May 31, 2013

I'm moving!

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm moving blogs to:

KusanagiGirl.com



There are a lot of things going on in my life that can't be captured on a beauty blog, so I've created a "life" blog where you can still find my posts on makeup and skincare products, as well as all the other things that are going on in my life.

Hope to see you there!


May 28, 2013

Product Review: Jurlique Purely Bright Mist Spray

Hi Everyone!

I'm back again with a product review on the Jurlique Purely Bright with VitaBrightKX Mist Spray.  Sorry the picture is a little blurry.  I took it with my phone and it looked better on the phone.

Anyways, Jurlique is a brand I was introduced to by my aesthetician at Ann Karen Spa.  I was curious as that was the first time I had ever used it and I've heard good things about Jurlique "all natural" philosophy.


This was a full sized glass bottle of the Purely Bright Mist Spray.  There was quite a lot in it.  Probably 2 months worth of product for morning and night use.  I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the spray nozzle as the mist isn't as fine as as I would like.


Vitamin C is supposed to be great for brightening skin.  I'll admit that I probably didn't read the product claims too carefully because there is only one claim and it's not a direct claim about making your skin brighter:

Hydrate and soften skin for a radiant glow.

In terms of hydration and softening, this mist does what it says.  It reminds me of the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence that hydrated and softened my skin, sometimes to the point where I wouldn't feel the need to follow up with a moisturizer.

In terms of radiant glow...  Okay, my skin looked radiant after spraying this mist and patting it into my skin.  But that radiancy lasted only for a while.  By the mid morning or mid evening, about 1-2 hours after application, my skin looked normal again, and by normal I mean a little dull looking.

I wanted to love this product to the point where I could confidently say that I will repurchase this, but I just don't know if I love it enough for a repeat $34.00 purchase.  I probably won't repurchase this, but only because I don't love it enough to spend the money on it.

Have you tried Jurlique before?  Tell me what you think of their products!

Thanks for stopping by!

May 22, 2013

Sephora Haul: May 2013

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all are having a great week so far!

I was really excited to get my new Sephora order in the mail because I had run out of day moisturizers and really wanted to get something new for the summer months.

I got the Tarte Maracuja Oils on clearance or something like that.  This was a huge thing during the Christmas shopping season, I think.  I figured I'd give it a try because I love the idea of rolling stuff onto my face then blending it out.  Haha.  I'm so lazy!



I remembered Gummy saying she really really really liked Koh Gen Do.  I figured I'd give this brand a try, especially when I saw that they have gel moisturizers, which will be perfect for summer.



I also got some freebies.  I'm not sure if I will try out the retinol eye cream by Dr. Brandt just yet.  I'm not in the mood to have a complicated skincare routine in terms of moisturizers for the cheeks, and other moisturizers for the eyes, etc. etc.  It's in the summer that I like to go simple too.

I am interested in trying out the Koh Gen Do Spa Gel!  It seems like it's going to be a great exfoliator.  I also think there's enough in there for 3 usages!

The two colognes at the top are for Mr. P.  He's tried the LaCoste before and liked it.  I'm not sure how the Jean Paul Gaultier will turn up on him.  The scents I like best on Mr. P are light and crisp, like Aqua di Gio or Bvlgari Marine.

Then Sephora sent a fragrance sampler.  I haven't opened it yet.

That's it for my short haul.  I'm really proud of myself for not going crazy and buying up other limited edition makeup!  It was in my shopping basket, but at the end of the day, I'm still trying to hit pan on blushes I bought back in 2008!!!

Have a great day!

May 15, 2013

Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum


Hi Everyone,

I got this sample of Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum as a sample in a Sephora packaged a while ago.  I just started using it last week.

One of the main ingredients is hydroquinone, which is a skin lightener.  I'm waiting to see the results this product can have on my age spots.  

So far, I really hate the consistency of this serum.  It's like putting glue on my face.  It's thick and slimy, then it gets tacky and sticky... and it never seems to absorb into my skin.  My skin always feels sticky, even hours later.

The good news is that this sample will last quite a long time.  So I hope to report back on whether or not this product really does lighten age spots and pigment scars.

Has anyone else used this?  Let me know what you think and especially how you use this product.

Have a great day!


May 08, 2013

Finished! April


If I finish something on the morning of May 1st, does it still belong to May?  Well, I will have a bunch coming up in May.

