September iPsy Bag: Street Style

Hi guys! Another month, another iPsy bag. With the arrival of this bag, I am officially behind on two months' update. I apologize, it's been a crazy couple of months. I will try to get back into the game ASAP. Please bear with me and I really appreciate your patience. Thank you!!

This month's theme is called Street Style and comes with a stylish gray faux leather bag with metal studs along the top. Really, really cute. I'd be lying if I said I'm not disappointed with the products I received this month... In fact, I am very, very disappointed with what I got. I'd rather receive the lipstick or nail colors, but instead I got these...

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush

This brush is possibly the one and only product I am not disappointed in receiving. I am a brush hoarder; I love brushes. Good brushes will and can make your makeup application experience way more enjoyable. I own many, many sets and singles but I am always on the lookout for other great brushes. I've been trying to get my hands on the Sonia Kashuk limited edition brush set for sooo long to no avail. I think they're all gone by now and I will not be able to own them. :(

Any who, I've never heard of Crown Brush before, but I am always up for trying out new brands. Apparently this specific brush is from their Infinity collection. This brush is double sided, one shadow and the other crease. It has fiber bristles, super soft and dense. I really cannot wait to put this brush to good use... soon. ;)

Pacifica Natural Waterproof Eye Pencil in Gun Metal

I really do not need any more pencil eyeliners, especially one that isn't a twisty. I've never tried a Pacifica eyeliner before so this might not be too bad. This Gun Metal shade is gorgeous too. It's too light to be an eyeliner, but I guess I can use it as a highlight for contrast.. or something. I'll put it to good use.

I did swatch it on the back of my hand, it did seem to glide on with ease with pulling on my skin. I waited about a minute later before I rubbed it off, some came off but the majority was still there.

Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss in Love Affair

I received my first Cailyn product some months ago, it was also a lip product. I had mixed feelings regarding that tinted lip balm, so I kinda, well, I'm not quite sure how to feel about this tinted lip gloss. Y'all know I dislike wearing gloss. This shade seems like a shade I don't normally pick up if I had a choice, but that might not be too bad. Since fall is coming up, darker lips will be in.

From what I can tell, the lip gloss seems to be a tad jelly like, I am hoping it isn't too sticky. I wonder why it's called a tinted lip gloss though. I guess the intense berry shade will not show up as intense on the lips. As for the smell, nothing too bothersome. More on the details after I've tried it enough times to give y'all an update.

Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream in Floral No. 1

Oooh, Luxury Hand Cream. Haha, how fancy. The fact that it's from England makes it all the fancier. I haven't tried the hand cream yet, but it's really hard not to get a whiff of that smell. I feel...confused about it? Like it smells nice, but in a weird herbal way. Definitely not something I will pick up voluntarily. Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible either. You know what it is, it smells like something our dear sweet grandmother would smell like. Haha. I have no idea.. When I do wear it, I'll make sure to ask around for people's opinion.

Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser in Cucumber & Watercress

Cucumber, an ingredient in a skincare product, I'm not surprised, but watercress? I love eating watercress, but I had no idea they could be used for skincare. Huh, the more you know.

There was a seal on the tube so I was unable to catch what it smelt like. And it was pretty liquidy from sitting out in my mailbox all day, baking in the Arizona heat so if I were to take that seal off then and there, there would've been a mess.

I'm always on the look out for new skincare products that not only I can use, but also my brother and Mom can benefit from. We have different skin type, where as I am oily, my Mom dry with oily patch and my brother combo, oily.

Hopefully this product lives up to its name. I do believe it is nourishing, organic and moisturizing. So ya know, we'll give it a go and see.

I will try my hardest to do an update on this month's products for y'all. So sit tight and expect the update be up within the next few weeks.

If you're also a iPster and received these same products, which ones were you most excited for? Least excited for? Share your experience. :)

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading all. Please come back soon. :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

In Loving Memory of Ladies' Code EunB & RiSe

Rest in Peace Beautiful Ladies

Today's Make Up: Lunch Date with Friends

Hi guys! Hope you're all having a fantastic Hump Day! We're almost there guys, just two more days. Do you have any special plans for the weekend?

My weekend seems to be pretty packed already with family dinners and other family plans. There will not be any free time to myself whatsoever... from what I can see, same for next weekend also with birthday dinners and what not.

