Portrait of Mai

Turquoise and Brown EOTD

2012-02-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

On a much lighter non-Lime Crime note, I'm redid an amazing look I saw on Pinterest. (Original credit for the image here by Vivid Emotions Make-up). I'll include the promo image after my set of pictures. I loved the bright teal/turquoise on the lid with the transition to a smoked out brown. Not necessarily super complicated but very gorgeous.

My camera decided to freak out a bit and my pictures a little more red toned than usual (at least to my eyes!). Do ignore that. Unfortunately none of my closed eyed pictures looked good so here's a barrage of open eyed photos!

The camera muted the turquoise a bit so here's an extra picture with my Ottlite to show off the turquoise better!

and here's the awesome look that I copied/redid! Credit goes to Vivid Emotions Make-up! As you can see, she did a much better job!

Eyes
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer

Inglot DS 504 Eyeshadow on the lid, lower lashline, and on the waterline

Wet n Wild I Heart Matte 8 pan

- Brown Eyeshadow in the crease

- Black Eyeshadow as a transition color

- Skintone color as a highlight

Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow as a transition between the crease and highlight

Maybelline EyeStudio Master Shape Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown

I apologize, I can't recall which lashes these are!

Lime Crime, you still haven't learned anything

2012-02-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

Oh LimeCrime, I'm pretty sure this isn't the best way to address the controversy surrounding the Chinadoll campaign. I'll address the blog post she just wrote further down but there's a bit of baiting on Doe's part that I want to cover.

Image screencapped from DoeDeereBlogazine.com

It's nice to see that they're more concerned with selling their palettes first then addressing all the controversy surrounding it. Way to passive aggressively bait all the people who have felt so offended by the palette. I'm not offended just for kicks and I'm not hating on the brand just for kicks either so the fact that I and others are getting brushed off is ridiculous.

These tweets by the Lime Crime Twitter were in response to these two tweets, this and this. @OutinaPout said this best, "Aladdin is a retelling of traditional Arabic folk stories, so historical costume is warranted. Not an apt comparison" and I have to agree with that. In what way is Lime Crime's stereotypical description "Don't let her milky skin, pouty mouth and flushed cheeks fool you; underneath the poised facade, there lies a heart of a tigress..." somehow on the same level as a Disney film.

I mean come on, really?

Someone needs to take the wheel of this PR nightmare.

I had written this post last night before they had written a blog responding to the controversy so I'll address the blog now. I took screencaps of the blog post which you can find here but didn't include the pictures attached, however you can see the pictures there.

Okay first off, I wasn't offended because it referenced China, I was offended because it was done so in a lackluster and lazy way. Referencing a culture 100% and fully isn't what we're saying, we're saying that you should do it in at least a respectful way!

Chinadoll is a character? "Don't let her milky skin, pouty mouth and flushed cheeks fool you; underneath the poised facade, there lies a heart of a tigress..." What kind of character is this?

Oh for Christ's sake. Did she miss the part where she describes the "Chinadoll character" in terms of having milky skin, a pouty mouth with flushed cheeks with the heart of a tigress? Many people have spoken out that the qualities she writes are in fact associated with the "China doll" stereotype of Asian people and just because it's not associated with any race in her opinion doesn't mean it actually isn't to others! Saying that she can never be, will never, be stereotyped is a little ridiculous to say when she's referencing stereotyped beliefs.

Did Doe miss the next few lines in the definition where it says:

"It describes acculturation or assimilation but can imply a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms of dress or personal adornment, music and art, religion, language or social behavior. These elements, once remover from their indigenous cultural contexts, can take on meanings that are significantly divergent from, or merely less nuanced than, those they originally held"

I should also note that Doe has said she's read my blog post but I think she may have missed out this vital paragraph that I had written at the top of my post.

"I should preface this by saying that there's nothing wrong with learning about and enjoying another culture. I'm certainly not saying that other people can't be inspired by other cultures or in this case, that non-Asians/outsiders can't enjoy, appreciate, or be a part of an Asian or outside culture. We wouldn't be aware of other cultures if it weren't for people outside the culture seeking to study and learn about it and for members of the culture to want to inform others. Cultures are all different and they're meant to be appreciated for their differences."

She's completely missing the point when she says that the "notion is a little silly". It's other peoples' cultures, they should at least have the right to be offended or bothered when someone appropriates their culture, especially if they're doing it in a bad way. People who are hurt or offended by cultural appropriation aren't saying "You can't do this because you're not ___" it's "You shouldn't profit from my culture considering what we go through". Please read this article about cultural appropriation and how it discusses the concept of whether it's an homage or an insult along with this article on how to NOT culturally appropriate when you wear costumes.

Selling Native American headdresses when they're a revered part of the culture or selling clothing "inspired" by the Navajo is cultural appropriation at its worst. (This is referencing American Apparel's attempt to profit from the Navajo)

Like I said, I don't believe that you have to be ___ to enjoy ___. Putting people into social roles is ridiculous.

Like I said above, there's nothing wrong with being inspired by a culture or inspiring another, but there is a fine line between inspiration and appropriation. Letting a dominant culture borrow from a minority culture and allowing them to do it in a piss poor and ignorant way is NO WAY to solve racism, bigotry, and misanthropy. In fact, it would just make it worse by perpetuating false beliefs and thoughts on the appropriated culture. It is a common for people think geishas were prostitutes because authors and others who culturally appropriated them portrayed them that way. That's not exactly what they were so I don't think that's an example of solving racism, bigotry or misanthropy.

Saying "I'm not going to kill her just because it makes some people uncomfortable -- that would require sacrificing my artistic integrity and sending a radical message I don't believe in to the community" is such a slap to the face to people who have expressed their legitimate opinions and thoughts to the company.

So you're not going to take down the campaign image because it's would require "sacrifice" on your part and that it'd send a racial message to the community? What radical message is that, that you understand why it offends people so you'll do the right thing and alter it or take it down so it doesn't offend others? That apparently requires sacrifice?

So you don't believe that if you culturally appropriate in a negative way and offend as a business owner, you have the responsibility to ensure that your potential customers and others out there aren't offended? You're honestly more concerned with making money?

This is utterly ridiculous. I don't think I will dedicate any more space on my blog to this bullshit. It's nice to know that she doesn't understand why we feel this way and wants us to deal with it because she'll do it any way she wants to. Honestly, how hard would it have been to cancel the campaign and apologize because really, I haven't seen any of that.

Whether it's offensive or not.

Thank you to everyone who's read, comment, retweeted, and retumblred my posts on the matter. Getting the attention of Hyphen Magazine and the Empowering Women of Color Conference is something that you guys managed to do! I wish this had a better outcome.

