Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Concealers

I want to share with you my love affair for concealers. If it weren't for them, I don't think I could ever feel as confident meeting people or feeling beautiful.Although I don't own much of them, I feel like I have a pretty good collection that I use on a day to day basis. Most work days, I skip over the foundation and apply concealer instead since it's much lighter, less work involved (yes, I am lazy) and fast :)

Milani, ELF, Lancome, Neutrogena, Lancome Photogenic, MAC


 L-R: Milani in Light, ELF Concealer in Light/Glow, Lancome Effacernes in Beige, MAC studio finish NW 25, Lancome Photogenic in Camee, Neutrogena 3 in 1 Light.


My favorite of this bunch is the Lancome ones. I bought them at the outlets in a CCO store since I believe both are getting discontinued. Jen from Frmheadtotoe uses Lancome in Camee and says it's her favorite concealer. I was gifted that concealer a little while ago and I fell in love with it =D My very favorite and HG is the Lancome Effacernes. It's foundation-like, but it doesn't mimic the exact skin tone color which is good for me since I hate dark spots on a face.

Here is me with a bare face the night before! LOL It was taken in the dark with flash. Yuck!

The after pic: Bright and early in the morning before work. I wore Lancome's Effacerness concealer, some mascara, eyeshadow, and blush. And the trusty sunscreen. The power of concealers. Eek!



And that night! o_o I didn't do anything special. I went to Sweet Tomatoes (or Soup Plantation in SoCal) for dinner.




I'm currently looking for a stick concealer that can be handy to travel with. There is just so many options! I guess I'll just have to run around and try different things. Generally, salmon colored concealers are probably the most versatile. They can cover the darkest of circles :)

Many of you said really nice things about my hair and asked me how I keep it like that. First of all, you guys are so sweet. You would never believe how my hair was the negative talk of the community I lived in growing up.I naturally have curly hair. Not wavy, CURLY. =p As a child, I grew up really hating my hair and wondering why I have never met any Asians with hair like mine. My whole family has pin straight hair and I happen to be the one that's different from the genetic pool. It was wounding to watch other Asians make fun of you because you look different. By different, I also wore geeky glasses, and had braces on top of unmanageable hair o_o


This was what my hair looked like from puberty to 19 years old. This was also the day before I went to get it permanently straightened. In Santa Monica, I went to a salon that specializes in the Yuko hair straightening technique. I'm not sure if any of you heard of it before, but it's a Japanese straightening technique that's supposed to take off the first layer in the hair follicle to reveal healthy hair inside. It was 8 hr process where they took my hair and transformed it to be more manageable. Lots of yucky chemicals involved, but it did the job.

That was when I was 19. Now, I'm years older and I straighten my hair permanently every yr and a half when it starts to become uncontrollable =p I use a hair straightener on some days I feel like straightening it but most days, I don't really. Ever since I straightened my hair for the first time, it's never gotten back to how it looked like at 19 - something I am truly grateful for :)


One thing I do use on a weekly basis is Philosophy's Shear Splendor.




It's an oil treatment that really moisturizes and conditions hair. It is extremely oily though. Like heavy, weighing down your hair oily. Which is why I use it once a week! You also can use it on the ends of your hair for a nice, shiny effect. It works great on me because of the immense amounts of  hair I have.



What a lengthy post. A lot of me feels so humbled to be around such nice gals like you all and to share a bit of my past really makes me feel more confident and content :)

------------------------------------------------------
I was tagged in Jenny's 8 question tag =) Here are my answers.

Which song will you never get sick of? Hmmm, what a hard question..... "Fever Dream" Iron and Wine.

What is your favourite lip gloss? Rosebud Salve :)

Do you prefer to connect with friends online, phone, or in person? All 3! On the weekdays, it's mostly online or mobile. I connect with my best friends mostly through text, and phone since we all live far apart.

Do you believe in fate? Yeah, I guess I do :) I believe we control it.

Describe a perfect date: Eek! The perfect date for me would be to go hiking in the morning and then enjoying a nice meal and discussing tasteful literature and movies =D Afterward, we'd go somewhere to get dessert and enjoy each other's laughter. I like cheesy stuff ;)Sightseeing is the best though. Tourist areas.

What is your must-have staple piece of clothing? Dresses, lots of them. They are comfortable all season long.

What skincare item do you swear by? I swear by healthful eating and green tea. To get clean on the outside, you must be good to your insides =D I like thick, rich night creams that most people don't like. And a non-faulty sunscreen. It's a must.

I tag:

Everyone who reads this post. I really want to know your answers!
My Questions to you:

1. When did you first get started in fashion/beauty blogging and why?
2. Are you a sweets or savory foods type?
3. Favorite place in the entire world.
4. Other hobbies besides makeup and clothes.
5. Favorite drink? 
6. Perfect date.
7. Your beauty indulgence.
8. Favorite magazine? books?


You can respond in the comment if you don't want to create a post for it :) I'd love to read your guys' answers! :)

Goodnight all!

