Review| NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation in Stromboli

My lemming has been fed, nothing to see here people. Just another wonderful product that deserves all of the surrounding hype: the NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation ($38 retail for the powder and puff, $10 for the compact itself).

Francois you so fancy but can't afford to give us the compact for free? The baby cream foundation case snaps its tiny little body into a momma case which includes a big mirror and perforated (aerated?) side for the puff to breathe. The outer shell is made of the same rubberized material as all other NARS compacts. Because cream foundations are more sensitive to air, the cream pan has a lid within itself. Pan-ception.

The little amount of product for the price is sort of a boon, but if you are like me and never go through foundations quick enough, you may find that it's the perfect size for a month or two's worth of use. By that time you will have gone up a shade lighter and ready to repurchase a baby pan.

The foundation claims to be very lightweight on the skin but provide excellent (read: medium to full coverage) depending on method of application. The sponge gives very thick coverage, but an application with fingers is the best way to apply this cream. Not very sanitary, but it does help melt the cream into your skin better than any synthetic brush. I found the coverage to be true to its claims all the while feeling as light as a powder foundation. Amazing! No cake batter to lick from the spoon here.

You don't get very much product in the pan, but there is a huge selection of colors (22!) to choose from that is very similar to the coloring system of their Sheer Glow line. I am also a perfect match in Stromboli for this foundation. It is the most olive toned medium shade out of Punjab, Santa Fe, and other medium tones that have too much orange or neutral undertone. I also picked up Ceylan (around a MAC NC25 equivalent) for the upcoming fall and winter season. I think that even very light or very dark skinned girls will have no problem finding a close or exact match. The cream formulation gives my skin a satin finish with subtle luminosity. In fact, it looks very healthy and skin-like. I set with a powder on my T-zone and it lasts throughout the day.

I would have to say that its portability, ultra lightweight texture, performance par liquid foundation, and easy pairing with moisturizer or sunscreen makes this a new found favorite of mine. I love how I can easily touch up through out the day on trouble spots if needed.  It is easy to pick a level of coverage with this product, and I think dry to normal skinned gals will greatly appreciate this foundation.

Below are some photos and a swatch of my shade Stromboli (Medium 3):

The shades all look very deceptively dark in the pan but translate to much lighter once on the finger, so make sure you take your time to look at swatches online or in stores. Also, see how disgusting the sponge quickly gets if you use it? I would opt for your own BeautyBlender or tossing the sponge completely before you grow the next batch of biochemical weaponry.

Anyway, I hope you will give this expensive little sucker a try, it really is a game changer for foundation.

Be

Review | L'oreal True Match LUMI

Now that fall is coming, I am back to my glowy skin obsession. I picked up L'oreal True Match LUMI foundation at CVS about a month or two ago and think now is the right time for a review.

Before trying this out, I Googled through pages and pages of review. It seemed like a mixed bag. Some people were saying it transferred. Others loved the natural glow. Some people bashed it like an LA street rioter on the hood of a car. I had to figure out if it could hold its own as a drugstore foundation.

I like the line's concept of offering a color match in actual warm, neutral, and cool tones. Most drugstore foundations always run too grey or pink on my very yellow toned skin and I have the worst time finding a color match in stores, especially since I don't believe in opening the packaging just for my own selfish intentions, hah. However, I remembered that I was a W4 in the original formulation, and hoped it would be a match now. W 1-2 was much too light while W3 was a worthy opponent. I figured it was better to go darker than too light. The W4 color is now a spot-on match for my NC35 tone at the moment, but it was a good fit for NC30 a month ago.



The LUMI foundation, pictured above, is a light to medium coverage formula that applies well with brush or fingers. (Excuse my awful nails.) It comes with a pump bottle and I use one full pump for my entire face. For the most part, I have well behaving skin that is currently slightly combo. I like using a brush since it is slightly liquidy and my RT brush gives me the most coverage and control with this foundation. Note that I do not have major discolorations, scarring, or acne.   I don't need concealer for any spots, and it gives a satiny natural finish rather than any obvious glow to the face.

Unlike other reviewers' testimonies, this foundation lasts a full 8 hours on my skin sans powdering. I do get greasy around the nose and general T-zone if I do not powder. Coverage fades into a natural skin finish by 6 hours. The best thing about this foundation is that it doesn't slide right off the face or cling to dry patches, despite being a luminous finish. Be careful to stay away if you are oily or even have a very oily T-zone. This will work wonderfully for dry-skinned gals, especially for the fall weather that's supposedly coming up.



