Black Friday: FOTD + IKEA

^^  A little FOTD ^^

Make-up: MAC Eyeshadow (Pollen), Physicians Formula "Lash Boosting Liner" (Deep Brown), Revlon "Grow Luscious Mascara" (Black Shimmer), and MAC "Dazzleglass" (Sugar Rimmed). 

This will just be a random little blog post of my IKEA exploration on the infamous "Black Friday" I bought a few pieces for my room, but most of all; I was testing out my new camera I got on Black Friday. 

Introducing.... The Sony Cyber-shot H70! <3 

So far, I am really liking this camera because the quality is very nice! I highly recommend this point-and-shoot camera! So from now on; the pictures on this blog will be now shot with this camera, and hopefully I'll figure out how to take a picture of my eye to show you some mascara, eyeliner, or circle lens shot. 

Any tips on shooting pictures of your eye?

 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from IKEA:

 

Favorite!

I hope everyone had an amazing break and an amazing time around their family! ^_^

Review: Laneige "Power Essential Skin Refiner Light_EX"

Finally. I have time to do this post! See? I'm almost done with the toner! I feel so accomplished! This is my very first Laneige product, and I am in love! I really want to try more of their products; but first I need to finish what I have (or so I hope). Toner is something I always use and is part of my daily skincare routine so finding a good toner is very important to me. This is definitely one of my favorites and I hope I can repurchase this soon! Anyways, let's get onto the review in detail:

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Skin Type: All skin types; normal to oily.

Me: Toners are definitely essential in my skincare routine and it really helps to refine my pores and make sure that everything is off my face. This is my very first Laneige product, and I really really love it! From using this product, I feel like my skin has been better overall. This has kept my acne in check and it really cleans my skin with an extra step. There has been a pretty good improvement in my skin ever since I've used this product.

How to: Apply this to a cotton pad and wipe this all over your face after your normal skincare routine day and night. OR Apply this to thin sheets of cotton pad and use this as a moisture refining mask. 

Price: $25-40 It's a really big range, but it depends on where you get it and all the specials going on. I personally don't remember how much I bought it for, but I think it was in the $25 range? 

Quality: I really love this product; worth the money and it helps your skin. I think it does help to improve my skin texture and help refine my pores a little. 

Smell: I don't know how to describe the smell, but I love it! It's fresh, but it doesn't smell strong at all! It smells 'natural', like a product that you know doesn't have chemicals that are harmful to your skin. I really love the smell, so light and refreshing.

Texture: It has a water consistency that soaks into your skin and refreshes it immediately!

Packaging: It comes in a tall glass bottle with a screw cap top and has a rubber stopper. It may seem inconvenient and bulky, but the bottle is very slim and not that heavy! The screw cap top is amazingly easy to screw off, just a light twist will take the cap off and it does not leak at all. I love the rubber stopper inside because it controls the amount of product you want. The packaging makes this product look so pretty to have ^_^

Amount: 160 ml. / 5.4 fl. oz.

Repurchase: Yes definitely!!

Laneige: http://www.laneige.com/product/detail.jsp?prdtCd=214109002
Yesstyle: http://www.yesstyle.com/en/laneige-power-essential-skin-refiner-light-new-200ml/info.html/pid.1023049759
Sasa: http://sasa.com/SasaWeb/eng/product/viewProductDetail.jspa?itemno=104673505006
Imomoko: http://www.imomoko.com/product_detail.php?ID=3858

Fall Haul!

Fall Haul ^_^

 Yay! I finally have the time to post something on here. I wish I could blog more; I really do enjoy doing it, but hopefully I'll have more time later in the year. Now, it's finally getting colder! I'm so glad, cause I love cold weather. So most of the things I got from this haul is from Ulta; but there are some things here and there of course. Everything in this haul is completely new to me and I hope they work out for me. If you have tried any of these things; let me know what you think of it! ^_^

Make-up products

Left to right:
L'Oreal; Delice Blush - Limited Edition Project Runway: 425 Charming Cockatoo
My first L'Oreal product! I've heard lots of raves about their "LE Project Runway collection" and at Ulta, almost everything was gone! Suddenly, I came across this blush, and I had  to get it! I've swatched it on my hand, and the color is so pretty! You get a lot of product, it's quite cheap ($10), and the pigmentation pays of really well! I would say that this is a kinda shimmery pinkish-coral blush; it's so nice! 

Pop Beauty; Blitz Kit Basic 
One word. STEAL. You get 3 eyeliners for the price of one; $15! This is part of Pop's holiday gift set, this is their glitter liner set that includes: purple, black, and brown. I've swatched them, and they are very nice, I love the glitter effect! 

Pop Beauty; No Show No Shine Powder: Two Level Out
Personally, I have combination skin and when I got color matched for this, it really controlled my shine. As for me when I wear make-up, I usually do concealer, and would brush this over my face to set it. It provides quite heavy coverage from what I've seen! $22.

