Pending.

Junk Food Game II going on! Check it out here

Unless it's going to be gifted, I will not be shopping at Sephora until 2012. For the past 3 months, I have shopped ~$50 each month and it's unacceptable (but in my defense, for two of those purchases I used 20% off & 10% off for the other one!...) Some serious self-discipline will be going on. I already passed up Black Friday shopping entirely and I really will not be shopping there till next February (unless it is going to be gifted, like I said before, which by the way, will still be blogged about ^_^).



But here it is. My last Sephora haul of 2011.

*Fairy Drops Mascara -> $24
*Kat Von D Lip gloss -> $5
*Tokidoki Lip gloss -> $5
*MUFE Aqua Eyes -> $18
*Sephora by OPI -> $5

total = $57 - 20% = ~$46
jeez no wonder I'm so poor. DUH. It's because I spent ~$150 at Sephora over 3 months -_-
I am banning shopping for myself all together until 2012. Just food and necessities. I'm on week 2 (3rd week now! :P), I'm doing pretty well I think.

Like last time, a follow up post regarding this purchase will be made!

Also, I am thinking of introducing my one-year giveaway very soon. As soon as the junk food game is over, I will be holding my one-year blog anniversary! I started my blog January 15th, 2010.

The junk food game is over/I will announce the prizes & winners on December 7th.

I will probably make my post regarding my giveaway the day after so around December 8 or 9th?

Haha, I don't know - look at me getting all ahead of myself! But I'm really excited to be holding my own giveaway soon! I know I don't have much followers but come on, this blog is the only blog I was able to maintain for a year!

P.S.
-5th post of November, oh yeah!

I'd rather be blogging anyway (Sephora Haul Reviews).

time-for-swatches-yes-it-is!
Hello, hello!
So I will be sharing some swatches from my previous post. I will be going over the Nars items, mainly.

I bought three eyeshadow duos, (2) Island Fevers and (1) Bysance. I also bought a nail polish in Bad Influence. The reason I got two of the Island Fevers is because I want to include one in my one-year anniversary give away that I'm slowly (but surely) putting together :) They were on sale for $10 (compared to the $33) each, and the polish was $7 (compared to $17, I think) so all in all, it was a good deal.

Overall, I LOVE the products. Love love love. You really do get what you pay for but I can't imagine paying $33 for 2 eyeshadows.. not with my current paycheck anyway!

Without further ado...

Nars Eyeshadow Duos in Island Fever and Bysance (left and right respectively)!


They come with full mirrors which I totally love. My ELF blush comes with a mirror that's really small and I always wonder how much I'm supposed to see with it...!

So personally, I like Island Fever much more because it's more suitable for daily uses than Bysance is.

With flash

Without flash

Island Fever consists of an almost pastel (but not as light) blue and a grey but not really silver colors. Once the colors blend together, it looks pretty neat. And as long as you use a light hand (they're pretty pigmented), I think these can work out as pretty casual colors.

Bysance on the other hand is quite.. loud. Loud in my book anyway, not in a bad way though! But I do think that Bysance is more pigmented than Island Fever.


With flash (natural lighting)

Without flash (natural lighting)

I think that the left color is more champagne-looking than golden on my skin. A little bit.. darker than champagne but not quite GOLDEN.
I haven't worn these colors out yet because they aren't as casual as Island Fever but I'm waiting for the opportunity to wear these colors out!

Flash swatches, no primer.

No flash swatches (artificial lighting), no primer.

OVERALL:
Pros:
-well pigmented
-it was on sale
-minimal fall out
-pretty colors :)

Cons:
-the packaging was a little "ehh.." because I ended up having to clean the edges as soon as I opened it.
-it's expensive if not on sale.

Rebuy? Maybe.

4/5!

Finally, we have my first Nars nail polish. I must say, I LOVE the color!! It's very fall/winter appropriate but I'd totally wear this color any other season. It's what I would describe as a "smokey brown" color but I guess other people can just see brown. But I'm just saying, again, that I would never buy this at retail price. Never. Yikes.. Even $7... is hard to justify I think.




Pretty neat packaging IMO. It's very tightly packed and has a cardboard thing on the inside for protection (all their products do, I think).





Pros:
-It was.. on sale
-A personally favorite color.
-Sleek packaging. It's nice to look at.

Cons:
-If it wasn't on sale, really expensive.
-It's hard to actually use because the top is so square!
-I have a very similar color from Sinful Colors that I got for $2.

Rebuy?: Probably not unless it's on sale again.

OVERALL:
3/5!

Hehe so that marks the end of that. I can't wait till my blog becomes a year old, it's coming up soon! Another day, ladies!

Where do I even begin?

