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

Manicure Monday: "IM Beauty" In Bright Yellow

Monday greetings all! How is everyone doin' ?

I welcome you back to another Manicure Monday. My manicures have been very abstract lately so I want to go back to simplicity today. Just one color, that's it. I'm in the mood for a BRIGHT, in YOUR face color. Orange? Red? Yellow?!

Sephora by OPI in IM Beauty
Sinful Colors in Sapphired Up

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat (not pictured)

Last week I used It's Hippo To Be Square which only needed one coat for a full coverage. This week, I am using IM Beauty, another creme formula from Sephora by OPI. Sadly, this nail color took me three coats for this even, full coverage. The shade is beautiful so I don't mind the extra coat honestly. Other than needing three coats, this nail color does not differ much from the other nail colors. Applies very creamy and evenly, drying time is within three minutes.

All ten fingers in yellow can look a tad boring, so I left my ring fingers as accents. Simple does not mean boring guys. I had forgotten to paint a coat of blue before I applied the glitter but that's okay. I did probably five or six coats to get the glitter flakes to completely cover my nails.

Alright y'all, that's my nails for the week. Show me what's on yours!

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

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MEN CRUSH MONDAY #MCM

WINNER

SONGS OF THE DAY

Too much feels! They FINALLY made their debut, one year overdue. But to YG standards, this is on time. Still cannot believe WINNER finally debuted. The album is nothing short of AMAZING. Proud INNER CIRCLE!

dr. brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant

Hello Tuesday all! First day of the workweek... only three more days to go. Tis one short week. And so how is everyone doing?

Today I want to share with ya'll one skincare product I've came to love just recently. I received a sample of this product in my April iPsy bag and have since purchase the full product because I was so fond of it. I'm guessing from the title you can already guess what I am talking about, but it is dr. brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant.

For starters, I would like to state the price as it is preeety expensive. The price listed on the site is $78 but when I ordered mine, I used a coupon code provided for iPsters so I paid about $62 for it. Even with the code, it is still pricey, I know, so this product might not be for anyone on a budget. For me though, after I finish the one I have, I will definitely repurchase, full price or not. Good thing a little goes a long way though.

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 peek through. Applying foundation takes even less effort now and it doesn't seem to be cakey anymore. Not that it was before but I have to blend it out very well. Like... the foundation would just sit on top of my skin, but now it's like infused, becomes one with my skin.

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 the last month, 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, magically lightened up those spots. It's not completely gone, but it is fading slowly after each uses. She seriously cannot get over how baby soft her skin is, I find it amusing. Haha.

It has a light citrus-y, heavy on the lemon grass 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 . My skin is noticeably smoother, softer after using it.

It is recommend that the scrub be used twice a week, with three days in between each uses. For me, I only use it once a week, usually on Fridays. I honestly do not think using it twice is necessary, as of right now. When massaging the scrub onto the skin, do not use much pressure because that might cause irritation to the skin and will give your face extreme discomfort and/or burning sensation.

I have successfully referred a few friends and family members in purchasing their own scrub, each one has nothing but great things to say about it. All of them, like me, have added this to our must have skincare products and an additional step to our skincare routine.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant. Yes, I know it is very pricey, but it is sooo worth it. Your skin cannot thank you enough. Use a little bit at a time and this will last you forever.

Thank you for joining me again and thank you for reading guys! :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

PLAYLIST OF THE DAY/MOMENT

Eternity - VIXX

Yesterday's "Today's Make Up": Jury Duty

Hey guys! I made it out of Jury Duty alive! Don't get me wrong, I don't mind serving, I actually feel honored to be serving. It's a privilege and right reserved for an American citizen. I just despise the process. It's so tediously long... But enough about me, how are you guys?