I know people will say that I can't ever be satisified with what Doe Deere/Lime Crime does but that's because they haven't done ANYTHING satisfactory regarding this. Apologizing and retracting the campaign is apparently too hard to do.

EDIT: Thanks to awesome commenters, they basically reminded me that I never posted about what I thought Lime Crime should do in response to the controversy. I had written this as a reply to someone but never put it in a post. I hope it'll be useful to read what I thought should have happened.

"I actually considered what she was going to ask me when she first messaged me and from that I talked it over a little bit with my boyfriend to postulate what was possible to do at this point (a little under a month before the palette's release and I understood that from a business standpoint, she wasn't going to withdraw the palette.

I know with MAC with the Rodarte Collection, they decided to not release the products at all and they took a financial hit but I know they're large enough to absorb the loss. Lime Crime on the otherhand, I knew was not going to be able to do that.

I thought that she might have asked me what she could have done and after giving it some thought I would have liked if she dropped the campaign and apologized, for real. It's late in the game to completely abandon the product and not cost effective to try to reprint new labels"

I should specify that at the minimum, I would have liked to see the "Don't let her milky skin, pouty mouth and flushed cheeks fool you; underneath the poised facade, there lies a heart of a tigress..." removed from the campaign along with a rewrite of the description for the Chinadoll look.

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette Swatches and Review

2012-02-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why it took me so long to properly swatch and review this palette when it's the standout 8 pan of the Wet n Wild permanent ones. I've been steering myself towards neutrals (with the exception of my Sugarpill Flamepoint, I don't think I can ever tire of a matte bright orange) and this is an excellent neutrals palette for anyone looking for one on the cheap.

I also put in MAC dupes that Temptalia found!

All were swatched over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer and taken under an Ottlite.

This is the left column from top to bottom.

Browbone: This is a pretty yellow beige eyeshadow. This is frosty though so I can't say that it's the best as a highlight. This is apparently close to MAC Ricepaper

Eyelid: This is a pretty peachy pink eyeshadow, also excellent and close to MAC Jest.

Crease: This is a darker golden brown and it's close to MAC Soba

Definer: Of the four eyeshadows, I'd have to say the bottom color (the blackened red) was the worst of the four because it's a little dry/hard and not much of the red shows through. This is close to MAC Smut.

This is the right column.

Browbone: I'm not good enough at describing colors but this is close to Urban Decay's Ruthless.

Eyelid: This is a spring green, close to MAC Juxt.

Crease:Much like the first column, the blackened olive is a little drier and harder than the other four.

Definer: This is the standout shade, a brown/blue duochrome. It's an amazing dupe for MAC Blue Brown pigment!

Here's it applied over black eyeliner so you can see how strong the duochrome is.

Do you own any of the Wet n Wild 8 pans or trios?

Boys Before Flowers EOTD

2012-02-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

I did this look in between watching episodes of the Korean drama, Boys Before Flowers. I got completely sucked into it late Sunday night and stayed up until 5am watching it. I did this look in the midafternoon while enjoying more Boys Before Flowers, I'm currently on the 16th episode!

There aren't enough hours for Korean drama watching, especially during the school week!

I got the lashes a bit off kilter but it's close enough!

Happy Valentines Day by the way! Celebrate it with the ones you love, be it fur baby or significant other, or family!

Eyes
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer

Sleek Original Palette-The 3rd from the left color in the bottom row in the inner corner and bottom inner lashline, and the 3rd from the right color in the bottom row on the middle lid and the lower middle lashline

Sleek Storm Palette- The far left color on the bottom row in the outer corner and the lower outer lashline and the 3rd from the left color on the top row in the crease as a transition color

Wet n Wild Brulee as a brow highlight

Physicians Formula Eye Booster Liner in Deep Brown

Maybelline EyeStudio Master Shape Brow Pencil in Deep Brown

Elegant Lashes in #747-XS

Sugarpill 2nd BirthdaySale!

2012-02-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

It's Sugarpill*'s 2nd Anniversary and also Valentine's Day so what better way to celebrate it than with a sale? If I were you, I'd snatch up the Burning Heart Pressed Eyeshadow Quad so fast just to get Flamepoint and Love+ together. They've also said the Sweetheart Palette will be back in stock for the sale but unfortunately the lashes won't be on sale. The sale starts 2/14 Midnight PST and will run until Wednesday 2/15 Midnight PST.

I personally won't be picking anything up since I've got enough Sugarpill for a little while and I have to save up for The Makeup Show LA in March.

You can click the picture to redirect you to the site for the sale at midnight!

*Disclaimer: There's an affiliate link in the picture and the post which gives me a commission based on your use of the link. You don't have to use the links at all but it's just nice if you do! For a nonaffiliate link, it's http://www.sugarpillshop.com/ *

Maybelline EyeStudio Master Shape Brow Pencil in Deep Brown Review

2012-02-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've always had issues trying to find the right colored product to use on my brows. I've been experimenting with different products for quite some time but I never the right color match. I used to use Wet n Wild's Coloricon Eyeliner in Mink Brown to do my eyebrows but I didn't really like it. Most dark browns didn't seem ashy enough or were too red toned and mixing black with a lighter brown didn't work out.

The eyebrow gods have worked their magic because I think I've found my perfect eyebrow color match with the Maybelline EyeStudio Master Shape Brow Pencil in Deep Brown. There are a few other shades in the line, Blonde, Soft brown, and Auburn but Deep Brown suits me perfectly with my dark brown hair.

Here's how it looks on my brows! This is my brow with no product

Here's a light pass with a brushthrough with the attached spoolie. I know it's a subtle change but you can see the difference at the end of my brow.

Here's a heavier application with an angled brush.

The brow pencil is dual ended with a spoolie at one end and the brow pencil and this isn't a twist up pencil.

6 hours after applying it and my brows still look good, even though I have oily skin. Since the pencil is rather waxy and a little soft, it helps tame your eyebrow hairs but if you have particularly stubborn eyebrows, you may want to use a clear mascara or brow gel to set it.

I find that you can build up the pigmentation so you can get a natural oomph to your brows or a more dramatic look depending on how heavy handed you are. I will suggest though that if you're seeking a darker brow, apply it with an angled brush and skip the spoolie that comes with the pencil (the way I did it in the last picture). The bristles are short in the spoolie so you're more liable to brush out the product versus distributing it evenly in your brows. I really like the pencil because of how well it looks with my hair color and the texture of the pencil!

