Makeup look #1: Champagne + Green

This is my very first 'makeup tutorial' here.  I was thinking about how I should do it.  I was playing around with the colours and this is what I came up with.  A very subtle look, not dramatic at all.

This is a champagne + green look that I've smoked out with a hint of black.

First I moisturized my face with a light oil-free moisturizer that I only use in the summer because I do sweat quite a bit on warm summer days.

Next, I applied a little amount of Smashbox PhotoFinish Primer all over my face.  I don't use foundation anymore, so my foundation primer is actually for my concealer to stick on longer throughout the day.

Then I applied my favorite concealer - Amazing Cosmetics Concealer in Medium Beige (light).

I evenly distributed and blended out the concealer.

Next, I primed my eye lids with MAC's Painterly Paint Pot.

I applied a champagne color on the inner one-half of my eye lids.

I patted on a green color by MAC in Newly Minted in the outer one-half of my eye lids.  This is a discontinued color.  It is fine if the color is patted on with too much pigment because I'm going to blend it out with a blending brush.

Then I applied a hint of matte black color - by NARS - on my outer V of the eye lids.

Finally, I blended it out with a blending brush.

Reapply the green eye shadow if necessary.  I lined my upper eye with a slight angle using my black eyeliner by Makeup Forever and liner brush.

My last step is to curl my eyelashes and apply mascara.

Now here's the whole face look.

A little about myself

I was sitting at my bedroom desk, thinking that maybe I should update my 'About me' section.  Here's a little something about me:


I love shopping. From shopping for clothes, shoes, cosmetics, skincare to furniture (I know this is random) and even electronics (weird eh? LOL!).  I did and still own a Game Gear (you know what I'm talking about if you were born in the 80s), the Famicon Disk System by Nintendo (it was red/maroon and white), Nintendo, Super Nintendo, the original black and white Nintendo Game Boy, Game Boy Advance SP, Tamagotchi, POGs, Furby, Barbies and Polly Pockets.  I remember I used to come back from school and play Mario Kart with my brother. LOL!!


Anyways, I have def grown out of playing games.  I can get tired of computer games very easily.  =)  I've never been a fan of Sims or any role playing games and I still don't understand why it was so popular.  =\

AE jeans + mini LUSH haul

I went Markville Mall today with my best friend from university and was intentionally shopping for a pair of jeans.  We walked into AE because she said AE was having some sort of sale on their capris, so I thought I'd get a pair.  But instead, I found myself a pair of slim boot cut jeans.  I was contemplating whether I should get it - thinking they were just $29.95 - I wasn't too sure since I wasn't too fond on the wash.  The tag was ripped off so I asked the cash to check the price and they were actually $19.95! =) So yes, I bought them.  Now that I'm home, staring at my jeans, I'm starting to think the wash is too light for my liking.  So I started thinking that maybe - just mayyybe - I can dye them.  Risky eh? Considering I've never dyed my clothes before so I'm going decide for a few more days before making the final decision.

Just before leaving Markville Mall, I went into Lush and picked up these 2 items - Emotibomb in Sex in the Shower (left; $4.50 CAD) and Body Butter in Buffy (right; $11.95 CAD).  I haven't used them yet.  Probably will use them tmrw.

Oh, the sales gave me a Shower Gel in Grass.  It actually smells like grass to me =\ .  *meh* I'm not much of a grass person. 

I'm contemplating on....

I'm contemplating whether I should try out the Smashbox PhotoFinish Foundation primer in Color Adjust or not.  I've been using Smashbox PhotoFinish Foundation Oil-Free primer for quite sometime, on and off actually, and I find that it works well on me.  I don't really use foundation anymore and that's because I don't need much coverage.  I just use my concealer and set it with face powder.  The thing about my skin is the little red blood vessels on my cheeks.  It doesn't bother me a lot, but I'd prefer that I didn't have any or be able to conceal them.  So I'm thinking about trying the Smashbox primer in Color Adjust.  I mean, the best way to cover up my blood vessels is to use concealer.  And I've been successfully covering up my blood vessels using the Oil-free primer + Amazing concealer (it actually is amazing by the way).  But there are days when I'm too lazy to pack on so much stuff on my face so I want something - i.e. green primer - to help reduce the redness. Hmmm. I'm probably dropping by Sephora tomorrow to pick one up.

