Hey everyone! I wanted to stop in and share my latest video with you showcasing how I achieve a radiant foundation look. With the popularity of K-beauty and a focus on skin looking healthy and luminescent versus the cakey, matte look of the past (Soooo over that. Anyone else?) I feel like there's been a resurgence of the glow.

I use a super simple trick plus a couple of easy-to-use products in this tutorial:

Hey guys! I wanted to review a product that I've had for a while and have been generally happy with, but never got around to sharing it with you for a full blog review until now. It's been some time since I've done a foundation review and I've been on bit of a drugstore foundation kick lately so I thought it would be perfect timing to share with you my thoughts on Revlon's Colorstay Whipped crème makeup. Check it out below!

Hey everyone! Today I want to share with you my basic foundation routine as well as how I cover my post-acne hyperpigmentation. I know a lot of you wonder how it is that bloggers have such nice skin, but truthfully there is a huge misconception about how skin appears on screen versus how it is in real life. Perfect skin is so sought after yet it is so difficult to obtain that practically nobody actually has it. Not sure if that inspires confidence or frustration but it's simply the truth!

Hey everyone! Today's review is a new foundation out from Urban Decay called Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup. It seems like nowadays every company is creating their own formulation fit to withstand today's high definition cameras and Naked foundation is no exception.

I wanted to swatch and review three shades for you so can get a bit of an idea on the shade selection and how it wears.

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!

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:

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!

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!

Oh man, my life has been so insane since getting back from Cali! The travel and jet lag have been taking a toll on my skin and I've been fighting an on-and-off sore throat that I'm sure I picked up at one of the several airports I stopped by. Eek! I promise I will get to the Cali-heavy blog posting soon but for today, I will be catching up with my favorites video for the month of June. :)



Products mentioned:
Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Foundation in 40
Josie Maran Protect spf 40+ sunblock
JuJu Aquamoist 100% Hyaluronic Acid
Josie Maran bronzer in Beach 1
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner
CND Tropic Coral (similar here, here, and here)
Makeup Show Brushes
Eucerin Everyday Protection Body Lotion (review here)

I spent a third of this month traveling so I only had a few things with me in my makeup bag. (Now that I think about it, I just remembered I recorded a video on its contents so you will be able to see what I took very soon!) My limited space access really defined a lot of the things that became my favorites this month for both skincare and makeup. I think I might have trouble straying from some of my favorites now because they did me so well with a limited supply of cosmetics at hand!

In any case, I hope that my mostly "hits" this month were enjoyable and helpful if you are interested in these products. I guess it's a good thing if I liked a lot of things versus not, right? ;)

I'd like to know, do you have a separate set of "travel" makeup that you take with you or do you just bring all of your daily makeup wherever you go? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: There are some affiliate links included in this post. Josie Maran items provided by the company's PR. Makeup Show brushes provided by 7Bella. Juju Aquamoist provided by Beauty Carousel. Eucerin products provided by the company's PR. All reviews are 100% my honest opinion and this blog and video were not sponsored. :)

Hi everyone! So today's blog post is going to cover a topic that is probably one of the most-requested subjects that I get: BB Cream.

To explain quickly, BB Cream or "blemish balm" is sheer foundation-like, multi-functional cosmetic that is purported to be good for your skin. It was initially developed in Germany as a healing cream with coverage properties to help patients who have undergone plastic surgery or other cosmetic procedures. The Korean cosmetics industry took that idea and ran with it, creating various different "bb creams" that usually have skin benefits such as SPF, whitening, anti-wrinkle, and nutrients to help improve the health of your skin.

I've entrusted my friend Hannah to help me review 9 different BB Creams to show their effectiveness and shades on varying skintones and skin types. :)

For reference, Jen is MAC foundation shades NC25-30 and combo-oily to normal skin, and Hannah is NW15-NC15 (NC15 is slightly darker than NW15) with eczema and dry skin.


(For those asking, Jen's headband is from Urban Outfitters, necklace is from See Jewelry, and cardigan is from Banana Republic. Hannah's hair was curled using the Remington Air Wave which I did a tutorial on in this blog post. ^_^)

BB Creams reviewed:
Skin79 DermaRX BB Cream
Skin79 Super Plus Triple Functions BB Cream (hot pink)
Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream
BRTC Gold Caviar BB Cream
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 23
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 21
BRTC Jasmine Water BB Cream
Skinfood Ginko Green BB Cream
Hanskin Super Magic BB Cream

Skin79 DermaRX BB Cream
Consistency: light like tinted moisturizer
Shade: oxidizes to NC30, greyer
Benefits: fades acne scars (contains arbutin), SPF 15, softens skin texture
Oil-control: Medium. I had to powder in summer, in winter I can just wear this alone.
Bottom line: Best I've tried for acne-prone skin. Fades acne scars, but coverage is light so it doesn't fully cover hyperpigmentation.








Bottom line: Basically just has sheer coverage. No SPF and no noticeable moisturizing or skin improvement.




And here are the very-important comparison swatches:


As you can see from the swatches, most of these bb's look very grey. Thankfully they tend to blend in better after oxidizing but it's definitely something to keep in mind if you apply it heavily and it looks off at first.

