tra lala lisa.

Spring Shoes: Ankle Straps Obsession!

2012-05-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

As you can all read from the title, this post is all about the ankle strap trend that has been raging through a bunch of shoe designs. I personally have been obsessed with this trend since last year, and I think it just makes any shoe look so more pretty! Pretty much throw on an ankle strap, and I am sold! I am currently lusting over a few more pairs of ankle strap heels.

(1. Steve Madden OPTICALL, 2. Zara HIGH HEEL SANDAL WITH BUCKLES, 3. MANGO Fetish Sandals, 4. KORS Michael Kors Atherton, 5. Heart and Soul TEIRO)

As you all can tell, I really like platform pumps and the strappy sandal style with the ankle straps. I am also always on the lookout for flat sandals now because I know in the summer I will be doing a lot of walking during my travels. However, I am super picky about those and I just don't think thong sandals look good on my feet, but I digress. I am very tempted to purchase the first pair of Steve Maddens for my Vegas trip this upcoming June!

Now for the shoes I actually purchased in the past couple of months...

The first pair from Zara is to die for! I love them so much. If any of you follow fashion bloggers, these have been seen everywhere! They also come in 3 other color blocked shades on the Zara website. If money grew on trees I would have definitely purchased them too, but I wanted them to be timeless so I opted for the black. I swear they make your legs look amazing!

The second pair is from ShoeMint, and it is a bright fun teal color. I don't have any fun colored shoes just because I usually opt for neutrals. I just feel like with neutrals you get more of your money's worth because you can wear them with everything. However, I really loved the color on these, and they looked perfect for the warmer weather, so I decided to pull the plug and purchase them. I think these will look great with a nice summer dress!

Last but not least are these beautiful Sam Edelman sandals. I love these because they kind of remind me of the Zara heels. They have a modest 2 inch wedge in the back so they still give you a bit of a lift without being overbearing. I adore the gold detailing on the ankle strap, and they just literally look good with a lot of things. Even my mom, who thinks my shoe taste is a little bit too much for her, wanted to borrow them when she saw them.

Overall, I am super happy about my purchases, and I can't wait to sport these for the upcoming season!

I know ankle straps aren't for everyone because for some they cut off the leg line, but for me, I think as long as you find a right style, anyone can sport it! What do you all think about ankle straps?

The end of another chapter

2012-04-30T14:12:00.003-07:00

Wow it's been awhile. I haven't posted since January, and a lot has happened since then. As usual, I was super busy because I was finishing up my last quarter of college. That's right, I graduated this past April, and I have since moved back to LA. It's good to be back in the bustling city, but I will definitely miss the beautiful beachy San Diego. The past 3 1/2 years flew by so quick, and I felt like it was just yesterday I was a college freshman.

Since moving back, I definitely appreciate the warm weather of LA more. San Diego has beautiful weather, but it can get so cold at times that I dress more for comfort than style. I'm usually on campus from 12-9PM, and the weather changes drastically throughout the day. It's just not practical sometimes, and I don't want to worry about catching a cold.

I have also been spending my time off with friends and family that I never really got to hang out with while I was in school. It's been so great to catch up with them all, and I realized how much I truly miss them!

In other news, I have a lot of travel plans lined up for the rest of the year. A couple of trips to Vegas, a trip to San Francisco, and possibly trips to Washington and New York with my cousin who is visiting in August. I will also be flying off to China at the end of the year to attend one of my cousin's wedding as a bridesmaid! It sure seems like it will be an eventful rest of the year.

For the time being, I am just trying to get into a healthy lifestyle, work on my portfolio, and find a job/internship in LA. I am also going to embark on doing freelance design to make some extra money on the side. If anyone needs services for print/graphic/web design, just shoot me an email :) and I'll be happy to discuss price rates and details.

Finally, I hope to start blogging once again now that I have more time on my hands. I really want to find that spark again. However, I am definitely more into fashion now, so you all will be seeing a lot more fashion related posts. I don't buy as much make up & beauty products as I use to as I am just trying to use what I have now. I hope you all don't mind.

For me, a post is never complete without some eye candy. However, I don't have much photos to share in this post so I just made a collage out of a few of my more recent instagram pictures. If you guys have instagram, follow me @ tralalalisa or check it out on your computer through this link: http://followgram.me/tralalalisa!

Star Products of 2011

2011-12-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

And here goes to another year over! 2011 went by super fast, and well quite frankly I haven't done much to this blog this year at all besides give it a face lift. I think I have lost the spark in my motivation to keep up this blog, but I don't have the heart to let it go either. Sometimes I feel like beauty blogging is just not the way it use to be. I hope I will find some way to relight my passion that started this blog in the first place in the upcoming year. For now this blog will remain, and I will still blog when I find the time to. Who knows what the future has in store!

Anyways, today what I really want to focus on is the annual post I do on my favorite products of the year! I try a lot of products throughout the year but only so many become worthy of this mention at the end of the year, so without further a do....

Let's start with skincare. This year has been not so great for my skin, and I have had many problems with breakouts and scarring. Midway through the year, I changed my skincare entirely, and I couldn't be happier now because my skin has improved so much.

DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser - For most of 2010－2011 I went through a phase where I had some serious breakouts on my chin area. It really stressed me out and for the longest time I could not find anything that would calm my skin down. This was one of the first products that started helping me salvage my skin. I had gotten a deluxe sample from Sephora awhile back, and I had it in storage for the longest time. On a whim when I was cleaning out my skincare products, I found the sample and decided to start using it. Immediately after a week of using it, I noticed that the acne on my chin was subsiding. I used it for a couple of months, and my skin is much better now. It contains 1.8% salicylic acid, so it can be a bit drying for some but it totally works wonders for me! Although now I have stopped using it daily, this is still my go-to product for when I break out during that time of the month!
Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 - This toner picks up dirt like no other but also stings like no other! I started using this also because of a deluxe sample I had gotten from Sephora. At first, this toner stung my face so bad, and I seriously considered to just stop using it because it was seriously painful....but I pushed through it! Now, it doesn't sting my face at all. I am not sure if it is because I am use to it now or it is because my face just isn't so irritated anymore. Either way, I actually quite love this toner, and after my sample I went out and purchased the full size (which btw, is half gone now!). I use it at night after I cleanse my face and it picks up every little bit of dirt left off my face. I think this has definitely helped make sure there isn't any dirt and oil clogging my pores.
Lancôme Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate - This has got to be the most expensive thing I purchased ever in terms of skincare. I have heard so much about this serum, and when Sephora had a sample of it for 100 points, I went ahead a redeemed one. I was hesitant to even try it just because it was so expensive but I am so glad I did. This has changed my skin! It has helped blemishes and scars heal so much faster, and the texture of my skin has become so much smoother. It has improved the tone of skin and it just looks more radiant overall. This is definitely a must have if you don't mind the steep price.
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion - This is an awesome spot treatment! When school started this past September, I was, as usual, breaking out due to stress. I saw this at Ulta, and decided to pick it up because a lot of people said it was good. Low and behold, this stuff zaps zits like magic. It dries up pimples (even cystic ones) in half the time it takes for them to heal on their own. I have gone through almost all of my first bottle, and I have one stored away as a backup already.

Along with my skincare products, I have been in love with washing my face with oatmeal. I first saw this on Bubbi's youtube channel (click for the video). It's cheap and effective and all natural! I usually do it once in the morning and sometimes once at night. It has helped tremendously with my acne and the texture of my skin. Although it does get a little messy, and it is probably best if you have a drain stopper to stop all the oats from going down the drain, it is definitely worth it.

Next up is the makeup and some hair products...

