lydia-banana

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

2012-07-18T23:41:00.001-07:00

Oh hi. A friend asked me a question about my Clarisonic today and it inspired me to post in here again... so I'm gonna post about a moisturizer I've been using consistently for the past 7 months.

To be honest, when I first purchased this moisturizer I wasn't even sure if it was supposed to be for your body or your face (I eventually found out it's suitable for both). I was in Lake Tahoe last December and forgot to bring a face moisturizer - I ALWAYS seem to forget to bring some very important step of my skincare routine. Anyway, we made a run to the grocery store and I decided to pick up this big TUB of Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. The air is super thin and dry up in Tahoe so I wanted something fairly heavy. It definitely did the trick and I've been using it ever since... even into the summer months.

Somehow, it's moisturizing enough for night time and light enough to use under my makeup during the day. And it's scent-free so it's great for sensitive skin - a lot of moisturizers contain perfumes/artificial fragrances that actually irritate your skin.

If you want/need even more moisture/hydration (at night) use a serum beforehand. Or, sometimes I take some argan oil and mix it up with some moisturizer in my hand before applying.

Be aware there's no SPF though so be sure to apply some SPF moisturizer along with it, or hopefully there's some SPF in your foundation. You should go for a minimum of SPF 30.

The word moisture now looks really weird to me. Til next time!

The truth about bobby pins.

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been wearing bobby pins wrong my entire life - link here via some friends on Facebook - I can't believe it!

Flowerbomb

2011-09-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Launched in 2004, but I never tried it until this year. I love it!

Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf

Top Notes
Bergamot, Tea
Middle Notes
Jasmine, Freesia, Orchid
Base Notes
Centiflora Rose, Patchouli

If you're curious to try it, ask for a sample. It will last you a good week or two so you'll see if you really like it and be sure you don't have any bad reactions to it.

Benefit Benetint

2011-04-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

I use this rose-scented lip and cheek stain just on my lips, and it's the perfect hint of pink over a lip balm. It's subtle and natural, easy to apply, and truly long lasting. I only recently read over the ingredients, and I kind of wish I hadn't. Check it out:

Ingredients: water, rosewater, glycerin, quarternium 15, carmine

Now, from Wikipedia:

Carmine (pronounced /ˈkɑrmɪn/ or /ˈkɑrmaɪn/), also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #40[citation needed], C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for a particularly deep red color of the same name. Carmine is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, crimson ink, rouge, and other cosmetics, and is routinely added to food products such as yogurt and certain brands of juice, most notably those of the ruby-red variety.

This is a cochineal insect:

This is what it looks like smashed:

Ok, I get that it's "natural", and used to dye many things, but I'd rather not have it on my lips. Or in my yogurt, or [from http://www.vegparadise.com/news13.html]...

According to the FDA, carmine is used in foods like ice cream, strawberry milk, fake crab and lobster, maraschino cherries, port wine cheese, lumpfish eggs, and liqueurs like Compari. Carmine is also used in lipstick, makeup base, eye shadow, eyeliners, nail polishes, and baby products. Cochineal extract is present in fruit drinks, candy, yogurt, and some processed foods.

Good thing I don't eat most of the foods on that list - I became aware of carmine in foods a bit ago and am pretty careful. I wonder if it's in any of my nail polishes though. Yikes.

Sunday Funday Nail Polish Shopping

2011-04-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

So when I heard OPI's Katy Perry collection came back in stock and I was SO EXCITED! I didn't get anything from the collection the first time around..but when it sold out, that's when I wanted it. Typical. So happy I got my hands on the Black Shatter and Teenage Dream. I was thinking about getting the blue glittery one too but the guy there pulled up swatches on his iPad and I saw that it wasn't very blue at all, so I decided to pass on that.

top row: OPI Teenage Dream, OPI Black Shatter, OPI Red Hot Ayers Rock (although I'm not sure why I used that picture...it looks a lot more pinky/orangey in person)

bottom row: Essie Luxedo (really pretty purple/black, I'm so excited to try this one), Zoya Amanda, Zoya Laney

Right now I'm using Zoya Laney underneath OPI Black Shatter, except on my ring fingers I have Teenage Dream underneath Black Shatter.

neutrogena oil-free acne wash

2011-04-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

talk about an oldie but a goodie. this has always worked so well for me but i simply got sick of using it every day for 2+ years and switched.. i should have never left you neutrogena face wash.. you were so good to me. luckily.. you took me back. and my skin is happy again.

ps. i've been alternating using this & boscia clear complexion cleanser. one in my shower, one by the sink.

