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!

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!

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!

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.

Stila Blockbuster Palette!!!!

Thanks to her post: http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2010/11/stila-holiday-blockbuster-set-at-costco-for-20.html

I stopped by costco after work and found this hiding behind other Stila items!!! =D
It's made in China (and that's probably why it's so much cheaper..) and some people are saying that the quality is not up to par with Stila regular eyeshadows.

I will post reviews soon!

Bobbi Brown Brights Palette Looks

I've created two looks with Bobbi Brown Brights Palette.  So much fun!!!

Green look for Friday:

Orange-Brown look for Saturday:

Remember how I mentioned that my hair didn't really turn out like I wanted? *sigh*
I'm not too happy with my hair.. but oh well.. Need to try styling it differently I guess.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!!!!

Bobbi Brown Mini Brights Palette Mini Review

I got my Bobbi Brown Mini Brights Palette today! =)
I knew they were going to be tiny.. but they are really tiny!

I was trying to do swatches on my arm.. but the top 12 colors are very light and it was really hard to see the colors! I kept putting more to get better swatches but didn't really work.. So I think it's probably best to create looks to swatch this palette..

I was excited that this time brights palette had shimmery colors, but they are REALLY light. =T
The bottom 12 shadows are darker and swatches better but I'm a bit disappointed by how un-pigmented the lighter shadows are.  I'm probably going to wet my brush to put the lighter shadows on.

I will post looks using this palette soon!

Purple Eyes + Hot Pink Lips

My makeup looks are inspired by random things.  Sometimes I choose colors to match my outfit, but sometimes I choose what to wear by makeup I'm wearing that day. =)  I think of specific looks I want to do or I have a specific product or color in mind and I build my look around it.

Yesterday, I wanted to wear a hot pink lipstick! So to complement that, I did purple colors for the eyes.

I used Dior 5 Color Eyeshadow in 970 Stylish Move.

After priming my eyes with Too Faced primer, I put #3 all over my eyelid, up to the brow bone.  It has a bit shimmer to it and not too bright, so it doesn't really make my eyes look pouffy or anything.  You probably noticed that I curled my lashes already.  The reason is that if I curl my lashes after, some of eyeshadows and eyeliners end up on the curler, messing up my look.  So to prevent that I curl my lashes before anything.  But if that's not the problem with you, you can always curl right before putting mascara.

Then, put a little darker purple shadow #4 filling in and going a bit above the double eyelid.  You can put this shadow up to your crease; I just didn't because it makes my eyes look pouffy and smaller..

Blend out the darker shadow outwards, but not too much.

 Using the darkest purple shadow, #5 and a flat angled brush, draw a thick eyeline.  You don't have to be exact since you can blend afterwards.  If you want darker color, wet your brush when you do this step.  I didn't, since I'm going to use an eyeliner later.

This is how the line looks (sorry for a blurry picture.. I couldn't tell that it was on my camera.. ) You can see how I winged out little bit and filled most of the folded eyelid to give some depth.

Using the same shadow, line the bottom lashline also.  To make your eyes look bigger, make the line a bit wider as you go toward the end of the eye.

Using a purple eyeliner, I lined my upper lashline.

To give it a bit of pop, I used a blue eyeliner to line my bottom lash.  If you don't like it, you can always line your bottom lashline with the purple eyeliner you used from the above.

Then two coats of mascara.  And highlight the innner corner of your eyes with the shimmery white shadow, #1 to open up your eyes.

Both eyes done:

Finish with a light pastel dusty matte pink blush and a hot pink lipstick! I used Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Pk 355.  Sadly, you can't find any Shu Uemura counter in US anymore, but you can always purchase from their website. =)

With ambient light:

With sunlight:

It's been a bit gloomy in LA lately and this look just made me feel so bright and happy!

Bobbi Brown Brights Palette

Yay!!! I've been waiting for this!!!! =D  I've been trying to save money (and not shop..) so haven't bought any new makeup.. but this is a must!

I missed out on Bobbi Brown brights palette.. but I wasn't really sure about it then since it was all matte shadows.. and I like little sparkle on my eyes! This seems to be a perfect mix of shimmer and matte shadows! Not to mention wonderful mix of bright colors I love! Definitely ordering this today. =)

I will post a review on this when I get it!  It's available at Bobbi Brown and says online exclusive.  But they have Free Shipping on any order~!

Cat eye look

I wanted to try a somewhat subtle cat eye look today.  It's mainly subtle because my eye shape doesn't allow me to look like I have any makeup on without putting A LOT of makeup on...

I used Maybelline gel eyeliner.  I tried a lot of gel eyeliners, but this one is the far best for me! It doesn't smudge at all.  And of course, price is a plus.  My eyelid can be a bit oily and is folded in, so most gel eyeliners still smudge.  But this one with a primer, I'm good all day!

I used: urban decay eye primer.  Then put a nude colored matte eyeshadow all over the lid just to set the primer. Don't forget to put some primer on the bottom lashline too.  I am not going to line the bottom today, but this will prevent from the liner smudging to the bottom.

Then, using a fine eyeliner brush and gel eyeliner, draw a bit thick line making sure that you get the bottom of the lashline also.  This will make your eye look more defined.  Since my eye lid is folder, I almost filled the whole folded part.

This is how it looks when I close my eyes:

And when I open:

 Once you line your eyes, you can create a wing.  My trick is that I start from where I want the wing to end and draw inward to blend into the line I made earlier.  So dot a point where you want the wing to end, and connect that dot to about the middle of the line you drew earlier.  Then make a triangle shape by connecting that dot to where the line ends.  Fill in any space inbetween with the liner.

This is how it looks when I'm done: 

 Both eyes done:  You can see that I didn't wing out too much, but you can wing out a bit more if you'd like to.  But try to stay within where your eyebrows end, since if you go further than that, I might look a bit too much.  You can also do thicker if you want.

This is how it looks when I close my eyes.  Yes... they are not even because my eyes are shaped differently.  I try to match them so they look the same when I open my eyes.  Another thing is that don't try to draw a single line at once.  Try to draw small lines at times and connect those.  That way, you don't make a big mistake!  Also keep checking how it looks when you open your eyes, but make sure you open them once your eyeliner is dry!!! If you open right after you put the liner on, it might smudge..

My completed look:  Since I want my eyes to be the focus, I didn't put any blush.  I just used a little bit of highlighter over my cheekbone.  This is subtle enough to pair with bold lips.  I would looove to wear red lipstick with this look, but since it was so hot outside.. I skipped on it. =p

Hope this helped!! =)