this was purchased by me.
Ok, before I do a review on 3CE's Pore Silky Balm, I want to do a review on this Tarte primer. I got this about two months ago (the same time I purchased the eyelash curler) and I've been using it for a while. I've just been forgetting to write about it.
a penguin and me
Hello. I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas/holiday/December. Since I finished all my gift shopping early this month, I've been watching Twin Peaks a lot. It's very engaging and strange. I'm attracted to many crime/mystery dramas lately.
Despite most of the mishaps I experienced this year, my Christmas went rather well. And I don't mean I got numerous gifts that were exactly what I want, but nice, personable things happened. Well, I'm just happy. I hope you all are, too.
Cheers.
this was purchased by me.
Technically, the this set would fall under something like Make-up tools. Hm. I suppose I'm letting the mini mascara take precedence over the category of this set. Or I'm too lazy to make up a new category now. I got this set from Tarte and it costs $16. I have two eyelash curlers that I use sparingly, but they're kind of old so I figured this would be a nice addition/replacement.
I got this in the mail two days ago--it took a little over two weeks to arrive. The wrapping for the lenses looks adorable. EyeCandy's is definitely becoming one of my favorite online shops (for Asian beauty and such).
A review on the 3CE pore silky balm to come soon. (So excited about 3CE!)
I'm well aware that I have oily skin. I just never really wanted to deal with it much during my teenage years, oddly enough, and now I try everything to keep my face shine free. So I turned to oil-blotting sheets.
this was purchased by me.
I've been using these to help control my shininess for a few years and I picked up these e.l.f. ones because they're cheep and basically everywhere (you know, easily accessible to most).
this was purchased by me.
I'm picky about soaps. I look for sulfate and paraben free formulas. I have to like the scent. I take into account the physical aesthetics--it is going to be displayed in my bathroom, after all. I found out about Barr-Co. after looking around Antropologie's beauty and fragrance section. I'm in love with the lotion, which is too expensive for me at the moment ($24? *sigh* maybe one day), so I picked up the soap in the same scent.
I missed out on getting the Urban Decay lipstick set on Black Friday. I don't understand how that could've happened--I got up early, added it into my cart, went to checkout, filled everything out and hit the submit button....but for some reason the site just wouldn't process my order (it was probably the insane influx of people, but still, I'm rather upset). So it sold out before my eyes.
this was purchased by me.
Anyway, I've moved on in my life. And I got another lipstick instead at a much cheaper price, around $5. I was at a drugstore, browsing and picking up stuff to use coupons on, when this Rimmel lipstick caught my eye. Kate Moss is a representative model for the British cosmetic company and has collaborated with Rimmel to create a collection of lipsticks. It's difficult to resist a supermodel. And pink lipstick (at least for me).
I am so close to straight up bleaching my hair. It appears to be a big trend these days anyway. (Note to self: bleach project to take effect in January)
this was purchased by me.
Since I'm still a bit scared of at-home bleaching, I thought I might try my luck with a blonde high-lift hair color. My roots have started to show, only a very little bit, really, but I felt the urge to dye my hair.
I'm not sure if there's an equivalent of the U.S.'s eponymous Black Friday in other countries (I feel like there was something similar in South Korea, it happened when I was there, but I don't know what it's called...). I remember the early years of the crazed shopping day when people would line up weeks before the event would begin and when the stores finally opened it was utter chaos. I don't think I ever really got what I wanted....This year I plan to stay in, play video games, and do my shopping online. I was surprised to find out/get emails from internet shops that were already offering discounts and surprise deals for Friday. Here are a few I'm looking forward to the most.
I make it a habit to do a mask at least once a week. It's a ritual I've maintained for six years. As someone with generally oily skin since my teen years, I tend to seek out masks aimed at helping with oiliness and blemishes. For a long time I used a Neutrogena product, but as I got older and wiser I started seeking out natural and cruelty-free options.
this was purchased by me
Enter Aztec Secret's clay mask. I was wandering around Whole Food's skin/body/personal care section when I saw this jar on a bottom shelf. It didn't look amazing or exciting, but after reading the product description I thought this would be a good mask to try.
this was purchased by me.
I bought this from Missha almost two months ago. Having jumped on the BB cream bandwagon, it seemed fitting to try a little CC cream too. This product is more like a BB/CC hybrid that includes the traditional features of each cream. It should be noted that this is the "flawless" version of the Complexion Coordinating BB Cream (there is a "pure" version that's supposed to make skin more luminous) and I had high expectations for this cream. For numerous people Missha is the gateway into BB creams and other Korean cosmetics. I remember when I was living in South Korea and some of my colleagues regularly made plans to go to Missha stores during sales to stock up on BB creams. At that time Korean make-up failed to allure me and sometimes I regret that (but shopping can be bothersome when sales people follow you like a shadow).
