My Beautiful NYC

First off I would like to apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. I've been a bit overwhelmed and stressed out over finals and such, but summer vacation is quickly approaching so expect much more frequent posts. Second off, I would like to add that in August I'll be going away to Texas for about 3 weeks to visit some family, but I'll possibly be doing some pre-planned posts.

This summer I definitely plan on going out a lot more and stepping out of the mundane, so expect some photos throughout the summer. Plus I want to give more variety to my blog. I'm definitely not a photographer nor do I claim to be, but from time to time I take a few good snaps and I thought I would share. These are from the past year or so, but not many at all. Most are taken at the Bronx Zoo. :)

Bit blurry (taken through some glass)

And if you're here through Frankie's instagram then welcome. :)

NOTD: Owl Nails

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I'm just going to take it easy this weekend and not do very much. It's going to be a chocolate eating, milk drinking, and tv watching with a gorgeous smelling candle lit in my

room kinda weekend.

I recently got these owl nail decals from this eBay seller. They're pretty easy to apply once you get the hang of it and tweezers are pretty helpful as well. This was my first attempt and it looks pretty awful to be quite honest. My left hand looks a lot better than my right. Practice makes perfect. :)

You have to use these over a light color base or else they won't show up quite well and then apply a generous layer of top coat.  The base color I used was Revlon Jaded and the top coat I used was Seche Vite. I love having these beautiful little owls on my nail, I can't stop looking at them. Got a whole bunch of these nail decals from different sellers and will do a little haul post once I get all of them in the mail. Hopefully my second attempt at these decals will look a lot better than this. :P                                    

                                           

Versatile Blogger Award!

Eppp! Today (well yesterday actually) I came home from school and saw that I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award. I am so truly grateful to the lovely and talented Niamh from Niamh-Makes-Things for nominating me for this award. Can't thank her enough! With the award you have to tell everyone 7 random facts about you and nominate 15 bloggers that are relatively new to blogging. 

 Here goes my 7 random facts:

1. I never sweat in my armpits. NEVER. Even in 100 degree weather and doing physical activities, not a single bead of sweat or any odor at all. Sometimes it worries me honestly, isn't sweating normal? I don't even wear deodorant cause there isn't a need to. I swear I'm not smelly I promise! I've had people take a whiff and there's nothing at all! :P

2. I can neither swim nor ride a bike. No one has ever taught me how to. I put these two facts together cause my best friend Frank is suppose to teach me how to this summer and he better keep his word! XP

3. I suffered from severe acne extremely early on in my life, around 8 years old. It was horrible.

4. I lack pictures from the ages 11-13 because I was so self-conscious of said acne.

5. I've never traveled outside the country (U.S.) Although I would love to someday.

6. I can't stand parsley, celery or cilantro. The smell and taste makes me gag.

7. I'm extremely short, only 5'2. Can someone spare me a few inches please?

Now here are my 15 (more like 3) nominations for The Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Melissa from Bubbles, Glitters, Unicorns!

2. Jordana from The Style Young

3. Lickle Star from Life's Little Stars 

Haven't been on blogger very long so I don't have too many blogs that I follow. Sorry :/ 

FOTD #3: Saturday Night Out

Face:

-Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

-Benefit The Porefessional Face Primer

-Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation (NC20)

-Benefit Erase Paste Concealer Shade 1 (undereye)

-Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer Shade #6 (face)

-Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (to set foundation)

-NYX Cream Blush in Orange

-Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter

-Nars Laguna Bronzer

Eyes:

-NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette

-Essence Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

-Eyemazing Ciffone Line No.403 Lashes (Japanese Brand and yes it is spelled ciffone on the box. Lost in translation?)

Lips:

MAC Vegas Volt Lipstick

This is the makeup I wore while going out with friends to see a school show yesterday. It's pretty simple, nothing special to be honest. Just some bright lips, winged eyeliner and dewy foundation. Starting to get into wearing false lashes but I'm not ready for the super dramatic ones (I'm a natural kinda gal.) I'm absolutely loving MAC Vegas Volt Lipstick at the moment, it's a nice bright summery coral. Seemed like a pretty big hit with some sleazy guy who tried to hit on me with the line " That lipstick looks good on you sexy." Uh, okay...thanks? That's NYC for ya! 

