FOTD featuring Hada Labo

Happy Friday!

Today I wanted to share with you a bb cream that I've been using that I absolutely love. It's v2 of Hada Labo's moist BB cream that came out years back. I loved that one too, and still love it! This version is slightly newer, came out early last year so I'm still late to the game! 

This bb cream isn't much different from the previous version. 

I love the way the BB air looks and feels on my skin. I bring it with me to travel, and i've had no issues with it. The bb cream is actually really hydrating, and the best part is that it does not oxidize over time. It doesn't turn sallow or muddy ruddy looking which I find happens a lot with Korean bb creams. This one is a bit more yellow based and stays looking quite natural.

The finish is really semi-matte but really beautiful. The bb cream in my experience hasn't enhanced any imperfections on my skin. It has a slightly dewy finish at first but dries semi-matte. 

I usually use one to two layers, and it is good enough to last for a day without other makeup on. I don't really powder my skin since it's on the drier side and I sometimes dot a bit of cream blush around my cheeks for some color. This bb cream blends beautifully with no caking that I've experienced! 

It is a bit pricey in the US, but considered a drugstore brand in Asia. I purchased it last year in store when i was looking for sun creams. I don't regret the purchase and I think it's one of the better bases out there in a sea of bb creams. I find that Hada Labo has made really consistent products and you can read my last review about my experience with the Hada Labo skincare line. My skin hasn't been more healthier, and I think it's because of Hada Labo.

Have you tried this or any Hada Labo  products?

Happy Friday, everyone! 

Simple FOTD Using Gym Friendly Essentials

Packing light is key when going to the gym during the day and getting ready afterwards, especially in terms of bringing makeup. Leave your large palettes at home and instead take small eye shadow quads that have a mirror. Take cosmetics that have lightweight packaging, and are also multifunctional. 

Most Used Summertime Faves... Oldies!

Some of my favorite summer staples aren't new things I purchased or received; in fact, I actually took a break from buying new makeup. So my only option is shopping my stash and finding a lot of gems I would have otherwise forgetten :) 

For the past few months, I've been adorning pinks. It's such a bright color for the summer and so appropriate for any day of the week, and especially with traveling. 

Review: Bobby Brown BB Cream in Fair

The Bobbi Brown BB Cream's been on the market for quite some time now (2-ish years?). I've been accustomed to Asian BB creams for so long that I've resisted to try any American ones (for good reasons, you'll see).

The packaging for the Bobbi Brown BB cream, (BBBB...LOL) is very sleek and true to their definitive style. While this is merely a sample size, the full sized one looks the same. Asian bb creams tend to be cutesier with over the top too-cute graphics and femininity. I love both! But the Bobbi Brown one definitely looks more official in a makeup artist's bag ;)

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Bare skin

I think this bb cream is marketed more like a tinted moisturizer, as it should be, because that's essentially what it is. It has a very "sunscreen-y" feel, as in you know you're wearing something on your face. Despite its lightness, I could still feel the residue of the product lingering. The cream wasn't thick and it definitely was not on the runny side. It has a very creamy feel to it and blends very easily. Once the bb cream set, it dried to a matte finish and the residue feeling went away. 

The coverage is very light. It evens out the skin, but barely. Once I applied it on my face, I still needed concealer to cover up under eye circles and some redness. On a good skin day however, this would be just the right amount of coverage. The shade Fair leans far too yellow for me but since the cream is really light, i didn't find it too big of a difference. 

Bobbi Brown foundations are among some of my favorites ever. So how did this hold up? I like it! Not crazy about it or anything but I'm liking it more than I thought I would. It has a nice finish and remains non-oily and non-irritating throughout the course of wear. Consistency is nice. Coverage is clean. Asian bb creams tend to be more dewier and shades are more on the grey side with a focus on whitening/brightening skin tone. Bobbi Browns is less frills, more substance. Don't get me wrong, I love Asian bb creams, but you can't buy into all their claims right? :)

Here's a photo of me with the bb cream on and Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm (find it here). Btw, I just got a haircut as well! My hairdresser also flat ironed my hair which is why it looks so straight ;p 

Sunkiller Perfect Strong BB Cream with SPF 50

I got a few emails from readers when I blogged about the Sunkiller bb cream requesting a before/after to see how the coverage is. I've mentioned before that it's really sheer and light-feeling for something that contains spf 50 in its formula. See my past post about it here.

As you can see, it has pretty light coverage, and the pigments cover justenough to even out my skin tone. As for coloring, it seems to be invisible. It's not as yellow as it is in the swatch, lol (bad lighting). For reference, I'm somewhere between NC20-NC25.

