"The cat is beauty and the beast, a baffling blend, a wicked feast.”
Umm, so yeeeaaaahhh, I’m gonna need you to put on some more lipstick . . .
Today I bring you all the pink things in my office. (And actually, I missed some scissors, tweezers, and lip gloss.)
Above, see them posing seductively next to my hawt pink pens (OK, so the Dr. Grip is really mauve). Now check out some sizzling swatches. Continue reading “Office Face”
Time for another Dior lip product . . .
I’ve been using Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm ($32) for so long that I remember when it was only $28. (It goes up a dollar about every year. ::grumble::)
I stock up on these during Sephora’s sales. It’s also currently 10% off at Nordstrom through Tuesday (June 10th) as part of a big beauty and perfume sale (which includes newly released products such as the Dior Addict Fluid Sticks–see my review–and Dior Addict It-Lash mascara and eyeliner). Continue reading “The Dior Lip Show: Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm Review”
So I am about to depart on a flight to Miami shortly but realize that to be a blogger you have to blog so here’s a quickie (not THAT kind you perv).
I am on the constant search for that inky, smooth, micro-sharp, waterproof, transfer-proof liquid eyeliner…and haven’t really found it (Revlon Colorstay comes close but isn’t entirely waterproof even though it says so).
So on a whim I picked Stila’s in cobalt (to stick with that summer fun color theme). The results are kinda meh. I have it in black as well and the liner totally transferred to my upper eyelid. Apparently waterproof but not oily eyelid proof. But cobalt is a fun color and the stupid ad totally got me (damn you professional photoshop making that eyeliner micro line look so peeeerfect).
Renee’s Asian cosmetics haul was from Alhambra/Monterey Park in the Los Angeles area. But thankfully Asian cosmetics are increasingly available online from international sellers and even in regular American stores and websites. 
First, check out Skin & Tonics’ guide on specialized Asian websites and Amazon and eBay sellers that sell Asian cosmetics. I’ve also successfully bought from TGIWholesale. These sellers tend to be generous with random free samples, but shipping from Asia can take 2-4 weeks and be expensive.
Second, the four American stores/websites below carry various Asian brands, which might come as a surprise. Compared to purchasing from an international seller, they might offer these benefits (of course, it varies by store): Continue reading “PSA (Pretty Service Announcement): Where to Buy Asian Makeup and Skincare”
So I’m lucky to have pretty smooth skin with no zitz, scars, or craters. This is from years of dedicated pampering so it’s not like I didn’t work for it! Just cuz you’re born tall doesn’t mean you can play in the NBA mmmkay?
Right after this I moisturized and slapped on 1.5 pumps of the Makeup Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation in Shade128 (Almond). I used the unscientific method of applying with my hands, no tools. The salesgirl at Alcone NYC (a profession makeup artist store for stage, film, and special effects makeup) did a swatch test. This was a shade darker than I need, but summer is here so I might as well do the “tan” look. It matched my darker forehead but my cheeks are a shade lighter.
Here are the bottle and swatch on the inner side of my left arm.
Continue reading “HD Baby One More Time! Makeup Forever HD Foundation Invisible Cover Foundation”
On this gorgeous Sunday…also depressing Sunday cuz most of us have to go back to work tomorrow (URGH) I decided to do a cheerer upper by slathering on the Moritaya Tofu Yogurt Pack. Again, in one of my previous posts I said that “pack” is another name for mask. This is something I just understood recently, how provincial of me.
So fermentation is a big deal in Asian cosmetics. We (not Angela and I, but the Asian cosmetics folks) handpick and ferment stuff in barrels like they are nice fine wine. And of course what better example of fermentation than tofu? Through the coagulation process, salts, enzymes, and good acids are added so perhaps these can aid in making your skin glow like a shiny silken piece of white tofu…?
The container is so deliciously cute that I didn’t mind the $27 price tag (for 4.8 ounces of mask! Compare this to brand-name Kiehl’s which is $25 for 5 oz jar). And the texture…oh the lovely white, creamy-yet-jiggly texture made me wanna slap copious amounts on my face right there in the aisle.
