Today's Make Up: That "Punk" Is "Toasted"

Hello Thursday all! I am back today! Did y'all miss me the last two days? :D LOL. Well, I am back today, only for a brief moment though because I gotta bounce in a few.

My poor baby cousin was admitted to the hospital yesterday with high fever and was belatedly diagnosed today with Kawasaki disease. Sigh... seeing him in this condition just breaks my heart. :( No child, EVER, should be going through this much pain and discomfort.

Well, here are the simple makeup on the face today. Bare faced with just concealer for the under eyes, neutral eyes with a pop of green and orange, coral lips.

Manicure Monday: Spring Pastels

Monday greetings lovely Spring flowers. I hope you all had a terrific weekend, enough terrificness to carry over to combat this Monday blue. Those four days after the weekend is always the hardest to get through, but I'm sure we can make it. Right guys? Right!

For those who aren't already aware, Spring officially begun on March 20th, a mere three days ago. When Spring is mentioned, pastels automatically jump into mind. For me at least. :) Although I don't necessarily follow the "only wear dark shades" during the Fall/Winter, I still do look forward to Spring/Summer to finally rightfully sport pastels and bright neons. And that is just what I did this week. I've been sporting dark colors way too often lately so it is definitely time.

SPRING IS HERE, SO LET'S BRING ON THE PASTELS!

Today's Make Up: Green, Green, Greeeeen

Happy St. Patrick's Day all!! Did y'all remember to get your green on? Hopefully you did or you've probably been pinched all day.

Soooo kinda off topic but this is like day 3 since I've come down with the stomach flu, NOT FUN! So basically I sported green eyes to visit the various doctors today. LOL. I'm glad the nurses appreciated my spirit.

I'll just list off the products I used today and keep it short. Having TOM visit along with the tummy flu is NOT the least bit fun.. :( I just wanna lay flat on my tummy all day and binge on Netflix. Can't I??? :'(

FACE
Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette in Hidden Agenda
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny

EYES
NYX HD Eyeshadow Base in ESB04
Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters in Matte Cream/Luminous Lift
Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in I Dream Of Greenie
Wet N Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in Brown
Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara

LIPS
the Balm Stainiac in Beauty Queen
Wet N Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Think Pink

Y'all have a great day okay? If anyone is going out to parties tonight, please be careful and stay safe! Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading. Come back soon. :)

Manicure Monday: Green for St. Patrick's Day

Happy early St. Patrick's Day! :) It is actually tomorrow, but what the hey, I'll greet y'all again tomorrow. It it Monday again, so you lovelies already know what kinda post this is gonna be; put two and two together and we have a manicure post inspired by St. Paddy's Day!

Quick! From the top of your head, name a few things that comes to mind when I say the words "St. Patrick's Day". Annnnd GO!

Tic....toc...tic...toc...

Okay, so some of the things that immediately comes to mind are green, gold, pots of gold, leprechauns, the Irish flag, clovers... Those were mine. With that said, I'm pretty sure you can already guess a few things about today's manicure.

Well, I won't keep y'all waiting. :P My 2015 St. Patrick's Day inspired manicure!

Manicure Monday: Sapphire Siren

Monday greetings you lovely people! :) I hope you all had a terrific weekend. Oh glorious weekend came and left like a whirlwind, and here we are back at Monday once again. But fret not, we are only four days away from the next weekend. LOL.

When Monday rolls around, basically the only reason that makes Monday manageable is that I get to switch up my manicure for the week. Yay for keeping it consistent!

Winter is nearing the end and this week's dark color is a farewell gesture. Technically Spring will not start until the 21st of March, but considering how next week is St. Patrick's Day, my nails will have something to do with that. After that, bring in the pretty pastels and lively vibrants because Spring will be in full Spring. Who is excited??

Sunday Mask: DIY Strawberry, Honey Mask

Hello Sunday everyone! Welcome back again for another DIY mask recipe. This week, our main ingredient are strawberries. Mmhmm, yummy. My Mom went to Sprouts Farmers' Market and bought some fresh, juicy, ripe strawberries. I was snacking on this all weekend but there are still some left so I decided to make a mask out of it.

