About Me

My photo
So basically me in a nutshell... I AM ♥Vietnamese-American ♥Single ♥Make-Up Junkie ♥Extreme K-Popper ♥Asian Dramas Maniac ♥Blogger ♥Youtuber And you can... FIND ME AT ♥Wordpress ♥Blogger ♥Instagram ♥Pinterest ♥Tumblr ♥Twitter ♥Kakao ♥KIK ♥iPsy ♥Facebook ♥Youtube
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Looking Back On Spring/Summer 2014 Beauty Trends


I cannot believe it has been 13 years already… Time sure does fly by rather quickly. I remember exactly what I was doing that day too, when news of the terrorist attack happened. I was in 6th grade, getting ready for our morning assignment when the teaches caught news of the situation and switched gears over to turning on the TV. We did nothing for the rest of that day but stayed glued to the TV to watch the news reports. Although i knew the severity of the attacks then, I wasn’t aware of how severe it was… if that made ANY sense at all. Like, I was old enough to realize how messed up the whole attack was, but at the same time, I wasn’t that old to grasp the emotional anguish that was to sweep America.

Now I fully understand the dark mark that one day created in America’s history. To this day, we’re still mourning those who unfortunately lost their lives and those heroes who sacrificed theirs to save others. We will always remember…

For those who are personally affected, lost family members to the tragedy, my thoughts goes out to you today. Stay strong friends!

Since today is Thursday and the near ending of Spring, I thought I should do a throwback of the Spring/Summer trends. Let's look back on the rends together and see what trends were your favorite? Least favorite? Which trend did you rock the most and which ones you neglected.

You can check out the original post here.

Fall/Winter 2014 Beauty Trends is currently being worked on, I will post that before Autumn officially begins. Yay! New trends to rock in a matter of weeks.

Make Up Trends

1. Bright Orange Lipsticks
Orange Lips

2. Soft Berry Lips
Soft Berry Lips

3. Cat Eyes/Winged Liners
Cat Eyes/Winged Liner

4. Intense Liner/Shapes
Intense LinerShapes

5.  Blue Eyeshadow
Blue Eyeshadow

6. Gilded Gold Lids
Gold Lids

7. Ethereal Eyeshadow
Ethereal Eyes

8. Pastel Washed
Pastel Washed

9. Au Naturel
Au Naturale

Nail Trends

1. Stripes and Simple Patterns
Stripes and Patterns

2. Moon Manicure aka Reverse French Tip
Moon Manicure

3. Modern French Tip - Diagonal Tip
Diagonal Tips

4. Subtle Ombre
Subtle Ombre

5.  Strategic Glitter
Strategic Glitter

6. Sheer Colors
Sheer Nails

Hair Trends

1. Windswept Updo
Winswept Updo

2. Mixed Texture
Mixed Texture

3. Braids
Braids

4. Ornate Ponytail
Ornate Ponytail

5. Flowers in Hair
Flowers in Hair

Let me know down below which trends you rocked the most/least this season! Which ones were your most/least favorite? What do you hope to see in next year's trend?

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

Friday, April 18, 2014

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.

Today's Make Up: Spring 2014 Trend 4

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.

Today's Make Up: Spring 2014 Trend 4 - Gold

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. :)

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Spring Face Routine & Products Used

Spring Skin Care Products

Hi guys! It's finally Thursday! For some, there is one day left until the glorious weekend but for others, their weekend started as of now. Congrats! ;)

I'm having some sort of nostalgic feel as I write today because it reminds me of my very first post! If you remembered, my very first post was about Winter Face Routine, a very plain and lacking post. Today though, I will share with you my current Spring Face Routine. Has it been that long already? A season has passed and a new one started and soon enough, summer will arrive. This is how time works I guess.... :/

You'll probably notice that many (if not all) products in today's post were also in the Winter's post, that's because those products work for me year round or it is very essential in my daily routines. On top of old products, there are quite a few new products, but if you're a regular on my blog, you'll see that they regularly show up in my make up posts. Let's check out what's new and what remained on my routine list.

