BRAND: Soap & Glory
PRODUCT: The Fab Pore™ Hot Cloth Cleanser
PRICE: (£7-9.00[?]) 14USD (at Target)
PROS: Gives fresh clean feeling, cleans dirt well
CONS: Can irritate eyes

I purchased this back in August and still have a lot left. But recently, I haven't touched this much as I have a different routine for winter seasons. This product is said to be a dupe for Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. Though I don't have it, I can say that its pretty much the same thing. But Soap & Glory is a bit cheaper (Liz Earle is £13.00). I've read some people love this and for others, it just didn't work out for them. For me personally, I'm in between - I don't hate it, but I'm not in love with it either.

Hope you US beauties are having a good Thanksgiving holiday! Enjoy your time with your loved ones - and even the annoying ones, lol. This semester is about to be over in 2-3 weeks so I have a lot of cramming to do with projects and finals. Plus, work is a bit slow right now so I have until after Christmas until we start getting busy again, then a new semester will start - its going to be quite a headache!

Before I start my review, I'm going to announce the new winner of my giveaway. Since it is holidays right now, I'm going to send the winner their package after holidays are over - which is like next week, haha. So you can click on the image to see who the new winner is! Congrats! Please contact me within 48 hours with your name, email and preferred mailing address so I can send your package!

If you haven't heard about SkinCareRX, they specialize in providing you with top skin care brands like Decleor, La Mer, La Roche Posay, Kinerase and Skin Medica - just to name a few. They carry a huge range of brands, so I'm sure you'll find something there for yourself.

Right now, they're having a Friends & Family Sale! You get a 25% discount your entire purchase. Just use code FF25 when you check out. Offer expires December 1, 2010. Let me know if you get anything!

//EDIT - November 18, 2010:     Since the winner didn't email me their information, I'm assuming they're giving up their prize. So I will be choosing a new winner this weekend. Sit tight!

No, I didn't forget about this! I just didn't have adequate time to validate everyone's entries. I do thank everyone for being patient with me and I really appreciate everyone who entered.

MAIN PRIZES

Tarte "Intro To Tarte" Set    Includes  
• Park Ave Princess Mineral Bronzer
  
  
• Vitamin Infused lipgloss in 40 Winks
  
  
• Lifted™ Natural Eye Primer with Firmitol™
  
  
• Natural Cheek Stain in Perfect Pink
  
  
• ReCreate™ Silicone-free Primer with Wrinkle Rewind™ Technology
  
  
• Lights, Camera, Lashes! Clinically Proven Natural Mascara
  
  
• emphasEYES™ Inner Rim Eye Pencil in Black

Cargo Holiday Night Collection    Includes  
• Face & Body Sparkle
  
  
• Boogie Nights™ Pencil in Silver
  
  
• Holiday Nights Eye Shadow Quad
  
  
• Blush

Stila Travel Palette Fabulous in Fiji
Flirt! Peek-A-Blush in 04 Dapple Apple
You will also be getting random skin care/beauty masks & samples
 
And so the winner is......

My friend and I have a collaboration in the works, and today we were doing some practice shots so she could get the comfortable with the camera. So I guess this can be OOTD post? My style's pretty boring and simple, and I mostly wear basic colors, lol. For some reason, my legs look real short, I don't know why. Then again, I have man legs so maybe that's why, haha!




Be back again tomorrow with the awaited announcement, so keep a look out! :D

I received this mascara as one of my prizes from a giveaway on Lelo Artistry <- check her out, she's a lovely make-up artist! Marcelle is a Canadian brand, and I'm not sure if you could get it in the states, but you can check out their page here.

BRAND: Marcelle
PRODUCT: Volume Precision
PRICE: 11.95CAD
AVAILABILITY: Canada & MarcelleCosmetics.Com
PROS: Defines, Separates, Volumizes & Creates a "Fan-Out" Effect
CONS: Uncomfortable Applicator

This month

I like: That I have more time for school.
I don't like: That my car is falling apart.
I want you to know: I'm happy where I'm at right now.
I've planned: To achieve what others say I can't.
I want to say to someone special: Thank you for keeping me grounded.