For the month of April, I finished this little bottle of Bio-Oil.  I liked to use it after my showers on my body, rather than my face.  It did a good job of moisturizing my skin through the night and into the next morning.  I can't say that it provided 24 hour hydration, but that's to be expected with most things.

I wish I had more, but it's okay.  This gives me plenty of reason to explore other oils too, or go back to my organic and DIY kicks.  :-)

I hope you all had a great week!


May 01, 2013

My Wedding!

Hi Everyone!

I never realized how much a wedding ceremony could change the dynamic between Mr. P and myself, even though we've been dating and living together for a number of years.  Everything is more about us than ever before!

Anyways, I promised Gummy that I would post some pictures up from our intimate wedding.  We invited only family and a few friends to join us, people that we knew would be in our lives and our children's lives for the rest of our lives.  Having a small wedding was great because we got to spend a lot of time talking with our guests and it kept the focus on how close we felt with all of our guests and we got to see our guests interact and make friends with each other.  They even exchanged funny stories about each of us with each other.  LOL!  No secrets here!


Reading scripture during the ceremony.

Picture with Mr. P's family.

Picture with my family.

First picture inside the house as Mr. and Mrs. P.

Our dear guests whom we feel so honored to be in front of on this day.


This is my little nephew who got all dressed up and was happiest running around in the grass. 

Mr. P and I knew that we wanted a wedding in our backyard ever since we realized owning a home was just around the corner.  Our practical side knew that wedding venues cost a fortune and sometimes come with extra fees or "preferred vendors" that you can't really get out of using or negotiating down the price.  Additionally, some of the venues we looked at charged by the number of guests.  Mr. P and I were not in agreement on the number of guests we wanted to invite above the VIP guests so we decided it was best to stick with our own backyard as a venue and stick with our VIP guest list.  Our romantic side was in love with the idea that we'd start our lives in our new house with a spectacular event and memories, and we'd just be adding to the memories as the years went by.

One tip for keeping costs down if you plan on doing a DIY intimate wedding - don't mention the word "wedding" and don't talk about getting "married."  We did not tell the catering company this was going to be a wedding.  We told them during booking that this was a party and we wanted it self-serve buffet-style.  Only after they arrived and after I changed into my dress did they realize it was a wedding.  This really kept costs down and we had more than enough food left over to send home with our guests.


Our wedding cakes.

Also, with regard to the wedding cakes, we decided to buy several lovely 8" cakes from a local Taiwanese bakery rather than go the traditional tiered wedding cake route.  The Taiwanese cakes were really decorative and gave our guests the option to try whatever flavor they wanted or a piece from every cake.  I found this was really convenient, as Mr. P and I didn't have the time or patience to sit down with a wedding cake consultant to go over decorations, flavors, and what price to be charged by the slice and how many slices we needed for our guests.  I got the idea for multiple cakes as a wedding cake back in college, when I was flipping through a wedding edition of a gardening magazine.


DIY table decorations - spring flowers.

I think my most memorable part of the day prior to the ceremony was panicking and flitting around the house with my makeup half done, my hair half done, and not even in my dress, and trying to cut the spring flowers we bought and arrange them in our mason jars.  I would not have been able to get it all done if my best friend and kindred spirit did not show up to save the day!  I trust her with all things pretty and beautiful.  She was the one who took over arranging the spring flowers into 8 mason jars and tying beautiful bows around the jars.  I wouldn't have been able to do it without her.  Period.  Anyways, at the end of the night, we gave the mason jars with flowers to our guests to take home.  I hope they found a good use for the jars. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post!  Have a great day, everyone!

April 10, 2013

Product Review: Wen Cleansing Conditioner

Hi Everyone!

So, this is the post I've been meaning to write for a number of weeks already.  I only have a few points to clarify and some tips or suggestions for how to use this product.

For my original thoughts and pictures, please see my first impressions post here.

Product claims:

This 5-in-1 takes the place of your shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler, and leave-in-conditioner.

Cleanses hair thoroughly without lathering and harsh ingredients

Hair is left with sheen, moisture, manageability, and better color retention.