1. Clean&Clear Morning Burst Shine Control Facial Cleanser & Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub
2. Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner
3. Olay Complete Moisturizer with SPF 15 for Oily Skin & Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Moisturizer with SPF 15
4. Pixi Concealer in Brightening Peach AND Covergirl & Olay Concealer Balm
5. Covergirl Outlast Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation & IPKN NY Firm & Moist BB Cream
6. Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder
7. Clean&Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Cleanser & Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub
8. St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub Blemish & Blackheads Control
9. Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque & Freeman Facial Peel-Off Mask Cucumber
10. DIY Almond Mask or any DIY Mask Recipe I've posted

 Spring Skin Care Products Cleansers
Spring Skin Care Products Masks & Scrub
Spring Skin Care Products Skin Care & Make Up

Although the temperature has not reached the high-90s or into the 100s yet, it has been a constant high-70s and 80s. My skin and the temperature are in perfect sync, the higher the temp, the oilier I get. So to prevent this, I start my morning off with a good cleaning with either my Clean & Clear Shine Control or Aveeno Skin Brightening scrub. I alternate them regularly because I feel that when i do use them regularly everyday, it's no longer as effective. I don't necessarily alternate them every other day, I use them in an irregular pattern. I've used the Aveeno scrub since I was...maybe 13 or 14; it's been great maintaining my skin. I only use it in the Spring/Summer time however because I find that it dries me out a lot during the Winter months. As for the Clean & Clear, I have used many of their products in the past five/six years and this particular product maybe two or three years. I pull this out as soon as the temperature reaches the mid-70. It really mattifies my face as soon as I pat it dry.

You will continue to see Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner on my blog over and over again. You'll see it appear in every seasons' skin care routine, year round. This is by far the best toner I have used up to date, not to mention that it is super affordable. This toner keeps my skin in check, meaning no outrageous breakouts. Ever. This toner is like a treatment in itself, use it on a constant basis and your oily skin will decrease day by day, bit by bit. I use this twice a day, once in the morning before apply make up and once at night after removing make up. It picks up all the impurities like make up, dirt and oil from the pores, leaving the skin baby-bottom soft. It's an amazing toner and I don't know what I'll do without it. Hopefully Dickinson's will never discontinue this toner.

I use Olay Complete Moisturizer for Oily Skin and nothing else during the Winter months. It gives me plenty of moisture without being oily. I still use this moisturizer in the warmer months, although sometimes I feel like it's too heavy. I tend to shy away from this when my skin has some sort of breakout or it becomes slightly sensitive like after going swimming. Rather, I would opt for the less thick moisturizer like Aveeno; it feels lighter on my skin. Although not as thick a formula as Olay, it still goes a superb job in moisturizing my skin. The only downside is this isn't very oily skinned friendly. I take advantage that it's still Spring and the the temp is still mild so it's still forgiving.

Surprise, surprise, Pixi concealer one of the Spring routine products. It is a high-end brand of the drug store, this particular concealer was $14 at my local Target. Let me tell you though, it is worth every cent. This concealer is super creamy, does not dry me out during the cooler months and is not greasy in the warmer months. Up until now, it still has not given me any problems in the areas where I applied it. A little goes a long way and it is UH-MAZING in concealing those pesky dark circles; another amazing quality it has is it does not settle in the fine lines that other concealer might do. It continues to be my favorite concealer for the under eyes. While I adore Pixi for my dark circles only, I enjoy using Covergirl & Olay concealer balm everywhere else. Again, this formula is sooo creamy, it blends so well and it lasts forever and a day. On days when my skin is behaving well, I can easily use just this concealer alone and I'm good to go. Like the other concealer, this one also does not further give me problems maintaining my oily skin.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation is probably my top favorite foundation, hands down. Ever since this foundation came into my life, it overtook the first place from Revlon Color Stay Whipped foundation. I wore this all Summer last year, it made my Summer experience ten times better. I spent less time blotting my face and more enjoying my Summer. When I went on vacations, this was the only foundation I took, it fared well in both the humid California weather and the dry Vegas heat. This Spring/Summer, whenever I need a full coverage foundation, it has been and will be my go to choice. When I need light coverage or want that natural face, I'll use my IPKN NY BB Cream that I got the deluxe sample in my February iPsy bag. I did not instantly fall in love with this BB Cream, it actually took me a while to actually appreciate it. By now, I've used this almost daily and I'm almost out. I'm contemplating if I should purchase the full size. It's $35 so...kinda pricey. But overall, I've worn this BB Cream with and without setting it. I've also worn this with and without concealers even though this BB Cream can double up and be used as a concealer. So far, it has not given me any oily problems. I'll use the rest sparingly and wait to see how it fares when the temperature rises.

