Favorite Things of The Moment

Some of my favorite things of the moment happen to be the simplest. Beside the hot cocoa, the festive lights and holiday candles, these are also wonderful.

The Glam Glow Hydrating Cleanser is so super nice. I am dealing with dry skin and this is the perfect luxurious cleanser that works so nicely. It's so refreshing and even with the exfoliating beads it still is hydrating and creamy. Definitely will consider purchasing the full size.

The Sephora  Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover is amazing. It's just like their more expensive counterparts and works just like it if not completely identical. A cotton round has removed stubborn JAPANESE waterproof mascara perfectly, which I love. It's easy and gentle, and not too oily.

Because I wear heels a lot, the Dr Scholls Balls of Foot cushions are a godsend! These things are squishy and comfortable, compact in size and provides enough support for hours. 

I've been loving this Ciate London polish in Mistress. The most alluring true red, and the perfect seasonal color for a bright pop of red and coral. The formula is so amazing - dries quickly, very opaque, creamy and this is just one coat on my nails. Absolutely gorgeous!

The most practical and useful thing in my vanity is the Q-Tips Precision Tip Cotton Swabs. I don't think there is anything else more awesome. These q-tips have the extra point in the swab that helps with everything! I use these for cleaning up mistakes when I get mascara marks on my eyelids, erasing nail color mistakes that get outside of my nails, precision defining my lips for the perfect red lip, touching up eyeshadow fallout and so much more. I love the little box it comes in so you can use it for traveling. Keeps it all nice and tidy. #organizationalperfectionprobz 

My NEW favorite mascara. I'll do a proper review of this in the next post...stay tuned for that :)

The Nars Audacious Mascara is really really amazing. It adds lift and volume to my short lashes. The wand really helps amplify the lashes but the only downfall is the hard plastic bristles which can be painful if you poke your eye! Other than that, it is really effective, and I must say I am surprised because this is HARD to find. The only other high end mascara that's given me similar results is the Lancome Hynose line.

The Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Balm is the newest lippie I have in my collection. This balm/pencil combo works amazing as a nude lip filler on bare lips. This is in the shade Heaping Hazelnut. It defines the lips beautifully and has a nice creamy feel to it. Doesn't dry out my lips and keeps it very natural looking with a subtle sheen. I would love to try other shades such as Super Strawberry. Not surprised it made it into 2015 Best of Allure :)

What are your favorite things of the moment? :)

Wet n' Wild MegaLast Nail Color in "I Need a Refresh-Mint" !

Mint is essentially the prettiest cool-girl color ever. I mean, it looks amazing in fashion, clean in prints and just overall a very flattering color.

I am also obsessed with this nail color from Wet n' Wild. I already own the shade called 2% Milk and it's gorgeous! Yikes.

I need a Refresh-Mint is actually less mint and more of that Tiffany blue. The color is really vivid and opaque and you can achieve full opaque nails in 2 coats. The formula is really good in that it isn't runny or messy.

The precision brush is actually the best part of the nail color. I find that the brush makes it so easy to apply. It's a firm flat brush with a slightly pointed center.

The formula takes a little while to dry so you have to be patient. Once it's on it stays on good. The lasting power is better than my Zoya/OPI ones. Doesn't chip easily either. Pictured above is the mani that's been about 3 days. I do a lot of typing and handsy stuff, so the formula is pretty tough.

Overall, a really nice color that's fun to wear and lasts a long time without ruddiness and discoloration. This is 2 coats of color and you can see its opacity right away.

I really like this range of nail colors. I think their precision brush is AWWESOME :) 

Their other color, 2% Milk is gorgeous! I did a review previously here if you want to check it out! 

Zoya Polish in Natty

Not happy with how my results came out and I'm not sure I like the color too much because it looks so different on my nails than in any of the swatches I've seen online -_- 

But yeah, I still like this color but I'm finding it to look too matte for my taste. My hands and nails are very MEH so i find sparkly/glittery polishes are so much more forgiving!

Hope you're all having a pleasant Monday night.

Goodnight!

What's In My Makeup Bag!

I travelled home yet again for the long Independence Day weekend! Four days of doing absolutely nothing and everything at the same time. The flight home on Wednesday night was my first breather into normality once again and I maybe had a bit too much pleasure picking and choosing what to pack in my makeup bag ;) After all, when thoughts are deluded to such things, I often question myself wondering when I've come to this, where getting excited to choose my travel necessities of choice makes me giddy with joy.

