Bling Bling With OPI Only Gold For Me Top Coat

Sephora by OPI Only Gold For Me Top Coat, price $9.  It is a great way to add some sparkles to your holiday or party look.

Two coats

 

Two coats layer over a golden pink champagne base (I used Ulta brand).  It is easy to apply and dry fast.  Picture taken under white light.

Picture taken under indoor lighting.

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

Beauty Organization

I have been on a re-organization kick lately. I added some makeup organizer onto my Christmas wish list, trying to stay organize and save space. The only problem with the extra space is it might encourage me to “make excuses” to buy more. Anyway, that is another topic. Just thought I share these with you. If you have any good organizer or idea, please do share!

Caboodles 13 Inches Black Train Case from Amazon.com

Nifty Cosmetic Organizing Carousel from Amazon.com. This come in several different colors: cream, pink, and rose.

Two Tier Sliding Basket, great for under the sink area, from Bed Bath & Beyond.

I am saving the best for last. You can splurge and get this personalize perfectly prepped hair accessories organizer for all your hairstyling tools with your name monogram on it.  Great idea for a gift, too bad I didn't find this earlier to share, in time for Christmas.  Perhaps Valetine or Mother Day gift idea then.

Meaningful Beauty Cindy Crawford Review

Meaningful Beauty is a skincare line that is collaborated between former super model Cindy Crawford and French Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh that started over 10 years ago. Their website talks about using the latest breakthrough technology but nowhere does it say what this latest breakthrough technology really is. The good news is there is a 60 days guarantee and the price is affordable, you can get a 5-piece kit plus 3 bonuses that contains both day and night essentials for only $39.95. I was sent two samples and they are:

Lifting Eye Crème-Advanced Formula

I have been using this eye cream for over 4 weeks now. I like the packaging; it’s in a squeeze tube, easy to dispense and is hygienic. Do note that it is only .25oz versus the standard .5oz eye cream jar. It is calls a lifting eye cream but I don’t think it actually lift anything. What I do notice is that I tend to wake with puffiness on my left eye (only one eye, weird, I know) and if I use this cream the night before, there is less puffiness the next morning. Or if my eye is puffy, I apply this cream in the morning and the puffiness subsides within 15 minutes. This is what I adore about this eye cream.

Skin Brightening Décolleté and Neck Treatment SPF 15

This is a chemical sunscreen for your neck and chest area. It is moisturizing, easy to spread and absorb. I personally prefer SPF 30 or higher. Other than the low SPF level, there is nothing negative about this product but I also feel like there is nothing outstanding either.

Skin Brightening Neck and Decollete Treatment SPF 15

Last comment I like to make is that I prefer if the company market their products where you can purchase them either individually or as part of a kit. Currently you can only purchase a bundle kit so if you like or only want to try an item or two; you have to purchase the whole kit to do so. Fortunately, the kit itself is very reasonably price and they also offer free shipping.

Disclosure: This review contains sample sent for consideration. The review is base on my honest personal opinions and experiences.

ELF Swatches

I bought some stuff from E.L.F. lately and I know it would be awhile before I get a chance to write review for them.  I thought I show you guys some swatches for now. 

Studio Blushes in Tickle Pink and Gotta Glow

Studio Cream Eyeshadow in Natural Glow and Eggplant

Studio Cream Eyeliner in Metallic Olive

I also have a few of their brushes from this purchase and prior.  Reviews for all of these coming up...

Current Winter Skincare Routine

My current skin condition is normal to dry with hormonal breakout from pregnancy for the past 2 months. It is not too bad, about 3-4 small whiteheads around my T-zone area.

Night Routine:
- St. Ives Green Tea Cleanser
- Kiehl’s Washing Milk Cleanser (I use this as a makeup remover, first step of double cleansing or on days when I want to take a break from the St. Ives cleanser)
- Sana Collagen Toner
- Arcona Gentle Solution (2-3 times a week)
- DHC Acerola Serum (on nights that I don’t use the Arcona Gentle Solution)
- Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer
- Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum
- Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford Lift Eye Cream

I am also still using - Dermalogica Clean Start Bedtime for Breakouts to the Rescue as spot treatment if needed.


Morning Routine:
- Wash face with water
- Sana Collagen Toner
- DHC Acerola Serum
- Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford Lift Eye Cream
- Bliss Youth As You Know It Sunscreen

I tried Bliss Youth as You Know It Sunscreen back during the summer and it was too heavy. I thought it would be better during winter when my skin is drier. However, I find that it is still too greasy. I am still in search for a moisturizing sunscreen that is hydrating and also at least SPF 30 for winter.

Do you have any skincare products that you love? I would love to hear your recommendation.

OPI I Vant To Be A-Lone Star

I do not know what it is about this particular polish that make it last on me for so long, 7-8 days without any chipping.  I was also lazy that day and did not even wear a top coat.  I never have any color last on me this long, OPI or any other brands, so I was more than happy.

It goes on sheer and took me 3 coats.

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

Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer Review

I received this Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer as part of a deluxe sample when I ordered his Concentrated Restorative Treatment. Which by the way, I recommend and you can read the full review here. This moisturizer claims to be a lightweight, superior facial moisturizer formulated with powerful antioxidants to help firm skin's appearance and minimize fine lines and wrinkles.

