Spaz & Squee

Blog sale updated 2/20

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 21:16:00 +0000

I've been doing a little in-anticipation-of-spring-cleaning, and have some makeup and nail polish to destash. Head over to my blog sale to check it out!

2015 Beauty Favourites

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 22:08:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I'm not sure how 2015 went by so fast. I honestly wore nail polish just a few times last year, but I still wanted to post my 2015 Beauty favourites here for posterity. If you're interested in my non-makeup favourites (clothes, household, movies & TV), you can head over to my other blog.

THREE Emotional Rescue (discontinued)
I long put off purchasing this blush, and when I finally got it, I kicked myself for not getting it sooner! Despite its appearance, these blushes are sheer and easy to layer. I recently read online though that this formula is being discontinued though, so if you are keen on this shade, get it before it's gone for good! The replacement blushes seem to be of a different formula, and are also debossed with a logo (so you should be able to tell it apart).

Addiction Eye Kohl in Night Dive (discontinued)
I had my eye on this eye kohl for a while, and I'm so glad I pulled the trigger, because just a couple weeks after I ordered it from Ichibankao, they were discontinued. This eye kohl is an amazing eyeliner, and gives the soft look of shadow applied as eyeliner, but much more opaque and long-wearing. It quickly became HG status for me. I just wish I had also ordered Arabian Nights (the burgundy-black split pan)!

Koyudo C008P (CDJapan)
I also have the regular Black one, but the pink one is a little shorter and easier for me to use (and it's pink!). This is perfect for use with the Addiction Eye Kohl. Very soft, but still firm, and makes applying a little eyeliner wing super easy.

Shu Uemura Brow Sword in Stone Grey (shuuemura-usa.com)
I pounced on this as soon as it showed up on the Shu Uemura USA site, and it does not disappoint. The colour is fantastic for me, and it's easy and quick to use. My only complaint is that after a few months, pulling the cap off the brush end actually pulls out the sharpener, as the threads are not that deep. Oh well. Small annoyance.

Sonia Rykiel Glowing Powder Blusher Color 01 (discontinued)
I purchased this blush purely because of the cute stripes in the pan, and because Sonia Rykiel makeup was being discontinued, but this actually turned out to be a favourite purchase of the year. The formula is nice, but I especially like that it comes with a little flat brush (not THE softest, but not scratchy) -- making it perfect for travel.

Paul & Joe Spring 2015 Protective Pressed Powder in 002 Nude Beige (aka Sean Connery Cat Compact) (limited edition)
I won't lie; I bought this purely for the packaging. The powder is awful (extremely fragranced and looks very powdery on), but I still love it. Eventually, I will put out the existing pan (it's easy to remove, since it's only that Japanese soft glue) and put something better in it.

Benjabelle Tulip Brush Tree (Benjabelle, Beautylish)

For a long time, I resisted buying this, thinking it would just be another piece of plastic junk in my home. When I decided to just give it a try, I realized I was completely wrong about it! It is substantial feeling and sturdy, cuts brush drying in half, and disassembles easily to store flat. I can't recommend it enough. I purchased one of the smallest sizes though, as I don't have that many brushes.

Blog Sale Updated!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 09:00:00 +0000

I've finally gotten around to updating my blog sale! Please click here to see my items for sale.

Shu Uemura Shu:Palette 16-pan nude eyeshadow palette swatches and comparisons

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 22:46:00 +0000

I probably didn't need this eyeshadow palette, but when there was a 15% off Lunar New Year code a couple weeks ago (the code was "SHEEP" -- double entendre?!), I couldn't help but jump on it! Retail is $89 USD (and 12000 JPY, or $160 Singapore dollars). It looks like the palette is sold out on the website, and I'm not sure if it's going to come back in stock or not. I figured I would throw my swatches here on my blog since I didn't find too many online when I was deciding whether or not to get it. The pans are the same as the full size singles, and the palette also comes with a double ended synthetic hair brush (but I didn't use it). The palette itself is huge! And it's hefty (in a good way) and has a really nice, big mirror. That said, I don't think I would travel with it, as I like to travel light.

It ended up being around $80 USD with tax after the code. Shipping was about 1 week (faster than I expected).

Palette on a pile of makeup and brushes

After getting my fingers and sponge tips into the pans - the pans wiggle around easily, so I suspect they are extremely easy to depot (though my experience with Shu pans is that they are not magnetic)

Back of the palette info

Spongetip swatches (2 swipes each)

Since I'm sure most makeup addicts would have dupes, I did a few comparison swatches:

taupes

lighter shades

matte light-medium browns

variety of browns (not too much overlap here in my collection)