So a little new twist today, today's post is about yesterday's make up... posted today. Even though it is a day late, I still wanna share with ya'll mainly because my make up was one of long-wearing proof. They're products I wear normally, maybe not together though, but when they're paired together they're forever lasting. And long-wearing was exactly what I needed, my make up was on from 5 AM to 7 PM.

FACE
Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro 002
Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach
Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette in Hidden Agenda
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1  Foundation in Buff Beige
Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Fair
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny
Wet N Wild Color Icon Blusher in Heather Silk
Hard Candy Baked Bronzer in Tiki
Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Make Up Setting Spray (not pictured)

EYES
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Wet N Wild Color Icon Trio in Sweet As Candy
Wet N Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Rimmel Scandal Eyes in Nude
Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara in Very Black (waterproof)

LIPS
Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart
Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in Cupcake

After giving my face some great patting with my Olay moisturizer for Combo/Oily skin, I prepped my face by priming it with my Holy Grail of face primers. I concealed my under eyes with Pixi and the rest of my face with Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette. These two concealers are creamy but they aren't oil base so that will prevent me from getting oily. This Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation is soooo long-wearing friendly, even in Arizona. It has great full coverage and does not lose said coverage at all throughout the day, not to mention it has the capability to control my oily skin. This foundation comes to a velvety finish so it is unnecessary to set it with a powder, but I feel incomplete skipping this step. I used my favorite bronzer to contour and sculpt my face. Then I used Heather Silk - a dusty rose shade on the apple of my cheeks. This blush is matte so to add a little shimmer shimmer and dimension back to my face, I used Tiki to highlight.

I start by priming my lids, this will help the color show up better and make it last all day. I used Wet N Wild Color Icon Trio in Sweet As Candy, I did a whole post about this trio so you can check it out here if you'd like. With a detailed brush, I took "browbone" to my inner corner and pulling that down to my lower lash line, about 1/3 way in. With a flat brush, I took "browbone" again and applied that to my browbone and packed it on my lid starting from my inner corner and pulling it a third way out to mid-lid. I flipped the brush around and packed "eyelid" all over my lid, from the inner all the way to the outer corner and pulling it slightly above my crease. With a pencil brush, I took "crease" onto my crease, outer corner, outer V and 1/3 of my lower lash line. With a clean fluffy blending brush, I blended and buffed everything together. I took that same flat brush and  took "eyelid" to my lower lash line and placed it between "browbone" and "crease", so in the center.  Ya know, that really reminds me of Napoleon ice cream. I thinly lined my upper lash line with my liquid liner, but instead of winging it upward, I pulled it down. Don't pull it down too much because that will look super weird, I basically just extended it from my lash a bit. To open up my eyes and make it seem more awake, I rimmed my waterline with a nude eyeliner pencil. To finish my eyes up, I heat up my eyelash curler with a blow dryer to curl my lashes then I generously coat my lashes with mascara, top and bottom. I used a waterproof formula because I find that they last me a lot longer than normal formulas and also keeps me smudge free.

Since I will be out all day, I needed something hydrating for my lips that will also last me all day and will also provide me with pigmented color. After I applied EOS onto my lips, I applied Sweetheart to my inner lips and let it sit for about three minutes. I then reapplied it again for more intensity. I could just leave my lips like that but it was a little too bright for such situation so I applied Cupcake on mu lips then took my fingers and GENTLY dab to blend the two shades together. This surprising me lasted me until about 2:30 when I got home.

To top everything off, I spritz a setting spray onto my face to lock everything in.

Please come back again soon, I have a couple of haul post, monthly fave, iPsy bag I will post very soon. Thank you for visiting and thank you for reading guys! :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

"Night & Day" - Wheesung

Today's Make Up: Lunch Date

Ello, ello, hello everyone! I had a quick lunch date with my girl friends earlier today; it was not preplanned but they didn't tell me last minute like last time so I had about 40 minutes to get ready.

Today's make up is once again nothing glamorous, just trying to look put together and presentable.