P.S. Will update with a picture of the actual products once my camera is up and ready. 

My Clarisonic Mia 2 is Here!

Hello everyone! First off I would like to apologize for my lack of posts over the week. I've been super stressed out studying for my AP English Composition Test that I had on Wednesday. Did anybody else take it, what did you think of it? Anyways, I'm so happy to finally get my Clarisonic in the mail! 

 The model I got was the Clarisonic Mia 2 in the color Coral, which is a limited edition color for spring. I've been wanting a Clarisonic for almost 5 years now (:O) but I never got one cause of the price of it. I convinced myself that it wasn't worth it for a glorified face brush, seriously $149 is overkill. After reading and watching literally hundreds of raving reviews on the Clarisonic Mia from bloggers and youtubers (all of whom have gorgeous skin) and seeing the state of my skin now I just broke down and purchased one. 

I can't stand my skin. I literally cringe every time I look in the mirror without foundation and concealer slapped on my face. It's scarred, uneven, acne-prone, my pores are large and clogged with flakey areas on my cheeks and around my nose. I'm a person that has and will spend tons money trying to find products that will help with ALL of my problems, only to end up in disappointment. I thought to myself, instead of trying every skincare product on the market maybe I should be changing the way I cleanse my face. It's a definite long-term investment for me, but I'm willing to pay anything for beautiful skin.

The kit comes with the Clarisonic Mia 2(obviously), a sensitive brush head, a pLink magnetic charger, protective travel case and a Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser (I will probably end up using my regular cleanser). Unlike the original Mia, the Mia 2 comes with two-speeds and a one-minute Pulsing T-Timer. If you're one of those who people don't care for these extra features or the travel case then you can get the orginal Mia for $119. I've used this once already and found the timer to be extremely helpful (cause I'm a Clarisonic noob! :P.)

This isn't a review post, but I'll do one eventually (not like we need another Clarisonic review) but it has to be helpful to someone right?! No? Maybe? Whatever, I'm still going to do one anyways. :P

A Few More MAC Lippies

If you guys couldn't tell already MAC lipsticks are my favorite lipsticks, because MAC has a huge selection of colors and different formulas and the price of them is about mid-range (in the U.S. at least.) With brands like Nars, Lancome and others being high-end and brands such as Chanel, Dior and Sisley being luxury brands. And then some of my favorite brands such as Revlon, Maybelline and NYX being low-end but definitely without skimping out on the quality of their products. 

MAC lipsticks retail for $14.50 in the U.S. 

Razzledazzler (lustre) was a limited edition color that came out with the Fashion Sets collection (the Asia part) but was only available online but is now sold out unfortunately. It's a beautiful peachy-orange color. I believe it is permanent in Asia.

Impassioned (amplified creme) is a bright watermelon pink, perfect for summer.

Lickable (cremesheen) is extremely similar to Girl About Town. Its a cool-toned fuchsia. I would say its the sheerer little sister of Girl About Town.

Last but not least is Girl About Town (amplified creme), another cool-toned fuchsia. I put off getting this as I thought it would be too cool-toned for me, but after seeing it on Melissa's Blog  (Bubbles, Glitters, Unicorns!) and seeing how beautiful it looked on her I just had to get it. I definitely would recommend following her blog cause it's great. :) 

P.S. I'm seriously debating whether or not I should get a Clarisonic, tired of the state of my skin and my constant battle with clogged pores (it's awful.) It definitely would be an investment, but I'm willing to try anything at this point. 

House of Harlow Jewelry Dupes

This post is going to be on House of Harlow dupes, copies, replicas, fakes; call it what you wish. Currently frustrated at how my pictures turned out (taking pictures of jewelry is no easy task) but after an hour or so you kind of throw in the towel. I got all of these from a wonderful place called eBay. :)

Left: Authentic  Right: Fake

First off is the dupe of the House of Harlow Gold Medallion Locket. I actually own the real necklace from House of Harlow (original post here) Obviously the fake one is bit flimsier than the real one, but not everyone can afford the real one. That's what dupes are for right? The magnets are a tad weaker and the chain is about 2 inches shorter, but still quite long. Would still recommend. I got this from this Ebay seller.