My thoughts:

I'm a regular shampoo and conditioner girl.  I don't go for multiple steps in hair care so Wen products are at best a glorified conditioner.  However, I did try to use it as directed, as a cleansing conditioner.  It works like it says it will work.  The trick is, you have to rinse your hair thoroughly.  I found that it helped to rinse my hair from front to back, back to front, and one more time in order to get all the product out and avoid the greasy hair look.

Linh from Blushology questioned if this product can clean you hair like shampoo.  It doesn't clean your hair in  exactly the same way, but it does clean.  You have to massage this into your scalp and then rinse everything out.  I would highly recommend using the Sweet Almond Mint conditioner rather than the Fig conditioner if you're going to use it the way Chaz Dean recommends.  The product does go very quickly if you use it this way.  My tip would be to use this product as a regular conditioner.  You can wash your hair with shampoo like normal and use 2-3 pumps of this product as a conditioner and still get the same results as when you use this product as a cleansing conditioner.

I've been raving about this in the last few posts that my hair has gone from straw and wires to pre-teen-like hair.  Seriously.  Everything that Chaz Dean said this product would do for your hair came true.  This stuff works better than the Pantene Pro V conditioner and the Salma Hayek Nuance Leave-in-Treatment stuff in my opinion.  It's almost as if I never had my hair dyed at all!  The only thing I'm not sure about is the color retention.  I wasn't paying attention given my issues with massive tangles.


Things to consider before buying this product:

1.  This is super expensive, in my book, at $34 or $32 a bottle.  If you have a product that works to make your hair shiny, soft, and manageable, I'd stick with it.  If you have never come across a product that works for your hair, definitely buy just one bottle from Sephora and don't get suckered into the 60-day automatic replenishment program until you know for sure this is something you want.

2.  You can get more mileage from this by using it as a regular conditioner.  The results will be the same, but you won't blow through your budget as fast.

3.  There is more to the Wen hair care system than just the cleansing conditioner.  My recommendation is that if they advertise the same thing, example "make hair softer, shinier, sleeker, detanglier, etc. etc." you probably will not need to buy it.  The cleansing conditioner does it all.

4.  That light and airy feeling I described in my original post lasted for a while.  But the volume went away when my hair got longer.  Ladies with long hair, I wouldn't have super high expectations of gaining more volume with this product.  Ladies with short hair, you might see more volume for a while.  But stay realistic at all times.  What you see in the infomercials is a result of a professional stylist blow drying models' hair.


Final Verdict:

I love this stuff!  I'll keep buying it because it's really transformed my hair!  Let me know what you think if you've given Wen a try.


March 27, 2013

Spring Haul

Hi Everyone!

I have a quick haul post for you all.  I acquired these throughout January, February and March this year from Sephora and Jurlique.  Sorry that these photos are a bit dark.  The living room lights are more of a mood setter than something you can read a book (or take pictures) by.

First up, is Mr. P's haul.
 
Mr. P was running out of cologne so I picked him up some new ones.  His favorite here is Bvlgari Aqua Marine.  He tried out the 212MEN by Caroline Herrera, but it's not really his style.  It's different from his usual light and crispy scent.

 Next up, my hauls!

 
I had to restock on my Jurlique products.  Jurlique has this awesome deal where you can get free shipping on orders over $50 and you get to pick out 2 free samples of their other products in addition to receiving a third non-optional sample.  Sounds a little like Sephora's deals, right?  I got lucky and landed a code for a larger sample of their Brightening Serum.  I haven't used it.  I guess I'm saving the samples to use when I travel.

 
I picked up some more Wen Cleansing Conditioners.  I really really love what they've done to my hair.  They've restored my hair to what I deem pre-adolescent condition.  The only thing I don't like right now is the smell of the Fig cleansing conditioner.  It smells like cherry Halls cough drop.  But it works so I'm not going to stop using it.

I also picked up more Bio-Oil, which I love to use on my face and body post-shower.







So, I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to, why there's been a complete lack of postings.  It wasn't that I was tired of posting or anything like that.  I feel that my blog and my nascent website keep me sane.  The reason is that I didn't have time to post.  Mr. P and I became first time home owners and were busy moving from our apartment to the house.  We're really excited with our house.  It does come with its own set of challenges, but it's a small price to pay for our autonomy.  We spent February overseeing the upgrades to our electrical panel and the complete renovation of our backyard.  And we spent March moving from one place to the other.  Who knew we had so much stuff crammed into a tiny 1 bedroom apartment?!