More nail polishes :)

2011-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Zoya - Dove

I thought it'd be similar to Essie's Chinchilly but they're pretty different -

top - Dove ; bottom - Chinchilly

Essie - Hot Coco

Essie - Hot Coco ; OPI - Over The Taupe ; OPI - You Don't Know Jacques

Essie - Hot Coco ; OPI - You Don't Know Jacques

Essie - My Place Or Yours (really cute coraly pink)

Sephora by OPI - Only Gold For Me (topcoat)

2011-03-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

The most amazing topcoat ever.

over Zoya "Dove"

deets: Sephora by OPI Only Gold For Me - $9.50

Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream

2011-03-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the fabulous and very tan Gregory Gorgeous, I picked up Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream.

Back in the day before I knew any better, or cared, I used to go to tanning salons and literally roast myself in the tanning beds. So bad! But I was really tan and I miss being that tan...especially recently when I get super pale over the winter again.

This tanning cream is pretty expensive but I really appreciate the (almost) fool-proof application process. Since the gel/cream is a little bit tinted, it's easy to see where you applied and you're less likely to be streaky. And it's REALLY worth it to me that it doesn't stink - if you've used self tanners before you know they can smell pretty horrible. It dries fairly quickly and I like the color it gives me - not orange at all. I'm going to be consistently applying this over the next week in preparation to see BRITNEY SPEARS this weekend (I don't know why, but I feel like I have to be tan when I go see her.. haha!) so I'll try to get some before/after photos.

with nothing on

immediately after application - you can see how it's a little shiny! love it.

Love this and recommend it to my fellow pale-skinned ghost-like transclucent clear etc etc etc...

deets:

Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream - 4.4 oz for $42

Boscia

2011-03-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

January and February were bad months for my skin :( I was breaking out frequently, and though it really could have been a bunch of different reasons (stress, diet, sleep habits, etc), I was desperate to "fix" my skin care routine. I thought I would switch back to some products that I had used before when my skin was clearer and healthier. I do like to try new products a lot but I think it's too great for my skin, and I was thinking that I probably made too drastic of a switch a few months ago - I literally changed almost every single product I was using in a few weeks time.

I went into the store with the intention of getting a new face wash and I decided on the Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser (far left), but at check-out used some of my beauty insider points to pick up this little Boscia kit! Perfect timing! It includes the Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment (used this before), Oil-free Daily Hydration w/ SPF 15 (used this too), Skin Perfecting Primer (new to me), and the MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Gel (new to me, but I've always wanted to try it). I don't use my Sephora beauty insider points often (last time I used my 500 point perk was on a great Tarte set) - the 100 point items usually don't appeal to me - but I thought this was a pretty good 500 point perk! . I use every single item in the set and like every single thing.. when I run out of the cleansing oil I will probably repurchase.

So I've been using all of the above items plus some others for about two weeks and I've already noticed that my skin is improving!

Favorites: Clear Complexion Cleanser, MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil

The cleanser - I love that it's a gel that foams up - perfect to use with my Clarisonic. Active ingredients:

-Willow Bark: Unclogs and purifies pore.

-Phellodendron Extract: Offers astringent properties and calming effects.

-Licorice Root: Calms and soothes.

-Geranium: Controls oil while repairing and strengthening skin.

I think it's just the right amount and level of active ingredients for my skin - really mild cleansers like Cetaphil just don't do it for my skin, and some can be too harsh.

The cleansing oil - check it out - removing some Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero

deets:
Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser - 5 oz for $26
mini Boscia items from a Sephora 500 point perk

Night Routine March 3rd

2011-03-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

big post coming up. (i went to sephora today...)

tonight's nighttime face routine for my own records:
*boscia makeup-breakup cool cleansing oil
*boscia purifying cleansing gel
*super fruits eye cream
*tomato lycopene face cream

changing it up almost completely. let's see if there's an improvement in my skin..i'm going back to boscia which worked great for me in the past. please please work.

