish ladies in the crowd. My jaw went like this D: Ugh the color is so gorgeous! Droooooool!

The event was co-sponsored by C Magazine which had Zoe Saldana gracing the cover and looking perfect as usual.

Even our champagnes flutes with floating raspberries were feeling photogenic.

All the ladies together! Kelly, Wendy, my sister, and me!

Some yum yummies carried by the male model waiters. Seriously, who hired these guys? They were all gorgeous.

Our goody bags from the event! I love the illustration on this tote. Very chic!

One of the pieces inside was this ornate lace-inspired cuff which was thankfully adjustable and fit all of us. So pretty! I've already worn it a few times and it fits well with my girly x edgy wardrobe!

Reviewing some video with the girls. So much fun! And for the record, my white dress is from Ann Taylor. ;)

If you missed watching a snippet of this on my Cali Vlog, you can see it here and skip to 4:02 for the Ann Taylor event. :)

I hope you enjoyed another installment of my Cali recap! I still have many more to share so stay tuned and I'll talk to you soon!

My Haircare Routine!

2011-08-25T13:40:00.000-05:00

Some of the most frequently asked questions I receive have been about my hair; everything from the cut, color, and texture, to most of all my routine for taking care of it. Previously I did a post on my ombre dyed hair color here but I haven't really gone into depth about my hair in general before.

I've said this many times before, but I'm relatively low-maintenance with my hair with just a couple extra things I use to really boost the softness of the texture so if you want to hear about my whole routine you can watch below. :)

Products mentioned:
L'Oreal EverStrong Bodify Shampoo
Shiseido Tsubaki Damage Care Conditioner
Kao Essential Damage Care Rich Premier Shampoo & Conditioner (also here)
Kao Essential Damage Care Rich Premium Treatment (also here)
Excelsior Millenia Mud Reconstructor
Biosilk Silk Therapy

As I said in my video, I am not brand loyal to shampoos and conditioners. I have tried most drugstore lines and generally don't find a huge difference in the health of my hair between shampoos.

What I do see a difference in is when I use an Asian conditioner versus drugstore conditioners from the US. I just find that even with drugstore-level conditioners from Asia, the product is richer and makes my hair noticeably softer. They also smell better, like floral candy, but I know that's up to personal taste. ;)

My hair is pretty typical among Asians in that it is made up of thick individual strands of hair and I tend to have quite a lot of it. Of course there are always variations of hair types among groups of people, but I just know most of my relatives and friends who are Asian have this type of hair compared to, for instance, my Caucasian friends who have fine or thin hair.

Because of my hair type, I like to use extra nourishing conditioners and treatments from my ears down to soften any coarseness the thickness of my hair might cause. Also, I prefer seeing an Asian hairstylist because they are more used to putting even layers in thick hair. If you think about cutting noodles, thicker linguine noodles will leave a bigger gap of space than if you cut and ate a thin spaghetti noodle. In the same way, thin-stranded hair is more forgiving when cutting layers

Some basic tips for haircare:

1. Shampoo all over, but condition only from ears down to prevent a greasy scalp
2. Concentrate conditioners at the ends and use a shower cap for deep-conditioning
3. Avoid letting conditioner lay on your skin since it could potentially cause acne (I tilt my head to the side)
4. Avoid or limit heat-styling for healthier hair
5. Before heat styling use a thermal protection spray

I also wanted to mention something that a few people may find funny. In Korea they say that if you are horny or think about sex often, your hair grows faster. I can assure you that, along with wet hair causing blindness, death, a shorter life, and several other tragedies mentioned in the Youtube video comments, this is also a superstition.

My best advice for growing hair out is simply not to cut it or trim off just the split ends! Other than eating a healthy diet and possibly vitamin supplements (I've heard prenatal vitamins work wonders on hair and nails) there's not a whole lot you can do to improve hair growth other than to wait. :)

I hope you enjoyed watching and, whether you are a haircare expert or a novice, you might find some of my personal hair experiences enlightening. If you have any hair questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll try my best to answer! Also, if you have any interesting hair-related superstitions feel free to share them as well! It's always fun to read about what others grew up hearing and if they are founded in any truth or not. ^_~

Haul: CVS and Walgreens Drugstore Makeup

2011-08-21T15:02:00.004-05:00

Hello from Minneapolis! I've been spending the last couple days hanging out with my dear friend Eki here in her city just to get away from things for a bit. We've been having several conversations that are getting my creative juices flowing and of course also eating a lot of delicious food!

