Monday, April 30, 2012

Lists make me feel productive

(image source)

I love writing lists. They make me feel organized, productive and on top of things. Whether or not I always follow my lists...well, ahem* that's another story. But yes, I love lists. Seeing everything I need to do, want to accomplish, look forward to, want/need to buy, etc, makes me feel like I know what I need to get done. And crossing something off my list? Ooooooh, it feels amazing.

With the end of my semester coming to a close, I have several things I need to get done before I can enjoy my two week break before summer classes.

1. Finish my 15 page final paper.
2. Complete notes for my final presentation.
3. Study for my final exam.

My big 3 for this week. Actually, it's more like 3 days. I need to have everything completed by Thursday at 5pm. Eep. I need to get a move on.

So. What am I doing, writing this post then? I just wanted to make a list of upcoming blog posts so y'all know that I'm not abandoning this blog! I have stuff I want to talk about, but right now is not the best time.

Upcoming blog posts (in no particular order)
1. Revlon lip butters (I know, I know. Everyone's written about these, but I will risk sounding like a broken record because I'm kind of really loving my lip butters. This may or may not be split into two posts.)
2. April/May empties (Because the feeling of finishing a beauty product is so awesome that it must be shared!)
3. My most recent haul ... and why I'm putting myself on a beauty ban
4. Revlon super lustrous lipsticks
5. Current skincare routine
6. Current makeup routine (I should come up with better names for these two)
7. Tidbits on my life

Until then... :)

PS. Follow me on twitter! @freshfacedme (freshfacedgirl was already taken. Boooo)

Monday, April 23, 2012

MAC So Chaud

Oh. Snap.
Two posts in a row? What the what! 

MAC So Chaud was my very first bold lip color purchase. 

I bought it last year on a whim. I'll be honest, the color scared me. It was just so... bright and attention grabbing. I didn't know if I wanted to grab all that attention. It took me two trips to Macy's, several swatches on my hand, a few swipes of it on my lips, lots of staring at myself in the mirror and a bit of talking up by the MAC SA to convince me to buy it. Huh.. I guess that doesn't really sound like a whim, does it? Whoops.

Since then, I've only worn it about half a dozen times. Maybe less. But wait! There's more. Of those times, how many times have I actually worn it out of my house?

*Drum rolllllllllllll please* 

Once

Like I mentioned in my other posts, I'm not too keen on bold lip colors. I usually stick to rosy, pink colors that are close to my own lip color. But I'm attempting to break out of my comfort zone this year; I've obtained several bright shades and have been wearing them on occasion. Baby steps! 


So Chaud is a reddish orange, matte shade and it's a part of MAC's permanent line. When I first saw it at the MAC counter, I thought it was a bright red, but upon further inspection, it has quite a bit of orange in it. It's quite pigmented; I usually pat the lipstick on, rather than swipe the color on my lips. The lasting power of this lipstick is impressive. Because of its vibrant hue, it almost stains my lips. Even with eating and drinking, the color stays on my lips, albeit a little faded. It can be a bit drying though because it's a matte shade. I usually wear lip balm underneath so my lips don't dry out. In the pictures below, I'm wearing Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 under So Chaud, which is why it looks a bit more glossy than a matte lipstick. 

In natural lighting, So Chaud looks quite red, but with flash, it leans more orange. 

It really looks like a bright red on my lips in natural lighting. It reminds me of Mad Men lips. 
Like Betty Draper and Joan Holloway. It's such a classic look.
I love the pop of color it gives to my every day look. 

With the flash on, the orange hues are quite evident, don't you think? 

Overall, I think So Chaud is a lovely addition to my collection. It's unique and makes quite a statement when worn. It also fits in with this season's trend of bright orange and coral colors. I'll definitely be wearing it more often as the weather gets warmer! 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The sky is falling

I love today's Google homepage. It's an animation of flowers growing, and this is the end result. Lovely, right? It's been raining all day in NY, so it's nice to see a burst of color, even if it's on my computer screen. 



I stopped by the MAC counter at Macy's earlier this week, and tried on the MAC Vegas Volt lipstick. I'm not big on bold lips so I was a little afraid of how it would look on me. But I think it turned out nicely. I loved the bright color on my lips. What do y'all think? I didn't get it, but it's definitely on my list of beauty products to purchase. I also tried on Ravishing, which is a bit more toned down than Vegas Volt. I took a picture of my lips, but I'm not posting the picture because I took it while I was on the subway, and the lighting is off :(

Despite the rainy weather, today was not bad. I went out with my parents, and I managed to pick up 3 full sized Origins moisturizers for free! Whoo-hoo! Such a good deal. So, how did I get three? My master plan: I got two of them from Sephora; my mom and I went in separately to get the moisturizers. A Perfect World for me, Starting Over for her. And then I went to Origins to pick up another tube of A Perfect World. 

