AAAHHHHHH!!! This is gonna put me in the hole I swear! Anyway, I finally found some blogs with more previews of spring collections. I found the Essie French Affair collection, and the Orly Precious collection on temptalia.com and nailswatches.com respectively. I am real liking the colors from the Essie collection. Not too much from the Orly one.
Ok...speaking of nail collections, I am a little late, but I think the appeal came onto me a little late...anyway: I ended up buying a few of the China Glaze holiday 2010 collection colors. Some I bought at Kali's and the others I got from a nail salon, which I think sparked this "appeal." When the collection first came out, I really liked the Party Hearty topcoat because like Leesha from xsparkage said...it's like Christmas in a bottle! Also the fact that it sold out at Kali's right after it came in, kinda made me want it more. So anyway, when I was getting a pedicure at a nail salon in town, I noticed Christmas-y stuff to my left and I almost jumped in amazement...it was a China Glaze gift set, with Phat Santa (a creme finish red), Jolly Holly (a dark green, with a little micro-shimmer), and yessss: Party Hearty (a clear topcoat that has small gold and green glitters, and big red chunky glitter). It's really a cool topcoat. I grabbed this set, and it was oober cheap because the topcoat was like a free gift, so it was only like $12 (regular price of one China Galze color is like $6.50). I also picked up Little Drummer Boy (a deep blue with blue micro-shimmer), and Naughty and Nice (a creme finish deep maroon, it's actually been described as plum, but I see maroon). Only after swatching the Jolly Holly I realized how pretty of a color it actually is, and I liked Little Drummer Boy from the beginning, it's like a shimmery alternative to Calypso Blue, which I also love. And the Naughty and Nice actually surprised me at how dark it is. It's one of those almost black colors for me, and I love those kinds of colors :) I haven't worn Jolly Holly yet (just swatched it for my display wheels I talked about in the last post), but I think it will be on my nails next :)
So, I also wanted to mention that I picked up a few colors from Anchors Away and Intimate. From Anchors Away I got Below Deck and Knotty. From Intimate I got Jules and Catlin. I like every color I picked up. I wanted to get Sea Spray, but I kinda forgot about that color (I had it written down, but I guess it really didn't impress me much), so maybe later, or not. It kinda reminds me of Catlin anyway.
I actually only wore three of those four. I haven't gotten a chance to wear Jules yet, but a kinda weird thing happened. When I was painting my "Nudes" color wheel, I painted China Glaze Stellar right next to it, and when I was coming around to do the second coat, I accidentally put my second coat of Stellar on Jules! That's what I get for trying to do this at night, when I'm dead tired AND have horrible lighting. But it turned out for the better, it's actually a really nice combo ;) Also, Jules by itself looks really nice.
As a side note: got a notice from MAC talking about the release of a new Viva Glam Gaga color! It's more of a nude, and I think I like it better than the first one, which was too white for me. I like the Viva Glam line because it seems like it's a universal line, so more people will buy it (since it's for charity). So I may be talking about that soon! Which reminds me, I should talk about the Wonder Woman stuff I got...well I actually only picked up one quad because I couldn't see myself spending that much money...
Looks like I have a lot to talk about...glad my period of midterms is gonna be over soon, giving me more time to update this blog!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Nail Color Wheels
So on Tuesday I got my set of 10 color wheels that I ordered on ebay :) I was so happy, now I can swatch my nail polishes, and I don't have to look at each bottle and try to remember what it looks like, how opaque it is, etc.
