120 Eyeshadow palette + free gift!

Here is yet another eyeshadow palette that I have been sitting on for awhile. Sheesh. I have about 3 pages of reviews written, waiting for posting. I gotta catch up! I bought this palette on eBay from the seller Chic Gallery, based on some different reviews I have seen comparing this palette and ones found on Coastal Scents. After peeping the CS palettes for a long time, I went ahead with this one because of the color selection. Some gals have said the CS palettes had too many green based colors and I did notice that too. This palette has more variety of colors - deep & dark to bright & light! For about $24 for the palette and shipping, it was a great deal! The manufacturer Beauties Factory, has also recently opened a website! http://www.beauties-factory.com/unlimitshop/index.php Now you have the option of either ordering via website or on eBay.


They also included a travel size brush set with my order. Nothing spectacular, but great to have for travel or while on gigs.



The palettes are housed in a plastic case and each tray is removeable. This makes it easier to use since you're not holding a huge palette while working with the colors. I love the vibrant selection of colors and for once, I kind of wanted more neutral colors! It would have been great to include maybe more dark browns since the neutrals included were more sand/beige. Other than that, the colors are great! The pans are dime size - small, but the color pay out is awesome, so you don't really need that much product.


And of course, since the brushes are made in Asia, there had to be a bit of Engrish. Its a "Trip Conrenience Load" Haha!

I got it! Urban Decay Sustainable Shadow Box

I blame LRB for the pressure to purchase the Urban Decay Sustainable Shadow Box. :p Oh whatever, I would have purchased it anyway, who am I to blame? I got that email about the preview sale and got giddy. Shipping was fast! I received my palette in less than a week! I just stared at it for the first few days, not wanting to ruin the perfectly pressed shadows. The image above is from the UD website and what you see is what you get. The bamboo swing case houses 10 eyeshadows and a brush. UD's Eyeshadow Primer Potion in a travel size is also included - sending this to Ms. B! :p For $36, this is a great deal!


Swatched on my hand with, of course, UDPP! (Top-Bottom/L-R) YDK, Flipside, Grifter, Uzi, Twice Baked Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, Flash, Oil Slick, Kiddie Pool, Half Baked

I love these shadows! UD shadows have great color payout! Mainly those without a ton of glitter. The ones with glitter have a more chunky texture, so beware of fallout! Pick up color on your brush and pat the color on. The smoother textured eyeshadows are more blendable. So far, I have used Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides again and Oil Slick. I will need to do upcoming EOTDs with this palette!

Busy day!

I had the opportunity today to shadow with a potential vendor company back at a large software company that I used to work at. It was just a long day. I only got 5 hours of sleep and spent pretty much the whole day reading the handbook and sitting in with the people that I would be working with. Crazy. Well, I at least looked fab with my lashes, which by the way held up to sleeping on my face. Haha! I'm a stomach sleeper. I'll post a few FOTDs tomorrow. I'm going to relax and sleep now. 99!

For my LRB

I was tagged by my LRB!

4 things I did today:

• Got eyelash extensions done at Lady Lam
• Watched the movie The Women with my day date Cat
• Did NOT do hw
• Got some retail therapy in at S. Center

4 things on my to do list:

• HW, HW, HW - wth is wrong with me and why can't I find my motivation?
• Send off Ms. B's package - time for our monthly swap of beauty goodies from Thailand-Seattle and vice versa.
• Follow up on more leads - I need a job!
• Get some gym time in - I'm paying for a membership I don't use. :X

4 of my guiltiest pleasures:

• Too much retail therapy. Whether its clothes or cleaning supplies, I have a problem.
• Reality TV and trashy shows - The Hills, Gossip Girl, Sunset Tan. Tacky but entertaining!
• Surfing way too much. The reason that #1 on my to do list never gets done. :(
• Spoiling myself even when I don't deserve it, but I can always justify it!

4 random facts about me:

• I have routines for most of the things I do. If I'm out of routine, it feels wrong. For example, I have a certain way that I shower and if I miss any of those steps, I feel dirty.
• I am one ball of gas. I don't need to explain that one.
• I have a death grip pinch with my toes
• I like savory things for breakfast and sweet things for dinner. Breakfast for dinner is my fave! Sausage dunked in maple syrup.