Hello, hello.
:( this week has been treating me really badly... but I'm glad it's ending soon!
I am NEVER packing my schedule into three days ever again. I have way too many classes in one day for me to handle.
This is also why my posts have been lacking and I hate it because I really enjoy blogging! It takes my stress away :)

So, basically, this is what has been happening with my photos. I bought my new camera 10/25. But even before then, I've been taking pictures of things I wanted to blog about on my old Sony camera.

I've been taking photos but I've been delayed with editing and uploading so... I do not know where to begin with the photos. So I've decided to upload my four most recent purchases. Two from Sephora, one from Missha, and one from F21.

So starting with the Missha - they were giving away their BB creams for FREE to celebrate the launching of their new website. All you had to do was pay for shipping :) I got a mask as well because my mom wanted to try a collagen mask to see if she likes 'em. Total was $11. Ahh! So cheap!

I got #21 and I really like it! I don't know why I didn't like Missha so much before. Or maybe I like it more now because it was free?? Haha.


Bad photo, I know. I was being lazy :P

Next up is F21 GLITTER polishes! With flash / without flash.
From left to right: Teal, Magenta, Silver, Rust, Aqua
@$2.80 each.
They're okay. Nothing spectacular, I wasn't expecting much but I do think they're very pretty :) But I'm having a hard time adjusting to the smell...



Sephora #1 (Online):

Pick up 4 Nars products! Three are eyeshadow duos and they were $10 each. Regular price was $33 so I still spent less after buying THREE of them ($30) hehe. The last Nars product is a nail polish and the regular price was $17 but I got it for $7 I think.
Also picked up some nail stuff: hot pink glitter ($5) & dotting/marble tool ($7) & deep purple polish ($4)for free shipping lol.
I also became VIB last month and they had a VIB offer for a deluxe sample of Amore (comes with three items) so I got that for my mom :) And last but not least, my three free samples.
I will not be elaborating further for these products on THIS particular post. A "Recent Sephora Hauls Overview" entry is currently waiting to be published, so stay tuned!

Last but definitely not least, Sephora #2 (In-Store):
Another nail glitter! And a Mini Tweezerman tweezers featuring Harajuku lovers! It's so cuteee! And it's my FIRST Tweezerman tweezers and I am MADLY in love with them. They were pricey at $15 but SOOO worth it. I have pretty tiny hands and they just work so well with meee!

Also picked up the 500 point BI gift. I was saving and saving because I didn't like any of the other gifts they had but I really like Benefit overall so I went right for it!
The Dandelion blush is full sized (retails $28) and the primer and mascara are sample sizes (mascara size is pretty generous though, I think).

I can't do it anymore!

-_____-
Today we gave a presentation. I told my partner (from my previous post) that the word "peligroso" means "dangerous" repetitively since last Thursday. Our professor asked my partner what the word peligroso meant. She said "book". Oh my goodness. I just can't do it anymore, thank GOD classes end tomorrow -_- BOOK?!?!? BOOOOOOK?!?! T_T

Sorry for all the *#($*#&$*(, I can't help it sometimes. And it's not very nice to talk about someone like this through the internet but I need SOMEWHERE to vent.

Aside from that, today's post will be a review/NOTD post.

Laura Mercier - Secret Camouflage *this is a concealer :) $28 - sephora.




This isn't mine, I bought this for my mom because she used to use Clinique's City Stick as her concealer but they discontinued it! So she was so sad so I bought this for her to try out. Basically the right side is a correcter and the left is the concealer. The packaging is pretty neat, it came with a Styrofoam inside between the make up and the mirror.

This is ideal for older women with wrinkles and lines. The downside is, with the City Stick, she could basically just apply it wherever but now she has to use a brush or her fingers. Also, the price is pretty steep but even the City Stick was a tad too expensive, nor did it last too long. The upside is, this will probably last forever!

You apply the right side first, then the left to conceal everything and hold it in place :) I'm pretty sure she's enjoying this but it's not as great as the City Stick. After this one, I'm going to buy her Bobbi Brown's concealer stick thingy, the only problem is that they don't have my mom's EXACT shade. Must do some more researching.

NOTD - Ok. I seriously hate it when I decide "oh today I'm just going to play around with some nail polish" and totally end up liking what I did even though I wasn't planning on it! I was playing around with my grey and navy polishes before and I didn't clean up very nicely as I wasn't planning on keeping this. Now I like it but it looks messy ;(

Then when I sit down to actually "do my nails" it comes out ugly. Thank you, life.




I messed up mostly on my index and ring fingers. The tip on my index finger is too wide while the one on my ring finger is crooked :( but overall, I really like the way it looks :) Some minor chipping because I took these photos today (did them 3 days ago).