Random Thoughts

I like all the matte shades very much. The shades are very flattering on my skintone (NC25, very yellow). Quite smooth and silky textures, but not the butteriest (better than my Inglot mattes, not creamy like RBR mattes).
Blend easily on the lids, but do not overblend or get muddy
Some of the lighter shades are similar on my skin, so maybe not a lot of different looks in this palette - The blue shade is a little sheer to swatch, but I haven't tried it on the eyes yet
The silvery shade (ME471) is quite cool toned, and I haven’t tried it yet
The warm brown creamy shade P 875 goes on my eyes a lot warmer than it swatches
The palette is quite large, has a big mirror, and has a hefty weight to it. I haven’t used or tried the double ended brush (and I don’t plan to). The pans are not glued in that securely (probably glued in with that gooey glue used by many Japanese brands)
I find the shadows look very different on the skin than how they look in the pan, so I’m still trying to giro out combinations. Of the 4 times I wore it so far, I loved 2 of the looks, and didn’t are for 2 others. - Some shades are too shiny/light catching for my preferences (doesn’t look great on my eyelid texture).
Overall, it’s a very complete palette. I like that there’s a big range of light to dark, including a blending shade similar to my squinting, a darker matte brown to deepen my outer corner, and a black matte that works for liner AND (when used lightly) works for my brows as well.
The shadows last well on my lids with primer all day; no complaints here!

Hope this helps someone, and if you're interested, that it comes back in stock!

Blog sale updated!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 16:36:00 +0000

'ello friends! Sorry to post and run, but I updated my blog sale finally! I thought I was going to have it up in November, but now look at the date >.<

Here's the link! Blog sale - updated February 2015

And a random picture I took this weekend at a farmer's market in Seattle! ♥

2014 Beauty Favourites

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 23:15:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I finally finished putting together my 2014 Favourites. The non-beauty favourites (household, kitchen, apparel, TV, anime/manga, apps, etc.) are over on my non-beauty blog: Opinionated Homebody.

Muveil Empty Cat Tin: I got this maybe a couple years ago as a free GWP on a Japanese beauty magazine. It's just a little tin I like to use to hold little knick knacks when I travel!

Canmake Lasting Multi Eyebase WP: I ordered this from Ichibankao after reading selphia's positive review of it on MUA, and I like it very much! I find it quite similar to the NARS eyeshadow base, but a bit thicker. I like the packaging (squeeze tube) and price a lot better though!

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover: I've had this for a while, but really loved wearing it this year. Lovely matte peachy-apricot blush!

Suqqu Nuancing Loose Powder Glow in Natural: I've had this for a while now too, but especially enjoyed it this year - even with no base. It does nothing to control my oilies, but that's OK. I like that it doesn't make my face feel dry, but has an overall blurring effect.

Hakuhodo B163BkSL Eye Brow Brush angled: This eye brow brush has been a revelation for me this year. I wish I discovered it before my wedding so I could have done my brows better! This is my first water badger brush, and it is AWESOME for brows. It applies brow powder (and even picking up product from an eyebrow pencil) diffusely and naturally. Never looks overdone. Love it.

Dior Addict Extreme in 536 Lucky: This is a mini I got as a Sephora perk a while back (I put the cap on the back to keep it from rolling away), and have almost finished it up! I really like that there is no white base at all to this lipstick. I will purchase a full size when I use this up!

Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 164 Chamade (discontinued): I think I bought this as a potential wedding lip colour, but ended up liking it more for every day wear (and ended up with the more MLBB Surratt Lipslique in Perfectionniste). I kind of hate Guerlain scented lipsticks, but the colour and formula is so perfect, I even purchased a backup when I ran across one in Canada over the holidays! This is easily my most used lipstick.

Moroccanoil Treatment: This is just a mini bottle I use for travel. I started straightening my hair in the mornings, and I love using this to protect my hair and smooth out any fly aways. A little goes a long way, and the smell has grown on me! I always order from eBay, to be honest, though!

Colortrak Tools The Croc Clip: I use these to section my hair when straightening, and I think these are awesome. They are much sturdier than the same style of clips I purchased from Sephora (which broke very quickly). They feel a little like NARS packagining, and the hinge feels very substantial. Highly recommend these clips!

OPI GelColor in You're Such A Budapest: I chose this nail colour for my wedding manicure for my first and only pro manicure, and liked the colour so much, I bought my own bottle and an OPI LED lamp! I'm still getting the hang of gel nails, but I love wearing this colour.

Persistent Favourites from 2012-2013 (Not pictured): Suqqu Cheek brush, Hakuhodo G537s, Hakuhodo K005, Shu Uemura 10N, GA LuSF, GA Master Corrector, Suqqu Himesango, Fiberwig mascara, Dollywink eyeliner, Holika Holika Wonder Dot liner, Biore UV Aqua Rich watery essence

Surratt Artistique Blush consolidated picture

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 20:52:00 +0000

Ok, I'm just putting this out there because I could not find a combo pic like it anywhere. I grabbed the promo pics directly from Barneys and made the collage in Picasa. They are (as of December 2014) $32 each.