I used this for the entire month and longer and I did not get clogged pores or acne. Notice how it does get messy around the top of the nozzle. Nasty nasty, not for germaphobes.

LUMI gives a dewy and natural finish and would work well if you're on a budget. I picked mine up for only around $10.25 at CVS. Overall, I've been reaching for this on a daily basis even in the hot weather because it is very lightweight. It's a great liquid foundation when paired with other skin-prepping products and performs at a  solid drugstore quality level.

Be

PS: OMG OMG OMG I am running out to Target right after this post and picking up L'oreal's new limited edition Le Matte and Le Laque lip colors to do a review for you guys! OH MY GOD!

Beauty Blab| Pixie Moment for Life

Growing up, I've always had my weak moments (or hot seasons) where I wanted to chop off all of the dead weight that is my hair. My self-worth has never been in growing the longest, silkiest mane or reenacting a Pantene Pro-V commercial every time I walk down the street. Still, a lot of guy friends groaned and moaned when I lopped off my hair. In eighth grade, the boy I had the hugest crush on (and who definitely had a crush on me!) completely ignored me when I got my tomboy hair cut. It was devastating to my poor teenage ego, and I vowed never to let my hair get above shoulder length. While I watched my best friends transform with short gamine haircuts, I stayed loyal to "long layers and just a trim." I shied away from boy cuts because I always thought that round faces couldn't pull it off.

Now that I'm out of college and past my years of appealing to the male audience, I've decided to get rid of almost a foot and half worth's of hair. My husband gave me his "blessing" and even said, and I quote, "I don't mind if you got like a Pink hair cut." and "Go crazy for once." Says the man whose very opinion kept my hair long and unkempt for the past three years! When we first started dating, he wanted me to grow out my shoulder length hair even longer because it looked "sexier." Sigh. Men.

Which is funny, since they all go apeshit crazy for Halle Berry even though her hair is never past a buzz or close crop. Of course, you also need her damn perfect everything else. 

I like short hair. I like the low maintenance. I like not getting a bicep workout and sauna session every time I blow dry my hair. I like pulling it up into a faux hawk. I like tousling it about when I wake up in the morning and leaving. I like the constant showers I get to take.  I like it on people with dainty bone structure. Ginnifer Goodwin makes the pixie adorable. I love it on people with beautiful faces. I love the boyish charm. And with my curves, I figured it couldn't take away my assets. If men didn't like staring at my hair, they can stare at what they already were in the first place.

But all I ever hear is, "It goes with a certain face. I think you look better with long hair."

"EWWW! You look like a man!!!"

"I don't think I could pull off short hair."

Lies. If someone insulted you on how you did your makeup or the clothes you wore, would you get butthurt? Most likely you would just laugh it off and chalked up their comments to bad taste. With hair, you will feel a whole lot happier if you don't let it decide how attractive you are. If anything, it will highlight a beautiful face and put you in the spotlight when every other girl has hair down their back. If men don't understand my makeup, why should I care if they understand my decision to cut my hair? Is that man-stranger going to run his fingers through my locks any time soon? No. If anything, I cut my hair short to better nail job interviews, because it screams professional adult woman, not whimpering girl.

I also have some tips for the jump:

• If you wear your long hair every single waking moment in a pony tail and try to touch it as little as possible, change it up.


• If you have outgrown braids, pigtails, hair accessories, bows, pins, blah blah blah, cut it off.


• If you can't stand spending thirty minutes a day styling your hair, give it up.


• If your hair blends seamlessly into a pile of hay and straw in terms of texture due to over processed color and bleach, please just lop it.


• If you don't mind going in for a trim every few weeks and is the type to stick with a style for a long time, you should go for it. The growing out phase is tedious/hideous.


• If you think you have the wrong face shape or even body shape for a pixie, stop! There is always going to be a variation on the cut which will flatter you or make you happy.


• If you constantly hide behind your hair and have played it safe, never going to the hair salon, never doing much for your hair besides washing it, and everything is getting nappy ratty ratchet tangles up in that weave gurllll you need a hair intervention, stat!