I tag these 4:

Poo...I don't have many blogger friends, but anyone who's up for it! :)

Eyelash Extensions with Lady Lam

I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Christine Lam, the owner of Lady Lam and having eyelash extensions applied. She specializes in waxing, lashes and skincare, working out of her cozy studio in Renton, WA. She is literally down the street from the bf's house & it only took me 5 minutes to get there! She is situated in the Creative Workspace Building that houses several other business owners and entrepreneurs in a unique setting. Her studio is painted a serene sky blue, accented with dark hardwood flooring, softly lit with candles and keeps the spa like ambiance going with relaxing music.

She began by looking at my lashes and asking me what type of look I wanted to achieve. I told her that I wanted a little more fullness and length so I would look like I had on mascara. The process was going to take about 2 hours, so I was thankful for the comfortable massage table she has set up for her clients to lay down on. Christine then began to prep my eye by cleaning, then applied a gel eye patch to hold down my lower lashes. The eye patch was cooling and had anti-aging properties. She then applied cold cream on my eyebrows to prevent the tape she was going to apply to my lids from removing any eyebrows! We chatted up for a bit during the preparation, but during the actual application there needs to be minimal talking due to the movement created around your eyes when you talk. We snuck in some some convo here and there. :)

Christine's technique was so light, I barely felt anything was really being done! I managed to fall asleep a few times too. Haha! I got a good nap in! She uses Xtreme Lashes Extensions and adhesive, which is a widely known brand in the beauty industry. For her Lady Lam clients, she chose to use this brand based on the quality of the product. Overall, my experience at Lady Lam was a great one and I plan on returning for a fill in October. I hope to get in a facial sometime and waxing done as well too!

If you are around the South Seattle, Renton or Tukwila area and are in need of any waxing, eyelash extensions or a facial, please see Christine at Lady Lam! Her prices are fair for the services she provides and she really makes you feel comfortable during your visit. Thank you again Christine!

These are before shots I took before heading to my appointment -

My lashes are relatively full but longer in the middle rather than on the ends. Maybe using that Ardell Brow & Lash Accelerator helped out?



And these are the aftershots! You can see that the emphasis is on my outer lashes for the "mascara look" without the mascara!



They look a bit off here because I had been playing with them all day. Bad! I know I shouldn't be touching them! But the good thing is you can comb thru and fix your lashes.

Upcoming Review - Lady Lam - Waxing Lashes Skincare

I'm so excited for tomorrow! I will be heading to Lady Lam to have a set of eyelash extensions applied by salon owner & esthetician Christine! Full review on the Lady Lam studio and my experience tomorrow!

EOTD: Quick Smokey Green

On my way out, but didn't have much time to really put a lot of effort in my look. I had on my comfy green Juicy hoodie and wanted to wear some green shadow. Quick and easy = Revlon Bedroom Eyes Powder Liner in Jaded!

Products used:

Face -
BE in Tan
NARS blush in Deep Throat

Eyes-
UDPP
MAC Pigment in Blondes Gold all over lid
Revlon Bedroom Eyes Powder Liner in Jaded in the crease and along lower lash line
Anastasia Brow Powder in Brunette - the lighter of the 2 shades in the compact
Anastasia Brow Gel to set brows
2x coats of Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara in Midnight Black

Lips-
MAC Lipglass in Liqueur


Woo hoo! Look at that groomed brow!

I just took the applicator from the Powder Liner and smudged it in the crease and blended with my finger.

Quick, easy and polished!

Review: Anastasia 5-Piece Eyebrow Kit from Ulta

I purchsed the Anastasia 5-Piece Eyebrow Kit from Ulta a few months back and have finally gotten around to using it! I have been using my MAC Browshader for a couple of years now, but wanted to branch out and try the Anastasia line. I believe that a well groomed and filled in brow frames the face and really completes a look. I ALWAYS fill in my brows, even when they are in need of some maintenance. Haha!


What's included? Brow Powder, Brow Gel, Brush Angled Cut/Spooley, Precision Tweezers, 4 Brow Stencils in a zip case and a step-by-step instruction card.

I haven't gotten my eyebrows waxed for awhile. =X But hey, its all in the name of beauty review right?


Yeap, both sides are pretty bushy and I look cross-eyed in this picture. Haha!


