Shiseido Luminous Lip Gloss in Bellini review

I went to costco today and as I was browsing.. I found this!
For some reason, I thought its regular price is ~30 dollars, so picked it up w/o thinking twice about it at 14.99. The regular price is $22. Still pretty a good deal... but I thought it was 50% off! =(

There were more than 5 colors available and I picked up Bellini, sheer rosy pink color.

In its packaging:

In picture, it seems a bit lighter, but it's a bit darker..

I usually don't mind brush tips, and this one feels pretty soft. :)

Swatch on my hand in indoor lighting. You can tell it has very fine pearls, but when you put it on, it almost has a glassy shiny finish rather than pearly finish.

My bare lips... my lips are pretty pigmented.. which is why I didn't pick up Cafe Creme one (light beige color). Unless it's very pigmented, any beige lipgloss looks clear on my lips..

 With just one layer of the lipgloss! It gives a slight pinkish tone to my lips. Goes very sheer and a lot lighter than I thought.. it gives me my lip color but better. :)  If your lips aren't as pigmented, it will probably give you a nice wash/tint of pink color that's pretty natural.

 And overall shot.  When I look for lip swatches, I find it more useful to see the person's whole face with the lip products on, since if you just look at lips, it can be very deceiving! It's all about how it looks on your face, not just on your lips, you know what I mean?!  For that reason... even though I look so tired and washed out since I'm doing this post after a looong day at work.... I'm posting a picture of me w/ the lipgloss on. :)

It almost looks like I didn't put anything on. :(  But the lipgloss is very moisturizing and no weird smell!

 If you have Costco near by, go check it out!

Random things from Thanksgiving weekend

I had a very relaxing Thanksgiving.  I feel like holidays can be sometimes painful and tiring, especially as you get older and get married... I remember just enjoying food and everything my parents and others prepared.. and now its MY turn to provide. :P  From spending time with my family only, now I have to worry about organizing things with my husband's parents.  Luckily, both our families are in LA area, so no traveling.  But we end up driving a lot during holidays. But better than flying!

Overall, I didn't have to do much.  I got to sleep in almost everyday during the weekend, which was very nice.

On Friday, instead of going shopping, we went to LA AutoShow.  I know I don't need anything and can't afford what I want right now, so I rather not be tempted.. :p.  AND I just hate waiting and being sandwiched by people, so I try anything and everything to avoid the mall on black friday...

AutoShow was pretty good.. altho not as interesting.  I remember they used to have some crazy concept cars and such, but now, all companies seem to focus on fuel-efficiency and lower cost cars. I guess it's reflecting the economy... it was entertaining in a way that I saw more affordable cars but not really since this is one time you get to see all the nice cars in person without going into dealerships, but they didn't have as many.. so boo...

Rare picture of me that my hubby took that actually came out nice!!!!! hahahaha. i think it was the crazy lighting they had there... I'm sporting MAC lady danger lipstick here! :)

And on Saturday, I just wanted to dress very comfortably for dinner with my in-laws sicne it was just too cold..
I look extra short and stubby in this picture.. i swear i'm just wearing wide legged pants!!! :P

And a apple pie my inlaws got for us from Julian Moms pies bakery in Temecula. It was very yummy!

Do you see the heart shape in the middle?? Adorable!

Sadly all broken during the cutting process.....

Hope everyone had good Thanksgiving!!!

I know it's turning into weekend blogs... but I just don't seem to have time... but I will try harder to update more frequently!

Disneyland Holiday!!!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disneyland. :)
They are doing holiday at Disneyland right now, and I'm just loving it.  Decorations are nice and they re-did the haunted house rise to be the nightmare before Christmas theme! Did I mention that that's one of my favorite movies??? you can see the pattern here.... :)

We went last Tuesday, and it was raining.  Thought it would stop but it POURED few times during the night. but it was weirdly romantic to be at Disneyland when it's raining.

If you live in Southern California, go check it out!!!!!!

DiorSkin Nude Natural Glow Crème-Gel Makeup SPF 20 review

My skin type is combination: oily on t-zone and normal on u-zone. But lately, my skin has been pretty dry.. Maybe it's weather.. or maybe I'm just getting old?  But anyways, I started looking for a moisturizing foundation.  I usually don't wear foundation.. but I wanted a compact so it's easy to apply and I can carry it around.  After few trials and error, I finally found something I like.