Strawberries are currently in season so this is definitely the best time to do masks as such  because you're totally ensured that you'll get 100% out of the fruit. Strawberries are packed with Vitamin C, salicylic acid, antioxidants, alpha hydroxy acids and ellagic acids. Such properties helps with the immune system if orally ingested and the skin if applied, either with the juice or the whole fruit. Strawberries may help with slight hyper pigmentation, acne, puffiness under the eyes and an overall excellent exfoliant among others.

DIY STRAWBERRY MASK

What you'll need:
- 8 - 9 fresh, ripe Strawberries
- 3 tablespoons of Honey
- 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional)
- 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice (optional)

Today's Make Up: "Eye on Neutral" for the "Beauty Queen"

Hello, hello Saturday my lovely readers! Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend by far. It is always the same with me, always be busy, busy with something. This week, we have an extravagant birth party for my baby cousin, she turns two! I'm not sure if I should look forward to it or not, cause ya know, the terrible twos stage. *shiver*

Her mom, my aunt even flew back from Nebraska for the event. So yeah, it will be huge. As is with all Asian events, we do things ourselves. LOL. All the women gather and lend a helping hand. I was sucked into it, obviously. So yes, this is my life story for today.

On the bright side though, there are abundant amount of food just waiting to be devoured later. It is seriously so hard to diet being apart of this family.. Controlling oneself is already a challenge around here. Haha.

But yeah, full face of makeup for today. Something comfortable and low maintenance, something like a BB Cream, nude eyes and rosy, neutral lips.

Midweek Update: Harem by Illamasqua

Happy Thursday everyone! :)

I want to give y'all a quick update regarding my manicure this week. If you're just joining us, welcome! To bring you up to date, last Monday, I had used a Nail Varnish by Illamasqua called Harem, a beautiful creamy lilac shade, perfect for Spring.

You can read all about here, which is basically my first impression of the brand and how I liked it. Lemme just say, it didn't impress me then and there.

Comes to this past Monday, my manicure was still in pristine condition. Needless to say, I had quite a few praises for this nail color.

As you can see, for a old week old manicure, that is pretty impressive. Shine was still there, hardly any chips. You can read about how I changed my opinion about Illamasqua here.

But, what happens when that one week mark passes? Will the manicure still be in great condition? Or will it start to deteriorate that makes me wish I had done a new manicure on Monday? Hmmm.

Today’s Make Up: Sea Sprite

Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well this terrific Tuesday. Yeah.. Can you believe that? We're three days from the weekend, but don't blink or it will surely pop up out of no where. It's like the older you get, the faster time seems to go by. I remember when I was in elementary school, a day could NOT drag by any slower. Tsk tsk...

Arizona has a 60% chance of rain today, and not just rain but thunderstorm with high winds and all that good stuff. At the moment though, no more rain, just very, very cloudy skies, dark clouds and very humid. I really shouldn't go anywhere today but I dreamt of my Grandma last night. Maybe she's lonely out there by herself... So I decided to go visit her today. I spent some time out there just talking to her, filling her in on what's happening. I think she's happy there, resting next to her husband. She's resting in peace now. I miss her and not a day goes by that I don't think about her; I just can't believe it's been 6 months already.

I did some lazy makeup today since I didn't really want to do full out makeup. I didn't want my efforts to go to waste if I were to be caught in the rain. I haven't used any of my Maybelline Eye Studio quads in the longest while so I thought I should give them a go today. I wanted something bright and whilst going through my drawers, Sea Sprite caught my eyes.