I received a sample of Origins A Perfect World a few weeks ago and liked how it made my skin feel. I wanted to get a full size one, but I was reluctant to spend the money because I've been spending way too much money on beauty products. I'm so happy about the excellent timing of this Origins Earth Day promotion. Now I'm pretty much set on daytime face lotion for the next year! 

I got bored and thought my nails looked boring, so I decided to glitz them up with OPI Glitzerland. And now they're glittery and glamorous looking! I want more spring colors in my nail polish collection though. I have a lot of dark and neutral colors, but barely any cheery ones. I really want to pick up a bottle of Essie Mint Candy Apple. I've been seeing mint all over the blog'o'sphere and I think I need to jump on the mint bandwagon. That will be my next NOTD.


Have a wonderful week! :)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

How RUDE! Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude

Hello everyone! How was your week? 

This week went by pretty quickly for me but currently, I am trying to survive this sudden attack of allergies. Gahhhhh, it's been bad these past few days, but it just hit me like a BRICK today. Probably because the weather was nice, so all the pollen just lingered in the air. My allergies just kept getting worse and worse as the day wore on. I nearly clawed my eyes out because they itched so bad. My boyfriend had to hold my hands down so I wouldn't destroy my poor eyes. I took some Claritin when I got home though, and I am feeling much better now. Thank goodness for medicine!

It looks like I'll be rockin' my glasses for now since my allergies are so severe. Nerd alert! ;)

So, on to real reason why I'm writing this entry...

I picked up this Illamasqua cream blusher from Sephora a few weeks ago, and I am loving it so far.
The shade I purchased is called Rude (the name reminds me of Stephanie Tanner's famous line, "HOW RUDE!" I loved Full House when I was growing up) and it's a warm, coral color. I wasn't too sure about it at first because the color is a bit out of my comfort zone. It looks a little intimidating in the pan because of its bright color (at least, it made me feel intimidated), but the color is much more low key once you blend it out. If you're wondering, I use my fingers to blend out the color. I'm usually in a rush in the morning, and I feel like cream blushers are easier when you use your fingers. I haven't had any problems with it so far. Just remember to make sure your hands are clean.

The color is lovely on my cheeks; it gives me a natural flush. I love that natural flushed look! The pigmentation is great, and lasting power is excellent. It lasts all day when I wear it over powder, and my days are pretty long! It gets me through a 12 hour (or longer) day. Not bad, eh?

If you're interested in trying out a cream blusher, I'd recommend this one! It'll cost you $24 at Sephora, excluding tax. And if you live somewhere that doesn't charge tax, then lucky you! Illamasqua offers 9 shades of their cream blusher at Sephora, but not all stores carry the 9 shades. Some of the blushers might only be available online. I'm not too sure. The Sephora I purchased mine from only had 4 colors. Check out Sephora's site for a list of the available blushers. I want to try Seduce, Laid and Betray next. Hahaha, these names crack me up. Especially in the order which I listed the ones I want to try. First, I seduce, then I get laid and finally, I betray (or get betrayed?)! Haha, ahem. It's late, and I'm tired... so please excuse my somewhat inappropriate comment. I'm silly.

Anyhoo, I swatched Betray when I was in the store, and it's a beautiful rosy plum color that would be great for the cooler seasons.

Beautiful coral color! Isn't it lovely? I think it's perfect for spring and summer. It's so cheerful. I looooooove it. It's so easy to use and I don't have to use a lot to get some color on my face. I'm obsessed with blushes. I pretty much don't leave my house without some color on my cheeks. I feel like it makes me look alive. It's true. I'm kind of pasty and pale with just foundation and powder on... blush gives some life to my face. 

I always want to buy new blushes, but I'm generally pretty good about resisting those urges. I feel guilty buying more of something when I can't even manage to finish up one blush. I don't think I've ever hit the pan on ANYTHING! That's my goal this year... to hit the pan on something in my makeup collection. Anything. ANYTHING. You know, when I think about it, my blush collection is pretty small compared to some other beauty bloggers. Maybe I'll post a picture of it one day. I have a lot of sample blushes too, but I hardly ever use those (read: never). They're all those "Free Gift with Purchase" Clinique eye shadow and blush palettes. Almost all the makeup bags I have at home are from Clinique. They know how to get me, with their free gifts and whatnot. 

Swatched heavily.

Blended out. My hand looks like it's blushing! 

Have any of you tried Illamasqua's cream blushers? If so, what did you think? 
What are some of your favorite cream blushers? 

Monday, April 9, 2012

Weekend Update: Spring Edition

The weekend always comes and goes so fast...

I love seeing the flowers and trees in full bloom in New York. It brings so much color and vibrancy to the city streets. But spring time also means allergy season for many people, myself included. It's one thing I do not look forward to. Itchy, watery eyes, constant sneezing, itchy throat, red nose... it's not an attractive sight. My allergies have gotten better over the years though; I think it's partly because of this herbal supplement my parents made me take last year. It helped some. I haven't taken any this year (yet) because my allergies have not acted up, but we'll see how the rest of this month goes. Gah, I really hate allergies! It makes me feel awful all the time. 