But then again, I tell myself that there are worse things to like. Like drugs or gambling. Of that sort.

I brought home with me my makeup bag of choice which was something I purchased last year during the Sephora F&F sale. I absolutely love this bag... it's beautiful!

Pretty much everything I brought along with me. The liquids in the middle were stored in a ziplock bag to comply with TSA regulations but everything else was in there. Unfortunately this bag doesn't fit a lot of stuff due to the large mirror in the middle.

Dior blush in Passionfruit and Dior quint in Earth Reflections

Current fave of the moment! Becca Luminous Skin Color and Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector.

Shimmering Skin Perfector on the left, foundation on the right

A gorgeous foundation glow! Absolutely dewy, and healthy looking.

The lip products - the first 3 jars are decanted lipsticks I made using bead jars. 

Revlon's Black Cherry, Love the Red and Fuchsia Fusion

My favorite Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm and my favorite MLBB shade, Dior lipstick in Ultra Nude.

One of my favorite to-go concealers, Maybelline's Mineral Powder concealer.

Biore UV SPF 50 sunscreen for that crazy SoCal sun!

Clinique spot healing gel for pimples, and Tarte's Lights, Camera Lashes mascara. 

Some of my essential brushes 

Ojon Damage Reverse Hair Serum - LOVE this stuff!

My favorite Coco Chanel perfume!

I also went to Sally's Beauty yesterday and picked up these China Glaze nail colors for an insane price. These were all around $1+ each!!!! I'm tempted to go back and pick up more colors. AHH!

Essie Pink a Boo as my base - I brought this with me from my apartment

Topped off with China Glaze's Tattered and Scattered 

Reminds me of a delicious birthday cake and confetti! hah.

That's pretty much it in my travel bag. I'm flying back tonight to get ready for the work week ahead. It has been a fun Independence Day and I'm joyed that I was able to spend it hanging out with family. It's funny how the older we get, the more we want to spend time with them. I remembered wanting to be as far away as possible for college and rebelling in ways that only teenagers are capable of. But now I sort of appreciate my parents and brother and our relationships have only bonded in the 5 years I've been in the Bay Area. Still close enough to fly home but enough distance to keep my sanity, o_o

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! 

Office Chic: Vibrant Nails

Loreal polish in Crazy for Chic

this is a gorgeously beautiful bright cream fuchsia. True to color.

I always loved the contrast of whimsy bright nails over business casual. That is just utterly chic in my mind. Nothing like a mix of business and pleasure in just 2 coats! :p 

Nail polish and nail art speaks volumes about our individuality. I really don't have a philosophy when it comes to doing my nails, except to switch it up and change it around from time to time, keeping nails looking effortless and giving the impression that groomed tips are a natural thing! In fact, for me, it is far from it as I am low maintenance all around and have a weak left hand that makes applying polish on my right hand a total fail every time! o_o (hence this post). I'm more of a one polish type of gal and I don't particularly have any skills in creating nail art or making awesome ombre type washes on my nails though maybe someday.... someday... hah.

Anyway, apologies for my wordsy ramblings. I always tend to over-think things and write too much even on something as small as nail color. My personal motto is that everything and all things are in the details and I am working on steering away from that especially when I'm simply blogging for fun :p 

Bright colors for the office... yay or nay?

Manicure Fail

Ok, I kid you not. This is my nails after 2 days. TWO! Meh :(

Sorry for the scariness.

This was 2 coats of OPI's Merry Me polish with 1 coat of Seche Vite top coat. 

Any tips on how to make nail polish last longer? I'm totally bummed out. I mean, yeah my nails are gross right now.

Loreal, Loreal and MORE Loreal!

Hello lovelies! 

I hope your week has been fantastic so far! 

I just wanted to give you gals a heads up on what's to come, and what's to come is a LOT of Loreal! 

I've been playing around with these products and my nails have yet to see a boring day! The glosses are gorgeous as well.

What would you guys like to see first? :) 

See you in the comments! 

Office Chic: Rosy Lips, Pink Nails

I've wanted to start a new series on my blog dedicated to office wear, office accessories, makeup, and similar things for women who, like myself, are in the office daily and constantly on the mend to make ourselves stand out in an otherwise controlled setting.