FACE
Neutrogena Healthy Skin 3-in-1 Concealer for Eyes in Buff 09
Revlon Nearly Naked in 120 Vanilla
Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Fair
Physicians Formula Bronze Gem Healthy Glow Bronzer
City Color Baked Blush in Guava
Wet N Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana

EYES

ELF Eyelid Primer
Wet N Wild Color Icon Trio in I Dream of Greenie (cleaver name! ahaha)
Wet N Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Almost Famous
Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara in Glam Black

LIPS
Maybelline Baby Lips Electro in Strike a Rose

My skin has been behaving very well lately, just the redness and other minor blemishes to conceal. I chose a very light coverage foundation today so I will need some extra help under my eyes. This Nearly Naked foundation is able to minimize the redness and somewhat even out my skin tone, but it is not able to completely conceal and cover. But I am fine with that, this seemingly looks more natural to me. I set my foundation and concealer as always. I went for a more subtle contour since my foundation isn't full coverage. Do you also do that? Or is that just me again..? When I wear a full coverage foundation, I'm comfortable with going all out on contours, blushes and highlights but when I'm wearing something light like a light coverage foundation, American BB Cream or tinted moisturizer, I tend to tone done my contour, blush and highlight. To me, if my face has light coverage but has bold contours and blush, I think it looks weird... no? So anyways, the bronzer I am using is from Physicians Formula, and it's that multi-tone type concept. I swirl my brush in the bronzer area then dab it into the pearly area. The pearly shimmer isn't anything over the top, it will just give my skin a slight glow. To keep the glowing theme going, I wore a baked blush that had a subtle glow to it. I applied this on the apple of my cheeks and blended it back. Since my bronzer and blush are already glowy, I chose a matte highlight to balance out the glowiness.

I prepped my eyes by priming it, I used ELF today. I was in a bright mood today, so I chose a green trio from Wet N Wild called I Dream of Greenie (aha, looove it!). I applied "browbone" onto my browbone and inner corner. I packed "eyelid" all over my lids, from innermost to outermost, keeping it clean by not flicking it out. Then I went in with "crease" to the outermost and outer V and pulling it up to my crease.  At this point, I went back and forth between "crease" and "eyelid" to add more until I am finally satisfied. Then I took a clean fluffy brush and blended and buffed everything out. Lastly, I took a detailed brush and took "eyelid" to my lower lash line. Then I used my liquid liner to line my upper lash line and winged that out. I used a champagne-y nude eyeliner on my lower waterline to open up my eyes a little bit, all of the bright colors can cause it to look smaller. Then curl and give them lashes a generous coat of mascara.

Since my eyes are a vibrant color, I want to balance it out with bright lips also. Nothing too dramatic, something bright yet sheer so there's an equal balance. I'm glad I have these Baby Lips Electro on hand, because they provide the right amount of neon to tie everything together. The shade I chose is Strike a Rose, it's a pinkish coral shade that I think goes very well with my green eyes.

We had a fun lunch date. I was able to catch up with my girls that are now very busy being moms and wives. It was nice. Though all of them were talking about their children and husbands...which makes me feel very left out. Of course they didn't do it on purpose but it comes naturally. They're proud moms, I don't blame them. I just hope it'll be my turn soon. Haha. :P

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading all! :)

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PLAYLIST(S) OF THE DAY/MOMENT

Overdose (EXO-M's Version)

Overdose (EXO-K's Version)

Hard Candy Baked Eyeshadow Duos - Peace & Blind Date

Helllllo everyone! It is Thursday once again. With just a blink of an eye, it is now the 1st of May. We're almost half way through the year, can you believe that? Wow...

But hey, it's May, it's pretty much Summer in Arizona. If you're anything like me, I don't wanna be cooped up indoors all day, I just wanna be out and about, basking the sun's warmth. I tend not to wear too much make up during the Summer, just a quick-fixer-upper and I'm out.  I don't want to waste 15 minutes blending out my eye shadow, I'd rather be out. Don't get me wrong, I still have my therapeutic make up applying session maybe twice or three times a week. Just not everyday, it's Summer Vacation now.