Price: $62 for 2oz.

Pros: They weren’t lying when they said it is “rich in texture and feels simply wonderful on the skin”. The texture is rich so you don’t need a lot but it does absorb very quickly. It goes on very smooth and makes my skin feel like silk, literally, I just sit there and touch my face sometime. In the morning, my skin still feel soft and smooth. It's also formulated with three powerful anti-aging sciences: Alpha Lipoic Acid, DMAE and Vitamin C Ester, plus Paraben-free.

Cons: $62 for a moisturizer is on the pricey side, I would love for it to be a bit cheaper. Also, sometime, though very rarely, it does balls up a little bit. I am not sure why it does sometime and not other.

Overall: Even though I am not keen on the price, it is also one of the best moisturizer I have ever used to date, maybe HG status.  I am religious about my skincare so I do get to try a lot. I love how it is rich in texture and provide adequate hydration without being greasy or shiny so perhaps even those with combination will enjoy this during the winter.

Rating: 4.5/5

Disclosure:  The product(s) being review was a gift with purchase.

Jordane Easyshine Glossy Lip Color Review and Swatches

With a baby on the way, I have to be more conscious with my spending (at least I am trying to). I was happy to find cheap thrill like Jordane Easyliner Retractable Eyeliner. Let’s see if these lippies are also as great.

L to R: Watermelon, Strawberry

Price: $1.99 each at Walgreens.

Pros: Jordane Easyshine Glossy Lip Color is tinted lip balm that live up to its claim and maybe even more. These has the hydration of a lip balm; the shine of a lip gloss, and the pigmentation of a sheer lipstick. They are comfortable to wear, without any stickiness and pretty long lasting power.

Cons: Watermelon has a very strong scent when I first opened it; it takes some getting used to. I however did not have any problem with the Strawberry shade.

Overall: I recommend giving these a try, not just because they are cheap but because I really like the formula. I like the convenience of a tinted lip balm; I can use one instead of two products. Also, for something that is so lightweight, it is hydrating, pigmented, and long lasting.

Rating: 4.5/5

Top: Strawberry, Bottom: Watermelon

 

Lip swatch in Strawberry

 

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

Jordana Easyliner For Eyes Retractable Pencil Review and Swatches

Price: $1.99 at Walgreens

Pros: It is super cheap! It works! These eye pencils are pigmented, easy to glide, no tugging and they stay in place all day, without smudging. I also love that they are retractable so I don’t have to deal with sharpening them. I love using the purple on the bottom lash for a pop of color. It goes very well with my brown eyes.

Cons: I have not seen this brand outside of Walgreens so it may be hard to find if you don’t have a Walgreens nearby.

Swatch: Purple Fusion and Denim Blue

Overall: If you can find them, I would highly recommend giving these a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed with the formula and there are many shades to pick from. Plus, they are only $1.99.

Rating: 5/5

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

Annual and Friends & Family Sale!

Hi, just want to share a few sale with you guys.

Cherryculture.com is having 40% off NYX Annual Sale, use code NYX40.  End 11/13/2011.

Toofaced.com is having a Friends & Family 20% off sale, use code FF2011F.  End 1/16/2011.

Have a good weekend!

Rachel Roy Eye Palette

Fashion designer Rachel Roy has made her first foray into beauty with the launch of the Rachel Roy Eye Palette! It contains 2 brushes and 10 shades of eyeshadow for either an effortless natural makeup look for day or an electrifying smokey look for night.

You can also snap the QR code on the back of the palette to learn from Rachel how to create her signature day and night looks.

Please check out the Rachel Roy Eye Shadow Collection HERE. Beginning November 1st, the palette is available at select Macy's, macys.com and rachelroy.com for $32.

Staying at Thompson Hotels in New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago? Look out for the Rachel Roy Beauty Palette in top tier rooms across the country. There will also be a QR code on the bathroom mirror linking to a how-to video from Rachel that shares tips for creating day/night looks. If you spot a palette in your room, be sure to tweet @Rachel_Roy and @ThompsonHotels!

OPI Steady as She Rose

Steady as She Rose is a gorgeous cream finish, muted lavender with gray undertone for the Fall. I love the color and it lasted 4-5 days on me before chipping which is really good. What I don’t like about it thought is that it streak like crazy, you have to be careful and it takes a little longer to apply. Still, I love the color.

O'slee Rosehip Peeling Gel Review

O'slee Rosehip Peeling Gel is a gel exfoliation that promises to decompose extra grease and dead skin.  Skin becomes translucent and even with continuous use.

Price:  $11 for 60 grams. Purchased from sasa.com

Pros:  The ingredients are short and simple.  I like that it contains rosehip extract. It will be a novelty for those using peeling gel for the first time. Slather on the gel and rub your face in small circular motion, have fun seeing your dead skin roll up into tiny balls. I tend to have dry, dead skin on the side of my nose and this effectively removes them all. Also, since the texture is a gel instead of a scrub, it is extra gentle for those with sensitive skin.