Add to that, Mr. P and I are finally tying the knot in a few days.  We're getting married in our backyard with family and a few close friends in attendance.  Because we only began planning for it 2 weeks in advance of our wedding date, it's become more of a backyard bbq with a bonus wedding, rather than a wedding and reception.  It's okay though because it's the wedding we wanted ever since we realized we'd be owning the venue.  I'm also ok with a simpler event because I get really uncomfortable when I'm the center of attention.  Also, we have to go back to Taiwan again in a few months to get married there.  I think with the number of family there who will be involved with the planning process, I won't be able to get away with something as laid back as this one will be.

That's it for this post.  I'll see you all later!  Have a great Easter!

March 14, 2013

Finished! March


Hi Everyone! 

Sorry I've been away for a while.  It's been really busy and I'll give an life update later (if anyone still reads this blog).  

Anyways, I thought I'd send up my first post in a long time.  These are the products I finished in March.  I don't foresee any other products being finished this month.  (I didn't finish anything in February.)

First up, an Einstein Lip Therapy.  Loved this stuff!  It made my lips feel nice and tingly and it worked great a conditioning my lips.  I've noticed that my lips have become more chapped lately after running out of this lip balm/conditioner.

Next, Jurlique Balancing Cleansing Lotion.  This stuff is great!  I'm not sure if I love it more for the effects, the method of cleansing my skin, or for the smell.  But I was really sad to finish it.  I even used my pinky finger to scrape what I could off the sides of the bottle.

Lastly, Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner.  This is good stuff.  I'm still iffy about the price.  I won't kid you, this stuff is expensive!  However, when I review this product based on its performance as a regular type of conditioner and how you're supposed to use it, I have to admit that I love this stuff.  It has literally restored the appearance of health to my hair.  I don't have the frizz that I had before.  My hair shines like Goldilocks' and there's a QQ bounce and softness to my hair that not even Salma Hayek's Nuance Leave-in Treatment could give me.  I'll write a separate updated review on this product later.

That's it for my Finished March Products, aka March Empties!

I hope everyone has been in good health and are enjoying life to the fullest!  

Have a great day!

February 03, 2013

Wen Cleansing Conditioner (First Impressions)

Hi Everyone!

I'm here with an update to the Wen Cleansing Conditioner.  I bought this mid-January to help deal with the hair that got damaged when I dyed it last year.  I was very hesitant to invest in a $32.00 bottle of cleansing conditioner, but it's supposed to take the place of shampoo and conditioner.  Additionally, some reviews I read on Makeup Alley said the product made hair fall out and left a greasy residue in your hair.  I will address both of these concerns in my post.  For now, some pictures.




 

So, I'm going to picture out my hair care routine with the Wen Cleansing Conditioner.  

 

I use only 6 pumps of the product.  I wouldn't use the recommended 10-15 pumps because I don't think I need it and I don't want such an expensive product to run out so quickly.

I focus the majority of this product at my roots and scalp.  I massage it all over my scalp for 3 minutes and pull the product through the rest of my hair.

Some people said this product weighed their hair down and left greasy residues.  Yes, it happened to me after the first day.  But I've learned the trick is to rinse out the conditioner completely.  I flip my head upside down and rinse from my nape to my forehead, then I flip my hair right side up and rinse from my forehead to my nape.  Then I split my hair like I'm doing a half up and half down pony tail and focus a lot of rinsing at the crown of my head.  

Rinsing this way, my hair does not feel sleek or soft like when I use regular conditioner.  In fact, it still feels tangled up.

 

This is what my hair looks like after being towel dried.  It clearly looks like a tangle mess.  But looks are a little bit deceiving.  I've noticed that the tangles I work through when using Wen are less intense and less painful than the tangles I had after using regular shampoo, conditioner, and the Nuance leave-in treatment.

My recommendation is to work through the tangles with a wide-tooth comb before blow drying.

As far as hair loss goes, I haven't noticed any difference in the number of strands I lose in the shower.  It looks like I've lost the same amount as always.  

 

This is what my hair looks like after blow drying.  I just used my fingers to blow dry before brushing my hair into place.  

So, what are the results?