Next up are two dupes of the Double Star Burst Necklace. The smaller pendant actually moves up and down the chain, so you can wear the smaller one dangling down while wearing a low back top. These are pretty nice quality, my only grip about about these necklace are the lobster clasps. As you can see from the photo above it looks quite awkward when the smaller pendant is pushed all the on the other side of the chain. The authentic necklace doesn't actually come with a clasp at all, so know awkwardness there. Black one from this seller and the khaki one is from this seller. 

This one is another dupe of a Star Burst Necklace. This one is actually quite nice, doesn't feel too cheap. Pendant is quite big (2.2 inches across). Definitely a statement piece. Bought from this seller.

Last but not least is a dupe of the Starburst Ring. Another statement piece (measures 1.5 inches across.) No complaints about this one either. Bought from this seller. P.S. Would like to note that the seller claims that it is real leather and 22k plated gold which, obviously it is not.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them down below and I'll get to them as soon as I can. :)

FOTD #2

Face:

-Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation (Shade Petal)

-Benefit Erase Paste Concealer (undereye)

-Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer (face)

-Mineralize Skinfinish Natural to set foundation (shade light medium)

-Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink on cheeks

-Nars Laguna Bronzer

-Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter 

Eyes:

-Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

-Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara

-Black eyeshadow for eyeliner
-NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette

Lips:

-NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Strawberry Jam

I realized that I don't have too many pictures of myself on here, just a bit self-conscious (I'm a teenage girl, okay?!) but I'm just going to have to get over that won't I?  

Benefit Haul

Products look slightly darker than they are. (It was storming outside, therefore no good lighting)

Hello hello everyone! :D I'm here to show you a few Benefit goodies that I've gotten. Benefit has always been a brand that was always slightly out of my price range but I previously owned only 3 items from them. A few of these items have been on my wishlist for years now or ever since they were released. I only planned on getting the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation but I somehow ended up getting Erase Paste and The Porefessional primer as well. :/

Erase Paste ($26) has been a product I always wanted to try ever since I started wearing makeup about 4 and a half years ago, I just never picked it up for some reason. It's a peachy toned brightening concealer so it would be good for your undereyes. I wouldn't necessarily use it for my acne scarring cause it isn't the color of my skin. Benefit has also recently released a mini sized version of Erase Paste but it unfortunately only comes in the shade medium for some reason. 

The Porefessional ($29) is a primer that minimizes the look of your pores. I've actually tried a few samples of this before and I absolutely loved it and it definitely helps minimizes the look of your pores. It comes in a tube that doesn't really come with a lot of product (22.0 mL) luckily you only need a little to get the job done. Won't use this till I use up my other primers and samples though. 

The Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation ($34) has been pretty much raved about ever since it was released. Me, being foundation obsessed I just had to try it. I was also looking for a more lightweight foundation for the summer months. Not only does it come with a mouthful of a name, it also comes with a nice controllable pump as well. However I still love my MAC Studio Sculpt and will continue to use it, I just like trying new things. I got this in the shade Petal which is the second lightest shade. 

With my purchase I also got a deluxe sample of Watt's Up, a frosty champagne colored highlighter. Not sure if I would like this over my HG highlighter, Dior Amber Diamond but we'll see. :P 

The House of Harlow Medallion Locket Necklace

One of my favorite jewelry pieces I have ever owned has to be the House of Harlow Medallion Locket Necklace. It literally goes with any outfit I put together, from casual to the most dressy. Held on a long 36 inch chain is a aztec patterned locket that hangs just above my belly button. Most necklaces don't come on such long chains, but personally I love longer chains. The medallion itself has a good weight to it but the chain is actually quite sturdy despite how thin it looks. The necklace is 14kt gold plated. 

