Random Post: Nails, Alexander Wang, Paul Mitchell, and Kate Somerville

Hi Everyone! No real trend to where today's post is going but I wanted to share a few things...

Above, we have my nails for the past 2 weeks. On the left I have Nicole by OPI's Nothing Kimpares to Blue as a base and Sephora by OPI's "Indigo With the Flow" on my ring finger. I think this was such a fun and bright pairing! I quite enjoyed having a touch of pastel on my hands.

On the right we have a DIY french manicure which is a lot easier than you would expect. All you need is a bottle of acetone, white nail polish, a flat brush, and top coat! Step 1 is to apply 2 coats of white polish to the tips of your nails. Let them dry a little. Then dip your brush into the acetone and carefully remove the white polish, shaping it to the curve of your nails. The good thing here is that you can make the whites of your nails as thick or thin as you want. When you're done, simply apply your favorite top coat. I know this can be challenging and extremely time consuming at first but practice makes perfect!

Above we have my latest shampoo and conditioner purchase: Paul Mitchell's Moisture! My hairstylist uses this on me every time I pop in for a visit. Not only does it have a pleasant salon-like smell, it also gets the job done! My hair feels soft and silky smooth after every wash.

For those who are picky with this type of detail: this shampoo is a thin, clearish white formula and the conditioner treatment is cream-like. So if clear shampoos aren't your thing,go ahead and pass.

On an honest note, of the dozens of shampoo and conditioner duos I've tried in the past few months, this is perhaps the first that truly agrees with my hair (sad). If Pantene Pro-V is a shampoo/conditioner that works with your hair, consider trying this one (if you're bored). Both formulas work great on me!

Have any of you tried Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate? Maybe some of you had a different experience but I honestly can't believe it reviewed at 4.5 stars on Sephora. At $19, this product is meant to be used as an "at-home facial" of sorts but it definitely isn't for those with sensitive skin. The fact that the product squeezes out green isn't what bombed it for me but the fact that my skin burned within seconds of use. And then I debated. "Should I tough it out?" Eventually, some rational voice in my head reasoned that anything "burning" isn't a good sign so I quickly washed it off. Then I found my skin red and irritated. The only "glow" I received from this product wasn't a "healthy" one but one that looks to have stayed too long in a tanning bed. This might have worked for the majority of the 876 reviewers but sadly, not for me.

Now, Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Foundation. I had two samples in shade #60 Beige and #32 Beige Rose (sorry for the glare in the pic). There's something super classy and upscale about anything Chanel but with that, comes great expectations. I tested #32 Beige Rose to conclude that it provides light to medium coverage that's buildable (like many foundations). It blended nicely into my skin and lasted throughout the duration of my work day (8 hours give or take). I don't have any realqualms with this product but I think you can find a foundation that's comparable for less. My top recommendations for drug store would be: Revlon's Photoready Foundation. For higher-end, YSL's Teint Resist or Makeup Forever's Matte Velvet.

Lastly, we have my Alexander Wang "Rocco" Duffel with Rose Gold hardware. A birthday gift to myself and worth every penny. Pictures online don't do this justice. It doesn't wear like the non-impressive, horizontal cylinder that most websites promote it to look like. The shape of this bag quite closely resembles Louis Vuitton's Speedy but if you're interested in the Rocco bag, do your research! It wears extremely heavy due to the hardware but it's worth it to me.

Whew. Here's a ridiculously long post! And congrats if you made it through. :)

Birthday Love from My Sista!

I feel the need to share this because I'm so flattered by the gesture. My "sista," dear friend, and fellow blogger sent me a fabulously decorated package for my birthday! In addition, she also gave me a shout out on her blog. Beyond the written love fest, you can see how amazingly talented she is with her DIY jewelry! I always admire people who are so crafty and clever; maybe because I'm no where close to that. Regardless, thanks C! <3

Mitsuwa Haul!

Hi Everyone!

I was visiting California about a month ago and while meeting up with a friend in San Gabriel, I spotted a Mitsuwa! From the outside, Mitsuwa is an asian grocery store but what you may or may not know is that they have a huge selection of asian beauty products! So I went a little a crazy, bought of ton of things, and here's my review:



Mitsuwa Products :: Skipping the review on SARA's Exfoliant bc I gave it to my Mom :)


Beginning from the top, I bought the White Line facial cleanser, eye cream, and moisturizer from Cosmo Products. The facial cleanser is unscented and the product squeezes out opaque. Your skin also feels tight after washing; similar to Shiseido's White Lucent Line or Ponds Whitening Wash. Not a bad cleanser for a drug store price point but the only downside is that it doesn't remove makeup (unlike my beloved Aveeno face wash...).

Moving onto the eye cream that I've used on/off for a month now. Given that I use it more for preventative purposes and not looking for any miraculous results, it's decent. I haven't experienced irritation, nor have I seen my under eye area become any whiter or brighter. This is one of those middle of the road products -- not bad, but not great either.

