Makeup Adventures

April Favorites

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:15:40 -0400

Hello everybody! It’s kind of scary how fast time has been passing by. I can feel my youth slowly slipping away from me…haha just kidding :p but this month of April zoomed right by! And I definitely have some favorite items to share with you all from this month :D

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in “light/medium”

I’ve been using this gem nonstop this entire month! You don’t get a whole lot of coverage, but this evens out your skin slightly and makes it glowy (there’s no shimmer in it).

Stilla Travel Palette - Trendsetting in Tokyo - convertible lip and cheek color in “Sakura”

Here in this tiny palette lies one of my favorite blushes of all time! It’s a creamy, pigmented, hot pink blush that melts right into the skin and gives you a nice dewy flush! The left side is how it looked like when it was relatively new and the gross right side is how it looks now :p

I use a Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply this blush on.

Maybelline Color Whisper lipstick in “Lust for Blush”

This is a beautiful creamy light pink color that is super wearable for every day. It gives nice pale mauvy pink lips without making you look washed out. The formula is light but there’s still color payoff!

H&M Thrifted Grey Cardigan

Found this sweet medium sized grey cardigan at Salvation Army a few months ago. It is perfectly oversized, warm and super comfy.

Forever 21 Colored Skinny Jeans

I have been wanting a pair of light wash denim skinnies for the longest time (and have not been able to find any still), so when I found these light sky blue pants I decided that these were the next best thing to light wash. They are very comfortable and are super fun to wear because they are so bright! I like the ankle zipper detailing as well.

Hope you enjoyed this and that you all had a wonderful month! : )

Recipe: Thai Pumpkin and Chicken Curry

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:26:05 -0400

I seriously love curry…or anything that can drown my rice with sauce :D

Over spring break, I ate at a delicious Thai restaurant and had their pumpkin and chicken curry and it was so good! In my attempts to recreate the yummy dish, I came across this recipe from Williams-Sonoma.

I altered the recipe slightly and thought it tasted delicious! I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin (since it’s not in season) and I also added a ton of other vegetables (because I LOVE vegetables :D ). I also did not prepare the mixtures of curry base and coconut milk. I just added everything to a pot instead of mixing them separately before adding—easier, right? : )

Perfect to eat on a dreary and cold day like today :D ! Good luck!

Spring Makeup!

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:07:55 -0400

The weather is getting beautifully warmer as we enter these next few months of spring and with the lovely flowers blooming, I’m inspired by all the color I see around me!

Spring season makeup is usually more colorful compared to winter and fall seasonal looks. Of course, seasons shouldn’t dictate what you like your makeup to be (apply whatever makeup makes you happy!), but I am definitely excited and inspired to whip out some of my brighter eyeshadows and lip colors I personally felt too awkward to wear during the drab winter.

Here are some ideas on how to incorporate color into your every day makeup routine:

Emphasis on lips: pinks, red stains and oranges

Gently dab a pigmented lipstick onto your lips for a stained, imperfect look. Keep the rest of the face clean with light blush and mascaraed eyes. A pop of color on the lips brightens up your whole face! I like to use reds, oranges and bright pinks.

Emphasis on cheeks: bright flush

A hot pink flush of color on the cheeks makes you look like you’re glowing healthy from within! Sweep on the apples of the cheeks, blending backwards towards the temples. I pair these bright cheeks with neutral eyes and lips.

Emphasis on eyes: colorful eyeliner, soft pastels

Whether it be a haze of pastel purple around my eyes or using blue eyeshadow as my eyeliner, bright colors on eyes are so fun! The easiest way to wear this trend is just to use color eyeliner in place of your usual black or brown one. Swipe a bright blue across the upper lashes and you’re done! Lots of mascara helps define the eyes, but make sure to keep the rest of your face and lips neutral, for a more balanced look.

Hope this was fun and helpful! Good luck : )

Dupe: Too Faced's "Velvet Revolver" vs. NYX's "True Taupe"

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:28:58 -0400

Hi everyone! One of my favorite eyeshadows of all time has to be “Velvet Revolver” from Too Faced’s Natural Eye Palette. It’s a matte, tannish brown color that is just a few shades darker than my skin.

