001 items used up

my first ever items i've used up. i thought this would be a nice little series to add to my blog since i really enjoy seeing these types of posts on other blogs (like sandra's, ebru's, & julie's for example)

unfortunately it is mostly non-makeup items (the hardest to use up!) but still, they are items worth mentioning...

+ rockaholic dirty secret dry shampoo
this was just a mini version. thank goodness i didnt get the full sized since i didnt care for this. the scent makes me a bit nauseous (not nearly as much as tresemme though) and it doesnt give much volume. i am still on the hunt for the best dry shampoo (fredrik fekkai?!?). right now i am using bastiste and i am still not fully satisfied...needless to say i will not be repurchasing.

+ mario badescu herbal hydrating serum
background on my skin: oily & slightly sensitive with noticeable pore size. i rarely break out, when i do it is due to stress and hormones (i used to be severely acne prone but i went on accutane so now i dont have that problem anymore). my skin doesnt get abnormally dry, only in the winter/colder weather...as in NOW. my skin has been SO dry lately. i found this free sample i got from ulta a while back hiding in my bathroom and figured what the heck...

i really liked this. the only thing holding me back from getting the full version is the price ($30 USD for 1 oz, ouch) the consistency is a thin blue gel that rubs in clear. it absorbs quickly and isn't greasy/sticky at all. i didn't use this alone, (i dont think you are supposed to) i used it in conjunction with my normal moisturizer (CeraVe moisturizing lotion, if you were curious)

i would say if you have severely dry skin this probably wont fulfill your needs. for my seasonal dryness this was really nice. maybe i'll ask for this for christmas...

+ la roche-posay effaclar purifying foaming gel cleanser
i bought this at a cvs in new york. if you can recall from my last post about this product, it came with a full sized effaclar duo (which i am still using, and loving).

i really liked this cleanser. i loved how fresh and clean it smelled, how it didnt strip my skin, and how it made my skin feel clean and soft. i wouldn't say i noticed a HUGE difference in reduction of my blackhead problem areas (it is meant for acne/blackhead prone skin) but regardless i would repurchase this if it were more available in my area.

+ stila lip glaze in apricot
this is also a mini version. and again, THANK GOODNESS. i loved the shade of this gloss, a sheer light apricot shade...and sure it is moisturizing and didn't cause any adverse reactions to my lips. but this is SO incredibly sticky and thick. if you are thinking about trying out stila's "famous" lip glazes, please reconsider if you hate sticky glosses. unfortunately i have about 5 other shades of these lip glazes that came in a set together left to use up which i am doing at an excruciatingly slow pace...

+ nyc bronzer in sunny
!!!!!
ok so the WHOLE pan isnt gone...but this is HUGE people! i am ruling this product as done because no matter how much i swirl against what is left, nothing transfers on my brush. the product is hard and caked over rendering it unusable. this is a very good and affordable matte bronzer (maybe $5 USD or less). i would recommend it if you are on a budget, and that's about it. i won't be repurchasing since i plan on moving on to bigger and better things (dior and chanel mmm)

that is it for this edition...until next time when i think i will have a few mascaras and lotions as contenders...

what have you used up lately?

003 my world according to my phone + thanksgiving

just a few photos to show you what ive been up to: eating, reading, and playing. mmm mrs. field's chocolate chip cookies...i wish i knew the recipe for these(does anyone?)!

i went black friday shopping (nothing crazy, i went during normal people times) and came across all three shady lady palettes at tjmaxx! amazing. unfortunately volume 3 had huge gouges in some of the shades so i only picked up vol 1 and 2....more on that in another post.

i love the muppets, but i thought the movie was a bit boring. i dont recommend it. i do, however, HIGHLY recommend these dark chocolate bavarian twists. salty/sweet goodness. totally addicted.















hope you all had a great thanksgiving!

favorite fall blushes

ahh one of my favorite subjects: blush. one of the most enjoyable posts to read for me is 'favorite' type posts. i thought i would do my top fall blushes...before winter is here!

i tend to reach for richer, darker shades in the fall. think berry, plum, and wine shades. i actually dont have that many blushes in this category, i'd really like to expand it in the future.

nars multiple tint in beverly hills
beverly hills is a sheer, bright cherry gel. i love using this for quick looks. i have been reaching for this product for only mascara days. it gives that 'been building a snowman outside in the cold' cheek.

the formula is a bit sticky but very thin and sheer so blending is a breeze (i use either my fingers or a duo fibre brush for application.) these multiple tints were limited edition, but i have heard they still have them on drugstore.com.

nars sin
sin is a muted sparkling berry. i have been wearing this blush NON-STOP. i thought i would be sick of it after using it for 2 weeks straight but the love keeps on coming.

there are gold sparkles but they dont translate on the face as such big particles, just glowy skin.

