New Year's Party Look

Happy New Year! Best wishes to you all in the upcoming new year! 

Here's the look I plan on sportin' to go with my sequins dress :P (the tutorial is at the end)

The eyes are definitely more shimmery in person

The hair didn't take long at all this time. 10-15 minutes in total with the flat iron, curled inwards.

New year kisses for you my dearest beauty bloggers & subscribers :) Thank you all for being so sweet and kind. You're all beautiful in so many ways. 

On my face...

- Prescriptives customblend foundation

- MAC Accentuate & Sculpt

- MAC Paintpot in Bare Study

- Barry M Dazzle dust in gold

- MAC E/S Gesso under brow

- MAC E/S Amber lights lower lash line

- MAC E/S Phloof! inner highlight

- Bobbi Brown Basic Palette (can you tell that I LOVE this palette?)

- MAC MSF Petticoat (and this is my other luvvaahh)

- MUFE black eyeliner

- Markabull liquid black eyeliner

- Vincent Longo Liquid L/S in La Volpe Red

the video tutorial...

Have fun and be safe! 

XOXO

Weekend Looks and Haul

Two LOTDS for Dustbunny's contest

Look#1: What A Doll
Originally it was suppose to be romantic night out, but the pinky lips made it more of a doll look :)

What's on my face?

- BRTC BB Cream

- La Mer Tinted Moisturizer in Light

- Anastasia Brow Wiz

- Shu Uemura E/S in ME Green 400 (lid)

- Shu Uemura E/S in ME Blue 600(outter corner)

- Bobbi Brown Basic palette taupe E/S on crease

- MUFE Kohl pencil liner in black

- Shiseido Mascara Base w/ DiorShow Mascara

- MUFE L/S #301 w/ Smashbox Pout lipgloss on top

- MAC Blush in Coygirl w/ Bobbi Brown Pink Shimmerbrick

practicing le kissy face :P

MUFE's l/s in #301, a beautiful pinky pink

Look #2: Green & Healthy

Not entirely sure if its healthy looking but it certainly is green!

What's On My Face?

- The base stuff is the same as the look above

- MAC Teal pigment on lid

- MAC E/S Honey Lust on lower eyeline

- Bobbi Brown Basic Palette taupe e/s on crease (I LOVE this palette)

- MAC Cremesheen L/S in Speed Dial

- MAC Lip Hydrant (this stuff is awesome!)

glowy is healthy no?

l

A haul from three weeks ago...

- Dior Iconic mascara

- Giorgio Armani lipgloss

- YSL touche blush

- MAC pigment samples in Grape & Matte Yellow

- Kiss Me Mascara

- Bobbi Brown Pink Shimmer Brick

- MUFE L/S refill #303 (they didn't have #302 doH)

- MUFE Aqua eyeliner (my older one is running out)

- MAC Pigment in Spiritualize

- MAC Pigment in Violet

- Shu Uemura foundation brush #18

- MAC 213 fluffy e/s brush

2009 is quickly approaching and I'm not over 2008 yet. Every time when this time of the year rolls around I always feels like things go by so quickly.

XOXO, M

Foundation Brush Comparison & Review

Who doesn't love brushes? This review will cover foundation brushes

left to right: MAC 190, Shu Uemura #18, Sephora, CoverFX 170, MAC 187

Close-up left to right: Sephora, MAC190, Shu Uemura #18, MAC187, CoverFX 170

The MAC 190 is my favorite liquid foundation brush. The bristles are stiff and dense yet soft to the touch and its easy to control how much foundation you're using. The brush is thick on the ferrule end then flattens out towards the tip and the top is more of a angle shape rather than a dome shape making it easier to get into those nook and crannies by the inner eye and around the nose area. Its easy to use, the perfect size and smoothes/spreads/blends very well.

Price: $32 Retail

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (the .5 is just in case I find something better :P )

Please note that this is not the newer foundation brush they came out with for their professional brush line. The Sephora liquid foundation brush is my first foundation brush but I don't like it much. The bristles are too stiff and it doesn't blend/smooth out as well. I find the brush hard to control. The thick tip plus domed shape makes it hard to get into those areas around the inner eye and nose.

Price: $24 retail (on sale now for $10)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

I know the MAC 187 Duo Fiber Stippling brush is a extremely popular brush but its also rather pricey. The brush offers light coverage with a airbrushed like finish. I like it that it can be used for both powder and liquid foundations but personally don't use this as much as the 190. The coverage is a bit light for me but I do like it for setting powder and light blush application. I also like to use it with MAC Studio Fix + at the end to smooth out the face. Because of its fluffy shape its harder to get into the small areas, so its not for precision application. It does shed, but not as much as other duo fiber brushes out there.

Price: $42

Rating: 4/5

I bought the CoverFX 170 brush for its unique shape. It is a precision foundation brush with a tip that's similar to a chinese calligraphy brush. Its a very dense brush that gets into those little areas like a dream. I find it hard to use for regular application since its rather small in size and doesn't spread easily. Its very soft to the touch yet firm in application. I think its a good brush for a professional that's looking for something specific, probably not as useful for the everyday.

Price: $36

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (rating is for general application, would be higher if you're looking for a precision brush)

I got the Shu Uemura #18 Brush pretty recently and its quickly becoming my favorite right behind the MAC 190. This brush is best for liquid and cream foundations. Its very dense, made out of goat hair and very very soft. Even though its small in size it blends and spreads very well and because of its size it does get into those small areas too. I find it that it has the airbrush like finish similar to the 187 only with better coverage. It does shed a little
Price: $39
Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Now a honorary mention...


