Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 Review and Swatches

Price:  $32 for 1.7oz

Pros: This provide absolutely no to very, very little coverage. It saving grace is that it is illuminating and adds such a lovely glow. I use this more as a highlighter. I use this under mineral foundation and it acts both as a primer and adds a glowy finish. I also tried mixing this with liquid foundation.

Cons: Like I said before, it provides no coverage and people with oily skin will probably find this greasy.

Shade 1

Blended (you can see it didn't provide any coverage for my scar)

Overall: I feel like this is one of those not as advertise product. As a tinted moisturizer, I would have to give it a low rating. However, since I find other use for it, it is not a total waste. It is actually a nice illuminating base, just be careful if you have oily Tzone. Rating: 3/5.

Disclosure: The product(s) being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Sephora Collection Color Palette

Allow me to introduce you to Sephora Collection Color Palette, currently retail for $24.  It contains an array of gorgeous color for your eyes, lips, and cheek.

This palette includes:
- 32 must-have eyeshadows
- 16 beautiful lip colors
- 3 blushes
- 1 shimmery bronzer

I didn't get a chance to use these shadows extensively.  I swatch and also wore them for a few days.  I think this palette is a a mixed bag.  Some color are so lovely in both pigmentation and texture, very smooth and creamy.  Some of the lighter shades tend to be chalky and of the shades have chunky glitter.  The ones that are chalky have a bit of fall out and doesn't last as long.

I would recommend this palette for beginner or someone who just want some extra fun bright colors.  For $24, you get so many options and some wonderful color payoff.

(Sorry I don't have swatch for the bottom two rows.  Somehow it got deleted from my camera and I already returned this to my friend, she lends it to me)

Sneak Peak of Upcoming Reviews!

Hi, these are just some of the stuff I got during Sephora sale.

I am really excited about this BB Cream (yes, Sephora is finally carrying BB Cream), used it the last two days and so far, I really like it. I'll probably have a review for you around next week.

That's it!

Easy Beachy Wave: A dupe for Remington Emi Airwave

I can’t believe it take me so long to write this. Months ago, I saw a hair tutorial from Jen over at Head to Toe on how to get sexy beachy wave using the Remington Emi Wave blow-dryer. I look everywhere online and even my local Wal-marts and it was nowhere to be found, it has been discontinued.

After some more persistence search, I found another model that has the exact same attachment as the Emi Wave. It is call Remington 3-in-1 Styler model D-5015, sold at Target for $25. You probably can find it online too.

This is THE perfect tool when you want nice hair but only have 15 minutes or less to spare. It’s so fast and easy. Basically all you do it put 1-2 inch section of hair in the funnel and just turn on the blow dryer as usual. The way the air circulates in the funnel will cause a spinning while drying your hair. For looser curls, just use your fingers to move left and right as you brush down your hair, like a light shaking motion. I hope this help.

Current Top 5 Foundation

I love base makeup, it is such a nice pick me up. Unless you are 12 or have been Photoshop, most of us can use a helping hand. Below are some of my top favorite at the moment.

Shu Uemera Face Architect: My first high end makeup base and I took a gamble ordering it online. It has proven to worth both the money and risk. It is a creamy light liquid that blend effortlessly, semi matte finish, buildable coverage, and great undertone for Asian. (Full Review and Swatches)

Victoria’s Secret Soft Focus SPF 20: I like it for the relatively high SPF and dewy finish which lends a nice healthy glow. This foundation provides light to medium coverage.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20: This one give good coverage for a tinted moisturizer yet still very natural and comfortable to wear, like your skin only better. It also gives a lovely subtle glow, nothing too obvious. When my skin misbehaves and I don’t want to deal with flakiness, etc, I turn to this. (Full Review and Swatches)

Cover Girl Aqua Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15: This is so moisturizing and good coverage, ideal for people with normal to dry skin. People with oily skin should stay away, it might be too much. If you can’t afford the Laura Mercier TM, this would be a great alternative.

Korres Mineral Foundation: I was never a fan of mineral makeup until now. It stay put pretty well throughout the day and isn’t patch or powdery. On bad skin days, I actually turn to this as it won’t accentuate flakes as much as liquid foundation. (Full Review)

This isn’t official on the list because it is discontinued last year but DHC Q10 Cream Foundation is also one of my favorite. It looks quite natural for a high coverage foundation with a soft matte finish. I like applying with my fingers because I can blend and sheer it out. I can also double it as a concealer. You may still be able to find it on ebay?

That is all for now, I will update if anything changes.  What are your favorites?

L'EGERE Illuminating Hydro Cream Base

L'egere is a Korean make up base, most commonly known for their BB cream and skincare line.  The latest addition of this line is L'egere Platinum Halogram Illuminating Hydro Cream Base, it is a primer that promises to give skin a smooth and luminous glow. It is lightweight, contains nourishing ingredients that hydrate and protect the skin, cover pores, spots, and brighten dull skin.

If it can do what is pictured above, sign me up. You can find this on imomoko.com for $38/40ml.

Have you try this?  What do you think?

Etsy, Etsy, Etsy!!!

I am sure many of you have heard of Etsy by now. However, I was surprise that there are a lot of friends I talked to whom still have no clue what it is. Etsy is kind of like Ebay and Amazon except most if not all of the goods are handmade by Artisans. I didn't start shopping on from Etsy until last year when I started planning my wedding and now I am hook. I love it as you can really find some unique pieces and all the sellers I came across have been wonderful. I also like spending my money and support the small business folks :)

I ordered my wedding invitation from Appleberryink, Teresa was such a wonderful lady to work it, I highly recommend giving her shop a try if you are getting marry.  I also bought this gorgeous hair piece for my wedding on Etsy.