Anyhoo, enough about that.. I'll deal with it when it happens. I just want to share some pictures and tidbits from my life. But don't worry, I have some beauty posts lined up! Here's a quick look at my weekend. 

From the top left corner, clockwise: 1) Spotted in Chinatown! No Parking signs lining Division Street in preparation for filming on Monday. Does anyone watch Blue Bloods? Is it any good? I wish I had more time to watch television! 2) Pretty trees in Chinatown. I snapped this while waiting for my boyfriend. 3) Late lunch with my best friend. I love Venezuelan food! So delish. 4) Flowers, flowers, everywhere! 

My best friend also bought me a cupcake as a belated birthday present. This is the "Vivienne Westwood" cupcake. Isn't it cute? It came in a purple Chinese takeout container. The frosting was a red wine buttercream, with blackberry drizzle. The cupcake itself was just okay. It is pretty to look at though.

Happy [belated] Easter to those that celebrate! I went to church in the morning, and then spent a low-key afternoon with my boyfriend. 

Hope you enjoyed the photos! I used to take pictures allllllllll the time because I carried my camera with me everywhere, but I've gotten really lazy about it over the years. I use my phone as my camera nowadays. It's so handy and there are so many cute photo apps I can choose from. I really need to remember to take more pictures of my everyday life though. I love looking back on old pictures... and in order to do that, I need to take more pictures! 

How did you spend your long weekend? I'd love to hear about it! :) 

Monday, April 2, 2012

The "I didn't forget about this blog" haul

Hello there friends! 

It's been nearly a month since I've updated, but fret not, I haven't forgotten about my little blog. Life has kept me busy, so I haven't had much time to update. My bad. I told y'all I sucked at blogging. Buuuuuut, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to write about on here. I had originally planned on doing a post about my daily make-up routine; I had the pictures taken and everything, but they're a bit outdated now so I'll save that post for another time. 

Today, I went on a bit of a shopping spree. I was meeting up with some friends for lunch so I decided to run some errands beforehand. Might as well be productive, right? Hmmm.. I had to return a few things, and somehow I ended up with all of these things. Whoops. The good news is, now I have something new and exciting to blog about! Moahaaa. Yay for hauls! 

My overall haul. Please excuse the pile of books and papers on the right. I need to organize my life better.. 

Sephora: This week, VIBs and BIs get 15% off their purchases until Friday, April 6. I'm not sure about BIs, but VIBs can use their coupon as many times as they want. Booyah! I actually made these purchases at two different Sephoras (because I'm crazy like that). I bought the Illamasqua cream blush in Rude and Jack Black lip balm in Lemon & Chamomile in the morning, and the Clarisonic replacement head in the afternoon. I'm excited to try to the Illamasqua blush; I've heard a lot of great things about it so I hope it works out for my skin. Review coming soon!!

Origins: I had originally gotten their Clean Energy gentle cleansing oil, but it clogged up my pores so I had to return it. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't work out. It did leave my face feeling very clean and soft though, so maybe it'll work out for someone else whose skin is not as sensitive as mine. If you're looking for a nice cleansing oil, I'd recommend this one! It smells lovely too :)

Rite Aid: Rite Aid is having a month long promotion on Maybelline, Garnier (hair and skin care products), and HerbaShine hair colors. It's BOGO1/2 off so I thought it would be the perfect time for me to try out Garnier's BB Cream I've been reading so much about. Will definitely post a review once I get a chance to try it out. Has anyone tried it out yet? What are your thoughts about it? Leave me a comment :) 

LUSH: This is my very first purchase from LUSH. I've been looking for something to help with the sad condition of my hair. I have very fine, oily hair and there's not much of it. It's also very flat. Soooo, I walked in with the intent of getting on of their shampoo bars I've heard so much about. That's the blue bar sitting in the little tin in my picture: the Seanik shampoo bar. Clearly, my plan of buying only one thing did not work out the way I planned since there are so many other items in the picture.. I was worried my hair would get too dried out by the sea salt in the shampoo bar, so the SA at LUSH recommended the Veganese conditioner so I just went for it.

Then she gave me this mini hand treatment and it left my hands feeling sooo soft. Aaaaand since I am so easily swayed by lovely beauty products, I decided to bite the bullet and get the Buffy body butter (it was one of the products the SA used on my hands). When the SA said that it can be used on wet skin in the shower, I was sold! I really hate applying lotion on my skin after I shower, so Buffy seemed like the perfect solution. I don't like the way lotions leave a oily, sticky feeling (even the ones that claim they don't!!) on my skin afterward. And the two black jars are samples of their Big shampoo and Flying Fox shower gel. Let's see how all of these goodies work out!

All righty, that's everything! Let me know if you've ever tried any of the products above and your thoughts about them. I would love to hear other people's opinions :)

Have a lovely week!