That's all for today OH AND stay tuned for another "guess this junk food" post :P

Tarte for True Blood & Memoirs of a Kitty

I will post the answers to my previous post! :)

1. bacon cheeseburger
2. chicken cordon bleu or just a chicken sandwich lawl
3. spicy boneless wings
4. onion rings and french fries
5. chicken teriyaki and nathan's mini hotdog(?) thingies with french fries
6. oreo truffle balls
7. fried rice with chicken pops!
8. spinach artichoke dip w/ tortillas and wings.

hehe that was kinda fun, no? :P I know some of the pictures had bad lighting and stuff, my apologies~ but all three of you did so well rofl. But nobody guessed the oreo truffle ball correctly loool probably because I didn't show the inside.

If you answered my previous post, please leave me your e-mail address! Since three people answered, I have three polishes and other stuff ready to be packed. But my cousin *hinted* she wants one of the shades so you must let me know by Wednesday (I will most likely ship out Thursday).

On with my recent purchases~




Poor lighting =( But I bought a bunch of cheap (but not so bad quality) nail polishes. I really like the "shamrock" from Forever21 (Second picture, second polish) but it smells really bad :X and it lingers! boooo. And the Sally Hanson Extreme Wear reminded me of Teenage Dream but it's less pink than it. Glitters are pretty similar though.




I can't resist bows! They're too cute. And I was expecting more out of the second necklace but... it's wooden lol. I bet I could make that in one sitting given the appropriate equipment.




I buy chunky necklaces because my clothes are rather plain. A plain grey shirt + the black necklace = not so plain anymore.



HEHEHE aren't the socks adorable?? Well.. to be honest I don't need anymore socks but I thought these were soo cute I couldn't resist! Who can resist chubby little bunnies?!

Last but not least, my Tarte for True Blood & Memoirs of a Kitty palettes! I actually forgot to upload this from a few weeks ago x_x and pretty poor pictures because my camera sucks but I am grateful I at least have a working camera LOL.

They say that the Tarte palette is a "must" for every True Blood fan but I'm just a fan of gorgeous packaging and quality eye shadow to be honest. The Tarte palette was $52 and the Memoirs of a Kitty palette was $35.






So basically, there are 17 eye shadows. Some are matte, some are shimmery. You get generous sizes of their emphasEYES aqua-gel eyeliner in black, lights, camera, lashes! mascara in black, and lifted natural eye primer. If you are debating between the UD naked and this palette, I suggest you go for this one because this palette can be used for neutral looks as well as... "vampy" looks lol! But in all honesty, I can see this palette working wonders for many.



It also comes with a tutorial leaflet kind of thing! I tried the "Vamp Glam" and my mom told me I looked scary so I guess I partially succeeded? But I get the feeling that while I will be incorporating some of the things here, I won't always do it word for word. Like I mean, I also tried "Luminous Fairy" and it appeared too light for my pale skin.



The emphasEYES aqua-gel eyeliner was most peculiar.. it wasn't quite gel... or cream. Very interesting formula I think.



Very dark though, right? I'm looking forward to wearing this more often! I hope it doesn't smudge :(


Say Hello - Memoirs of a Kitty Palette

What can I say? I'm a sucker for cute packaging :( and cute boxes, I am never throwing that box away! I like to store receipts and/or coupons in them lol :) I was upset because I went the the Sephora in the city and they only had the "Happy Fun" palette which have the eye shadows and lip glosses on the bottom. I'm a heavy lip balm/lip stain user so the lip glosses would have little purpose for me! I really wanted to try blushes and this was just a good price for 4 eye shadows, and 2 blushes. Plus I like the eye shadow colors in Memoirs of a Kitty much more.

So basically yeah, I came home and purchased online.



nice neutrals going on~ I actually didn't get to use this yet but, I'm getting to it!



Ahhhh the blushes! Surprisingly, I like the color to the left more :X I use both though, I apply the right and a little bit of the left on top of it so it isn't as pink. I mean, I want to look blushing -- not like I was standing out in the cold for an hour!

Heh, so that's about it. I had no money to buy a bagel after church today :'(
sad but true story.

NOTD + Long Reviews + New Planner! + Picture Heavy

Finally Thursday! No class tomorrow! Yayayayayay! Nothing is more exciting than that~ But I have a lot of studying to do over the weekend, but so far for spanish we've had 5 exams and I got a 100 on all of them!! But on the essays I keep getting 90s so my average is a 96.67% :( I don't understand why they count for as much as exams though...

Today I couldn't go past Dunkin Donuts because of the scorching heat -_- I ended up getting an iced tea for $.99 and it was pretty refreshing :) My bus came rather quickly and I don't have work today. Overall, a wonderful day so far!