mac warm soul
hmm a no brainer, if you follow my blog you know i already have professed my love for this blush. very neutral, great paired with any look (especially smokey eyes)

not a berry shade, but i find myself wanting neutral brown shades like this to warm up my cheeks.

cargo lyon
lyon is a matte wine shade. you can see me wearing this shade HERE.

love the quality of cargo blushes. plus you get so much product.

cargo mendocino
this shade is very similar to lyon, except it is sheerer and shimmery. it is also in the wine family.

like nars sin, the shimmers arent overwhelming, no big particles transfer on the face.

swatches (left to right): beverly hills, sin, warm soul, lyon, mendocino


what are your favorite fall blushes? i wish i had more deep purple shades...most of my berry shades are red based purples. perhaps i should turn to illamasqua for my aubergine cravings...

review: nyx blushes

i thought i should do an updated nyx blush post since my old pictures are pretty pathetic and my fellow blogger, Dovey, was curious about the products. i would say nyx is most known for their blushes and eye shadows with good reason; they have a huge color selection, the quality is nice, and the price is so affordable.

my nyx collection is pretty modest. i own a few powder blushes and one cream blush. i used to own many of their eye shadows but i gave them all away to my younger sister since i barely touched them and the amount of eye shadows i have is preposterous.

the shades i own are expresso, dusty rose, taupe, and glow. on to the swatches...

expresso
this is my favorite shade of them all. i solely got this shade because laura once did a post on it and it looked amazing on her.

the shade is a browned peachy pink. on me expresso is a really natural color that makes my skin look healthy.

dusty rose
this was the first shade i ever picked up.

the shade is a muted rosey pink. when i wear this it gives me a nice pink flush.

taupe
i picked up this shade in mind to use it as a contour color. unfortunately i do not like using this color for contouring, the shade is too grey for my liking and it makes my complexion look dull.

taupe is a greyed brown. i have heard this shade is similar to mac's emote. i wouldnt know because i dont own emote.

glow
my only cream blush from nyx. the consistency is thin and a bit sticky, but not nearly as sticky as mac cream blushes. blending is no problem because of the thin formula.

the shade is a fresh dewy medium pink. it is very similar to mac's posey.

overall i would recommend nyx blushes if you are on a budget or if you see a shade that you find unique to your collection. they are silky soft to the touch, very blendable, and strongly pigmented. they can be a bit powdery (since they are so soft) and they arent as long lasting as higher end brands but for the price ($4-6) and huge color selection, that isnt much to complain about.

i dont plan on getting anymore products from nyx, just because i think other brands perform better and because my blush collection is a bit ridiculous. i do, however, have my eye on the shade raisin...only because the shade is unique to my stash and i cant find any higher end dupe for it.

do you own nyx blushes? what shades are your favorite?

FOTD: club your eye

i thought i would share my recent FOTD using mac's club eyeshadow. i really love this eyeshadow because it is so darn pretty. depending on what base you use you can bring out different colors from the shadow. i love how it has a brown base to it so you can easily make a neutral look with it.

i chose to make more of a deeper/smokey look with it by pairing it with a black base. this would probably be a bit too dramatic for most during the daytime, especially those who are paler, but i like to wear a smokey eye every now and then for day.

love the subtle blueish/green tinge it gives.



face:
mixture of revlon photoready & neutrogena healthy skin foundation, mac msfn, lightscapade msf for highlight, nars sin

eyes:
nyx black bean base, mac club on lid & parisian skies in crease, loreal lineur intense, feline kohl liner, prestige my blackest lashes

lips:
revlon just enough buff

i highly recommend this shadow if you dont own it already, it is so neat to use not to mention really wearable. do you own club? how do you use it?

an ode to warm soul

ok so i am not going to recite any poetry for you...but i do really love mac's warm soul blush...so much that i am dedicating a whole post to it.





warm soul is one of mac's mineralized blushes. it is part of the permanent line (thank goodness). the color isn't anything loud or bright, but rather neutral and a staple color to have in your collection, in my humble opinion.

swatches from left to right: mac melba, warm soul, nars madly.
warm soul has the perfect harmony of peach, pink, and brown to it. i love when neutral blush shades have tones of brown in it since it seems to pair with my skin tone the best.

it does have a fine shimmer to it since it is a mineralized product, but it isnt noticeable on the skin...it is just enough to add a bit of dimension to the cheeks. apologies for the lack of lighting in this picture, it was a cloudy day so i wasnt able to capture the slight shimmers this normally has.

warm soul on me. it gives such a soft, natural flush. warm soul is also pigmented so i dont need to work hard to make it show up (my biggest concern with neutral blushes)

a closer look

would i recommend this? i think you know that my answer is YES. this was one of my first purchases ever from mac and i am still on the same one! i will continue to repurchase this whenever i run out. it should work well across all skin tones because, like i said, the pigmentation isnt a problem.

