playing catch up 10/14/09

Things I have been loving lately:

Rimmel 60 Second Vinyl Shine nail polish in 874 Zenith. I've had this baby for YEARS...I can't remember when I got it, but it's been hiding out in my neglected nail polish stash. I have so many new ones to try that sometimes I forget about old favorites...does that ever happen to you?? Anyway I'm glad I rediscovered it!

Two coats on my toes. I really like this purple polish; at some angles you can see a cool blue tinge.

It was ok, but then I decided to up the ante and add a layer of the holographic top coat that I have yet to try. Suddenly my toes were blinged out and dazzling! Too bad this bad photo doesn't do it justice...in the sunlight it sparkles wayyyyy more

Picked up this EOS lip balm sphere from Rite Aid last week. Isn't it adorable?? This one is Honeydew Honeysuckle flavor. Smells so good! It reminds me of those Korean melon bars...mmm.. :)

SIGH....too bad the quality of the cuteness doesn't extend to the product itself. The actual lip balm isn't very moisturizing, rubs off quickly, and isn't emollient enough to spread on the lips easily. So sad! I wanted this balm to work for me. Now, I'm mostly using it because I like it the way I would like a toy: fun to play with but not practical.

BUT I did get some Thrifty ice cream while at Rite Aid! Black Cherry flavor :) I love Rite Aid ice cream, it's so cheap but yummy at the same time! And the shape is kind of cool

One of my roomies brought back this box of chocolates from Switzerland. OMG they were the best truffles I have ever tasted! I wish American chocolate could taste like this :(

And look at this beautiful tin box! A nice departure from those paper See's Candies boxes, eh?

The same roomie also got these bags of colorful little pellets that turn into those tapioca-like spheres when soaked in water for 4 hours. They're supposed to be used for decoration, but I have been tempted so many times to eat them! Don't you wish boba could look these colors??

Random picture. Find Gracie! :)

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Something I have NOT been liking lately:

Sephora by OPI matte nail polish in Domestic Goddess. I bought this in hopes of getting a pretty purple matte. Instead, what I got was chalky ugliness. I was so disappointed! I took this one off first chance I got. It doesn't look too bad in this picture, but in real life, it was bad enough for the boy to ask me what I was wearing on my fingers. And he usually doesn't notice my nail color unless it's super pretty or super ugly. This time it was the latter. I'll be sticking to Zoya for matte polishes from now on. I realized that I don't like OPI's mattes. Just personal preference I guess

If you're looking for me....

.....I'm with the girls on the dance floor~ (love that Far East Movement song!)

Random post: Before I went back to school my older girl cousins decided to take me out for a girls' night at the club...Now I am not a clubbing kind of girl in any way...since I turned 21 I've only been to the club 3 times, twice in Vegas and the third time is with my cousins. Before THAT, I went once, with some friends for a dance-off event. So when I go out, I usually depend on the other girls that I'm with to show me the ropes!

My cousin did my hair and make up and lent me this dress...I used my favorite studded bracelet

Of course we HAD to grub before heading off! This Thai place in San Jose was bombs, I forgot what it was called though. Good food, cheap prices, my type of place! Oh and boba of course :)

Bar area @ Pearl Nightclub

With my lovely cousins!

My cousin took this cool picture in our lounge area....the lights in the club were constantly changing color. This picture reminds me of The Hulk haha

Although I don't club much, I love to DANCE when given the chance!!!

They love me :)

I wish I could recreate the messy bedhead look that my cousin gave me that night....unfortunately I suck at doing hair :(

Zoya polish in Posh

Recently got on the matte nails scene with Zoya polish in Posh and Dovima. I tried Posh first, because the swatches of it that I saw on other blogs made me really intrigued. Just like others have said, these matte polishes dry FAST. You have to work quickly and accurately. I tried to get enough polish on the brush to cover one entire nail before moving on to the next. By the time I was on my third finger, the first one had already dried. Still, I am LOVING this polish!! The color is soooo classy and the matte finish is definitely different from the shiny polishes I usually have on. I am liking matte so much that yesterday I got the Sephora by OPI matte polish in Domestic Goddess (purple). Still have to try that and Dovima! I was planning on taking off Posh after 2 days and trying on Dovima because of how other people were saying that the wear of the polish is weak, but surprisingly, after 5 days of wear, there are barely any chips on my nails. The only real difference is that the matte finish is a little less so, probably due to the natural oils in my hands, shampooing, and dishwashing. Otherwise, so far so good!