Since I have a little break before we head out to the zoo today to see the Japanese paper lantern festival, I wanted to do a blog update of my recent drugstore haul to CVS and Walgreens. :)

Products mentioned:
Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation in 325 Sandstone
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Face Powder in Beige
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Cream
L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base
L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in 510 Electrified
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara (regular Lash Blast here)
Milani Liquif'eye pencil in Black
Wet & Wild Mega Eyes Cream Eyeliner in Black
CVS triple sharpener (similar here and here)
Sour gummy worms :3
Wet & Wild Comfort Zone palette
Wet & Wild Color Icon blush in Pearlescent Pink

One of the items that I got that I've been sooooo lemming for for a while now is Wet & Wild's Comfort Zone 8 pan palette. The 8-pans can only be found at Walgreens and Walmart as far as I know but I seriously think it's worth the trip to pick this baby up. At $4.99 it has a lot of bang for the buck.

Here are my swatches. I will say that the texture is super buttery but also very prone to fallout since the shadows are so soft. In fact, I already dropped mine once and the pale taupe shade broke (cry) so I will have to see if I can press it back together. Overall, the colors are very vibrant and the pigmentation is impressive for a drugstore product.

Just because I'm obsessed with this shade, here's a closeup of my favorite color which you may recognize from my Wet & Wild Night Elf Palette look. It's a reddish brown with a strong green flash similar to Mac Club or Rock & Republic Lawsuit.

Next are swatches of the L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow duo in 510 Electrified which has a gorgeous pale metallic taupe and a lovely deep purple to contrast it. The quality on these is excellent, which is saying something because I've tried other shades in the HIP line that I was less than impressed with.

In order, here is the Milani Liquif'eye Pencil in Black, Wet & Wild cream eyeliner, and Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Cream. This concealer is way too light for me, although it was the darkest shade available at my CVS.

Finally, here is the Wet & Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink and Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation in 325 Sandstone. It looks light here on my hand but it actually matches my face fine.

I don't want to go too far into detail with everything since I will be giving my full thoughts when I have my monthly Hits & Misses at the end of the month, but as far as first impressions go I was pretty happy with most of the items I bought. Hopefully I will still feel that way after using them for a while! ;)

I hope seeing actual swatches of the items were helpful if you were thinking about picking these up. Let me know in the comments if any of you have tried anything I bought and your opinion on it since, good or bad, it's always helpful to get more insight from the community. ^_~

Now I'm gonna go get ready to see some elephants, monkeys and beautiful paper lanterns! :D Yeah!

Visit to the NYX Headquarters!

2011-08-18T02:09:00.004-05:00

One of the most thrilling things I had the opportunity to do while visiting California in June was to drop by the NYX Cosmetics headquarters. As many of you probably know, I am an old-school, die hard fan of NYX makeup and it was the first brand that I actually collected. It seems crazy to think about but in a way, NYX ignited my fire for makeup in the early days of my beauty blogging!

In other words, seeing this sign at the top of the building was a bit surreal!

I apologize ahead of time for the insane number of pics but seriously, Kassia is a wonder photographer and there was too much eye candy to share. ^_~

Here's just inside the front doors. The lights above were pretty!

Here I am sitting on the red "interview" couch with Evegail for my interview for NYX's Youtube channel.

A close-up of the wall behind us. Just looking at this makes me smile. :)

Greeting the new NYX Slide-On pencils for the first time. Oh goodness yes! I brought them all home with me and I will do swatches and yes, I love them. ;)

Finally after waiting for some important business people to do actual business in the showroom we got to take our peek in...

Aaaaand WABAM, makeup for miles! Is your jaw dropping yet? This was only one half of the room!

My sister and I were getting our swatch on while Evegail dutifully wrote down things that we wanted to try. (Such patience. I don't even know how many crazy girls she's had to shuffle through here while we all go giddy over gobs of makeup.)