In the Summer, I tend to match Missha M #23 and Skin79 DermaRX best but they do tend to both lean grey/pink at first and are lightweight. For winter at my lightest I will probably go for BRTC Gold Caviar or Hanskin Super Magic. Currently, I've been using Skin79 Hot Pink and it's been working out great. :)

Hannah likes the Missha M #21 a lot and will probably also use the BRTC Jasmine Water more through Winter. She is also going to look for the new Missha color #18 which is supposed to be super fair! We learned about that one from reading the Youtube comments. Speaking of that, there is also a darker tan Missha color #32 that I'm quite curious about since it apparently matches NC35-40 and leans very yellow. Maybe I could mix that with my Missha 23 to make it less grey? Hmmmm...

One last note, I do want to emphasize that BB Creams ARE makeup and you must remove it at the end of the night just like regular foundation. There is a possibility that some BBs can break you out like any other makeup and everyone's body chemistry can react a little bit differently to each one so it's helpful to try samples if you can. I believe they do contain parabens so if you are hesitant about that sort of thing then be sure to watch out for it.

Alright, I hope that was helpful for those of you who are wanting to try out BB Creams but don't know where to start. It sure took a long time to put together! Also, HUGE thank you to Hannah for helping me with these videos and swatches. You reviewed for the first time like a pro! <3

Let me know if you guys have any more questions in the comments and I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge. I haven't tried any other BB Creams yet but maybe some of you can add your own knowledge there as well, so go ahead and comment about your favorites too. :)

Disclaimer: BRTC BB Creams were provided by a representative of the company. Lioele Beyond the Solution was provided by prettyandcute.com. Skin79 hot pink was provided by Pinky Paradise. All other items mentioned were purchased by ourselves because we are crazy maniacs obsessed with bb creams.

Hey guys, I don't know if some of you remember me talking about buying a huge haul of Paul & Joe Beaute products a while ago but I finally got around to editing the pics. This is going to be a bit of eye candy since it's very pic-heavy!

Everything here was from softsurroundings.com and was super discounted. Since Paul & Joe is mainly a Japanese line of cosmetics and can be very difficult to get ahold of, you know I couldn't pass up on this opportunity. Silly website was out of stock on almost my whole original order and sent me a bunch of coupon codes to make up for it, which is totally ridiculous because I ended up doing 4 small orders of just P&J. The good thing is that I LOVE what I got! :D

Here's my whole haul. LOVE the flowers on the packaging!


Protective Fluid Foundation in #15 Sable
The glass bottle has that gorgeous flower on it and the cap is an iridescent green. Classy.


Swatched on my hand, it matches my skin perfectly (omg!) and in the sunlight is basically invisible. This is a discontinued color so those of you who have a similar skin color to me (around MAC NC 30) should scour for this! I just checked and it's still available at softsurroundingsoutlet.com for just $12.99 (orig. $36)!!! It feels really lightweight and smells floral, but it's a refreshing feeling compared to other foundations. Oil control is decent but it gives you a nice glow, and didn't break me out the few times I've used it so far.


This is the loose Face Powder N in #3 Sand. It's a bit dark on me but the packaging is gorgeous. Feels very princessy, and you can buy refill cakes. :D


Here is the Eye Primer (also at the soft surroundings outlet) in Chai and the Face Powder in Sand. Pretty dark and a bit orangey so it will probably match me better in the summer.


Here is the Eye Color Palette I and the Primer.


Again, isn't the packaging soooo pretty? Pink with soft gold shimmer! The shadows were smooth and pigmented, although I personally find this color combo a bit strange. Coral and navy? It looks a bit patriotic to me somehow. XD


These are my favorites!!! The lippies. They are super moisturizing and have a sheer color so it's very easy to throw on in the morning and the colors match everything. Color 12 Bougainvillea is my favorite, but I also really love 04 Candy.


I had ordered color 14 Strawberry Jam but this came in the package instead. Limited Edition Lipstick C 058 Muse. Not a color I would've chosen on my own since it looks dark brown and intimidating, but it's actually a very nice sheer, warm brown that leans almost peach. Weird description, but I don't know how to describe it! Love the flowers printed on the side. The only downside is that the packaging is made of paper so it just doesn't feel as nice. :/


Forgot to take a pic of the lip liner, but I added the swatch here. See how nice #4 and #12 are? And 058 Muse is actually rather pretty too. Too bad 01 Secret of Gold is basically just sheer and ballet shoes has a bit too much frostiness for my taste. >.<


And here are the 2 lip glosses I got, 01 Secret of Gold and 07 Love Berry



If anyone wants to buy Paul & Joe I highly recommend their products, especially if you can find them on sale. I did find out recently (after ordering the Alice in Wonderland blue set which I'll review soon) that the lipstick cases are, in fact, interchangeable so if I wanted a pink lippy in the 058 Muse Limited Edition case I could swap it out. Same with the Alice lip treatment stick that I got, but I think I'll save that for a video. ;)

Ok, hope that helps anyone thinking about buying Paul & Joe, one of my new favorite cosmetic brands! Have any of you tried Paul & Joe anything? If you have let me know what you love and hate, and what you own. I'd love to know even  more about the brand.
<3