It's been a while since I've met up with the friends. Ever since they became mothers, wives and girlfriends, they never have free time anymore. It's a rare opportunity that all of us have a bit of free time so we called for a quick emergency lunch date!

Keeping true to my words, I did not pack on much make up. Actually, I kept it quite simple. I was too excited to see my girls than spend it dolling up.

FACE
Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer With Sunscreen SPF 15 For Combination/Oily Skin (not pictured)
Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette in Hidden Agenda

EYES
ELF Eyelid Primer
Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Duo # 1 Celestial & Opal
Wet N Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara

LIPS
Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple Pink

I never leave the house without first applying moisturizer with SPF. I've been using Olay ever since I can remember, my logic is why change when nothing is wrong with it. I have tried other moisturizers, but none can control my oily skin as great Olay can. I also used a little bit of concealer for spot treatment. And that's all I applied on my face. Before I left the house though, I misted some Avene to keep my skin hydrated.

I started off by priming my eyes with ELF Eyelid Primer. With a flat eyeshadow brush, I used Celestial (lighter shade) on my browbone and inner corner of my eyes. I picked up more Celestial and applied it on my lower lash line, starting from the inner corner, pulling it a third way out. I lined my eyes with liquid liner to create a cat eye and finished off with curling my lashes and coating in mascara.

I wanted to keep my lips as low maintenance as possible. A lip product that will give me color, hydration and will last me through eating and drinking and lots of talking. I applied Cailyn at home and brought a a Baby Lips as back up.

It was so great to see all of them. It'll be another while until we can all meet up again. Sigh, growing up sucks! Isn't it ironic that when we were little, we couldn't wait to grow up? And now we'll just give anything to go back to those carefree child days. I know for a fact that I couldn't wait; I was ecstatic when I turned 16, more so when I turned 18 and on top of the world at 21 and now at 24, I just want time to stop or at least slow down a bit.

Off to go visit my Grandma. Thank you all for visiting and thanks for reading. Please come back soon! :)

April iPsy Bag: Beauty Rocks Update

Helllllo everyone! Happy Wednesday! This is an update post on the products I received in my April iPsy bag. I received it about three weeks ago and was able to use all of the products, so this post is my input and thoughts regarding them. Alrighty now....

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple PinkI was absolutely ecstatic to try out these tinted lip balms. Like I mentioned before, I've heard of Cailyn but never actually tried any of their products. I'm glad it was a lip product I got to try first; to me, eye shadows and lip products' first impressions determine the fate of the brand, like if I like their eye and/or lip products, the chances of me purchasing more products from the brand is greatly higher than if I had a bad experience or didn't like the products. I think that makes sense.

Fortunately, I liked this lip balm. I don't know about you, but when I hear "tinted lip balm" I don't expect lip stick-like pigmentation. I actually think of sheerness yet buildable like Maybelline Baby Lips. I was....shocked...because this tinted lip balm was crazily pigmented, like a sheer lipstick. The color pay off is pretty on par, what you see (from the pot) is what you get (on your lips). My shade is Apple Pink, while I've heard others describe it was a rosy pink, I see it as a corally-pink with lots of orange undertone. Not a shade I usually wear, but it's definitely wearable. I also enjoy the texture and formula of the balm. The balm feels light and comfortable throughout the duration of it being on my lips. My lips didn't stick together either was it tacky or sticky ever, qualities in lip products I enjoy. For the 8+ hours I wore this alone, the balm feeling was gone maybe half way through, leaving my lips stained and somewhat dried.  It's not completely drying, leaving my lips cracked and chapped, it just no longer has a balm feel to it. So yes, it is long-wearing, color wise, function of a balm  is a negative.

What I said last time, regarding the bulky packaging still stands today. Don't get me wrong, the packaging is super cute. I can see where they're going with it, with the built in brush and everything. I think it's very handy to travel with if I throw it in my make up bag, saves bringing a lip brush; but for everyday uses, it is very impractical. I don't use lip brushes, like 300 days out of 365. I'm more of a low maintenance girl, you know, a lip balm in a tube, small enough I can throw into any bag, and ones I do not need a mirror to apply with. Grab it from my bag, take the cap off, twist, apply, twist, cap on, throw in bag; BAM, like what, 20 seconds? This lip balm is something I'll put on at home and will not take it with me on the go. Which isn't ideal because if I'll be out all day, considering the formula, I'll definitely need to retouch.