Swatching my FAVORITE Black Label lipsticks. :D

Here I was trying out a Grinding Blush which was so nicely milled and shimmery.

I definitely picked out a few new things that I had never thought to try before, like their HD primer which is what I was looking at here.

I am in love with this glitter palette. I actually didn't have any of NYX's infamous glitters and I was kicking myself for never playing with them before. This palette has so many colors and makes messy glitter SO EASY to use. I can't wait to bust this baby out for a sparkly tutorial. :D

Look. At. How. Happy. How happy? Stupid happy. ^_______^

This is me trying to convince Evegail to let me move in permanently. Pleeeeease?

Okay, so maybe I didn't convince her but she was still sweet enough to pose with me. We kind of match! Curled hair, striped dress, and blazers. Yesssss!

Before we left we also met Tony Ko, the founder of NYX Cosmetics! Isn't she drop dead gorgeous?

Sadly, I had to finally gather my things to leave but not without a ton of incredible memories and a few quick heart palpitations to send me on my way.

Final pic outside the front doors. I'll miss you NYX Los Angeles!

Thank you soooooooo much to Evegail and everyone at NYX for being incredibly sweet and accommodating during my visit to NYX. I am such a super-fan of the brand and it was just a dream come true to basically get to see everything, and I mean everything in the entire NYX lineup. The only thing I would change is that next time I sincerely promise to meet Sir Bruce Barkalot in person. ;)

What a photogenic cutie!

I hope you enjoyed traveling along with me to NYX's headquarters. It's so fun to relive the memories through vlogs and photos so I hope that comes across to you too. :) If you thought the photos were amazing, please let Kassia know in the comments below and follow her blog as well!

More Cali blog posts to come...

MAC Turquatic Inspired Summer Eyes

2011-08-13T00:38:00.002-05:00

I know that a lot of us who watch Youtube makeup videos and read beauty blogs are fans of really extreme makeup but are hesitant to wear it out in public. I personally love bright colors but I usually default to my neutrals for work days.

Still, I think it's quite beneficial to conjure up a nice Pantone-bright look every now and then. If you can make bright shadows flattering for your eye shape, you can pretty much do any less-bright look and pull it off easily. It's all about the right shape and blending, blending, blending! ;)

Products mentioned:

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ in 40
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
Sugarpill Cosmetics eyeshadow in Buttercupcake
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (Deep End, Evidence)
Sugarpill Cosmetics eyeshadow in Midori
NYX Slide On Eyeliner Pencil in Esmeralda
Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Siren
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Black
NYX Slide On Eyeliner Pencil in Sunrise Blue
Shu Uemura Lash curler
FAIRYDROPS Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara
Lioele false eyelashes in #12
Kiss lash adhesive
Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Black
Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler (similar here and here)
Rock & Republic Blush in Spank (similar to Mac Well Dressed or perhaps NYX Angel)
MAC Blot Powder in Medium Dark
Urban Decay Lipstick in Naked

For this look I was inspired by the amazing packaging from the MAC Turquatic perfume collection. Check out these promotional images. Gorrrrrrgeous, right?

So for my particular almond-shaped eyes, since they aren't super huge and I don't have a defined crease or eye socket, I didn't want to bring the color super high up on my lid. When I do that I tend to look a bit like I got punched in the eye. I just bring it gently above my lash line which makes the look a lot more wearable.

Seriously, I tried out different poses with my hand just to show off my matching nails. XD

The color is Sally Hansen HD in Lite. :)

Close-up of the eyes. You can really see the outer-v contouring in this shot well.

My reference pic while I applied the makeup. I usually print it out but I <3 my new ipad! So handy! :D

Obligatory silly pics

Showing off my nails again and being mysterious. Ha!

Finger mustasche GO!

Jazz hands aka extra mysterious. I take myself very seriously. Also, #whalenecklacewin.

For those who are wanting to recreate this look, my biggest tips are these:

1 - Eyeshadow primer is key! It helps colors to stick to your eyes and not crease
2 - The white base really makes shadows pop, especially yellow
3 - Start with a little and add bit by bit
4 - Check the overall shadow shape with your eyes open as you go

Like I said before, if you can get your own "perfect" shape with bright colors, it's much easier to tone the same shape back to neutrals and have it look very flattering. Feel free to try out this look with other colors as well!