So I am currently in the process of trying to inventory all the colors I have, and when I finish I will post pictures :) What I am going to do is separate them by color family, and then I will have a wheel for my dark dark colors (that I LOVE to wear on short nails), and one for my glitters. I was a bit amazed at the fact that I came very close to filling up a whole wheel with my glitters...I do love them...a LOT! So what's actually going to happen is that I will have repeating colors throughout the different wheels...some may say that' a waste of a nail, but I think it will help me better decide when I know what mood I am in :)
So...they're actually almost done so pretty soon I will post :)
So I am currently in the process of trying to inventory all the colors I have, and when I finish I will post pictures :) What I am going to do is separate them by color family, and then I will have a wheel for my dark dark colors (that I LOVE to wear on short nails), and one for my glitters. I was a bit amazed at the fact that I came very close to filling up a whole wheel with my glitters...I do love them...a LOT! So what's actually going to happen is that I will have repeating colors throughout the different wheels...some may say that' a waste of a nail, but I think it will help me better decide when I know what mood I am in :)
So...they're actually almost done so pretty soon I will post :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Skin Story, Part 2: Acne
I didn't hyperlink any products mentioned yet...will do so soon. But fyi: I got the names of the products pretty good I think, so you can copy/paste into google, and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find it!
So, to continue my journey with my crap skin, I shall talk about something else that has really put a road block in my way: ACNE
Four letters, a ton of power that word has. Let me just tell you that my acne has been a part of my life for at least a good 11-12 years right now. There are some things in life you were headed for, and acne was not gonna let me hide it.
Bachi...or some say Karma
Growing up with two older brothers that boss you around, make fun of you, and get you in trouble, I was bound to take full advantage of them entering puberty. So when the oldest of us got his first pimple, that opened all doors for the pimple/crater face comments, laughing and pointing. There was a lot more laughing and pointing after he started seeing a dermatologist. My mom warned me of the concept of bachi (or karma, to the non-Japanese population), which I often confused with hibachi...two totally different things, but they sound alike when you're 7 years old! Anyway, the teasing continued on to my next brother who was fortunate enough not to have that bad of a case, and by this time my oldest brother was phasing out of his run as crater face.
When I turned 10, my mom and I noticed that my skin was starting to change, and that it was getting weird. It wasn't really acne yet, but I was starting to get sensitive to different things, especially fruit juices, like when I ate mangoes or watermelons and the juices got on my face. But this all faded away, and then...it hit me! From then on, I have not seen a clear face in the mirror. It is quite sad, here I am a 22 year old with acne from elementary school. I've had to deal with this skin for way longer than what my two brothers dealt with...probably put together. However, my skin has gotten substantially better since then, and my dermatologist has finally said that I'm on my own now...I still struggle with this disease...and to me that's really what it is! I actually do regret making fun of my brothers when I was younger, but really...who would I be today? haha...anyway, I think this is a great example of that saying: KARMA'S A BITCH!
Products?
As you can imagine, I've used a ton of products, over the counter and prescription, to help me balance my skin. Here's a slight breakdown of some of the over the counter stuff I've tried:
Cleansers/Scrubs:
So, to continue my journey with my crap skin, I shall talk about something else that has really put a road block in my way: ACNE
Four letters, a ton of power that word has. Let me just tell you that my acne has been a part of my life for at least a good 11-12 years right now. There are some things in life you were headed for, and acne was not gonna let me hide it.
Bachi...or some say Karma
Growing up with two older brothers that boss you around, make fun of you, and get you in trouble, I was bound to take full advantage of them entering puberty. So when the oldest of us got his first pimple, that opened all doors for the pimple/crater face comments, laughing and pointing. There was a lot more laughing and pointing after he started seeing a dermatologist. My mom warned me of the concept of bachi (or karma, to the non-Japanese population), which I often confused with hibachi...two totally different things, but they sound alike when you're 7 years old! Anyway, the teasing continued on to my next brother who was fortunate enough not to have that bad of a case, and by this time my oldest brother was phasing out of his run as crater face.
When I turned 10, my mom and I noticed that my skin was starting to change, and that it was getting weird. It wasn't really acne yet, but I was starting to get sensitive to different things, especially fruit juices, like when I ate mangoes or watermelons and the juices got on my face. But this all faded away, and then...it hit me! From then on, I have not seen a clear face in the mirror. It is quite sad, here I am a 22 year old with acne from elementary school. I've had to deal with this skin for way longer than what my two brothers dealt with...probably put together. However, my skin has gotten substantially better since then, and my dermatologist has finally said that I'm on my own now...I still struggle with this disease...and to me that's really what it is! I actually do regret making fun of my brothers when I was younger, but really...who would I be today? haha...anyway, I think this is a great example of that saying: KARMA'S A BITCH!