Here’s the container:
Continue reading “Tofu Infinity and Beyond! – Moritaya Tofu Yogurt Pack (Tama no Koshi)”
Dior Wonderland, that is. Dior’s latest lip product is the Dior Addict Fluid Stick, a glossy stain with pigmentation buildable to the equivalent of a lipstick. Read on for my review of Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 575 Wonderland.
So on my cross-country flight back from LAX-JFK, I merrily dove into experimentation with Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX. I had seen this advertised in Asian malls and supermarkets before but the name never stirred excitement until now. Phoebe from Image Cosmetics (inside that Asian plaza on 500 N. Atlantic) said it is awesome, and I tend to believe and like her as a salesgirl. For those unfamiliar, the term “pack” means a mask. Not all masks are made alike. Some are wash-off, some are peel-off, some are actually leave-in moisturizers. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX is pretty much a light moisturizer made to be left on overnight.
It has over a thousand reviews on Amazon at 4.5 stars. This is a significant achievement for a beauty product due to the vast degree of variance between different people’s skin. Also, bad skin can be like obesity. Few products will cure it completely and the afflicted have a tendency to blame their troubles on anything they try, unless it delivers a miracle like the birth of Jesus.
So I had the luck & pleasure of spreading out across three plane seats with my Squadew mist and Laneige jar. I washed off all makeup, sunblock, and moisturizer before misting with Squadew and applying the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX.
Continue reading “Snow Water & Sleeping Beauty – Laneige Snow Water Sleeping Pack_EX”
While Renee works her way through the animal kingdom, let me share some lip looks that I’m drawn to lately.
I was briefly am still obsessed with the Korean drama “My Love from the Star” (also known as “My Love from Another Star” and free on Hulu and DramaFever).
Story aside, I loved taking in the characters’ makeup looks. Cheon Song-Yi (played by Jun Ji-Hyun), Korea’s sweetheart, sported full-on bright lips in a rainbow of feminine colors: cherry red, deep red, orange, hot pink, violet pink, coral pink, . . . gawgeous. Her best friend/proverbial bridesmaid, Yoo Se-Mi (played by Yoo In-Na), sported the very-popular-in-Korea gradient lip, usually in orange or peach tones.
Here I show you three different lip looks inspired by “My Love from the Star” and all those beautiful Korean stars with hateably glowy and clear skin.
*Note: Today was overcast so all of the photos came out dull and cool-toned. I edited them to try to show the true color, but I don’t think I captured the brightness and richness of the colors.
1. Over lightly moisturized lips, pat on a suuuuper light layer of foundation (I used a BB cushion). Stop here if you like corpse lips.
Ok I saw Ange’s post and got super duper excited and I’m on vacation so I can post 15 reviews if I wanna!
As part of “field research” for this blog I bought TWO skin care sets from Artland inside the San Gabriel Superstore in LA area: The History of Whoo and the other by PURETEM. Both are from South Korea and have a long list of (mostly natural) ingredients that sound like a botanist’s wet dream. Similar to dogs that can sense epileptic seizures, strange and exotic ingredients in cosmetics can work in inexplicable ways…
I will review The History of Whoo first, since it seems to be the fancy pantsy equivalent to La Mer and I’m giddy at looking at the miniature gift set. Korean cosmetics feel like bargains because you get more products at a relatively reasonable price, including lovely travel sets of miniature bottles. However, some of the high end stuff are in the same price range as La Mer or La Prairie. Thus…I am prone to thinking they are more effective because the Korean Olay equivalents are around $10 a pop.
The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Skin Care Lotion.
I bought the lotion and received the miniature set for “free”. Yeah it doesn’t feel free because the lotion bottle costs $85. But from the rare and exotic list of ingredients, I decided that it’s probably worth it. From what I read on other blogs (http://sulwhasoo-sulwhasoo.blogspot.com/2011/01/history-of-whoo-gongjinhyang-review.html) it is a great line for us 30-something-year-old women. Continue reading ““Whoo” Let the Dogs Out? The History of Whoo’s Gongjinhyang Skin Care Set”
