/Lips/ Love & Beauty Creme Lipsticks

These products were purchased by me.

Remember my earrings post featuring stuff from Forever 21 and mentioned their sale stuff was an additional 30% off? The location I happened to go to also had a ton of beauty stuff on sale, too, and I picked up three lipsticks.



I think these products are being discontinued as they are no longer on the F21 website, but you might be able to still find them in stores in the sale section.

/Lips/ Milani Color Statement Lipstick

This product was purchased by me.

I don't think I've fully divulged this, but I adore pink lipstick. Pink anything on the lips (and it's probably my go-to color for nails when I'm being indecisive). I'm 100% sure this started when I was living in Korea and I became obsessed with the barely-there, translucent, and milky pink lips as seen on many an actress in their dramas. Something like this:

via lnk-shop.com
Alas, I could never achieve a look like that as my lips are vibrantly pigmented rather than deathly pale and the color would clash with my tanned, healthy skin (I know because I have tried).
Back to this lipstick, though.
I already hoard lip products like a squirrel does nuts in autumn, but I do it all the time, so you can imagine all the pinky lip things in my arsenal. This was a recent purchase after I had seen swatches and such on nouveau cheap. I loved the color of fruit punch and aspired to attain it one day. It costs $5.49 as listed on the Milani website, but I picked mine up at Target. As it's in my possession now, let's take a closer look at it.

/Thoughts/ A Date to Remember

This was another sample article I wrote as a possibly submission to ITG. This was more of a reminder/infoitational piece and I didn't think it was as strong as the eyebrow article. Here it is in all its glory anyway. Enjoy!
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Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and that one time I saw Robert Downey Jr. These are usually dates etched into my brain or physically written in my planner or on my phone’s calendar. Forgetting these dates would lead to devastating results. Shouldn't keeping track of what’s happening in our interpersonal lives extend to our personal lives?
What I’m trying to get at here is that all our make-up, skincare, body care, and hair care have a limited time to be used to their full potential once opened. There will come a time where the ingredients in these things will stop working or even become harmful. We tend to neglect when that time will come even though our products tell us when they’re about to expire (either the actual date or the little number next to the jar on the back or bottom of the container). One of the reasons I’m so hesitant to use and finish a product is because I equate price with shelf life. If I pay a lot of money for something I want to feel as if I can use it for basically FOREVER. In the long run, though, this is extremely detrimental. When I see the suggested expiration coming up and I’ve barely used any product I get upset. Should I toss it? Keep using it? These days my mind set has changed: If I buy it and have it, I better use it. Use a checklist to track what products you're using (I call mine a "skinventory"). This is great way to streamline what products to use as well.
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I really do have trouble using my expensive products. If I don't use them, though, it's such a waste if they go bad. Hmmm. I think this also relates to buying too many products which get ignored after a few uses....I don't understand how people can purchase palettes with 50+ eyeshadows, blushes, glosses, etc. and expect to use all the products unless they apply tons of make-up daily or are make-up artists. Well, that's what I think. To minimize risks and getting the most for your money, get things you know you'll use, buy from places with good return policies, and don't be afraid to use up that expensive product (leaving it alone hurts you both). Hopefully, pending someone's read this, you'll take a closer consideration at your older products. Check for expiration dates and change in scent/texture to make sure you're not using something that could do more harm than help. For further information and advice, check out this guide from Real Simple.

/Make-up/ Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara

This product was part of a set given to me as a gift from a family member.

Hiya. Today we'll be taking a lok at Make Up For Ever's Smoky Lash mascara. This came in a holiday set with 2 eyeliners, an aqua cream, and a mini sized HD powder, but it's also available for individual purchase at Sephora. I was so exited to try this because I'd heard it can do great things: volume, length, and curl? Yes, please, I'm looking for all of those things in a mascara. I was also pleasantly surprised at the value of all the products in this set and the fact that it was a gift (always a nice thing). I didn't use it for a while, never even opened it, as I was trying to finish off some drugstore brand mascara.

/Hair/ Coloured

This product was purchased by me.