There's nothing left to say about this Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder. I use this the most out of all my setting powder. It is light weight, it mattifies  and sets my foundation and BB Cream well. It didn't dry me out or gave me dry patches in the winter and it keeps my make up in place.
After I take off my make up, I will cleanse my face using Clean & Clear Facial Cleanser to pick up what the make up wipes left behind. There's nothing special about this cleanser to rant about. I just find that it works for me, it doesn't break me out or any weird reactions to it. I will do this immediately after I take off my make up. But this Biore scrub, I only use when I shower. Just a pea sized amount is good enough to massage it onto my face. As I massage it onto my face, I can feel the dirt and oil lift from my pores. The face feels especially refreshing after getting out of the shower.

If I wear make up everyday that week, I will use this scrub once every other day or two days. I really like St. Ives scrubs because one, they smell super nice and two, I love how the grains feel against my skin. Just last year, in the middle of Summer, I started breaking out, bad. I think it had something to do with the chlorine. So what I did was use this scrub as soon as I got out of the pool. I would lather this all over my face and neck and just massage away. This helped sooo much. The break out ceased and my skin returned to normal. By the end of Summer, I went through like three or four jars; thank goodness they're affordable.

Using face masks is a vital step in order to maintain clear skin during the warm seasons. I use many masks, but I want to share with ya'll the two that I use the most. One of them is a clay mask and the other a peel-off mask. I alternate these store-bought masks with my DIY masks. I use this clay mask usually on Friday; after a week's worth of make up build up, this clay formula will grab every single impurities from the root of the pores. You can actually see the mask set into your pores as it dries. As for the peel-off mask, I use this on Sunday nights, it's like prepping the canvas to ready it for Monday's use. It soaks up the oil from the skin and usually makes my skin less oily for the next day or two.

Ahhhhhh, and that's it guys. It was long and lengthy post but I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for visiting and thanks for reading. :)

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Today's Make Up: Spring 2014 Trend 3

Happy Hump Day everyone!  Hope your day has been well. How's the weather in your state/country? I am truly loving Arizona's weather today; a mild 77 degrees, light breeze, overcast...everything to my liking down to the tee. It is quite fabulous. Hopefully Arizona will allow this gorgeous weather to stick around a bit longer before the temp rises.

And so I would like to welcome ya'll to another post about Today's Make Up! In honor of today's beautiful day, I decided to don a fresh, yet vibrant Spring look that incorporated Spring 2014's trend. This will be my third attempt; while the first time, I didn't really feel it, but the second time around, the feels kinda grew on me. Third time around, I really enjoy these trends, third time's a charm I say. Considering how it is officially Spring, I can rightfully sport this trend....
without feeling guilty.

Today's Make Up: Spring 2014 Trend 3

FACE
IPKN NY Moist & Firm BB in Light
Physicians Formula Bronze Gems Matte & Bright Healthy Glow Bronzer
Jane Multi-Colored Correcting Powder
City Color Be Matte Blush in Fresh Melon

EYES
Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in Blue On By
Milani Powder Eyeshadow in Olympian Blue
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion
Benefit They're Real Mascara

LIPS
ELF Studio Moisturizing Lipstick in Party In The Buff
NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee

I really, really like this natural face trend. I can get away with being lazy and actually not feel half as bad. I think I somehow got darker in this past couple of weeks because my IPKN NY BB Cream seems to match me better than it did in the Winter months. Not complaining because I really am starting to like this BB Cream. I double it as a concealer, because less products used the better. Because this is a natural face look, blush, bronzer and highlight (BBH) also needs to be kept at a subtle minimum. I usually stay away from BBH that are shimmery also, it's all about them mattes. I used the lightest bronzer shade I have to give me just enough contours to prevent my face being flat without the harshness. You can either use a matte light pink or a matte light coral blush to enhance the naturalness, I opted for the coral because I felt that coral and bright blue matches better.

One of the current Spring trend is blue eyeshadow. Bright, vibrant, in your face, electrified blue! I really like this combo, the blue shadow brings the look back to life because the face is so bare. Although this blue shadow is so fun to wear, it is also a burden as well. There's a fine line between wearing just enough for the intensify look and going overboard and risk looking like a retro clown. Blending was my friend, doing it slowly as I go. I kept on blending and kept the shadow neat and clean.