For a more interesting post, here's an EOTD/FOTD from a few weeks back. I tried a somewhat "editorial-esque" look with the overdone liner, exaggerated wing and light shadow. I used MAC Blacktrack Fluidline & MAC Dame's Desire/Majolica BR751 (silver lilac/purple)

Super late, I know. :D But I purchased this when MAC's Fabulous Felines came out last month (?) and I picked up this quad along with a pigment that I'll mention in another post. What attracted me most about this quad was the unique red-based brown with the teal/green overtone. All the colors seemed like they would compliment each other nicely. To be honest, I find this quad to be slightly disappointing.

I apologize for not updating as much as I did before. If you follow my TWITTER, you know what I've been doing. Do you remember the look that I did in this post back in September? By reading the title above - I used this very inexpensive palette to create this look!

BRAND: N.Y.C (New York Color)
PRODUCT: Individual Eyes Custom Compact in Union Square (for brown eyes)
PRICE: 3.99 or 4.99USD (I forgot, sorry T_T)
PROS: Varying textures, Pigmentation, Price
CONS Packaging, Some hard to work with

Wet N' Wild Color Icon palettes have been receiving a ton of love through beauty blogs everywhere. These singles came out about the same time the quads did and I finally picked a few up during a BOGO sale and I must say, these shadows are lovely for the price you pay.

BRAND: Wet N' Wild
PRODUCT: Color Icon Eye Shadow Singles
PRICE: 1.99USD (cheaper when on BOGO!)
PROS: Pigmented, Price, Texture
CONS: Packaging, Limited Color Range

I haven't blogged in so long and I really miss it! As most of your know, I do inventory for various stores and the hours that I work are pretty random. I can work late nights for a few weeks then the schedule changes and I start working early mornings. I do get tired when I go to school in the mornings because I don't get enough sleep and I even miss lab. It gets pretty exhausting after some time, but work is work right? I'm trying to find another job with more stable hours so my internal clock isn't all whacked out. I feel like a crack head, lol.

On a better note, I finally got around to do a review. I've been using this for a few weeks now and it's definitely one of my favorite blushes at the moment. I purchased this back in August but never got around to play with until recently. If you're a fan of peachy pink blushes, keep on reading!

BRAND: theBALM
PRODUCT: HOT MAMA! Eye Shadow & Blush
PRICE: 19USD (Sephora.Com) 18USD (Apothica.Com)
PROS: Pigmented, Smooth & Silky Texture, Packaging
CONS: Not for those who don't appreciate shimmer blush
Would I Recommend? YES

This month...

I like: That I've been getting love packages. It makes my day happier. ♥

I don't like: How my job is making me extremely tired, that I'm missing school & lab hours.

I want you to know: I have too much make-up that I rarely use and I'm going to have a blog sale soon. They need a good home.

I've planned: To post the giveaway winner this week as I know all of you who've entered have been waiting for a while, lol.

It's been about a week, and I've haven't been doing any make-up looks lately. I was playing with some colors and this is what I came up with. I used blue, copper, purple and a hint of green. Since it's technically fall and these are more like jewel tones, I named this look "Fallin' Jewels". Work and school is such a bummer right now. I'm always tired, ha! I think these colors look really nice on brown eyes. Look how bright my eyes are! (:

*This is a scheduled post.*
Ignore my slightly uneven shaded brows. I'm testing some new eyebrow products and seeing which one I like more. So yeah. Now let's get on to the review, LOL.

This review was supposed to be done a while back, but I had a sty so it became difficult to do so. My right side of my face was puffed up like a blow fish! HAHA. But my eye's better and there's just some slight redness left, but its all good now and I can finally do a review. I apologize for lagging. I've been using this mascara base from Shiseido for a few months and I hear there's a new formulation now. I haven't tried the new formulation yet but I've read some bad reviews on it so I'm a bit hesitant to purchase.