the only factor of concern that is possible is the lasting power. i honestly dont pay attention to wear time since i have never had issues with this product. i have heard most people get less wear time with mineralized products (around 5-6 hours). if that is something that will put you off, you may want to reconsider.

do you own warm soul? do you love it like i do? any dupes out there that you know about?

in case you were wondering what else i was wearing...

face:
mixture of revlon photoready and neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup, msfn, thebalm mary lou-minizer

eyes:
jardin aires pigment, cork, brun, feline kohl (all mac), prestige my blackest lashes

lips:
mac shy girl (i hate this on me in person but love how it photographs...weird?)

new york trip part 5: times square, china town, little italy & final thoughts

the last post! i forgot a few pictures that i should have put in part 4 so i will include them here...









































































a few things:

+ times square is always full of tourists. i understand why new yorkers shudder and probably avoid this area. but...it IS pretty & cool if you have never seen it. especially at night. it is full of street performers...like mr. candyman here.

+ we HAD to stop by inglot. i actually didnt know there was a location right in times square, another accidental find. i ended up picking up an eye shadow quad, you can see which shades HERE.

+ yummy noodle...wasn't that yummy. it was rainy and we were hungry so we just picked a random place. the noodles were ok, the squid was bland, and the congee was disappointing (and seriously lacking cilantro.) i hate when congee isn't good because i love congee!

+ is little italy always outdoors like this? when we stopped by it seemed like a festival was going on. we were so full from the disappointing yummy noodle so unfortunately we didnt get to try out any italian restaurants. we did get a canoli cream, which i thought was just ok. i am part italian, so i am quite partial to my grandmother's canoli creams. i did manage to get sausage and peppers on the go to eat later (which was absolutely delicious!) so at least i got to try SOME food.

+ we only stopped by max brenner's...we didnt buy or try anything. this place was seriously packed so i am guessing it is pretty good? you new yorkers tell me!

+ we went to the famous ramen restaurant, ippudo. this place has so many rave ratings on yelp...and i have NO idea why. i am not a ramen expert but i dont get the hype. we had to wait over an hour for the table since it is really popular...and they don't take reservations. when you go in all the staff greets you heartily by shouting something in japanese (wish i knew what!) and the atmosphere is really nice and modern. we got baby octopus, the pork buns, a spicy ramen, and some pork broth ramen. the baby octopus was really tasty and had a very nice chewy texture. on yelp almost EVERYONE raved about the pork buns, which weren't impressive. it tasted like pork slathered in mayo...so if you like mayo you will like the buns. as for the actual ramen...i wasn't wowed. it wasn't horrible, don't get me wrong, but it just wasn't hype worthy to me.

+ haru was very nice. i loved everything we ate here except the mochi (i am very picky when it comes to mochi.) the fish tacos were my favorite part of this meal!!

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well, if you made it to the end of my trip, i congratulate you! this was a very long series of posts. to close out this series i thought i would give my final thoughts on nyc...

+ food in new york is phenomenal. seriously, phenomenal. i have only been to a few states and countries...but so far in my travels new york food beats everything i have come across. i ate so much good food that when i got home i went on a salad and clear broth diet for over 2 weeks because i indulged too much!

+ although the food was phenomenal...it was also expensive. not even just the fancy places...in general everything is more expensive than what i am used to. be prepared to spend lots of money, no matter where you decide to go. the portions are smaller too which i didnt mind because the small dishes almost ALWAYS had a lot of flavor. ill take small portion w/ big flavor over huge portion and bland any day!

+ you know how they say new yorkers are always in a hurry? it is true. people are constantly moving and you can bet your bottom dollar that their normal walking pace is equal to your speed walking pace. also, new yorkers are the rudest/angriest/audacious drivers in the world! constant honking, yelling, and impatience. avoid driving downtown at all costs, trust me.

+ the metro is your friend. it is cheap and gets you where ever you want to go! taxis are expensive and not as fast. go with the subway.

+ there are people everywhere, anywhere, at all times of the day. you could go out and see a million different people every day. there is no such thing as personal space...or space in general. new yorkers really know how to utilize their space! it is actually impressive how many tiny crammed rooms i saw.

+ new york is so diverse! i knew that already but to actually see so many ethnicities everyday...it was a breath of fresh air. i have always lived in towns were whites are the majority...not the other way around.

+ i already know i need to go back to new york because i miss the food already, i didnt get to see a lot of places i wanted to go to (central park, fifth avenue shops, soho, brooklyn flea market, etc), and i would like to meet up with Julie someday!

HUGE MASSIVE thank you to Julie, she recommended about 95% of the things i ate, saw, and explored. this girl knows what she is talking about and has spectacular taste. every thing she told me that was good or overrated she was absolutely right about. thank you, truly, for your outstanding guide and advise Julie!

the end! back to beauty related posts until my next trip...