All of the above was me, and I've never been happier with a haircut before in my life. Even with short hair, I'll still have the liberty to dye and style any way I want. About 6 hours ago, my hair was down to the middle of my back. Now, it's barely fitting into my fingers. I can't run anything through the back, and the front resembles short bangs. I walked into the closest salon with the best reviews on Yelp (rightly so, I'll tell you why in a bit) and asked for a pixie. Now, I feel liberated. You can see the cut on the side panel in my Instagram account.

The salon I went to is a cute little boutique store with very reasonable pricing and excellent service. Martha at The Pink Door Salon in Garden Grove was a Michelangelo in sculpting out the shape and texture of my pixie without compromising the integrity of my hair or trying to morph its texture into something else.  She spent over two hours working with my layers and lengths to get me to the style I wanted. I have two very stubborn cowlicks that would frustrate the hell out of any one else, but Martha just worked her magic on me.

She's also sort of my hairdresser crush. 

• She knows her skills. If you want a certain haircut, you had better know what you want because she will get into details on what she will do to your hair and promptly start on it. Those shears going across your ponytail is very real. Very real.


• She keeps the conversation hilarious and lively without being too chatty or faux-friendly. I get to just sit back and watch the master at work when I want to just relax.


• She's more than happy to share with you how to recreate the style at home and wanted me to leave with something I could work with every day.

Basically, she's like the guardian of my hair from now on, and she's only ten minutes away. Check them out on Yelp if you have a chance, I seriously can't say enough good things about my experience or the people who work there.

And you know really validated my decision to go short, the fact that the salon has asked me to model my hair for them for an event that they're hosting, with cut and color on the house! Hair model? Really? I would've laughed if you took my over-processed hair and told me it was hair model worthy. With my short haircut, I feel chic, elegant, cute, classy, professional, grown up, and playfully young all at the same time. The only adjective to describe my old hair style was long. And how did it make me feel? Like I was hiding my confidence behind it the whole entire time.

Be

Review | Maybelline Eye Studio in Copper Chic

I am not a drugstore eyeshadow person. When I walk by drugstore counters, my eyes automatically look for mascaras, foundation, and lipsticks, simply because the packaging for eyeshadows tend to be so cheap. In high school, a close friend used drugstore shadow quads and I always felt like they were too sheer or too chunky in the glitter department. The snob in me doesn't appreciate plastic caps that snap off when dropped.

However, after a few reviews on YouTube complimenting these Maybelline quads for their buttery texture, I figure it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. I picked mine up at Wal-Mart for $7.41 (so precise) but I believe they are below $10 at most stores.

Swatches: Refer to pictures below. These are taken under natural lighting indoors (oxymoron, but I have a skylight).

Packaging: First I like how these include four shades (and a cursed foam applicator) for portability. From left to right, you have just enough colors to create two or three eye looks with dimension. For seven bucks, a mirror is too much of a demand, I guess.

Color: As I'm drawn to neutrals, I really enjoy the colors of the quad because they are not too cool or warm. The highlight shade is very subtle despite how it looks it the pan. The darkest color, a mauve-y warm burgundy, is not too dark for a daylight look. They are all sparkly (figures) rather than matte but not garish.

The payoff is noticeable and not shabby at all for a drugstore formula. The only problem is making these last, but a primer held them up for 4 hours and some fading after that mark.

Application: These do much better patted on in a precise manner and then blended out with a separate brush. They are liable to fly everywhere and cause fall-outs if you pack it directly onto a blending brush and go straight for the lids. In this respect the small foam applicator actually works well for inner corners and creases.

Overall, despite the cheap packaging, these are a step up from the drugstore eyeshadows I remember and abhor. I still wouldn't purchase another quad just for the hell of it, but if you're on a budget or want to add some shadows into your collection without breaking the bank, you can definitely rely on these.

Be

Review| L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extension mascara in Waterproof Black

I am always on a quest for new wonder-mascaras, and as we all know, the drugstore actually has some great mascaras on par with high end brands. For me, a lengthening mascara that holds a curl and doesn't smudge takes the cake. Though I already have many great mascaras in my arsenal, I'm always looking for something that lengthens even more than it gives volume. I was a little wary of this, since my last rendezvous with the Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara left me depressed and disappointed. While Maybelline's The Rocket and Falsies are both very well made and frugal choices, I needed something that would let me forego wearing false lashes. I picked this baby up for $7.97 at Wal-Mart. You can find it at a local drugstore or Ulta.