BRAND: Shiseido
PRODUCT: Mascara Base
WHERE TO PURCHASE: Sephora & Shiseido Counters
PRICE: 23USD
PROS: Holds Curl, Thickens, Lengthens
CONS: Price, Brush, Product Can Goop Up
Would I Recommend? YES

*This is a scheduled post.*
I've never done a "celebrity inspired" look before, so I hope I did this justice? Chikako Watanabe is a ViVi Model, and I've always admired her amazing skin! She's one of the very few Japanese models I see that sport the sexy, bronze skin and smoky brown eyes. Her look is very simple, clean, yet seductive. Smoky bronze eyes, played down peachy-bronze cheeks and pinky-nude lips. I was looking through some of my make-up and found an inexpensive quad that can help you achieve this entire look. I added a gold eyeshadow as a blending and transition color, but you can definitely skip that if you'd like and just use the quad alone. I used Maybelline's Natural Smokes Quad for this look. The result.


DISCLAIMER! Of course Chikako's eyes and mine are NOTHING alike. I'm very aware of that, lol. My eyes are more round and slightly droop while hers are more of an almond shape. I like her eye make-up and just wanted to re-create it. That's all.


PRODUCTS USED
Sonia Kashuk Dramatically Defining Long Wear Gel Liner in 02 Cocoa (as base)
Maybelline Natural Smokes Quad
MAC Woodwinked Eye Shadow
Wet N' Wild Creme Liner in Black (for waterline)
Majolica Majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing
Marcelle Mascara

*This is a scheduled post.*
I've been really caught up with work and school, so there are a few scheduled posts for this month. I'm not sure when I'll be posting regularly or when I'll announce the winner for my giveaway, but I will try to do so ASAP. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.


You've probably heard of Lash Mantra on a few blogs like Viva Woman, Shanghainese Dumpling & Beauty And Fashion Tech. Lash Mantra is an all-natural eyelash growth serum. There are no side effects and doesn't irritate your eyes in any way unlike other growth serums out in the market today.

This was shown in the last post. I received this item from my friend Hanna in our swap (our third swap! =D), and I've been lemming this item since I saw it on Zoe's blog. Skin Food Lime Secret Shine Base is similar to how Benefit's High Beam and Moon Beam work. They all give that dewy glow. I believe this is a dupe for Benefit's High Beam, but as I don't own High Beam, I can't compare the two.



BRAND: Skin Food
PRODUCT: Lime Secret Shine Base
SHADE: Lime Pearl Gold
PRICE: 9.99USD(+4USD shipping @skinfoodbestprice [eBay]) 19.99USD(free shipping+samples @rumistyle-shop [eBay])
PROS: Price, Pigmentation
CONS: Glitter Can Be A Bit Much, Packaging
Would I Recommend? Yes & No

There are 3 shades; Lime Pearl Peach, Lime Pearl Green and Lime Pearl Gold. Hanna got me Lime Pearl Gold. Lime Pearl Gold is basically that (LOL), a shiny, pearly gold liquid highlighter. You can mix it with your foundation, mix it with your moisturizer or use it alone. I know some people use this as a base for that extra luminous glow, but I personally think this product shouldn't be used all over the face. It's a bit too shimmery & glittery for my taste. The packaging is nice, its a glass bottle with kind of a cardboard type of cap. When you unscrew the cap, it's attached with a spatula. I find that the spatula applicator can be a bit messy. It grabs too much of the product at a time. It would be nice if it came with a pump or even a brush applicator like Benefit's High Beam. The pigmentation is awesome - a little bit goes a long way. One tiny dab and I can do each side of my face.


Not sure if you can see how much glitter it contains. You don't see the glitter until you start to spread out and blend the product into your skin. I have used this in the daytime before and I do like how luminous my skin looks, but I feel this product would be more suitable for a night look. Especially if you're going out and taking pictures. It really grabs the light and makes your skin look amazing. If you're a natural make-up type of gal and don't like your make-up looking too obvious, then this product might not be the one for you. If you're someone who doesn't mind the extra glitter or your day make-up is more heavy than others, than this is something you want to look into.


Also, thanks to those who joined my giveaway. I'm in the process of validating all the entries and will post the prize package soon when I have time. Please be patient!

DISCLAIMER: I received this item through a swap & I am not affiliated with the brands mentioned in this post. All opinions are based on my personal experiences with the product.

