Skin 79 | BB Cream

Where do I even start? This is amazing. No, this is revolutionary... to me anyway. I'd been having some skin issues lately and decided to man up and finally get a true Korean BB cream instead of the ones being made now by other companies. After looking up some of the most known BB creams I chose Skin 79 Triple Functions BB cream from Pretty and Cute for $30. I chose this one since it's the one for oily skin. I had to research a bit more since they have a lot of BB creams and they all sound so good. Anyway, I decided to play it safe and start with this one. 

I tried this and was a bit apprehensive since it's a really fair color, but it blends in perfectly after applied. I'm not sure how it photographs with flash yet though. A little does go a long way and it has a thick texture. One it's on and you blend it you have a healthy looking skin and you don't even feel the BB cream. My face felt super light but I looked fresh and lit from within. My skin has not broken out, it has actually gotten better and less dull looking sans make-up. The SPF is heaven sent and I'm so happy it has it. The oil control is normal. I do have the same problem on my T-zone but i didn't expect much. This is my daily foundation per say now. I'm leaving my other foundations for special occasions now.

Downside is that this is the only color it comes in. I don't think darker skin tones would blend well with this, however checking to see other BB creams is a must. Most BB creams have a gray tint that blends out well, so research is key. I'm beyond happy with this product and I will definitely be sticking to Korean BB creams from now on. I'm aware paying a bit more for better quality on something I put in my face is a must. This product is worth it in my opinion and I'm so damn happy I decided to get it. Can't wait to try out more!

NARS | Laguna

I'm back! After a horrible week and some of getting my wisdom teeth taken out and having some complications, I'm finally back to my old blogging self. And what better way to come back than to tell you I finally committed? Yes, I finally took the plunge and got NARS Laguna bronzer after staring at it for roughly (2) years. Let me tell you, I almost didn't get it. I don't know whats wrong with me but I could never make myself buy it. Anyway, I got it after forcing myself and I'm so glad that it didn't disappoint.

I first was introduced to this bronzer while I was working my first internship. I needed a bronzer, since we were getting ready for an event that evening, and one of my then co-workers lent me this bronzer. I fell in love at how effortless this bronzer is. What really struck me was how the me back then didn't know how to apply bronzer all that well but this bronzer made me look like a million bucks. Why it took me so long to get, I'll never understand. I'm just super glad that it is as amazing as I remembered it. Keep in mind that this is a pricey bronzer ($34) which is partly why I could never commit. My advice is you go try it out in the store before you buy it so you don't regret it.

The Laguna bronzer is a more fair to olive skin tone bronzer. It has a subtle gold shimmer to help give that glow tanning effect without having to actually sit under the sun and burn. I don't find you can do much contouring with this, but to each it's own. It has a very smooth application and it's easy to blend out. A little goes a long way, but I don't feel you need a light hand either. I don't fear I look like a clown when I go a bit "over board". This just gives that effortless glow look, like JLo is famous for. It has a very good color pay off and it does last a nice amount of time on. You may have to retouch it during the day but I don't mind it since by the time I'd have to retouch it I'm already home. This is hands down my favorite bronzer so far.

Swatch + Swatch blended with a brush.

Lost All My Old Post Pictures...

If you're new on my blog that you will notice (like I just did) that all my old posts are missing the pictured. I'm not sure what happened or how, but please excuse that. I'm going to try to fix it but I truly don't know what happened. Again, please excuse this and I hope you can still enjoy my blog since I did work hard on it.

Summer Favorites!

Since I always forget to do a monthly favorite, I decided to redeem myself with doing a Summer favorite! These are the products I've gravitated towards more during this very hot and humid summer. It's safe to say this has not been the summer to cake on make up. The heat here is unbearable and I've been having a lot of skin problems all summer that have me even more stressed. So, I've kept is light. Since there's quite a bit I decided to separate them into categories: Fragrance, Eyes, Face, Cheeks & Lips. Enjoy!

