the Balm - Hautelook Event

Hello Tuesday my lovely readers!! Monday came and go and here we are, Tuesday again, a day closer to the Lunar New Year. Tomorrow will be New Year's Eve and the Mother took a day off to help me prepare... Not entirely sure if I should be grateful or cry. LOL. As the new year nears, everyone is trying to get their share of things done so everyone is on edge and just so... It takes efforts, lots of it to be nice. :P

I apologize for not being as active the last couple of days. Lunar New Year's week is by far the busiest holiday for us. Yes, Thanksgiving and Christmas is time consuming as well but the times reserved for Lunar New Years is just ridiculous. I will be "back" by Friday, hopefully. By then, it will be day 2 of the new years and by traditional superstitions, we are not to "clean" or "work", just "play" and relax for those three days. So yeah, by Friday I should be back; hopefully with an iPsy post because my bag came home today.

Anyways though, for today, I wanted to share with y'all a couple of things I picked up from the the Balm event on Hautelook not too long ago. And by a couple, I mean only three.

Check them out below. :)

Today's Make Up: Casual, Rainy Friday

Happy end of the week everyone! I hope that your Friday has been as awesome as mine. I was up since 4:30 this morning and was out in the cold, rainy streets to rescue my cousins from their car troubles. Fun... what an awesome way to start off the weekend. Haha. But hey, it has been raining ALL day, such PERFECT cuddle weather. ;)

Super, super quick post today to share with y'all what I have on the face. Then, I gotta run to the family dinner. Ugh, so much to do in so little time.

Way Back Wednesday: Makeup Fail - Rookie Mistakes

Heeeey guys! How are you doin' this Humpday?

Today, I bring you an old picture of a make up fail in honor of Way Back Wednesday. It isn't as much of a fail but more of a mistake. This was when I first really got into makeup. I thought it looked beautiful then but when I look back on it now, I just can't help but cringe...ughh.

So a little Way Back Wednesday back story. I was one of those naughty kids that got into my Mom's makeup drawer and messed with it like applying red lipstick all over my lips... and face... and everything else. I broke several lipsticks, lip liners and eyeshadows. My parents, being the strict parents that they are, forbid me to wear makeup until I was 16, that includes no painting of the nails. In 7th grade, I "borrowed" a sample Lancome eyeshadow duo from my Mom and started using that everyday. I wished I had snap some photos of how I applied those eyeshadows, I can tell you right now, it was quite hideous. This went on until I was in 8th grade. Eventually my Mom found out and I got in so much trouble. I was forbid to use makeup altogether. Fast forward to freshmen year of high school, I begged my parents to allow me to use minimal makeup like eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss. They miraculously allowed me to wear minimal makeup and light colored nail polishes. I remembered I kept pushing the limit and applied a little eyeshadow and nude lipsticks every now and then to see if they noticed and if they did, would they say anything. They were surprisingly okay with it. Towards the end of my freshmen year, I straight up asked them if I can just full out wear makeup. They said yes but with some restrictions, like no bright, red lips, smoky eye, face makeup like foundation and no dark nails like black or chocolate brown, although bright colors like blue, pink and green were okay. After all of the hardships I endured, I only continued to wear makeup on a daily basis for the next year or so. Around Junior year, classes started getting harder and homework piled up and I just didn't feel like putting effort into my makeup anymore. So my makeup applying days were over for a good while until the Summer of my Senior year, preparing for college. I actually had some free time to looked into different makeup looks, techniques and whatever else. So my makeup obsession officially started that Summer.

Without further adieu, I present you me during my freshmen year of high school....

Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in Bora Bora

Gooooood Tuesday everyone! Hope you're all having a fine, jolly day.

Today's post is all about the Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in Bora Bora, which I had receive in my March iPsy Bag. I also mentioned in my March iPsy Bag Update that I was going to dedicate a whole post for this product because it deserves it. So here goes.

This is an Eyeshadow Quad called Bora Bora from Be A Bombshell. It consists of four shimmery eyeshadows; all four shades very different from each other.