What I love about this mushroomy brown eyeshadow is the versatility it gives me! I use this as a light, all over base color on my eyes, along with some darker brown along the lashlines and outer corners if I want to do a natural and soft smokey eye. This works perfectly for me to use as a crease color, or to even blend/fade out harsh edges on a dark/black smokey eye. And sometimes, I even fill in my brows with this shade! ; )

I was definitely on the hunt to find a cheap alternative to this taupe color! Thankfully, I found a pretty close dupe with NYX’s eyeshadow in “True Taupe.”

They are both soft and pigmented to the touch. The NYX color is slightly off, but that’s okay. I still use it for the same purposes.

(Left Swatch: NYX, Right Swatch: Too Faced)

I highly recommend all you makeup fanatics to own a matte eyeshadow that’s a few shades darker than your skin tone. The versatility is endless :D !

Review: Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 20:21:47 -0400

Revlon semi-recently jumped onto the popular trend of the “no makeup makeup” with their Nearly Naked Foundation. I mean, who wants to look like they’re wearing foundation right? :p

Packaging: The foundation comes in a sturdy, rectangular glass bottle with a plastic screw-on cap. The opening of the bottle is pretty big, so A LOT of product can come spilling out if you’re not careful! I think the packaging is very clean and nice! It reminds me of department store packaging :)

Product Claims: ”refreshingly light…melts into skin…blends seamlessly, buildable coverage.”

Color: I got this in the second lightest shade of “120 Vanilla.” For reference, I’m about a NC 20-25 with M.A.C products. This shade is a tad too light for me. It is more yellow-toned than the first and the third shade in their range, so I don’t know if going with the third shade would match me better. Once blended in and the foundation sets into the skin, the color difference is a tad less detectable.

Product: The product has SPF 20 and is more runny/liquid-y than most other foundations. There’s a slight smell to it but nothing too offense. I’d say this is a light to medium light coverage foundation.

Application: I like using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff this in, or I use my hands to work the foundation into my skin. Both the finishes you get are similar.

Performance PROS:

-no flashbacks on the camera

-sits well on the skin (doesn’t look like pigment is on top), looks natural!

-not sticky when you touch your face. (sets pretty nicely)

-dewy/satin finish

-SUPER lightweight, but surprisingly covers redness really well!

-I have oily/combination skin and even though I had to blot throughout the day (which is normal for me even if I don’t wear foundation), the product didn’t wear off on me

-coverage is buildable

Performance CONS:

-doesn’t match my skin perfectly…but that’s an error on my part.

-probably not the best foundation for combination/oily skin

Last thoughts: I quite love this stuff! This is lightweight, but provides pretty good coverage for minor skin discolorations, like redness. The dewy finish is lovely without making me overtly greasy looking. I usually apply this as concealer where I need it (nose, chin, temples) and blend it outwards for a more natural look, rather than application to the entire face. I mixed this once with moisturizer to sheer it out and it still covered the natural redness on my cheeks pretty well!

Hope this helps!

Current Nails: Light Sky Blue

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:53:48 -0400

I have been mad about light blue for a while now. Remember those light wash mom jeans back in the 80s-90s? I think the color is so divine! I am currently in search of a pair of high waisted light wash cut offs…but anyways, I came across this lovely color at Target and at $1-$2 something, I had to get this Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in “Breezy Blue.”

The color is NOT opaque. It took about 3 coats for the color to show up the way I wanted it to. The finish is also slightly more frosted/metallic/pearl than I would have liked/thought it would be—but it’s all good in the hood.

Spring Break happenings!

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:32:39 -0400

Went shopping with my mom and had to try these Prada heels... o_o I wore Prada for 3 minutes ; ) !

Catching up is great to do with a good drink in hand :D

I am obsessed with ankle strapped shoes!! But I can't buy something I'm never going to wear :(

Trying on clothes and shoes I would never buy :p Too colorful to be worn more than once...

