TAG: What I'm Using Right Now

I got this off of fafinettex3's blog -- I'm procrastinating from midterm studies...

HAIR
Shampoo - Herbal Essences "Hello Hydration"

Conditioner - Herbal Essences "Hello Hydration"

Hair Mask - Garnier Fructis Instant Melting Masque

Styling Products - I don't like to put products in my hair.. but when i do: Joico heat protectant, Tresemme curl activator Spray and Samy Fat Hair hairspray

BODY
Body Wash - Olay Body Wash (the one with the Purple moisturizing butter)

Body Moisturizer - Vaseline Deep Conditioning Lotion in Cocoa Butter

Anti Perspirent - Soft & Dri Pulse

Fake Tan - I don't like to tan (i even try my best to stay out of the sun during the summer)

FACE
Makeup Remover - Clinique Take the Day off and rinse-off eye make up solvent

Cleanser - Garnier Gel Cleanser in "Fresh"

Exfoliator - Queen Helene's Mint Julepe Scrub

Mask - Queen Helene's Mint Julepe Mask

MAKEUP
Primer - Quo Primer or Bare Escentuals Prime Time

Foundation - MAC Studio Sculpt NC25 (matched incorrectly!! ARGGHH hate shade hunting!)

Concealer - MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NW25 (which is matched to me incorrectly!! GGRRR)

Powder - Select Sheer Pressed NC30

Blush - I switch it up a lot... but i've been reaching for Nars Orgasm and Beauty Powder Blush in Eversun more frequently

Bronzer - MSF in So Ceylon or Bronzing Powder in Refined Golden

Highlighter - MSF in Redhead

Eyebase - UDPP

Eyeshadow - MAC Smokey AND Cool Eyes Palettes from the past holiday collection

Eyeliner - MAC fluidline in Blacktrack

Curler - Shu Uemura

Mascara - MAC dazzlelash, Covergirl's Lash Blast and L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes

Lipstick - Lavendar Whip or Viva Glam V

Gloss - Cremesheen Glass in Boybait or Lustreglass in Love Nectar

Nail Varnish - I don't really paint my nails cuz I bite them... but when i do... I only ever use OPI "Yoga-ta Get This Blue!"

NC30 Asian

I truly don't believe i'm an NC30, i go out of my way and visit several MAC locations to get colour-matched for the right foundation shade. When i ask an available MA, without truly looking at my complexion, they always reach for NC30. Are MAC associates just trained in a way that "if an asian asks for a colour match, the default colour is always NC30"?Two of my (asian) friends who are COMPLETELY different complexions/tone as me are also "NC30"... i find that hard to believe especially if you were to see us in a line-up... we are all clearly VERY different shades...

so... why are MAC MAs so inclined to automatically reach for NC30?!?!?!

ps: HK collection haul to be up soon (just procrastinating)

Creme Team Swatches

So I went to the MacPro store today and to my surprise and delight, the Cremeteam and Well-Defined collections are already on display and being sold... I didn't pick up anything from the Well-Definied collection YET... but I will in the near future. I did, however, get to swatch and get a feel of the foundation and concealer and i'm SUPER excited about them. Especially the concealer because the consistency is very similar to Eve Pearl's Salmon concealer... and I love that I have a place to get a "dupe" of it instead of wait for the next make-up show or *eek* have to order online...
Anyway, I picked up 3 lippies: 2 lipsticks (one from the permanent collection and one from the cremeteam colection) and one cremesheen glass. I posted a pic of my natural lip for you guys to compare... I also posted a pic of the product, me wearing the lipcolour up-close -- and because it's hard to tell what it looks like overall with bloggers usually only posting a close-up... i posted one where you can see my face too so you can get an idea of what the colour will look like in general (I hope that makes sense)... i did this especially for Lavendar Whip, because upclose, it just doesn't look like a wearable colour at all. With flash, I looked quite scary... but without flash the colour looks quite wearable so i'm pleased. Also with Lavendar whip, you have to really apply several layers to get that lavendar colour. I also picked up "O" frost lippie from the permanent collection... a colour I've been meaning to get a for a while... and finally... "Boy Bait" is very similar to my biotherm milky gloss.. in colour and consistency... so i dont' know if i'll keep it.. but i like it...

No colour (lip conditioner so you don't see the flakes =P):

First i'll start of with "O" since it's not part of the Creme Team collection but I picked it up anyway:

Next we have a Chemesheen Glass in "Boy Bait":

And finally the much anticipated "Lavender Whip":

Happy Chinese New Year!