First take the brush/spooley to find Point A of your brow - where your brow begins. This is measured from crease of your nostril holding the brush/spooley vertically.


Next find your Point B of your brow. - where your brow ends. Take the brush/spooley at an angle from the end of your nostril out.


Find the best stencil that suits your face as well as where your natural arch would be. To find that point, you can use the brush/spooley at the outer edge of your iris and follow it up. I used the Petite Arch Stencil.


Holding the stencil against your brow, begin to fill in with the powder using the angled brush. I defined my brow heavily with the dark brown powder to ensure there was a definite stencil on my brow. This made it easy to see the stray hairs to pluck.


I touched up the filling in with more powder, especially in the arch.


This is how it should look like after.


Start tweezing! Even though I started tweezing years ago, I've been waxing the past few years and this HURT! Haha! I used to ice up the area before tweezing, but I sucked it up.

Cleaned up! I had to stop finding hairs because I can be a tweezerholic. I had painfully thin brows my Junior year at UW and NEVER again. I like mine cleaned up, but not too thin. Thin brows on an oval face like mine can make it look even more round. No thanks!


I trim my brows a bit on the top because they get pretty long. The kit doesn't include scissors, but Anastasia does offer for $22.50. Yipes! These scissors were actually out of the Revlon brow kit I picked up at Big Lots & they work just fine!


Fill in your brows with more powder if necessary. Then take the Brow Gel and use quick, short strokes to set your brow.

Tada! Yay! Groomed brows. They look a lil off here, but thats because my left eyelid hangs a bit further down than my right eyelid. The wonders of make up and how you can even things out! Haha! One tip I learned from a MAC MUA is that your eyebrows should be sisters and not twins. Compliment your eyebrows to match your eyeshape and don't stress about making them match to each other.

You can pick up similar kits or individual Anastasia products at Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom or via the Anastasia Website.

I'm glad I picked up this kit and I plan on using the brow powder often. This kit really pays for itself if I use this in between regular waxings. I hope to try out threading in the next few months. I didn't have time to try it this time around because I have a special appointment tomorrow that I wanted to groom my eyebrows for. More on that later!

Let's try this again...

I added cbox again. Hopefully the code doesn't go out on me again. Leave me some luv in the cbox!

FOTD - Gleefully Sweetened Up

Very, very pink! I love it! I wanted to create a look with Solar White and Magnetic Fields eyeshadow and dabbed some Sweeten Up for color and to tie in my lips with Ripe & Ready/Soft & Lush. My outfit for the day was actually a long olive green dress (not the bright fuchsia tank - that's my sleep tank!) and I wanted to bring in some color.

Products used: MAC products unless otherwise noted

Face -
Silk Naturals Date Bait Finishing Powder
Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer
Mineralize Blush in Gleeful

Eyes -
UDPP
Solar White all over lid
Sweeten Up in the crease
Magnetic Fields in the outer-v
Fluidline in Blacktrack on top lashline
Technakohl in Graphblack on the waterline
2x coats of Rimmel Glam'eyes Mascara in Midnight Black
Browshader in Maple/Soft Charcoal

Lips -
Pro Longwear in Ripe & Ready/Soft & Lush

Removed - chat box

Freakineh...how many times do I have to keep reposting the gd code? I removed it. Just email or comment to holla.

Small Haul from Big Lots

Aquafina Purifying Daily Cleanser and Hydrating Facial Spray. I had to get more of the cleanser and the facial spray! Such a bargain and the last of them at the Big Lots in FW. I actually just ran out of the cleanser today. It lasted for about 3 months? I use my Naive Deep Cleansing Oil too. I did not have any reactions to either of the products so that's a plus! I haven't been using the facial spray often, but when it does get hot, I like to spray myself to beat the heat. I haven't seen the Aquafina line at stores like Rite-Aid or Bartell, but I have come across it at Wal-Mart. I don't think I will repurchase the products unless I come across them again at Big Lots! These were such a bargain at $4 each!

I tried the Got2B Oil Therapy Repair Blasts and while I wasn’t impressed right away after I rinsed the product, my hair was silkier after my hair dried. You use the oil therapy before you shampoo and condition. Didn’t feel very heavy on my hair after I put it in, so I was skeptical that there was going to be any benefit to my hair. This is great for those days when my hair feels dry and in need of some tlc and it was pretty cheap, $3!