I should also talk about the packaging because it kind of confused me at first. When I first got it, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to sharpen it or not because the pencil looked like it was encased in a plastic shaft. Turns out though that is just a shiny coating and you CAN sharpen it. I know it's been a source of confusion for some people because I myself had to look up whether I could sharpen it too.

What's your go to brow product?

In lieu of a new post

2012-02-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

One of my big projects for the year is to update my old swatches, at least the ones that I can. If you click on the Indie Cosmetics Swatches and Mainstream Cosmetics Swatches Tabs under the header, there are links to many of the Swatch Posts I've done. All the swatches have been categorized by brand and the specific colors to make it easier to find what you're looking for.

There are a few that have a date indicating when they've been Updated but the ones that don't are either already done in my new swatching style or have yet to be updated.

I hope you find this a useful tool!

Face Candy Couture Eyeshadow Swatches and Review

2012-02-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Here's another set of eyeshadows I got through KimmieKarmaLove. I have actually tried Face Candy Couture before (they were sending out a few free samples for people to try out but I don't think they're doing it anymore) but for some reason I never blogged about them. I'll see if I can find the free samples I got and swatch them to go along with this collection. It seems as if they had closed down for a little while when the owner was moving but they seem to have fully opened up for business!

To be quite honest, I wasn't expecting to be wowed by the eyeshadows (it had been a long time since I played with the samples I got so I forgot about my experience) but I actually really liked what I got. I think it may be because there's such an oversaturation of Indies (like what Jill said in the comments) that it is quite easy to become underwhelmed by the option of having so many. I got three jars of eyeshadows in Burnt Leaf #104, Deep Cranberry #123, and Treat #118 and of the three, I absolutely loved Treat.

You can purchase the eyeshadows on their Etsy page or their own website. I would probably purchase from the website since it has different quantity specials that the Etsy page currently doesn't have. The specials allow you to get ANY eyeshadow colors on the site in options of 3 for $11.99, 6 for $20.99, 10 for $29.99, and 20 for $49.99. I would like to see a page explaining the shipping process and costs.

Each eyeshadow comes in a 5 gram jar with a sifter with 1.2 grams of product and retails for $4.99 normally or you can buy several using one of the quantity specials and save a little bit on each. Each listing tells you whether it's eye, face, or lips safe along with if you can apply it on the nails and an ingredients list.

I can also really appreciate the effort they've made into doing clear product pictures on the site in addition to having really clear swatches. It's things like that that really go into rounding out a business!

Now I did my swatches and product pictures under an Ottlite. I did the swatches over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer.

Burnt Leaf #104, Deep Cranberry #123, and Treat #118. Treat is a little less dusky, a little more blue toned in real life!

I also took a few blurry pictures to properly show off the sparkle in the eyeshadows. This picture makes them look most like the swatches on their site.

Burnt Leaf: "A gorgeous chocolate brown, slightly burgundy undertone". I can dig the description since I really managed to get the burgundy undertones in the pictures. It applied with a little more of a satin sheen but the sparkles were still there!

Deep Cranberry: " A yummy deep burgundy with hints of a dark plum color and copperish highlights". This one I didn't like so much only because it turned grey toned on my lids (although strangely enough, not on my swatch). It did become a little more satin on my lids than Burnt Leaf so perhaps just not the color for me.

Treat: "A delightful muted vintage looking blue with gold undertones" Utterly perfect, it applied exactly the way it did in the swatch as it did on my lids without losing any of the sheen or sparkle. You can see the gold sparkle in the second and third picture. If you're fond of turquoise but don't want it too bright, this is the color for you!

While I do like what I got, there are a few things I need to nitpick on.

It seems that the disclaimer in each listing is copied and pasted from one source since they all have the same spelling mistake in "dramatic". They also seem to have the same ingredients which puzzles me. I didn't think you could achieve such a wide range of colors from just Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, and Tin Dioxide but of course I'm not a formulator. I should also note that the "Ingredients" link on their site doesn't actually lead to anything.

This is also extremely nitpicky but I can't say I'm too fond of the name. I guess for me the word "couture" has been overused in the last few years when it was a popular term to apply to anything. Nitpicky like I said but something I just thought about.

I do wish that they sold samples. I'm so skittish of Indie Companies that I usually prefer purchasing samples first and then full jars later. I don't know if they're planning on adding samples but I hope they decide to.

One last thing I noticed in the checkout is that no matter how large your window for the website is, you still have to scroll within the frame of the website to view your total since the frame isn't wide enough to show your entire cart. I would like to see that get fixed!

If you're still reading, you should enter their newest giveaway to win some eyeshadows on their Facebook page! Like the page, click on Contest Giveaway and then enter using the Rafflecopter Widget!

Disclaimer: I received these products for free from a friend as a gift. This doesn't alter my opinion of the products at all and I wasn't paid to write this post!

MAC Hot 'N' Saucy Tendertone-Swatch, Review, & New vs Old Comparison

2012-02-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

I've basically waited for years for the Tendertones to be repromoted by MAC and so when I went to the MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC Event (event pictures and recap here!) I had to pick one up. I went back and forth on which one to get but decided on Hot 'N' Saucy. I may go back for one of the other ones though, depending on whether I want to stick to a makeup detox for the month of February.

Hot 'N' Saucy is described as a "soft cherry red" and that's pretty accurate. Tendertones are sheer though, so don't expect to get tons of color payoff with the product. Out of the four shades being released with the collection, I think Hot 'N' Saucy was the most pigmented one. These retailed for $15 and have 6 mL or 0.2 oz of product.

Unfortunately it seems that Hot 'N' Saucy is sold out on the MAC website but I checked and you can still purchase it on Nordstroms and Macys!

To go with the MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC theme, these came packaged with a matte pink plaid sleeve

and the back of the paper sleeve. I was hoping that they would be packaged in this versus it only being a sleeve, but I suppose I can't complain.

The actual box is shiny, with an opalescent Mother of Pearl-esque finish with MAC embossed on it.

The Tendertones come in a glass pot like the MAC Paint Pots with a black lid. I'll talk about the lid later in the post when I compare this new Tendertone to the old Tendertone I own. These also have a pleasant scent to them, I'd say a fruity strawberry kiwi scent. Very summery and one of the biggest reasons why I love Tendertones. My Tendertone from 2008 still smells fruity!

Lip Swatches Time! I did a heavier layer on my lips to show off the color better and this was taken in natural daylight.

Bare Lips

Hot 'N' Saucy Tendertone.

I also made a gif to better show the difference between bare lips and post application.

It is a heavier application but I do like the sheer coverage on my lips. It's got a real shiny finish to it that lasts for several hours (about 3-4 on my lips). I absolutely love it on.