Makeup Forever Duo Mat (#120) - This was the first powder foundation I have ever used. I have always stayed away from powder just because I thought it would be too cakey for my skin. However, during Sephora's F&F sale I decided it wouldn't hurt to try since I can always return it. Well, I ended up not returning it because I absolutely love it! It's so quick and easy, and it definitely doesn't take any time away from my rushed mornings before I go off to class. Coverage is excellent, and it doesn't feel like a mask on my face. It actually feels more comfortable than liquid foundation to me. I love how the powder is so finely milled and I just can't say enough good things about it. This is definitely a HG product for me now.
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder (#720 Sunny) - To be honest, I have never been the bronzer type of girl. I just find that they never quite fit my skin tone and it's an extra step I don't feel makes a difference. Discovering this has definitely changed my mind though. I bought this on a whim, and at such an afforable price I couldn't ask for more. It just warms up my face and gives me such a nice healthy glow. Definitely a must try!
Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow (#3 Gray Black) - My go-to brow pencil. Since I reverted back to my natural hair color, my old eyebrow pencils and powders don't match anymore. It just looks very unnatural in my opinion when I have black hair and brownish eyebrows. Lioele's gray black shade is perfect for those with black hair. It's not too dark or light. It just looks natural, which I love.
Revlon Lip Butters - Everyone and their grandma has these and many have raved about them. I am one of those who love them so I am not going to say much because I know everyone has heard about enough them. All I have to say is that I love these for the price. They remind me a lot of the Dior Addict Lipsticks which are 3x the price. If you haven't tried them, definitely try to pick one up if you see them at your local drugstore. There are 20 shades so you are bound to find one you like!

Sigma Beauty SigMAX Brushes - These brushes are amazing! I have all of them except for the tapered face brush since I brought the face set and the precision kit separately. All three of the Sigmax face brushes that I have applies foundation and any liquid products like a dream. As for the precision kit brushes, I love using them for concealer and creme bases for my eyeshadow. I can't imagine not having these now.
Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler - This is a must for stick straight asian lashes. My lashes usually don't stay very curled no matter what mascara I have used, whether it be American or Japanese. However, if I curl them with this after I put on mascara my lashes are actually visible and curled. Definitely makes a huge difference on my lashes.
Essential Nuance Airy Hair Mask - Ever since I dyed my hair a couple of years ago it has not been as healthy as it used to be. Even though I eventually grew it all out and cut it off, my natural hair didn't have the shine that it did before. I tried quite a few hair serums, but it was always just a temporary fix which was not satisfying at all. This hair mask, however, has made all the difference upon the first use. It has made my hair silky smooth, and it has restored the shine and luster to my hair that was missing before. I usually use this once a week.
Essential Nuance Air Hair Treatment - Along with the hair mask, I also use this whenever I feel like my hair needs a boost but it hasn't been a full week after my hair mask. This one a bit a lighter, but does the job just as well as the hair mask! Both are super affordable, and if you are able to get your hands on either treatments, it will be the best thing that has happened to your hair!

Well that about wraps it up. I hope you all enjoyed reading this ridiculously long post. Props to whoever made it to the end! Thank you to all of you are are still sticking around. I hope everyone has a great new year with friends and family, and may the upcoming year bring lots of love and joy! xoxo ~ Talk to you all in 2012!

Vanity Box Haul feat. Ameli Eyeshadows

2011-10-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I made a purchase on Vanity Box, which is an australian based online store that sells clothes, makeup, and accessories from Korea. I first heard about them from a post Chaigyaru did a long time ago reviewing them. You can check out that post here. In her review, she showed these eyeshadows from a Korean brand called Ameli. A little back story now...

I actually follow a few Korean beauty bloggers in Korea and one of my favorites always used Ameli eyeshadows. They looked so gorgeous; however, back when I first saw her use them, I searched around and there wasn't any way to get them in the states at all. I was pretty bummed about that, but I was still always on the look out.

So after seeing them on Vanity Box, I was so tempted to place an order. I didn't at first though, and I forgot the reason why, but a long time past before I came across them again. I eventually forgot about it until I recently saw their site in another youtube video. This time around I did not hesitate to place an order.

I got three Ameli eyeshadows, and two 92.5% silver necklaces from them. I was originally going to only get the eyeshadows, but I saw that they actually have really pretty jewelry. Some of them I immediately fell in love with! Shipping took a little less than 2 weeks. When it arrived, it was very nicely packaged and they even gave me two Chupa Chupa lollipops as a treat! Yum :)

To start off, these were the two necklaces that I got. Both are sterling silver, and I have to say I absolutely adore them. I've been wearing them non-stop since I got them. I have been really into petite looking jewelry because I think it just exudes this sort of elegance and sophistication when worn. My favorite of the two is definitely the Love You necklace. It also comes in silver and I am very tempted to get the silver one too. Definitely give their jewelry section a look because they have the cutest and most elegant jewelry!

For the 3 Ameli eyeshadows that I got, 2 are from the Sparkle Spot line and 1 is from the Sweet Diamond line. Vanity Box also carries eyeshadows from their Step Basic line that I believe are matte eyeshadows; however, I didn't get any from that line because I love my sparkle more.

From left to right: #502 Platinum (Sparkle Spot), #501 Champagne (Sparkle Spot), #125 Luxury Brown (Sweet Diamond). Sparkle Spot e/s are $19.50 AUD and Sweet Diamond e/s are $15.60 AUD.

Aren't they just gorgeous in the pan?! I love them. I do have swatches of them but I am planning to put those up when I do a review post on the Ameli eyeshadows themselves so look out for that.

I just love staring at them because the texture looks so intriguing from some reason.

Overall, purchasing from Vanity Box was a very pleasant experience, and I didn't experience any trouble at all. Everything was beautifully packaged with lots of bubble wrap. International shipping is a flat-rate $9 which I think is pretty reasonable. I am definitely going to be repurchasing from them, and I hope they carry more Ameli eyeshadows in the future. And for those who are wondering, I did purchase everything myself :)

Food for the Skin

2011-08-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't bought skincare or cosmetics much in awhile. I've been more on a clothing and shoes kick hence the lack of funds to splurge on other things. However, I finally bought some new beauty items that I am pretty excited to try! Recently, I found out that SkinFood just opened up a new store in the West Covina Westfield on August 15, which is actually not too far from where I live. It is much closer to me than the one in Irvine. Therefore, I decided to stop by on Sunday because my mom wanted me to take her to go shopping.

Now upon walking into the store and looking at the prices, I would have to say they are still marked up quite a bit compared to their prices in Korea. I would probably only justify purchasing in store once in awhile because I could get most of the items cheaper on eBay. However, it was nice to see some of the items (especially the cosmetics) in person. Regardless of the prices, I found the store to be great. The SAs were all very friendly, and one of them followed me around the store recommending me different products after I told him what kind of skin issues I wanted to address. They don't carry all of their products as of now, but they are slowly adding more items. One of the signs said that they would be carrying their BB creams soon.

I didn't leave empty handed, and even though I paid a little more than I needed to, I am still a very happy camper.

I purchased the Peach Sake Toner, Rice Mask Wash Off, Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek in 'Apricot', Nail Vita Base Coat, Nail Vita Polish in #BL509, and Pedicure Sparkle Polish in #1.

I've been meaning to add a toner back into my skincare routine, and I decided to try the Peach Sake Toner out because it supposedly helps reduce the appearance of pores.

As for the Rice Mask Wash Off, this is supposedly their #1 selling skin care item and the SA told me this was a must try. He even gave me many packets of samples of it.

The rest of the items I decided to buy on a whim, but I'm pretty happy with them also.

There were a lot of pretty nail polishes, and I wanted to buy more but I had to refrain myself because I have way too much nail polish to begin with. As a result, I only picked up two.

Pedicure Sparkle #1 is a gorgeous Rose Gold color with lots of silver shimmers! If you guys have seen Orly's Rage polish, this is a more shinier and glittery version of it. The Nail Vita #BL509 is your typical mint green but it has shimmers in it. I have 3 other mint green polishes but they are all creme finishes so I thought it would be nice to add one that has some shimmer to my collection.

