Mini Apothica Haul

Hi lovelies! 

Hope your weekend is going well! California is experiencing an excessive heat wave right now. It's insanely hot. I stayed cool by hanging out at the movies, haha o_o 

I recently got some stuff from Apothica. I ordered the Becca Luminous Skin Colour and a leave-in hair creme from Fekkai. Since purchasing the Becca foundation, I've been obsessed with it! It's such a lovely formula, utterly perfect for people with dry skin like myself. 

I ordered it in the shade Cashmere. It seemed like the neutral-er color of all their shades but upon application, it leaned more toward yellow. Still nice and matched my skin well. I may exchange it for a different shade but I think Cashmere is actually quite beautiful. Matches a NC-20 very well.

Better comparison of shade against my hand. It's a tiny bit more yellow if you can see it here. Either way, it's still a match for me :) YAY!

The formula is really the winner here. While there is little coverage, it acts more like a sheer tinted moisturizer than a foundation. But the formulation is mostly water based so it leaves my skin feeling very hydrated and dewy. I seriously love it!!! :)

Full review to come later! 

Review: Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush

My very first cheek stain was the Stila convertible lip and cheek cream that I purchased from Sephora many years ago. I had a less than mediocre experience with it and haven't bought any cream blush products since, but stains are kind of fun alternative for long lasting and natural looking formulas.

....and I am a convert! I am in love with Tarte's cheek stains! Technically, I've only tried one shade but it's really about how great the formula is. It's exceptional. Everything from the packaging to the texture is perfect.

This cheek stain is in the shade FLUSH - a gorgeous sheer berry color. 

The winning formula is the water-based gel texture, which is I think is equally hydrating as it is long lasting. I absolutely love the hydra feeling you get from the stain. It's very smooth and has a very cool feeling to it. 

The glue stick type packaging is charming, but I'm not sure how the full size one is. I bought this one as part of a value set from Sephora. I love when Sephora has sets like these because you can try so many blushes for a great price. I wouldn't have otherwise bought this if it weren't for that set ;)

Isn't this color so beautiful? 

these are older photos but i used tarte's cheek stain underneath. 

The gel formula is incredible and works very easily to blend. I had no issues with streaking.

This is a cheek stain that I would recommend to anyone. I absolutely will repurchase! I love the fun, playful packaging and the seriously pretty color housed inside. It also has a very distinct tart berry scent, which is great. It's not a synthetic smell - very subtle. Very nice. 

 I love their Amazonian Clay blushes and these cheek stains! They are such winners in the blush department, I can't even emphasize! I would love to expand my collection. I always buy Tarte's holiday sets... they always come out around the time when Sephora has their F&F sale. Their sets are my weakness -_-

What do you think of Tarte's cheek products or the brand in general? :) Would love to know your thoughts!

See you in the comments!

eBay Haul

Lately I've been on a ring binge. I've been scouring the webs for fun fashion jewelry and simple, elegant pieces that'll last a long time. I recently purchased this vintage 14K gold vermeil on sterling silver on eBay. It was quite inexpensive and just so pretty! It should be in my mailbox today. If you gals are interested, i purchased it from a seller called: estateantiquejewelers (here)

I wish I could the picture but they didn't have a larger one in the summary :/



I also purchased this blue teardrop necklace. So cute! :)



I'm hoping this sapphire blue will go well with many outfits. I think I could also layer this necklace with other stuff, chains or whatever.

I'll be trolling around eBay and Etsy for more fun and whimsy rings and necklaces. 

Do you have a favorite e-tailer or seller on eBay or Etsy? I'd love to get some recommendations!

Daddy and Me

me and my dad circa 1988. 

Google Cancels Google Reader and GFC

                                       

Since the beginning of the year, Google has announced that Google Reader will be retiring on July 1st, 2013, and while they are saddened by the news, us bloggers are even more saddened. I have heavily relied on Google Reader for 4+ years since I started my blog, reading your posts from the comforts of home or work, sipping on lattes and tea. Knowing that that platform will be gone in just a few weeks is already just...bleh. 