Mario Badescu Skin Care Trial - I give up!

Yesterday I did the AM routine but in the evening, I gave up because my skin has just been feeling so tight and itchy! I don't want to aggravate it even more and have decided to conclude the testing. I have decided to use the cleanser, scrub and mask every now and then since those are items that are washed off rather than applied and left on and I don't believe that my skin has reacted to those products. I hope some of you have had great results with Mario Badescu products!

Belated Birthday Haul from Sephora

I forgot to mention some last minute birthday goodies that I picked up at Sephora. I wanted to get my birthday bubbles first and foremost! I haven't tried these yet because #1 I don't have time to take a bubble bath & #2 I need to find a worthy enough tub to sit in. Some of you know why. LoL! I needed another NARS Turkish Delight because the one I had began to get a funky smell. As if it doesn't have a weird enough scent as it is - its not bad, but I loooove the way my MAC lippies smell! I also picked up NARS Orgasm lipgloss because, well, just because. I know my girl Casey loves this color and I like it on but just never felt compelled to buy it. Since I had 100 points in my beauty bank, I redeemed them for a sample of Make Up Forever's Aqua Eyes eyeliner. My girl Joanie who is a MUA there told me to get that out of the assortment of samples they had.

Swatches of the lipglosses and the liner. Turkish Delight can be a strange color on some people, myself included. It can be the perfect pale lip to compliment a smokey eye, but it can sometimes just look like cream sitting on your lips. Acck! I also pair this up with MAC Spice lip liner if I don't want to use it on its own. Orgasm on the other hand is a beauty on its own! The past few times going out, I have kept this in my purse/bum bag and reapply it all night long! Not sure if I will repurchase more of this after I'm done, but it is a nice addition to my ever growing collection!

The liner sample is a generous size in a basic black. I don't have much luck when it comes to tightlining and my liner ends up either smudged or just disappears because on constant blinking. I wouldn't say this is budge proof on me, but it does hold up pretty well. I don't think I will be purchasing a full size of this liner because I am happy with the wear of my MAC Technakohl liner.

Mario Badescu Skin Care Trial - Day 2

Routine Day 2
Morning-
Cleansed with Enzyme Cleansing Gel
Applied Special Cucumber Lotion
Dabbed Hyaluronic Eye Cream around eyes
Applied Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Intensive SPF 20

Evening-
Cleansed with Enzyme Cleansing Gel
Used Cucumber Tonic Mask
Applied Special Cucumber Lotion
Dabbed Hyaluronic Eye Cream around eyes
Applied Seaweed Night Cream

The skin around my eyes, mouth and my neck are still irritated from what I believe was caused by the Collagen Moisturizer. I did the swatch test last night and noticed some redness where I applied the moisturizer, but nothing else today. A patch test is not 100% effective since skin on different areas of your body can have different sensitivity to products. Instead of the Mario Badescu moisturizer, I used the new Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Intensive with SPF 20, which I have been using for about 2 weeks now. I will do a review on that later, but so far, so good. I rarely have any problems with Neutrogena products! I'm glad I didn't have any other reactions so far because I have an interview tomorrow!

Urban Decay Members Only Holiday Presale! Only 100 available!

Hmmmm? Should I or shouldn't I? If you're not on Urban Decay's mailing list...sorry! I need more eyeshadow like I need another hole in my head. But the case is too cute and its made from sustainable materials! For $36 its not that bad at all! Hmmmm? We'll see...

**Update 9:30 PM - And I did it thanks to the "pressure" from LRB. Ahaha!

EOTD - Fuschia Eyes

I adore the color pink in all shades but one color that is tricky to apply in eyeshadow form is fuchsia! It is not flattering to all skin tones and can sometimes look like an eye rash. o_O For me, the trick is to apply the color just in my crease and accentuate the shape of my eye. I used a number of different products for this look, from Milani to MAC. I was actually being matchy matchy with my cute orchid top from F21 that had shades of fuchsia and orange.

Full face! Sorry for the sun glared photo. I was applying my make up in the car! Me and my girl Liz had to run some errands before heading out and we ended up getting ready in her car. LoL! It looks pretty subtle here because of the sun, but the pictures below will show how vibrant the color is!