This is a picture from the first day of wearing it, with two coats, no base/top coat (not allowed when you're wearing matte polishes!!)

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On another note, my roommate got a puppy recently. She's so cute!!! Her name is Gracie and she's a Yorkshire terrier, I think. She's tiny but deceivingly energetic. Meet Gracie! :)


She's smiling!! :D

Playing with her favorite toy~

Happy Monday, everyone!

Brown Smokey Eyes

Here's a look I did for a night out with my girls. I made my eyes the main focus and kept the rest of the face pretty bare, with a light gloss and some bronzer/highlighter. I'm not a very experimental person when it comes to my eyeshadow (instead, I venture outside of my comfort zone with lip and blush color); I tend to stick with browns and greys, but hopefully that will change the more I blog! For now, here's a little something something ;)

I started by moisturizing my face with Philosophy Hope in a Jar (my new favorite!), priming with Make Up For Ever HD Primer, and concealing small spots with Laura Mercier Undercover Pot number 2

Although I love this MUFE lavendar primer, I find that it works best with my skin in the winter, when I'm a little paler so my face matches the rest of my body. However, there's no denying that it does its job of brightening my skin!

Used my favorite powder foundation, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 in Real Sand, then set everything with Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic 01

Prime eyes with Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, then put on Paul and Joe Eye Gloss in 05 on the eyelid, just up to the crease, then blend well

I used Dior 2-Colour Eyeshadow in 565 Nude Look this time. It includes a matte reddish-brown and a beige golden shimmer

Put on eyeshadow just up to the crease, then blend blend blend, concentrating on the outer corners. Keep repeating and building up color until it's the shade that you desire

Tightline and line eyes with MUFE Aqua Eyes liner in 0L

Using black liquid liner, draw a slightly winged line, flicking it up gently at the end. Not going for a cat eye here, just very subtle slant

This is what it looked like for me. You could continue adding more of the matte brown shadow if you want to go darker. I also used the shimmery shade on the inner corner of my eye and also on the browbone

Time for falsies! I used Revlon Fantasy Lengths in 91002 Intensifying. Cut to fit your eye length, then follow the directions included in the box to put them on :)

I'm actually a newbie at the whole false lash thing, so it took me a while to get this part right :x

Curl lashes to make your real lashes blend in with the falsies, apply a layer of mascara (I used Diorshow Iconic Extreme Waterproof), then darkened my brows with Bare Escentuals brow powder in Brunette. I also lined my bottom lash line with brown pencil, used the brown shadow to smoke it out, and used the shimmery shade to line the inner bottom lash line and dabbed some on the inner corner of my eye (not pictured here)

Contoured with Dior bronzer in 001 Healthy Tan, highlighted with Mac Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle, and made my lips shiny with NARS lipgloss in Orgasm

Ta-da! (again :P)

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Now, for the outfit!

Sequined top from H&M

Belt from....I don't remember where

Studded leather cuff and leggings from Forever 21 (LOVE that cuff!)

Heels from BCBG

Full outfit in front of my parents' (kinda dirty) mirror again. Mostly black with a pop of white and plenty of gold, haha

That's it! :)

NARS Lipstick in Fast Ride

While I love summer and its fun, endless opportunities, my favorite season is actually winter. With the fall already here, winter is just around the corner. I love autumn and winter because of the prospect of a new school year and the holidays. I also love autumn and winter make up and fashion much more than the floral, less-is-more mentality of spring and summer. This time of year is all about the mixture of classiness/edginess with plenty of pea coats and motorcycle jackets, scarves and gloves, plaid and black rocker chic, to name a few . These things pair perfectly with darker, more dramatic looks, which I tend to be drawn to.

And so I present to you my first transition into this season, with a NARS lipstick in Fast Ride from their newest collection. This is described as a sheer mulberry, and sheer it is! Although it looks kinda scary in the tube, one swatch on my hand was enough to confirm that this is actually a very wearable, buildable color. I had to really layer it on to get the desired, dark lip look that I was going for. This lipstick is foolproof! One swipe will give you a pretty natural, stained lip sort of look, while a few more layers will make the color more prominent (but still not as dark as the tube would have you believe)

The close ups are not that great, since the smooth surface of the lipstick has been broken thanks to my constant swatching :x

Here are some pictures of me wearing it. Again, not the best quality since these were taken after a long day of work, at night, without natural lighting.

No flash

With flash. I like how it pairs up nicely with my nail polish! haha :) Very classy (although I plan to wear this with more edgy clothing)

If you're looking for a versatile lipstick for this season, NARS Fast Ride may be it!