Pore-reducing Home Remedy

I just tried out this home remedy that I googled a few days ago.  It's lemon juice + cucumber juice + a little water to dilute the acidity of the lemon juice.  It was actually suppose to be rose water, but I don't have roses on hand to make rose water so I had to substitute it with just water.  I googled what are the benefits of rose water and I read some info that rose water is suppose to give you a better complexion and act like a toner, give you a brighter complexion, etc etc.  So anyways what I did was, I used a facial sauna to steam my face - this open my pores - until my face was dripping with sweat.  Then I took a facial mask cloth, soaked it in my "lemon + cucumber juice + water" formula and placed it on my face for a good 10 min.  Cleansed my face after 10 mins and applied my moisturizer on.  I noticed the decrease in my pore size.

Plain Loop Earrings

I've always loved wearing loop earrings since my first pair that I got in grade 7.  I got my first pair from the Roots Canada store, but they've rusted and now they're lying somewhere in my drawers.  I'll probably have to clean my room soon and toss them out.  Anyways, I got a new pair from Shoppers Drug Mart - the ones that are non-allergic - for either $13.99 CAD.  My ears itch like CRAZY when I wear fake jewelery.  So I got these ones and they're not bad at all.  They're perfect size for me.

Review: Burt's Bees Sun Protecting Lip Balm with SPF 8

This is my very first Burt's Bee lip balm.  I've been using it for probably more than 6 months now.  When I first started using it, it rubbed off a white chalky, yet waxy, lip balm on my lips.  But apparently, it was because my Burt's Bee was a SPF one.  The original non-SPF ones don't do that.  After a few more uses, the chalkiness went away and you wouldn't notice it on my lips.  In terms of its effectiveness, I think it works well.  It feels different than Vaseline such that when you rub your lips together to evenly distribute the lip balm, I feel more 'friction' with the Burt's Bee than with the vaseline on my lips.  It's kind of weird to describe it like that but that's the best way I can describe what it feels like on my lips.  I guess this is because the content of Burt's Bee is beeswax and not petroleum jelly, so it feels drier.  What about its moisturizing effect? It is nourishing and hydrates my lips, but if I were to compare it to Vaseline, I think I'd choose Vaseline over Burt's Bee.  Personally, I find that Vaseline glides on my lips a lot more smoother than Burt's Bee.  Like it sits more comfortably on my lips than Burt's Bee.

Product: Burt's Bees Sun Protecting Lip Balm with SPF 8
Rating: 4 / 5

Pros:
- moisturizing
- convenient to carry around
- has spf 8
- pleasant smell


Cons:
- at first, the white chalkiness sort of bothered me but it went away after a few uses
- doesn't glide on to my lips that well, kind of feels like I'm tugging a little at my lips when I'm applying it

Review: Shiseido the Makeup Sheer Gloss Lipstick in S2 clear orange

So I bought this lipstick at the Shiseido Warehouse sale back in May.  The reason I bought this was because two ladies standing next to me were talking about it, saying something like it's so moisturizing and whatnot.  So I decided to give it a try.  And wow, it was moisturizing.  Why I think so? Well lately, I guess I've been too dehydrated from not drinking enough water so my lips had a few dry, dead skin cells hanging off my lips (I know sounds disgusting).  Anyways, I tried using Vaseline, but it wasn't doing much good.  I mean it helped a little but not a great improvement.  So I started using this lipstick and wow, I started seeing a change.  My lips were not only free of dry dead skin cells, they were more plump and glossy after each application.  And in terms of cons, I don't really like the colour I chose =( . It's a bit too bright and corally orange for me.  I find it enhances the appearance of my dark under eye circles.  It's kind of a waste that I use like a lip balm at home.  =\

Swatches:

Left = 1 swipe

Right = 2 swipes

Product: Shiseido the Makeup Sheer Gloss Lipstick in S2 Clear Orange

Rating: 4 / 5

Pros:

- moisturizing

- not a strong lipstick scent

- long-lasting

- glides on well

Cons:

- too bright for my skintone

Grilled seasoned salmon with salad

Haven't posted for a week in my beauty section =(.  So here it is.  I made another meal during my healthy eating week.  I made some salad using plain yogurt, lemon juice, romaine lettuce, chopped garlic, swiss cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and green + red pepper.  As for the salmon, I seasoned it using lemon juice, a little salt and Italian seasoning before putting it on the grill.  Mmmm yummy.