At the store, I couldn't stop staring at Lip and Cheek tins, because I have read somewhere before that they are similar to the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges. There are I think 5-6 colors in total, and I picked this coral color they had because I love my corals!

When I swatch it on my hand and put it on my lips, it somehow turns a lot more pink than orange. I am not sure why. I haven't tried it as a blush yet. I wish it was more on the orange side, but I still find the color quite nice. The pigmentation of it is a little bit on the sheer side if used as a lip color, but the coverage is buildable. I assume it would work out better if used on the cheeks. I plan to do a more in-depth review on it later on after I've tested it out a couple more times.

Along with all of this, my SA gave me a handful of samples that will take me awhile to get through, but I love my samples. I plan to put some aside for a future giveaway that I am slowly planning.

If you guys live in the area and want to check the SkinFood store out, here is the address:

112 Plaza Drive Suite 252

West Covina CA 91790

The store is located inside the Westfield Mall on the 1st floor.

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And to finish off, I also picked up two items from a local Asian beauty store yesterday.

The Kiss Me Mascara was on sale, and seeing that so many of my blogger friends love this mascara I decided to give it a try. I was also looking for a new cleanser with beads in it because I ran out of my Laneige Pore Cleanser.

Back and Better!

2011-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Why hello everyone! It's been awhile hasn't it? For those of you that didn't know and wondered what happened when you couldn't access my blog for so long, it wasn't because I shut down my blog. It was simply because in mid-June I decided to revamp my blog. The final product was originally suppose to be done within a week, but my schedule unexpectedly became quite busy. Before I knew it, I was also starting summer classes so I had to put everything on hold until now. I slowly worked on bits and pieces when I found the time and energy in the past month or so, and I can now officially say it's done!

As you all can see, it's a lot more simple than my last layout with a lot less clutter. I hope you guys don't mind because I know a lot of my readers in the past have said they really liked my old layout. My style and taste has changed over the years since I opened this blog, and I just wanted to make a layout that would better reflect that. Changes in the blog you can also expect is that I want to branch out and talk more about fashion, food, and pretty much just about anything. No more of only makeup, because there's too many other things I love that I want to share with you guys too!

I am so excited for the change, as partially the reason why I stopped blogging as frequently was because I felt discouraged whenever I looked at my blog before. As a result, I just pushed this blog to the back-burner. Other reasons were because I was so busy with classes. It was hard to squeeze in any time to do anything else. All I did was classes from 10AM-7PM everyday, then eat, homework, sleep and repeat. There were times when I questioned the fate of this blog, and whether I had the will to keep doing it. However, I want to keep blogging because I do truly love it. I started blogging since I was 13 believe it or not (of course, back then it was about trivial things and it was on xanga/livejournal/etc). Ever since then, I have gone through many different platforms and phases, but this blog I want to keep for much longer....so I decided I will work harder!

Let me know what you guys think of the new look. I'd love to hear people's feedback. If there's any suggestions, things you would like to see, things you miss that I use to blog about, etc. please leave a comment and tell me!

And because a post on this blog would be incomplete without some sort of photograph, here's a more artistic photograph I took at the Bellagio when I went to Vegas in June. :) Enjoy!

Review: HANAair Professional Hair Dryer + Blog Update

2011-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago, John from Misikko contacted me about reviewing a professional hair dryer. I was hesitant at first because I was never a fan of blow drying my hair. I usually let it air dry because I felt my current hair dryer would always make my hair brittle regardless if I used a serum or not. I haven't really used that many hair dryers in my life so I didn't even know the one I was using was actually...how should I put it..."bad". However, this hair dryer has changed my entire opinion about blow drying my hair.

First of all, I have done a couple of reviews in the past and never have I ever had such nice replies or such a personable feeling from a company. John's emails truly made me feel like their relationship with me mattered to their company. In addition, I was only expecting the hair dryer that I had agreed to review in the mail, but what I got was a huge package from them instead.

They included a bunch of other goodies along with a personal hand written note from John himself. The note actually mentioned stuff that was on my blog, so I knew John had went through my blog before, and it made me feel more confident about reviewing a product for them.

HANAair Professional Hair Dryer

Retail Price: $194.99

Avaliability: Misikko.com

Colors: Black

Pros

Dries hair quickly
Leaves hair shiny
Strong burst of air that's perfectly heated
Extra long cord

Cons

Price, it is honestly an investment hair dryer.
Buttons are a bit confusing, but as long as you read the manual first it should be no problem.
A little bit on the heavy side

In all honesty, I absolutely love this hair dryer! I've even let my parents use it when I went back to visit them and they loved it too. It dries my hair super fast, and the heat is perfect for me. My previous hair dryer that I used sometimes would get so hot that I felt like I was going to burn my sculpt before I could get my hair all dry. It was frustrating and partially the reason why I never blow dried my hair. It just took way too long and it was painful. With this hair dryer, getting my hair dry is quick, easy, and painless. Best of all, it leaves my hair super soft, shiny and frizz-free.

The hair dryer Italian designed and Made in Korea. I love the design because it looks so sleek! It is Tourmaline, Titanium Oxide & Silver Infused, which helps to add shine to your hair. They also have a 2 year warranty so you can use it with confidence :)

There are 2 fan settings, and 2 heat settings. You can also switch between hot and cold air. After drying your hair, you can seal your hair cuticles with a shot of cold air.

It also comes with a concentrator attachment so you can use it to effectively blow straight your hair.

Bottom line, would I recommend this product? Absolutely (if you don't mind the price)

So check Misikko out for this wonderful hair dryer and other hair styling products. It's a great site not only for hair dryers but also great hair straighteners.

FTC Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid for this review, and this is 100% my honest opinion.

Rating: (5/5)

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BLOG UPDATE: For the longest time I have been unsatisfied with how this blog looks. I know a lot of my readers love this layout and the style, and I still love it to but I feel like I need to move on to something else. My blog has actually been around for a long time and the current layout has been up for the entire time. However, I have grown over the years and my style and taste has changed. I have been meaning to revamp this blog and give it a new look to better reflect what I want to portray on this blog. Therefore, sometime mid June the blog will be taken off public view for a week or two for me to make the necessary changes. I promise the revamped version will be better, updates will be more frequent, and I have a lot of good things in store for you guys. So please bare with me! And thank you for all of you that still are supporting and reading my blog even though updates have been slow (I will further explain this after the transformation)!

Review: Karmin G3 Salon Pro Flat Iron

2011-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

So this is a way overdue post because school has been so hectic lately, but since there is no class today, I thought I'd finally get this up for you guys. I was sent this iron about 2 months ago (before my Winter Break) and if you guys saw my previous post, I mentioned I would let you guys know how it turned out.

Karmin G3 Salon Pro Flat Iron

Retail Price: $129.95

Avaliability: Hair Products Pro

Colors: Black, White, Pink

Pros

Straightens very well
Heats up quickly
Iron feels sturdy and the grip is nice
Swivel cord
Temperature dial from 180-450 degrees
Moving tourmaline ceramic plates

Cons

The LED light doesn't flicker to let you know it's ready, and sometimes the light turns off.

This iron has been said to be one of the best flat irons out there. Now to be honest, I have not heard of this brand before I was contacted, but I am glad I gave it a try. I have been using this iron ever since I got my hands on it, and I have to say I really like it. It has a lot of things that I find lacking in my CHI. First of all, I like the size and the grip on this iron. It feels sturdy and I can get a good grip when I'm pulling my hair through the iron. Second, it heats up quickly and gets the job done without much effort. My hair stays in place without any product at all. In addition, the plates sort of move from side to side so it really produces nice smooth results and it's perfect for curling.

Another thing I love about this iron is the temperature dial. My CHI iron didn't have one, and I naturally have really thin hair so I don't need maximum heat. The heat settings go from 180-450 degrees so it's perfect for all hair types. For me, I set it to around 300 degrees to achieve my desired results.