I really love the pieces from Nicole Richie's House of Harlow line, they have that boho-ish look to them. While some of her pieces are reasonably priced, others are pretty expensive. I got this from magnums.net  for $75, which is pretty steep for me at least. I had to talk myself into whether or not to buy this or not. My reasoning was that it would probably last a lot longer then say a necklace from Forever21 (don't get me wrong I love their jewelry as well!), would go with anything I wore and the fact that it was pretty sold out on every department store website I went to. Magnums sell authentic House of Harlow jewelry so don't worry about recieving a fake from them. Also if you sign up for their newsletter you will recieve a $10 off coupon code. 

I'll also be doing a post on some dupes or fakes of House of Harlow jewelry that I found on eBay so look out for that post soon. I would like to note about the eBay sellers that are probably selling fakes that are trying to pass them off as authentic House of Harlow, please do not buy from them unless you are 100% sure they are real. Will be featuring this necklace in outfit of the day posts in the future. :) 

Project 10 Pan Update

I've been a very bad girl and have not been sticking to my Project 10 Pan like I should have. (I told you I was going to keep buying!) I have used up 2 products however and I thought I would share my thoughts on them.

1. The Hearty Lab Happy Seven Soy Bean Moisturizer, it's from a Japanese brand and that's pretty much all I can tell you cause the packaging is almost all in Japanese. It's more suitable for normal-dry skin, sinks in quickly and leaves the skin moisturized but not sticky and didn't make my oily parts more oily.

Would I repurchase? Definitely. I really enjoyed this product, but isn't readily available unfortunately.

2. The Gap Sugar Snap Body Lotion is a pretty nice moisturizer. It left my skin soft and moisturized and it has a pleasant sent to it. 

Would I repurchase? No, simply cause it didn't wow me and I have other lotions I need to use up. 

I'm going to stick to this Project 10 Pan though and try to finish using up the products much to my dismay. :/

April Favorites

It's that time of the month again where everyone posts they're April favorites. I've been trying out a lot of products lately but I don't think I've been using them long enough to be included in a monthly favorites just quite yet.

1 & 2. Cargo Coral Beach and Sunset Beach Blush. I've been using these a lot over the past month as it's been getting warmer and I want more of a bronzey look to my cheeks. It's a perfect mix between a blush and bronzer.

3. One 'N Only Argan Oil Treatment has been an absolute miracle product for me. I've been using it everyday and it has done wonders for my hair. I've already done a review here.

4. NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette. The few months I've really been getting into filling in my eyebrows, it really makes a difference to your face. I really like this product, it's natural looking and affordable.

The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams and Xtreme Lip creams are absolutely wonderful lip products. The ones I've been using the most out of the ones I got are Antwerp, San Paulo and Strawberry Jam. They're just wonderfully bright summer colors that really brighten up your face. Swatches here.

Not but not least are my Real Techniques Brushes. (They're dirty cause I've obviously been using them.) I honestly don't know how I did my makeup before getting these. I was using cheap rough, scratchy brushes before, which were okay but nothing compared to these. I've also done a review of them here.

I've been pretty busy the past week, taking mid-terms and such but I've been taking photos just haven't had the time to put them in a post so I'll be doing that this weekend. Also going to start doing outfit of the day and more face of the day posts just haven't had the time and also been a little lazy. :P

Me, Charlie & the Fox

I was recently browsing on etsy when I came across this seller while looking for a floral makeup bag. How cute are the prints on these bags?! Each bag is hand printed and sewn with love. :)

I would also like to add  that I used my own money to buy this and it was my own decision to do this post cause I absolutely love my new makeup bag and felt like it deserved it's own post.

It came wrapped in black tissue paper, held together with a little cat sticker that, I am assuming, she drew herself and two business cards that I am also assuming she drew herself. Attentions to details like this is one of the reasons why I love supporting small business owners.

The bag itself is very sturdy and well made, but most importantly it's is hands down the most beautiful bag I've ever seen. The bag I got is the owl illustration floral makeup bag in the size large. Every girl needs a bit of floral print in their lives and paired with an owl, how much better can it get? Surprisingly it holds a ton of makeup, more than one would expect. Will be doing a what's in my makeup bag post in the future.