My initial reaction as soon as I saw this quad was "Oh my gosh, that blue-ish shadow is gorgeous!" And I was right to think so, that shadow is called Bora Bora, also what the whole quad is titled. Meaning it is the main star while the other three are just supporting shadows. I didn't get around to use it maybe after a week or so. I was deathly sick and wearing bold shadows was not worth the effort put forth. Anyways, when I did use it, I was in a series of mixed emotions...? I've used others Be A Bombshell products before and they're all hits for the most part. I went in having high hopes for this quad, but I was also bracing myself if it didn't live up to my expectation.

Physician Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow - Smoky

Hello, Hello again everyone. It is another gorgeous Thursday here in Arizona; clear blue skies with white fluffy clouds drifting, light breeze and the sun shining brightly in the sky...maybe a little too bright, for Winter standards at least.

Today, I will share with you my third and last Physician Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow in the Smoky collection. I already talked about the other two palette, Nude and Casual the past two days. Out of the three palettes, this is my least favorite. I don't hate it, no, it's just the shades are not those I gravitate towards on a daily basis.

This palette is identical to Nude and Casual, with the exception of the shades. Similar to Nude and Casual, Smoky has a  plain black package with a biggo sparkly "diamond" to oomph the palette; I guess it's trying to give off an elegant feel. Regarding the formula and texture, it has the same not-so-buttery yet not too dry, flaky or chalkiness. This could also be worn wet or dry for a soft or full intensity look. Smoky also has nine shadows, all of which are shimmery. Like the others, Smoky also has three suggested sets of shadows to create different looks. Think of it as three trios in one palette. But of course you can use all nine shadows however your heart desires. It's suggested to make our experience easier.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow - Casual

Happppy Wednesday everyone! We are one day closer to the much awaited for weekend! Just need to climb and get over this massive hump of a day! :P

Following yesterday's post about Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow Nude collection, I figured I'll share with you my second palette from the line, which is the Casual collection.

This palette is pretty much identical to the Nude, by identical I mean the packaging, the formula, the shimmeriness of the shadows. Like Nude, the packaging of Casual is also very adorable. The palette is of a denim fabric, finished off with a golden zipper; really captures the "casualness". Haha. As for the texture, still not as creamy as other brands' shadows, but it isn't dry or flaky; it just doesn't feel butter soft between my fingers. The shadows are very pigmented and could be worn wet or dry, dry for a softer look and wet for a more intense look.

Similar to Nude, Casual also has nine shimmery eyeshadows, ranging from light to dark; the lightest being a light beige and the darkest being either the navy blue or dark brown. Like Nude, Casual always has three suggested sets for three looks -  natural, smoky blue, and golden glow. This is just my opinion, how I conceive this palette.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow - Nude

Helllllo everyone and happy Tuesday! And before you say anything, there is always a reason to be happy. Gotta think positive; be happy because today is no longer Monday, we're one day closer to weekend.

I hope you all had an enjoyable Monday night. Did ya'll check out my Manicure Monday: Many Shades of Purple yesterday? The shades of purples in a pizzazzed up manicure. Head on over to check it out if you have not already. :P

That was yesterday, for today, I want to share with you a palette I've been using endlessly lately. It's not a big palette, it is quite small with only nine strips of shade. I'm talking about the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow in the Nude collection.

I don't own a lot of Physicians Formula's eyeshadow, I'm more into their face products. However, I do own three of their Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow collection, okay, that is waaaaaay too long to keep typing, from this point onward, I shall refer to it simply as Nude. Out of the three, I must say I favorite this one the most. It's just so easy to use and wear, albeit all of the shadows are highly shimmery.

I like the formula of the eyeshadows even though the texture isn't as creamy as other shadows, but it isn't dry or flaky either. It just doesn't feel buttery between my fingers. I absolutely adore the fact that these shadows have very little fall outs, if any in that case. My brushes picks up the shadows well, with ease. I have no problem blending these shadows out, nor have issues of them showing up. With that said, these shadows can be worn wet and dry. I usually wear it dry for the softer look...and it's quicker that way. But when I want to intensify the shadow, I'll wear it wet, There is definitely a stark difference between wet and dry. Also, with water, these shadows can be worn as a type of eye liner, especially flattering for the lower lash line.