The only dislike I have about this product is the LED light. I am not sure if I am reading it wrong, but the LED light unlike my CHI does not flicker when it's ready. Also, it sometimes turns off for a minute, and I actually once forgot to turn it off because I had thought it was off already.

Other than that, I love this iron. It makes flat ironing my hair effortless, and I would recommend this Karmin G3 Salon Pro Flat Iron to anyone. :)

FTC Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid for this review, and this is 100% my honest opinion.

Rating: (4.5/5)

Bought and Loved Products of 2010

2010-12-31T16:11:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of 2010, and this year has been such a rush. I have to admit that I really slacked off with this blog during this entire year, and I have not really posted much at all. It has been a really rough year, and there were a lot of unfortunate things (which I won't go into detail because I don't need to burden you all with my stories) that have happened. It really hindered my progress on this blog. I hope you all forgive me, and I will try my hardest to improve in 2011 to really deliver what you were all expecting to see. I am very backed up in reviews and such, and I feel so bad about it. Thank you for all of you who are still with me. I can't wait to start fresh in the new year, and for the last post of the year, I decided to do my Bought and Loved Products post that was very well received last year.

Please note that these are products that I have bought and used for 2010 ONLY, and they do not include products that I still love that I bought in previous years. I decided to do this because if I didn't, the list would just go on and on. I hope you all enjoy nonetheless. If there are any products any of you want a full review on (and you don't mind waiting awhile for it XD) please let me know, and I will add it to my never ending list.

Nexcare 3M Acne Dressing - These little acne patches from Nexcare have been a life saver and really helpful throughout this year. These are basically little semi-clear circle patches you can stick on pimples, and it will help the process go by faster. For pimples that have already come to a head, I stick one of these suckers on before bed and the next morning the patch will have sucked out all of the sebum (yeah, I know it sounds kind of gross XD). All in all, I love these! The only bad thing about it is that it is only available in Asia so I have to get my cousin to send me stock every couple of months.
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion - We all know that sunscreen is a necessity, rain or shine! But I have to be honest, I never liked wearing sunscreen because it made my face sticky and greasy and my face is oily enough on its own. Therefore, I use to often just skip out on it all together even though that is a really bad habit. I saw this product at TJ Maxx and decided to pick it up on a whim. My gosh! I am so happy that I did because it has changed my perception on sunscreen. It's a liquidy type of sunscreen which I love because it's light and not sticky at all! Most of all it doesn't make my face more oily than it normally would be. Now, I don't mind putting sunscreen on at all.
Shiseido Perfect Oil - I truly bought this on a whim, because I saw it at one of my local Asian grocers for a really good price. I've personally always tried to stay away from cleansing oils because I was afraid they would just make my face more oily or prone to breakouts. I use to use my Clinique makeup remover to remove my eye makeup, and use makeup removing wipes to remove my face makeup. Now I just use this product all over my face and it literally takes EVERYTHING off! Waterproof mascara, eyeliner, sticky glosses, you name it. It will come off. Best of all, it doesn't break me out. It is water activated, so after I massage the oil all over my face to dissolve my makeup, I just splash my face with water and it turns into this milky substance. It's almost like a milk cleanser. After it's all off my face, there's no greasy feeling at all.
Shu Uemura Face Architect Foundation - This was my first ever high end foundation, and I absolutely love this. It doesn't make my face break out, which is always a plus, and it's really light. It does not make my face cakey, and all in all I am glad I picked this up during one of their sales.
Rock & Republic Contrived Pressed Blushes - These blushes are pretty self-explanatory. Everyone has been crazy for these, and I have a total of 6 that I picked up! They are super pigmented and finely milled. I love these, and ever since I started using them I pretty much neglected all of my other blushes. These are a definite a must have!

Urban Decay Naked Palette - This palette is a gem, and I'm sure everyone has heard about it because it was such a hard item to get your hands on. I'm always traveling back and forth from my parent's house and my apartment at school all year long. This palette is great because I can just take this and I am all set. I don't wear eyeshadow on a daily basis but if I do, most of the time I tend to stick to the good old neutrals. It's the only palette I have been using since I got it and it is worth every penny.
Lancome Artliner - I love this eyeliner, period. It's so easy and quick, and I have been using it everyday for the past 6 months. I love how black it is, and it does not smudge on me at all. I have tried the alternative L'oreal one, but I still prefer this one any day.
Shiseido Majolica Majorica Lash Expander Frame Plus - This mascara is awesome! It makes my lashes super long and it has impeccable staying power. I was hesitant to try it at first because I was afraid the fibers would flake off and get into my contacts, but it doesn't. The comb like brush is wonderful because I can apply my mascara with ease. It also works wonders for my lower lashes!
Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil - This was my first eyebrow pencil ever, and I have to say for the price it works wonderfully. I used it for most of 2010 until recently. I have stopped using it because my hair is no longer dyed brown and they only come in brownish colors. However, if you have brown hair and want a cheap but effective brow pencil give this a try.

The Face Shop Color Shimmer Lipstick - I picked this up at The Face Shop store in LA during the summer, and I have to say it's really good. It reminds me of the Dior High Shine lipsticks I love because it gives off the same effect. The texture and pigmentation is similar. So basically these lipsticks are a good dupe for the Dior High Shines for a fraction of the cost. I am definitely going to pick up a few more colors the next time I am there.
Chanel Aqualumiere Lipstick - My first Chanel lipstick, and I have to say if it wasn't so expensive I'd be hauling these like crazy. They are so smooth and moisturizing, and they do not make my lips peel at all.
MAC Pro-Long Lustre Lip Color - I have one of these that I got at the CCO, and it has been my go to lip gloss this winter. I love how long lasting it is, and I never have to worry too much about reapplying. I can drink my tea without lip color all over it. I also love the gloss end it comes with because it gives such a beautiful finish. I need to get my hands on more of these!
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss - My favorite drugstore lip gloss! I have 6 of these, and for anyone who wants a good affordable gloss definitely give these a try. I used these a lot during this past summer.

I hope you all have a great new year with friends and family! See you all in 2011!

Sharing on Thanksgiving (Sephora Haul)

2010-11-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

Before I start rambling on, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful hearty meal and spend precious time with all your loved ones :) I would also like to give thanks to all my readers who have supported me and made blogging so much more meaningful. I love you all, and I hope I will be able to deliver more in the future.

I apologize for the lack of posts once again. I know I say this a lot but I really have no other excuse than that I have been busy with school and life. This quarter has been hectic. I'm usually out the door for school in the morning and I don't get back until 7-8PM. When I get home, I only really have time to eat, do homework, and sleep. That doesn't leave me a lot of time to worry about blogging as much as I love sharing with you guys. Adding to that, I still have yet to figure out a lighting set up that will allow me to take good quality pictures in my room that is horribly lit. If you guys haven't already noticed, I am really big on taking good quality pictures for you guys and I just can't bring myself to deliver badly lit photos. I hope you all understand where I am coming from.

For the holidays, I am planning to perhaps do another giveaway like I did last year, but I have not figured out all the logistics of it yet. When I do, I will surely let you all know. I am also thinking about giving my blog a makeover, but I will see how time will work in my favor this coming winter break.

Now finally to the main point of this post. I wanted to share with you all my Sephora Friends&Family and V.I.B Event haul. I hope you guys aren't tired or sick of all my haul posts T^T but they are a lot easier for me to do than reviews, especially since I am so limited on time these days.