I hope you enjoyed watching and let me know if you enjoyed seeing a bright, colorful look. Should I do more of these dramatic eyes? I know they are less wearable but it's really fun to do. Let me know in the comments! ^_~

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links. Thank you to NYX, Urban Decay, and Pretty & Cute for generously gifting some of the items in this post! This post and video are not sponsored.

TAG: Would You Rather - Beauty Edition

2011-08-09T20:23:00.005-05:00

Helloooo everyone! It has been kind of a while since I've done a tag video, has it not? I recently was watching Allison aka Amarixe's videos on Youtube and saw her do this cute Tag that seemed quite funny, especially if you happen to be an indecisive person such as moi-self. It's one of those tags which ask the "stranded island" type of questions except that this one is all beauty related. :]

QUESTIONS:
1.) Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?
2.) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?
3.) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
4.) If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?
5.) Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?
6.) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
7.) Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?
8.) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?
9.) Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?
10.) Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?
11.) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?
12.) Would your rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?
13.) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in everyday?
14.) Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

I think the hardest question for me to answer was probably the Sharpie one. Seriously, no brows and Sharpie brows are some of the two biggest face-fears I haaaaave! Brows people! They are important! Fix them, word? Either one would be awful, awful.

I found this image in a Google search for "no eyebrows".

Obviously, Google image search lies.

For comparison purposes, Whoopi Goldberg and her invisibrows.

So that my entertainment can extend far beyond my own answers of these silly questions, please do this tag as well! I tag all of the watchers of my video and readers of my blog. ^__^ Leave a comment with the link below and I'll pop over and read/watch yours too. Can't wait to hear what YOU say for the sharpie question, mwahahaha~

I'm not sure why that needed an evil laugh.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed watching! As I said in my last post, please still let me know what drugstore makeup recommendations you have because I want to do a drugstore look/review soon. :D Until next time!

July Favorites!

2011-08-06T00:11:00.006-05:00

Happy August everyone! Can I just say that I'm a bit fearful for this month? August is usually the hottest month out of the year here in the midwest and last month was really ridiculous... most days were over 100 F and we actually hit a record high of 110+ 3 days ago. :[

On the good side, I had a lot of great new products I tried out this month! Applied in air conditioning! Yay!

Products mentioned:

Cure Natural Aqua Gel (also directly from the company here)
Lioele Aroma Waterproof Lip & Eye Remover
Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo
NYX HD Studio Griding Blush in Ménage à Trois
Urban Decay Lipstick in Naked
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners in Bobby Dazzle and Eldorado
FAIRYDROPS Waterproof Scandal Queen Mascara (non-wp here and review here)
FAIRYDROPS Candybar BB Cream in Ocher
Sigma Round Top Kabuki F82 (you can also browse through my referral here)

As you can see, I was pretty happy with most of the Asian products I tested this month. I've heard so many good things about the Cure Aqua Gel in particular and it totally lived up to the hype. I literally put it on again last night and my skin felt sooo soft this morning. :D

I do want to write out what the sticker label in English said since it's very informative:

Cure Natural Aqua Gel
No fragrance, No colouring, No Preservatives
Made of 91% Activated Hydrogen Water
Gently remove layers of dry, dead or rough skin.
Suitable for all skin types.
(Rinse type)
Directions for use:
1. Wash face thoroughly and towel dry well.
2. Pump nozzle 3 to 5 times to obtain an appropriate amount of gel on your hand. (I found I only needed 1 or 2.) Apply gel to face, neck, or other areas that are dry and rough. Applying gel to only part of your face is also effective.
3. Gently massage your face in a circular motion till the gel turns white (do not rub skin too hard) Rinse well after you have removed the dead skin.
4. After rinsing, continue with your regular skincare regimen with use of lotion or skin cream.
5. For best results, use Cure Natural Aqua Gel twice a week.

There are also cautions listed to not apply on problem areas with rashes or irritation and to use within 1 year of opening the bottle, probably since there are no preservatives.

I also want to mention that I will be doing a full blog post on the Urban Decay 24/7 waterproof liquid eyeliners with swatches of all the colors very soon. :)

As for the Waterproof FAIRYDROPS mascara, I did see it online at Sephora last week but it has since disappeared. I know they do plan on carrying it soon though, so I will keep you guys updated and try to find out exactly when that will be.