I wanted to take this time to compare my old Tendertone from the 2008 Tendertones Collection to this new Tendertone that came out. I do wish I had Hot 'N' Saucy from the 2008 collection to do a better comparison but I only have Sweet Tooth so I'm going to be comparing the two for any differences in packaging and scent.

New Tendertone on the left, Old Tendertone on the right.

At first glance, it seems like the only differences are in the stickers. The new Tendertone has a larger black sticker that covers the bottom of the jar whereas the old Tendertone has a smaller white sticker that only partially covers the bottom. The jars are similar to the paint pot jars with a glass jar bottom and a black screwtop lid. I didn't notice a difference in the shine or scent, which was actually my biggest worry, I thought they might have changed the scent in between the 2008 versions and this year's version.

Now a big reason why I enjoy the glass jar with black lid packaging is because the lids feel substantial; when I unscrew the jar, it makes this pleasant, enjoyable sound as the lid slides against the threads of the glass jar and the sound is present in the old Tendertone packaging.

The new Tendertones come with a black lid that is virtually indistinguishable in appearance from the old Tendertone lid but it's actually lighter in weight and it feels like it was made out of a cheaper material. The difference in weight makes it so there's no satisfying sound when you open and close the container. As someone who enjoys the sounds and weight of the old lid, I'm disappointed that they switched over to one that feels like cheap plastic. The plastic has a much smoother/slicker feel to it versus the old one which almost felt like it had a semi matte feel to them.

I don't own any of the recent Paint Pots (which have the same packaging) so I can't comment on whether the change in lid is only present in the Tendertones or whether it's a change that they slowly implemented without any warning. I may explore my local MAC counter to check if there have been any changes and report back on that.

I'll admit, discussing the weight of the lid is rather nitpicky, but that's what I'm here for!

Packaging aside, my MAC Tendertone was everything I have been waiting years for. My only complaint is that they only released four colors. I'm hoping that maybe they'll come out with more soon! I did like the look of Tread Gently, which was a sheer green Tendertone that also came out. It really reminded me of Spring Bean Lustreglass ~~which I believe is a long discontinued color.~~ Ignore me! Rach from The Beauty Spot set me straight and it's actually permanent! Spring Bean is this green lustreglass than when mixed with your natural lip pigmentation, sort of turned itself into this gorgeous caramel color with green sparkle. I'm really thinking about getting it.

So get a Tendertone while you can!

Valentines Galore: Pro Valentines EOTD

2012-02-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

This week's makeup showcase in Never Too Much Sparkle! was "Valentines Galore: Pro or Anti-Valentines!" so I decided to do a red and white eye look. Wearing white eyeshadow next to red eyeshadow is just asking for it to blend to pink, it really was hard to keep the white as white as possible!

Sorry about the clear band of the false eyelashes showing up, next time I'll invest in dark lash glue!

Eyes:
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer

NYX White Eyeliner as a base under the white eyeshadow

Wet n Wild I <3 Matte Eyeshadow Palette- the White eyeshadow on the lid

Sugarpill Love+ in the crease

Aromaleigh Cupid Eyeshadow in between the white eyeshadow and Love+

Wet n Wild Brulee on the browbone

Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner in Ultra Black

Maybelline Master Shape Eye Brow Pencil in Deep Brown

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express WP Mascara in Deep Brown

Elegant Lashes in #747-XS

Orange Eyes and Cherry Lips Look

2012-02-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

Of course I should have been studying for two quizzes that I have this week but instead I stayed up late yesterday doing this look and trying to photograph it well. I just want to say that Sugarpill's Love+ turns into such a gorgeous bright pink blush on the skin. It was a little difficult to blend out because of how pigmented it was so if you do decide to use it as a blush, apply a small amount with a very fluffy brush.

I should also add in that it's very different for me to see my face without my glasses on. I don't wear contacts, haven't for ages and don't have that great of vision so it's always weird for me to see my face all clear and not unfocused. Haha it's also made me much more aware of how unsymmetrical my face is.

I was thoroughly inspired/copied by the bottom right look from this pictures that I saw through tumblr but unfortunately I don't know the source of this set of pictures. I tried looking through the notes of the Tumblr post I found it on but I didn't find any information. If you guys know, can you post a comment so I can credit it accordingly? Edit: Found it! Thanks to The Student's Guide to Nail Polish, this is the cover image for the Brown Eyed Girls single "Cleansing Cream" and the Brown Eyed Girls are a girl group from South Korea.

I did alter the shape of the eyeliner and I'm much tanner than the model but I really really loved the mixture of the orange with the graphic liner and the juicy red cherry lips. I upped the flash a little bit to mimic the heavy contrast in the picture. Haha I tried to copy the one eye open one eye closed pose but it kept looking like I was doing a derp face.

Not very wearable but I just felt so compelled to do it!

Face

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC 30

Cover FX Powder FX in M40

Sugarpill Love+ as a blush

Eyes

Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer

Wet n Wild Brulee Eyeshadow as a base layer to help soften the brighter colors

Sugarpill Flamepoint on the lids, diffused towards the temples, and on the lower lashline

Sugarpill Buttercupcake in the inner corners to add as a gradient

e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner in Black

Maybelline Master Shape Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express WP Mascara in Glam Brown

Lips

MAC Nitro:Licious 2046 Lipglass as a base

MAC Hot 'N' Saucy Tendertone over Nitro:Licious 2046

Coppery, Gold and Bronze EOTD/FOTD

2012-02-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

I've felt like I haven't done my face up in a while so at 10pm while I was procrastinating on some reading, I did a look using my Sleek Palettes and my favorite Sugarpill eyeshadow. Having night classes this semester should really facilitate me doing my makeup more often in the daytime but I spend most of my day trying to catch up on sleep because I keep staying awake later.

Is it spring break yet?

Please bask in the awesomeness of my Hot 'N' Saucy Tendertone.

Face

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC30

Cover FX Powder FX in M40

Silk Naturals Blush in Maybe Baby

Eyes
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer

Sugarpill Goldilux applied wet on the lid

Sleek Original Palette- The coppery shade, third from the right in the bottom row in the inner crease

Sleek Storm Palette- The darker copper bronze, far right in the bottom row in the outer crease

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara WP in Glam Brown

Maybelline Master Shape Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown

Lips
MAC Tendertone in Hot 'N' Saucy

Sleek Original Eyeshadow Palette-Swatches and Review

2012-02-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

This was one of the items that I got in my awesome love package from Mara! While I do love both the Sleek Palettes I have, I know that sometimes their Customer Service can be a little iffy. If you can, find someone you know in the UK to ship these palettes to you.