I'll repost my two blush pictures from August here too, I guess

Reswatch: Pahlish Toxic and Timeless over NARS Midnight Express

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:18:00 +0000

I just re-swatched this polish (one of my favourite indie polishes), Pahlish Toxic and Timeless. This is actually the third bottle of this polish I've tried. This is one of the older formulations (though from what I can tell, it's not the original version). The base colour is very clear and jelly, but takes a few coats to wear on its own (see solveig's amazing swatch here).

I used 3 coats over 2 coats of NARS Midnight Express for the pictures below. In real life, I prefer just 1 coat of the NARS as undies, because you get more of a jelly finish (but since I take pics with flash, it would have photographed terribly). I believe Shannon's reformulated this shade to be opaque in 2 coats now based on customer feedback, but I think I like this version the best ♥

Pahlish Toxic and Timeless over NARS Midnight Express

Kiko 336 (similar to Nails Inc Baker St)

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 17:50:00 +0000

Here's another quick Kiko swatch. It is not colour accurate at all, unfortunately! My camera just can't capture this type of blue well.

If you know how Nails Inc Baker Street looks, this is very close, but I would say just a smidge brighter. I also think the formula is nicer and the brush is definitely better (almost all of my Nails Incs had funky brushes, irritatingly).

Imagine it to be a bit darker and richer, more saturated than even this picture. It can look different depending on the light! One of my favourite polishes at the moment.

Kiko 336

I already sold my bottle of Nails Inc Baker St so I can't do a comparison :x Sorry...

Kiko 345 and topped with Lynnderella Love, Lace and Lilacs

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 01:29:00 +0000

I picked up this polish when Kiko debuted state-side earlier this year. I've worn it a few times since then, but only took pictures of it this week so I could update my nail polish spreadsheet!

I love the bottle shape of Kiko polishes. The brush is a bit stiffer than I'm used to, and is a little less wide than OPI. The formula itself is nice and creamy, if not a tad thick. I may thin it a bit next time I go to use it. Opaque in two coats is pretty great, especially for a mint like this.

Kiko 345 (2 coats)

I purchased this (among many other mint green polishes) in hopes of finding a dupe (or better) of American Apparel Office (which takes 3 coats for opacity, and I hate the super long brush stem)

Kiko 345 is not a dead on dupe for the AA, but it is the closest I've found, and I think I actually prefer it to AA Office. AA Office is long gone from my stash now, but I posted this swatchstick comparison picture back in March:

For my second day, I topped it off with Lynnderella for my NOTD:

Lynnderella Love, Lace and Lilacs over Kiko 345 (there are no black flecks in LLL; the flash is just reflecting strangely off the microshimmer)

Re-swatch: Zoya Valerie

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 20:49:00 +0000

Again, another long lost re-swatch I forgot to post... Zoya Valerie. My favourite undies for Lynnderella Very Pretty Vampire.

Zoya Valerie

Man, my application was so nice back in the day... haha, I don't think I'd have the patience to do such a good clean-up job these days!

Re-swatch: Nina Ultra Pro Never Glum Plum

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 19:45:00 +0000

Another very old re-swatched polishes that I failed to post. I haven't worn this one in a while; I wonder if I'll still love it as much as I used to?

Nina Ultra Pro Never Glum Plum

Illamasqua Baptiste, Collide, Rampage

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:48:00 +0000

I've been updating my spreadsheet and Pinterest nail polish stash board and just realized I don't think I ever posted swatches of Illamasqua Baptiste or Collide, and didn't post a re-swatch of Rampage.

Unfortunately, since Illamasqua backed out of the North American market, I don't know where you can buy Illamasqua in person anymore. You should still be able to purchase from their website online, but I'm not sure if there are shipping restrictions on nail polish still out of the UK.

That's OK, though. The bottle/cap annoyance I whined about before is enough to deter me from new colours, so I'm happy with the 5 bottles of Illamasqua I now still own (Baptiste, Collide, MILF, Raindrops, and Rampage).

Illamasqua Baptiste

Illamasqua Collide

Illamasqua Rampage

NOTD: HARE Rococo Grandeur

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 00:30:00 +0000

*sidesteps in*

Hello. I just thought I'd post my NOTD. I'm going through some of my polishes that I hadn't gotten around to photographing. HARE Rococo Grandeur was one of them. There's a couple chips on my nail here (sorry) because I'm also testing NPB Glitter A-Peel and seem to have lost a bit on the free edge of my index and middle finger. I have no idea if I'm going to suddenly lose an entire nail's worth of polish at work this week. It's likely, though, isn't it?

Unfortunately this shade is LE from a a year or two ago. I love the light blue base and the glitter mix. It's a pretty thirsty glitter, so I topped it with a gel top coat out of frustration. It's massively pretty though, isn't it?