Ate bomb food.

Waiting for the BART to come.

Beautiful San Francisco! Seen from the 33rd floor of a crazy fancy hotel :D

Spent a whole day with one of my best friends. Sweetest girl I know!

Spring Break happenings!

Life as of now...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:14:45 -0400

consists of

[1] too much coffee in my system

[2] afternoon naps, which I used to never take :( !

[3] late nights

[4] daydreams about springbreak

[5] school school school and….biochemistry

I cannot wait for next Friday, after my last final at 8 am! I’m looking SOO forward to celebrating with my friends over some Korean bbq and Wreck-it Ralph!!!!

Late night study breaks always lead me to putting makeup...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:04:22 -0500

Urban Decay's "Half Baked" on inner portion of eye lids.

Urban Decay's "Gunmetal" on the outer corners.

Late night study breaks always lead me to putting makeup on…

Recipe: Banana Bread

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:07:51 -0500

I’m not a huge fan of bananas…but I do love fresh banana bread right out of the oven! Paired with a hot cup of tea or coffee with cream (anything not sweetened) washes it down so nicely! When I was little, my mother always made banana bread because my dad would always buy a lot of bananas we could never finish :p

My roommate had these perfectly super ripened bananas that were to be tossed! Banana bread is perfect for putting old bananas to use.

Alterations to the recipe: I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of cinnamon to add more flavor to the banana bread. I also did NOT pack the brown sugar but measured it out like normal white sugar.

I like how simple and easy this recipe is…and it is not too sweet either! Give this a try :D !

Recipe can be found here.

Outfit of the Day: Army Green Anorak

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:53:18 -0500

Happy Valentines Day!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:20:00 -0500

I LOVE HOLIDAYS…of any kind :D !

So Happy Valentines Day to you all!

Even though this day is celebrated as a day of love between people and relationships, I am reminded that there is a perfect Love out there that many people don’t know about and that is the love of God (1 John 4:8).

I know that this is a beauty blog and that I never get too personal on here about my beliefs, but I want to let you all know that I’m a Christian! This is a part of me that is more important than anything else in the world—it is who I am :D

You see, God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross in our place (John 3:16). We are sinners; the Bible is very clear that none of us are good in any way (Romans 3:10). God is so holy that He cannot stand sin, but He loves us so much that He doesn’t want to punish us. So to appease both His holiness in righteous judgment and His love for us, He sent Jesus Christ down as a sacrifice for us.

He promises eternal life and a relationship with Him if we just believe in what Jesus did on the cross and His resurrection (He died on the cross for our sins and resurrected 3 days later).

We have all lied, hated, stolen etc… at some point in our lives. We are imperfect people: there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from hell. That is why this love is so…amazing…”that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We do not deserve ANY of His grace and mercy, yet He still loves us because of Jesus.

Placing my faith in God and what Christ has done on the cross has changed my life. I grew up thinking I was so good. I took so much pride in “following” all the rules, thinking that all the “good” I did affected my relationship with God and that made me feel like I was better than some people. But the Gospel is very clear that salvation, and the way God viewed me is apart from anything I have done/can do. It’s a comforting truth knowing that it is all dependent on Christ and not on myself. Though there are trials and struggles, there is a peace and contentment that can only be found in trusting in what was done for me on the cross that can never be taken away. He promises that (Jude 1:1).

:D Thank you for taking the time to read this! Feel free to ask me any questions, if you have any.

Have a wonderful day today <3

Spontaneous

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 02:20:16 -0500

Decided to dye my hair on a random Friday night. :O

I’ve never dyed my hair before and was so excited to dye it a “crazy” color for fun! Thankfully, this stuff is non-permament (commitment scares me…). It’s supposed to wash out in 28 shampoos…but we will see about that :p

The Process: the instructions say to leave it on for 10 minutes…but I think I left it in for 15 minutes because when the time was up, I was scrambling to clean up and get my jammies ready before I washed this out. I also did not wash my hair until one day after…I only rinsed the dye out and conditioned with the given conditioner.