Night Routine

2011-02-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

Spent forever talking about our night skincare routines with who else this lovely (freezing) Friday evening :)

My routine changes from night to night because I have so many different products I'm trying to use .. and I'm still trying to find my perfect routine. So this is what I did tonight. I know it's kind of excessive but it's fun for me. Hehe.

Tonight's routine:

*Shu Uemera Cleansing Oil (still have some left!) - to remove makeup
*Lush Ocean Salt scrub - to exfoliate
*100% Pure Eucalyptus Seafoam Cleanser w/ Clarisonic - to further clean pores & make sure all makeup is gone
*100% Pure Brightening Tonique - to tone ... and help fade my sun spots
*MAC Fix+ - really hydrating and refreshing, love this step before applying moisturizer
*100% Pure Super Fruits Eye Balm
*100% Pure Red Wine Resveratrol Nourishing Cream - rest of my face
*Josie Maran Argan Oil - even more moisture
*Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm

I like this idea, maybe it'll help me see what's working for me and what's not if I record it. Goodnight!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

2011-02-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

So last night while at the drug store picking out new shampoo/conditioner, I decided to finally get these nail polish strips by Sally Hansen. I've been eyeing them for awhile and decided on the pattern you see below, top row, third from left. It took me awhile to get the hang of applying but once I figured it out after 4-5 nails or so it went fairly quickly. I think I could probably apply these next time in 10-15 minutes. I didn't realize until I was almost finished but you can use one strip for two nails as the strips are pretty long.

So you get 16 strips in varying sizes... no cutting or shaping needed, and you have extra in case you mess up or want to touch up. It was a lot easier to apply than I had thought! Just make sure your cuticles are nice and clean, so you can get a nice clean even edge to line up the strips against. Stick on the strips carefully, push down, smooth it out, make sure the edges are secure. Then they tell you to fold the strip over the edge of the nail and file off the excess - I tried this but found that I had a much cleaner removal when I just pulled the strip gently but tightly over the edge of my nail and my nail itself would cut the edge perfectly.

LOOOVE it. I'm very happy with how they turned out. Can't wait to try the other designs... I'm thinking lace next, or the leopard print. Or maybe the flowers for spring. So cute!

deets:

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips - drugstores about $10 for 16 strips

Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm

2011-02-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Reunited with one of my favorite lip balms ever. Picked up one tonight at Sephora (another trip to the mall for MAC/Sephora with the bff) and I'm so happy I got it! :) Brings me back, kinda .. I used to use this yeeeeears ago and after I finished/lost/whatever my last one a long long time ago, I never replaced it. I have ~~tens~~ tons of lip balms/chapsticks/lip butters/etc. but I haven't been totally pleased with any one of them lately, you know? Maybe?

Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm (photo: Sephora)

I love this thing. I'm seriously addicted to lip balms (I think I mentioned this before) and this is one of my top favorites. I love the strawberry smell and it's just the right amount of moisture for when your lips are dry. I hate when a lip balm is either too waxy (doesn't go on dry lips smoothly) or when it's too greasy (just slides around).

Packaging is okay, not bad - it's easy to use although maybe not the most sanitary. It's cute, and you get a big surface when you open it up so it's easy/convenient .. just try not to dip dirty fingers in it! Be careful if you're clumsy like me though - I dropped it once before and dented the tin on the side making it really tough to open and close.

Ingredients are pretty simple - "Petrolatum, Vilvanolin, natural white beeswax, a Trade Secret blend of Strawberry flavor, natural and artificial dyes". Hmm... wonder what this secret is. Good thing though is that it has a pretty good (low) rating on cosmeticsdatabase.com - 2 / low hazard. Yay!

There's also a Rosebud Salve (rose scented) which I like too but not as much. It seems greasier feeling and I just prefer the strawberry scent. And another I've never tried, Minted Rose Lip Balm. I might have to check that out sometime.

deets:
Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm - $7 for 0.8 oz at Sephora and perhaps other places too

2011-01-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

Super sleepy but I must get up and get ready to go out. Best part of getting ready = doing my makeup. So fun :) What should I do?

pineapple scented candle from anthroplogie

2011-01-17T22:21:00.000-08:00

Isn't it cute?