The Everyday Mineral Long Handled Kabuki! Its a great synthetic brush that feels amazingly soft. Its dense and bouncy and buffs out mineral powder foundation. But since I don't really like mineral powder that much I don't use this brush as often. Its great for the price too, doesn't shed much, and the slightly longer handle comes in pretty handy.
Price: $8
Rating: 4 out of 5


and the video...



phew, that took long :P but now its out of the way :)

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Charlotte & Lucky (my parent's corgi) sends you all some corgi kisses

Lush: Snowcake Soap

I have a confession to make, I have an addiction...

LUSH Snowcake Soap! Its their holiday special soap and I stock up on it! It has a shelf life of about 14 months. magical soap its not (somewhat moisturizing), but it smells absolutely delicious. If you leave one in the bathroom it'll act as a room scenter, very faint but oh so addictive! If used in the shower, it'll leave that sweet scent of deliciousness on your skin. What does it smell like? Sweet almond pudding

Allow me to amuse you all with something else, giant Super Mario mushroom plushies purchased over the weekend...

Its awfully cold here today, my fingers were frozen within seconds. Time for me to crawl under the blanket and snuggle against the mushroom plushies

XOXO, M

Quick Weekend Recap: LOTD + hair tutorial

Did everyone have a good weekend? 

Saturday night I went out for a birthday party and here's the look...

Eye makeup is Bobbi Brown Basic palette with some big false lashes

Blush is YSL touche blush in coral with Bobbi Brown pink shimmerbrick

MAC Cremesheen lipstick in Speed Dial, a lovely candy pink shade

here's the hair tutorial on curling your hair for the holidays

A random shoe situation. I wore these out to a birthday party forgetting that there are chunks of snow/ice outside from the weekend snowstorm. The heel part ripped off! I'm rushing these off to the shoe doctor asap for emergency shoe medical attention!

hope everyone had a good one and for those that were snowed in, stay warm! and if its warm in your area, I envy you! 

BB Cream Initial Comparison: Skinfood, BRTC, and Gowoonseang

Is it Friday yet? I'm sitting on my bed sipping on a Boylan Rootbeer and dreading work tomorrow. ok no more whining, onto the BB Creams!

I got the Skinfood Mushroom, BRTC , and a sample of Gowoonsesang BB Creams. I've been using them for a little over two weeks now, not on a dailly basis probably about 3-5 days a week. Which is my favorite? The breakdown and some swatches first (No Gowoonsesang swatch since I didn't have any left)...

Skinfood Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream w/ SPF20 PA+, 50g

Triple function claim: Whitening, Anti-Aging, Sun Block

Color Availability: Two tones, #1 for light skin and #2 for the slightly tanned

Price: Paid $17 plus shipping on Ebay

I got this in #1 and the shade matches my skin pretty well. It has a scent that may or may not bother you (very similar to the scent of Benefit's you rebel tinted moisturizer). The coverage is light and the texture is smooth and easy to blend. It has a dewy finish and gives you a nice glow but it doesn't last that long on my skin. My oily T seems to oxidize it but if I put a mattefying powder on top it'll last longer. I like how light it feels but wish the coverage was better

BRTC Perfect Recover Balm 30ml, no spf mentioned

Claim: Protects troubled skin, helps balance skin tone, brightening
Color Availability: Just one
Price: Paid $30 w/ free shipping on Ebay with this seller, took about 7 days

It comes out of the tube a bit on the ashy side but when blended into the skin its actually brightens it. Its not oily and stays matte all day. The coverage is very good. The only downside is that it has a pastey consistency making it hard to spread and blend. Overall I like this.

Gowoonsesang Brightening Balm w/ SPF30 PA++

This is just a sample but i didn't fancy it. It has a ashy tint that actually transfers onto the face. The coverage is very heavy and covers up all blemishes but at the same time its hard to remove at the end of the day and seems to clog up the pores.

BRTC really brightens up the skin with decent coverage

I prefer the BRTC, I like that I can just apply it in the morning and it makes my skin seem naturally healthy and stays matte/oil free all day. I still haven't experienced the skin benefit claims but that might be because I haven't been using it religiously (will try to do that to see if anything changes).

Help me decide! Which color?

The red one is so festive looking and perfect for the holidays, the gold one too! I also like the grey one lol. Sold here

Its past midweek, woot!

The Quickie Contest and then some...

I had a preview on this look earlier :) here's my entry to Diana's (aka Paper Revenge Doll) The Quickie Contest. I thought the contest idea was really cute!

{ The Secret Doll } This doll doesn't like everything so exposed. She enjoys mystery and can never pass up on a good secret. She's innocent on the outside, not so innocent on the inside. But don't worry, she doesn't bite and your secret is safe with her.

I'm not quite the creative writer so this will have to do =X. The headband is by L.Erickson, Franceluxe.com carries it and so does the Barney's accessories section at the store.  

I had to throw in one more santa hat shot :P 

Face Nets revisited...

I did a post about how I didn't like these, but gave them another shot after the lovely Yumeko explained how to use these effectively. Apparently they're for foaming purposes. I put in some biore face wash, squished it a few times, and this gentle foam/cream like substance came out of it. I use it for a gentle wash for the face, I actually like it in the shower. 

I can't get Britney Spear's Circus out of my head... have you guys seen the video?

This is completely random but Tropicana changed its packaging! not very orange juice like?