My hair is sooooo soft and doesn't get as many tangles as it did before.  I'd also say the feeling I get at my scalp is a light and airy feeling.  My hair feels like it has better movement and more volume at the top.  The one time I didn't completely rinse out the cleansing conditioner, the hair at my crown looked like it was greasy but it still had a light and airy feeling.  

As far as color retention goes, I don't think this conditioner retains color any better than a shampoo/conditioner set made for color treated hair.

I feel that this product is doing a well enough job at keeping my hair clean.  My hair still gets greasy after 24 hours, so this product doesn't have magical cleansing properties.  :-P

I'll follow up in a few more weeks.  If my opinions don't change, consider this the official Product Review.  

Has anyone else used Wen and what do you think of it?



Thanks for stopping by and thanks to Mr. P for being on call to take these photos of my head.  



 

February 02, 2013

Kusanagi's February Beauty Box

Hi Everyone!

The goal to use down my makeup stash by limiting myself to a few makeup items per month continues.  I have to admit, that I got bored with my January beauty box and opted to go several days without makeup at all.  I figured my boredom came about from a lack of color, so for February, I decided to use a palette with a lot of color.  

So, here are the items in my February beauty box, brushes not included.
 
 

 

So, wish me luck on sticking to this regimen!

Is anybody else doing this?  

 

January 28, 2013

Impulse Purchase, Boots No. 7

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  It's been rainy here in SoCal, which is my favorite.  It's cool here and there's nothing better than being home in my pj's and trying to stay warm. 

Everyone, meet Gaara (yes, named after the bad-good guy Gaara of the Desert from Naruto).  Gaara the Cat has dark rimmed eyes just like the character.  Gaara the Cat's personality is so cute and loving, the representation of the Chinese character for "Love" on Gaara of the Desert's forehead.
 
 
Gaara the Cat

 
Gaara of the Desert

Anyways, Mr. P and I went to Target to look for tools for the house.  Just casually, he asked if there was anything I wanted to see in the beauty aisles.  I didn't go to Target with the intention of sticking my nose into the beauty aisles, but since he asked....

 

And then we walked out of Target with these two Boots No. 7 toners and no tools.  The one on the left is an Organic Face Rosewater Toner.  The one on the right is Complexion Refining Toning Lotion.  It has rosemary and Amazonian clay in it to help remove sebum.  

I'm very curious about this brand because I've never tried it before.  It seems like you get a lot of product for under $9.  I'm not exactly sure when I'll get around to using it but I'm planning to do a product review of these 2 toners.

Well, that's it for this post.  If anyone has any experience with this brand, can you let me know how you liked it?

Have a great evening everyone!


January 26, 2013

First Haul Post

Hi Everyone!

Southern California is experiencing a few days of warm (comparatively warm to this time of year) rain which clears the air of our usual smog but also diffuses the light at night.  Mr. P and I met some friends for dinner in Downtown LA and I was just amazed by how beautiful Los Angeles is lit up at night.  By the way, you know you're getting older when you want to call it a night at 9pm.  XD

Anyways, this is a picture of the ride home.  Coming up in this picture is the train station where Mr. P and I started and ended our first non-date 10 years ago.  My, how time flies!

 


Anywho, I wanted to show you my first haul post.  Below are the 3 items I purchased.

 
I've been so diligent in finishing up my toner and just in time too!  I finally got the toner that I've been wanting ever since I saw results with the Ann Karen whitening facials in August of last year.  The Jurlique mist comes in a solid glass spray bottle.  I haven't tried it yet but I will for sure do a review!

Above: I finally caved and got the basic Wen cleansing conditioner.  Again, just in time, as I had finished the Nuance leave-in treatment this morning.  I used it tonight and am impressed that my comb ran through my hair cleanly instead of running into tangles.  But I'm not thrilled that hair from the crown of my head retained a lot of the Wen cleansing conditioner.  And washing my hair with this product that has the consistency of.... thick pudding or vegetable shortening... was definitely a different experience.  Obviously, I didn't rinse my head and hair well enough, which is why the hair is still "wet" after 2 hours.  The hair around my hairline got rinsed well and I think if I rinsed the conditioning cleanser all out, I would be really impressed with the results!  A product review will be forthcoming.

 

 
Here a couple of samples I got with my purchases.  I got 2 cologne samples for Mr. P, just to mix things up a little bit. 


 
 Hope you all are having a good night!


January 24, 2013

Finished! January is Early!