31 comments:

Ping said...

Jen you are not alone. My little cousins all have curly hair!! Like really curly. They do the same thing as you.

Miss Shopcoholic said...

my fave is MAC Studio Finish. I wanna try Lancome Effacernes... i read this is Michelle's Phans fave concealer.

Mai said...

Although you have had problems with your hair, I have to say it looks kind of impressively huge. My hair has been super fine and thin my whole life so maybe I can borrow some of your volume :P

Your skin looks fab as it is without concealer :)

Maggie said...

I like length posts! :)
I must check out the Lancome concealer; it sounds great.

Tammy said...

What??? Is the Effacernes concealer really getting discontinued??? :o K, I must def. get myself another tube because I love it and one of my first concealers for a long, long time.

LOL Your hair is amazing! I'd love to have my hair like that for a big and make it extra big and poofy hehehe <3

Jamie-Lee Burns said...

I've never understood concealer - the one time I had it put on me I go a rash on my face lol

http://pagesixxx.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

You have a lot of concealers! I usually only have 1-2 at a time. Right now I think I have 3, one dry stick, one liquid stick, and one pot. I think I will review the liquid one soon.

You look so pretty with that eyeshadow in one of the middle pics! I really like that look on you :)

Oh and LOL at your hair!! I thought I had thick & wavy hair but yours is amazing! haha. I've heard of the treatment I just understood that it's very expensive...?

Susie said...

I need to find a really good concealer :( Your skin looks so nice!

Unknown said...

awesome post! i have never tried concealer! maybe i'll ask my sister to put some on me one day just to take pictures and see the diff...lol =p

following you now, hope you can follow me back!
xo

www.ninaonthemoon.blogspot.com

Angie | Pandaphilia.com said...

you really do have nice volume and now that you've tamed it, it always looks super luscious :D wow you really did have CURLY hair. that's so perfect for japanese street style xD

you look perfect in your before photo. what's to conceal!?

Gizelle Faye | Vanilla Ice Cream said...

great post about concealers!
i don't know about them too much and reading your post surely gave me more insight!

♥ vanilla ice cream ♥ 

Unknown said...

Aw... Don't worry about your hair! =) People with luscious curls want stick straight hair but then again, there's always two sides to a coin, I have stick straight hair and I find it really boring I wanted to have it curled haha

Petite Gorgeous said...

I love the magic of a good concealer, too. One side underneath my eyes is darker than the other.

MissS.elle said...

Wow you have a wonderful skin! I'm currently using the MAC studio finish one but sometimes it just emphasizes the dry skin around my nose, which I don't like =/ I might give Lancome's effacernes tho!

-mztoots- said...

concealers are my love too! i have the worst under eye cirles and concealing makes me more confident too =)

Anna said...

i like you're curly hair! it looks really pretty on you. so don't worry about it =)

s said...

Wow your face looks so bright and fresh and relaxed in the 2nd photo! I can't believe your natural hair is so curly! That's so crazy! Is one of your parents hair like that too? Mine is naturally wavy, which is why I never cut it ... when it's long the weight pulls it down straight LOL.

Leenda said...

Whoa great review on concealers! I've been eyeing Lancome Effacernes, but haven't used up enough of the concealers I do have to buy another one. This is going to be my next buy! I totally never would have guessed that your hair is naturally curly! Thanks for sharing. =D

Catherine said...

Thanks for the concealer reviews!

& awww. Wow, what a story about your hair! I guess I've been lucky to have pin straight pretty manageable hair (my biggest complaint is actually not enough volume LOL!).

1. When did you first get started in fashion/beauty blogging and why?
I started in March '09 because I had started reading a lot of beauty blogs and figured why not. I've been blogging on and off about different things for the last 10 years and I missed it, and I figured my newfound beauty habit was the perfect subject. =)

2. Are you a sweets or savory foods type?
Mm, definitely a sweets person teehee.

3. Favorite place in the entire world.
Ohhhh, this one is difficult. Probably San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

4. Other hobbies besides makeup and clothes.
I love to cook and bake. :D

5. Favorite drink?
Tea! I'd say Blest Tea's Jade Black is my absolute favorite.

6. Perfect date.
Picnic. :D

7. Your beauty indulgence.
Er... lipsticks are probably my most expensive. I have such dry, sensitive lips and they're uber picky about what I put on them. My newest loves are Chanel... hehe.

8. Favorite magazine? books?
Japanese ones! I love looking at (I don't actually read them lol) Japanese fashion magazines. My favorites are CanCam, Ray and Vivi, probably in that order. Western magazines just don't speak to me the same way these do. Aaaaaand, my favorite book would have to be Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - it is HILARIOUS!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, your hair was like that? That's amazing I've never seen that before, guess it just means you're very unique ^^
Well, at least with your hair you get lots of volume, mine is flat out limp LOL!!

Btw, I swear by concealers too. Your dark circles don't even compare to mine T__T

Anonymous said...

wow you have many concealers! you dont really need them cos you have flawless skin ;)

rene said...