The two lip trend for this Spring  are bright orange lips and soft berry lips. I did not wear orange...for obvious reasons; nor did I choose the soft berry lips.  I felt that I did not need to incorporate every single Spring trend into one look, but because the eye make up is already so bold, I wanted to match my lips with my face and go for a nude lip. This is also one of the few times I will sport a lip glossGasp! I know...But NYX Butter Gloss doesn't bother me as much.

Thank you for visiting, whether you're new, regular or a follower and thanks a bunch for reading! :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woman Crush WednesdayK-Pop Idol

Girls' Generation (SNSD) Im Yoona - Idol, Singer, Rapper,  Actress, Model, TV Presenter ; 23 Years Old


One of the cutest couple in the industry!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! I ship, I ship!


-----------------------------------------------------------------

Song of the Day/Moment - "Ooh Ooh" - Eric Nam



Monday, April 07, 2014

Manicure Monday: Easter/Spring Inspired Nails

Heeeeeello Monday!  Hope all is well for you. I'm having a magnificent day...even though it's Monday. I know, I know, hard to believe.

This week's manicure is Easter and Spring inspired. I cannot honestly say this is my best work yet, or I am super proud of them, but it is what it is. It is not a total disappointment, but they didn't come out according to what I had planned and expected. I really hate to show you all less than perfect works, but there's no time to re-do them. I do sincerely apologize for that. I might do another set sometime later in the week, if I do, you'll betcha I'll post about it.
Manicure Monday: Easter/Spring Inspired Nails
Top is Left Hand, Bottom is Right Hand
Left Hand
Thumb - a chick hatched with egg fragments
Index (Pointer) - an Easter egg design (Nicole by OPI Roughles in On What Grounds?)
Middle - meadow with tall green grass, blue skies and white fluffy clouds
Ring - another Easter egg design
Pinkie - yet another Easter egg

Right Hand
Thumb - white bunny
Index (Pointer) - biggo carrot (for the bunny to bunch on)
Middle - basket with eggs
Ring - an Easter egg design
Pinkie - green grass field with Easter eggs scattered about

Remember the mini-haul post from Saturday? I had purchased a nail art express dry drops from Essence. I was rather skeptical about their claims of "drying the nails within seconds". I was able to put this to the real test. The results?... Amazing job! Two thumbs up! It literally took like two seconds after the droplets touched the nails. It was like, drop, touch, wooosh, dried! It was the most amazing thing I've tried. Love. It.
Essence Nail Art Express Dry Drops
2-thumbs up, if I had more thumbs, they'll all be up!
highly recommend this to anyone looking for cheap dry drops, fast drying nail drops, anything to speed up the drying of the manicure. It is ONLY $2,99 at Ulta.
I really hope you all enjoyed this post. Will you be doing your nails today?  Do you plan on doing Easter nails?

As always, thank you for your visit and thanks for reading! :)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Man Crush MondayK-Pop Idol Edition

INFINITE's Kim Sunggyu - Idol, Singer & Dancer ; 24 Years Old

Okay....I can literally go on for pages and pages with this guy. I don't like to say it because I really don't believe there should be a bias in K-Pop, everyone is different, they all have their own charms, beauty and colors. That should not be compared and be rated. Even though I do not like this whole ultimate bias, I do have to say that of all the idols and Korean artists, old and new, I have this special bond with this Gyu Hamster here. He's often chosen last in attractiveness within his group,h is small eyes are apparently his down fall, his lack of energy, his age... It all does not matter to me. To ME, he is the most gorgeous  person I've ever seen. His eyes give him a mysterious vibe, his smile can seriously light up the room, his passion and love for what he does and his responsibility as a leader and love and care he has for his members. This is not to mention his intelligence and quick wit. He is sexy, manly, cute, adorable, everything rolled into one. This man here...this oppa is (dare I say) my ultimate bias...if there were to be one.

Please do NOT get me wrong. I have a special bond with him does NOT mean I only have him in my heart. With K-Pop, one cannot simply have a heart for one. 2PM, MBLAQ, BEAST, SS501, U-Kiss, CN Blue, BAP, SHINee, Infinite, VIXX, EXO,  BTS, GOT7...first gen idols, second gen idols, rookies and all, I love every single one of them. Because... K-Pop is life.