Products?
As you can imagine, I've used a ton of products, over the counter and prescription, to help me balance my skin. Here's a slight breakdown of some of the over the counter stuff I've tried:
Cleansers/Scrubs:
Clean & Clear Morning Burst Shine Control
Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask
Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Power-Cream Wash
Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub
Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Resurfacing 3-Way Cleanser
Philosophy Purity Made Simple
Ole Henriksen Aloe Vera Deep Cleanser
Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub
St Ive's Apricot Scrub (regular & acne prone skin formulas)
St Ive's Green Tea
Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel
Toners:
Clinique Clarifying Lotions 2, 3, and 4*
Clean & Clear
Ole Henriksen Grease Relief Tonic
Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic
And you guys know about my battle with moisturizers.
*So for the Clinique Clarifying Lotions, I recently seen an ad in a magazine that leads me to believe that they changed the formula on these, which makes me want to try them again.
Overall, I have never found that perfect skin care regimen, if you can't tell by the long list of stuff that I have tried. I
As I have mentioned, I've been seeing a dermatologist for quite some time. He has precribed me pretty much everything in the book as far as topical go, and even antibiotics. At the end of last year, he had told me that I won't need to come back for my regular appointments and that unless I have a major breakout I won't have to see him again. Now, that doesn't really say much, I am still breaking out, and I have pimples on my face, but it's like a million times better than what it used to be.
So to sum it all up: my skin is horribly oily, and I've battled my way through acne, but in the end, my skin is far from perfect, and hopefully I will end up looking oober young when I'm sol to make up for this monstrosity of a skin history I've been having for years.
Friday, January 28, 2011
My Skin Story, Part 1: Oily Skin & Moisturizers and Primers
So in my last post, I talked a bit about how gross my skin can get, but I though I'd share a more in depth look at my struggles with my skin.
So let's start with oiliness. As far as skin care is considered, I've tried so many "oil-control" products, it's pretty ridiculous.
I've tried Murad Oil Control Mattifier SPF 15, which worked ok, it was one of the first ventures into this world of oil-control. I thought it was a pretty good product, but my face was still very oily by the end of the day.
Another moisturizer I've tried is the Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper. That stuff was not as great as the Murad stuff, but I liked it enough not to return it, it helped make my face feel matte, but still produced the oils.
When I made a trip to the MAC store quite some time ago (for the Viva Glam Gaga lipglass), I was coerced into trying their Oil Control Lotion and their Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation (NC30). Now, when the makeup artist demoed the products on my face, she also used the Prep + Prime Skin as well, but I didn't purchase it. I am curious if I use that plus the other MAC stuff if it will make a big difference? Anyway: when I tried it, it felt nice, it felt like I wasn't wearing anything AND it also felt matte. What I wanted to tell her was that I wanted to stay for another couple of hours so that she could see how crappy my skin is and the oil slick that would have formed...but all in all it worked ok (like the Murad stuff).
The next thing I heard about was the Shiseido Pureness Mattifying Moisturizer Oil Free. I went to Sephora, and for the life of me I couldn't find the Shiseido stuff, so I asked someone, and then I found it, and asked for a sample (the reason why I never got samples of other stuff was because I didn't even know they did that :/), and so the person who helped me also pointed out that Bliss also makes a pretty good oil control moisturizer, so I got a sample of the Bliss Steep Clean Mattifying Lotion. I tried both, and decided since Sephora gave me a $30 gift card, I'll give the Bliss one a try because it seemed to work better, but I didn't really get a good trial because the person at Sephora didn't really give me a whole lot. So I bought myself a full size bottle, too bad I didn't know it was $48!!! At least I had the gift card...right?? Anyway, I have been using that, switching between that and the MAC one, I think the MAC one may be better. I use the Bliss one mostly at night now.