As I've mentioned before, I recently took on a new job at a start-up and I'm having a great time so far. But I am the only girl here! hah. I do have freedom in what I wear, and there is no strict dress code for start-ups usually but I feel it's always nice to put an effort in how you look even in a relaxed atmosphere.

Well, to start off this series, what's more fitting than to show a bit of spring color on lips and nails? It's office-friendly, life-friendly (lol) and easy.

Revlon Soft Rose 

One of my favorite lipsticks from Revlon. It's richly colored, pigmented and has a nice soft focus effect.

Essie Mademoiselle 

One of the prettiest nail polishes I've ever come across, EVER! Chic, pretty and 100% girly!

Sorry for my horrendous cuticles! The camera catches all the flaws -_-

There are so many different shades of pink, and in the spectrum, there is a flattering pink for everyone. I particularly like pale pinks, and bright pinks. I think pinks add a subtle touch of class, and rosy colors translates to a very elegant, yet refined woman. 

And thank God for drugstore lipsticks - lets us experiment to our heart's content! 

Hope you're all having a fabulous week!

Essie's Ballet Slippers vs. Wet n' Wild's 2% Milk

Hello friends! 

I am so excited to show you gals a recent find that I am crazy about! I know nail colors come in about a dime a dozen and dupes are literally everywhere. BUT, I recently got into nail color and I became obsessed with Essie's Ballet Slippers! It's such an elegant, glossy baby pink with the right amount of glossiness. An awesome My Nails but Better everyday color. I browsed around my local Walgreen's and a Wet n' Wild stand with nail colors on sale caught my attention. I noticed something similar to Ballet Slippers, called 2% Milk. HOW CUTE IS THAT? The name itself enticed me to keep it! :) For $1.99, I decided hey what the heck and brought it home with me.

Essie's Ballet Slippers and Wet N' Wild in 2% Milk 

Wet n' Wild's 2% Milk - It's a milky nude shade that seems to be universally flattering. It's not exactly white, but more of a nude baby pink. Isn't it a pretty color? It took 2 coats of polish for this opacity. O_O

Essie's Ballet Slippers - A little more pinkier than 2% milk but it still has the same enamel shine that 2% Milk has. I think that's the main reason it stood out to me as a possible dupe.

What I liked about 2% Milk is the brush! It's a lot more easier to use because of the flat shape. The flat brush almost literally coats the entire nail in one stroke. It's seriously like a game changer for me. I own quite a few polishes but none have the flat brush. I can't even emphasize how much I love it! LOL

Hopefully you can see the brush well enough. I prefer the flat ones to the round ones because it's a lot more easier to apply and I get a cleaner application. It presses the polish onto the surface of my nail flat so doesn't create a buildup of excess nail color on my nail. I'm pretty sure I've gone to the deep end of explaining this and nail pros would probably laugh at the absurdity of my statement ;) 

Nonetheless, I am raving about it -  The gorgeous shade, the awesome brush and the price! I am very happily enjoying this color now. 2% Milk is a very timeless color and exudes wedding elegance. One of the best purchases this year, frealz. 

Have you ever tried Wet n' Wild nail colors? Are flat brushes very common in other brands? Let me know what you all think! :)

Seriously Nude Nails with Butter London's All Hail The Queen

Butter London  nail colors were first introduced to me by some of my favorite bloggers. The pretty square-angular bottle is charming and structured, the word 'butter' is printed so neatly across. Everything from the packaging to its formula is enticing to say the least. I think I've become a Butter London convert o_o

For this manicure, I used All Hail the Queen - It's a pretty nude taupe shade that's unique and elegant. I love neutral colors, wedding, pastel-like shades. It makes my fingers look more delicate than they seem.

That was about 2 coats. I love the formulation! It dries so quickly and the liquid is sheerer than most of the nail polishes I own. In two coats, it's pretty opaque and covers well. I love, just love, this particular color. I think it's elegant, it's pretty and very earthy. I have a few more I have yet to manicure! 

....and here is another polish that's getting one last wear before Fall kicks in - one of my all time summer favorites, Revlon's Coral Heat. 

Sinful Colors nail color in Georgio

Inspired by my current obsession with True Blood...

I went to my local Walgreen's after work and picked up Georgio - a gorgeous burgundy red.

It was a spontaneous buy, but it was only $1.99 ;) I was aiming to pick up Essie's new Recessionista from their Fall collection but it wasn't there... but Georgio was misplaced just below the Essie section.

I'm looking forward to many manicures with this.