So today I wanna talk about my favorite baked eyeshadow products from the drug store, and they are Hard Candy Baked Eyeshadow Duos, I have two, Peace and Blind Date. When It comes to baked products, Hard Candy and Milani automatically comes to mind, and now ELF too. I like Milani for their baked blush and ELF for their baked eyeshadow and blush as well. However, with Hard Candy, they not only have amazing baked bronzers and blushes, their eyeshadows are quite the gems themselves.

Unfortunately, I only have two to share with you. The Walmarts around here have very minimal selections, but I am on the prowl for more; I'm still looking for Secret Rendezvous - pink and cranberry shade, High Maintenance and Rush Hour - both gorgeous shades of brown, Rock N Roll - pink and brown combo, Pearl Green and Blue - perfect pastel shades. It'll be a while until I am able to gather all of the duos I want.

All of the duos from the line is highly shimmery. The duos include one light shade and a darker shade. The light, light enough to be a highlight and the dark, dark enough for the crease, able to add definition and used as a liner. The shadows, both, are amazingly pigmented. Like I do not need to sweep my brushes back and forth many times in order to pick up the shadow. One sweep, pack it, and depending on how intense I want it to show up, I repeat the steps again. It doesn't take much honestly, because when I go for these duos, I am either in a hurry or rushing through my make up. This could be applied with fingers or brushes, it is very forgiving and extremely blendable, fingers or brushes alike. Like most baked products, this shadow could be worn dry or wet. Wear dry for a soft, shimmery effect or wet for a dramatic finish. That's what I especially love about it. It's a duo but technically could be a quad. Wet and dry really does make a huge difference in the pigmentation and finish.

The first duo I bought was Peace. I used this duo nonstop for about a month after purchasing it. Peace is highly shimmery, consists of a golden-y champagne and a medium brown. I love, absolutely love this duo to bits. The champagne shade is perfect as a highlight for the inner corner and browbone. But when worn wet, it turns to a golden shade, kinda metallic-y. The brown when dry, is soft medium brown, gives the right amount of depth to the eyes. When wet though, it could be worn as a liner, yes, it is THAT intense. It is such a versatile brown, I sometimes reach for it even when I'm using another palette. This brown and shimmer compliments my skin tone very well. I am fair/light with yellow undertones.

I was able to pick up another duo called Blind Date sometime after. Although I do not use this duo as much as Peace, I am still glad I had bought it. I looove this pink shade. When I'm suuuper lazy, I would wear this shadow alone; either alone by itself or to set a cream shadow, both of which I apply with my fingers. It brightens, but still gives my eyes some dimension. When worn wet, the pink turns a tad darker, which I only wear when I'm wearing make up, make up. For lazy days, it may be too intense so I opt to wear it dry. I am not a huge fan of the white, pearly shade though but it is indeed very useful. I wear it dry as a highlight in my inner corner and browbone. I also apply it on the center of my lids, like on the eyeball with my fingers when I'm done with my eye make up, just to give it more dimension; this method can be worn wet or dry, depending on how intense I want it to show up.

Like most, if not all baked products, these duos are too, domed shaped. I have not hit pan with any of these so I can't tell ya how much eyeshadows are exactly packed in there. I've been using it diligently for a good while though and there seems to be plenty left. These duos are all $6, I found mine at Walmart and I do believe that Hard Candy is exclusively sold at Walmart...I may be wrong but I have not seen it anywhere else.

If you're interested in these duos, I recommend getting the more neutral shades, like Peace, High Maintenance or Rock N Roll. They're just very low maintenance, how ironic that High Maintenance is listed, perfect for a quick on the go look.

Thank you for joining me today and thanks a bunches for reading. See you all back here tomorrow for another inspired make up post. Byeee. :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

I Love You - 2NE1

And of course our Big Bang dorks owning it!