HARE Rococo Grandeur: 2 coats, topped with gel topcoat (Harmony Gelish Top It Off)

Surratt Blushes - Se Pomponner and Ponceau

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 16:43:00 +0000

Work has been crazy busy again lately. After a particularly bad weekend of work, I went to Barneys and picked up these two Surratt blushes. They aren't dupes for anything in my collection, which makes me happy :) The two shades I picked up have a nice, smooth texture and the colours are clear and bright. The only downside is the flimsy plastic packaging and not being able to stick them in magnetic freestyle palettes (plastic pans). The empty palette you can purchase requires you stick the pans down with the double-side tape label, which is not appealing to me at all.

I ended up sticking two square metal Z-palette stickers to the back (near the top and bottom, so the shade name is still visible) and storing them in my MUFE palette :)

Surratt Se Pomponner and Ponceau

Pan comparisons: NARS Gaiety, Surratt Se Pomponner, Burberry Hydrangea Pink (also a recent acquisition), Sleek Flamingo (just about falling apart, but a big love)

Pan comparisons: RBR Orpheline, Surratt Ponceau, NARS Gilda

Arm swatches (sponge tips, 2 swipes each)

Also, check out the labeling snafu: the outer box says 0.14oz/4g, but the sticker label on the product itself says 0.2oz/6g! The blushes are quite small, so I'd say the 0.14oz/4g size is correct.

Hope the helps someone! I'm not sure any of the colours in the range interest me, but I will reserve the right to change my mind later :)

Blog Sale Updated

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:11:00 +0000

Blog Sale Updated! How you like mah obnoxious image. Click to go there!

Undergoing a massive purge, if you can tell :)

OPI GelColor Taupe-less Beach and Comparison

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 20:58:00 +0000

Hello lovelies! I have a nail post today! I just started getting into doing my own soak-off gel (SOG) manis, so there may be a few posts like this in the future. I'm working on a post about the initial set-up in case you are interested in doing your own SOG manis, so look out for that post if you're interested.

I've decided to begin my SOG mani adventure with the OPI GelColor system. One of the colours I purchased was Taupe-less Beach from the recent Brazil collection. This colour is also available in the regular nail polish line, but as far as how close the regular and gel versions are, I cannot comment on that. I know sometimes gel polishes are not exact dupes for their regular counterparts, so keep that in mind.

OPI GelColor Taupe-less Beach (3 coats)

I was hoping this OPI would be a slightly warmer dupe for Essie Chinchilly (one of my all time favourite work-appropriate shades). However, due to my very yellow undertones, the OPI leans VERY mauve/purple on me compared to other swatches I've seen.

Comparison: Essie Chinchilly, OPI GelColor Taupe-less Beach, Orly Country Club Khaki (regular, not gel), SH CSM Fedora

In some lights, I am very pleased with this OPI colour. In others, I am very angry it is so mauve. I think this one is going into the purge box, unfortunately! Definitely a beautiful colour, but I know there are better shades out there for me!

Hope you guys have a good weekend! Orange is the New Black Season 2 is up on Netflix now, so I am pretty sure I know how my weekend is going to go. AWESOMELY.

Needle Felted Wedding Favours (picture heavy post)

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Tue, 27 May 2014 17:41:00 +0000

I had a small wedding (about 35 guests), and decided to make personalized wedding favours with needle felting, a new hobby I picked up late last year. Half way through, I was seriously doubting my judgment in this decision, as these little guys take a lot longer to make than you might think!! Some were "quick", at around 2 hours, others took me maybe 8 hours spread over a weekend. Yikes! But when I was halfway through, I figured I might as well persevere and stab my way to the end.

I finished my last favour the weekend before my wedding, and I was working on my cake topper until 2 days before we flew out!

After I took these pictures, I tied tags with each guest's name and their table number, so they doubled as table escorts :) They were a big hit with our guests!

Kero-chan from Card Captor Sakura - one of my old college roommates loves Kero-chan, and I had made her an amigurumi version years ago (when that was my hobby du jour).

Mandora - friend above's SO is obsessed with a game with this as its main character. He was thrilled with it as well.

Doraemon - a friend's favourite childhood cartoon character. This friend actually had to cancel last minute, so I just popped this in the mail for her.

Daria - a friend's fave cartoon character

Mario with an overly long torso. Should've made him into Luigi!

Gromit also with an overly long torso.

Boo - one of my friends is obsessed w/ Boo the Dog. This is one of my favourites, so cute! She loved it so much!

Colossal Titan head (Attack on Titan) - this didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I think it still looks cool. It's for DH's youngest brother, who loves anime, and was most recently obsessed with AoT.

Pooh - DH's mom loves Winnie the Pooh!

Hawaiian Pig - inside joke w/ one of my childhood friends. This one took me quite a long time to make.

Brian - SIL's favourite cartoon character. I think this one turned out really well :D

Carlton the Bear (Leafs mascot) - a friend's SO's favourite hockey team... even though they didn't even make the playoffs this year!