My healthy meals on Sunday

Brunch:
I slept-in on Sunday so I had a brunch instead.  I made my version of an omelet for brunch.  I make my omelet by mixing eggs, turkey breast, swiss cheese, oregano, salt and italian seasoning in a bowl, then stir-frying it.  As for drink, I just had a cup of green tea.

Dinner:
I made myself another seasoned grill chicken with an egg salad wrap.  I didn't make a grilled shrimp with salad since I already had a marinated piece of chicken breast sitting in my fridge so I just cooked it.  It was yummmmmy! =)

Review: Moroccanoil

I bought this Moroccanoil a week or two ago and have been using it since.  I wash my hair every other day and I find that it does do what it claims to do.  It claims to give you 'healthy, smooth and striking shiny hair'.  After washing my hair, I air-dry my hair and usually, my hair becomes pretty darn frizzy.  So after using this argan oil, I noticed my hair was much less frizzy and more smooth.  It didn't make my hair feel oily.  It was a very mild scent that doesn't stay in your hair.  I've def fell in love with this product.  I use a dime size amount for my 'a-little-longer-than-shoulder-length' hair and apply it first to my hair ends, then briefly run my fingers through the rest of my hair.  I find this way works the best because my scalp gets oily easily.  Therefore, amazing product! =)
I used to use the oil treatment by BioSilk Silk Therapy and I find that BioSilk smells nice but it makes my hair feel like oily.
I'm considering using their other products like hair restorative masks to see how well other products work.


Product: Moroccanoil Oil Treatment for all hair types
Rating: 5 / 5


Pros:
- non-greasy
- restored shine to my hair
- fixed my dry ends
- hair feels smooth
- not a strong scent 
- pleasant scent


Cons:
- none that I could find

Eating healthy means better skin

Lately, I've been healthy-conscious.  Basically watching what I eat.   I just finished my dinner. But man, did it take a long time to prepare.  I had chicken salad and it was pretty filling.  I marinated 4 pieces of chicken breast for 4 hours using lemon juice, italian seasoning, dried basal leaves, black pepper, garlic, and coarse salt.  Next, I started preparing my salad using romaine lettuce, lemon juice, red pepper, green pepper, tomato, a little bit of swiss cheese, a little bit of garlic and about 1 1/2 tbsp of plain yogurt.  Once I was done the salad, I put the chicken breast on the grill for about 12 mins and it was ready to be served.

So what's on the menu for tomorrow?
breakfast: turkey + swiss cheese omelet
lunch: egg salad
dinner: seasoned grilled shrimp + salad
snack: carrots and celery sticks (I thought I hated celery but I guess my taste buds have changed)

Why is it good that cleanser form foam

I learned this somewhere - don't remember - but forming foam when washing your face is a good thing because it means your dead skin cells are being removed.  Basically foam or the bubbles that form are composed of dead skin cells, debris and dirt.  It's just like when you use handsoap to wash your hands.  The more foam, the better. However, don't use handsoap to wash your face. Why? Because then you're dehydrating your face.  That is why you need to moisturize your hands after washing your hand with soap, otherwise your hands will feel rough.  Hand soap is a lot stronger (in terms of cleaning and removing moisture from your hands) than facial wash.  

Review: Olay Complete Lathering Cleanser

So I got this in the mail a while ago after signing up on PG Sampler pack website.  This sample pack is absolutely free.  I think it's their way of marketing and advertising.  Anyways, I've used it a few times when I hop into the shower.
What's good about it? It does clean my face, however, take in mind that I do use my Clarisonic. So if you don't have a Clarisonic, I'd recommend using a facial massaging brush.  I think this cleanser is another average cleanser.  It doesn't make me 'wow' after using it.
I have an oily nose and I always feel like my pores get clogged really easily.  I can feel the lumpiness on the sides of my nose filled with gunk.  After using this with my Clarisonic, my pores do feel a little unclogged but it's a semi-relieved feeling.
What's not so good about this? When lathering this product on my face, it forms very little foam.  And after using it, you don't get that feeling of tightness on your face so I really question the effectiveness of cleansing my face with this product.  Also, I don't get that soft  skin after-feeling.


Product: Olay Complete Lathering Cleanser
Rating: 1/5


Pros:
- Semi-cleans my face and unclogs my pores, not fully done


Cons:
- Doesn't leave my skin feeling soft
- No tightness of the face after using it
- Doesn't foam