I did my nails this sparkly pink color but it's more purple in the pictures aha :|
It kind of reminds me of those sally hanson nail strips thingy except mine aren't as good. But I can't imagine forking out $9 for something I can only use once!! And I wish I could grow out my nails but I'm so... anti-bacteria LOL. I secretly worry about bacteria that might be collecting under my nails even if I wash my hands often. I am SUCH a loser I promise I'll try to be less loser-ish from now on.





But it'll be a pain to take off later T_T

And since the fall semester is starting soon... I got myself a new planner!



It was pretty darn expensive but my friend knew the store (Banzai) owner so we got 30% off. I think I paid around $10 for this which I guess isn't thatttt bad since it's the binder type thing.




Pretty cute huh? I love the outside of it as well as the cute papers on the inside. I get so sad every time I write in it though, I feel like I'm tainting the cuteness of it all heheh~

PRODUCT REVIEWS:
So in my last post, I shared a small cosmetics haul and I received two requests :) Today I will be reviewing:



-Benefit's High Beam
-Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

I will start off by saying that both products are SO EXPENSIVE!!!
But you don't need a lot of either product so I guess it's "okay" but... I can't get over the price. I know I'm going to repurchase both but ... I still need more time to get over the PRICE!

Benefit's High Beam ($23 at Sephora):


^I was surprised to see that the Smashbox Primer has more product in it...

I know there are TONS of reviews on this but yes, it is a highlighter. I use it on my brow bones and on my cheeks sometimes but it shows up less on my cheeks. In other words, it's a very subtle highlighter. It shows up more in the light (which my camera, unfortunately could not pick up) and it has a little bit of shimmer but overall it's very pearly, which is what I love about it. It blends quickly although I like to warm it up a little bit between my fingers before applying because I feel EVERYTHING goes on more smoother like that (except for primers -- I don't do it with primers for some reason lol).

However, there are a few things I don't like about it..

_The price ($23 for 0.45oz......)
_The applicator, as many have said as well. It's impossible to use every bit of it but I for one, will!! I'm going to cut a straw in half (the long way) and scoop it out until I use every bit of it LOL. Ugh, I just hate wasting stuff...


-The packaging in itself is awkward as well. Why... is it a nail polish packaging thing?? I'd love it if I can squeeze it out instead, maybe if people keep complaining about it, Benefit will change it? :P Wishful thinking~



That's about it!
Product itself: 4.5/5
Packaging: 3.5/5
Applicator: 3/5
Price: 1/5
Repurchase: Yes (4/5)



^Simply dotted



^Slightly rubbed



^What's left after application



^Swatch

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($16 at Sephora):
Okay, this one is VERY expensive as well. I can't tell which is worse, the high beam or this primer... lol. This isn't the full-sized one, I really didn't have the heart to fork out $36 for something I may not like so I got the small one for now.





I will first begin with my skin type/facts.

-Kind of pale (NC15/20)
-Redness around nose area.
-Dry-normal but I get acne sometimes :( but no blackheads.
-Small-ish pores.
-Quite sensitive to the sun.
-I don't tan but I burn very easily.
-I use BB cream and concealer. BB cream is a MUST for me, esp. in the summer because I am sensitive to the sun. SPF is very important.

With that said, I don't really need a primer in the winter because my foundation/BB doesn't really fade. I don't wear much to start off with but in the summer, especially in humidity, my face sometimes does look like it's melting even though my skin is somewhat dry in some areas. That really is not attractive at all. I'm going to wear it in the winter though, I just feel like it sets everything in place well because it has a matte finish.

On the other hand, my mom has oily skin and we share this primer. I noticed that this extends the life of my make up about 4-5 hours (and I never have to blot when I use this) and my mom doesn't have to blot for an extra 3 hours. My mom used to always be stressed out about how her make up does not last but after using this, she only has to blot once the entire day, only around the nose area.

So if you can't tell already, we love this product!! After we finish this we will buy the full size one, even though the price tag is hefty.



^look how small it is!



^ This is how it looks when it's squeezed out. I don't know how I feel about this but.. the feeling of it is very... silicone-y. Super soft, but silicone-y. My mom likes that feeling but I'm still on the fence about it.



^ This is my bare naked nose after I woke up. As you can see, there is a little bit of shine.



^ After using it on my nose, pores show less right?? As you can see it's matte, but I think it accentuates my dryness a little. Not sure if it's because I took too long today to moisturize after washing my face, but yeah. But it doesn't show once I apply the rest of my make up so that's okay.

Product itself: 4.8/5
Packaging: 5/5
Applicator: 5/5
Price: 1/5
Repurchase: Yes (5/5)


PHEW. Was this too long?!? I just wanted to be very thorough about it.
So, how was everyone's day today?!