Since we've now entered the shortest month of the year and the groundhog has already seen his shadow (Darn! More winter!) it seems to be time again to share with you my monthly favorites. Since I was traveling quite a bit last month, I went back to using some of my current default favorites as well as introducing a couple of new ones.


PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Skin 79 VIP Gold Triple Functions BB Cream (US BB Creams Clinique/Boscia/Estee Lauder/Too Faced)
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base
Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Iced Latte and Continuous Cocoa
Benefit Hervana Blush
Stila Kajal Eyeliner in Topaz

ON ME:

Lipstick is Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch
Forever 21 hat (similar/similar/similar)
Nailpolish is Incoco Nail Strips in Plum Quartz (Sally Hansen version)


It comes as no surprise that I'm featuring my Skin79 Gold bb cream this month because I have been absolutely loving using this Asian, boosted foundation-alternative. The gold version is more hydrating than the pink and the shade suits my winter skin coloring much better than in the summer when I'm tanner. For reference, I am probably MAC NC25-NC30 right now (Or in layman's terms that means medium-to-light beige with yellow-undertones).

In a nutshell, this BB Cream makes my skin look healthy, brightened, and glowy with a more natural appearance than most foundations. The trick is in layered coverage which I show in this post.

Additionally, I mentioned my Stila Kajal pencil in Topaz which I am quite happy to say adds a natural brightness to the lower waterline on days when you feel tired and could use a visual pick-me-up. Most of us have heard of the trick of using white pencils on the waterline to make the eyes look larger, but I prefer using a softer matte pink or peach since it gives the same overall effect without screaming that you are trying too hard.

The swatch above shows the color and texture. It goes on quite smoothly and doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes like most black pencil liners do. To see application in action, check out my Everyday Monolid Tutorial and you'll see what I mean about the subtle brightening effect.

Can I also just mention that I've worn my glitter nail polish strips for 10 days now? There is minimal amount of tip wear and nail growth but I am so impressed with how these have lasted compared to traditional polish. Plus, you can even apply them on an airplane! All the glitter look and none of the abrasive removal process. Love it! Just for the record, the Incoco strips and Sally Hansen strips are exactly the same.

Hope you guys enjoyed the video and I'll try to put together my Cali haul (oh yes, I did shop) and maybe some vlog footage as well that I'll have up soon. Happy weekend!

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.



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.


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. :)

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.


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? ;)

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

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!