DiorSkin Nude Natural Glow Creme-Gel makeup is pretty moisturizing.  But if you expect liquid-foundation-moisturizing, you might be disappointed. ( at least I was..) I'm not sure how moisturizing this would be for dry skin since my skin is pretty mildly dry.  I liked that it has high SPF also.

It comes in a velvet pouch:

This is the compact. Very simple and very shiny. I like. :)

 When you open it, you can see it has a pretty decent sized mirror and a sponge w/ a seperator.  I don't like it when you open a compact foundation or a pressed powder and sponde is just on the top of the makeup. It just feels cleaner to have the sponge seperated from the makeup.

The included sponge has 2 sides.  One side is a typical foundation sponge and the other side is velvety surface.  It says the foundation sponge side is to blend and the velvety side is to achive the flawless even look.  I haven't actually tried the velvety side, but I really like the included sponge.  But it doesn't seem like Dior sells this sponge seperately.. so if you lose it, you lose it unless you buy another compact.

With the sponge removed

 You can tell that this foundation looks very creamy.  But it doesn't feel rich or sticky on your face at all. It goes on pretty lightly and smoothly.  And you can build up on the coverage without looking cakey.

This is with no makeup.. you can tell I have some red spots...

 This is after applying on layer of the foundation.  You can tell most red spots are gone and my skin looks so much smoother! I was hoping for a bit more dewey-glowy finish, but it didn't really give me that "glow". It is moisturizing so my skin doesn't look dry, but it didn't really make my skin look dewey either.  So if that's the look you want, you might want to use a pearly primer with it.  Here, I didn't use any primer.

So far, I've been carrying it with me all the time and use it touch up through out the day.. and it doesn't get cakey at all!! :) If you are looking for a compact foundation that can give you coverage without drying out, this is something you might want to try.  Oh, I used the shade 20 Light Beige. It only offers 4 colors.. not a good number of selection considering that this is a foundation.. so you might want to make sure to color match before you purchase.  But if you are looking for a super hydrating dewey finish foundation, you might have better luck with a liquid foundation.

Let me know if anyone else tried this and liked/disliked it!

Few things that made my weekend

I've had a very relaxing weekend. It was birthday of someone special to me.. Sometimes I wonder why I worry so much.. life is so short and unpredictable that I should be enjoying every moment..
But easy said than done, I guess.

Here are few things that made my weekend so much better and happier.

Somewhat new way to style my hair which turned out much better than expected:

Movado watch my hubby surprised me with:

Two tree shaped jars I bought from Target, which I filled with M&M's:

Pointy soft persimmons my mom brought me, which I left out to ripe:

Blanket I finally finished!!! I started before we got married.. didn't do anything on it for a loong time and I finally finished last night! :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

My week has been a bit crazy. So many things going on, and it has been stressing me out. I've been very forgetful also.. But I think I'm recharged and ready for the coming week!  or am I..???

M.A.C Lady Danger & H&M Cardigan

I saw this perfect red lipstick on J. Crew catalog and learned that it is MAC lipstick in Lady Danger..
So of course, I had to get it! I have this obsession with red lipsticks. But I don't think I pull them off very well without looking like it's too much. I just loooove the combination of pale skin + minimal eye makeup + red lipstick combo.. but my eyes are too small and my features aren't defined enough to pull that off...
But I'm still going to try! haha

The sales rep was telling me how pretty I looked w/ this lipstick on.. but I'm pretty sure she just wanted to sell it. LOL. My friends didn't really make fun of it but they thought it was a bit too much for everyday.. hahaha. Wish I could pull off red lipstick everyday w/o looking too much!!

And on the way back from M.A.C. store, stopped by H&M and I had to get this cardigan! so colorful. =D

Excuse all the clutter in the background & Mugen trying to get my attention. haha. I like to have a full length mirror right next to the front door so I can look at myself before going out.. hence, it's reflecting my livingroom. =)
It is pretty long and kinda makes me look shorter, but I still like it!
I can't wait to wear this cardigan w/ leggins and uggs during winter!

Henri Bendel Hauls

So.. I posted earlier than I really wanted Henri Bendel rain boots. I put a hold on a pair and it finally arrived! I requested for a pair when I had a 25% coupon from them, and the sales rep I talked to let me use the coupon even though the boots came after the coupon expired. I've been so happy with Henri Bendel products AND service!! =D

What I really love about these boots are the Henry Bendel stripes in the back!