TARDIS - for DH's friend's wife who recommended we hunker through the first few super corny episodes of Doctor Who (new series)

The Doctor in beaver form (goes with the TARDIS) - I had made an amigurumi beaver for DH's friend back in college (he hung it from his rearview mirror), and decided to make a miniature Doctor version :)

Totoros - for a couple of Ghibli studio fans amongst our guests. She told us that our photographer borrowed them to take our ring pictures! We haven't gotten our photos back yet, though, but am looking forward to seeing this picture!

Chibi Batman - a huge Batman lover - I couldn't make a realistic looking one, so I made this sorta "cute" version

Happy Feet penguins - They ended up in the guest's jacket pocket like a pocket square - SO CUTE.

Wolf that turned out better than expected, but still pretty awful - for one of our old college roommates whose last name is spelled something like Wolf

Starship Enterprise - My older brother's fave show (from what I can remember). This didn't turn out great, but I saw him playing with it at his table with his son, LOL.

Rubik's Cube - one of DH's friend is really into it.. competitions and what not) - this one took FOREVER for some reason. I'm really happy with it though! I used a template from online for a real solveable cube design. He said he could tell I made it solveable.

Brown lab - DH's cousin loves brown labs. She said this one was much better behaved than her dog, LOL.

Bull - DH's father is really into the stock market. I felted on a pair of bulls balls, and he got a kick out of that (it's not like I could leave them out, right?!).

Koala bear - one of my friend's said her and her SO's spirit animals were a koala bear and pig, but she wouldn't tell me whose was whose, lol

Pig 1 - to go w/ the koala bear

Mouse - my mom was born in the year of the mouse

Pig 2 - my dad was born in the year of the pig

Calico cat

Black cat - DH's aunt got a new black kitty! this is not a great representation of it, though. I didn't have the right colour of dark gray wool, unfortunately.

One of DH's aunt's cats - I am very happy with this one! The spots are all in the right places!

One of DH's grandma's cats - One of the first cats I made, so not looking great, but she loved it.

Big Ted - a friend's childhood bear. They christianed him "mini ted"

Bears - some extras for last minute guests

Narwhal for my 4 year old nephew (I posted this before the wedding). He kept bending the horn, but loved it, and asked me to make him a shark, a manta ray, and two Transformers (Bumblebee and Optimus Prime). I said "sure" and hope he forgets he asked me.

Finally, the last two I made were for our wedding cake topper! I asked my dress designer for some scraps of lace for the veil (even though I am not wearing a veil lol). I fixed the cat's feet a little bit after I took this picture (extended and flattened a bit) as well, but haven't taken an updated picture yet.

Soak-off Gel wear update!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sun, 25 May 2014 03:08:00 +0000

Back from my wedding! It was very nice, but I'm happy to get back to "real life" again.

Today marks exactly 14 days since my first gel manicure (OPI GelColor in You're Such a Budapest), so I thought I would post a quick update on my experience with wear time.

I didn't get any chips until today (just a tiny one on my right index finger), otherwise no chips or lifting. There were some hairline cracks along the free edge of my longer nails (not visible in pics), but I experience that with regular nail polish as well (if I've been wearing it for about a week).

Here's what my left hand nails look like with 2 weeks of wear, including travel (my nails usually chip handling my luggage, so I am impressed these held up so well!) You can see the re-growth is very obvious, but the glossy finish has held up well (minus a few scuffs).

I just removed it, and it was quite an ordeal! I probably soaked my nails (using pure acetone & glycerin mix) using the foil method (and applying a microwave heat pack on the nails) and it took me about 2 hours (on and off) to get all the gel off!! I didn't even get all of the base coat off, but decided to just live with it. LOL. From what I've read online, it should only take 10-15 minutes to soak off. I'm going to try and get some of those silicone finger cots next time I need to remove a gel mani, though.

I guess there is a trade-off for the excellent wear time, huh?

Overall, I was very satisfied with the gel mani. And I'll even make an admission... I ordered the OPI GelColor LED light, base coat, top coat, and a few GelColors the other day >.> Since the mani cost me $40, I thought I might as well "invest" in the system so I can do it myself on future vacations. I'm going on a quick trip in August for a friend's wedding, then honeymoon is in September, then trip back to Canada over the Christmas holidays. So I figure by some time next year, I should "break even" (given the mani cost me $40 including tip at the salon). SO I SAY.

Here's a close-up of the needle felted Doraemon I'm holding in the pic (also a wedding favour):

Anyone else into Soak Off Gels? Am I totally late to the party (I think so, since my MIL told me she had Shellac done for the wedding, and it sounded like it was not her first time LOL)

I'm glad it's a long weekend here in the States! I plan to thoroughly enjoy NOT PLANNING MY WEDDING ANYMORE!!! :) :) Have a great one!!

OPI You're Such a Budapest (gel color)

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 10 May 2014 18:36:00 +0000

Got my first professional manicure today :O!!

My wedding is next Saturday, and I figured it would just be easier to get a gel manicure now and not have to worry about painting my nails the night before (plus, now I don't have to bring all my manicure stuff with me to Napa!)