Manicure Monday: Harem by Illamasqua One Week Update

Hey, hey, heeeeeeey you lovely gals (and guys). :) What a lovely way to start off the week, with rain, lots and lots of rain all day. I love it so much! Downside to all this rain is I am way too lazy to get out of the house. It's okay, I'm good at improvisation, I have plenty of ish to do staying in as well. So that was pretty much my day, stayed in, sipping on hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows, can't forget the marshmallows. :P Heehee. Uhhh... what now? Oh yeah, not all about sipping hot cocoa, I did work too, boring stuff. Mehh, like cleaned my brushes, dusted, cleaned and reorganized the makeup room. I also cleaned out my makeup, threw out the old ones and wiped down the ones I kept. Overall, it was a very productive day. I am kinda hoping it'll rain again tomorrow so I can have a reason to stay in to finish up, but let there be sun on Wednesday so I can head out for errands.

Anyways, new week usually means new manicure, however, I'm sure y'all read that biggo title up there stating that this is an update post. Haha. So yes, I am reporting back here with one week nails, using Illamasqua Nail Varnish.

Remember my manicure from last week? No? Not a problem, lemme help you out.

But aren't you curious as to how one week nails without a top coat would look like?

Sunday Mask: DIY Banana Mask

Hello Sunday all! Is it just me or did the weekend just kinda sprinted through without us even realizing it? Anyone else or just me? Like seriously, I woke up today and was genuinely surprised because it is Sunday. Where on Earth did my Saturday go?? No used in fretting about it... We shall meet again soon my dear Saturday. We shall...

Well it IS Sunday, so y'all already know what that means! Another fun, Sunday mask recipe. :D So tell me, how many of you just happens to have a banana laying around in the kitchen? Well, that is the first ingredient in today's recipe.

The vitamins in bananas are known to improve complexion and even smooth wrinkles when applied directly to the skin. Eating bananas is also a great way to beautify as the vitamins C and B6, manganese and water improve your complexion from the inside out.

While the banana helps nourish the skin, the honey absorbs and retains moisture, hydrating the skin and enhancing your natural glow. Lastly, a touch of lemon juice exfoliates the skin, reducing the appearance of scars and acne, something I am in desperate need of!

BANANA, HONEY MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1 ripe, medium-sized banana
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Today's Make Up: "Lace" In "Anguilla"

It's Saturday guys, it's Saturday! What a glorious Saturday... What a busy day. :/ Only reason why I'm so excited is because it is the weekend, besides that, I'm so busy today. Gaaaaaaaaaaaawd. I cannot wait for dinner tonight. Me so hungry and haven't even had the time to eat yet.

Face is made today, completely made, the whole nine yards with foundation and blush and all that good stuff. I must say... I miss my hour long therapeutic makeup sessions a lot. I also miss the feeling of pampering myself  and dolling up.

Alrighty, so I woke up to gloomy, cloud weather today. Apparently the forecast predicted that Arizona, well, my area at least, will receive some rain today, tomorrow and Monday. Hmm, we shall see. Gimme all you've got rain! So why am I suddenly talking about the weather? Well, if you are a regular, you'll realize that I kinda base my makeup for the day on the weather. Dreary weathers like today calls for bright pick me uppers. The picker uppers in today's makeup mess are on my cheek and eyes. Babydoll pink cheeks, paired with sweet pink lips and subtle pop of colors on the eyes.

Today's Make Up: The "V.I.Pink" In The "Country Woods"

Well guys... We made it to Friday, alive, or barely. :D Haha. How are y'all doing today?

A quick make up session earlier today before I ran some errands throughout the day. Finally back home for a bit before I leave again, giving me some time to post about today's make up. Again, not much going on today as I didn't put on much. My face needs to breathe for another day because tomorrow is another important dinner and a full face of makeup will be necessary. Buuuut, that is tomorrow.

Simple bare face, natural defined eyes and lilac lips is the way to go today.

BH Cosmetics 10 Color Palette: Foundation/Concealer & Blush

Why hello, hello there my dear lovely readers. I hope you're all doing well today. Just one more day until the weekend guys, just ONE. More. Day. :D

Today, I bring y'all another mini-mini haul, some BH Cosmetics, a couple products I picked up from Hautelook some weeks ago. It actually arrived last Friday but I didn't get around to opening it until today. I have been trying to get my hands on these two items for as long as I can remember. They're both the 10 color palette, the first being the Professional Blush and the second being the Foundation & Concealer.