A couple of other noteable mentions in the moisturizer department is the Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15. I've tried it as a sample size (the ones that come in those sets that Boscia makes a lot), and when it was time for my skincare challenge reward at Sephora, it looked like the only thing my skin would come close to liking. Out of all the products I already mentioned, I really LOVE the packaging on this one. It's in a tube type of thing, but it has a pump, so I can store it anywhere, and would be good for travel too, but there's the convenience of the pump. The actual product isn't that great, I think it made me more oily than some other stuff I've tried, but it was eh... for me. Another moisturizer that wasn't horrible, but not great was the Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer SPF 15. I didn't really notice any pore minimization, but it was ok, and has SPF 15, so it wasn't bad for my skin.
To talk about makeup primers now. I've tried many. Here's the ones that I have tried that left me quite oily: Smashbox's Photo Finish (original) and Photo Finish Light, MAKE UP FOR EVER's HD Primer (not exactly sure what it was called, but I think it's discontinued now, there's other primers, but I don't think any of them are the one I tried from a 100 point perk), Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time (I tried it before the oil-control one came out), Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube Mattifying Gel, MAC Matte, and MAC Skin Refine Zone Treatment. But the stand out one for me was actually the Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control. I liked it, but I was still oily, so it sat on my conter for a while, and I think this is the reason why when I tried to start using it again, it made my skin peel A LOT! I am pretty sure it didn't do that when I used it the first time. It's on my list of stuff to buy when I have money. However, I found that I think when I mix those two MAC products and put it all over my face, that kind of helps...a little.
Will talk foundation later...my fingers are tired!
So let's start with oiliness. As far as skin care is considered, I've tried so many "oil-control" products, it's pretty ridiculous.
I've tried Murad Oil Control Mattifier SPF 15, which worked ok, it was one of the first ventures into this world of oil-control. I thought it was a pretty good product, but my face was still very oily by the end of the day.
Another moisturizer I've tried is the Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper. That stuff was not as great as the Murad stuff, but I liked it enough not to return it, it helped make my face feel matte, but still produced the oils.
When I made a trip to the MAC store quite some time ago (for the Viva Glam Gaga lipglass), I was coerced into trying their Oil Control Lotion and their Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation (NC30). Now, when the makeup artist demoed the products on my face, she also used the Prep + Prime Skin as well, but I didn't purchase it. I am curious if I use that plus the other MAC stuff if it will make a big difference? Anyway: when I tried it, it felt nice, it felt like I wasn't wearing anything AND it also felt matte. What I wanted to tell her was that I wanted to stay for another couple of hours so that she could see how crappy my skin is and the oil slick that would have formed...but all in all it worked ok (like the Murad stuff).
The next thing I heard about was the Shiseido Pureness Mattifying Moisturizer Oil Free. I went to Sephora, and for the life of me I couldn't find the Shiseido stuff, so I asked someone, and then I found it, and asked for a sample (the reason why I never got samples of other stuff was because I didn't even know they did that :/), and so the person who helped me also pointed out that Bliss also makes a pretty good oil control moisturizer, so I got a sample of the Bliss Steep Clean Mattifying Lotion. I tried both, and decided since Sephora gave me a $30 gift card, I'll give the Bliss one a try because it seemed to work better, but I didn't really get a good trial because the person at Sephora didn't really give me a whole lot. So I bought myself a full size bottle, too bad I didn't know it was $48!!! At least I had the gift card...right?? Anyway, I have been using that, switching between that and the MAC one, I think the MAC one may be better. I use the Bliss one mostly at night now.
A couple of other noteable mentions in the moisturizer department is the Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15. I've tried it as a sample size (the ones that come in those sets that Boscia makes a lot), and when it was time for my skincare challenge reward at Sephora, it looked like the only thing my skin would come close to liking. Out of all the products I already mentioned, I really LOVE the packaging on this one. It's in a tube type of thing, but it has a pump, so I can store it anywhere, and would be good for travel too, but there's the convenience of the pump. The actual product isn't that great, I think it made me more oily than some other stuff I've tried, but it was eh... for me. Another moisturizer that wasn't horrible, but not great was the Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer SPF 15. I didn't really notice any pore minimization, but it was ok, and has SPF 15, so it wasn't bad for my skin.