(I don't know why this picture is loaded side way and I don't know how to fix it...sorry)

After rubbing the gel for about a minute.

Cons: I can’t think of any really.

Overall: I highly recommend this exfoliation for people with sensitive skin. If regular scrub leaves your skin feeling raw, I think you will like this; it is very gentle yet effective.

Rating: 4.5/5

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

How Would You Rate Sephora's Customer Service?

I am sure many of you shopped during Sephora's current friends and family event.  Did you get what you wanted?  Did you run into any problem?

I placed my order on 10/20, the first day of the sale, just to make sure I got everything I wanted.  I got an order confirmation email but I waited and waited and never got a shipment confirmation email.  Today, 10/25, I called to check on the status.  It turned out that 2 of the items I ordered is out of stock so they cancelled my order.  There were other items that I ordered so I asked to have the rest of the items process.  They can't do that either.  Why?  I placed my order with an e-gift certificate combine with a credit card.  Apparently my $50 e-gift certificate status is "been used" and there is nothing the customer representative can do about it other than advise me to wait 2-3 days and try again. 

Here are the problems with this situation:
-Why would the system allow me to check out when an item(s) is "not in stock"?

-My order was cancelled, how come I did not get an email notifying me that there is a problem and my order is cancelled?

-My order is cancelled, I got no good yet I can't use my e-gift certificate to place another order?  Try again in a few days to see if it will process does not sound assuring at all.  What if it does not work?  I lost $50 bucks?  A customer should never be left hanging in the dark like that.

-I will either miss the sale or in this case unable to reuse the 20% coupon since it is a one time use only.

-I used the 100-points to redeem an item, did not get the item and lost the points.

Finger crossed that nothing will be charge to my credit card and that in a few days, I can use my e-gift certificate.  Otherwise, this will waste more of my time.  I am one of those people that is willing to pay a little more for good service and customer service is so important, it is almost like insurance, a peace of mind.

I hope you guys have a better experience. 

Sunplay Moisture BB SPF 27 PA++ Review and Swatches

Sunplay BB cream comes in two versions. The “silky” version is made for oily skin and the version that I am reviewing, “moisture” is for normal to dry skin type. It is a foundation, concealer, moisturizer, sun protection, whitening, and anti-aging in one.

Price: $18 for 40g. Purchased from sasa.com

Pros: A common complaint about BB cream is the grey cast that is often presented. Sunplay Moisture BB SPF 27 PA++ has little to no grey cast and the neutral undertone also makes it more wearable. It provides medium to full coverage but it is pigmented, only a little is needed, which makes it looks sheer and natural.

Cons: If you have dry skin, it is best to moisturize before applying this BB cream otherwise it can get flaky midday.

As you can see from comparison, it does a good job at even out my skin yet look natural.

Overall: This BB cream has neutral undertone, making it versatile and would probably match people in the light to light medium skin tone category. It is also pigmented, allowing it to provides good coverage while still looking natural.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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

Halloween: Leopard Look Tutorial

This is the look I did for last year Halloween party.  I procrastinated, did not have enough time to order the costume I wanted online and could not find anything I like in store.  So, I decided to put together something relatively easy myself.  This was what I came up with so hope you guys like it. 

Here is what you will need:
-  Urban Decay Naked Palette (Or any neutral eyeshadow will do) 
-  Black Pencil Eyeliner
-  Brown Pencil Eyeliner
-  Black Liquid or Gel Eyeliner
-  Mascara
-  False Lashes
-  Leopard Head Band and Tail (not shown, I misplaced mine, sorry) - bought mine from Party City, sold separately, about $5-6 each.  It is something I am pretty certain will be in stock again this year.

Here is the design up close.

How To:

-  Do your base makeup as you normally would and apply bronzer, I would avoid any pink blush.

-  I applied a wash of "half baked" from the UD Naked Pallett all over the eyelid.

-  For the leopard print, start with either a black gel or liquid liner, draw a half uneven circle.  Then draw the other half but do not connect the two to make a circle.  Repeat, all over your eyelids and a few on your upper cheeks.  They do not have to be perfect or identical, actually the varieties in shapes and sizes make it more real.

-  Depending on how dark your complexion is, you can fill them in with either "buck" or "wheat".
-  Line both your upper lash line and waterline with black eyeliner.
-  Apply mascara and false lashes.

That is it, you are now done with your eyes makeup.  Lets move onto the snout.

-  Start by drawing 3 dots in a triangle on the side of your nose, using a brown eyeliner pencil.
-  Draw 3 whiskers on each side of your face using a black eyeliner pencil.  Make sure they are where you like them to be, then trace them over with a black gel liner for staying power. 
-  Draw some more brown dots along your upper lips.
-  Draw a black vertical line above your cupid bow and smudge it a little bit.
-  Now draw a snout on the tip of your nose.  It is almost a shape of a heart (see image above).  You can go over with black get liner for staying power.  You then "lightly" fill it in with a pink cream blush.  If you don't have a pink cream blush, a lasting lipstick should also work.

That is it, you're now done.  I know the direction seem really long, I was just trying to be details but it is not as hard as it sounds.