Fragrance:

 Dove Go Fresh Body Mist in Cucumber and Green Tea Scent- This is a product I always have with me. It has a unique scent that dries on very sweet and lovely. This is something I spray on during the day to make sure I don't stick up the place. Hah!

Eyes:

 MAC Bare Study- Although this is a fairly new product, I couldn't help but add it. This is something I reach for easily 4 or 5 days a week. It's just gives an effortless look and shine to the eyes that I can't get with my eyeshadows. Plus, it has a very good lasting power.

Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara Sample- I got this from a friend who sells Mary Kay. I've been really enjoying the finish this has on my lashes. I have very long natural lashes so I get annoyed when the mascaras elongate them, but this does a great job and getting them nice and dark without making the stupidly long and for a sample it's lasted me a good amount of time.

Face:

 Tarte Smoothing Operator- This is by far a holy grail product. I cannot wait to get my hands on a full size of this. This makes my pores small and keeps me matte throughout the day. This little guy is amazing and I cannot comprehend how I didn't know about it sooner. The best part is you only need a pea size amount to cover the WHOLE face!

Clinique Perfectly Real Make Up Foundation- I can definitely say I had neglected this foundation for a long time and fell in love with it all over again. The application is smooth and light, easy to blend in. It gives a nice light-medium coverage that's perfect for this weather. 

Cheeks:

 MAC Refined Golden Bronzer- I stole this guy from one of my best friend who has a tendency to be a kleptomaniac (hi, brenda!) and needless to say she did not like a taste of her own medicine. Anyway, this bronzer just gives such a delicate glow to the skin with the right amount of gold shimmer. I can cheat and say I went to the beach now!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed- This is such an amazing blush that I always carry with me wherever I go. The flush of color it gives looks very natural and soft. The lasting power on this is amazing and goes so well with the bronzer. I couldn't help but reach for it.

Lips:

 Korres Wild Rose Lip Balm- It's no secret I'm a fan of matte lipsticks, but with this heat it's also no secret that I've had to drop my lipsticks and go for lip balms to keep my lips moisturized. The Korres lip balm gives me much needed moisture with a lovely hint of color that is greatly appreciated.

Reve de Miel Lip Balm- This guy is the one I use every morning and every night before I go to sleep. This is definitely what has been keeping my lips from cracking too much. It keeps my lips in check and leaves the soft.

Hot Pink Lip Balm- I got this guy at Sephora for $2 on a sale! It gives a lovely shade of sheer pink on the lips when applied and it looks like you ate a lolli pop. It's lovely.

Top Shop Lipstick | Desert

'Sup, guys? Hope you're all well. Today I bring you a small review of a Top Shop lipstick I got from a blog sale. First of all, I love me some blog sales. It's the perfect opportunity to get things for a much more affordable price. Anyway, this is my first Top Shop lipstick ever. I know they're not expensive in the store but I want to actually check them out in person rather than buy them online (this being a special case, being a blog sale and all). First thing i noticed was the fruity smell it has. I'm not fond of it but it's something I can handle. Plus, the smell doesn't stay when you apply it. This is a very soft lipstick. Not quite creamy, just soft and a bit velvety. It does go on a bit streaky but there is just something about this lipstick that I love. Maybe I'm being biased, I don't know. I love the subtle nude color and I like how it makes my lips soft. This is something i carry in my make up bag for mellow days. Definitely happy I was able to get this on a sale.

Origins | A Perfect World

I wish that just like this products name this review could be perfect. Hearing great things about Origins I was excited to try one product out. Although their line is expensive, they have a few products which are $22 and under and makes it a bit more affordable. A Perfect World is an antioxidant cleanser with White Tea that has a very herbal smell and has a pearl color. You get 150mL of product for $21, which is very nice considering you only need a pea size amount to cover the whole face. All of this sounds so lovely and it's no wonder I couldn't wait to try it. 