This image is of FAIRYDROPS Platinum Waterproof mascara which has the same packaging and I think it's the same product under a different name for Asia, so if you want it now then try this version out! I spotted it on Pinky Paradise here and I know it was on Sasa but I don't see it there anymore. Feel free to leave in the comments where else to find it.

Hope you enjoyed watching this month's favorites! For August I plan on going to the drugstore and loading up on some more readily available makeup, so if you have any good recommendations for something to include in a highly-requested drugstore look, please let me know in the comments!

For the record I never choose items in a monthly review based on if I got it from a company or not (I simply grab what I honestly tried that month right before filming), but I do feel like I should do one just for you guys since I know it's not easy to find some of the Asian products or higher-end products that I talk about.

Readers, please let me know your recommendations of drugstore items for next month's video! ^_~

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links. Cure Aqua Gel provided by http://www.beautycarousel.com. Lioele makeup remover and FAIRYDROPS BB cream provided by http://www.prettyandcute.com. FAIRYDROPS mascara, NYX blush, and Urban Decay liquid liners provided by the company's PR. This post and video are not sponsored in any way and reviews are always my 100% honest opinion!

Cali Vlog: Kittens, Bikinis, and IMATS

2011-07-30T23:14:00.001-05:00

Finally, I put together all of my random footage from my visit to California last month! It's a bit random and even looking back on the footage, I'm pretty amazed at how busy I was. I think it was a fabulously packed trip and I'm so glad I got to squeeze so much into a short amount of time, not to mention braving LA traffic by myself too. Not bad for a first time visit to the West Coast, right? ;)

I don't want to give away too much for those who will watch the video later, but some of the most amazing visits were:

Going to the NYX headquarters (which I will devote a full blog entry to soon)
Ann Taylor store opening event at South Coast Plaza (also will have a full blog entry) where I got to meet fellow petite blogger Kelly of Alterations Needed who is actually the same height as me! Hoorah!
A video collaboration put together by my dear friend Wendy of Wendy's Lookbook where we got to shoot in a green screen studio with a few other ladies you may recognize including Jean, April, Jackie, and Alexa
Visit to Leg Avenue which I forgot to record video at but of course have a full blog on here.
IMATS which was a whirlwind! I am waiting to get photos back from Kassia from that part of the trip but again, I will have a full blog entry with delicious photos of lots of eye candy.
ACTING! Puahahaha... You get to see me get my heart broken by Jason Chen aka Miniachilles in his new music video "Burns".

"Burns" was juuuuust released on Youtube so if you haven't seen it already, you can check it out below and see how Jason treats me like a jerk. Haha, just kidding! I love you Jason even though you are really horrible sometimes! Not really! Maybe!

Anyway, here are some random pics from my trip starting out with Jason.

Look how tall we are! Super tall! (hehe)

Bowling with Frank (ice1cube), Andy from Quest Crew, and my sister. :) Contrary to what my unfortunate video shows, these two guys are actually really good bowlers and only do badly when they are trying to bowl in "creative" ways like for instance, through the legs, or throwing a 6lbs ball so hard it hits pins in the next lane over. Pros.

My sister and me at Huntington Beach

A hummingbird chillin' on a branch. There were about 4 or 5 of these flying around one tree!

Statue people

Venturing toward the water. I didn't get very far. It was only in the low 70's and the water was COLD!! Curiously, 70's are warm enough to lay by the beach there while 70's here still feels quite chilly at times.

Korean restaurant with my sister. Sighhhhh... she is so spoiled with the best authentic Korean food there!

Brunch at the Grove with Wendy!

At the NYX headquarters. :D
Wearing an older AE seersucker dress and my H&M white blazer.

This was a super low-end restaurant but I'm serious, this "kimchi soba" was the most amazing naengmyun in disguise ever! Very down-home delicious.

With the collab video girls. Such sweeties to the max. <3

Me in the green screen room. This place was wicked. I can't wait to see how things turn out. :)

Like I said before, I still have much, much more to post about a few of the individual places I visited with a lot better photography than what my little snapshot did. Thank you SO much to everyone I met in California! You were all so incredibly gracious and kind and I felt very blessed to make some amazing new friends and get to finally meet in person people who I've watched and respected for a long time. ^__^

Can't wait to go back! Yeah!