Pop Beauty; Aqua Lacquer: Melted Peach
Super cool product! It comes in a tube with a rubber spatula applicator. This product is super unique! It's water, so it is not sticky at all, but it doesn't feel greasy and it stays on for a long time and quite moisturizing too! It seems very liquidy, but the color is quite nice; and you get plump, watery lips ~ And you only need a little but it covers a lot; $14.
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer: Cream 30
This was actually on clearance for $3.99 because my Ulta wasn't carrying this anymore. so I decided to get it. I've heard a lot of raves about this, and I can see why! It covers a lot, and is easily blendable. It doesn't really come a great deal of colors, but this shade is just a touch light for me. But I like it nonetheless!

Skin care products

 Left to right:

Benefit Triple Performing Face Emulsion SPF 15 PA++
I've been dying to get something from Benefit's new line of skincare! I was contemplating on whether to get this or their actual moisturizer. I eventually gave into this because it was incredibly light, yet moisturizing, and it has an SPF 15. I love the packaging; super cute and so far I really like this product! $28; but you get a lot of product, and I only use 2 pumps every day for my face. I use this everyday in the morning regardless.
Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream-Gel Moisturizer
I remember hearing this product somewhere before, and it was a really good raving review about this product; I've been meaning to get it for quite a while too. I have combination skin, and so far; I LOVE THIS. I have dry skin and oily skin, and this provides enough moisturizing effects for both skin types and does not make me oily. Especially since wintertime is rolling around the corner, this does not make my face feel dry.  I really enjoy the product! $32.

DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask
My skin has been really bad lately. Like I have these blemishes that just will not go away! They have been there for a month, but they go away, and come back. I just want to get rid of them for good! I actually don't have a deep-cleansing mask any more since I used up my charcoal one from Origins. I decided to give this a try since DDF is also quite known for their acne products. $40 is a whopping price to pay for a mask, but you get SO MUCH product! It's a really big jar; I hope it works!
Formula 10.0.6 Down to the Pore Blackhead Banishing Pore Strips 
Also, just looking around Ulta when I was buying things; these big bold letters caught my eyes. I'm so tired of my black heads and I just want to get rid of them. This is a pretty new brand I believe, cause I have never ever heard of them, but the description sounds pretty promising! $5.99; pretty average price, and you get 6 stripes. I hope this works for me!

Have you tried any of these products? If you would like more info on any of these products; feel free to comment below! <3

Review: Etude House "Aqua Sherbet Lotion"

Hello again! I'm sorry for the hiatus again... but school has been really busy lately, and will be, but I'll still try to squeeze in a post! I've been meaning to review this product for so long, and finally here I am! This line, I would say, is one of the lesser known lines of Etude House, and I got this back in my Mini Haul. I've had this product for such a long time, but in all honesty I don't like it. I've tried going back and forth with it, mixing it with other products etc, but I just don't like it! There are very few products that I don't like, but this just happens to be one of them. Now, let's get into details about this! 

"Aqua Sherbet contains mineral rich glacial water from Alaska and vitamin rich grapefruit water to supply skin cooling complexion care. Lotion replenishes and restores moisture balance to complexion."

Rating: 4 out of 10

Skin Type: Oily skin.
Me: Originally, I intended to buy this as a moisturizer and I thought it would be extremely good for the summer because it's like "cooling". Lies and deception. During the summer, I usually have oily to combination skin, and I knew that this would be a light moisturizer to do that. I was really intrigued by like "cooling glacial water" and "grapefruit", but this is such a big disappointment. However, it is just too drying for my skin; I have tried mixing it with a heavier cream to balance it out, but my skin in general does not 'like' this product. After using it for about 2 weeks, my mom commented on how dull my skin looked! I mean, it did literally nothing for my skin, its like the worst thing I've ever came upon! I like how watery it feels, but it provides little moisturizing effects to my skin.
Now: Currently; I am not using this moisturizer at all for my face. I am using it as a make-up fixer.
Repurchase: No, definitely not, I've tried better moisturizers and I bet there are better ones that I have not tried.
How to: Following serum application, use hand to apply lotion to all areas of face and neck.
Price: I don't even remember the price, but I remember it being one of the priciest things I got in that haul. I think maybe around $20? Not sure, but definitely not worth it!! 

Quality: I would label this as light lotion. It is too light! It's really not worth it, and it doesn't really do anything to my skin. If anything, it makes my skin even duller!