Even with constant sales and clearances going on on the BH Cosmetic sites, the events on Hautelook tends to be cheaper so I always look forward to the events to stock up. Unfortunately, I was always too late to pick these two palettes up as they are clearly very popular. I was able to snag the Foundation & Concealer Palette for $12 and the Blush for $7.50. Although BH Cosmetics aren't top of the line, they are still able to get the job done. You get what you pay for, but with BH Cosmetics, you get what you pay for, plus more.

I love palettes with large varieties like this because it is so convenient to travel with. I don't even need to pack a bunch of individual blushes because all I need is to throw this into my case and I am good to go. The case quality from BH isn't bad either. I won't need to worry about the case breaking off and the products getting everywhere. BH Cosmetics products are pretty reliable when it comes to being travel friendly. I plan on going on a one week cruise sometime next year and I am thinking about bringing this blush palette along with my the Balm How About Them Apples? cream palette. Two palettes that wouldn't take up much room and I'll have all the shade ranges and finishes I need.

Check out the two palettes below. :P

First off, the Professional Blush Palette. As previously mentioned, the palette includes 10 shades that ranges from neutral to vibrant, matte to shimmer. These blushes are in powder form so don't be confused that it might be a cream even though it comes in a palette as such.

As you can see, the 10 shades are dramatically different in ranges. Top left and top right can be worn as a bronzer for me because I have fair skin but for anyone with darker skin, I think it would look gorgeous as a blush. In contrast, the second shade from top left is so light, I might be able to use it as a highlight instead.

My automatic favorites has to be the top row, third one over and bottom row, first and fourth ones. I just absolutely love pink blushes, they're just so natural and cute. But of course, the corals and oranges are beautiful as well, perfect the heated Summer that is to come.

I will not swatch them yet because with 10 shades, I don't even know if I have enough room on my arms to swatch, but I will swatch as I use them for y'all.

And second, the Foundation & Concealer Palette. Like the Professional Blush Palette, this palette also consists of 10 colors. The shades ranges from the fairest to the darkest with both warm and cool undertones. Unlike the Blush Palette, this palette are cream products.

The beauty of a concealer palette with variety is that you can mix and blend the shades to create new ones. If these concealers are anything I've tried from BH before, they should be buildable, so you can build up the coverage to your desire.

I have always been on the lookout for a good cream highlight and bronzer. I wanted to try out that sculpted look that's been ever so popular nowadays but I didn't have any cream bronzer and highlight. This was the main reason why I had picked up this palette in the first place. I can use that ghostly fair shade up top as a highlight and the darker shades on the bottom as bronzer to sculpt my nose and cheekbones. Even if I wasn't going for that Kim K look, I still need a good cream product to contour my nose. I have been using only a powder, and yeah, it's working but by midday, the oil from my skin will kinda wash the powder away and I'll have to reapply. Hopefully with a cream base, I can eliminate that issue.

Another pro for having a concealer palette is the handiness when it comes to skin color changes from the seasons. Although I cannot tan for the life of me, even though I live in AZ; I'm the type that just turns lobster red, peel, and goes back to being fair as dough. I do however, get SOME color in the Summer months because during the Winter months, I do notice a change in color as I return to being super pale again. With that said, I do need a large range of concealers and foundations to match my ever changing skin. With a palette now, I can just mix and blend to my desire.

Again, I will not swatch these just yet. I will swatch them as I use them. If you're interested, please follow me on Instagram as I will most likely post the swatches and impression on there.

Thank you for dropping by to visit and thanks for reading. Y'all enjoy your night now. Please come back soon. :)

**All pics on today's blog are unfiltered to show the original shade and intensity**

Today's Make Up: "Raspberry Creme" Flavored Lollli Tint

Hey, hey, heeeey you beautiful ray of sunshine, you. :P How are y'all doing this Wednesday? Who's counting down to the weekend besides me? Haha. Always counting down, always.