BEFORE: Here is my natural hair color. Your typical dark Asian dark brown with random lighter browns within.

AFTER: I pretty much look the same overall, but my hair has this dark, burgundy red tint to it if you look carefully in certain lighting. Fun stuff ^_^

The red is much more subtle with natural lighting (unless I’m in the sun).

If I were to review this product, I’d say it’s pretty good and pretty easy to use! It claims “clinically proven” for less damage. My hair doesn’t feel very dried out from dying it!

Review: Benefit's Mascara + Highlighter

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:43:08 -0500

Every year, Sephora gives a small, FREEEEE :D gift on your birthday if you’re a beauty insider (you just have to sign up!). This year, they gave out Benefit’s they’re Real! Mascara and their Watt’s Up highlighter.

Benefit claims that this is “a jet-black mascara that lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts, and separates lashes for a spectacular ‘out-to-here’ look.”

The brush has short and medium sized plastic bristles. The tip of the brush tapers to a little dome.

Before: Here are my curled lashes withoutany mascara.

After: here I applied one coat to my top lashes only.

This mascara definitely…

-does NOT curl/lift lashes like it claims: I have straight lashes and so I curl my lashes before applying mascara. But after application, this softened the curl in my lashes. It didn’t completely straighten the lashes back, but I definitely have to go back in and re-curl my lashes for some more OOMPH.

-was a bit hard to use (the tip of the wand deposited a lot of product)

-can be kinda clumpy as it is a wet formula mascara

-seems to only lengthen lashes instead of adding volume + length

-does NOT smudge on me at all (and that’s a miracle in itself) !

-packs nice black pigmentation

-separates and lengthens nicely

-is easy to wash off/remove with water

Overall, I like this mascara a lot! Honestly, since so many mascaras smudge on me, the most important thing I look for is smudge-proofness without being a pain to take off. So I’m definitely sold on this one : ) !

This little champagne highlighter gives such a nice glow to the skin! It’s very smooth and creamy, but gives a powdery finish. I like using this in the inner corners of my eyes. It is not overly shimmery or weirdly frosty—a nice balance!

Here is a swatch of this unblended.

Hope this review was helpful : ) !

Rise and Shine! (Everyday Makeup Routine)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:17:26 -0500

I’m horrible at getting out of bed in the morning. I usually roll out of bed with just 10 minutes to get dressed/ready before I stumble out the door to the bus stop that takes me to campus.

BUT on the days I do have some time to get ready this is what my makeup routine consists of!

Very simple and easy…but pretty much my go-to-face (haha :p).

1. Face: conceal, powder and blush

If I have time, I apply a tinted moisturizer all over the face before beginning. But either way, I apply concealer or foundation around my nose and chin area where it tends to be red. Then I powder the concealed areas to set the makeup before adding on a pop of color on the cheeks.

2. Eyes: curl and mascara

—-

Sometimes I’ll add in variation to this routine…a bit of highlighter on the cheeks and inner corners of the eyes, or some eyeliner, eyeshadow, a bit of bronzer on the sides of my face or I fill in my brows.

And since everything is so neutral, I can go for whatever lipcolor I feel like for the day :D !

But blush and mascara are my favorite makeup products to use ever. It just brightens up the face so much :D !

Hair Tutorial: The Bun

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:00:17 -0500

Hair buns are such a quick and easy way to style your hair and look instantly polished, especially for those windy days, or those “OH NO. my hair looks terrible” days. :O

You’ll need: some bobby pins and a hair tie.

begin by putting your hair up in a high pony tail and secure with your hair tie.
Traditional buns usually call for twisting the hair until it wraps around itself, but I find that this makes your overall bun appear smaller because you’re loosing hair fluff volume (am I making any sense :O ?). So, gently and carefully, without much twisting, wrap your hair around itself until it forms a nice little bun.
Take a few bobby pins (I use about 4) and open them up slightly with your fingers and slide the pins into your bun against your scalp. Spread the bobby pins evenly around the bun for security.
Go ahead and gently pull on your bun to fatten it up. Hairspray to smooth fly aways and to hold your style in place if needed! My bun stays put pretty well and I never bother hairspraying it.