Smell: I thought it was gonna smell fruity, but it smells nothing like grapefruit! I do not like the smell at all, it doesn't smell 'safe' for my face... It kinda smells like hand sanitizer with a slight hint of bitter-sweet grapefruit. I think the smell may irritate those with sensitive skin.  
Texture: Extremely watery and light. It comes out almost like a blue watery gel. It may feel like your skin is soaking it in all the way, but your skin does not feel hydrated at all. It may feel like it does at the beginning, but after, it's just back to like nothing.
Packaging: The concept is cute, but its very unrealistic. It's a heavy glass bottle; which is annoying because you use a moisturizer almost two times a day, and it's such a hassle for this packaging! Inside, the opening is a really big hole so it's so easy to spill out too much! The cap is very pretty though!
Amount: 150 ml. / 5.07 fl. oz.
Etude House: http://www.etudehouse.com/eng/product/product_view.jsp?prdtCd=215017014

The top and the opening of the bottle

Haul: MAC

It's been a while since I've done a haul, and this time I'm going MAC! I already own quite a lot of MAC shadows, but for a wedding that I went to, I had an appointment to get my make-up done, and I also got some of the things they used on my face! I absolutely love the look! I've tried recreating the look a couple times, but it's still not as amazing as when I got it professionally done. However, I do not regret my purchases so far because they're pretty practical and versatile! I hope you like this haul! 

MAC Pigments

 Left: Tan (Muted pinky brown bronze)

Right: Kitschmas (Shimmering pink/mauve pearl - frost)

 $20 each; 4.5 g. / 0.15 oz.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/372/Pigment/index.tmpl

This, I actually got a little before the actual haul, but I thought I'd just might as well include it in here! These two shades are absolutely gorgeous! To me, both of them are very versatile because they could be used alone, or added to a look for a more dramatic of special feel. I love using tan alone for a light sweep of color to give my eyes a pop or adding it to a smokey brown look to accentuate the brown color. Kitschmas is a gorgeous shimmery and sparkly color, I love it so much! I love using it alone to add some sparkle, or adding it on top of other shadows for a shimmering finish. Honestly, I think this is a pretty translucent color with just a tiny hint of pink, so you can top this off any look! **A little goes a long way!

 

Eye Shadow: Carbonized (Frosty dark brown; Veluxe Pearl finish)

$15 each; 1.5 g. / 0.05 oz. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/363/Eye-Shadow/index.tmpl

This is just your basic brown color but I love the finish of this brown! I seems very simple, but you can easily layer this and add depth. In real life, it isn't as dark as it looks on the website. It's a great simple color to use alone, add depth, layer, or accentuate the outer-V. I really love this simple brown, it's like the basic must-have! 

Mineralize Skinfinish: Semi Precious Rose Quatrz 

-Base: Rosy Pink  

-Inner Circle: Silver, Lime, White pink, Copper

$28 each; 6.5 g. / 0.22 oz. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/869/782/Mineralize-Skinfinish/index.tmpl

I knew immediately I had to get this because its so shimmery! The color is so nice as well! It gives a really cute pink glow on your cheeks; dewy finish! This is a LE color that came out with MAC's "Semi Precious" collection; however, some MAC counters may still have some! I love this product; so cute and lovely!

Dazzleglass: Sugarrimmed (Milky pale pink with multipearl)

$18.50; 1.92 g. / 0.06 oz. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/166/1765/Dazzleglass/index.tmpl

This is such a gorgeous lipgloss! Super sparkly and beautiful! I love the color because you can wear it alone, or on top of a lip color. The only thing that I do not like about this is the formula; it's too sticky for me, but I think that's how it's suppose to be so it stays on. In general though, I really love this gloss because its very pretty; my lips do look 'sugarrimmed' and it has a hint of a sweet vanilla!

Big Bounce Shadow: Impeccably Rich (Light cream with gold pearl)

$16.50 each; 5 g. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/15747/Big-Bounce-Shadow/index.tmpl
I absolutely love this product! It's so easy to use and so pretty! Since this is a light gold, it can be layered on anything or just worn alone! Its shimmers are very fine and the cream is very smooth; like lotion! It's so pretty and I just love using it alone to bring some light into my eyes or to enhance another shadow! I would definitely go grab myself some other shades!

Shadestick: Heirloom (Light icy pink)

$17.50 each; 1.5 g. /0.05 g. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/706/Shadestick/index.tmpl

I love shadesticks because they are so easy to use and convenient! This color is actually quite sheer with a very light wash of a shimmery pink. However, it does hold other eyeshadows quite well. It's great to wear alone or layer under a smokey eye since its a darkish shade of a silvery pink. It's not as creamy as I would have hoped....

Eye Kohl: Teddy (Intense bronze - pearl finish)

$15 each; 1.45 g. / 0.05 g. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/151/323/Eye-Kohl/index.tmpl

This is definitely a 2-in-1 product because this is easily blendable and you can line your eyes! This is a dark brown/bronze shade it looks super natural and great for smokey eyes. I like to smudge this on and blend it out; super soft! In general, I love this and I would definitely get some other shades!

Well! That's it for my MAC haul, I hope you liked it and comment below if you have any questions or would like a thorough review on a product in particular! Thank you!