I've been testing this out sporadically throughout the weeks and here are my thoughts on it.
The first time I saw Rashida Jones was in the American version of The Office. It was the third season when Jim transferred from the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder-Miflin to somewhere in New York/Pennsylvania, I think...Anyway, Rashida Jones was introduced as a new character/co-worker at Jim's new workplace and I was smitten.
Jim face
from static.hypable.com
What attracted me to her the most is her hair. She has the most perfect hair I've ever seen.
via www.dailymakeover.com
via cdna.tid.al
via photobucket.com
via onsugar.com
She's had so many different hairstyles and colors yet she pulls every one of them off so effortlessly. Her fringe is my favorite aspect of her hair (when she has it). Rashida Jones also looks super cute. I mean to say, she has an adorable face despite the fact she's almost 40.
Even though I knew she was an actress, I had no idea she came from a famous family. Her father is Quincy Jones and her mother, Peggy Lipton, was an actress (I literally just discovered her mother used to be an actress, thanks Wikipedia). Aside from being beautiful, Rashida Jones is apparently a genius because she went to Harvard.
I digress as I'm drifting away from the main purpose of this post and what this blog is supposed to encompass. How exactly does she stay looking so amazing? I dove off the deep end of the internet and compiled most of the good ones right here for you:
.allure interview
.hair
.more hair and some make-up
.advice and likes
.favorites
From what I read on the internets about Rashida Jones, she's a minimalist when it comes to her own beauty routine. Rarely does she put on foundation, but she still looks perfect. She also stays fit, but doesn't look like a walking skeleton. She sends a good message regarding body image and being comfortable with yourself (which she also discusses in some of the interviews I listed above).
She even looks amazing in glasses.
via tumblr.com
The last thing I saw her in was Our Idiot Brother where she played a lesbian. It was a comedically endearing film and she played her part well. Check it out. Check out all her other entertainment endeavors from Freaks and Geeks to the Muppets Movie.
this was purchased by me.
This is one of two pairs of lenses I recently purchased from EyeCandy's. This happened to be part of the Sale & Daily Discounts featured on the site. I had been eyeing these lenses as they're blue (I had no blue lenses in my collection until now) and they're from a brand other than GEO (I was really surprised to find they came housed in a cute little box). The a few of the other colors for these lenses were rated highly, so I took a chance on this once as it didn't have any ratings yet. Let's see how Royal Vision's Cinderella Aqua Blue lenses fare.
this was purchased by me.
Coloring my hair has become a routine I quite enjoy. Well, I look forward to it ever couple of weeks even though I'm most likely damaging my hair.
Since I last used L'Oreal's light ash brown hair color, my hair has faded and become more orangey (in other words, brassy). With the intention to tone down the orange and cover my roots, I journeyed to Mitsuwa Market in search of a hair dye to fulfill my needs. What I really wanted wasn't stocked (Palty's bleach color in Hard Gold Brown) so I settled for this Palty dye in Macaron Beige.
this was purchased by me.
It's been a while since I last used a cream/lotion specifically for hydrating my hands. I usually like to have one with me because my hands can get really dry. So, for about a year and a half, maybe, I've been suffering from dry hands whenever I go out. I also often forget to moisturize my hands at night so I'm a constant dry skin sufferer (it must be because I'm so lazy).
One day I happened to go into Ulta, eventually making my way to the disheveled clearance section when this caught my eye. I have always been intrigued by MOR products because the packaging looks so nifty--it's kind of vintage looking with modern accents--and I always imagine they smell magical (at least from the descriptions of the scents).
this was bought by me.
Here are the other pair of lenses I showed in a preview last month. I've been testing them out since then, seeing how it makes my eyes look. I was hoping these would be like the Mimi Almond Brown lenses and naturally enhance my dark brown eyes. Let's see how that turned out.
this was purchased by me.
I don't often purchase high-end mascaras. They are much too expensive for a product that requires being replaced after a few months to ensure my eyes don't infected with something. Once in a while, I get tempted by new promotions and images and promises amazing looking lashes that I just cave in. This was exactly the case. And it's Chanel.
this was purchased by me.
I bought this from Missha a few weeks ago when there were some sales going on. I was excited to try this because the online reviews looked good, I liked the delightful shade of orange, and it has SPF protection for lips. I've been wearing it daily since I received it and I'd like to share my thoughts on it.
this was purchased by me.