I used this products lathering it up with my hands and occasionally with a face scrub brush. It lathers up well and it's easy to wash off. I did have an awful habit of tasting it involuntary and yeah, the taste is not good. Anyway, overall the product is very good. It maintained my skin and I didn't break out more that the few blemishes I had. But that's the problem, it didn't do much more. Maintained but didn't improve. I was hoping it could calm down a few of the blemishes I was getting in the hollows of my cheeks and chin but alas it did not. I'm truly grateful that it didn't break me out or dry me out but I just wish it would have done more. This has not deterred me from getting more (affordable) Origins products and this cleanser isn't a bad product, I just expected more.

Do you guys have any recommendations on any more Origins products?

Runway Trick | Glossy Red Lips

Here's a quick and easy tip for very glossy red lips, as seen on Fall runways. All you'll need is:

• Red Lipstick (I chose MAC's Ruby Woo)
• Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream

This is a really neat and easy trick. You first apply the lipstick of your choice. Then you take a pea size amount of the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and dab it on. Voila, you have glossy red lips. This works with any color of your choice, I chose red since I saw it on the runway. This is perfect for photoshoots and just getting creative. It may be a bit messy but it's easy to clean up! Enjoy!

L'oreal | Pink Tone Lipsticks

My lovely mother, she's adorable, got me these (2) lippies almost two weeks ago since there was a sale going on. I had been looking at these guys but found them a bit expensive for drugstore lipsticks, so getting them on a deal was great. These are both great summer colors, giving a very good amount of pigment without going full on. More of a kissable look. However, something really irked me about the Sweet Angora packing (gold package; on the left) and it was that it had such a grand package and then you open it and the tube is so small and slim. Why make such a big package for that? It really annoyed me.

As I mentioned, the color payoff is really nice and pigmented without being overbearing. I do find them a bit too creamy for my taste and they tend to fade a bit faster (Sweet Angora (left) faster than Summer Rose (right). I tend to not lean on pink lips since I feel I look too made up, but these give a nice flush of color. It's something I slap on when I feel the need to have a bit of color without wanting a full on lipstick. The pink in both lipsticks is very flattering on all skin tones and would look superb on darker skin tones. Again, these are perfect for what's left of the summer and to wear them during the day. Very good shades of pink without going Barbie pink, which I dislike. Do I recommend them? Only if they aren't full price. I could certainly do without them and don't find them to be anything special. I like them but I don't find myself reaching for them as much to find myself actually buying them at full price. But they're worth checking out.

Summer Rose &  Sweet Angora

Korean Face Masks

As my blog continues to grow on a more cosmetics view, I've been delving deeper into what is make up and skin care. This, and my love for the Korean culture, led me to wanting to try out face masks. Now I see cheap ones in the super market or some stores but, in my way of thinking, I go directly to the source that shows amazing progress. The Asian culture. It's no secret that Asian women have skin care down to a T. I've seen asian women who are nearly 30 and look 21. To be more specific, Sandara Park from 2NE1 who is a perfect example of a perfect complexion. So, why not try out Korean based products? I mean, their BB creams, and other skin care products, are very well known to work. So I decided to hunt down a Korean seller on ebay and chose Buykpop. This seller was very good and delivered the items perfectly and I will repurchase in the future.

I decided to get (3) Rice masks for $9 and try them out. They have a very nice selection of masks that you can combine and buy. You get this really moist face mask which is heavily folded. You must unfold it and place it correctly to the face and basically stick it on. This is a product I had so much fun using and cannot wait to use again. The first thing you notice as you put it on is how cold it makes your face feel. The sensation it gives is amazing and truly addicting. It helped moisturize and make my skin firm. My skin felt amazing each time I used one, and looked even better. I cannot express how much I loved this product and recommend you try it out if you want to maintain good skin throughout the years. They have very good descriptions on what each of the masks do. Truly, check them out and try some if you're interested. Here are the types of masks they have:

• Aloe
• Cucumber
• Lemon
• Olive
• Pomegranate 
• Pumkin
• Kelp
• Mung Bean
• Red Ginseng
• Rice
• Pearl
• Hyaluronic Acid
• CO-Q10
• Collagen

Huge Thanks To Clarins!