The packaging is rather cute and whimsical. It looks like a tiny telescope. I'm not sure what the connection is with telescopes and eyelashes, but I'll go with it. Thinking about it, the name of this mascara is apt. The extension it gives to my lashes are indeed shocking, as is the amount of pain you receive if you accidentally poke yourself in the eye. One shaky hand movement and it feels like a thousand porcupine quills into the eyeball. This is why I was so in hate with the LashBlast mascaras hyped over years ago. It was big and dangerous, a bad combination especially for anything going near your eye. (Wow, that sounded almost dirty..)



The wand itself is a skinny plastic brush with tiny little teeth, meaning you can also use it for bottom lashes for a doe-eye effect. Tiny little teeth grab onto the lashes and create false length when pulled upwards. It is also curved to the shape of your eyelid for easy application. The long and small brush also means I can reach into my inner eye corner and pull the lashes out.

The mascara liquid is thin but not watery and can be layered when wet. It is a little wetter than my Definicils but because of this, does a much better job of layering even when dry. I pull from root to tip without much wiggling of the wand, since I'm not trying to build volume. Of course, this doesn't clump unless you're over-eager and try to layer on five coats at once. It's better to just coax the length out at the very tip once you give everything the once-over.

The result is a very long lashed look that doesn't flake (like many fiber based mascara formulations) or smudge onto my undereye (like many cheap mascaras). If I'm feeling industrious, I like to curl before and after this mascara. If not, a light layer opens up my eyes in the morning. I think I will be holding onto this mascara and getting much more use out of it than any other one in my stash.

So, what do you think? Is this a drugstore treasure that I'm late to jump onto the bandwagon with?

Be

Favorites| August 2013

Phew, it's been a long long month of moving, job hunting, and generally sweating under the unbearable LA sun! Have I gotten the point across yet by now? It feels like I'm in the Devil's armpits 24/7. I can't eat, because digesting food makes me sweat. I can't sleep without sticking onto the sheets. Driving around town feels like a half-marathon. No wonder the Vietnamese people here (no racist, I live smack in Little Saigon) feel so at home, it's just as humid!

After the initial period of minimalist makeup, I was finally (happily) reunited with my extensive makeup stash and also found a few new favorites to share with you. With further ado, let's get into it! These are the products I have been using and abusing for the past month, but I have many other products on rotation. I just hope that this is the last heat wave before autumn comes. I'm looking forward to hot chocolate, knee high socks, and military jackets.

From left to right:

Anastasia Brow Gel in Espresso- Wow, and I thought the Brow Wiz was ingenious. This gel takes my natural brows to Cara Delevigne status without looking like a poser. The formula adheres onto my skinny brow hairs and makes them look voluminous. Is that a term one should ever use to describe brows? It doesn't help with my nonexistent tail, but for a natural look this is no-fuss. It also makes straight brows a breeze. You can also use just the tip for the end of the tail or front of the brows for more precision. Espresso is a good match for my dark brown hair. I match this with the Wiz (for the tail and outline) for extra #browsonpoint points.

NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli- My interview foundation, and my new Holy Grail. This is, for me, a full coverage and long wearing foundation with excellent color match and a beautiful semi-matte finish. Perfection. Overpriced, but perfection. I will do a review on this very soon. It is so beautiful I want to throw away all of my other foundations and use it exclusively until the day I die. But that's not savvy.

Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector SPF 42- This is perfect for the face. The runny -almost watery- consistency means that it does not ball or pill under makeup and never leaves a white cast. It also reapplies easily without smearing your makeup (or what's left of it after you've been outside sweating like a whore in church). I would repurchase again and again, after so many stints with drugstore cake batter sunscreen that suffocates the face but claims to be "lightweight." Yeah right. Especially Neutrogena. Yes, you.

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Face Lotion- Speaking of Neutrogena, they got this one right. I no longer use a moisturizing night cream but opt for this instead. It's a lightweight oil-control lotion that has 2% salicylic acid (or BHA for getting rid of your white and blackheads, ladies) and isn't drying at the least. I do alternate with a brightening serum, but this is my go-to product for most nights. I had a new island zit form on my chin the other day (I'm talking own zip code and post office here) and this took down the redness and size in 3 days. Not miraculous, but the zit never came through to become a whitehead. I hear this is discontinued, but I got mine on EBay. Seriously, this is the cheapest face treatment for my blackheads that I've ever found.