Hi Everyone!

I thought I might as well post up my Finished! products early for January because I don't foresee myself finishing anything else this month.  I've got the LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns on and getting a great laugh out of Shaq and crew making fun of Charles Barkley's comment that he waxes his eyebrows.  Did anyone else see this?

Anyways, here are the products I've finished this month!  Get your smiles on, my fellow beauty lovers!

 
This was a sample size that came with my Clarisonic Mia.  I finally used it.  It's ok.   Don't have anything good or bad to say about it.


 
 Finished a couple of hair care products, mostly conditioners.  The Neutrogena conditioner on the left was actually pretty good to use when I had virgin hair.  But I had to use a larger than normal amount due to the damage my hair sustained and it started weighing my hair down.

The hair mask on the right was "meh...."  Again, I had to use a lot to deal with my damaged hair and it weighed my hair down.  

Tangent: I recently went in to get my hair cut and the stylist tried to color the lighter damaged part darker to match my natural hair color.  He promised that he wouldn't get the dye up into my new virgin hair but his assistant brought it up to my scalp!  ARGH!!!  So, even though I left the salon with a great hair style that I can't reproduce on my own, I'm only calculating in my head the amount of time it will take for my hair to grow out again.  Does anyone else get annoyed by this??

OK.... back to the main show.


 
This moisturizer was something I kept in my office at work to use after washing my hands.  It only took TWO YEARS but I finally - FINALLY - finished it!  It's okay.  It did it's job but I was ready for a change.  


 
On the left is a toner I got from Sasa.com in August of 2011.  I had it put away for a while.  It's an okay toner.  It had a very strong perfumey fragrance, which I wasn't too crazy abount.  I'm glad it's done.

The Nuance leave in condition (Salma Hayek's line) was great.  Apparently, I can NOT use it alone.  It worked better for my hair if I also used a rinse out conditioner in the shower prior to using this one.  I'd still repurchase this though!
 

 
On the left, body wash.  It's okay.  It did its job.  

On the right, a Clarisonic brush head, the softest and most gentle brush head.   I put this through the wringer by using it for more than the recommended 3 months, but it still did its job!  I have a backup already!


OK, it looks like I'm ending this post before the game is done.  Phoenix Suns are up, so if the Clippers are going to win, they'd better pull out a massive spurt of 3-pointers in the next 3 minutes!

GO CLIPPERS!!!

Have a great evening!

 

January 22, 2013

FOTD Lancôme Glamour on the Go


Hi All!

I took this picture a few days ago when I was feeling so good.  But I think I'm getting sick now.

Anyways, here's an FOTD from the Lancome Glamour on the Go travel palette.

Progress report on living out of one makeup box.  It's freaking hard to do!  I have so many palettes and colors already picked out for January, but I'm getting bored and want to try my other shades.  I look at them every day and they say, "Please, pick me up.  Dip your eyeshadow brush in me and enjoy my color on your eyelids."

There are only 9 more days in January.  Wish me luck to stick to this!!

As they say in Korean dramas.... *fighting!*


January 17, 2013

FOTD Green Coffret D'or

Hi Everyone!

So, I've been successful so far in living out of one makeup bag.  I may have to change this up because it's really a makeup box, which is ok.  :-)

Here's an FOTD featuring the green Coffret D'or depotted palette.  For bright colors, I like to use them as semi-eye liners and just outline the shape of my eyes.

 
 
 
This is a funny FOTD.  My lashes have been curled and mascara'd up so much that they are actually holding up my eyelids and giving me double eyelids!  :-)  Has anyone else experienced this?

Have a great day, y'all!


 

January 13, 2013

Being a One Makeup Bag Woman

Hi Everyone!

Ari from A Passionate Obsession had a brilliant idea to try to be a one makeup bag woman for 2013.  I thought it was such a good idea that I wanted to do it, too.  So, last night, as Mr. P and I were watching the live action Rurouni Kenshin movie (omg, it made my night to see my favorite anime come to life in a great production!!!), I went through my makeup collection and attempted to get my stuff in order to be a one makeup bag woman for the rest of January.