I'm really loving this bb cream because of the high spf and the light breathable coverage. Hope this is helpful for those who are interested.

Have a good weekend! :)

Happiness in Bottles

Am I the only one that thinks this bottle is just stunning...? ;) The bottle and the design.

This was gifted to me from one of my good friends earlier this month for my birthday, and I've been wearing it nearly everyday!

The scent is described as having traces of breezy rice flower, warm coconut milk with drops of mandarin and jasmine petals. It's truly a sophisticated scent, quite complex and absolutely divine. There's a tad of sweetness underneath the warm coconut musk. Love!

And the bottle design as described on the site:

"Our Lollia signature screened glass bottle with Margot Elena's prettiest pattern yet: Imagine peeking through a window Chinoiserie bird & branch on front, blossoms fully wrap and fancifully view-through to an opened bird cage on back."


I love the simplicity of this perfume - it just exudes elegance. When I get close to finishing this up, I'm definitely going to check out the other fragrances from Lollia. You can view their site here :)

In other happiness in a bottle news, I also purchased from another beauty blogger the Sunkiller Perfect Strong BB cream with SPF 50+ PA+++ (crazy name).

It's a pretty amazing tinted moisturizer in my opinion because it feels way too thin to be labeled as a bb cream however, the extreme claims (contains hyalauric acid, collagen and Lipdure) make it so. Whatever it is,  I still love how it covers. I've been using it for a week straight and haven't had any skin irritations from it. They also claim to use ultra fine nano sunblock which explains how liquidy it is.

Honestly, I really really like this! I'm surprised at how smooth it feels on my skin and how incredibly light it is.
If you're looking for really sheer coverage and are more concerned with having a high SPF, this is something worth trying. The only con is that it's hard to find outside of Asia, but if you're into online shopping it's all good!

Find it at Sasa here, and on Amazon here.

What are your bottles of happiness? =D

Easy Valentines Look :)

I'm all for easy makeup looks, especially if they look clean and pretty. Maybe this is why I love bloggers who rock out with easy, fresh faced looks :) I love dramatic evening makeup as well, but the looks that can be worn both day and night with little effort are the best of the best :) I'm having so much fun looking at other people's Vday looks and vids :) You gals are so freaking gorgeous! :)

Here is my take on a Valentine's Day look! It was really quick... took me about 12 minutes or so. I spent more time picking out which brushes to use than the actual makeup part. I feel pathetic sometimes.

Here is what I used:

Lancome Eye Palette - Gifted to me for my birthday by my very good friend Audrey, (visit and follow her blog here! She's a sweetheart who knows so much about fashion.) I used the two middle colors to brighten my eyes and the black shade at the end to give my eyes a little contrast.

For lips, I used Revlon's Soft Nude and Nars Giza. I'm not sure if anyone's noticed but Soft Nude is a total dupe for Nars Giza! :)

 Aren't the two shades SO similar???!?! After I post this, I'll google it and I bet I'll see tons of people who've compared these two already =p I've been trying to find Soft Nude everywhere!! Every drugstore around me has sold out of this! So I bought it online instead :) Soft Nude is truly one of my favorite nudey shades! It applies on a lot lighter than in the tube. It's really such a pretty color! I don't own anything like it. Nars Giza is also a really nice nudey shade in a gloss form. I absolutely love it! For some reason, it's not as sticky as other NARS glosses that I own, and the texture is much more nicer. A little slippery, but really smoothing.

For an evening look, I'll just apply the other end of the NARS duo, Boogie Nights. Boogie Nights is a shimmery fuchsia shade. A little vampy, but as with any intense shade, very sexy.

I hope you all have a very warm Valentines Day weekend :) I know I'll be grubbing every minute of every second! :)

Products Used:

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream 21 (see it here)

Lancome Eye Palette

MAC Dainty (cheeks) - Possible dupe for Nars Orgasm? Full review to come!

Revlon Soft Nude Lipstick (see it here)

NARS Giza lipgloss (see it here)

Loreal Collagen Mascara (see it here)

Enjoy your Valentines weekend everyone! 

Review: Lady & Skin BB Cream

Remember this post about Lady & Skin cosmetics from Korea? I wasn't able to find any info about it on the internet... which is odd because you can find EVERYTHING online =p Well, I still haven't found anything, but it may be translated wrong in English or exclusive to the country...or... I don't know? Well, I'll be the first to review it then!