When it comes to cute packaging, Physicians Formula has got that down. I absolutely adore the cute packaging on this palette so much! The satin nude fabric, covered by black lace, finished off with a nice satin pink bow. How can anyone not love that?! Cute packaging they have down, but not travel-friendly. Their face products especially, they're not compact at all because they all have a compartment for the brush it comes along with so it's very thick and dome-y. It takes up a lot of space in a tiny make up bag. Buttttt, but Nude here is very compact; it is thin and flat. However, the only problem I have with it is that the lid is closed by just a magnet, no clasp or anything to secure it. It could be easily opened, with literally one finger. I took this with me to Vega last July, and the whole time, I was worried that Nude might have accidentally opened and yeah....don't like the idea of a ruin palette and the shadows getting all over. Luckily though, that did not happen because I packed it well.

Tuesday greetings y'all!! Hope you're all having a fine day. Wish I could say the same... :/ It's nothing bad really, I've just spent a majority of my day at Urgent Care. I had to take my cousin, she wasn't feeling too well and her parents are busy and had asked me to take her. I don't mind really, just wished I wasn't so ill prepared. Haha. I literally rushed out of the house in 3 minutes, not enough time to grab everything I needed. I would've probably forgot my head if it weren't attached to my body. :D

I was able to apply a few things to make myself look more awake. Because giiirl, I looked like the walking dead this morning. I would have definitely scared the living daylights out of someone. Haha.

Not even sure if this even qualifies as makeup but nonetheless, on the face today!

FACE
Olay Complete  All Day Moisturizer With Sunscreen SPF 15 for Combination/Oily Skin (not pictured)
Avene Thermal Spring Water (not pictured)

BROWS
BH Cosmetics Automatic Eyebrow Pencil in Black

EYES
Essence Eyeliner Pen in Extra Longlasting 
ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Pearl & Glow
Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara

LIPS
the Balm Stainiac in Beauty Queen
Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss

Besides moisturizer, there is absolutely nothing on my face today, not even concealer. Dun dun! No, my skin isn't at its best right now but I've learned to embrace my skin and appearance anyway it is in. Yes, normally I would use concealer to conceal certain pimples or discoloration but today was a serious emergency. That giant red pimple on my forehead? Not a problem.

I did however, invest some time on my brows. Since everything was going to be bare, I might as well make my brows full to attract the eyes away from certain areas. My brows are naturally thick so there was not much to do but fill in. I do, however, have even brows; my left brow is the problematic one. UGH! It takes forever to even it out with the right one.

On my eyes, also nothing much at all. I thinly lined my eyes with a liquid liner and carefully extended that out from my outer corner to make my eyes look bigger. Nothing too thick or bold because this is supposed to pass off as being natural. I also applied a pearly shadow on 2/3 of my lower lash line to give it the doe eye effect, further making it bigger. Then I curled my lashed and mascara; almost didn't have time for this step.

I applied a couple coats of Stainiac and then applied the Lip Butter on top. In two steps, I then have color to my lips and moisture that will last me forever.

Thank you for dropping by and thanks for reading. Y'all enjoy the rest of your day now. Please come back soon! :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

e.l.f. (Eyes Lips Face) 100 Piece Eyeshadow Palette - Spring Edition

Happy Thursday everyone! This week seemed to have flew by because I woke up today, realized it was Thursday and kinda just, gasp aloud. LOL. My goodness... It is true when they say as you get older, time will just fly by you and there's nothing you can do. Haha.

But any who, I hope you're all having a fantastic day, nonetheless. I, myself am having a great day as well. Very productive I must say. Although I didn't leave the house today I did manage to be productive staying in. It was one of those, staying in with a candle lit and a mug of hot cocoa in hand, and K-Pop blaring in the back. Haha. Can't forget the K-Pop.

What did I do today that I deemed productive you might ask? Well I decided to mess around with my 100 piece of eyeshadow palette for inspiration eye makeup for the holiday seasons, which we all know are fast approaching. Ugh... As much as I love, looove the holiday season, it is one heck of a season for stress.

Anyways, I experimented on different eye looks for the upcoming holiday events such as Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas party, office party, New Years and such and such. You get the idea. LOL. I created a lot of looks, using only one palette.