The colour selection was kind of dinky, but I settled on OPI You're Such a Budapest, even though it was on the nail wheel labeled "Gelish" (*side eye*). It's a hair more purple than Essence Forget Me Not:

Originally, I wanted to wear Essie Cocktail Bling, but this will do.

The right hand nails turned out well, but the left hand index finger has a big ol' bubble :/ The left hand pinky has two little bubbles too... oh well, it was quite humid today, so I'll give the nail tech the benefit of the doubt.

FYI, I'm holding a needle felted narwhal, since I don't have the bottle.

Here's the narwhal in all its glory (a wedding favour! I'll post all of them when I get back)

Kiko now Stateside! :O

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:53:00 +0000

Last week, I was shopping online for a necklace for my wedding. My comprehensive search of the internet included a search of all the jewelry stores at my two local shopping malls, one of which is Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ. Upon landing on the site's splash page, I saw they were promoting a new wing of the mall (I guess someone decided the mall was not big or crowded enough already... /dripping sarcasm) which included a Kiko store!! WUT WUT?? After my trip last April to London/Paris/Berlin was canceled, I had dejectly put my Kiko wishlist on the backburner. Apparently, the mall announced this wing and the list of stores back in December, and I guess no one in the beauty community noticed.

Anyway, they opened this past Thursday, and I forced DF to take me to the mall today. I had been looking forward to today very much, as the last two weeks of work have been incredibly hellish. Here's a picture of the facade I took before going in (and before DF went to Starbucks and then parked his butt outside the store waiting for me).

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any photos of the inside, as their store policy does not permit pictures inside. The store is very large (much larger than the Inglot and MUFE Boutique stores also at this glorious mall) and well organized. The permanent line flanks the left side of the store, the nail polishes on the right, and the stands on the floor display repeats of the permanent line as well as limited edition collections. The SAs were very nice, helpful, but not pushy. They all had great makeup, of course! I was very tempted to get the blue mascara that one was sporting, but I had to restrain myself since I would never, ever, get any wear out of it.

My very modest haul:

The infamous eyeshadow sticks which have been compared to the By Terry Ombre Star eyeshadow sticks ($43 USD... uhhhhh... ) and are $12 USD each, but were on offer for $7.90. I'm not sure what Kiko's sales strategy is (i.e., will these effectively always be on promotion?), but this pricing is consistent with the UK pricing (retail 6.90 GBP, currently on sale for 4.90 GBP. At today's exchange rate, this is equivalent to $11.38 and $8.08, respectively).

I picked up the following four shades:

The entire permanent line of eyeshadow sticks were there (black tubes), but I didn't see any of the white or silver packaging ones indicating LE. Since I suck at swatches, here are the some blogs with great swatches of the eyeshadow sticks: Drivel About Frivol, Cassandra Makeup Artist, Susielfa.

My crappy swatches, taken with bounce flash. One swipe each, guys. Now, I'm pretty sure these are going to crease on me (even with primer), but I couldn't resist getting these ones.

Taupe comparison... too many taupes, what am I doing with my life

I picked up 36 because it reminded me of Shiseido Beach Grass trio. Check out this love sandwich:

The nail polishes were $6 for the regular line, and $7 for their quick-dry line. I picked up the minty green shade, as I'm always looking for a dupe of American Apparel Office. Here are the bottles side by side, along with the last "dupe" I tried, Essie Fashion Playground.

My cuticles are in bad shape, so just swatch sticks comparison: 3 coats of the Essie and AA, 2 coats of the Kiko. The Kiko is pretty close to AA, but lighter and slightly less blue.

I chatted with the Assistant Manager while I was checking out, and I inquired about whether they will be taking phone orders: as of now, they don't, but they plan to launch their US site for online shopping in the near future. They are also planning on opening more locations in the US in the coming months (she mentioned another mall here in NJ and a NYC location). Apparently this is on the DL, but I figure if she told me, it must not be that top secret :P

Anyway, my trip to the mall was pretty successful. Picked up some seamless panties and a clutch for my wedding. We also went into every jewelry store to look for a necklace and earrings for the wedding, and I gotta say, jewelry SAs are 100x more invasive than beauty SAs. *autoplay* "No, I'm just looking." I did try on a very nice estate Y-necklace for $890 (all plat), but the chain was very short... DF said it was probably once upon a time for a rich little girl. LOL. I'll need to write-up a post for my wedding accessories, I think! :)

Have a great weekend!

My Brush Collection with mini-reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 16:04:00 +0000

Makeupalley MUB had a bit of a brush stash theme this week, and I decided to join into the foray. I thought I would cross post here as well, with some additional verbiage.

Oh, the platter is from Anthropologie, but long gone.