Not only is that the only news but GFC is also going away as well. It's essentially a perk of blogging - we promote their widget, they integrate the blogs with a platform to read subscriptions and easily building up followers for the bloggers. We've put in so much work to build a readership base and followers that it seems hard to have to "start over", so to speak -_- 

They are forcing us to integrate us to use Google+ which is their main focus now, and with the saturation of so many social media outlets, that will be one more thing to manage. I'll certainly try to make use of Google+ and to connect with as much blogs/bloggers as I can but it still comes down to how we'd make use of creating content and commenting on blogs, utilizing different social media tools and managing a ton of stuff all at once. 

Will you or are you already managing a ton of different social media sites for your blog?

Honestly, I've used both Reader and GFC quite heavily that it's going to be a very different change. It would mean rebuilding the entire scope of readers in several places whereas having an audience that had already been existing - potentially losing a slew of followers and an impactful decrease in traffic.

While my blog doesn't drive advertisements or is marketed as such, knowing that I may lose readers impacts everything THAT I STRIVE FOR IN LIFE  (dramatic, sorry).

WHAT TO DO NOW!??!

Google Reader Alternatives: 

1. One solution to get your reading fix is to subscribe to BlogLovin' and follow your pretty blog pals there. You can also IMPORT the blogs you follow on GFC to BlogLovin'. Go HERE to start the importing process.

2. There is an alternative to Google Reader called Feedly and that one takes everything from your RSS reader and puts it in a high quality, magazine-style print. A lot of bloggers have merged to that to get their updates.

3. Follow/Join your favorite bloggers' circles on Google+. Get update feeds as you would Facebook.

4. Rumor has it that Facebook is also working on coding for a new type of reader as is Digg so keep your eyes out for that.

GFC Alternatives

1. BlogLovin' - This one seems to be the closest you can get to old GFC

2. Linky Followers - You can sign up and create a widget to add to Blogger, as an alternative.

Ultimately Google wants us to jump on Google+ and use their platform. Above mentioned are just some options you can look into. I'm sure in time there will be a less messier way to streamline the crazy world of blogging.

What are you thoughts on Google closing Reader and Google Friend Connect?  

In the meantime...feel free to follow me in other avenues :)

Google+ (here)

BlogLovin' (here)

RSS ((here)

Facebook (here) - blog posts are always updated here, and other stuff :)

Twitter (here)

Tarte Amazonian Blushes (FINALLY)

I am a late bloomer when it comes to the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes. Why? I have no excuse, aside from owning a ton of other cheek products. No matter, because I am discovering them now. Better late than never ;)

I've actually had these for awhile now, since around the holidays when I purchased some fun gift sets (here) from Sephora. These are the mini's, hence the absence of a mirror. 

Adventurous, Splendor (both of which are limited edition)

The packaging is so adorable! I love how each compact is aptly colored to match the shade it holds inside. 

Adventurous is a shimmery peach with a gorgeous golden sheen. I absolutely LOVE this shade! 

Splendor is a very bright shimmery coral with a rose gold sheen. It's very similar to Nars Orgasm because of the high shimmer. So pretty! 

The formulation of these blushes are amazing. Amazonian Clay is the key ingredient they use that Tarte claims to adhere better to skin, absorbing excess oil and hydrating drier skin because of the compounds in the clay. It's also supposed to be long wearing, up to 12 hours.

I felt these blushes are nicely pigmented, with a beautiful range of shades for everyone. These two particular colors I have are holiday editions but they're not holiday-like at all. They're perfect for evening wear, especially with the shimmers. Adventurous is like a pinched rose, absolutely sexy universally flattering.

The texture of the blush is smooth, not too powdery or loose. It's holds itself nicely in the compact even with tons of usage. I can't comment on any of the skin benefits but I haven't had issues with dryness around the cheeks or anything. 

I would love to get more of these blushes, especially Dazzled and Doll Face. They are really long wearing and I've had no problems with it being smudgy. 

Have you tried Tarte's Amazonian Clay blushes? What are your favorite shades? 

busy, busy

Been busy at work but I love indulging in coffee chains when I have a chance. Come on, you too!

(i didn't actually read the newspaper though... heh. I'm more of an iBooks reader)

Catered food at work today! 

More yumminess! Nice view of the marina.

Hope you're all enjoying the week. Is it sunny where you are?