/Style/ Zara Sale Swag

In case you didn't know, Zara started its S/S sale.

/Make-up/ Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum

this product was purchased by me
That is a long name for a product. Maybe not the longest in the history of make-up products, but certainly up there in terms of eyeliners on the market, I think. I have been using this product for months, having stored it away after Rite Aid was having a buy one get one FREE for Physician's Formula's eye make-up. (A word of caution: should you see the gigantic felt-tip version of this beware! It does nothing to enhance your eyes, unless smudged eyeliner is your kind of look...) What makes this eyeliner so special?

/Body/ Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! Sheer Body Lotion

this product was part of a gift set given to me by a family member

After using this for a few weeks, post shower, I'd like to share my experiences with this lotion with anyone who cares to read this. I was fortunate to receive this product as part of a fragrance gift set (which also included a a full 100ml bottle of eau de parfum and a mini flaçon of the stuff). It's also available to purchase separately for $45 at places like Sephora and Nordstrom. Marc Jacobs parfums are very sweet and girly to me. I like some of them, as I have a bottle of Daisy and Pomegranate in the gigantic 300ml, as they can can have a fresh quality. The only scent I don't like is Lola. I don't know, whenever I smell it there's sort of muskiness that lingers and I don't like it. Yes, I find it to smell like something made for those older than me even if it's supposed to smell like pink peppercorn, pear, ruby red grapefruit, rose, fuschia peony, geranium, vanilla, warm tonka bean, and creamy musk.
Oh, Lola! happens to appeal to me much, much more.

/Hair/ Colored III

this product was purchased by me.
Having been sorely disappointed with the results I achieved when using western hair dye (or, more precisely, just Revlon), I decided to try Japanese hair dye. Through research on hair wiki, ekiblog, and this official "website" I decided to try Palty hair dye because it's specifically made for Asian-ish hair and will actually lighten the color dark hair on the first go. My first choice of dye was actually Liese, but these aren't as easily found in the U.S. stores as I've never seen them anywhere. I happened to find this dye at a local Japanese grocer, Mitsuwa, and one can most likely find them in Japanese beauty stores too (I've seen some Korean grocery stores carrying Palty as well, but they tend to have a smaller selection available; also check out places online). After much debate in the store, I came home with Palty's Treatment Bleach in Natural Brown.

/Style/ Thrift Store Finds

I have no shame admitting I frequent thrift/secondhand stores. I remember going to them as a young girl and reveling in the mountains of used toys. The only thing I really dislike about these type of stores, though, is that they can smell rather musty...But the thrill of shopping at thrift stores lies in the hidden treasures to be found with careful foraging. If you're lucky, there can be YSL, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Tod's waiting for you (pending it's your size and if you're willing to pay for some fixing-up) for cheap. There are also a slew of high quality leather shoes made in places like Italy, Spain, and Brazil.
I went to a Salvation Army earlier today, there was already a line of people waiting for the store to open. On Fridays, this location has 50% off everything (except mattresses and coffee). I was able to find these shoes:


They are Bally green and black suede shoes. I adore the little bow accent on the cap toe. I did not buy these, perhaps they'd fetch a nice price on ebay, because they were much too small being size five and all.




I saw these shirts and I instantly thought Urban Outfitters. One might see these exact shirts on clothing racks at UO for 10x the price. I have nothing against Urban Outfitters; I actually shopped there all the time in my high school/early college years, but its appeal is lost on my now. If you're looking for UO-ish clothes and on a budget, seriously check out a thrift store (or your mother's closet). Even though thrift stores aren't blaring "indie", experimental, or old-skool hip-hop while you shop and everything kind of smells awful, with patience you'll most likely find exactly what you've been looking for. Case in point, here is an outfit I was able to come up with rummaging through the store.


I'm not sure if you can see (sorry as all these pictures were taken with my phone and all the individual elements are difficult to discern in this particular one), but I put together a floral shirt, brown shorts, a purse, and sandals. I find this ensemble very summery, it's something I would definitely wear. The purse and sandals were real leather, too, so they'll last a while longer and be genuine vintage. I loved those sandals (made in Brazil), yet they, too, were size five...The only thing I came home with were a pair of shorts (not seen above) and a bunny toy.
Thrift stores can be fun to look through. You could find something great that you'll end up treasuring. It's lot better for the environment as clothes get recycled and the clothes there won't support foreign sweatshop as the clothes aren't (directly) made in them. Granted, it's not a very glamorous place to shop nor is it organized, but check them out once in a while for vintage things or to get stuff for cheap.

/Fragrance/ The Body Shop Vanilla & Tonka Bean body, room, and linen Spritz

This product was purchased by me.
It goes without saying that fragrances are a very personal matter. Noses are very nit-picky; what I like might not be your cup of tea (or it might be, in which case I invite you to a tea party). I tend to like three different types of scents in general: floral (when feeling pretty), gourmand (when wanting to be tasty), and citrus (when needing to be energized). I don't particularly like anything else, especially fragrances featuring amber/patchouli/"oriental"--I find those kind of fragrances to be too heavy and something a woman of a certain age would spritz on daily. There are, of course, my lazy days where I neglect to put on any scent at all, but this post is not about that.

/Make-up/ Etude House & Gifts

I know I haven't been updating this blog much. I meant too, there are numerous topics and things for me to discuss here, but I was honestly being a little lazy (and some of it was being busy with people). Anyway, my mom just returned from a nearly month-long trip to South Korea. She went because she had been invited to her high school reunion (it has been many years since she graduated high school). Whilst she was there, my mom was kind enough to stop by an Etude House store, a Korean beauty and skincare brand with stores on every corner in a Starbucks fashion (one of many brands), and pick up some BB creams for me.


etude house products given as a gift
Instead of a box or two of BB creams, I was surprised with what you see above. Apparently, the Etude House is all about the free gifts and samples with purchase.

/Hair/ Colored II

this product was purchased by me.
So, I lied when I said the next hair color I'd try would be from L'oreal. I'll admit to changing my mind often, even last minute, so I apologize for the sticking to Revlon. It's so difficult to resist the reviews on Hair Wiki (even without picture evidence because you just hope the product will work out for you) and this dye was under $5. I really had high expectations for this dye and cince it's been about a week since I colored my hair, I'd like to share my results.