Face brushes

L to R: RT Setting Brush, Sigma F84, RT Expert Face Brush, Hakuhodo K020, Chikuhodo Z-4, Suqqu Cheek, Chikuhodo Z-2, Hakuhodo H603 (retractable)

Sigma F84 and RT Expert Face Brush: I use both for liquid foundation, thought I slightly prefer the Sigma because the bristles are a bit softer and more flexible. I'm happy to own both, though, and since they are relatively inexpensive, I don't feel bad when I clean them aggresively!
RT Setting Brush: This brush is a great size and density for setting undereye concealer with powder. However, I'm in the market for a natural hair version (hopefully squirrel hair). Do you have any recommendations?
Hakuhodo K020 was my first brush splurge, and also my first squirrel haired brush. It changed the way I applied blush! I still love it, but after getting the Suqqu Cheek brush, I now use this for loose powder instead.
Suqqu Cheek brush: Irritatingly hyped and expensive, I love this little guy. Super soft, not too dense, and nice and small (my preference for a blush brush)! So glad I splurged on this! I purchased it from Selfridges.co.uk.
Chikuhodo Z-4 is great for my blushes where I want to pick up a little more pigment than Suqqu Cheek (but just a tiny bit more, since it's denser, but still ultra soft). I purchased it in Ginza, Tokyo at the Tau Hiroshima Brand Shop.
Chikuhodo Z-2 is a cool shaped brush, but I actually don't reach for it much. I should try to wear more highlighter I guess! I purchased it in Tokyo at the Tau Hiroshima Brand Shop.
Hakuhodo H603 Slide Face Brush: I purchased this for travel, as it retracts. It's very convenient, but I often find myself missing my other blush brushes when I use this. If you are hesitant to travel with your blush brushes, this is a great one to have. It's very soft (mix of blue squirrel and sohoko goat).
Here's a video I made last year when I got it showing the sliding action :)

Eye Brushes

L to R: Hakuhodo J146, J5523, K005, G5520BkSL (I think), G5529BkSL, G515, S123Bk, G537s, Shu Uemura 10N, 5R, Sigma ss266 (E65 now, I think), Yojiya Ebony Eyeshadow Brush Squirrel, Chikuhodo Artist Series 10-1, 8-5, 8-1

Hakuhodo J146: Super cute, soft white goat hair brush. I use it for light blending between shades.
Hakuhodo J5523: Infamous for being a "dupe" for MAC217, this is a great brush to own. Very soft, and great for blending. Can't go wrong with this one. I do wish I had a slightly smaller and shorter version of it, though (small lid space to blame, again!)
Hakuhodo K005: a must have for me, use it to line lower lash line with shadow, and sometimes a soft wing with black/dark brown shadow
Hakuhodo G5520BkSL: A standard pencil brush, but very soft! I don't use it much, but it gets the job done!
Hakuhodo G5529BkSL: I use this to darken my small outer corner area, and it applies colour very softly (so it's hard to over do it).
Hakuhodo G515: My first doe-foot shaped brush, this is SUPER soft and really versatile. I can do a whole eyelook with it. A pleasure to use and I should really give it more love!
Hakuhodo S123Bk: This 100% Kolinsky brush is only available in Japan, and is similar to the Shu 10N, but larger. I prefer the shorter handle, and the gold ferrule is gorgeous too. I do wish the head was smaller though. Still, it's incredibly versatile just like the Shu, so I am happy to have it!
Hakuhodo G537s: Another 100% Kolinksy brush only available in Japan. It is *so* good for applying and blending concealer, and I also use it to apply dots of foundation to my face before using a Beauty Blender. I purchased both these brushes from the Hakuhodo boutique in Omotesando, Tokyo.
Shu Uemura 10N: My first expensive eye brush, but worth every penny (... 20% off, that is). It's incredibly versatile (both laydown and blending). My only gripe is that the handle is too long (I'm near-sighted so I like to get up real close to my mirror to do my eyemakeup, and the handle sometimes gets in the way)
Shu Uemura 5R: This picks up and applies pigment brilliantly. I have to say I slightly prefer the Hakuhodo G5529 because the 5R puts down so much colour, that I usually need to blend the edges out, whereas the Hakuhodo applies colour more softly so I don't need to blend the edges (but I do need to layer and concentrate colour if I want it)
Sigma ss266/E65: One of the few Sigma brushes I still own from the original set I purchased years ago. I use it for gel eyeliner exclusively, but I rarely wear gel liner anymore!
Yojiya Ebony Eyeshadow Brush Squirrel: I purchased this at the Fa-So-La Tax Free Akihabara duty free shop at NRT for 3400 yen (slightly discounted from retail). It has been cited as a close "dupe" for the discontinued Suqqu S eyeshadow brush. It applies colour softly and blends amazingly well too, but is not great if you're looking to really pack on the colour. The handle is gorgeous, though!
Chikuhodo Artist 10-1: This line is discontinued (or simply unavailable for direct purchase). This brush really picks up a lot of pigment!
Chikuhodo Artist 8-5: This laydown brush also does a good job at applying pigment, but I do find it a tad pokey on my lids.
Chikuhodo Artist 8-1: This brush is stiff, but not pokey, and is good for lining with dark shadow. I like these three for travel because they are so petite! I purchased at the Tau Hiroshima Brand Shop in Tokyo as well.