For the F&F sale I got the highly raved Laura Mercier Translucent Powder, 2 packs of the Boscia Peppermint Blotting Papers, and Sephora by OPI's 'Looks Like Rain, Dear'. Haven't tried everything yet so I can't say much, but I am going to paint my nails later with the new polish! :D

Looks so gorgeous and it just totally reminded me of Catherine from Strawberry Mochi. :D

As for the V.I.B Event, I went with one of my good friends. The Sephora I went to, I felt lacked a a little in preparation. There were so many people and they ran out of totes very quickly. I still had fun, nonetheless, with my friend. We were both on the hunt for the perfect red lipstick for the holidays. We literally scrambled through the entire store swatching every red lip product in sight. Our hard work paid off in the end :)

We both picked up the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Cruella'. It's the perfect matte scarlet red color. One of the MA's even stopped me to comment on how good it looked on my lips after I had tried it on. I was instantly sold! I also wanted a more moisturizing red lipstick that wasn't matte and the MA recommended me Givenchy's Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick in '20 Illicit Raspberry'. Totally fell in love with it so I picked that up too. I have tried it and it is definitely a great lipstick. Last but not least, I picked up my first NARS eyeshadow in the infamous Galapagos. I'm sure you all already know what that looks like so I didn't take a photo of that.

So that was pretty much my haul. Gotta love Sephora's sales! I hope you all enjoyed the post, and since I spent way too much time on it than I planned to, I really need start working on some homework now.

Straightening Iron Search

2010-11-15T23:53:00.001-08:00

Alright, for some of you who may or may not know, during the summer I chopped off my long hair and went for an A-line bob which then evolved into bob that slants to one side (it’s kind of hard to describe without pictures). I love my new found short hair but not only until after I cut my hair did I realize I have this weird hair thing that goes on with one side of my hair.

So here’s the back story, when my hair was long it was super low maintenance. I rarely straightened my hair because it looks completely fine without it. I wouldn’t even blow dry it because to be honest I dislike blow drying my hair. However, after I cut my hair into an a-line bob, I noticed that the right side of my hair would always tend to curve outward while the left side curves inward. I had no idea why and it wasn’t because of how I slept either because it would naturally just dry that way even before I went to bed. As a result, every morning I had to use my flat iron to flip my hair so both sides were even. For once I was using my flat iron daily and I noticed I didn't like it as much as I did before. I use a regular CHI, and it wasn't giving me results that I wanted. My hair reverted back pretty quickly, and my hair did not feel soft to the touch. I also did not have an option to adjust the temperature which sometimes really bothered me. As a result, I've been looking to try a new decently priced straightening iron that will deliver to all my needs.

Upon searching, I was directed to these hair straightener reviews, which gives a list of some of the top rated irons. On that site it states that this brand called Karmin is the best hair straightener. I have never heard of the brand before, but I was willing to give it a go. I am looking forward to sharing with you all my experience when I thoroughly try it out. If any of you have any other suggestions or if you have tried Karmin please let me know! :)

FTC Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post however, everything is my honest opinion.

My summer's last shopping adventure

2010-09-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Summer's over and school is starting again for me on Thursday. I'm going to be in my 3rd year of college. I can't believe it's already been that long. It feels like only yesterday that I started college. To be honest, I'm not that thrilled to go back. There's a lot of things that I don't look forward to, and it's not just school. A lot of things are left little to be desired...but that's an entirely different story that you guys don't need to know.

So as summer came to an end, I did enjoy my last bit of shopping last week. Ended up with some makeup, clothes, and shoes. First of all, I went to San Diego, and I decided to go to Marukai to do some browsing. Of course, I did not come out empty handed.

I picked up a Koji eyelash curler that was on sale, a packet of those Dariya velcro fringe thingys? (I don't even know what to refer to them as), and pair of Spring Heart falsies in 01 Natural. I love how the falsies are a very natural length. Most eyelashes I have tried are way too long for my eyes and they just look weird. These, on the other hand, are the perfect length for me! I plan to pick up a few more pairs when I get the chance.

As for the Gatsby Triple Scrub, that was something I picked up at a local Asian supermarket purely out of recommendation from Pink's blog. I really do love the scrub! It's minty and foams up really nicely. I use it every other 2 days. Even my mom has tried it, and she likes it as well.

Besides makeup, I also picked up a couple of tops from H&M. I've been totally in love with the stuff they've been having. Especially anything with puffy sleeves. I don't know why but it's probably a new obsession of mine. If it has puffy sleeves, then

I'm sold! I bought 2 puffy sleeve dress shirts that were on BOGO. Like seriously, how can I pass that up. I also got another horizontal striped puffy sleeve top that was $10. I don't have any pictures of them sadly because they did not turn out so well and I did not feel like retaking them. One thing that I did get that I have to rave about though (with a picture since this one actually came out half decent!) is a beige puffy sleeve blazer that I got for $25.

I don't know about you guys but my jaw literally dropped when I saw this on the racks. I think it's super cute and chic at the same time. The fit is just great too. It fits nice and snug and really hugs my body in all the right places. There's also a black version, but I opted for the lighter color because it just stands out more. The beige has a very light pinkish undertone. I love love this blazer, and it was such an awesome buy for $25.

Last but not least, I hit up South Coast Plaza, which I didn't really find much there. However, I did find something at the Nordstrom Rack across the street.

Two pairs of Me Too flats for $22.50 each (these normally retail for at least $80 at Nordstrom). I've tried many flats before and these are probably the most comfortable flats you can get for under $100. Their flats have a good amount of cushion, and they don't make your feet smell like a lot of cheaper flats I have tried in the past. The leather is super soft so there is little or no need to even break them in. I own two pairs already (so now I own 4!), and at such a discount, I could not pass these up.

So that wraps up my little shopping haul! I am going to miss summer and all the gourmet home cooked meals for the next 9 months. Au Revoir!

As the summer goes on...SWIRL

2010-08-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am totally having a writer's block these days for what to post on here, which is resulting in the lack of updates even though I have the time. Another reason is because the lighting in my room is just not as good at my new place so taking pictures takes a lot more effort for me to be satisfied with the results. My apartment at school has even worse lighting which is basically impossible to work with so I am not even sure how I will be able to take any pictures when Fall quarter starts. I hope I figure something out eventually.

As far as what I have been up to these days, I have to honestly say..not much. I have just been going out to eat or hang out with my friends, or stay at home away from the scorching heat (watching dramas XD). LA has seriously been boiling up. High's were in the 100s today! I am very much not an outdoors person once it hits 90 degrees outside. So if I go out, I'm still probably indoors somewhere.

I haven't actually had much of an opportunity to go to the mall and shop so I have been doing some damage online instead. I am in need of new clothes for the Fall. I am trying to find some layering pieces and basics to add to my wardrobe so I can wear my spring/summer clothes during fall/winter. Here's a few things I got recently that I am waiting to arrive!

I bought some stirrup tights in black and gray on eBay last night. I've been wanting some for the longest time. I got the ones that are 180 denier so I hope they are nice and opaque. If the quality is up to par I'm going to do a post on them and buy them in purple and red too!

And today on Swirl, I bought 3 things from the American Apparel sale. I don't have anything from them because I always find them way overpriced, but since it was 50% and there was a promo code for $20 off first purchase + free shipping with 3 items, I decided to take a plunge and order.

I bought this top in 2 colors (one in Small and one in Medium since I'm not sure how they'll fit) because I love off the shoulder tops! I'm hoping to just wear these on my lazy days with shorts or leggings.
Then I also got this simple black high waisted skirt. I'm planning to just pair these with a simple tee and maybe some colored tights (maroon or dark purple?). I shall see when I get it.

My total came out to be $51.00 but with the $20 promo code it was $31.00. Pretty good for 3 items that usually go for so much more.

So if any of you guys are interested sign up for Swirl. The sale lasts until Saturday, but I don't think the all the items will hold out for that long. A lot of them are sold out already. Enter LUVSWIRL for $20 off on your FIRST PURCHASE. The promo code is valid until Aug 31st, 2010.

Rock&Republic Blushes from Hautelook

2010-08-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, the oh so popular "it" blushes of the moment. I am sure everyone and their grandma has talked about these already, but I'd thought I just make a brief post about my two cents with pictures and swatches, of course. This is not a full on review or anything. Just my initial thoughts. If someone would like to see a thorough review please let me know.