Oh, and while I'm at it.. I had to get this rain coat for my dog. hahaha. It would come in handy when I have to take him out when it's raining..

I can't wait until it starts raining!!!!!

Do I see a matching umbrella coming soon..???? ;)

OPI Suede Nail Polish in Lincoln Park After Dark

I had ULTA 20% off coupon so went to get some stuff... and ended up picking out this polish.
This suede finish is very interesting.. not completely matte but not really shiny at all.. just like Suede.. haha

It's hard to tell the texture in the picture, but you can see that they are pretty matte. And excuse my ugly hand.. I've never been happy with how my hands look.. but they do what I need them to do.. so it's okay.
Also, I'm not wearing my wedding band/engagement ring because I don't like wearing them at home and especially when I'm putting nail polish on. I'm still happily married. ;)

I happen to have Lincoln Park After Dark also (you can see my tendency for colors.. haha).  Even tho it looks pretty purple in the bottle, when I put this on, it seems a bit more black than purple. A lot of times, people just think I'm wearing black nail polish rather than dark purple.  Compared to the original version, suede is a lot more purple.  It has gold pearl finish, which might make look purple little lighter than it is.  It does say that with Suede ones, you aren't supposed to wear top coat and it won't last longer than orignial OPI nail polishes.. When I put nail polish on, it usually lasts less than a week, so I'm thinking this week last me 3 days or so. We will see.

Here's the comparison shot:

So far, I really like this nail polish and just the name (suede) makes me feel warmer. :) Although.. it has been very warm in LA lately.

J Crew Obssession

My friend and I started talking about how impressed we were with J Crew handbags today.
They are still pretty pricey... but I must say that I LOVE their new bags.

These soft buttery leather with such pretty gray color...

 And this nice olive color bag... i think i'm in LOVE =D

The thing is though that not all J Crew stores carry their bags and a lot fo them are catalog/internet only. I don't like buying bags or clothes without trying them on first.. but these are definitely on my wishlist!

Lanvin for H&M

Lanvin for H&M is coming on Nov. 20th.  Some looks I LOVE from the collection:

Check out http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/02/lanvin-for-hm-collection-_n_777728.html#s172407 for more pictures.

But most clothes are still 150+ dollars. A LOT cheaper than Lanvin collection, but it's still very expensive for H&M... and to even be able to look at these in real life, I'm going to have to be in a line starting 6 am or something. Since my size is most common, the chance is that I won't be able to score any of these.

These outfits seem so perfect for coming holiday parties, although I proably won't be going to any. =p

dreams and reality

I've been pretty busy with everything that's going on in my life..

As we get older, we start losing our dreams.  I remember even during college years, I had so many hopes and dreams.  I do miss those times when I could dream without feeling restricted. Now I think of something I want to do or achieve, I start thinking about all the things why I can't.

I start little projects here and there hoping for the best, and most times I get discouraged. Part of it is probably my personality, but sometimes things just don't go the way we visioned them to be. Reality seems to be a reminder of how unimportant and small I am sometimes.  I do know that maybe I'm not persistent enough.. but I have to wonder.. when do you stop trying? When do you know enough is enough? Or do you keep trying even though it is foolish no matter what?  If we all could have our dreams come true, there will be a lot more stars and celebrities..  So at what point do we know it's not going to happen?  I guess learning to know when to keep going and when to stop is part of growing up.  And I probably have a lot more growing up to do then..

Meanwhile, no matter how confused and upset I feel, I have a husband and a dog to help me appreciate little things in life. 

San Diego trip with the hubby

My husband and I went to San Diego for one night spontaneously last week.
A little bit late but here are some pictures from our little getaway.

Night views of SD downtown from our hotel. We used to live in SD so it felt really weird to stay in the hotel while visiting. =p

Next day, we walked around the downtown almost all day!

Our favorite brunch spot: Cafe 222

We found these big chess and checker boards in Horton plaza.

haha, somehow I look mad...

We went to Mister A's, a restaurant that's on the top of the building so that you can enjoy the views of SD while you are eating.. They changed around a bit and service was HORRIBLE.  I made a reservation, but somehow it wasn't there. But they seated us anyway. We sat outside and waited for the waiter to come for 30 minutes! We just walked out and the host didn't even bother to apologize. We are NEVER going back here.  But the views were very nice. =p