It's been a while since I posted a Today's Make Up entry so here it is today. You will see that I did not have much on today, as it is the case lately. It's not like I dislike makeup now, or am too lazy to properly apply makeup... It's just I feel like my skin needs to breathe. It's been such a stressful couple of months and it definitely shows on my skin. Like I mentioned a couple days earlier, I have never seen this many pimples appear on my face at the same time. I am just using this opportunity to allow my skin to breathe, give it a break and learn to embrace my bare face.

Alrighty, the minimal products on the face today. *drum roll*

FACE
Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette in Hidden Agenda

EYES
Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eyeshadow in Ethereal
NYX The Curve in Black 
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in PerversionNYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Oyster
Maybelline The Mega Plush Volume Express Waterproof Mascara

LIPS
Benefit Lolli Tint
Lip Licious Lip Gloss in Raspberry Creme

The only reason why I even have concealer on is because these pimples and acne scabs and scars are an eyesore. It's like BAM, in your face. A little concealer never hurt. Mwahaha.

Another variation of my go to eye look. I used Ethereal all over my lids, lined my eyes with the handy Curve and tightlined my upper lash with Perversion. For an extra doe-eye oomph, I used Oyster on my inner corner of the lower lash line. Lastly, I coated my lower lashes with mascara. I haven't been curling or mascaraing my upper lashes as I've been trying to let them rest. They've become healthy and luscious again.

Then we got them lips. I first used Benefit Lolli Tint, applied two layers before I topped it off in a super shiny lip gloss. I know... I'm actually wearing lip gloss that isn't NYX Butter Gloss, weird. :P Haha. I believe I picked up this gloss at Bath and Body Works; it definitely isn't the most comfortable gloss I've worn, but also not the most uncomfortable either. I dislike the stickiness and thickness feel on my lips. I love the delicious flavor though. Mhmm.

Thaaaaaank you for visiting and thanks a bunches for reading. Y'all enjoy the rest of your day. Please come back soon. :)

The Creative Blogger Award

Hello all! I feel very honored to be nominated for yet another blog award, this time, for the Creative Blogger Award.

I would like to thank the ever wonderful Glam With Sam for this nomination. She has such a fun, quirky blog that I enjoy very much. Her reviews are ever so fun to read and very informative. Check her blog out! :P

The Rules

• Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify all nominees via their social media/blogs
• Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you (very important)
• Share 5 facts about yourself to your readers
• Pass these rules on to them

Five Facts About Me

1. Ever since I was born, I was given two legal names. The English name is for public use and the Vietnamese name is for home use. To this day, my friends call me by my English name, my family uses the Vietnamese name and my brother and cousins uses a nickname.

2. I am bilingual, other than English, I can fluently speak, write and read Vietnamese. As a matter of fact, Vietnamese was my first language. I did not learn a single word of English until I was mid-way through Kindergarten.

3. Pandas are my favorite animals, water lilies and lilies are my favorite flowers, magnolia is my favorite tree and my favorite type of weather are dark, cloudy, rainy days.

4. I am a dog person; cat scares me. I absolutely adore medium-large breed dogs. Siberian Husky, Korean Jindo, Shiba Inu, Phu Quoc Ridgebacks, German Shepherds are amongst the breeds I wish to own in the future.

5. I have severe motion sickness. Traveling in the car for more than an hour is hell for me. In the case of traveling for long distances by car, I need to get out and stretch every once in a while. I do not get carsick if I drive but I dislike driving so.. Haha. However, as sick as I get, I still do like road trips a lot. I absolutely love that 6 hour drive from AZ to Cali, pure bliss.

The Nominees Are....