Products used:

UDPP
Milani Runway Wet/Dry Eyeshadow in Beach Sand all over lid
MAC Sweeten Up in the crease
Magenta pigment in the layered in the crease on top of Sweeten Up - Ms. B sent a whole bunch of baggies of pigment from a cosmetic line in Thailand. They are very pigmented!
MAC Bright Fuchshia along the upper lashline
L'oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara in Black 2x coats
MAC Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz
MAC Brow Shader in Soft Charcoal/Maple

Mario Badescu Skin Care Trial - Day 1

I am constantly on the quest for great skin care that is #1 anti-aging/prevents wrinkles and #2 is gentle on my sensitive skin. I tend to react to products due to my eczema, especially new ones, but on some occasions I will break out into a rash to products I have already been using! Its frustrating and not to mention expensive because I will usually toss out whatever my face can't handle if I can't find someone that could utilize it. I have read on a few other beauty blogs that Mario Badescu will send generous samples of skin care products catered to your skin type after completing a questionnaire. I'm all about free and this was a great way to try Mario Badescu products! Head over the http://www.mariobadescu.com/ and fill out the questionnaire today! You will receive your products in about a month. I actually received my samples some time ago, but only got around to trying them today. I wanted to give these products a full week's trial to decide if I want/needed anything.

My skin type is combination/oily in the t-zone / sensitive. I was sent the following: Enzyme Cleansing Gel, Special Cucumber Lotion, Hyaluronic Eye Cream, Cucumber Tonic Mask, Collagen Moisturizer (SPF 15), Seaweed Night Cream, Drying Cream and Strawberry Face Scrub. They also include a Product Guide and a personalized product application guide.

Routine Day 1

Morning-

Cleansed with Enzyme Cleansing Gel

Applied Special Cucumber Lotion

Dabbed Hyaluronic Eye Cream around eyes

Applied Collagen Moisturizer to face and neck

Evening-

Cleansed with Enzyme Cleansing Gel

Exfoliated with Strawberry Face Scrub

Used Cucumber Tonic Mask

Applied Special Cucumber Lotion

Dabbed Hyaluronic Eye Cream around eyes

Applied Seaweed Night Cream

My skin felt squeaky clean after cleansing and toning. The moisturizer seemed a bit heavy on my skin, but maybe that was because I applied too much. I will have to apply it more sparingly tomorrow. I did notice throughout the day that my skin did get a bit bumpy and itchy. I will have to do a swatch test overnight tonight with all the products to see which one is making my skin react. :\ I have noticed that I do react more to all natural skin care. My skin fares better with chemicals I guess. Bah! I really like the Strawberry Face Scrub so far! But I don't know if I'm willing to fork over $15 for 4 oz of scrub! The Cucumber Tonic Mask left my skin feeling refreshed and the Seaweed Night Cream feels very moisturizing and softening. So far so good, but I'm kind of disappointed that my skin is already reacting to something!

**09-16-08 12:24 AM - I am convinced that I am allergic to the moisturizer. :( I didn't wash the front or back of my neck before doing the evening routine and have now broken out in a rash. I should have done a swatch test before hand! Arrgghh!

Victoria’s Secret Bare Bronze Scrub and Bronzer

I have had this scrub and bronzer for a little over a year now. Should be ok to use since it was packed away and not exposed to direct heat and sun. I got this out of a kit from Victoria’s Secret when me and Myra were down in LA. She obviously does NOT need bronzer since she’s already golden brown delicious. Haha! The scrub itself is pretty gritty so a light hand when applying is needed. It has a tropical coconutty scent that smells so good! The base to the scrub is a cream, and there is no lather. The bronzer gives me just a hint of golden color. I didn’t dramatically change, but my already tan skin was slightly enhanced with a tinge of color. I'm just glad that I didn't turn a weird color. The funny thing about the bronzer is at the end of the day, you have a buttery smell! T said I smelled like graham cracker pie crust. LoL! I don’t see the scrub on the website anymore, but they do still sell the bronzer. I may just pick up a full size for the winter season when I’m feeling pale and I can't make it over to Desert Sun to get my tan on. $16 will get you 6.7 oz of product which isn’t too bad and in my case, it doesn’t make me orange so its worth it!