From anthropologie, $9.95 on sale.

p.s. they also have my favorite book

josie maran argan oil

2011-01-17T21:18:00.001-08:00

You know when you're in line at Sephora, and they have those little cubbies in front of you of travel size products.. darn those things!! I wonder how many times they've gotten me with that.. anywho there was the Josie Maran Argan Oil in a cute little half ounce bottle for $14. It was on my list of things I wanted when I went fake shopping at Sephora.com, remember?

When I think of oils, I can't really imagine that they'd be lightweight, but argan oil really is. I used it a couple times on my face in addition to my regular moisturizers but then I was warned (by my cousin - HI!) that it could potentially clog pores. I'm already breaking out as it is, so I'm going to just use it on my hair for now, and wait until my skin clears up to keep experimenting with it.

Thought I'd share photos anyway. Love the dropper. My very first dropper product. Very easy to use.

deets:

Josie Maran Argan Oil - $14 for 0.5 oz at Sephora or Josie Maran Cosmetics

nail polish collection

2011-01-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

Instead of taking pictures of just my new polishes, I thought I'd photograph my entire collection.. here it is:

Just the OPIs (Zoya, Essie down below) ...

Sorry for the crusty one third from left..

Alpine Snow - Lemonade Stand By Your Man - Nicole Alert - Monsooner Or Later - Malaga Wine - Lincoln Park After Midnight - Lincoln Park After Dark - Black Cherry Chutney

Plugged-In Plum - Do You Lilac It? - Rumple's Wiggin' - Dating A Royal - Russian Navy - Hey! Get In Lime!

lots more after the jump! go!

Over The Taupe - You Don't Know Jacques! - Brand New Skates - Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees* - Glow Up Already!

Moving on to Zoya (love) ...

Kelly - Edyta - Anastasia - Nova - Mia

Tobey - Lo - Whitney - LC - Paz - Yummy

now the few Essie polishes I have (but love) ..

Smokin' Hot - Chinchilly - Sew Psyched - Pama

So that's it! My entire nail polish collection. Minus some ones I don't really care about or forgot about .. and some that I've donated to my sister.. And *one that I was supposed to give to a friend but forgot. Tee hee.

I'm currently wearing Lincoln Park After Midnight. I was going to wear Lincoln Park After Dark but it's a bit thick. I think I need to replace it soon. Can't wait to wear Zoya's Nova!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I've been busy spending time with family and friends when I'm not working, but I've got some posts coming up...

-new nail polishes
-new items I've been wanting for awhile and finally got around to purchasing =)

fresh black tea instant perfecting mask

2010-12-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

Whaaaat, posting two nights in a row! Lucky you. I'm waiting for my nails to dry (You Don't Know Jacques!) so I thought I'd take this time to post about what is on my face. right. now.

Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask. This was one of my sister's purchases a few months back that she shared with me. It's a hydrating treatment made with black tea, lychee seeds, sake, grape seed oil, and some other interesting ingredients. It's pretty expensive -- $85 for a 3.4 oz jar. A really pretty white glass jar, though.

First of all, the texture is really interesting. Fresh describes it as velvety and whipped, which I agree with, and I read somewhere on another blog that it felt like mashed potatoes. Kind of true too. But the immediate sensation you get when you put it on is slightly tingly and very refreshing. Smells of cucumber.

Directions are to apply to clean skin and leave it for 5-8 minutes, then rinse off. They suggest using it 2-3 times a week. I don't use it as frequently (maybe once a week, other than the times I kinda forget about it). I've heard suggestions to leave it on overnight but I'd be careful with that. It's definitely gentle enough for overnight, but I think I may have broken out a bit from doing that (at least twice) so I'll be washing it off before I pass out.

According to Fresh, this mask was proven to hydrate, smooth, firm complexion, improve skin elasticity, and skin tone, etc. Black tea acts as a toner and lychee seed extract supposedly stimulates collagen production. Grape seed oil is moisturizing. All of those ingredients are pretty high up on the list, meaning they didn't just throw a tiny bit the formula and base the product around that so I'm impressed. Even higher up on the list is sake (right after water and glycerin), which is good for moisture and brightens skin tone. I'm surprised that's not mentioned more on the website.