I like this, but not enough for me to purchase another shade. I do not think $19 is worth it, there are plenty of tinted lip balms out there half the price and formulated better.

The bottom line is, this lip balm is opaque as a lip stick, stains and long-wearing like a lip stain and moisturizes some what of a lip balm.

They're doing a giveaway of the whole collection, so if you're interested, sign up here.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil
"A must for smoky-eye fanatics: an ultra-plush version of UD’s creamy, waterproof 24/7 formula. Create perfectly blended-out or rich, precise lines that are blacker-than-black." - Urban Decay

Let's see, must have, check; ultra-plush, check; blendable, check, creates rich precise line, check; blacker-than black, semi-check.

I'm not sure if anything can be blacker-than-black, but yes, this is a pretty rich black shade. It's not a charcoal black, gray black, brownish black, no, it is straight up black, with more black and black undertones. It's pretty much the blackest liner you can get. I don't think I own anything like this or similar to it other than my other Urban Decay 24/7 liners.

This Velvet liner has about 95% similarities in formula as their sisters the 24/7 Glide-On liners. The only differences is that this liner glides on even smoother, creamier and therefore easier to blend. But once it sets, it will not budge. I never use the 24/7 Glide-On liners on my upper lash line because they're kinda dry and when I do, it doesn't smoothly glide across but rather dragging it so it skips and it's awful. With this Velvet liner though, I can apply it on my upper lash line with no dragging problem. Upper lash line, tightlining, lower lash line, lower waterline, this liner will not budge or smudge anywhere.

I will definitely repurchase once I run out. But it's not like I have to run out immediately and grab one once I run out, if it's convenient or there's  a good deal going on, I'll grab 'em.

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in ChampagneLooooooooove. Beautiful shade, perfect formula, creamy texture, easy to apply, long wearing...it's just a great shadow. Elizabeth Mott has got it going on. Her mascara It's So Big I received in my bag a couple months ago was uhh-mazing. Had really high hopes for this shadow and relieved that it delivered. This shade is so versatile, which is exactly how I like my shadows, especially singles. It can be worn by its self, as a highlight, together with other shadows. My brushes are able to easily pick up the shadows, applies effortlessly, and blends like a dream. I don't know what more I can say to convince you I really like this shadow. Haha. :P

There is one down side to it, the price. It is $12.99 on the site. Although I am aware that $12.99 is still affordable, I personally think it is for a single eyeshadow. For $19.99 I can get a whole palette from Sonia Kashuk; for $3.99 I can get a single eyeshadow from NYX, both of which are very similar in formula and texture to Pop! Goes the Shadow.

dr. brandt Microdermabrasion
I enjoyed this so much I placed an order to purchase the full size...it was $78 but with iPsy's code, it came out to $62, still pretty expensive but more manageable. I think it is worth every single penny though. This scrub is so amazing I don't even know how or where to start.

I received this in a 7.5 oz sample, but man, a little sure does go a long way. Not only did I use it, I also asked my brother and mom to try it with me. Between the three of us using this one to two times a week for the last two weeks, there are still some products left in the sample. It is suggested that this be used one to two times per week leaving three days between application and only leave it on the skin for one to two minutes.

I've read reviews that some felt a burning sensation or it was stinging badly. Neither my mom, brother nor I have felt anything like that. All I can really say is test this out on a small area on the arm or hand first before applying it to the face for those with sensitive skin. Also, don't use too much of the cream, a lot does not always mean better; a pea size amount is more than enough. Don't use too much pressure while scrubbing, that can also cause the burning and stinging sensation.