• wndrlnds
• Bonellie Beauty
• glitterandgloss
• MissTrinaBina
• Glowing Doll
• Say Hello To Gorgeous
• Polished By Amy
• Beauty And The Cat
• with Tinu
• ellekae
• The World Of Cos
• Megan Has OCD
• Dorkchops
• PoppysConstellations
• Fashion Food Soul
• Toast the Girl Almighty

**Ladies, I am aware that some of you are probably nominated already but just do another one. The requirements of 5 facts isn't at all lengthy, it'll be fun to share more facts about y'all to your readers. :D

Check out these talented ladies and show them some love! So I hope y'all enjoyed the 5 tidbits about me. As always, thank you for visiting and thanks for reading. Please come back soon. :)

Manicure Monday: Harem by Illamasqua

Hello, hello my Monday blue jays. :P How are you all fending off this Monday? Two words for me, Manicure Monday.

Yep, it is that time of week again when I say "screw everything" and just dedicate a bit of time to do my nails. Because even if it is just for a brief moment, I am able to do something I thoroughly enjoy and just forget about everything else. It has been one heck of a week and a very eventful weekend. Life as I know it will dramatically change and I'll say it right now, it will be very stressful. Buuut, let's keep being optimistic and keep those negative feels far from the blog. :)

I finally got around to this Illamasqua Nail Varnish I picked up months ago. I was originally gonna wait until Spring, but what the heck, it is technically Spring/Summer here in the AZ already. And since last week, I had bright, semi-complex nails, I just wanted to go for nice, clean cut, basic nails.

 

If y'all can't tell, I trimmed my nails short again. I've been preferring this over long nails, or even medium length at that. It's just so low maintenance, I love it!

Sunday Mask: DIY Avocado, Honey Mask

Hello all! Another Sunday has come upon us... Yay?? Haha. :P No, really though, who is ready for the upcoming week? Last week of February, today next week will be March 1st. Man...

Anyways, here is another mask recipe to pamper the face. The lack of sleep, the stress, the busy schedule all last week has not been kind to my skin. I can tell my skin is angry with me. I have never seen this many pimples appear on my face at once. Need to apologize, must apologize.

Remember that we had only used half of the avocado yesterday for the hair mask? Well pull that avocado out, or cut up another half and let's get our mask on! :D

AVOCADO, HONEY MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1/2 Ripe Avocado
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Saturday Hair Care: Avocado Hair Mask

Hello Saturday all! :) We are now on day 3 of the Lunar New Year, technically the last also, even though the "new year" goes on for another 7 days. It has been one heck of a busy three days, but finally today, I can let out a sigh of relief. A whole 'nother year until all these crazies will happen again.

I have some time on my hand earlier before I had to get ready for the fam gathering tonight. I have been neglecting everything about me, from my hair to my skin. Neither of which are happy with me might I add. I'll worry about my face tomorrow when I have more time, but for today, let's focus on the hair.

My hair is as natural as it gets, virgin hair as some hair enthusiast might call it. I haven an abundant head of healthy, thick, course hair. I usually don't do much to keep them shiny and healthy but not all things stay that way. I shouldn't really complain because it really isn't that bad but since it is the new years, I am supposed to wash my hair everyday for the last three days. I normally wash it every other day or every two days in the dead Winter months. With all the excessive washing, my hair has become very dry and any ounce of hydration is stripped from my hair.

Cue the DIY recipe for a hydrating hair mask made from avocado and banana, rinsed in apple cider vinegar. While the mask already will give you all the hydration needed, the apple cider vinegar will just be an extra boost.

AVOCADO HAIR MASK

What You'll Need:
- 1/2 Banana
- 1/2 Ripe Avocado
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar

Throwback Thursday: Hauls & Mini-Hauls

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Em kinh chuc cac ban mot nam moi nhieu hanh phuc, tai loc va suc khoe. I wish all of my lovely readers a happy new year with much prosperity, health, joy and may luck be on your side this year of the goat/sheep/ram. :D

I am currently working on the Spring/Summer 2015 Beauty Trends, which will be up very soon, maybe as soon as sometime next week.. So please anticipate that.

In the mean time, I prepared this Throwback Thursday post for ya'll. I see that most of my popular posts are those of hauls. So here for your convenience, are all of the the haul posts I ever posted here in one place.

the Balm

BH Cosmetics

e.l.f.

City Color