Lip Brushes
Not Pictured!

I forgot to photograph my Hakuhodo Misako lip brush! It's my one and only lip brush, and I love it! :)

Not brushes, but related

L to R: MUJI Powder Puff, Koh Gen Do Powder Puff, scrubby pad I use to clean all my brushes, black and pink Beauty Blenders

I use the powder puffs to apply loose powder (before brushing off the excess with my Hakuhodo K020). I find both the Muji and KGD perform identically. I purchased the KGD from Barneys in a pack of 2 for $16, while the Muji one costs $5.75 (probably much cheaper in Japan). The KGD one does come with a nice zip pouch for travel, though!

Phew! That took a long time to write up! I hope you enjoyed it! It's hard to believe I went from no brushes in 2010 to this collection four years later! I'm so happy with my brushes, but I do have some editing to do! (*whispers* and also some shopping, ho ho ho)

Bloglovin, if you use it

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:33:00 +0000

I had a request to add my blog to Bloglovin. I think this will do it...
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Lipstick stash arm swatches

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:41:00 +0000

I should have taken pictures of the lipsticks themselves, but I was too focused on the arm swatches, haha.

Since I always seem to buy the same 3 lipstick colours, I decided to swatch all my lippies and keep the pictures on my phone, so next time I go shopping I can at least try and prevent myself from buying another dupe.

For reference, my face is around NC25 with strong yellow undertones. I wear NARS TM Alaska, Bourjois HM 53, and GA Luminous Silk in 3.5.

First, I did swatches on paper so I knew how to group them for arm swatching. Lipstick bullets are so deceiving! These look more vivid on paper than IRL, though.

Berry / Fuchsia Group

L to R:
Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain Harlot
Fresh Sugar Berry
Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball Fly
YSL Glossy Stain 5
YSL Glossy Stain 13
YSL Glossy Stain 15
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RS404 Drama
Maybelline 875 Vivid Rose
Revlon Lip Butter 063 Wild Watermelon
(I forgot to swatch my Annabelle TwistUp Retractable Lipstick Crayon in Cherry, but I think it's close to the Beaute stain)

Pink / Coral / Red Group

L to R:
Maybelline 870 Shocking Coral
Dior Addict Extreme 536 Lucky
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 4 Rouge in Danger
MAC Viva Glam Cyndi
Guerlain Rouge Automatique 164 Chamade
Guerlain Rouge G 76 Gracy
YSL Glossy Stain 12
Lipstick Queen Red Sinner
Revlon Lip Butter 035 Candy Apple
YSL Glossy Stain 9

MLBB Group

L to R:
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD203 Portrait
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD311 Rubelite
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD305 Nymph
YSL Glossy Stain 7
Revlon Super Lustrous 637 Blushing Nude
Revlon Lip Butter 001 Pink Truffle
Revlon Colorburst 040 Soft Rose
Shiseido Rouge Perfect RD732 Blush
(I'm missing Fresh Sugar Lip Balm in Petal, which is at the office)

A weekend after I took these pictures, I loaded them up on my phone and went lipstick shopping for a bridal lipstick! I wanted to find a colour between Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Portrait (a bit too nude) and Nymph (which I love, but is a bit dark). The Shiseido Lacquer Rouge formula also transfers very easily, so I wanted the colour in a lipstick formula.

I went to Barney's and tried on Surratt Lipsliques. Thanks to bellyhead's Surratt Lipslique swatch post, I knew I wanted to try on Perfectionniste. I did, and loved it, so I boughts it.

When I got home from shopping, my Ichibankao order also arrived containing Visee Creamy lipstick in RD400.

Here are swatches next to a couple Shiseido Lacquer Rouges and my Guerlain RA in Chamade (all bridal lipstick contenders).

L to R
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD203 Portrait
Visee Creamy RD400 (from Ichibankao) - 4g for ~$23 USD
Surratt Lipslique Perfectionniste (from Barneys) ~ 1.5g for $34 USD
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD305 Nymph
Guerlain RA 164 Chamade

Top picture is natural (though weak) light, bottom is flash

The Surratt is a tiny bit pinker than Visee (which is a little more orange/beige on my lips), but they look very, very similar, and feel very similar on the lips too. Price per gram, the Visee is a better deal, and also imo the Visee packaging feels more luxe.

I'm feeling addicted to lipstick lately! Especially after my HE lipstick haul last month... I want moreee! :) I should maybe purge my existing stash a bit, though, huh.

Updated Blog Sale... huge purge O_O

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 01:20:00 +0000

I've been meaning to update my blog sale for a long time now; I finally had time over the last two weekends to take and edit the pictures! Lots of nail polish and makeup, as well.

If you're interested, please take a gander and help me de-clutter! :)

Click to go to my Blog Sale!