Birthday weekend, Nars Lipgloss and winnings :)

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I had a wonderful time on the day of my birthday and the weekend. We took the whole weekend, drove up to SF for lunch and then took highway 1 to Half Moon Bay and cruised all the way down to the Santa Cruz. Along the way, we visited lighthouses, castle-like homes, tons of beaches, and little towns :) It was a divine experience. The best thing? It's right in our backyard! I never truly appreciated the beauty of where I lived until venturing out to these spots and really taking in all the breathtaking views of lesser known towns in the bay area. I came back refreshed, and enlightened. More trips like this to come! I really love getaways, especially staycations because they're local and easy to plan out :) In August, I went to wine country to take in all the views and tastes of Napa and Sonoma. Can't wait for the next adventure!

 Sporting the Charlotte Russe coat :) 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Pescadero, CA

Aren't the waters gorgeous? So yeah.. these are some of the photos that I took. It was totally relaxing! These were all taken on Hwy 1. Very scenic :) 2nd to the last one was taken from my alma mater, UCSC.

Last week was also pretty spectacular because I won Ping's giveaway! Here are the contents:

She sent me an assortment of Bobbi Brown things to try - eyeshadows, lip glosses, mascara, and Elf palettes! Really nice! :) Aw... Thanks Ping.. for your generosity! She is such a sweet gal. Another Bay Area blogger that I met during one of the blogger meet ups! :)

Recently, I did a swap with another beauty blogger. It was my first time swapping stuff, but it was a great experience! :) I got to try Nars Dolce Vita lip gloss... and I must say, what a nice shade!!! :)

It looks a lot lighter than it does in the tube. I really like this shade! :) Below are some photos after a few hours. It lasts quite long, and is highly moisturizing!

Makeup Used:

Mac Studio Sculpt - NC20

Loreal True Match Blush - Sable

Nars Dolce Vita Lipgloss

Black eyeliner & mascara (Maybelline Falsies Mascara)

Okay :) I am calling it a night. I hope you ladies had a pleasant weekend. Enjoy your week! I will be back with more posts! 

Night!

When the Days are Longer

This week is floating by so slowly isn't it?  I just keep telling myself, mind over matter... mind over matter. The weekend will come soon and that will be the answer to everything. Yeah, that's it. Now that the clock's moved back, I enjoy waking up to sunlight but I hate the god awful darkness already at 5pm. It's spooky and I imagine all sorts of deadly scenarios. Not sure why, but I always play a whole scene in my mind and space out for at least 3 mins. It's weird.

Anyway, I wanted to do a super quick review on Mac's Studio Sculpt Foundation. I've been using it on and off for the past year. I ordered backups for it too. Unfortunately, I don't have any proper swatches... I just finished the bottle this morning and am waiting for my backup (so much for backup, heh) to arrive this week. I'm sure everyone and their mothers have an opinion on their foundations. I have a strange infatuation with foundations and BB creams because any look you are going for requires a polished face and a certain type of finish to ultimately achieve that look. I keep on hoarding foundations and BB creams like there is no tomorrow o_o Okay! Review.

I'll start off by saying that this foundation has medium to heavy coverage, and not sheer in any sense. The consistency is extremely thick but very VERY blendable. The blending properties of this cream (literally what it is) is great, although when it oxidizes, it turns slightly darker than the shade it once was in the bottle. Not sure why it does that? Their website says it's a gel based formula, but it doesn't feel gel-like at all. It also gives a tired face a lift because of the silicones in it that plump your face up when it's dull. Overall, I really like this foundation because it does what it's supposed to. It gives instant results and applying it on lightly will prevent you from looking like you are bearing a mask :)

Here is my look in the evening :) Dim lights at home and everything... LOL

I used flash. Notice there is no ghostly sunscreen affect? I layered on Shiseido's SPF 50 face cream before applying the Studio Sculpt. Usually when I wear another foundation, the SPF is really apparent. This foundation tones down that horrendous affect even when you have a high sunscreen underneath.

In the morning and evening!

It lasts all day! No blotting for me whatever. I have nothing but praise for this foundation. It's very comparable to Lioele's Beyond the Solution BB cream (see my reviews here and here) Again, I love creamy foundations. I'm not so much into liquidly ones because I feel they are too runny and get oily fast. =/

Products Used:

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation - NC20

Loreal True Match blush in Sable 

Maybelline Lipgloss - Hooked on Pink (LOVE THIS!)

Maybelline Colossal Mascara

Palladio eyeliner

I turn 24 tomorrow O_O eek! I have mixed feelings about this because I don't want to age. But it's inevitable so.. =p Have a good night everyone! I appreciate all your feedback in my last post about the Charlotte Russe coats. I, too liked the 2nd one better :) And both are just awesome to wear.

Night!

Charlotte Russe Coats, Peach Petal Gloss, and others :)

Hey everyone!