I had actually gotten the Original palette before on my vacation to the UK but I ended up giving it away in a blog giveaway so I'm glad to have it now, for reals this time.

Compared to my Sleek Storm palette, it feels much more cool toned and there are more brights.

Everything was swatched under an Ottlite over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer.

Top Row

Far left: Oh the ubiquitous matte black eyeshadow that used to be included in all of the Sleek palettes. I'm glad that they've decided to stop including it in the newer palettes because there's only so many black eyeshadows I can own.

Second from the left: My camera eats purples, this is slightly more blue toned and violet. One of my favorites in the palette though.

Third from the left: This is a dark blackened navy blue, the blue tones do show up better in person.

Third from the right: A super bold bright blue. I liked the shade and how pigmented it was

Second from the right: This is one of my favorite colors in the palette, a bright blue-green turquoise shade. Oddly enough though, it was a little difficult to pick up with an eyeshadow brush but it applied fine on the eyes. It almost felt really sticky in the pan but wasn't like that on the eyes.

Far right: A pretty light spring green, no complaints on the color or pigmentation here!

Bottom Row

Far left: This is a slightly banana colored yellow. Super flaky though which was really disappointing.

Second from the left: This is a light barbie pink with a gold sheen. I'm really glad they included this color in, even though I'm not sure if I'd wear it

Third from the left: This is a golden peachy pink, not too cool toned, not too warm toned.

Third from the right: An utterly gorgeous orangey copper color. Super metallic on!

Second from the right: A warm metallic bronze, also one of my favorites in the palette.

Far right: An antique looking olivey green color.

I really love the gold sheen in the pink eyeshadow second from the left, so here's a closeup picture to show how awesome it looks.

I liked all of the colors in the palette with the exception of the light yellow in the bottom row because I felt it was a little flaky. If I could get ahold of their other palettes, I totally would!

Do you own a Sleek Palette? If so what's your favorite and if you don't, which one would you like to get?

MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC and MAC Vera Collections: Event Pictures & Swatches

2012-01-31T22:51:00.000-08:00

I got an invite to the MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC (formerly Shop Shop Shop, Cook Cook Cook) event at my local Pro store so I went there lugging my camera to take some swatch pictures and to check out the Tendertones (I've been waiting years for their rerelease and have been spamming the world about my eagerness for them). They also had the Vera Collection available to check out. I got home from the event a few hours ago and wanted to get pictures up as soon as possible!

I took a few pictures of the outside of the store in addition to swatch pictures of Shop MAC, Cook MAC and Vera.

All the employees had cute aprons and big hair. I loved the mix of bright blues and pink plaid.

This picture is basically the same as the one above but I was just amused at how it looks like the security guard is giving me a look.

Here are a few of the decorations in front of the store. This is a small shopping cart with a bunch of themed boxes.

Here's a better view of the front and everyone inside getting a pep talk before the event

Another one of the cool decorations in front of the store. The gloves, sponges, and bags were actually given away to some people who got the invite in the mail.

Here's a closeup of the gifts being given away. I chose to get a tote bag instead of the sponges or the gloves. I will admit that I was hoping the giveaway item was going to be something makeup related. Although they do fit the theme, I didn't expect to be able to choose them so I defaulted and got the bag.

Now onto pictures of Shop MAC, Cook MAC products.

Here's the Shop MAC part

and here's the Cook MAC part

I didn't swatch everything but I swatched a lot of the collection!

Call Me Bubbles Eyeshadow Quad: Call Me Bubbles, Fresh Daily, Full of Flavour, and Brash

I apologize for the lighting change but the colors look fairly accurate (to me at least!)

Lipsticks: Innocence, Beware!, Naughty Saute, Runaway Red, Watch Me Simmer, Dish It Up, and Quick Sizzle

Cremeblend Blushes: Florida, Optimistic Orange, Restores Dazzle!

Fluidlines:

Added Goodness, Midnight Snack, and Wholesome

I also took product pictures of the fluidlines

Added Goodness

Midnight Snack

Wholesome (similar to Blacktrack but not as black)

and MAC Vera!

the Vera Plushglasses

The Crushed Metal Pigment stacks. I love the look of the middle one, it reminds me of a mermaid!

the Pearlmatte Face Powders: Flower Fantasy and Sunday Afternoon.

and I also swatched the Pearlglide eyeliners in the collection. I'm a little confused though since the official color story has seven Pearlglide eyeliners listed but I only saw six in the display and I only swatched the ones I saw.

Industrial, Petrol Blue, Designer Purple, Undercurrent, Black Line, and Lord It Up

I had a nice time at the event and it was my first time ever going to one. When I was swatching the tendertones on my lips (using clean disposable lip brushes), two of the customers there asked me questions on them and watched me try on Hot n Saucy, Tread Gently, and Purring. It was fun to say the least!

Edit:

Oh I forgot to say that they had snacks and cocktails available. I didn't drink anything but I got this nice potato snack and they also had little pigs in a blanket!

Kindness from a fellow Blogger

2012-01-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share about an amazing package I got from Mara of "He Calls Me Mara". She's also a beauty blogger and utterly talented at smokey eyes. I also love her posts because it's always been difficult for me to find someone with Asian Eyes whose looks I can really copy in color and shape. Please follow her, her looks are to die for and she's the type of person that doesn't pull any punches and is straightforward about everything she does.

A long while ago I sent her a few Sugarpill loose eyeshadow samples and a Wet n Wild Silent Treatment trio and on Friday she had tweeted at me (You should also follow her on twitter!) that she wanted to send me a few things and I expected a few things, definitely not this awesome package.

I especially loved that I got the Sleek Original Palette. When I had come home from England, I originally got a Sleek Original Palette for myself but decided to give it away and now I have one of my own :)

Thank you Mara for your kind gesture and I hope more of you guys discover her blog and her makeup looks!

New Sugarpill False Eyelashes!

2012-01-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

Remember when I posted a sneak peek did swatches of the upcoming new Sugarpill pressed eyeshadows? Well I also said that there were releasing new eyelashes and they're finally here!

There are 19 new pairs that retail for $5.00 each! I'm going to hold out for a little while longer before making a purchase because I think Sugarpill may be doing something for their birthday but if you can't wait, you can pick them up now at the Sugarpill* site!

*Disclaimer: Post contains an affiliate link which will give me a commission for sales made through that link!

Aromaleigh V1 Pure Eyes Matte and Gothic Nightmare Eyeshadow Swatches

2012-01-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a shoutout to Amanda over at Glitter and Bubbles! She and I are in the same makeup group (Never Too Much Sparkle! which was started by the lovely Makeup Zombie) and when I had lamented about not trying Aromaleigh earlier, Amanda generously offered to send me some of her extras from her Aromaleigh collection.