Hey everyone! If you follow me on twitter, then you know I've been busy with work & school. I was called last minute to go out of town to do inventory at a warehouse and that really got me beat because I didn't get any sleep, lol. It's been a bit since my last make-up post and I was wondering if anyone could guess which brand of eye shadows I'm wearing? I'm curious to see what you all think.

I'm only wearing one brand (excluding the other products I used!) and I haven't reviewed this product yet, so you won't be able to go through my posts to check, lol. I am using a fairly new palette from this brand & it can be found at many places like Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Wal-Mart. Very inexpensive yet pigmented and versatile. Here I show how soft and how intense these shadows can be.

**Pardon the brows, I'm trying to grow/re-shape them again. It's a weekly/monthly thing for me, lol.



So here's what I wore...
SHADOWS - ???
NYX Nude Pearl Pigment (second look, right below the brow bone)
NYX White Shadow Base (second look)
MAC Motif (Just barely on brow bone in first look)
Beautique Black Liner (Sally's)
Marcelle Volume Precision Mascara

A quick view at some items my dear friend Hanna sent me for our swap! Do stay tuned for future reviews! (:

Here's what I did. I looked at the entries, validated them and typed all of your points down. After, I made a list then jot the numbers down on Random.Org's generator and the winner is.......

ENTRY #5 - Cheechun!

Congratulations and please email me so you can claim your prize and for me to get your details as I'm also sending you a small care package.


If you didn't win this time, don't worry - there are plenty more giveaways to come!

Helloooo! I feel sad not updating when my eye is still healing (LOL) and I'm going to be real busy this week cause we have labs now. Alongside traveling for work, I'm going to be beat so you can best bet on my free time, I'll be napping, haha! I purchased this liner pen about a month ago when it was on sale for a buy one get one half off deal at CVS. I snagged this along with the Colorstay Automatic liner pencil. Its been about 6-7 years since I've used any Revlon liners, and I wasn't disappointed.


BRAND: Revlon
PRODUCT: Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen
PRICE: 8.99USD (depending where you purchase)
PROS: Pigmented, Lasts Long, Smudge-Proof
CONS: Not Waterproof
Would I Recommend? Yes

With Urban Decay that is, lol. I was so excited when I saw a few of these at my local Ulta, so I just had to take that opportunity to purchase this because they usually sell out right away as they get restocked. I wanted to squeeze in a few more EOTDs before doing a review, but currently my eye is irritated or I have a pink eye - I'm not sure which one it is, ahaha. So for the time being, I can't really do any eye looks. I'm hoping by the weekend it'll clear up, so we'll see about that. I also wanted to let you all know that I'm working now as well as going to school so I'm going to be much more busy nowadays. My job requires me to work overtime so I'm not sure how often I will be posting which is why my surprise giveaway has been extended to Sept. 5th. I'm still waiting on some items I've ordered for the giveaway so I'm hoping it shows up soon so I can finally post up the prizes. Also, please join my gift card giveaway, it ends this Monday. Any who, let's get back to the review. Just to let you know, this is my first ever palette from Urban Decay. I've used some of their single shadows before, but I've never purchased any of their palettes, lol.


BRAND: Urban Decay
PRODUCT: NAKED Palette
PRICE: 44USD
AVAILABLE AT: Urban Decay, Sephora & Ulta
PROS: Great For Everyday & Work, Portable, Versatile, Packaging
CONS: Only 2 matte shades, Some Fall-Out, Packaging
Would I Recommend? Yes

If you haven't yet, please join my gift card giveaway. Chosen winner will also be receiving a small gift from me along with the gift card.


A week or so back, I received my prizes from Lelo's last contest. The main prize was a gloss from Revolution Organics and some other goodies she kindly threw in as well. I've been testing some since I've gotten them, so definitely look out for a review! Thanks so much Lelo dear!

Hello! If you haven't checked out my giveaway yet, please do so as it will be ending this month! I will posting the prizes for the giveaway soon, so keep a look out! To add on to it, Apothica has offered to giveaway a $25 Apothica.Com gift card! So you have a chance to win my prize and this gift card in the same month! For those who may not know, Apothica is an online beauty boutique (sister site to SkinCareRX.Com) specializing in skin care, hair care, aromatherapy and of course, makeup. Apothica carries a wide variety of brands including two of my favorites, Stila Cosmetics and Decleor. And if you're wondering, yes, Apothica does ship internationally.