I have extreme oily skin, my brother has oily/combo while my mom has dry skin that's oily on her T-zone. This works on all three of our skin types fairly well. For me, I noticed that my face doesn't get as oily as it used to, even though the temp is on the rise. Like there's still excess oil, but it's not to the point where I can deep fry with it. My skin has also been glowing after the uses. Like it actually got rid of so much dull, dead skin that my actual baby skin is able to peak through now. My brother went through a rough puberty stage, his face was full of acne. Fortunately it cleared up but there's still the acne scar left behind. After using this for two weeks, those acne scars seemingly lightened up a lot and he told me this skin has become noticeably smoother. As for my mom, her skin is so dried that it is flaky. After using this for two weeks, those pesky flaky skin seemed to have flaked off. In addition to dry, flaky skin, my mom also has a lot of dark spots and a few liver spots sprouting. She's used soooo many skin care products, high end to drug store, none of which seemed to help. This Microdermabrasion scrub, in just two weeks, magically lightened up those spots. It's not completely gone, but it is fading. She was astonished, I was astonished. After how much this scrub did for us, $62 does not seem too much. Honestly, when we finish up the full size purchased one, I'll probably repurchase it for the full $78 as well.

It has a light citrus-y scent to it, it's not bothersome to me at all. Although I've read otherwise from the reviews. As for the texture, the "grains" are so fine, nothing like other exfoliating products like St. Ives where it has a grainy-sand texture. Even though the "beads" are so fine, it still does a superb job of getting rid of those dead skin .

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS. If anyone is interested, I have a code that can give you 20% off for just this specific product. Just enter MICRO20 at checkout and you're good to go.

Demeter Perfume Oil Roll On in JasmineI have nothing but good things to say about this product. I've used and own products from Demeter before, I know what to expect and they delivered again and again. I really love the scent of jasmine and gardenia, so this perfume is perfect. For those who dislike the floral scent, this might come off as a little strong, maybe even headache-inducing, but it's fine to me. A sparing roll on the wrist, rub and dab behind the ears lasted me all day, up until I showered. It's pretty amazing. You should really check out Demeter if you haven't already, they have a huge selection range with a billion scents to choose from.

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys. :)

P.S. For any Criminal Minds' fan out there, today's episode is NEW!

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SONG OF THE DAY

One Day - 2AM + 2PM = One Day

April iPsy Bag: Beauty Rocks

Hey, hey, hey! I hope you're having a wonderful Saturday. How's your weekend going?

I'm glad you can join me for another iPsy Bag post, this will be my fifth iPsy post. Dang...has been five months since I started blogging already? Time sure flies. This post was supposed to be up a while ago, my bag came in on Monday, but I never got the time to talk about it until today so I do apologize for the delay.

This month's bag is called Beauty Rocks...really love that play on words. Music related and beauty sure does rock. There are five items that are selected to fit with my profile in this month's bag. I may have received these five specific products does not mean you or the next person got the same exact five products also. Although I really wanted the Rainbow Honey nail polish...didn't get it in my bag. Phewwwy. :(

These are the five products I did receive,

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple Pink (full size)
Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil (travel size)
Demeter Perfume Oil Roll On in Jasmine (full size)
dr. brandt Microdermabrasion (sample)
Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne (full size)

I didn't even know Urban Decay came out with a new eye pencil until I saw this Velvet Glide-On. Love Urban Decay, love their 24/7 Glide-Ons, love everything Urban Decay has to offer. I do not think I will be disappointed at all with this liner. Imma have to opt for a darker look just to incorporate this liner in. I can't imagine how much smoother this can apply, I mean, the other Glide-Ons were pretty amazing already.

I first learned of Demeter from iPsy. It was included in one of their first bags I believe, it was the same roll on perfume type, only it was in the scent Dragon Fruit. I really liked Dragon Fruit, the scent was light, it wasn't too much but it did last all day. I expect the same from this also. and I already like this Jasmine, so lovely! Peeeeerfect for Spring.

Hmmm, I didn't even know Elizabeth Mott had eyeshadows, last time I checked, they only had a mascara (which I was fortunate to try thanks to iPsy) and eyeshadow sticks. Let me tell ya, the color is GORGEOUS. I loooove a nice champagne, beige shade; they're so versatile. I actually used this a couple days ago, in my inner corner and lower lash line...fell in love with it, texture, pigmentation, color. But more on that later. ;)

I am actually glad I got a sample of dr. brandt in my bag. Have always heard good things about it but never had the chance to try it out because this brand is in the higher price range. I'm always on the lookout for new, good skincare products. Who knows, if I end up loving this, I might even purchase the full size.