Of Cosmo's White Line, my favorite product would be the moisturizer. I feel the need to throw caution to the wind because this is not your typical moisturizer. This moisturizer is extremely thick and creamy. The texture is almost glue-like and it can leave white residues on your skin due to it's whitening properties. Given that this doesn't sound pleasant at all, it's brilliant for very dry sky (especially during the winter); Just be sure to rub in the product, blending it into your skin

The remaining products are almost not worth mentioning. The brow pencil didn't glide on well, nor did it provide any color. The actual pencil was hard as if aged and overall not worth the effort. I should know by now to never deviate from my Smash Box Brow Tech....

The last two products are a jumbo shadow pencil and a "tattoo" liquid liner. The shadow pencil came in a very forgettable coppery brown shade. In addition, it's not the easiest item to maintain. The pencil is too large to fit in a regular sharpener so you would need a larger one. That compounded with "so so" color payout makes this item a fail. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if I even know where it is anymore...

The "Tattoo" liquid liner is worth the buy though. It's extremely similar to my current favorite: Physician's Formula's Eye Booster Liquid Liner. Within a week, I alternate between the two liners which is testament to how much I like it!

Finally, I picked up the 600 mL shampoo and conditioner from Shiseido. Ironically, I almost purchased both of these on Amazon the week before our California vacation so I was super excited to try these out. Both shampoo and conditioner have a very clean scent. I have no issues with the shampoo. I don't think it's better or worse than the Pantene Pro-V I was using prior to this but unfortunately, the conditioner falls short. I find the conditioner to not be as moisturizing as I need it to be; leaving my hair to be dry and brittle. I think this shampoo/conditioner duo is better suited for those with fine or oily hair.

Well, there's my review! Hope you enjoyed and I'll be back soon!

Worth the Hype? L'Oreal Infallible & Maybelline's Color Tattoo Shadows

*clap clap clap!* Give it up to drugstore brands making a strong effort to compete with high-end products! There's a ton of buzz surrounding L'Oreal's Infallible Shadows and Maybelline's Color Tattoo Shadows but do they really compare to high-end brands? Are they worth a try? Here's what I think...



#890 Bronzed Taupe


 

#888 Iced Latte

I picked up two Infallible Shadows from my local Ulta in #890 Bronzed Taupe and #888 Iced Latte. Bronzed Taupe is actually more of a rich coffee shade with flickers of gold that makes for a very pretty all-over lid color.

Iced Latte on the other hand is a glittery champagne color that's perfect for adding a little dimension to your everyday eye makeup. After a week or so of continuous use, I've concluded that these shadows are indeed buttery smooth, long-wearing, and extremely pigmented! Definitely comparable to the likes of Urban Decay, Too Faced, or Armani shadows. I highly, highly, highly, recommend these. One good swipe is all you need. Trust me.


Next up is I tried Maybelline's Color Tattoo Eye Shadow. I picked up #15 "Audacious Asphalt" which resembles a true gunmetal shade that's great for a non-traditional smokey eye.

Similar to the Infallible Shadows, the Color Tattoo line is also advertised to last 24 hours. The one major difference is that these shadows are of a cream consistency rather than powder. I've seen reviews saying that it's easier to apply this shadow with your fingers but I think a brush is still necessary to give you that nice clean edge.

Overall, this product stays put all day and offers buildable pigmentation. Might I also add that it didn't crease like many cream shadows do. Bravo! I would also recommend this product but if I had to choose, I would prefer the Infallible Shadows simply because I prefer a powder to a cream shadow.

#15 Audacious Asphalt

Hope this was helpful! Until next time...

Recent Beauty Hauls

Happy December everyone! I've been MIA for awhile but I'm back today to write about a few beauty items I've picked up recently.

misstking and I attended Sephora's VIB Holiday Shopping Event on November 10th. The event included a live dj, an array of chocolates, beauty samples galore, and most importantly... 20% off our entire purchase!

Here, I picked up the must-have perfume by Chloe, MUFE's Mat Velvet Foundation, and a new sharpener (below).

I've been waiting to rave about my Chloe perfume. I haven't found a perfume to die for in years. As juvenile as it may be, the only fragrance I've ever really "loved" was "Ralph" by Ralph Lauren; which I am reluctant to admit that I've been using since...oh, maybe high school. So, it was definitely time to invest in a "big girl" perfume. In my best explanation, this Chloe perfume is a delicate medley of musk and floral. 

Borghese Mud Mask and Zoya Mini Polish was acquired via BirchBox!

Neither ingredient overpowers the other. If you are someone who enjoys a fruitier scent, this may not be for you.