My Visit to Leg Avenue

2011-07-25T19:50:00.004-05:00

To kick off a little series of blog posts retelling my adventures in California, I wanted to start off by sharing an enchanted visit I had to the Leg Avenue headquarters. (Trust me, it was enchanted, like popping straight into a fairytale!) For those of you know don't know, Leg Avenue is a huge manufacturer of cute and sexy Halloween costumes as well as club wear, hosiery, shoes, and lingerie. It's basically the only costume manufacturer that makes costumes in my size while also being well-proportioned which is FABULOUS.

I was first contacted by Daniel from Leg Avenue last year after I shared my Lion Halloween tutorial with the Youtube world. In that video, I was wearing Leg Avenue's lion costume which I can say without a doubt is one of the most fun and well-fitting costumes I've ever worn in my life. I also wore Leg Avenue costumes for my Princess Jasmine tutorial and Toy Soldier looks as well. He told me that, should I ever find myself in LA, I should stop by and visit and it was just my luck that I found myself at the front steps!

tortoise friend greeted me at the door

First, Daniel showed my sister and I (and Kassia taking the breathtaking pics) around the custom-built warehouse storing every costume imaginable in all sizes and designs. We discussed how they take fit input from all categories like petites, plus sizing, mens, and kids and integrate the feedback into their designs.

Here they box up the orders which go around a crazy conveyor belt system. The headquarters only ships out to sellers, not to individuals, so it was a super interesting behind-the-scenes look at their process. I had the deep and sudden urge to sit atop a box to see where it would go but I held back because I was wearing a dress and I'm a lady.

Next, he showed us around the office and ended up at the design studio for their in-house designers. Brace yourselves, baby, and take in one of the first things I spotted...

Alexander McQueens! Sitting nonchalantly on the windowsill! *jaw drop* I touched them and the leather was SO soft and the gold studs and skull zippers.... Did I mention they have an entire wall of high end designer shoes? Oh my. :D

There was eye candy everywhere we looked! Fur, glitter, sequins, satin and lace, hats, racks and racks of costumes....

Catalogs of all of their past work year after year...

Hand-rendering markers in all the colors of the rainbow and everything in between! :D :D :D What I wouldn't have given to have resources like this while in design school!

Here are a few of the designers hard at work. Sooo much visual energy to take in.

One girl's amazing monitor. OMG right? I want one of those plushy monitor covers so bad! Where can you even get stuff like that?! I've never seen anything like it before. =^__^=

I also got to pick out a few costumes for my upcoming Halloween tutorials this year and mentioned which ones I chose to the designers. When I brought up that a couple only came in size S/M, this kind designer knew it would be way huge on me and started taking a few measurements.

She then had me put on the actual costume and pinned it to fit. By this point I was so speechless! She was soooo generous and kind enough to offer to alter it to custom fit me. My face was like D: and very thankful.

This is me wearing the pinned fox costume. MUCH better than before. Hehe. (You can tell how giddy I am, right? This one was my favorite costume out of the bunch. Ridiculously cute and it's available this year.)

One last group shot with some of the team. These ladies are sooooo so so so talented. It's too bad I can't show you their concept designs (those are confidential ;) but oh my goodness there are oodles of creativity and skill seeping out of every pore of that room!

Thank you SO MUCH to Daniel and the whole Leg Avenue team for letting me experience this amazing space with you! I absolutely cannot wait for the holidays this year to share with everyone the fruits of your love and hard work. <3

One last pic. Oh this? It's just me between two sexy ladies and some legs coming out of the wall. Just a typical Monday.

I hope you guys enjoyed coming along with me on my behind-the-scenes look at a really fun company. ^_^ I know I had a blast and I will never forget it! To browse Leg Avenue costumes, you can visit their site here or visit their Facebook page. I know they plan on doing costume how-tos (like how to properly fluff your fox tail...hehe) so it may be a good idea to check in again before Halloween.

Readers, have any of you worn any Leg Avenue costumes before? Let me know what you've tried in the comments!