To talk about makeup primers now. I've tried many. Here's the ones that I have tried that left me quite oily: Smashbox's Photo Finish (original) and Photo Finish Light, MAKE UP FOR EVER's HD Primer (not exactly sure what it was called, but I think it's discontinued now, there's other primers, but I don't think any of them are the one I tried from a 100 point perk), Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time (I tried it before the oil-control one came out), Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube Mattifying Gel, MAC Matte, and MAC Skin Refine Zone Treatment. But the stand out one for me was actually the Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control. I liked it, but I was still oily, so it sat on my conter for a while, and I think this is the reason why when I tried to start using it again, it made my skin peel A LOT! I am pretty sure it didn't do that when I used it the first time. It's on my list of stuff to buy when I have money. However, I found that I think when I mix those two MAC products and put it all over my face, that kind of helps...a little.
Will talk foundation later...my fingers are tired!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Skindinavia No More Shine
Yay!!! I had been eyeing this stuff out for thee longest time, and I finally decided to buy it. It's called No More Shine, and what it is, is a spray that is supposed to set your makeup and give you a matte finish all day. Now I think that I may just be the biggest skeptic about this thing because I have SUPER oily skin.
So I've been using it for a few days, and I must say that I am quite disappointed with its performance. But on the other hand: it has made a slight difference in how my skin does throughout the day. Although it is not the perfect product for me, it still does work. I noticed that my face still gets its early morning shine about a couple hours after I put it on, but after blotting, I notice that it doesn't get as oily throughout the day. My biggest issue is maintenance, I don't blot throughout the day, or touch-up with powder simply because of two things: I don't think it's quite economical (I pay a lot of money for these products, why can't they last all day?), and I am LAZY!!! So I think that will be my next quest in my oily skin solution search I will try...we'll see how it goes.
If my opinion changes, I'll add a bit more to this entry, but for now...if you have extremely oily skin: this may not be the solution you were searching for.
So I've been using it for a few days, and I must say that I am quite disappointed with its performance. But on the other hand: it has made a slight difference in how my skin does throughout the day. Although it is not the perfect product for me, it still does work. I noticed that my face still gets its early morning shine about a couple hours after I put it on, but after blotting, I notice that it doesn't get as oily throughout the day. My biggest issue is maintenance, I don't blot throughout the day, or touch-up with powder simply because of two things: I don't think it's quite economical (I pay a lot of money for these products, why can't they last all day?), and I am LAZY!!! So I think that will be my next quest in my oily skin solution search I will try...we'll see how it goes.
If my opinion changes, I'll add a bit more to this entry, but for now...if you have extremely oily skin: this may not be the solution you were searching for.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Urban Decay Spring 2011 Collection
In short...looks AWESOME:
http://www.urbandecay.com/spring2011/index.cfm
Ok...so I think the one product that I really want to try out is the 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencils:
These look pretty much like the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil, but it notes that they are crease-proof. I will be the judge of that ;) But honestly, the color selection looks kind of weak...they don't have a white, or a flat black (Barracuda has sparkle/glitter/shimmer in it), so that's one thing that kind of disappoints me, but still, this looks like a interesting product to try out. I like using cream shadows to enhance the colors of my powder shadows and if these are crease-proof, I think I will be able to say "good-bye" to cream shadows. Especially when in a pot, those things dry up FAST, so the NYX stuff was good because they don't dry out in their packaging, but bad because if you don't use only a thin layer (on my eyelid at least), theywill crease like crazy.
The next thing that excites me, but I really don't know if I can even afford this is the15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Pencil Set:
This is a set of FIFTEEN of the 24/7 Glide-On Pencils. It includes six new colors, and there's two that I am really excited about: Asphyxia, and Perversion. Now let me warn you, this is basically half of their permanent collection, plus six new (don't know if these will become permanent) colors . I really like the Asphyxia eyeshadow, so I would definitely want to try that pencil, plus I like the fact that they made a black-black (Perversion), that's darker than their award-winning color Zero (haven't actually tried it, but have swatched it in the store, and it never really impressed me in color like the stila kajal eye liner).