This here is the e.l.f. Spring Edition 100 Piece Eyeshadow Palette. I picked this up maybe last Spring or two Springs ago from Target. Like most eyeshadows, I used this nonstop for ta short time after I purchased it but as time went by and I purchased new products, it kinda got pushed aside. I now use this palette, mostly for experiments and such. Within the 100 eyeshadows from the palette, there are a large range of different types of finishes, satin, glittery, matte, so on so forth. I wouldn't say this is 100% hit, but there are definitely more hits than miss. 

What I especially love about e.l.f. eyeshadows are if they are a hit, the pigmentation is nothing short of amazing. The application is like spreading soften butter. The eyeshadows can be worn wet or dry and it's not too bad with fall outs. Even if a shadow is a miss, I have never experienced flakiness or my brush not being able to pick up the shadow as it has happened with other drug store brands.

 I had about 50/50 rate of success today. Some looks were absolutely ridiculous while others came out beautifully. Some of the success looks were selfie-logged so I can recreate it with different products and more detailed.

For Thanksgiving, I tried out a brown-orange combo which turned out okay. I also did a colorful look, ya know, inspired by the children's version of the turkey's tail feathers. Besides the colorful look, I realized that I used a lot of warm, neutral colors like brown, caramel, beige and sorts alike.

I also did Christmas. I started out with the most cliché, gold and worked my way down to red and green combination. For Christmas, there are a lot of occasions that might require different types of eye makeup. Evening parties are more sexy and glamorous while day gatherings are more sweet and Wintery. I really need to be creative here.

For New Years, it is all about the smoky eyes and glitter. Glitter, glitter, GLITTER, every where. Haha. For New Years, we need to go ALL out and just have fun with it, right? So I did the most smokiest of smokies and I loved it. After the New Year's inspired looks though, I had to quit experimenting. My eye area was getting kinda tender from all the wiping and cleaning.

I cannot wait to share these looks with y'all. What would you guys want to see be done? I mean, please do give me some inspirations. Feel free to contact me on any platforms I am available on, or simply leave me a comment.

Although today's post wasn't all that informing, I still hope you all enjoyed my rant. Hope you'll enjoy the rest of your day.

As always, thank you for visiting and thanks for reading. Please come back soon. :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

Throwback Thursday: Fall 2014 Beauty

Hello fourth day of Fall everyone! Hope you're all having a great week. Weekend starts for me tomorrow. Hooray!

Here is a throwback post with all the Fall things happening by far on my blog, just in case y'all missed it. :P

First Day of Fall - Fall Inspired Manicure

Second Day of Fall - Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Beauty Trends

A few of the trends like red nails and red lips, for the full list please check the link above!

Third Day of Fall - Fall Trend Makeup: Jewel-Tone Eyes & Red Lips

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading. Come back soon! :)

Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Beauty Trends: Make Up, Nails And Hair

Happy second day of Fall everyone! Without further adieu, I present you with the Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Beauty Trends!

I have composed a list of trends most popular on the catwalk for Fashion Week. So y'all know what time it is. Time to tuck away those Spring/Summer makeup and pull forward the Fall/Winter makeups like berries and wine or red.

I am loving some of the trends this season and will most definitely put them to great use. The bare face trend is just gonna give me reasons to be lazy. LOL. I also love the pink an lilac eyes. Them lashes and full brows, just wow! My least favorite would have to be the glittery brown lips.. Yeah, not my style and I don't see myself sporting it any time soon.

Please let me know down below which trends you're most excited for? Or least. Let's chat! :)

MAKE UP TRENDS

1. Full Brows

2. Jewel-Tone Eyes & Red Lips

3. Smoky Brown/Smoky Eyes

4. Pink & Lilac

5. Silver/Metallic Eyes

6. Lashes/Exaggerated Wing Liner/Define Eyeliner

7. Quirky Colors

8. Berry Lips

9. Glittery Brown Lips

10. Bare/Natural Faced & Flawless Glow

NAIL TRENDS

1. Nudes/Sheer

2. Red

3. Gray

4. Metallic

5. Half Moon Manicure

6. Glittery & Shimmery

HAIR TRENDS

1. Low Ponytails & Chic Ponytails

2. Bangs

3. Side Split (Side Swept)

4. Braids

5. Wet Hair Look

6. French Twist/Buns/Knots

7. Straight VS. Curly

8. Chic & '60 Inspired

Disclaimer: Most pictures used are from fashionisers.com.