My latest handmade jewelry purchase from etsy is this very cute and dainty earrings from Julie's Adorable Bowls.

Also some sample eye shadows from Willow Tree Minerals.

That is all for now folks. Until next time...

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Gotta Dash! Swatches

Hi there! I am just doing some quick swatches today. I find the Sheen Supreme line to be moisturizing and easy to use. To read my full review and swatches of other shades, click here.

Disclosure:  The product being review was purchased by me.

Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum Review

Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum is an organic serum that promises to rejuvenate, help smooth fine lines and help firm for radiant, ageless skin.

Price: $45/2oz, available at Sephora.com or Juicebeauty.com

Pros: Serum usually comes in a 1oz package and the fact that this is 2 oz for $45 is very affordable price wise. It also contains load of antioxidants such as age-defying peptides, DMAE, alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10 and vitamin antioxidants.


Cons: I don’t like the packaging. It comes in a clear dropper bottle which exposes the content to both light and air. Also, a dropper is not as convenience as a pump. Another pet peeve is that it rubs off or peels under foundation, tinted moisturizer so I am limit to using this at night only.

Overall: With an ingredients list full of antioxidant, does it help with anti-aging? Honestly, I am not sure. I am 30 with no wrinkle yet so I use serum as a maintenance and preventative measure. As far as smoother texture and clearer, even skin, I do not really see a noticeable improvement after more than 4 weeks of continuous usage. Having said that, I would not rule it out since this serum is affordable and does contains wonderful ingredients, I think its best use as a preventative method or supplement with another more active serum. Rating: 3/5.

Disclosure: The product being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

KIMIKO

I recently came across a new brand that I want to share with you, it's call Kimiko.  The line is created by Danielle Vincent who before worked as a makeup artist and product developer.  A cool fact, "Kimiko is the founder's middle name, and embodies the spirit of its Japanese characters - KI (Energy), MI (Beauty) and KO (Youth) - by giving women beauty beyond today".


The focus of this line is makeup with skincare solutions built into cosmetics. Though limited in selection, they do have a full line of makeup.  I am most interested in their Hydrating Tint SPF 20.

Lifting Puff Blush

 Sheer Tint and Lip Plumper

 Their only skincare product - Jensai Serum

These are just a few of their products, you can check out their website for full details.

Sephora Waterproof Cream Eyeliner Review and Swatches

Last year I was excited to discovered a great and cheap eyeliner, you can get the details from my review for Wet 'n Wild Mega Eyes Cream.  As great as it was, it dried out on me in 3 months.  Recently, I found another wonderful budget friendly eyeliner alternative, Sephora Waterproof Cream Eyeliner.

Price:  $10 a jar, available at Sephora stores and online.

 (Shade Must Have)

Pros:  It is incredibly creamy, smooth and pigmented.  You know how some eyeliner can be sheer and you have to layer again so your skin won’t show through?  Not this baby.  I find it easy to work with too.  Great price and it comes in many different shades such as blue, green, purple, brown, bronze, grey and this black one I own, which is call “Must Have”.

Cons:  Nothing bad here.

Overall:  I have also tried Sonia Kashuk and Maybelline cream liner and all three of these are around $10.  In comparison, this one beat the other two hands down.  Rating: 5/5.

Disclosure:  The product(s) being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Forever 21 Accessories Haul

I am one of those people that go through phrases where I can be a bit obsessive about certain things and purchase a lot of it. Currently I am into hair accessories and jewelry. For fun, fashion jewelry, I like Forever 21 because they are cheap and carry some really cute pieces. The bad? All of their jewelries are final sale which make ordering online a bit tricky. A pair of the earring I bought came broken and when I went to return it, I was told to “mail” it back. Seriously?  For $4 bucks, I wouldn’t go through the trouble. I think they should have better return policy. Nevertheless, they do have some good deals and here are some of the stuff I purchased.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12- Hour Blush in Amuse Review and Swatches

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush is infused with natural clay that is nutrient-rich and promises a fade-free flawless finish for an amazing 12 hours.

Price: $25

Pros: It is comforting to know that my makeup come from a natural makeup line without the inclusion of harsh chemicals and any skincare benefit it might add is icing on the cake. It supposedly contains Vitamin A, C, and E.

I like the cute, sturdy packaging and the included mirror. Amused is a pretty bright pink, a nice pop for the apple of your cheeks. It is long lasting but I can’t vouch for the 12 hours wear as I tend to wear my blush over a cream blush/base. It’s pigmented and smooth, non-chalky, a little goes a long way

Cons: I can’t think of any really except that $25 may be a bit high for some budget.

Overall: Overall, I like these, everything from the ingredients, the cute and sturdy packaging, to the blush high pigmentation and smooth texture. Rating: 4.5/5.

Disclosure: The product being review was a prize given to me through a giveaway I entered.

Clarins GWP - and They're Not Fooling

I have always wanted to try out Clarins and now would be the perfect time. They are giving away a big GWP when you spend $75 or more plus free shipping.

Your gift includes deluxe travel sizes of:
One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser
Intensive Brightening Smoothing Serum
Super Restorative Night Wear
Tonic Body Treatment Oil
Beauty Flash Balm
Instant Smooth Golden Glow

(It's not April's Fool, it's real)  Simply enter FOOL at checkout, offer valid until 4/8/2011.