So Hautelook had a sale for Rock&Republic cosmetics a few weeks ago, and I decided finally to make a purchase because everyone was raving about their blushes. Their blushes retail for $40 but it was 50% off ($20) on Hautelook so I splurged a little. I bought 4 on a whim because I could not decide which one I wanted more.

I picked up 'Call Me', 'Seduce', 'X-Rated', and 'Kinky'. It took awhile to get to me because I had to wait for R&R to ship the products to Hautelook before Hautelook shipped it to me. When Hautelook shipped it to me it only took me a day so that was great! But anyways, I digress. I absolutely love these blushes! They are indeed like everyone said very very pigmented. The formula is very smooth and silky, and the packaging is gorgeous. They really put a lot or effort into packaging everything, even the box it comes in. There's 9grams of product in each so that's the same amount as a MAC MSF.

The swatches came out lovely except for 'Seduce'. 'Seduce' is actually a dark plumy shimmery color. Not so much of a muddy brown as it shows up. I tried taking a picture of it several times but I just could not capture the true color of it. I really wanted to try this color, because I love my MAC 'Stark-Naked' blush which is also a plum color. As for the other 3 colors, I love them! They give such a nice flush.

Because I loved these blushes so much I actually picked up another one in 'Spanked' from the R&R site since they were have a 50% off sale with 99 cents shipping. I don't have any pictures for that but maybe in future posts I'll talk about it a little more. :) It certainly deserves some mentioning because it's absolutely beautiful.

So if you are thinking about getting these blushes. Do not hesitate if you find them on sale! They are totally worth it every penny, and I am glad I got my hands on these.

BeautyStory is having a sale today August 3 @ 10:00AM EST so if you are interested you can check them out.

IMATS 2010

2010-07-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

So hello to you all! It's been a long time since my break, but I finally decided to get off my lazy butt and make a post. To be honest, I have been really busy as usual but I'm sure you are all tired of hearing that from me. I am taking summer school until the end of the month, and because it's so fast paced I need to be producing work 3 times as fast. I didn't expect it to take up so much of my time. I am definitely looking forward to finally resuming my summer in 2 weeks though.

As I already stated in my previous post, I attended IMATS in Pasadena once again this year :). It being my second time around was definitely a little more rewarding since I knew what to expect. There were so much more people this year compared to last year. The exhibit hall was so packed!

I arrived around 8:30AM at the Pasadena Convention Center with my bestie, and we had to wait a good 30-40 minutes in the Will Call line to get our wristbands. I didn't expect that, because last year I just walked up to it. When we finally got in, I decided that this year I will go line up in the crazy Makeup Forever line. I was a little bit hesitant at first because it's notorious for taking a couple of hours to get your stuff, and this year was certainly no different. We waited for 3 hours! My feet were so tired by the end of it! However, I was happy I got my stuff and saved 40-50% on all of it :)

This was when I was just around the 2nd corner before the register. It still took an hour to get there! There were so many people huddling around to swatch the products.

My bestie and I were starving so we went off to grab lunch at the Island's at Paseo Colorado across the street before resuming. I didn't buy much after because I didn't want to spend too much. I mostly just went around looking at stuff. I did pick up some brushes at Crown though.

Saw Enkore up on stage talking while I was trying to get through the large crowd of people trying to buy brushes. It was like a battle field. You had to keep your eye out for empty spots so you could slide your way in.

Here are some other random pictures I took while I was there. I didn't take much. I was tired, and I kind of forgot about my camera in my bag. Excuse the quality also because I did not take my dSLR. I did not want to lug that thing around with me while I was carrying everything else.

So we left IMATS at around 4:30PM and....

In the end, this was my haul!

MUFE HD Foundation in #118
MUFE HD Microfinish Blush in #5
MUFE Star Powder in #922 & #947
Parian Spirit Brush Cleanser Set
and some Crown brushes

I am most excited about the MUFE stuff I got. It was the biggest thing I was looking forward to, and even though it took 3 hours, it was definitely all worth it!

Overall, I was pretty satisfied. I did forget to pick up some things that I originally wanted to (next year I must make a list), but that's okay. I am looking forward to next year's already! I am hoping next year I will be able to attend both days and the classes too. I didn't get to this year because there was just no time, and I only had one day. I couldn't go the 2nd day because I had some other things to attend to already. Until next year!

Shout outs to Lillian and Gloria! They kept telling me to post XD

Until finals are over....

2010-06-03T16:34:00.001-07:00

Hello all my lovely readers! Once again I have went on an unexpected hiatus. This post however is not tell you guys that I am back but to tell you guys that I will still be on hiatus for another 2 weeks until my finals are over. I have been super busy with school and a lot of unexpected things have popped up which makes it hard for me to manage all my time and attention. It has been a super stressful quarter and I'm suppose to be studying right now, but I wanted to write this. As much as I love blogging, it is placed somewhat on the lower end of my priorities right now. I hope all of you can understand. I have many pictures sitting in my memory card that I took for posts that I wanted to write; however, I still have yet to upload them onto my computer. I will definitely do that once I am done with school. I shall talk to you guys in 2 weeks, and I hoped everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and a great rest of the week! Good luck to all of you guys who are also taking your finals soon! :) Until next time...

Just one last note, I will be attending the IMATS on Saturday, June 26th with my best friend so if any of you guys are attending perhaps we will run into each other!!

Shout out to my best friend Claudia, Lillian, and whoever that I know in real life that reads my blog. I am not sure how you guys found out about this but lol I’m a little um…embarrassed I guess.

Nail Polish Haul & Lunch with Catherine

2010-05-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you will probably have already saw that I did some nail polish hauling because I was running out of my Seche Vite Top Coat. I ordered from Transdesign and since shipping is around $10, of course it would be better to order more to make that $10 worth it! :) How could I resist?

(From left to right)
China Glaze: Preppy Pink, Re-fresh Mint, Peachykeen, High Hopes
Essie: Pop Art Pink, Van D'Go, Lilacism

I got 4 China Glaze and 3 Essie polishes. All of them are creme finishes except for one of the China Glaze. I'm usually not a creme polish kind of gal because I love my sparkle and bling, but I don't know what has gotten into me! I think it is probably because most brands are coming out with creme pastel polishes since they are really in this season. In the picture, the colors for the China Glaze polishes came out darker, and they actually look lighter and creamier in real life. The Essie polishes, on the other hand, came out pretty true to life.

I've only tried Van D'Go, Lilacism, and Preppy Pink so far. I absolutely love love love the Essie colors that I picked out. I didn't take a picture for all of them sadly, but I will when I re-wear any of the colors.

In this pic, I am wearing Essie's Lilacism. I was skeptical at first to get it because I thought it wouldn't look good on me. However, I actually really like how it looks on my nails, and it makes me just want to look at them all the time. The formula is as usual quite streaky with one coat, so I did about 2-3 coats with a minute drying time between each coat.

I really want more creme polishes now, but I really shouldn't be buying anymore since I have enough polish to last me a lifetime. What to do, what to do?!

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

In other news, I met up with the lovely Catherine of StrawberryMochi on Thursday afternoon for lunch. We go to the same school but it took us awhile to meet up with each other since we are busy bees! I am glad we met though before she graduated. She is so sweet and we had such a wonderful time talking. Hopefully, we will get to meet up again soon and bond some more :) I hope you love your birthday gift girl! ^_^

I am trying hard to update as much as I can with school and my moving situation back home. For those of you who don't know, my parent's and I are moving to a different house so it's been a little stressful since I am not home to help them. Every time I go back to LA, I don't have time to do anything but pack and unpack. I am in dire need of a hair cut, but I haven't even had the time to go do that. Weekends just seem to fly back so fast! So please bare with me!