Okay, so... as I've mentioned before, my  mother's friend gave it to her during her friend's trip to Korea. She doesn't use makeup so she gave it to me to try. It came in a gift set with a powder and lip gloss. But I am just going to touch on the BB cream today.

It comes in a very generic squeeze tube. I don't mind the simple packaging because it makes it easier to travel with. I wonder if they have BB creams that come in foundation jars? That would be so luxe, wouldn't it?

Honestly, the formula is great! Better than Lioele's Beyond the Solution BB cream because it's sheer and has a pearly finish. I just start with a pea sized amount and smooth it onto my face before  patting it on gently. I really like that it's lightweight and easy to use. I mean, BB creams are not hard to use... but you don't need the brush when you have fingers :) I like all sorts of textures, but the sheerness of this BB cream is enough for daytime. While it's lightweight and sheer, the cream is also really opaque and has really good coverage. See the swatch on my wrist? I found it that to be opaque enough for me :)

The scent is also really pleasant. It's got a nice, Asian shampoo/body wash smell. The good kind! :) A little fruity, a little bit of floral. It's smells nice and doesn't linger.

One pro about this BB cream is that it has SPF 37 PA++, which is an odd number, but I can't complain. It's one of those all-in-ones :) I really like this BB cream a lot, but I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to find it. Well, if I do find a site or some info, I'll be sure to update for those who are interested :)

I've been obsessed with the Bobby Brown eyeshadow palette that I won from Ping's giveaway :) She was a MUA for Bobbi Brown and grew a love for the cosmetics. One thing is for sure, I really REALLY like the palette!

I love it! The colors complement everything! They are not overbearing, unwearable shadows! My love for neutral shades have now been justified. This palette is a must-have! I'm so glad it is in my collection because it sleek, and the colors pack a punch. You don't need much to add definition to your eyes. I've been wearing this to work a lot lately and I'm really loving how the dark colors enlarge my eyes and the highlight colors add definition. What is your take on Bobbi Brown cosmetics? :]

Geeky glasses O_O

I was looking back on my old photos here and I am so embarrassed to see how crappy all my photos were when I first started blogging. I'm probably going to re-review many products including the Lioele Beyond the Solution BB that I've also been using. I wasn't particularly happy w/my review, because the swatches and photos did not reflect how it really was. My camera now is a lot better at capturing the images with the correct lighting! :) Yipppeee for that!

I trust everyone is having a good week so far? :)

Yum! Grape juice after a long day :)

Glowy depths

Hey everyone!! I have been playing around with my Lioele BB cream and trying to create different finishes with the cream. So far, I found that it gives me a very glowy complexion compared to some of my other foundations or powders. It's a bit heavier than a tinted moisturizer and is on the same level of coverage as a liquid foundation. I purchased it on Ebay. I took a risk and bought it there because a lot of the shops I looked at didn't have it in stock and I wanted it so badly! LOL =p

I created a very simple look using the Lioele BB cream and some MAC eye shadows. One of my fave palettes from MAC is Delights palette that came out awhile ago.

I love how it has that nice sheen to it. The pink shadow on the top right hand corner doubles as a highlighter. I mostly use the the pink and the purple below it. It's not as dark as it looks, since you can blend it out into different levels of wear.

Here is the final look I did combining the eye shadows and the BB cream. I used the pink and purple in the first and second row. I was trying to use the shadows to create a deeper depth in my eyes but I can see now that it's going to take a little more practice =p I'm not currently using an eyeshadow base but I'm thinking how much more enhanced the products will look if I do! An eye shadow primer is next in line :)

 I like any kind of creams that illuminate the skin without the greasy look. Sometimes highlighters can be a bit much to purchase on its own, since you won't use it as much as a normal powder or foundation. I have combination skin so it's really important that the glowy component in makeup is not overbearing otherwise you look like you just had a session with a hardcore personal trainer o_o That's not ideal.

I was very impressed with this Lioele's Beyond the Solution BB cream. It goes on a little light, but it eventually blends into skin after an hour or so. I snapped these pictures after 8 hrs of work! LOL Didn't do much touch ups during the day but I brushed my hair and applied a little powder.

Here it is again. I know I need to stop raving about this =p But I felt I didn't have proper swatches before.

Very creamy texture, smells a little medicinal but it's not lingering. Will match skin tones in NC15-30, my guess. I know it's a big leap from 15-30, but it does blend well :)

Goodnight! =)

NOTE: I bought the BB Cream here. Korean based seller that I've had no problems with. Free shipping that took 10 days to arrive.