I received 10 eyeshadow bags in total, five Ooops! shades and five shades from the Pure Eyes Matte and Gothic Nightmare collection. From what I could tell, her Ooops! shades are just colors that weren't added to the Aromaleigh Core Line or her Collections but they're the same quality as the rest of the brand's eyeshadows. I decided not to swatch any of the Ooops! shades since they're not ones you can easily find or describe by color but you can actually still get the four Pure Eyes Matte shadows on the Aromaleigh website (and they're on sale too!)

From the Pure Eyes Matte Collection, I got Chocolat, Cornflower, Cupid, and Kiss. From the Gothic Lolita Collection, I got Plush Romantic. These were swatched over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer.

Chocolat: "A delicious, deep chocolate brown. Intense and dramatic" In the bag it looked really orange but it actually is a dark chocolate brown.

Cornflower: "Cornflower matte shadow makes blue eyes sparkle!" This is the perfect baby blue color.

Cupid: "The palest blush. Petal pink, with a delicate hint of mauve" On my skin, Cupid applies so lightly that it looks so white on my skin with the tiniest amount of pink.

Kiss: "Darker than our pale Cupid, this is a lovely pink with a hint of mauve" The description is dead on, it's a pink with a bit of mauve.

Plush Romantic: "Mysterious smudged indigo with brilliant bright sparks of blue. This beauty can't be captured by camera" This is a grey-blue eyeshadow with tons of blue shimmers. I personally thought this eyeshadow was a little sheer and needed lots of packing on.

Of the four Pure Eyes Matte, I found that Chocolat looked the best on but I think that's only because the other three are very light pastels which can sometimes look a little chalky. These weren't chalky though and applied very well, especially for loose mattes which I never usually go for. Some of the Pure Eyes Mattes do smell a little like baby powder but you can't detect that when you wear it!

Do you own any loose matte eyeshadows? Can you recommend a brand that does them well?

Bold Gold Quick FOTD

2012-01-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

I did this look really quickly yesterday before I went to the local Tet Festival for Vietnamese New Year. Gold is a really prominent color in the festival so I used Maybelline's Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Bold Gold and did a winged liner with it with my Physicians Formula Eye Booster Liner. The blush I used is my current go-to blush, theBalm's Downboy.

Close up picture which is weirdly greyed out considering my full face picture looks fine. Either way, it shows off the liner better. I also managed to get some of the cream eyeshadow on my undereye which is talent right there.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed/are enjoying your weekend! I've got a swallowing disorders quiz on Wednesday :( but luckily there's a new Once Upon A Time episode tonight!

MAC Pigment Collection Swatches

2012-01-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

To borrow a line from Pink Sith, these are swatches of many pigments that you can't have. I thought I might swatch and post about the pigments I do have as a reference for myself and for anyone else who may deem it relevant. I've been in a huge swatching mode lately trying to swatch everything I own and I also included product photos for future reference.

These were all swatched over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer and the pictures were taken in daylight.

Azreal Blue, Blonde's Gold, and Blue (Rebel Rock version)

Azreal Blue (Frost): "Cool soft silver blue with silver pearlized pigments"

Blonde's Gold (Frost): "Light tan with gold and white pearlized pigments"

Blue (Frost): "Cobalt Blue"

Circa Plum, Coco, and Frozen White

Circa Plum (Frost): "Frosty dirty mid-tone lavender"

Coco (Frost): "Neutral taupe with frost" One of my favorite eyeshadows, ever!!

Frozen White (Frost): "High-frosted white pigment with duochrome". Chunky chunky texture with this one.

Golden Olive, Goldenaire , and Helium

Golden Olive (Frost): "High frosted green/gold"

Goldenaire (Frost): "Pink with gold pearl"

Helium (Frost): "Light pink with red duochrome" You can tell this also have a really chunky texture, much like Frozen White.

Jardin Aires, Melon, and Platinum

Jardin Aires (Frost): "Tan with gold pearlized pigments"

Melon (Frost): "Bright golden peach"

Platinum (Metal): "Smooth, high-shine platinum"

Provence, Silver, and Tea Time

Provence (Frost): "Light neutral with reflects"

Silver (Metal): "Smooth, high-shine silver" One of the best silver eyeshadows that I ever used (even if it technically wasn't eye-safe)

Tea Time (Pearl): "Bronzed brown with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments"

Teal, Violet, and Your Ladyship

Teal (Frost) "Medium blue/green with pearl"

Violet (Frost) "Violet with pink pearl"

Your Ladyship (Frost) "Creamy white with gold pearl"

I also did a couple of comparison swatches.

Goldenaire and Jardin Aires. I never thought the two were similar until I was taking swatch pictures. Turns out Jardin Aires is much less pink.

Platinum and Silver. Platinum on the left, Silver on the right. Platinum has this warmth to it that Silver doesn't have. It looks like Platinum has gold intermixed within it whereas Silver is just a straight up shiny metallic silver.

I hope this post has been helpful for anyone looking for pigment swatches and maybe it's made you a little envious of my pigment stash!

Boom! Chocolate Twinkles EOTD

2012-01-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

After swatching the Silk Naturals Eyeshadows I got from Judi, I felt inspired to do a brown smokey eye, especially after seeing this Navy Smokey Eye Look tutorial Lisa Eldridge. The colors aren't obviously the same but I liked how Lisa explained how she did smokey eyes on the model, who happens to have a similar eye shape to me. I think it can be difficult sometimes to find eye looks that suit my eye shape so I liked the tips that she gave in the video.

I used to have a little issue with eyeshadow on the lower lashline. The way I think I'm going to do it now is to taper it to meet up with the eyeshadow at the outer corner. I think it looks a lot more flattering than having it even!

I positively love the red sparkle that's coming off of the eyelid.

Eyes
Coastal Scents Shadow Poxy Matte Eye Primer

Silk Naturals Boom on the eyebrow

Silk Naturals Frills in the crease

Silk Naturals Chocolate Twinkle on the eyelid and the lower lashline

Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeliner in Mink Brown on the lower lashline

Maybelline EyeStudio Master Shape Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express WP in Glam Brown

Lime Crime, you're STILL doing it wrong.

2012-01-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

*Please read here for my response to her blog post on the Chinadoll Campaign*

Oh I seriously cannot wait to talk about what's happened since my last update. I had a contingency post written out on the off chance that Doe did not contact me but now that she's had. Long story short, she's completely blown me off basically.