Today's Make Up: Colorful Eyes

Hello everyone! Are you having a fabulous Tuesday? I've been out since nine this morning and didn't get back until like an hour ago. It was such a long and tiring day, both physically and mentally straining. But it was helping out a friend so it was worth it.

I realized that I have neglected my bright, colorful eyeshadows for a very long time. All I've been wearing lately are natural eyes or cream shadows. I guess I can always wait for Summer to sport bright, vibrant, colorful eyes...but Summer is Summer, now is nooooow. So guess how I wore my eyes today? Yep, a very colorful eye look.

FACE
Maybelline Baby Skin
Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer in Fair
IPKN NY Moist & Firm BB in Light
L'Oreal True Match Powder in W3 Nude Beige
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny
City Color Spring Fling Blush in Petal Pink
Hard Candy Baked Bronzer in Tiki

EYES
Two Faced  Shadow Insurance
NYX Eyeshadow Trio in TS13 Cherry/Cool Blue/Hot Pink
Wet N Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara (waterproof)
Wet N Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow  Pencil in Pixie

LIPS
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink In The Afternoon

I moisturized and primed my face like always. I will be using a BB Cream today so I needed a concealer that is full coverage. I love this Amazing Concealer because a little goes a loooooong way, blends like a dream yet very lightweight, not at all heavy like some other full coverage, creamy concealer can feel; it is also super creamy yet does not settle in the fine lines, even in super hot weather. Because this concealer already gave me full coverage, I now only need to even out my skin tone and cover minor blemishes like redness and dark spots. A little less than a pea size will be enough to do the job. I set everything with a pressed powder, contour and highlight as always with my most used bronzer and highlighter, NYC and Hard Candy. I used City Color Spring Fling Blush in Petal Pink, it is a fresh matte pink and coral blush. It's one of those blush with two shades and you swirl your brush to pick up both. It gives my cheeks color yet kept it every subtle.

I prep my eyes by priming it so my eyeshadows will last longer, appear more vibrant and prevent creasing. On a flat eyeshadow brush, I took Cool Blue and applied it to 1/3 of my lids. Then I flipped the brush over and took Hot Pink onto the rest of my lids. I kept going back and forth packing on Hot Pink and Cool Blue, blending it out to my liking. I didn't want it to be too light so I packed on the shadows about three or four times and blending it out. I especially blended where Hot Pink and Cool Blue met so it has a softer transition and does not look weird. With a blending brush, I took Cherry onto my outer corner, outer V and crease.  I start out with just a dab, blend, go back with another dab, blend and continue until I'm content. Cherry is such a bold color that I do not want to risk my already established eyes to look muddy and therefore ruined. Being careful always pays off. After all three shades are on my eyes, I took a clean fluffy brush and blended and buff everything to my liking. I used my favorite liquid liner to wing out my eyes. I took my cream shadow pencil to my in corner and browbone, blending it out with my fingers. I also took the pencil onto my lower lash line to help balance out the eyes. Lastly, curl and mascara.

Since my eyes are already BAM, BAM, BAM bright, I went with a natural pink lip. I didn't want to be top and bottom heavy, that would've been too much...? I wore Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick  in Pink In The Afternoon. I love Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks, definitely one of the most comfortable lipsticks I've ever worn. It's long-lasting, it's comfortable, it doesn't dry my lips out, large selection, affordable...Nothing at all to complain about these. If you haven't tried these yet, I urge you to try one, it is SO worth it.

Alrighty, time for the make up to come off  and on with the sheet mask. You all enjoy your night now. Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading! :)

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PLAYLIST OF THE DAY | PLAYLIST OF THE MOMENT

A soothing playlist to relax to while I self pamper with a sheet mask and a good book.

Album - The Origin
Artist - Infinite

The Origin Playlist

Can You Smile - Infinite