Thursday, March 27, 2008

Beach FOTD

So gals! I'm going to the beach in an hour or so and decided to post up my face of the day! Even when I'm going to the beach I want to put a little bit of makeup on *lol* Some girls are like me, but some just like to go bare and that's perfectly fine! =) The key is to keep it light and natural and my trick is to wear primer, especially under your liners so it wont smudge during the day~ and do NOT forget your SUNSCREEN peoples!
What I used:
Face: - All Right oil-free sunscreen SPF 30
- Dr. Jart Rejuvenating BB Cream SPF 10
-MAC Blot Powder in Medium Dark
- Bareminerals Faux Tan on cheeks

Eyes:
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Liner in Black (Top Lined)
-Sephora flashy liner waterproof in flashy copper (Bottom Lined)

Brows:
-MAC Espresso eyeshadow

Lips:
-MAC Sock Hop l/g

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

bareMinerals Faux Tan

Spring is here and Summer is right around the corner!! Who doesn't want to achieve that great radiant glowly tan?? With bareMinerals Faux Tan All Over Face Color ($20) it is soooo easy to do!! I own a lot of bronzers but this one really takes the cake! You really just need a small pinch and you can either lightly buff it all over your face or focus on your cheeks. In the package, it looks like a glittery shimmery mess but when it's on,your face just seems to glow, with little to no traces of all the sparkle! and it is not orange at all~ I seem to get the most compliments on the days I wear this! Give it a try!



EDIT: The first two people to comment and be interested in this product, I can gladly give you a free sample =) Just give me your email address and we can take it from there!~

Monday, March 24, 2008

Undereye Concealers Reviews

Oh how I abhor my dark undereye circles! I've tried so many products to try to cover up these bad boys but still have not found my holy grail (but have been pretty close)! In this post, I'm going to review some concealers I have tried recently and help you gals out a little bit too. =) First, I want to note you should always use an eye cream under the concealer for moisture (I use MAC Fast Response Eye Cream) and loose powder on top to set it (I use NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent). Now let's begin the reviews!


Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit ($32). Out of 5 stars, I would give this a 4.5. This is really two products in one! The concealer itself is so creamy and not dry at all. It goes on smooth and finishes very nicely and there is also a lot of shades to choose from. This is a medium coverage concealer but you can pack on some more for a heavier coverage. The loose powder attached to it is great also and has a slight subtle yellow tint to it.



Prescriptives Flawless Skin Total Protection Concealer SPF 25 ($22) The great thing about this is Prescriptives is known for having a wide range of shades and it is likely that they will have the near exact color match to your skin. I have this in Level 3 Warm and it just matches me PERFECTLY! I find this to be a little dry around the undereye area but the coverage is AMAZING for blemishes and I use these on a couple scars on my legs as well. It really makes your skin look "Flawless". As an undereye concealer I would rate it a 3.5.



MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer ($15.50) If you're looking for an undereye concealer from MAC you should look for an NW shade (even though I'm an NC30) because NW has peachy undertones and will cancel out the discoloration much better. NC has yellow undertones to it and can tend to make your undereye take on a gray cast/color (not very pretty if I do say so myself). This particular concealer is very moisturizing but offers very little coverage. This is great for people with very very minimal darkness. But in my case, this just did not cut it =( 2.5 stars out of 5.






MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35 ($14.50) The only shade that would work for my undereye area was NW20, recommended by a few MAC make up artists. NW25 was way too dark and NW 30 was darker than that so NW20 made sense...... or so it seemed! I took it home and played around with it but it was just WAY too light! It made me look like I had REVERSE raccoon eyes! Plus, the texture was just too dry and not very easy to blend. 1.5 stars out of 5.

MAC Select Cover-Up ($14.50) I got recommended shade NW20 for this concealer as well. It was definitely less drying than studio finish and more coverage than select moisturecover but again, this shade was just too light for me! and the next shade up was too dark. Out of the three MAC concealers I reviewed, this definitely beats the other two. So if you can find a right shade, go for this pick! 3.5 out of 5.






Benefit Boi-ing ($18) This concealer is at a big disadvantage already because it only has three shades: lite,medium, and dark. I was suggested to get it in shade medium but when I tried it on myself, it was a tad too dark. and lite is definitely too light. This product actually accentuated my dark circles even more and it is hard to blend so back to the store it went and pronto! 1 star out of 5.




TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer ($17) This is actually a pretty good product. Medium coverage. Easy to blend. Good color selections. 4 out of 5. lol I love how this review is so much shorter than the rest haha.






Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer (around $7) For a drugstore concealer, this works particularly well. It has a lighter coverage but it makes my under eye look brighter and blends in really well. The shades, even though limited, matches well also. 3.5 out of 5.





Vincent Longo Cream Concealer ($26.50) I remember I bought this a longggg time ago maybe 4 years ago and thought that it was pretty decent for an undereye concealer. I don't know where it went so I bought it again recently in the shade Medium. I was very dissapointed!!! I remembered the first time I had it, it was MUCH creamier but this time, the consistency was very dry and hard to blend. It made my undereye have a gray cast to it and when I looked in the mirror in the department store, it was SO noticeable and really accentuated my darkness and bags! How ugly!! I returned right away, so not worth it. 1 out of 5 stars.



Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer ($21) I got this in Neutral Beige 3 and really liking it so far. It doesn't COMPLETELY cover my dark circles but it does a pretty good job and it really does seem to lift and brighten and make me appear more awake. It's very easy to blend and not drying at all~ 4 out of 5 stars!

MAC Heatherette


I was so excited for MAC's new collection to come out, Heatherette! Pink and glitter is just so appealing isn't it?! Well after going to my local store and looking through all the goodies, I only ended up with three items for now: Starlet kiss l/g, Sock Hop l/g, and Nighthawk/Frontrow Dual Edge Pencil.
Starlet Kiss l/g is described as "clean pastel pink" on the site. For me, it is a very nice Barbie pink with just amount of shimmer and glimmer and not too overwhelming. This gloss is perfect for days that you are feeling very girly!
Sock Hop l/g is described as "soft mid-tone coral". Unlike Starlet Kiss, this has no sparkles or shimmer in it whatsoever. It has a nice sheer, creamy finish and is less sticky also. In the picture above, the color might look bright and a little too orange, but on the lips, it is a subtle favorable coral/peachy color that is just excellent for your low-key days but adds a great glowy pick-me-up.
Nighthawk/Front Row Dual Edge Pencil is described as "Coffee brown/neutral peach with gold glitter" and I would say the description is right on the money! This pencil is GREAT for your neutral low key days that you just don't want to reach for your black eyepencil that might be a tad too harsh for the day time. Warning: this does get really smudgey so make sure you put on your eye primer of chose. Mine being Urban Decay Primer Potion (HG!!!). When I put this primer under my eyeliner, it doesn't budge all day! I like to put Nighthawk on my top lid and Front Row just below my waterline.

Let me introduce myself!

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny, I'm a 19 year old Chinese-American residing in sunny SoCal and I am a beauty fanatic! The creation of this blog will most likely be used for product reviews, tips & tricks, personal experiences, and much much more! My favorite brand of all time is MAC! For reference, I am an NC30, naturally black hair, brown eyes and have mild acne-prone skin. I hope as my site grows, it will be helpful and entertaining for all my readers!! Thanks everyone!