To recap, I posted my blog post on Wednesday, the Makeupbee collaboration contest was cancelled on Friday and later that night, Doe contacted me.

To prove that she did, here's a screencap of the Facebook Message from Doe Deere.

I did verify her identity since clicking on her picture lead me to her real profile. I immediately responded back saying this:

Immediately following my correspondence with her, I wrote this update post, indicating that I had received a Facebook message from her saying that she wanted to announcing that I would neither accept nor purchase any Lime Crime products at this current time and in the future.

After that I waited for an email, for I had thought from her wording of her Facebook message to me that she had already had the questions thought up, or at least had the general idea of what she wanted to say. I also checked my Facebook inbox carefully to check if I had missed a message. I didn't get an email on Saturday so I sent her this message on Sunday:

I still hadn't gotten a response by Tuesday so I wrote this comment on her facebook wall. Awkward cropping but I wanted to put a time stamp on when I commented.

I think by now, I've put a lot of effort into contacting her you know? I'll give her the allowance of not responding to me over the weekend because it's likely she was busy with her personal life. By Monday though, I would have already Facebook messaged twice, and she could have seen the messages on Monday. Then after that, I commented on her personal facebook. She had also been active on the Lime Crime Facebook wall.

So today, nearly a week since she had first Facebook Messaged me, I emailed her using the email I found on her Doe Deere Blogazine site, doedeere@gmail.com

Finally, this is the response I got:

My first thought when I read that was "....that's it?" I mean seriously, that's it? After everything that's been said in my post and in the comments, not to mention the public outcry on the Lime Crime Facebook and Makeupbee Facebook, that's it? After I facebook messaged her twice and commented on her personal profile, AND emailed her, THAT'S it?

This is basically a thank you but kindly fuck off email. She completely blew me off. It doesn't address ANY of my concerns at all. From this, I feel like she obviously doesn't care about how ignorant the campaign was, she obviously doesn't care that her words help to reinforce Asian stereotypes and she obviously doesn't care at all because if she did, then she would have done SOMETHING about what I said but she's not and I don't expect she will.

If she expected me to be done with this, oh no I'm just getting started. In my opinion, it's obvious from her actions that her prior "apology" means nothing now since she's STILL not changing anything.

She has said this prior to my post:

"I'm very sorry to hear that some of you found the Chinadoll concept offensive. Chinadoll is inspired by a time and a place, and is not meant to depict any contemporary or even real person. My Chinadoll is strong but not afraid to cry, rebellious but in control, traditional and untamed all at once. She is a living contradiction and, above all, a *woman* -- she can never be, or will be stereotyped. I hope you guys can continue to support our independent brand, we truly do pour our hearts and souls into it. Thanks for your feedback!-Doe"

but a friend of mine summed it up best by saying that apologizing for the way SOMEONE ELSE feels isn't apologizing, especially if you aren't doing anything to fix it. You can't feign ignorance if you don't try to figure out why people are upset and it's also silly to REPEAT more stereotypes in your apology.

At the end of the day, her behavior indicates to me that she doesn't care about being ignorant, doesn't care about perpetuating negative thoughts about other cultures, it's all about the money and what she can sell. Three weeks before the release of the palette and there has been no news on whether production is being stopped or if the release date of the Chinadoll Palette is being postponed. At this point, she has yet to legitimately apologize for the campaign. You know those computerized "thank you for your response, we'll get right on that!" emails you get from customer service? Her email was basically that, except I expect better behavior from the owner of a cosmetics company.

I think the whole thing is just bullshit. Within American popular media, women are already being told to be and act a certain way and then I'm also told how I'm supposed to be and act a certain way due to my Asian heritage and culture. Living within these confines isn't fair and it's not fair to be inundated with these ideas how I should act just because I happen to be a member of a specific community. We're not in a post-racial America and the stereotypes represented in the Chinadoll campaign are hurtful to others.

I'd like this time to thank everyone who read, retweeted and commented on my post over the last few days and thank you to everyone who started following me! I'll take this time to fangirl a little bit because I was so astonished that Sam of Pixiwoo from Youtube actually read my post, and it showed me that it really reached a wide audience and I enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the topic of PC words and Asian Stereotypes, especially within different countries and their culture about it. I specifically wanted to give a shoutout to @MoonCave who took the initiative to tweet my post at Makeupbee.

Many people also got referred to the post thanks to links from fellow bloggers and other sites (please read Lillian's commentary on the situation in addition to Robyn's discussion on what it takes for you to boycott a company).

Thank you for reading, commenting, and being respectful during this whole endeavor.

Silk Naturals Eyeshadow Swatches and Short Review

2012-01-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ever since my last Silk Naturals review, I've been making a few mock carts on the site because I've wanted to basically get everything. My friend Judi further enabled me by sending me a few samples of her eyeshadows so I have to thank her for enabling me.

I got samples of Boom, Chocolate Twinkle, Frills, and Thrills.

Swatches done over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eye Primer and taken under an Ottlite

Boom: "Warm creamy oyster color with a shimmery pearl finish" This is their MAC Shroom clone but I don't own MAC Shroom so I can't attest how close or accurate it is. I do like this as a wash of color. I did use this shade as a highlight shade in a look that I'll post after this, but I think it's a little too shimmery for that.

Chocolate Twinkle: "Complex brown with shimmery plum and coppery bronze undertones" I don't see the plum undertones in this but I do see a bit of the bronze. There's such a gorgeous red sparkle to the eyeshadow. It turns out that this was my favorite of the bunch, although I loved the rest.

Frills: "Midtoned warm nude pink" Frills is so pretty, I originally didn't think much of the shade when I saw it, but it works nicely as a transition shade between other pinks or as a wash over your lids.

Thrills: "Satin finish nude brown with a hint of pinkie purple undertones" Judi originally asked me which eyeshadows of hers I wanted to sample and she was kind enough to include an extra one that she thought I would like. I'm pretty sure it was this one. I normally don't like plummy colors but damn it all this is awesome. This is my second favorite of the bunch.

I also took this picture to show off the gorgeous red sparkle in Chocolate Twinkle.

To sum these eyeshadows up, they're awesome, pigmented, apply well, etc. Everything you want in a good eyeshadow is here. Sigh, I think I'll need to get more. Thanks Judi :(

Anyway, I hope this swatch post has been helpful!

Milani HD Advanced Concealer in 02 Medium & 04 Medium Honey Swatches, Review, and Dupe Alert!