Since Apothica is sponsoring this giveaway, we do have to follow their guidelines. Please be sure you are my follower or else it won't count. I'll be checking.

Here's one of many ways you can enter. These "points" are counted as your entries. You do not have to do every one, but the more points you get, the better chances of you winning!

• One point for leaving a comment on this post
  
• One point value for becoming a fan of Apothica on Facebook
  
• One point value for following Apothica on Twitter
  
• Two point value to retweet Apothica's tweet about my giveaway
  
• Two point value to leave a comment about an Apothica product in the comment section of this post
  
  This giveaway will be up for two weeks. Giveaway OPEN WORLDWIDE.

In your comments, please remember to leave your TWITTER NAME, Your Re-Tweet, FACEBOOK NAME, BLOG POST LINK & EMAIL if you enter for these points so I can validate your entries.

The WINNER:
Winner will be chosen randomly via RANDOM.ORG
I will be sending SkinCareRX your information and SkinCareRX will contact you personally to verify if your information is correct.
After the verification, SkinCareRx will email you the code for the gift card to be used at SkinCareRx.com, Apothica.com, and SkinBotanica.com.

** edit// The winner chosen will also be receiving a small gift from myself as a token of thanks for participating.

This giveaway will end on August 23, 2010. GOOD LUCK!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. I WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER TOMORROW.

Before I go on about this, I wanted to let all the Stila fans know that Stila is having a Warehouse Sale! No Stila warehouse near you? That's fine - check online here. (:


I've been playing around with this for a while and I can see why a lot of people adore this palette. I would say if you're a smoky eye kind of person, Kat Von D palettes are made just for you.


BRAND: Kat Von D
NAME/TYPE: Beethoven (8-Color Eye Shadow) Palette
PRICE: $34USD @ Sephora
PROS: Pigmentation, Smooth, Blendable
CONS: Some Dupable Colors, Price
Would I Recommend: Yes

I've been hearing about Icing (or Claire's) palettes for quite some time now, and I've always been interested in trying them. I first heard about these palettes from Emily of Beauty Broadcast. She's known for finding some great quality products at amazing bargains. She also has a youtube channel, which her reviews are very thorough and detailed.


BRAND: Icing
PRODUCT: 10-Pan Eye Shadow Palette
PRICE: 10USD
PROS: Price, Blends Easily, Pigmentation, Packaging, Not Overly Shimmery/Glittery
CONS: Can fade w/o primer, No solid matte shade, Not widely available
Would I Recommend? Yes & No

Hey all! Here's a review for ya on Etude's Secret Beam Powder Pact in Light Beige. I purchased this on a blog sale for 8USD, so I'm not sure about the actual retail price. If you have an idea, please let me know!


PRODUCT: Etude Secret Beam Powder Pact
PROS: Packaging, Smooth Texture, Silky Feel, Price
CONS: Can Be Chalky, Contains Glitter
Would I Recommend? No

I'm on a roll! I think this is the most I've posted this year, haha. I'm really addicted to this Kat Von D palette. I've been reaching for this palette a lot. I actually did this look because I wanted to test out these Revlon self-adhesive lashes, and to my surprise, they work pretty well. The band is thicker than I imagined and the lashes are super soft. I personally think its easier to work with Korean/Japanese lashes, but maybe its because I'm just too used to slightly thicker, synthetic lashes. These Revlon ones are nice for natural looks, I'll do a proper review soon.

This look is pretty much like the Purple Smoke look I recently did, just using blue, silver and black. I hope you like!



Anyone have a current fav mascara? I running out and I want to try something new. Suggestions please! <3

I haven't done a make-up demo in quite a while. Here's a purple smoky look for you. I create the look using my newly acquired Kat Von D Beethoven palette. I included swatches so you can still create the look using similar colors. If I missed anything, let me know! Hope you enjoy and excuse the red eyes, lol. (:

I don't know about anyone else, but I've been getting some annoying spam comments lately. I'm sorry, but I don't want anything enlarged or enhanced! Thanks! (LOL) I haven't posted a haul in a while, and I've been happy with a lot of my purchases lately. These were not purchased all at once.