A wee over a week ago I went and cut my hair. Now I've gone and dyed it. The last time I colored my hair was two years ago (I colored it for the first time ever three years ago, but never consistently did it) after it had been bleached, dyed a light golden-ish brown, started turning orange-y ombre-ish, and I tried dyeing it darker like my original hair color. After that, I let my hair grow out, dye-free, and repair itself from the trauma of everything I'd done to it. I'm terrified to color my hair at home. When I had major color changes I trusted hairdressers to transform my tresses.
But if there's one thing I've learned about beauty it's that you've gotta be fearless. To change the way you look, to do it because you want to look that way; it's your choice, go on ahead and do it (haven't we all been in situations where we're smearing on face creams and serums, painting our nails chartreuse and swiping blood-red lipstick on, or trying a new cleanser in the hopes of looking better? I don't exactly know if this trial and error thing is effective as I can attest having had to red, itchy skin and orange hair as a result...).
I digress. This is about my home hair dye experience from last Friday. I used Revlon Colorsilk in Medium Golden Brown.

/Style/ Earrings for Cheap

Earrings are something I've been avoiding for a long time. I wear my hair down 96.8% of the time so they wouldn't be seen. And my ears are quite sensitive; if I put on earrings with unorthodox components my ears turn red and it's uncomfortably painful (H&M earrings tend to do this to me). My desire to wear earrings again most likely stems from watching a certain Korean drama lately. the main, younger woman characters are always impeccably dressed (though, they do come from a wealthy family on the show). I suppose I'm inspired to be more frivolous with accessorizing.


The only cheapie earrings I've tried that have been relatively non-irritating are the ones from F21. You'd think that they'd hurt considering how cheap their wares are, but I was really surprised I could actually wear them. I picked up three on Saturday. The two on the left were on sale for $1.99 and at the Forever 21 I was at had an additional 30% off all sale items (more on that later). The pair on the right were about $3/4. I just lurve how sparkly they all are.

/Hair/ Chopped

So, I've gone and had my hair cut. I went on Saturday to a Korean 미용실, beauty place, in K-Town. It's the only place I've gone to do my hair for the past six or seven years. I've gone through many hair changes from a perm to bleaching my hair entirely and then dyeing it a light brown at this place. My hairdresser does an exceptional job as she knows my hair so well and I think the interior is well designed (oh, how I relish looking at all the magazines they stock). If you don't mind the k-pop and normal pop blasting in the background or the fact that the hair stylists there have limited conversation skills in English, this is an excellent place to get hair and make-up done.

/How-to/ I, Brow

Do any of you remember when ITG made a post about how they were looking to hire contributing editors? Yeah? I applied (no chance in Hell would I ever be picked) and here's the submission I sent in, complete with web references and pictures.



Eyebrows: the often-neglected facial feature that seems to only get attention when they become unruly (i.e.: too hairy). In response to this unruliness we turn to tweezing, threading or waxing—to an extreme extent there’s brow bleaching as well. Sometimes we go overboard; sometimes we don’t do enough, but these procedures might have to go on hiatus as it seems bold brows have become the new statement eye (in case you haven’t noticed see here (originally supposed to be Marc Jacobs), here (because I like this better than Rochas), and here). 

/Skin/ Shu Uemura Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil

Given to me as a gift from a family member
This is the cult classic make-up remover from Shu Uemura in a pore clarifying, gentle formula. As Shu Uemura counters have disappeared in U.S. department stores, the only places left to purchase products is online or going to another country that still has them ready to purchase. This particular cleansing oil in the 450ml size sells for $67. The one I have is from South Korea and happened to cost an eensy bit more. One of the reasons I like this product is the packaging--so pink. Granted, it's only the bottle that's pink as the actual cleansing oil is clear. Another nice feature of the packaging is the locking pump which helps prevent accidents lest someone accidently apply pressure on it for other purposes. I first tried these cleansing oils when I was working in Korea and my cousin lured me to use some when I stayed over at her apartment.

/Lips/ Revlon Lip Butters

These products were purchased by me.
I have in my possession three Revlon Lip Butters to share with you. Two were actually bought many months ago and I got the other one only a few days ago. I must say, the packaging really gets me. It looks so cute and colorful, very much like candy. That's one of the reasons I was attracted to these colors and this specific product. According to Revlon, these are "buttery balm(s) with beautiful shiny color to give you baby soft, healthy glowing lips." AND "94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated." Wow. Revlon lip butters are also award winners (...I don't exactly know where officially, but here's one place that gave them an award).