Being into makeup for years, I've heard of the brand Cailyn floating about, but I was never that appealed to the products or thought that I should quickly run out to purchase a product to use. I know it sounds bad, but that's just how it was. So I am especially happy I got a full size product to try out this month. Fortunately, I received a lip product in a form of a tinted lip balm. If you don't remember that I am a HUGE lip junkie, I'm all crazy about lip tints and tinted balms lately. The packaging is also so darn cute!...cute but not at all practical. It's so bulky and not at all one I'll take on-the-go. Initially, I had wanted the hot pink-fuchsia shade, but I'm starting to like this shade a lot now. Apple Pink seems to be an light orangey-coral-pinkish shade. I actually used this yesterday but I'll continue to use it and update ya'll about it in my Update post...coming soon.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with my bag this month. This is exactly why I am still subscribed to iPsy, I'm able to try lots of new things I never knew existed, didn't bother to try, overlooked, whatever the case may be.

Please check back in a couple of weeks for the update review of these products. In the mean time, you can check out the iPsy bags from the past months.

December bag, January bag, February bag, February's update, March bag, and March update

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading. :)

P.S. I hope ya'll don't mind that today's post went up a little earlier than normal; I'm heading off to a family BBQ right now and I might forget to post. Sorry about that. I hope you're all having a great weekend also. Time to get my grub on. ;) Bye!

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SONG OF THE DAY

Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossoms - High4 Ft. IU

Today's Make Up: Spring 2014 Trend 4

Helllllllo Friday everybody! Woooo-hooo! I always wish ya'll a relaxing weekend, but I doubt that'll happen this time... Cause here comes Easter weekend!

I'm not doing anything fancy, just a lot of family gatherings. I have a BBQ to attend on Saturday and a Dim Sum brunch on Sunday. Tis a busy weekend indeed. There will be lots of yummy foods to enjoy so I'll surely over-stuff my face. Can't be lazy today, gotta run to make room for those delicious food.

I've been out running errands all day and didn't have much time to blog so today's post will be kept quite short and to the point. I gotta make time to run... :( booooo.

FACE
NYC Cover Stick in Natural
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB in Light/Medium
Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Fair
Hard Candy Baked Bronzer in Tiki
Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Dance
Jane Multi-Colored Cheek Powder in Peach Bouquet

EYES
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...
Wet N Wild Color Icon 8-Pan in Walking the Red Carpet
J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette in Volta
Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Hot Chocolate
Maybelline The Mega Plush Volume Express Mascara (Waterproof)

LIPS
Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple Pink

Today's incorporated Spring trend is gilded gold lids. There is no doubt the eyes are main focal point in this look, so I kept everything else light and simple.

Besides the fact that I used a light coverage BB Cream rather than a medium/full coverage foundation is basically the only main difference in my face make up. A light BB Cream and a concealer can conceal and even out my skin tone all the while still maintaining a natural look. A foundation might make it look too heavy and thus, no longer natural. For everything else, I did what I normally do, contour and highlight. Since I will do  gold eyes, I wanted to keep my cheeks in a similar shade range as a tie-in. I chose a nice matte coral blush with a yellow undertone.

I will pile on a lot of products on my eyes, so I used a trustworthy primer to make sure everything is in place until I decide to take it off.  Then a gave my lids a base by applying a gold cream shadow all over my lids. I took the pretty gold shadow from my Wet N Wild palette and took that all over my lids, on top of the cream shadow. I used "browbone" on the right to highlight my browbone and inner corner, and "crease" from the left to my outer V and crease to give my eyes definition. I didn't want to wear a liquid or gel liner because that might be too harsh and contrast with the glitter I'll apply later so I opt for a pencil liner and set that with a powder shadow. Lastly, the most fun step of the entire look, applying the gold glitter. I used the beautiful, cream gold glitter from J.Cat Beauty's Volta palette, that I got in my iPsy bag a while ago. I used my fingers to pick up the glitter and dabbed it onto my lids. I packed it on, all over. Be very careful because it could get messy...

I didn't even bother wearing a lipstick because any lipstick would be too bold in my opinion. I used a tinted lip balm instead, in a sheer rosy pink shade. This lip balm is from this month's iPsy bag, which I will talk about tomorrow; so if you think this Cailyn lip balm is so cute, check back here tomorrow!

That's it guys, hope you're having a great evening. Thanks for visiting and thanks for reading. :)