P.S. Did I mention I love this bag? I think I did. 

NOTD: Sinful Colors Island Coral

Walgreens is currently having a deal on their Sinful Color nail polishes, instead of being the usual $2, they are now $1. Island Coral is one of the three that I picked up. It isn't actually what I would describe as a coral it is a lot more on the pink side, more of a warm bright pink actually. The formula of this one is a bit thin and needs a good three coats for full opacity. A beautiful color for spring and summer.

Review: One 'N Only Argan Oil Treatment

 

I've been using this product for about 2 and half weeks now and I thought I would share my thoughts on it. It is available at Ulta and at Sally's Beauty Supply for $11.99 for 100ml of product. What it claims:

"Argan Oil Treatment is a non-greasy, alcohol-free formula that is absorbed instantly into the hair, creating brilliant shine without leaving any oily residue. Smoothes the cuticle for silky, conditioned and healthy-looking hair. Helps protect again against damage cause by chemicals, excessive heat from styling and environmental factors. Eliminates frizz."

This has been an absolute miracle product for me. I don't know how I went so long without a bottle of this stuff. People have been raving about the wonders of Argan Oil for a while now, but it was a bit out of my price range so when I saw this product on the Ulta website I thought it would be a good cheaper alternative.  Here's a little background on my hair, it's waist-length and dyed, neither too thick nor too thin with damaged ends. I use about a quarter-sized amount on my hair, concentrating most of it on the bottom-half of my hair and the ends, then applying the little that's left on my hands onto the top-half of my hair. If you have shorter hair then you would need even less, using too much can make your hair look greasy. The first day I used this I kept feeling the ends of my hair cause I was amazed at how soft they felt. One of my friends even told me that my hair looked better and had more shine. My ends feel genuinely healthier and more conditioned ever since I've been using it. Before I was using the Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream, which was okay but I needed something even more conditioning. 

The product actually isn't 100% pure Argan oil there's also a few silicones in there, otherwise it would cost about a zillion dollars. That doesn't take away from the amazing effects that it has done for my hair. The scent of this is also amazing, it's kind of nutty and a bit floraly, but it fades after a few minutes. I would completely 100% recommend this product to anyone and everyone that is looking for a conditioning product without wanting to spend too much money on it. 

Favorites: Cream Eyeshadow

As you guys may or may not already know I'm a huge fan of cream eyeshadow. They're great for a quick wash of color on the lid or applying on the go since you don't need a brush to apply them. You can also use a darker color for the outer corners as well or as a base for your eyeshadow. What I look for in a cream eyeshadow is one that is creamy and easy to apply without too much tugging on the lids, pigmented, so it doesn't require too much layering and long-lasting without creasing. I also have fairly oily lids.

First up are the Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow. I've been using these for the past 2 weeks now and I find the formula to be pretty similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoos. They're creamy and pigmented and last about 8-9 hours on me, without primer, before it starts to look a bit creased and faded. It usually isn't a problem since I carry my cream eyeshadow with me. The best thing about these is the price, they're only 3 dollars for 5.5g of product. These are available at Ulta in the U.S., now I only wish they carried the whole range of colors since they're all beautfiul.

The Maybelline Color Tattoos ($6-7 for 4g of product) have been raved about ever since they've come out to drugstores. Like the Essence cream eyeshadows, they're also creamy and pigmented, lasts 8-9 hours on me, without any primer. I find Bad to the Bronze is similar to Essence Coppy Right in color, Coppy Right is slightly lighter and warmer though. I think Maybelline should come out with more wearable colors as I'm not a very big fan of brights.

My first ever cream eyeshadaw is the MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study that I got 4 and a half years ago and is still creamy. These are the most expensive of the bunch at $17.50 for 5g of product, but they're worth every penny. Of the three, MAC's Paint Pots have the widest range of colors. These are also creamy and pigmented and last about 7-8 hours on me, without primer.

With a good eyeshadow primer I'm sure all of these will last even longer than they already do. I'd also like to add that I've also tried the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils, which are okay I find that they do crease on me so I have to use a primer and set with shadow and I just don't always have time to do that in the morning.