Their new pencil brush looks interesting...24/7 Shadow Pencil Blending Brush:
The fibers remind me of the Sigma synthetic face brush fibers. But they say it's made out of the PET bottle plastic, and it's made specifically for blending out the new shadow pencils, but I'm assuming for all your cream based eye products.
And lastly, the Lush Lash System looks pretty interesting:
It's supposed to be a two-part system that helps your lashes grow longer, and thicker. This one is one of those things that I wouldn't scrounge around for money to buy, but if someone gave it to me as a gift, I wouldn't mind ;)
Anyway (so the last one, wasn't so lastly after all), the Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint looks interesting too:
Basically cream blush, if it looks good in the store, I may consider getting it. For now...very comfortable with my cream color base, and convertible cheek color I gave myself for Christmas (if you don't know what I'm talking about: read my earlier posts).
So...will be doing some contemplating/splurge-buying probably :) Will update if I get any of these cool stuffs :D
Ok...so I think the one product that I really want to try out is the 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencils:
These look pretty much like the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil, but it notes that they are crease-proof. I will be the judge of that ;) But honestly, the color selection looks kind of weak...they don't have a white, or a flat black (Barracuda has sparkle/glitter/shimmer in it), so that's one thing that kind of disappoints me, but still, this looks like a interesting product to try out. I like using cream shadows to enhance the colors of my powder shadows and if these are crease-proof, I think I will be able to say "good-bye" to cream shadows. Especially when in a pot, those things dry up FAST, so the NYX stuff was good because they don't dry out in their packaging, but bad because if you don't use only a thin layer (on my eyelid at least), theywill crease like crazy.
The next thing that excites me, but I really don't know if I can even afford this is the15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Pencil Set:
This is a set of FIFTEEN of the 24/7 Glide-On Pencils. It includes six new colors, and there's two that I am really excited about: Asphyxia, and Perversion. Now let me warn you, this is basically half of their permanent collection, plus six new (don't know if these will become permanent) colors . I really like the Asphyxia eyeshadow, so I would definitely want to try that pencil, plus I like the fact that they made a black-black (Perversion), that's darker than their award-winning color Zero (haven't actually tried it, but have swatched it in the store, and it never really impressed me in color like the stila kajal eye liner).
Their new pencil brush looks interesting...24/7 Shadow Pencil Blending Brush:
The fibers remind me of the Sigma synthetic face brush fibers. But they say it's made out of the PET bottle plastic, and it's made specifically for blending out the new shadow pencils, but I'm assuming for all your cream based eye products.
And lastly, the Lush Lash System looks pretty interesting:
It's supposed to be a two-part system that helps your lashes grow longer, and thicker. This one is one of those things that I wouldn't scrounge around for money to buy, but if someone gave it to me as a gift, I wouldn't mind ;)
Anyway (so the last one, wasn't so lastly after all), the Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint looks interesting too:
Basically cream blush, if it looks good in the store, I may consider getting it. For now...very comfortable with my cream color base, and convertible cheek color I gave myself for Christmas (if you don't know what I'm talking about: read my earlier posts).
So...will be doing some contemplating/splurge-buying probably :) Will update if I get any of these cool stuffs :D
Monday, January 10, 2011
Update on Christmas Presents to Myself
Ok, so after a few uses, I think I have a good first impression on those "gifts" to myself I got after Christmas. I'll put these in my blippy (after a few more uses in them: this is pretty much like a first glance at these), with products I can post for (so probably not the MAC stuff since you can't link that account), so you can look there: http://blippy.com/KatsuChiika. I already have other reviews of stuff I've bought from sephora.