2012-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

I've been eyeing these Milani HD Advanced Concealer Pens for quite some time but I didn't want to spend the $9.39 (8.49 on the Milani website) for each pen. Luckily Nouveau Cheap just posted about some Milani products on sale for 75% off at CVS so I managed to get each pen for $2.35. I actually only paid 99 cents since I had $4.00 in Extrabucks (You can combine extra bucks if you weren't aware of that, just ask your cashier first!) Each pen has .045 oz of product.

I've seen this compared to the YSL Touche Eclat but having never tried it, I can't attest to the similarities. Still though, they do look similar because both are encased in a gold metal tube with a brush dispenser and a click mechanism.

All pictures have been taken under an Ottlite!

02 Medium (the tube in the back) is more peachy/pink based whereas 04 Medium Honey (the tube closest to you) is much more yellow toned.

Closeup of the brush tip. The bristles are soft, they're not scratchy at all.

and Swatches! 02 Medium is on the left and 04 Medium Honey is on the right. Medium Honey really isn't that yellow toned, it's closer to the shade that's in the pen. Medium is actually pinker/peacher than in the pen!

The concealer "covers imperfections, dark circles, with a weightless, good-for-your-skin liquid formula that leaves a natural finish as it brightens with a soft focus for flawless skin" (From the Milani description)

Indeed, the concealers are liquidy and they don't get cakey on me. I don't have very dark circles under my eyes, just a light hint of blue discoloration and I feel like I get pretty decent coverage out of the concealer., maybe light/medium coverage? I like to use 02 Medium as a color corrector and 04 Medium Honey as a concealer over that. 04 Medium Honey is too yellow toned and dark for the rest of my face but when over 02 Medium, it works out perfectly. I didn't see any shimmer in the product. I feel like the peachy undertones in 02 do do a good job at brightening up the area, I'd say 04 Medium Honey is better as a light concealer.

I've read of people saying that it does have some longevity issues but personally I didn't experience that. I took some time lapse pictures and it lasted about 8 hours and there was still some residue after about 10 (but not enough to cover).

Here's a gif showing what my undereye area looks by itself, after an application of 02 Medium, and after an application of 02 Medium and 04 Medium Honey

The only caveat is the packaging, it's a little finicky. The first time you use it, you'll have to click quite a few times to get it to dispense. 60-80 clicks to be precise (I counted it out) and it rapidly dispenses all at once you've gotten it started the first time. When you go to use it after it's dispensed the first time, it tends to continue dispensing a little bit after you've stopped clicking. I usually do a few clicks, check to see if any has come out, and then click again. The pens do have a bit of weight to them which makes them feel a little more luxe and not cheap.

I should note that the name of the color is on the shrink wrap and there's only a small sticker on the end of the click mechanism that tells you which color number it is. There is a small window showing you which color you're using, but if you do like to have the color name on the product, you're out of luck.

Dupe alert time! I occasionally like to use the Benefit Erase Paste in No.2 Medium to help color correct the slight darkness around my eyes. I had a feeling that the Erase Paste and the Milani Concealer Pen were a little similar so I did swatches of the two.

Erase Paste is on the left, HD Concealer is on the right.

Erase Paste is a little lighter/brighter than the HD Concealer but it's a rather subtle difference. For me, I prefer the HD Concealer since I find that the Erase Paste can sometimes look cakey on my undereye. I'd say they're pretty on par with pigmentation and coverage, I couldn't really tell the difference. Also since Erase Paste is a cream, it took a little longer to dry down than the HD Concealer, which felt dryer faster. It's not a big deal but something to point out.

Would I repurchase? For $2.35 hell yes I would. In fact, I may just go to CVS to pick up a few more!

Lunar New Year Inspired EOTD

2012-01-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today's the first day of the Lunar New Year (For me it'd be Tết or the Vietnamese New Year. Many countries derive the New Year off of the Chinese Calendar but my family specifically celebrates using the Vietnamese New Year customs) so chúc mừng năm mới or Happy New Year!

Anyway, I wanted to do a look based off of two traditional colors for the New Year, red and gold.

I've been getting ready for Tết all week and this Saturday I'll be going to a Tết Festival so I'm pretty excited for that. Tomorrow is my first day of school and I'm not as excited for school because it means break will be ending but I'm hoping school will be good this semester. After 3 1/2 years I've got a Friday class :( I've got a few posts queued up for the next few days and I'm going to try to balance school with blogging or do a little less blogging.

Eyes

Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eye Primer

Darling Girl Glitter Glue

Sugarpill Goldilux in the inner corner

Fyrinnae Gilded Wings in the outer corner

Sugarpill Love+ in the crease and lower lashline

Urban Decay Naked and Wet n Wild Brulee on the browbone

Stila Smudge Stick Liner in Koi on the lower waterline

Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil in Deep Brown in my brows

Physicians Formula Eye Booster Liner in Ultra Black

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express WP Mascara in Glam Brown

Face

Milani HD Advanced Concealer in 02 Medium and 04 Medium Honey on the undereye

Update on the Lime Crime Chinadoll campaign

2012-01-21T00:03:00.000-08:00

*Here's an update to this update! Please read after you've finished this post. If you did not read my original post, please click here to get all the details!*

In the interest of being true and fair, I felt I owed it to everyone who's been keeping up with the Lime Crime Chinadoll campaign for its eyeshadow palette and my blog post on the subject to tell you that the owner of Lime Crime, Doe Deere, has reached out and has messaged me. She told me that she had read my post on the issue carefully and wanted to ask me a few questions. That's all that's been said as of now. I am waiting for her email and will update on things after corresponding with her. I will be as open as I can about this issue since I owe it to you guys who have invested your time into what's happened.

My interests lie in making the best of what's happened while still staying true to you guys as readers (and for anyone else who's interested the events that happened). I will say now that I have no interest in receiving or purchasing any Lime Crime products, for review or for personal use. It would be unscrupulous to accept or purchase anything from the brand at this time and in the future. This is my opinion.

However, I should say that if you choose to purchase from the brand, I won't and shouldn't chastise you for that. It's your money, you should spend it however you like without being judged for it and I'm in no position to tell you that you shouldn't purchase from a company whose products you enjoy. What I do with my money is my business the same way that what you do with your money is yours. I can only offer my opinion and hope that you take that into consideration when you shop (and this applies to all of my posts, not just this one).

I think it may be important to say that I don't necessarily think that companies can't change, mainly because if I did think a company couldn't change, then they don't really have any reason to change and it'd be a self fulfilling prophecy. This is not directed towards any company at all, but a general statement that should apply when companies make mistakes.

Anyway, sorry for the pictureless post, it's not the most exciting one I've ever done.

I'm curious now, in your opinion, what should Lime Crime do about what's happened so far and with the Chinadoll campaign?