I actually got this nail polish sometime last year, during the summer, I think. The light teal cream color really caught my eye, it looked like something perfect for warm-weather manicures.
via stat.ameba.jp
Mai Hirose (廣瀬麻伊) is probably my favorite model from the Popteen magazines. Well, I first saw her in Popteen. I really like her because she's such a chameleon, transitioning from cute and girly (see above picture) to kinda badass (as seen on her official website) and even androgynous like so:
nearly convincing...
Here she is on the cover of Popteen. I speculate this is early on in her modeling career.
via img11.hostingpics.net
As with many Popteen models, she has a nickname, まいまい (maimai), and many fans know her by that name. Because of her versatility in modeling, I guess I think of her as a Japanese Daisy Lowe except she's much more cuter & shorter & smaller and probably less sexy.
from stat.ameba.jp
Aside from adoring まいまい on the pages of magazines, I follow her official blog. It gives a peek into her personal life and she's even more interesting than I imagined. She post pictures of her activities like going to school or spas or hanging out with friends. Apparently she's taken some dj lessons, too. To me she's a much more dimensional person than the other models. Maimai's not all about too much cuteness or prettiness, she seems much more laid back and into having fun.
Last month, she graduated from Popteen.
She had been modeling for the magazine since she was 16 years old (so, for 5 years). I felt sad watching the video for the first time....mostly because Maimai was crying and leaving..However! She will now be featured in Jelly. I think this magazine is targeted toward older girls, someone who's not a teen anymore....I like what I've seen in it so I'll look forward to features with Mai.
Here are some random pictures I like.
from tumblr.com
from tumblr.com
via mimi-ichigo.blogspot.com
There are numerous images online with make-up and hair tutorials with Mai/other gyaru models
from stat.ameba.jp/
Maimai also created a series of circle lenses: Starmish and Kiramega. I really like the Starmish brown and I hope to one day get it...
from cocothechoco.blogspot.com
These lenses look like the really brighten up the eyes. As far as other Maimai beauty related things...I would suggest going to her blog. She talks about make-up and skincare stuff sometimes.
this was purchased by me.
Remember when I was raving about La Roche-Posay's Toleriane cleanser? It was my favorite, probably one of the best cleansers I've ever used, but it was a little too expensive for me to keep purchasing ($24 is such an indulgence). When I finished it off I went in search of a cheaper alternative. This is what I found.
I got a hair cut earlier today. I went to the same hair place I talked about here (it is my regular hair place, after all). All I did was basically get a trim with a touch of layering. My hair dresser sometimes asks if I'd like to have my hair curled or straightened and this time I went with some curling. She uses a straightener and rolls hair around it--it looks so easy, but when I try to do it at home my hair ends up looking kinky. I get harsh, folded bends not softly curled locks.
It looks pretty. I feel like I could be in Popteen or Jelly. Maybe.
this was purchased by me.
Having tried circle lenses once, I was practically hooked. I like the way my eyes look, at times I forgo most eye make-up because they already look so big. I had no idea it was so normal to wear them in Asian countries. Since I wanted to try new colors and styles I went to scour the internet for lenses. I ended up this time at Korea Big Eyes, another site to purchase lenses as seen on Ekiblog.
I got new stuff recently.
this was purchased by me.
I picked this up because I had a Revlon coupon and I was attracted to the pink in the palette. I've worked with it a few times and I have thoughts on the product.
I got these in the mail about two weeks ago. As I ordered from a different website, these took longer than expected to arrive (I waited a month and four days). I've been testing them out for the time being. Real reviews to be posted soon.
this was purchased be me
I just finished this up a few days ago. I've been using it on and off, but mostly on, for the past year or so. There were many things I liked about this moisturizer and there were a lot of things that made me go, "Hmmmm."
this was purchased by me.
Since returning from my late summer vacation, it was really very impromptu, I've noticed that my hair has been looking kind of different. I think with all the times I went to the pool, took a dip in the ocean, and relaxed in the spa, my hair started losing its nice, normal-ish brown color (not to mention I was taking a shower everyday, washing my hair, because being in the Caribbean can make one feel a little sticky after 12 hours). When I returned to L.A., I was resolved to color my hair as soon as possible. I settled on this L'Oreal hair dye in Light Ash Brown that I actually bought a few months ago (like...around May or June...); if I have it, I might as well use it, right?
this was purchased by me
I've wanted to try circle lenses for a while, especially after seeing them in action at Ekiblog. Last month I finally caved in and bought my first pair at Eyecandys.com.
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