stila color wheel eye shadow palette (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P272004&categoryId=B70):
I really like using this palette. Its colors are really nice, and come off pretty well. I was a little worried since many of the shadows (especially the ones that I really liked) are a bit small, but you don't need much, especially from the darker colors to get the color off. The only slight downside with this is that the shadows are quite soft, as in when they were pressed, they weren't pressed with a whole ton of pressure, so when you brush off product, you will have a ton that comes off. Hope that makes sense. So, you have to watch out for fallout, and if you store your palette vertically like me (because I have no space)! Another thing, that may or may not be a down side, is that its range of neutral colors isn't that great. Most of them are warmer, bronzy colors, but for me, I was looking more for the actual colors, so I really didn't mind because I have a ton of neutral shadows anyway. All in all I like it, and I recommend it to anyone who is lacking a wide range of colors in their makeup collection. Also, it's still $25 at sephora, it's still available online.
stila trendsetting in tokyo travel palette: http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P269014&categoryId=B70
As I mentioned, I looked forward to using the peace sign eye shadow (I found out that that's the name: peace sign...shoulda looked at the sephora site for that before I posted), the kawaii eye shadow, and the sakura convertible color. I like all three of those, and also the sake eyeshadow (a golden/champagne color). I haven't tried shibuya, a royal blue color, but maybe soon. I have to figure out what I could do with it. Like the color wheel, these shadows are a bit soft too, which didn't surprise me because it's also a stila product. Overall, I don't know how great this palette is for like one look because it is marketed to be a take along type thing, but I do like the things in it, and I use them to create looks with other products, so if you're not looking for that portability, then you should look into this. I must warn you that online it is marked as limited edition, so hurry if you are interested.
stila kajal eye liner in onyx: http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P114407&categoryId=B70
This was supposed to be one of the best pencil eye liners out in the market. I was quite disappointed in the performance of this stuff after hearing such wonderful things about it. First of all I would like to commend its wonderful color pigmentation. I was using MAKE UP FOR EVER's Aqua Eyes for a while, and I always felt like I wasn't getting a true black on my waterline, so I tried paring it with a gel liner (BUXOM Lashliner), like Marlena (Make Up Geek TV) does, and that worked really well, but I have to use TWO products. When I initially swatched the kajal eye liner, I was impressed with its"black-ness" but noticed that it was creamy (like how others had described it), so that threw me off a bit because the MUFE one is a little harder, which is what I think made it stick to the waterline. So I tried it one day on my waterline, and was immediately impressed by the pigmentation, and how black it was, but by the time I finished my mascara and face makeup, I looked back, and most of it was gone, so I reapplied. I was so horrified that by the end of the day it looked like someone punched me in BOTH of my eyes because the eye liner had melted its way under my eyes :( So the next day I tried it on the waterline again, and this time I set it with a powder eye shadow, not actually on the waterline because things can get a little gross if you put powders there, and I noticed that it did much better than just the eye liner on the water line, but it was still creeping down. This was a little frustrating if you can imagine. So today I have it on my waterline again, and this time I applied it very lightly, but after I finished, I realized, there was no point in doing that because now, the pigmentation isn't as intense as it's supposed to be...anyway: thinking about returning it, but maybe not because it's a good liner to get smudged and stuff, so might keep it around for that. I think I'll stick with my MUFE + BUXOM combo for now.
MAC Cream Color Base in Tickle Me Pink: http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/4386/316/Cream-Colour-Base/index.tmpl
This is actually from the Stylishly Yours collection. I really liked this color, and was excited to use it as a base for my cheek colors. I have never used a cream color base before, but people have talked about it, and have said that it will help blushes last longer, and what not, and is better than a cream blush, so I bought this one. I would have to say, I'm not really impressed. I'm not super disappointed or anything, but I feel it didn't make too much of a difference when it comes to making my blush last all day, but I really liked the color. I would say if you have a problem with your blushes staying on your face, this might not be the product for you, but if you don't have that big of a problem, give this one a try, I really like the color.
As a side note: I used the cream color base and the stila convertible color from the tokyo palette, and I would have to say the convertible color was better as a "blush base." I have super oily skin (which I will talk about soon), that seems to not be able to hold onto colors easily, so If these two were to battle, convertible color would win in my books, even though it is a bit more expensive ;)
Will update you if my opinion changes!
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