Small post here, but I'd love to recognize these two Clarins samples that helped me so much these few weeks. My face had hit a rough patch of having some very dry patches around my cheek and cheek bone area that was driving me insane. I'd forgotten about these samples that I got from the counter lady, since I normally have normal to oily, and decided to give them a try. Boy did they help me. I've used the Hydra Quench Cream all these nights before i go to sleep and I wake up refreshed and with some moisture back in the affected areas. Also used the Beauty Flash Balm as a mask whilst bathing for 10 to 15min and it worked equally as well, so I'm very happy. As for repurchasing, I wish they were both in m y budget (sigh) but they go for $49.50 and $45 full size, which is waaaaaaay over what I can pay at the moment. My point is, if you have the money to spend and you're looking for good products to help dryness then you should check these out.

MAC | Bare Study

Sup, guys? Here today to talk about MAC's cream shadow Bare Study. This is a very neutral pearl/champagne cream shadow that is perfect for an everyday wear. I got this because I'm going through a "no make up, make up look" and i thought this would be perfect to just slap on add some mascara and go. I've been using this for about 3 to 4 weeks now and I do love it but I get annoyed with it sometimes. This is a very gorgeous base and highlighter color that just gives an added radiance. What I dislike is that I feel it goes on streaky when applied with a finger so I tend to use a brush, which minimizes the streakyness but not by much. You have to be patient whilst blending it but once you're done it looks lovely. It's a very subtle color which is exactly what I was looking for. I first was leaning towards getting Stila's Kitten cream shadow but that one leans more towards a pinkish finish. Once this shadow is on (without primer) it has a very good lasting power, about 8 hours or so and it fades beautifully so you can imagine how long it'd last with primer.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the product. I have no regrets on buying it and I would highly consider getting it again once i ran out. But seeing that it is a nice amount of product, I think I can make this last quite a while before I run out. Also, MAC cream shadows tend to dry out so just pop this baby up-side down and let the moisture run to the top, that's how I always leave mine. I think the color is very suitable for any skin tone, from fair to darker tones. Of course, bare in mind that if you're fair skinned this will look like some added shimmer and not much color. Opposed to darker skins which would give a lovely flush of champagne color to the lid. Really, I think this product is a universal product that is lovely on anyone as long as it's used right.

Formula 10.0.6 | Seriously Shine Free Moisturizer

 I recently ran out of  my Yes To Carrots moisturizer and had to do a speed buy. Since the drugstore I went to didn't have any YTC I decided to go with Formula 10.0.6 which I'd never heard about before. What attracted me to this product was that it said it was a "mattifying oil-free moisturizer" and we all know my skin is normal to oily. A matte moisturizer really appealed in this hot summer so I got it. However, I'm sad to say it doesn't do a good job of mattifying at all. You have a "matte" face for about 10 to 15min and then I started getting oily around my T zone. Plus, it leaves this weird sheen to the skin and is exactly what I'm trying to avoid in the first place. As a moisturizer it works just fine, but it does not keep my face matte. I'm going to use it until I run out of it since I'm not fond of wasting money, but I'm definitely not repurchasing in the future. I'll just still for my YTC for now.

NYX Mini Haul

 Hey, guys! Mini haul here for you. I recently got some NYX goodies (who can blame me? they're cheap and good) and I wanted to share them with you. All of the products here already have reviews here and here, so check that out for a more in depth review. All of these products have amazing pigment and color payoff and they last a long time. Beware, if you don't like dry or matte lipsticks or creams then these may not be for you although you can always work around it with a lip balm if you chose to. I'm in love with these products and both are definitely worth a check out since they have a good color selection. So, if you're on a budget and wish to still have nice lip colors go check out some NYX products. Oh! And no, this isn't an advertisement I just really like these products and will get more, more, more!

matte cream in milan | matte cream in monte carlo | matte lipstick in strawberry daiquiri