Optional: Have fun with some accessories!

Good luck and have fun :D !

I really really really really...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:29:49 -0500

love adding lots of other ingredients to my ramen.

College student or not, I could really eat this for days on end! Yum :D !

Current Favorites 1

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:29:00 -0500

Hi everyone! How are you all doing? :D

Today I’ll be talking about my current favorite things!

These gold studs (from Old Navy) have barely left my ears since I got them to replace my previous studs from Forever 21 that I lost. I love how gold pretty much goes with everything!

This DKNY Be Delicious perfume has been on my wishlist since high school! I finally found a way to purchase this lovely fragrance (here, in rollerball version) without spending loads on a full-sized bottle. The left side is DKNY’s Be Delicious Golden Apple and the green fragrance on the right is the original Be Delicious. Both smell divine, but different! The original (my favorite) smells lighter and fresher than the golden version. It smells like I dived into a sea of apples :D !

Nude nails from Revlon’s “Grey Suede.”

I have been very into nude/pale lips as of late! I love how effortless, yet polished a soft nude can be on the face.

My lovely friend gifted me this gorgeous bag (from Cotton On) for Christmas! I absolutely love the nude pink and the sturdy structure of it :D !

She also hand knitted me the loveliest navy infinity scarf!!!!! It’s so chunky and warm! The pattern also looks lacy. I’ve gotten so many compliments on it too : ) Since I love neutral colored things, this navy color perfectly complements all the taupe-browns, greys, and whites in my wardrobe.

These Mossimo gold glitter loafers from Target were on clearance! I just had to snag these obnoxious and fabulous shoes :p I’m a sucker for incorporating flashy, blingy pieces subtly into my outfits. These need major breaking in though. They are a bit stiff.

I am absolutely obsessed with chunky white cable knit sweaters as of late! I want to buy every white sweater I see, but I know that one is more than enough. I love how comfortable yet pulled together a white sweater can be with dark jeans and gold accessories. Every thing just looks so clean. I have a feeling I’ll wear this Old Navy sweater to shreds these next few months!

Review: Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:24:41 -0500

How late am I for trying this widely talked about product?!

Revlon released a line of balm stains, full of interesting colors of all sorts! They describe their product to be “a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lipstain…gives softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of color that lasts hour after hour.”

Unlike most chubby lip products that need sharpening, these retract up and down like chapsticks! Below is a photo of how much product is actually inside the packaging.

The top of the balm is shaped like a huge crayon :D which makes it super easy to apply.

Unable to resist collecting more red lip products, I, of course, picked up the color “Romantic.”

“Romantic” is a flat (contains no shimmer) candy apple red that leans more towards a warmer red than a cool-toned, blue red.

Formula: The product glides on super smooth and feels exactly how chapstick would on your lips. It is not sticky in any way and is moisturizing (but if your lips are super chapped, I would not use this obviously). There is a nice, but faint smell and taste of peppermint, though there is not a cooling feel when applied. The finish of this product on the lips is like that of a normal lipbalm (there’s a sheen, but it is not glossy). The color payoff is nice! It is pretty opaque, but can be dabbed for a lighter stained effect.

Performance: I think this is a fantastic product! But because the finish is like that of chapstick (and is not completely dry like normal lip stains), the color does transfer slightly if you touch something. But the color lasts pretty long on the lips if undisturbed and fades into a nice tint.

Overall, I think this product is GREAT ! : ) It’s pretty much what the name suggests: a lipbalm that stains your lips!

Hope this was helpful! :D

Current Nail Polish

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 02:52:51 -0500

O.P.I’s “Bring on the Bling.”

If it were possible, I would like to have everything I owned to be covered in glitter or sequins.

SO FABULOUS :D !!