Concealers!! I cannot do without them! Like you, I need them to hide my panda dark eye circles. I can do without foundation but just not concealers. I agree! Salmon shade covers the darkest eye circles. I only recently found the best concealer! or rather corrector. It is my HG. Think I should do the 8 questions tag! Next post!

serenadeveryday said...

OMG JEN!!! I had that EXACT same issue with my hair growing up!! I thought I was the only one! OMG!!!! I cut my hair in 5th grade and it got all curly/ frizzy. My hair was a big fall of... ugh. I just kept putting my hair up in a bun from 5th until 8th grade when I realized my hair could be blown dried and straightened. Took me ~2 hours to do my hair though. =/ GAWDD... I feel your pain! I didn't even perm my hair straight until my senior year in high school RIGHT before senior prom. Since then my hair has been straight though. I guess I was lucky and either grew out of it or the perm just helped my hair in general. But I also noticed that if I ever cut my hair shorter than shoulder length it gets curly too.
I have to agree with all the other bloggers though. Your hair does look really nice. I'm interested in that Philosophy oil treatment too. Have you ever tried Bio Silk? Or ...{*AHH!!} I can't think of the other brand. I'll probably tell you next time but I LOVE how these oils make my hair feel silky smoothe.

OKAY so back to the top of your post. Your makeup is gorgeous! You have such nice skin as well. I wish mine was glowing like yours. I feel like I need more FOTD posts. Do you do your posts in the morning right after you get ready?

I want to answer your 8 questions here but my BF's MAC won't let me use ctrl v and c. {*GRR} I don't know how to use a MAC book and he isn't home. I guess I'll do it some other time or something.

Sorry for the MIAness of comments. Work is sucking up my blogging life and the only time I get to read blogs is on my phone during breaks and it's just too hard to type up long comments with a touch screen so sorry! But I am reading your posts!!


<3s Serena.

Unknown said...

i love concealers too! they make such a difference :) you're so lucky you have that lancome CCO store near you! the only thing i can come close to discounted makeup is the mac warehouse sale, which by the way is by invite only :(

that's SO interesting about your hair! asians born with curly hair are so rare…O_O makes for a interesting story though right? hehe

thanks for completing my 8 question tag!
i love your description of your perfect date :) i like cheesy stuff like that too hahaha
and i agree with you on the skincare tip ;) this is why i'm in love with my cod liver oil :)

my answers to your tag!

1. I started into beauty blogging because of youtube makeup gurus early last year! But I was always really keen on skincare since high school :)

2. Hmmm I definitely have sweet cravings but usually the savoury foods melt me away!

3. I haven't even come close to exploring the world but from all the places I've been so far, DisneyWorld has to be one of my favourite places so far because its full of magic and happiness! :)

4. Jogging! Once I get started for the season, I'm addicted :)

5. Green tea with honey made at home! :)

6. My perfect date would be walking around the park, going out for sushi dinner, and watching a movie at home! :)

7. Beauty indulgence - Lip products, I spend way too much on lip products! My boyfriend always asks me "Do you really need another lip gloss?" Me: YES? :(

8 Favourite magazine - Glamour, its in my mind a magazine that I can really relate to. Other magazines are just too much on advertisement, fashion that I won't be able to afford in my whole lifetime, or their beauty/health tips are super redundant :P Favourite book - Shopaholic series! and Twilight <33 hehehe

mimi said...

i can't live without concealers too!!! and i'm always on the lookout for the perfect one! i still haven't found it :D

MissZuri said...

I love make up don't know what i would do without it. But I must recommend the Stella stick concealer its really really good.

The Beauty Bargainista said...

I too am a concealer junkie! I am currently in love with MAC studiofix (I'm an NW20), but I have also been loving the stick concealer from the ELF studio line! :) Not bad for $3, since the one you featured is just too sheer for my VERY dark undereyes!! :)

.blushfully. said...

Hi lovely!! Thank you for your sweet comment in my blog!! =)

I am too always on the lookout for concealers, though I must say you do have more than me! hahaha... I really really want to try those Lancome ones Effacernes and Photogenic, I think somehow Australian versions are apparently different or just don't have them, strange!

Btw, you look gorgeous and flawless with just concealer! Wow!

At the moment, I'm just liking using my foundations as concealers lol! I'm sucker for multifunctional products.

Unknown said...

Hi, love your blog, I have posted your tag questions here. xoxo
http://thewelltravelledsagirl.blogspot.com/2010/08/8-question-tag.html

Mandy said...

i use lancome concealers as well! they really do work very well :)

LKP said...

Enjoying your blog. Searching for concealer recommendations to hide some Wolverine rips to my face from my cat. Really liking your makeup, classy looking (unlike some of the thick skanky ones that popped up in my search).

It was also very nice to read about others with the exact same hair issues as me! My sisters all have classic Chinese gorgeous straight silky hair, while I ended up with a crazy combo of kinky/frizzy AND curly AND Shirley Temple sausage top curls.

Look forward to reading more!