I recently joined 24 Hour Fitness and I've been working out non-stop. It's not even to go and lose extreme weight because I don't consider myself fat but it's the feeling of empowerment after accomplishing something like running 2 miles in 15 minutes =p Do you gals know what I mean? I started having a better self image of myself within the past two weeks of detoxing my body and just working out to feel strong. I feel like a potato at work since I use my brain and not my body =P

Anyway, remember I mentioned I ordered some coats from Charlotte Russe? It arrived today and I was super excited. I've never really bought a coat before so I wanted to try a few inexpensive ones before I make the big splurge :)

Here's what I ordered! :)

Textured A-Line Wool Coat

It's a little roomy but I love extra room. It's snuggly, but not overly so. It's really soft and doesn't have that coat-like sturdy material that I wish it did, but it's CR =P I expected it to be greyer in person but it's just way dark. The quality is also not too bad for being only $25.  The buttons are a little lame though, but I think I can easily replace them with better ones. Thumbs  up!

That's my cat Bacon in the background sleeping in her cat bed :) 

Close up of the coat. It's actually black and grey-ish but my camera washes it out (of course). =p

Textured Wool Trench Coat

I really liked this one in the stock photo!! I love how it goes all the way to your neck. If they had this in grey, that would be the best but they only had it in one color. LAME! =P I still loved it. It's less textured than the first coat but it's still pretty sturdy.

Sorry for the funny pose. These 10 second timers... so lame! =p

Overall, I really like the two coats. I like them both equally.. can't pick! They were really inexpensive. I got them both for $60 including shipping which is $5.99. I had a $10 off $60 code that I used at the checkout and 9.25% sales tax which made it even at $60. Now, you can even get cash back on eBates. Not too bad? :) Oh! The blush I am wearing is from Prescriptives! It's called Apricot! It's the top left hand corner. I really love the shade. It's amazing!

I finally tried the Revlon's Peach Petal lip gloss. At first I really didn't like it because I wasn't used to pale lips, but then it kind of grew on me when I thought of all those pretty Asian models in the fashion mags =P They always have the prettiest pout, don't you think? :)

It's a nudy pink shade that's on the sheerer side. You can totally build it up but it gets really blotchy. I had to use my finger to smooth out gloss.

Okay ladies. Enjoy the rest of your week! I'll talk to you all soon! :) Goodnight! :)

Deal Alert!

Contemporary Long Trench Coat on sale at Target.com for $18. Originally $49.99.Sizes XS-2XL
Use Code: C4XLD4LP

Happy Shopping! :)

From the website:

Features
•Sizing: Women Sizing
•Material: 52 % Cotton, 45 % Nylon: 3 % Spandex
•Material Lining: 100 % Polyester
•Care and Cleaning: Tumble Dry Low, Machine Wash Cold
•Garment Length: Below Waist
•Neckline Style: Collared Neckline , Notched Lapels Collar
•Long Sleeves , Finished, Banded, Buttoned Cuff(s)
•Closure Style: Button Down, Front Tie, Belt Closure(s)
•Hem Style: Finished Hem(s)
•Pocket Style: 2 Front Pocket(s)
•Garment Detail: Back Slit(s), Belt Loops, Fully Lined, Fully Lined, Contrast Buttons 

Saturday Morning Stuff

Hi everyone :)  I hope you all had a manageable week and ready to start the weekend!! :)

Recently I picked up the Revlon's Peach Petal nail polish and I fell in love with it. Then I saw the Peach Petal lipgloss at Walgreens and it was on clearance... and I had to get it  :) I love the peachy petally shades! LOL I got it for $1.20 or something. Why it was on clearance... no idea. It was sealed of course. I guess they're trying to get rid of their inventory to make room for newer collections?

Isn't it really pretty? I haven't used it yet, but I did swatch it on a clean paper  =p I can tell that it's a really nude shade that will look striking for people with pigmented lips like myself. I just hope it won't look frosty... that's the worst!! I hate the peal of looking like a clubbing style lip whore when it's inadvertently in overshine. Know what I mean? :) That's how I feel about frosty shades. YUCK! Anyway, I can't wait to try this :) High hopes! To be quite honest, I'm not a huge fan of the formula. I feel like the glosses just stay on the surface and never really penetrate and nourish the lips. But that could just be the shades I have since they are significantly older.

Yesterday I went to the Korean part of town (El Camino Rd in San Jose for those who are familiar) :) I had Korean food... YUM! :) In the plaza, they also have the Face Shop where they sell a myriad of Korean skincare and makeup. Tons of cleansers, BB creams, cosmetic stuff. It's a dainty little store that has a lot of their popular items sold in Korea. Not too far outside the plaza, there is another one near the Galleria market... where they sell skincare and stuff.

Have you gals heard of this brand? The SA convinced me to try this since I ran out of my moisturizer. I couldn't find any reviews on it online. She said it's really popular in Korea. Ahh, I don't know :p I'll have to try it... not sure if I can return it. It was a small store anyhow. I'll review it soon enough :)

I recently acquired a Miss Sixty leather jacket. The arms are huge which I don't find flattering. Sometimes I think I can make it work... I haven't found a way yet, haha. I