I just wanted to wish all of those who are celebrating the Lunar New Year -- well.. HAPPY NEW YEAR! =)
I'm once again swamped with school work - midterms/papers.. so I am unable to update here as well as create new videos... I have been asked to film an updated collection video as well as (i know this has been requested since the summer) my shoe collections video.. i'm just really putting that one off cuz i have so many that it will take me FOREVER to take a pic of each pair then editing it all together.. i'm dreading it =P

Anyway... keep checking back anyhow, because you never know when i'll be updating and what i'll be talking about =)

BTW: Who's excited about the new duo mineralized blushes??? I AM!!! I was never captivated by mineralized blushes by MAC -- i don't own any... so these will be my first! woop

Make-Up Alley: Swapping

I am so super excited about this, I just HAD to share!!!
If you are a make-up junkie (and if you're on this blog then you most likely are), then you have heard of http://www.makeupalley.com/.

This site is great because you get peer reviews of almost any product you can think of, as well as give reviews of your own. In addition to reviews, there is a swap section which is much like ebay, except rather than paying with money, you exchange (slightly) used make-up that you don't use anymore or didn't work for you, for something else that the other person isn't using anymore (also known as bartering).

So I'm not much of a swapper myself -- if you check my profile, you'll see I've only been awarded 4 tokens (like feedback with ebay), which is the number of times I've swapped (plus my swap list and wishlist are very limited). I rarely swap, because I tend to just give away make-up I don't really use anymore...

Anyway... so I decided to swap recently because I was on the hunt for So Ceylon and Petticoat MSFs... they aren't available at MAC locations anymore (nor on the website)... and I found this incredibly sweet swapper (who happened to live in the province -- they are usually from the States and unwilling to swap internationally). I swapped my ONE PlantLove palette with her TWO MSFs... and the fact that she even agreed to that was awesome...

here comes the other positives:

- It came the very next day after she shipped! (expresspost)

- Both MSFs were awesome and came as described (VERY lightly used)

- She included extras that were OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!

(2 NARS single eyeshadows and because NARS orgasm blush was on my wishlist, she included a HUGE palette that not only came with the blush.. but 4 other eyeshadows, an ADDITIONAL blush and lippies)

WWWOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!

I was super excited because it was completely unexpected...

(I was home alone so I was totally screaming!)

again.. i swapped ONE palette.. for these AMAZING full-sized items... she is so awesome.

Her MUA is ambriel <-- pls go check her out and say hi... =]

OMG... enough rambling... here are the pics:

Mac changes its Canadian URL

This announcement is being sent to inform you about a change in the location or URL for the M·A·C Cosmetics Online website for our valued Canadian customers.
Beginning today, Canadian customers can shop online for their favourite M·A·C products and enjoy the M·A·C Cosmetics Online experience at http://www.maccosmetics.ca Book mark it or save to your favourites and enjoy the shopping experience on maccosmetics.ca!

Best regards,
M·A·C Cosmetics Online

de-bottling of UDPP

So we all have a love-hate relationship with UDPP... love the product... HATE the packaging.....

I finally received my empty lipgloss pens in the mail today (www.starsmakeuphaven.com)...

... and with Enkoremakeup/Koren's method I got to it....

Just the top alone filled one pen....

I had trouble getting the product out from the very bottom...

THREE pens later... I STILL had more product left.... it wasn't enough for a 4th pen... so I used an empty, 5-gram sample jar... I actually thought about sucking it up and throwing it away... but I don't want to give Urban Decay the satisfaction lol so.. even if it dries up in a couple of days.. i want to at least get a couple of uses out of it (from the jar)...
Koren managed to fit everything into only 2 pens.. i don know how he did it O_O

Gosh... that was annoying... but glad i got all the product out... this will last me for a very very very very long time...

Collective Haul

Haul of (mostly MAC) make-up I've bought since before Christmas up until now:

Forgot to mention the Shu Uemura lash curler (from Sephora) in my Haul video
** Also forgot to include the Penultimate in picture**

BlondeBrunetteRedhead MSFs: (L) Redhead, (R) Blonde

Lip Conditioner, Smashbox Anti-Shine, Lustreglass: Love Nectar, Strobe Liquid

Studio Tech Foundation NC30 (look at all the shedding from my 109 stuck in there!)

187, 165, 109, 226, 217, 239

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BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!!!! Silk Scarf from Tiffany & Co. and an Ipod Touch!!!!! AAHHH!!!
(LOVE MY FRIENDS!!) <3>

Sanderlees in Action

Me touching up my model (my best friend) at her photoshoot =D

Make up Kit

so i'm not hating.. but i'm just wondering what is the deal with the major gurus on YouTube all talking about MUA kits?