Oh, before we start with the makeup portion, I wanted to introduce you to one of our kids.  This here is Yumo.  When we first got this little guy, we though he was a she and named her Yuna, after the Final Fantasy X character.  We found out several months later she was a he, and the rest is history.  Anyways, I just thought I'd show our kitty since his butt is in the next picture.  :-)

 



 

So here's what I've selected to be in my one makeup bag for the month of January.  This is a solid attempt to use down what I have and to consolidate so that I don't take over what's left of our bathroom with more cosmetics.  :-)

Above are some palettes and items that look familiar:
  • Dior Eye Designer Eye Makeup Palette
  • Lancome Glamour on the Go Travel Palette
  • UNII Palette filled with Asian eyeshadow palettes (Coffret D'or, Kate, and Majolook)
  • A blush brush, several eyeshadow brushes, and Kirkland powder brush.
  • Three current mascaras: CG Last Exact, Dior Show Extase, and Benefit Bad Gal
  • Two lippies: Sephora + Pantone Universe Color of the Year (it's the orange eyeliner) and Dior Addict
  • Bare Minerals foundation in Fairly Light
  • Contact case filled with small amounts of moisturizer
  • and Two travel sized hair brushes.

Okay, so that's it for what I'm going to use for January.  I'll be back with a February post.

Check out Ari's blog, too, at A Passionate Obsession.   What I really like to read on her blog are her hauls, product reviews, food and travel posts, and her empties.  Check it out!  :-)

Thanks again to Ari for the brilliant idea! 

Have a good weekend, y'all!


January 10, 2013

Best of 2012!

Hi Everyone!

How's everyone's 2013 shaping up?  I hope you're still going strong on your New Year's Resolutions!
 
Thanks to GummyVision for being curious enough to ask me to put up my favorites from 2012.  If you haven't already, check out her blog.  I think her blog is great because she talks about a lot of products I haven't had the opportunity to try and she gives her take on how they would react to people with sensitive skin.
 
Without further ado, here are my favorites from 2012.

 

You've heard me say it before, Johnson's Head-to-Toe Baby Wash is my go-to cleanser.  Go-To sounds too weak for how this ranks in my life.  This baby wash is as important and as steady to me as the sun rising in the East and setting in West.  A day without it just cannot be!  It's cheap, it comes in huge quantities compared to regular cosmetics and skincare, and it removes everything off my face and eyelashes.  It doesn't contain soap so it's great for people with sensitive skin, too!
 
Jurlique is new to my life but I love it so much!  It smells so good, like flowers, herbs, and spices.  It's so earthy.  I love using this as a morning cleanser because I just slather 4 pumps of this onto my face, massage for about 3 minutes, and wipe off with a hot towel.  This is my favorite method of cleansing my face in the mornings.

The Sisley Emulsion is one of those lotions/moisturizers I love to use because it smells like the Jurlique cleanser, earthy and natural.  It hydrates well without leaving my skin greasy or dry afterwards.  Same for the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide moisturizer with SPF 15.  It goes on smooth, absorbs well, and is a good base for the rest of my morning routine.





Here are a mish mash of my other favorites.  The Einstein Lip Therapy works well if I use as directed.  I also love its cooling sensation.

Neosporin is a staple.  It's like the Johnson's baby wash.  It handles everything from cuts and scrapes to post acne scarring.  Same for the T&J Acne Cream but it has one up over the Neosporin - the T&J Acne Cream has the power to lighten or whiten skin temporarily!

I consider the Salma Hayek Nuance leave-in hair treatment to be my special discovery.  This has been the only thing that has been able to tame my hair after going through some serious color damage.  It makes me sad to say this but I used to have silky soft hair.  It's right now coarse, rough, dull, and straw-like after getting it colored last year. 

 




Here are my favorite makeup items.  First up is the UNII Palette.  I use it every day and it's my default travel makeup palette.  Since I depotted most of my makeup, I can just switch out my shadows, blushes, brow powder, etc., as I want and pack it in my carry on.  It has a nice big mirror too!

Inside the red UNII Palette are my default eyeshadows.  These are the depotted Stila Contouring Trio shadows that can be used to contour, highlight, and define.  The contour shade on the left actually shows up more orange on my cheeks, so I've found a better use for it as an eyeshadow.  The matte cream shade on top is the natural highlight, and the shimmery light taupe shade is a great all-over eyelid color.