Real Techniques Powder Brush + MAC Studio Fix- My lazy day combination. I'm finally tan again, enough for the Studio Fix (shade C5). The powder brush is dense enough to provide medium coverage without overcaking. The best part about this powder is its oil control. It also plays nice with liquid foundation underneath if I want extra coverage for night time. I take the powder brush and pat into my T-zone rather than use a sweeping motion. Note how well the brush has held up even under the mighty jaws of my evil canine son Beau. Grrrr...

Tweezerman Eyelash Curler- After wandering like a lost soul when I found out the Shu Uemura lash curler (notoriously good for Asian lashes) was discontinued in Sephora, I got this in hopes of replacing the holy grail I never found. This blows my old Sephora AND Shiseido curler out of the water. It grabs onto every single lash without crimping or pulling, or worse, pinching. I love how it also came with replacement rubber pads. I don't go a day without curling my lashes now. Before, I was lucky to fit five lashes into the jaws. Plus, I hear that if you do it every day you can train your lashes to curl. The trick with lash curlers and hooded eyes like mine is to relax your face and breathe through it, much like labor contractions or trying on heels.

I do need to find a place to photograph my products that captures the natural light inside the house but not my vagabond pups and their hairy mess. It's frustrating when you don't live in a Pottery Barn home design. I'll try my best to get better photo settings for you guys :)

Well, that's it for now. Bye!

Be

First Look | Hot Off the Press (Marc Jacobs, Urban Decay Revolution, NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation, LORAC Pro To Go)

With some help from a Groupon gift card (should have bought one more with the husband's account...) and some thorough research, I was able to locate my local Sephora. Sadly, this one is located within a JCPenneys and has some major restrictions. Including the fact that I have to personally call Sephora to add the points to my VIB account. Sigh, first world problems.

First, I made sure to haul a few good things that I already know I love, aka UD's Revolution lipsticks, this time in two shades:

• Fiend is a muted rose color that translates to a MLBB color. I am not a fan of layering on lip products that have no real color payoff, but this color gives my pout a nice sheen and a rosy color.


• Catfight is a pink-fuchsia with slight red undertones. This means that it's a little punchier than Anarchy and perhaps more classy, too. I would love to rock this into the fall season.

But really, I'm just collecting all of the colors slowly and surely at this point. Don't mind me. Again, these retail for $22 dollars each.

         

Second, I picked up two things from Marc Jacobs' line: a nail polish ($18 retail)  and lip balm ($22 retail). Because I already have cult favorites in other brands, I figure I should expand my horizons and try some things I usually do not splurge on.

• The Enamored Hi-Shine Lacquer in 134 Lola seems like a bright red that isn't too vampy or teeny-bopper. I don't like dark gothic reds on the nails. It may have a slight pink undertone.


• The Lip Lock Moisture Balm is raved about by Fashionista804 and I am always looking for something to fix my chapped lips. It is rather overpriced, but since I can't even finish a cheapie lip balm (they end up  fossilizing into dinosaur eggs) I figure this may be a good investment.

I also picked up the new NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation in Stromboli/Medium 3 ($38 retail excluding the compact). I have seen way too many blogger promotions to not try this out for myself. I have been fearing liquid foundations in this heat and hope that a lighter layer of cream foundation does a better job in regards to coverage and staying power. I'm also surprised that Stromboli is a better match than Punjab, and with 22 shades to choose from I had fun swatching while the reps glared. Hehe.



Finally, the main reason of my adventure was to find the new LORAC PRO To Go Palette ($38 retail). I own and love the original LORAC Pro, and this portable little guy also has cheek products. I'm all for low maintenance 2-in-1's and portable packaging especially when it comes to traveling. I'm willing to bet that the consistency of the eyeshadows is smooth like butter and that the cheek colors will be universally flattering.

Now, time for me to go cry tears into my bank account in hopes of replenishing my funds. Actually, I have a few interviews lined up for next week, and I'm really excited to show off my chops. Can't collect makeup and buy groceries at the same time without a job, now can I?

Bye bye for now, make sure to watch out for reviews to come within these next two weeks for these items, excluding the NARS Cream Compact. I will need more time to see if that little guy brings his awkward third wheel friend "Cystic Acne" along.

Be