The next item I'm loving is MUFE's Mat Velvet Foundation. An associate at Sephora was nice enough to color match me and we landed on #45 which seems too dark for me in the bottle but upon application, matched perfectly! I've never been more happy with a foundation than this. This foundation provides medium coverage, and is easy to blend. It's mattifying properties are prevelant without muting the face. If you're someone with combination to oily skin who powders their face every so few hours, I'd definitely give this a try. Don't let the compact packaging fool you though; It holds just as much product as MAC foundations. Definitely worth every penny.

--Skipping my thoughts on the sharpener since I think you can find a good one just about anywhere. I just happened to pick one up from Sephora due to convenience.--

Upon my purchases, I also picked up Sephora's 500 Point Gift which included a Dior Charm Bracelet (below) and a Sephora Exclusive mini bottle of Dior's "Addict to Life" fragrance. This gift actually came at the most opportune time since I was actually contemplating picking up the "Addict to Life" fragrance prior to this.

Again, my best attempt to describe this fragrance is that it's a subtle, soft, alluring floral, making for a clean scent. A little also goes a long way with this. I've used it almost every other day and the bottle still looks full. Another definite repurchase once I'm done with this sample. Zero complaints about this gift with purchase!

Dior Charm Bracelet

This entry is getting a little lengthy, so till next time everyone! And don't forget to check out MissTKing's blog as well. :)

Discovering Bobbi Brown & Lancome Doll Lashes

It's been a minute since my last post but to be honest, I haven't purchased many "beauty" items recently. I guess I went on a mini detox but I'm back today with a quick update on my most recent Sephora purchases.



Up until 2 weeks ago, I was a virgin to Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. I'm not sure why I never caught interest in the line prior to it's introduction to Sephora stores. Even so! For months, I ghosted by Sephora's Bobbi Brown section but one random night on the internet changed all of that. I came across Michelle Money's (from The Bachelor & Bachelor Pad 2) beauty channel on YouTube. The video's aren't high quality nor are they on par with some of the other YouTube guru's but she's beautiful and so I watched; only to find the majority of the products highlighted were from Bobbi Brown. Well, curiousity sparked and I also ran out of bronzer. I'm lying, of course. Anyway...

I picked up Bobbi Brown's Bronzer in "Medium" and brightening gloss in "Popsicle." Could I have skipped on the bronzer? Yes. Is it because I have a few hundred other unfinished bronzers laying around? Maybe. But I also think NYC's Bronzer in "Sunny" is comparable. It's not as pigmented. Maybe a tad more orange. But also $3. Can you beat that? Certainly not. I still want to give props to Bobbi Brown though because I don't regret this purchase. The "Medium" shade is beautiful. It has a wonderful color pay out, applies matte, and matches me well. A little product also goes a long way. For those MAC enthusiasts, I'm about an NC35 at the moment.

Bronzer ramblings aside, Bobbi Brown's Brightening Gloss is fabulous! It's not flavored or scented; which is good (in my opinion) only because some products try so hard to either taste good or smell good. It all becomes slightly nauseating after awhile. In addition, this gloss has great staying power and adds a slight tint to your lips. Do I look like I just ate "Popsicle" after applying this gloss? Yes. But it's still very natural and great for everyday wear. If you're curious, I'd say go ahead and try it.

The last item I purchased was Lancome's Doll Lashes. Ugh! Did Lancome promote the crap out of this product or what? But shame on me for not being able to resist hardcore advertising and taking the plunge. Though I prefer the narrowed cone shape wand better than Lancome's Hypnose Drama Mascara, I don't find the Doll Lash formula to be better. The formula is more wet and heavy. Consequentially, my lashes fall flat. Doll lash fail. I would say that if your lashes are naturally longer, this would definitely work for you but those of you with short lashes, beware.

Hidden TJ Maxx Finds!



I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was busy, busy, busy. But in between family, friends, lunch dates, and dinner plans, I was able to slip away to do a little shopping. What I found was a beautiful pair of Steve Madden Leopard Oxfords! Let me first backtrack a little to give you a little background info.

It all started when I  received a Nordstrom's catalogue in the mail at the start of the weekend and spotted a smart pair of oxfords (below) by "Steven by Steve Madden." The pair displayed in the catalogue was rhinestone studded, and valued at $150 - not exactly your most practical shoe. But then I thought: maybe I could find it cheaper elsewhere.

After a little research on the Steve Madden website, I was able to track down the same shoe in different prints. Sadly, even the oxfords (sans rhinestones) were priced at $120 (below); still making them impractical and just another item to lust after. Right?

One of the shops that I randomly like to visit from time to time is TJ Maxx. Stores like these tend to either be a hit or miss given their random inventory but it's a great way to find designer items for less.

Given my less than spectacular storytelling, I'm sure you all know where this story is headed. I'll continue anyway. While perusing the shoe aisle, I came across the pair of Oxfords that I saw on the website for only $49.99! Yes, I almost burst with happiness. So, if I used my college degree correctly, that's about a 40% discount. Yippee! So this must be what smart shopping is all about! *pats back* I'm now fully ready to tackle the fall season.



"Madee" Oxfords Up Close