And finally, my favorite high end palettes.  On the left is my first ever Lancome travel palette, purchased en route from Taiwan to Los Angeles in 2009.  Obviously, I tried and failed to depot the lipstick, which is why it looks like a crater in the palette.  The eyeshadows are among the most long-lasting eyeshadows I've ever tried and that's with and without eyelid primer.  The blush, however, is the star of the show.  It's such a beautiful mauve pink color and is just as long lasting as the eyeshadows.

Finally, the Dior palette!  I love the eyebrow wax/color in the palette.  It matches my skin and hair perfectly.  The reason I got it was because it matched most closely what my makeup artist used on my eyebrows for our engagement photo shoot.  The eyeliner is not as exciting because it smudges and isn't black enough.  Maybe I'll begin using it as an eyeshadow base this year.  The eyeshadows are really nice and long lasting.  This palette has come in really useful when Mr. P and carpool to work and I'm still putting on my face.  :-)



Thanks again to Gummy for tapping me to do this post and to everyone who stopped by!

Have a great day and year!



January 04, 2013

All I Want for Christmas & Holly Jolly Holiday Tag

Hi Everyone!  This is a bit late but this is a fun tag to do.  Thanks, Linh, for the tag!

All I Want For Christmas Tag

1.  What was the best present you received as a child?
A cute white purse with a flower design on the front.  My mom gave it to me at a time when our family couldn't really afford it.

2.  What's at the top of your wish list this year?
Mr. P and I really wished hard for a house!

3.  Do you have a funny Christmas tradition?
Actually, not really.  We had our Christmas tree stolen on Christmas Eve about 25 years ago and since then Christmas hasn't been a top priority in my family.  But Mr. P and I are trying to revive some semblance of a Christmas tradition right now!

4.  What are your 3 Christmas party beauty essentials?
Well, if I had attended a Christmas party, my three party essentials would be clear and glowing skin, a dark plumy purple eyeshadow with sparkles as an eyeliner, and malt/sangria colored lipstick.

5.  What's your favorite Christmas movie?
 Mr. P and I really enjoy watching the Christmas Day movie marathon of "A Christmas Story."

6.  Are you a giver or receiver?
I'm a giver!  I love receiving but I tend to go overboard with gifting and wrapping.  I'm always trying to find a way to wrap presents using the least amount of tape possible!

7.  Who will you be kissing under the mistletoe this year?
I kissed Mr. P and cuddled all our cats under our imaginary mistletoe.  :-)



Holly Jolly Holiday Tag

1.  Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last minute?
My shopping season is between Black Friday and Christmas.  I don't usually go on Thanksgiving night to start Black Friday because Thanksgiving is sacred in my family.

2.  If you could be in any Christmas movie, what would it be?
I think I'd probably like to be in Home Alone! 

3.  Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Christmas Eve, hands down!  Christmas Day is nice but once Christmas Day has passed the Christmas season is officially over.

4.  When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?
Well, my family hasn't had a Christmas tree in a long time, but Mr. P and I will be starting our own traditions next year!  So, I suppose Mr. P will put up the Christmas tree and we'll both decorate it in 2013!

5.  White lights or colored lights?
White lights!  They are so classic!

6.  Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like the surprise?
I am a serial peeker!  I try and try to keep the surprise factor for as long as possible, but I just can't help it!

7.  Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or in Santa's Workshop?
Santa's Workshop!  The ultimate Christmas factory!

8.  Tell us you Christmas Eve traditions!
I think our family is transitioning to having a buffet meal together for Christmas Eve.

9.  If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone, who would it be?
Mr. P!!! 

10.  What tops your tree?
I'll tell you next year! 

11.  Can you name the 12 days of Christmas?
No, but I can sing the song. 

12.  Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?
Yes, at a retirement home when I was younger.  I didn't understand the significance when I was younger but I now do.

13.  Do you count down to Christmas?  If so, how may days are left?
T-355 days!!!

14.  What are some foods and treats you can count on having every holiday season?
Turkey with cranberry sauce!  Mashed potatoes and gravy!  These are some of my most favorite things.

15.  How has Christmas kept its magic for you as you've grown older?
I grew up without a strong sense of Christmas but Mr. P and I want to start a family and we really want our family to grow up with the best Christmas memories.  So, I guess preparing for the pitter patter of little kids is bringing back some Christmas magic for us!



Hope you all had a great New Year!  I hope I can revive this tag for next Christmas! 


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