Effortless Weekend

Happy Thursday! This week has been very hectic for me. Lots of deadlines to meet and things at home to take care of. Over the Memorial day weekend, I took a last minute flight to visit my family. It was nice being at home, lounging around in my room and feeling content in a very familiar surrounding. I don't go home often enough but when I do, it's always nice to bring back a happy memory for me to dwell on when I'm here. You know how once you move out, relationships with your parents change? Mine seems to have changed for the better and I enjoy shopping with my mom and eating cheese with her =)

I also came back with some goodies! Remember my last post about L&S skincare from Korea? I have found zero info on it through Google which I find a little odd. Wouldn't you think so? o_o Anyway, my mom's friend bought it for me since she knew I loved cosmetics and creams.

I haven't really used this BB cream yet. I also have a sample sized one of this too, which I will start using sometime soon. It's very nice, and covers quite nicely. It has a sheer finish and  feels nice and light on the skin. From my experience, BB creams are creams that multitask in a variety of ways, from priming the skin to treating acne and breakouts. It used to be used by dermatologists to treat problem skin and to cover scars, but since then BB creams have evolved into the cosmetic market as miracle creams. These miracle creams are still somewhat new to me, but it seems they function all in a relatively similar manner which is to be the cousin of the foundation. This product that I used (although i couldn't find any reviews or anything at all on it) seems highly moisturizing and balmy. Since it provides sheer coverage, the consistency is a little watery but it works great as a tinted moisturizer. I apply it with my fingertips to highlight my face and to give it a brighter glow especially when you wake up really tired. And it has some SPF in it which is a plus :) Always. I think it works for most skin tones that range in a pink to yellow undertone, and it eventually molds to your skin's natural color, enhancing it at best. Setting it with a powder makes the product last longer and softens your face instantly.

A matching powder to go along with the cream! The design of the compact is fantastic. It has a little plastic separator for the sponge to go on top without touching the pan. I really liked how it looked, kind of the traditional square compact, the gold colored rim,and the soft applicator you may or may not use. The case was not flimsy and it's light and portable. The shade looks a little too light when swatched that way but it really gives that nice, luminescent glow. I used it when I went to dinner with my family and after I came home, my makeup was still set. I also noticed the very pleasant smell.. it's so hard to describe, but it has a sweet, musky floral scent. It's very pleasing, I wish I could let you all scratch and sniff it on the screen! =p  

I haven't used it long enough to rate it fairly but I do love how it wakes a dull face :) The powder is very fine and compressed with a nice, very silky texture. I just wish I could find more info about this brand. All I know is that it's made in Korea, from what it says on the box =p

And lastly, my thoughts on the Lioele BB cream!

Intense stuff right? I originally saw the review from another blogger and really wanted to try it. SO BAD. I finally ordered it and it was shipped to me from Korea =P It took 10 days, which is pretty good. It survived many weather conditions I'm sure. Anyway, from the look of the swatch, it's pretty obvious to say this BB cream is the mother of them all. It's very foundation-like and is very thick. Provides heavy coverage for me and has no indication of SPF although it says that it blocks UV rays. I loved the packaging of it, but I worry since it's on of those press and squeeze tubes, I may have to cut it open when it starts running low. But I'm sure I won't be low anytime soon because a little goes a long, long way. The result of half a pump is what you see on my hand! Crazy. I really like this product. It delivers really nice results and covers like a hardcore concealer. It's like my Dior Sculpt foundation that I rarely use because of its heavy coverage. I plan to have some before and after pictures in my next post. Brace yourself for that =p Overall, coverage is great and I love the creaminess of the cream. It gives a dewy finish and is very moisturizing. The smell is a little medicinal for me and it may be heavy for some people. I didn't mind the smell though. I just hate products that smell of rust and metal. And believe me, there are some. Especially minerally SPF ones.

I plan on trying the Dr Jart one that many gals recommended me to. I'll give it a go when I find it =D

<--- I used half a pump of the Lioele BB cream. It covered my dark circles pretty thoroughly and evened out my skin tone so much. I was running on 4 hrs of sleep and had really dull, blotchy skin. I owe it all to this amazing cream. I love it =D Hopefully it works well in the hotter months coming up.











Happy Friday to you all tomorrow! Thank you all for your lovely comments :) You gals flatter me with your infectious personalities. And you all draw inspiration to my daily life. I was such a bum before I started blogging but I've become more keen on fashion and beauty from reading all your reviews and tips and favorites =) It's endless and infinite how much I appreciate the blogger community.

When you gals have a chance, I want to introduce my very quirky best friend. I convinced her to start a blog so she can record recipes and share tips with me. She's a lemon bar - loves to bake and cook whenever she has time :)