If you would like a chance to try this product, please join my GIVEAWAY, as I'll be including this as one of the prizes. (:

I don't see many reviews on Flirt! Cosmetics, so here goes. Flirt! is produced by Estee Lauder and is exclusive to Kohl's stores. All of their products are at the 10-14USD price range. Today, I'll be reviewing their blush line PEEK-A-BLUSH™ Sheer Powder Cheek Color. This range has 20 shades - which includes 2 highlighters. The shade I got was 03 Heartthrob.

So, I was going to upload a vid to show a sneak peak of the prizes, but when I logged in - it said I only had 5 subscriptions. I clicked to view it all and it said I had 25 subs - WTH? I lost nearly all of my subs and I think I lost my subscribers too. if you subbed to my channel, can you tell me if you still see me on your list? I don't know what's going on with youtube right now, so I don't want to risk uploading any vids if this is happening. Or was I hacked? Someone give me some insight please. ):

So I've finally reached 100 followers (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) and it's close to my 1-year anniversary for this blog. So, I wanted to finally host a giveaway as a thank you to all of you. I named this "Surprise Giveaway" because well, you won't know what you will be getting until a little later in the giveaway. I promise you, it won't suck, lol. =D

To enter this giveaway is simple. I would like to know what your ULTIMATE must have make-up item is and why you like it so much. You don't have to write a lot, a sentence or 2 is fine. (:

RULES:

I totally forgot to update this! During the third week, I didn't really see much of a difference, but then towards the end of week four and beginning of week five, I started to see some growth again. The lashes on my left eye are definitely fuller. If you look at the close-ups, you can see that the outer corner on my left eye has more lashes compared to the right - while the lashes on my right eye are slightly longer than the left. I love using this serum on my eyebrows as well. I over-plucked them a few weeks ago, and this product worked wonders. My eyebrows grew extremely quick (quicker than my lashes). Currently, my lashes are how they are now in these pictures. I'm currently in my allergies mode (I know, its weird having allergies in the summer). I'll start using it again once my allergies season is over.

So I went to see The Last Airbender the other day in Dublin, and I have to say, as much as I liked the action and style, it doesn't make up for the bad acting, lol. I hope when the second installment comes out, it'll be better. We also went out to eat at the Pho Asian Bistro that was near the theater - and GOSH, it was the WORST Asian restaurant I've ever been to.

I haven't been wearing make-up lately because its so hot! Plus, my skin acts up when summer comes around so I tend to not put anything on my face. I have been eyeing some beauty products and I can't wait to get my hands on these once I start beauty shopping again, lol.

Tanned beauties look no further, there's now a bb cream suited for NC40 - and maybe higher. (: On my older blog, I talked about this bb cream once before, and I didn't like it much. But I think now my skin has changed and I'm starting to love Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream because its working, lol.


BRAND: Missha
PRODUCT TYPE: B.B (Blemish Balm) Cream
SHADE(S): NO31 Golden Beige
PRICE: 13-20USD (depending on size & where you purchase)
PROS: SPF 42, Evens Out Skin, Helps With Blemishes
CONS: Shade, Accentuate Dry Areas, Can Get Oily Throughout The Day
Would I Recommend? Yes & No

Got these when they came out a while ago, but I just got around playing with them. I purchased two shades, Plaza Pink & Big Apple Blush - which I believe are the two more popular colors.


BRAND: N.Y.C.
PRODUCT TYPE: Creme Blush Stick
SHADE(S): Plaza Pink & Big Apple Blush
PRICE: 3.49USD (varies at location)
PROS: Price, Amount of Product, Pigmentation, Smooth, Blendable
CONS: Packaging, Lasting Wear
Would I Recommend? Yes

I was out of town last weekend on a mini trip with the boys, so I decided to share a bit of it with you all. I went to San Jose to visit the Great Mall for some fun, shopping and food. I haven't been to SJ for a good few years, so mind you I'm a bit slow on these things, lol - anywho, to my surprise, I found a Daiso! Look!