Review: Fingr's Artificial Nails

2010-04-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is a way overdue review that I was suppose to do, but I was so busy with my moving situation back home and with school work, I never got around to uploading the pictures onto my computer earlier. However, I felt bad for dragging it out this long since I received these products back in January. So finally, here it is.

Fing'rs Brand Artifical Nails

Retail Price: Varies
Official Website: Fing'rs
Availability: CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid, Walmart etc.

Pros

Cost-efficient but still looks good
Fits most nail sizes
Shorties length so they don't look tacky
Looks pretty natural :)
Comes with two choices of application (glue or press on tabs)

Cons

Press on tabs are hard to work with

Back in January, Christine from Fing'rs contacted me and asked if I was interested in trying some of their products and I decided to give it a go. I don't usually wear artificial nails, and the only time I ever did was during my Junior year prom. I prefer painting my nails because I can change them up as often as I want. Since then, however, I've always wanted to try out some others since I loved the ones I bought to wear for prom.

Christine sent me 4 sets of their artificial nails to try. 2 sets from their California Girl line and 2 sets from the Edge line. The California Girl line has more simple and classic designs. Great for dances, formals, or just everyday wear! The Edge line is self explanatory. They have more of an edgy look to them. Great for when you are feeling something more unique!

I've only tried one set out of the 4 I received, which is the Beverly Hills Chic from their California Girl line.

This was my favorite set, and I definitely love how they look on. Don't they look like I got them done professionally :)? My nail beds are shorter than most peoples, and they fit perfectly. I am sure they fit people with longer nail beds too though, since I've seen how they fit on other girls who have also reviewed these products.

Each set comes with 24 nails, glue, and press on tabs. When I wore them, I used the press on tabs since I didn't want to keep them on too long since I was going to go bowling a few days later. The press on tabs, I have to admit are not that great. I had problems getting them off the sheet they were on, and sometimes the edges got bunched together, which made the application uneven. Therefore, I think the glue would probably be the better choice for an easier application.

As for durability, I think it really depends on the person. If you work with your hands a lot the durability will probably be not as good compared to someone who doesn't do much with their hands. For me, they lasted pretty good considering how much I picked at things when I had them on, and the fact I used the press on tabs.

Christine also sent me some nail stickers, which I was very excited about. I haven't tried them since they are in one of the moving boxes at home. However, I am sure they will add some spaz to any of my future manicures :). If they perform exceptionally, I will definitely talk about them later on.

FTC Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid for this review, and this is 100% my honest opinion.

Camera Question Answered!

2010-03-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

So today I decided to answer one of my most frequently asked question. I keep getting asked this through twitter, email, etc. that I decided it would be best if I addressed it in a post so that everyone will know. I've been meaning to answer this question for the longest time, and I actually made a video awhile back to address it but due to some technical difficulties that never got uploaded. I don't know why it took me so long for me finally talk about it, but better late than never, right?!For the most part of this blog up until the last couple of months, all the pictures (including the DSK Jewelry photos) I took were using my Sony Cybershot P200. I've had it for about 5 years so it definitely is not as updated or comparable to the new cameras that have been coming out. When I bought it, point and shoots were still at a base price of $300 for 7.2 megapixels, and 7.2mp was the max for point and shoots at the time. It's a pretty decent digital camera, but I really hope to upgrade soon.

Now in the past 2 or 3 months, I switched over to solely using my DSLR, which is a Nikon D40x, to take pictures for this blog. It was a gift from my dad 2 years ago, but I never really used it that much until recently. I am not sure why I didn't play with it more when I first got it, but at least I now make much more use of it than I did before. It is a very beginner consumer class DSLR, since I am certainly not a pro in taking pictures. It's more of a hobby than anything for now, but I do hope to better my skill someday.

The next camera I am lemming for is the Panasonic Lumix L3!

Anyways, I hope that answers the question for many of you who wanted to know. Once again, I am sorry it took so long! If there are any further questions, feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy guys!

It's Spring Break!

2010-03-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovelies! I am so sorry I have been away for awhile. I was preparing for my finals for the last couple of weeks, so I had no time at all do any updates or even respond to emails for that matter. However, I finished everything on Tuesday night, and I am back home at my parent's house! I have been catching up on sleep because my doctor said I was overworking myself, and my blood pressure was a bit low. It feels so good to rest! If you sent me an email or question in the past few weeks and haven't received a reply, I will get to you asap. My inbox is pretty chaotic with random emails so I need to sort through it.

So yesterday after I went to the doctor, I did a mini drugstore haul at CVS and Walgreens because I haven't done any beauty related shopping in awhile. There were a few sales I wanted to check out.

CVS was having a BOGO50 for Maybelline and Milani items, and I've been wanting to get their new Eye Studio quads for such a long time. I originally wanted to wait until they had a BOGO, but I didn't want to wait any longer so I just decided to get them.

I got one in 'Give Me Gold' and 'Sunset Seduction'. The swatches are without a base. I haven't used them yet so I can't say much about them yet. I think I'll do a review on it later on.

As for the Milani polishes, I got them in 'Hi-Res' and 'Cyberspace'. They are both from the holographic line, and they are just glittery goodness. They remind me a lot of the OPI Designer Series. Last, I picked up the Rimmel brow pencil in 'Hazel' at Walmart, because I wanted to try filling in my brows with a pencil. I usually fill them in with a powder, but I wanted to try pencil since I've never used one before.

In other news, since I haven't posted this yet, I wanted to announce that I've hit 300 followers! Thank you everyone who have followed and supported my blog! It makes me so happy that there are people who find my posts interesting or helpful haha XD! I am thinking about doing a little mini giveaway soon just to say my thanks :)

I hope to have another post this weekend so look out for that!

Belated Valentine's & CNY ! + Lady Gaga!

2010-02-21T02:07:00.000-08:00

Hello guys! It's been awhile and yes, I know I say this like every time but it always seems to be the case when I post. Anyhow, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year if you celebrate it. I was home last weekend so I spent it with my family, which was quite nice. It always feels so good when I go home because it's a place away from the intensity of the college atmosphere, if that even makes any sense. I don't know if it's only me, but that's how I feel!

I didn't do much that weekend, but I did do some minor shopping. Because of all the hype, I decided to stop by the MAC counter to pick up the Lady Gaga Viva Glam lipstick. I think Dior was having an event that weekend at Nordstrom so it was very crowded. There was also a DJ blasting music, which kind of made it fun to shop around the store.

There were so many people trying out the Lady Gaga lipstick when I was there! I think they had only a couple left. I'm so glad I got my hands on at least one :) At first, I thought the color might be too pink for me, but I actually kind of like it on my lips.

I think it shows up a little bit brighter in real life but this was the best shot I could get of it on my lips. Lighting in my apartment has been pretty crappy this past week for some reason. It also has more of a sheen in real life since it's a Lustre finish.

You can see the sheen more in these swatches. The first swatch is with 2 swipes and the second watch is with 1 swipe. As you can see, this is a very build-able lipstick. You can go from very sheer to opaque depending on how much you apply.

I also bought a couple more things during that weekend, but I don't think it's worth mentioning.
I went to the CCO and there was nothing much. I feel like the CCO I go to doesn't really get new stuff anymore :( It has been pretty much the same similar selection. I need to go to the CCO in Vegas! They have so much more stuff.

Besides that, I also recieved Valentine's candy from the lovely Stacy at Stacieeelovesit the week before. It was so sweet because I wasn't expecting it at all.

She was one of my early followers so please check her out if you haven't! :) Thanks girl!

As for this weekend, it went by so fast! I've just been doing school work and re-watching Boys Over Flowers for breaks. After I post this, I need to continue to edit my film project. There's so much to do!

But I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Oh and if anyone is interested. I made a Formspring.me for fun! Feel free to ask me questions but please don't get too personal, or else I'd have to ignore you haha :)

http://www.formspring.me/tralalalisa

Review: SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion

2010-02-06T19:31:00.001-08:00

So I am sure a lot of guys have already read a review about this product elsewhere, but I thought I'd still give my two cents about the product and provide some pictures for my readers. I actually have had this product for awhile now, but I never got around to be reviewing it due to time constraints. Better late than never, right?

SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion

Retail Price: $18.00 USD
Availability: SkinMD Official Website

Pros

Light-weight
Non-greasy formula
Absorbs quickly
Hypoallergenic and paraben free
Does not require a lot of product per application.
Great for oily skin.

Cons

Would have been better with a pump bottle. (a personal preference)
Claims to be fragrance free but there is a slight scent (although I personally like the scent)

This is a very natural lotion for the skin, and before trying it I was very afraid it would be greasy or heavy. I have very oily skin so I can't stand using moisturizers that adds to that. However, upon trying this, I was surprised by how light it was. The texture is almost like an emulsion or an essence. In fact, its the same texture as my Laneige Star White Essence. Therefore, it doesn't even feel like I'm putting moisturizer on. Even though it's very light, it still provides adequate moisture for the skin, which really helps with reducing the production of oils on my face throughout the day. There was a day I forgot to apply this on, and I realized my face was much oilier than usual.
I also love how the texture of my skin feels after this. Now, I don't have smooth skin at all on my face, but with this I can feel a much better texture than if I hadn't put this on. This lotion can be used for the Face, Hands, and Body. I've tried it on my hands before, and I also love what it does as a hand lotion.

Overall, this is a great natural moisturizer and I really love it for my oily skin. I don't have dry skin so I can't speak for how well it performs on dry or combination skin types, but I'm sure there's a review elsewhere that will provide you with information for that. This moisturizer is not one of those cheaper alternatives, I have to admit, but if you plan on spending $18+ to try a new moisturizer, why not give this a try?

FTC Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid for this review, and this is 100% my honest opinion.

Rating: (4.5/5)

Mini Beauty Haulin'

2010-02-02T23:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a post in awhile that wasn't a review or random update so this one will be here to break the cycle! If you guys read my last post, I said I was having a bit of a rough week last week, and when it gets rough, shopping is my friend..well, and food is too (sweet or spicy is the best!). Anyways, I went on a bit of a shopping frenzy, but some of my stuff hasn't come in yet. I actually haven't been really buying much makeup lately. I've been just sticking to my favorites. I think I've been buying more jewelry and random things more than anything. I will eventually talk about those too of course. :)

Today, I shall share my recent beauty purchases!

A couple of weeks ago I made a purchase on the Etude House USA website. I've been stalking their site ever since I watched ChefCaffy's video recommending the Code B gel liner. I really wanted to give a try, but they were ALWAYS sold out of the black one. I waited about a month before they got it back in stock. When they did, I quickly bought it along with a VIP Girl lipstick. I am still testing the gel liner, but I will be having a review on that up soon.

I got the VIP Girl lipstick in PK009, which is like this bright pink with blue undertones (kind of reminds me of Barbie pink). The color pay-off is really good, and on my pigmented lips it comes out pretty opaque. The smell is exactly like all the Etude House lip products; it has this slight fruity scent that I can't really put my finger on. As for the packaging, it's cute but it does feel kind of like a toy? I'm not sure how I feel about it.

It was kind of hard to capture the true color of the lipstick, but pretty much what you see in the tube is what you get in the swatch. In real life, the blue undertone is a little more prominent. I tried it on my lips once; however, I don't know if I can really pull it off. It's a bit of a contrast with my skin tone. Perhaps, I will show you guys in a future FOTD, and you guys can tell me what you guys think of it.

As you can all see, I also recently bought the Laneige Star White Essence. I had a $10 off discount from my birthday at the Amore store because I am a member of their Beauty Family Plan. I am currently also using the emulsion from the Star White line so I thought I give the essence a try too since I ran out of my Beautymaker serum. I just love love Laneige ♥♥. They make great skincare products, and I am so glad I have easy access to their products. Last but not least, I finally got my Benefit set, which I haven't touched at all yet. I really haven't had the time to play with it, and I probably won't for awhile. I have been and will be swamped with my constant art projects.

But anyways, I am going head off the bed now. Next post, I think, will be about my ToFebruary haul :) Good night!

First Giveaway Winner!

2010-01-30T00:52:00.000-08:00

So yes, finally I jotted down all the names from the giveaway and I was able to random.org them all. Thank you for everyone that entered. I had a whooping 287 entries (minus a few who did not follow the rules so I had to disqualify those entries :( You guys need to read the rules. That's all I ask.) But anyways, let's announce the lucky winner! *drum roll please*

Who is lucky #52??!

Denysia

Congrats girl for winning my first giveaway! I'll be contacting you soon so I can ship off your goodies. To those who didn't win, do not be dismayed, there will be more giveaways soon. I have a few things waiting to be shipped off to new owners.

In other news, I've been having a rough week so I am sorry if I will be MIA a bit. A lot of unexpected things sort of sprung up, which has taken a toll on my emotions.

I also realized lately that I don't do much of personal posts anymore. I miss doing those, but sometimes I feel like they seem a bit unrelated. Please let me know if you guys would like to see some personal posts such as places I go to eat, things I do, and etc. I feel like I'm in a limbo on what I want to put on my blog, and what I just want to keep out of it. I am definitely going to be putting up some fashion posts though. I got a lot of that for suggestions during my giveaway.

Anyways, I am off to bed now. I have tons of errands to run tomorrow and 2 art projects to do.

The raindrops keep falling!

2010-01-22T23:55:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all doing well, especially for those of you in Southern California. It's been raining cats and dogs all week non-stop, and I can't even say how many times I got soaked this week while going to class. Giant trees have been falling over on my college campus, and a lot of downhill places got flooded when the rain poured. I'm so glad to be done with classes this week. But anyways, I've been a busy bee lately with school, and my stress levels have been off the charts, but this weekend I finally get a little break. That means it's also time to catch up on all my non-academic related business!

It was my 20th birthday yesterday, but I spent my whole day in class, finishing up an essay that was due, and running around in the rain. Not much of a special birthday, but school really doesn't permit me to make it much of a big deal anymore like I did in high school. I went home last weekend to celebrate it early with my parents, and they got me a pretty cake since it's tradition even if all of us are too busy to do anything else.

Isn't it pretty!? It was coffee flavored with my favorite fruit, strawberries, in the middle! I brought a few slices back with me to school. I ate some on my actual birthday so that still makes me a happy camper even though I didn't really get to celebrate it. My parents also got me a HD camcorder so perhaps that will motivate me to make some videos for you all.

Got it in a snazzy red! I like my electronics to have some color besides the boring old black or silver, unless it's like something classic that has to be in a basic color. Anyways, so far I've only used this for my art class, and the video and sound quality is pretty good.

My suitemates were also very lovely and surprised me with a cake. I thought that was very thoughtful of them. Sadly I don't have pictures of that since the cake got devoured pretty quickly and I wasn't prepared for that little event. I certainly had plenty of cake this week! :p

Besides that, since my birthday has passed, that also means that my first blog giveaway has ended. Thank you to everyone who has participated and followed my blog. It was quite a success, and I've hit 250+ followers because of it. I haven't picked a winner yet because I haven't written all the names down, but hopefully, I can get that done as soon as possible. Please bare with me! I'm truly grateful!

And finally, I shall leave you all with a shopping deal, because we all love deals right?

Benefit on Amazon is having a sale on select items with certain lipstick shades at $9 and various other items. The best value I think is the Girls' Nig ht In!!! set which is now selling at $33.60 (retail $48). It comes in a pouch with 2 creaseless cream shadows in Birthday Suit and Skinny Jeans, Full-finish lipstick in Lady's Choice, a brush, and cute magnets. I love all the shades for this set so I thought it was a really great deal since I've been wanting to buy all of those items individually for awhile. The set itself also ships free so even better!