After using it my skin definitely feels more hydrated -- it got rid of (and keeps away) of my dry spots. It smells nice. And I feel sooo fancy when I use it :) So overall, I like. Not sure if it's worth the price though. I don't know if I'd buy it again because of that, but I guess we'll have to see.

deets:

Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask - $85 for 3.4 oz at Fresh or Sephora

nail polish haul - colors i'm loving for winter 2010 :)

2010-12-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

I hit up the best nail polish store ever again this Sunday and picked up a couple of new colors. When my sister gets into town this week I have a feeling she'll be stealing some of my colors, so I'm convincing myself it's okay that I'm stocking up!

I didn't have anything in mind except for You Don't Know Jacques, so everything else was an impulsive buy.. much more fun that way!

opi - you don't know jacques

From Essie's Winter 2010 collection, I got Smokin' Hot. I was interested in the Hot Coco color too, but I think brownish taupey colors look kind of weird on my skin (sad, because I really love OPI's Over The Taupe).

essie - smokin' hot

From Zoya's Wicked collection (I think Fall 2010), I got Edyta. Sooo pretty.. I've been into all types of greens lately.. Essie's Sew Psyched, and OPI's Glow Up Already from the Burlesque collection (so pretty, but such a pain to take off).

zoya - edyta

opi - glow up already

Also picked up Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees from OPI's Espana Collection for my friend who wanted something like Zoya's Kelly.. Kelly was out but I thought SSitP was kind of close. It seems to be bit darker and a little shimmery. Hope she likes it!

opi - suzi skis in the pyrenees

zoya - kelly

my photos:

smokin hot - edyta - you don't know jacques (with flash)

more photos!

same as above - no flash

suzi skis in the pyrenees - kelly - smokin' hot (with flash)

Oops, Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees looks pretty different from Kelly here. I've seen them compared to each other though, on a blog, and on the nails it doesn't look too different.

As you can probably tell I've been really loving dark colors lately. I'm super pale.. so I think that's why it looks good on me. The contrast perhaps.

By the way, there's an OPI app for the iPhone - it's pretty cool! You can scroll through all their colors (even the ones in new collections) and adjust the skin tone of the hand on the screen to match your own.

deets:
-Zoya retails for $7, OPI around $8-9?, Essie for $8 ... or if you're lucky, find an awesomeee nail supply store near you that carries it for much less ... like $4-5 each! :)
-OPI iPhone app, free.

EOS Lip balm

2010-12-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

My number one beauty obsession is probably lip balms. Let's talk about this one.

EOS smooth sphere

I know a lot of people like it but honestly I thought it was super waxy.. then I found out you were supposed to scrape off the top layer - I did that and got to a softer surface.. however I still found it to be a bit waxy. Some people might like it as it doesn't feel greasy at all but I prefer my lip balms to be on the more liquidy-side. If that makes sense.

Things I like:

Easy to find in your purse (because of the shape)

Paraben & other bad stuff-free

deets:

EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere - about $4 in drugstores, grocery stores

Hi readers!

2010-11-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Anyone out there?

Leave me a message!

What do you want me to post about?

cleaning your Clarisonic brush

2010-11-14T22:33:00.000-08:00

Quick tip for a dirty Clarisonic brush -- Clean it like you would clean your makeup brushes, with a bar of white soap. Scrub the bristles with the soap and rinse.

Beauty for lazy people

2010-10-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been awhile my dears.

I've been pretty busy these days, and that means I often find myself in my bed at the end of the day too lazy to get up and get ready to sleep.

I can usually find the energy to drag myself out of bed, however reluctantly, but for those nights where I am beyond lazy, I like to keep face wipes by my bed just in case so at the very least I can remove my makeup.

My current favorites are Kirkland's Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes. These are from Costco, of course, so I split a box of these with my bff (you will find I mention her a lot...). I think we each got a big pack or two and a smaller travel-sized one with fewer wipes too (pictured below).

One of these wipes takes off all your makeup, even eye makeup and mascara.

They're 6 x 8 in so a good size - not too big (like baby wipes).

If you're using these just as a makeup remover, I would still follow with facewash or at least rinsing with water, and then moisturizer. That is if you're not lying in bed taking off your makeup.

I've tried several different drugstore brands of face wipes and so far these Kirkland ones are my favorite.

Good for: lazy days, lazy people, crazy nights.

Happy Halloween!!! :)

deets:

Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes - $27.75 on Amazon.com for 4/30 ct packs and 2/15 ct travel packs

(anyone know how much these are at Costco?)