About Me

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California, United States
Hi! Thanks for visiting ^_^ My social media platforms: Instagram: meowmier Youtube: http://goo.gl/U5SnNM (formerly under the username francesvlogs but I don't have access to that anymore). I don't really do videos anymore simply because I think blog posts are more informative. Hope you enjoyed your time here! :)

Sunday, August 7, 2011

New hair, some randomness, and MIA!!

Hey guys ^_^

I'm sorry for this past month I really haven't been keeping up with updates and everything -__-  It's been a really busy month. As some of you know, I am moving to MD for pharmacy school, and I'm gonna start moving next week! I will be driving from CO to MD (I have two friends driving with me, no worries =D learning to use GPS and walkie talkie and all that fancy high-tech stuff XD got new tires and had my oil changed and my car inspected and everything ^_^ ) and we're going to do it over three days. After that, I probably will be really busy moving in and settling down (so nervous >_<). Also my orientation is starting like right after I arrive MD (mid-August).

So I just wanted to let you guys know that I will be absent for a while =) hopefully not too long. I heard pharmacy schools are crazy and you basically have no life because you're just having exams every single week... and I have no doubt about that.  I really hope I will still be able to find time to blog, cuz I'd be so sad if I had to give up blogging T_T

And I got my hair done today ^_^ So I made a video to talk about it :)

LOL I have something under my eye I know XD Didn't see it cuz I didn't check a mirror before I filmed lol. And yes you can tell I have a pimple on my face XD breaking out a little from stress and bad sleeping schedules =( And by the way although I'm happy with my hairdo at Planet Laboratories, I still prefer Toni & Guy's.


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Here's camho pic for your enjoyment (?!?!?!?!?!?!!!) XD In case you miss my face (kicks fly myself XD)This was before I got my hair done lol.

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This is the picture I brought with me to the salon

Yesterday I went up to Boulder with a friend to visit the campus one last time (yes that's where I did my undergrad lol!) And messed around on the grass XD
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Hahahaha I still got it!!! woohoo! LOL yeah I used to dance.... this freeze is more about balance than strength though =P

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Hahaha I'm old.... -__-
The grass is so green and it was so nice out! I'm gonna miss the grassy fields and my dance buddy T_T (whose picture I'm not gonna show cuz she was wearing shorts *wink wink*)

So until I'm back again, I hope everybody stay well, be safe, be healthy, and be happy ^_^
And I hope my road trip will go very smoothly =D

<3 Frances

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Aveda Products Overview

Hi guys! As promised, here's a review for all the Aveda products I own!

Since I have A LOT of Aveda products, I'm going to keep the reviews as short and concise as possible. Most of the products I have used for a length of time so I'm very certain about my opinion ^_^

Base Oil
- Honestly I don't really use oils so I can't tell between good or bad ones
- I put it in my bath water. Didn't notice if my skin becomes any softer in particular, but the scent is relaxing
- Have tried applying it at the ends of my hair and didn't notice any difference either
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Aveda Lip Saver
- I like it has SPF 15
- Good lip product! Likey likey ^_^ but for the price I think you can find cheaper alternatives that work just as well. I consider this a splurge item XD
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Aveda Foot Relief
- I like ^_^ improves the texture of my skin and makes my feet softer and appear less old lol!
- Has a minty scent
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I'm actually running low on this product O_O have been quite a while since I snapped this picture lol

Aveda Hand Relief
- I LOVE!! Really really saved my dry, lined, withered hands XD One thing I noticed in particular about Aveda body care products is that they all improve the texture of my skin very noticeably ^_^ 
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Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion
- I love ^_^ Use this on a daily basis on the crown of my head
- Be careful NOT TO SHAKE this product!!! Try to just squeeze it out. I know in the video I was shaking it to sprinkle it onto my hair, I was doing it wrong. You should just squeeze it and it will blow out.
- It is activated by heat and liquifies. It's really light on my hair :) 
- If you have long layers, it doesn't hold up volume that well
- If you live under humid climate, it doesn't work that well either.
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Aveda Pure Abundance Volumizing Shampoo and Clay Conditioner
- I love these! But I can say for sure not everyone will appreciate this shampoo/ conditioner (I know for a fact that a lot of ppl don't like it)
- First time using the shampoo I wasn't sure about it because my hair felt tangled kind of like when you've shampooed your hair twice? But this shampoo doesn't dry out my hair. In fact, first thing I noticed was how shiny and soft my hair looked after
- the shampoo must be used in conjunction with some kind of conditioner, or else your hair might be tangled
- I like the conditioner as well! It's very rich and creamy and doesn't weigh my hair down ^_^
- Didn't see an increase in volume in particular, but I just love these XD
- At first wasn't sure about the aroma (very natural and organic smelling) but after a while I found the aroma very relaxing ^_^ 
- Hair feels super clean after ^_^ love love love! 
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Ingredients of the shampoo
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Ingredients of the conditioner
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Aveda Color Conserve (Asian formula)
- My cousins got this for me while I was in Taiwan cuz they thought Asian formula would work well for Asian hair. To be honest I'm really not crazy about this product @@ I don't find it enhances my hair color or protects the color in particular, and I don't like the feeling after using it as much as the pure abundance shampoo. Never used the US formula so can't say if it holds true for that. 
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Aveda Replenishing Body Moisturizer
- I like it ^_^ Hydrates and improves my skin texture. This is supposed to be a heavier formula but I don't find it greasy or anything.
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I'm actually out of this product T_T so I bought the rosemary mint body lotion just to try something new

Rosemary Mint Body Lotion
- I think it's okay, it's supposed to be a lighter formula. I like the replenishing one better
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Inner Light Concealer (see video to see it in action!)
- Doesn't cake or accentuate my fine lines under my eyes
- Not enough coverage....
- Actually ended up returning it
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Inner Light Mineral Tinted Moisturizer (see video to see it in action!)
- Good coverage (almost feels like a light foundation) However you have to blend it for it to have coverage. You cannot pat this on to build coverage, you have to blend it.
- Texture is a little bit sticky????
- Really dewy finish. Too dewy for me (but it looks fine after setting with powder)
- Definitely NOT for oily skin. I have normal-oily skin and it doesn't work for me.
- My main problem is that this tinted moisturizer doesn't hold up on my face because I do have some oil going on on my face. It cakes up and I look really oily at the end of the day. Really do not believe it's an ideal product for the summer .
- Returned this as well.
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Aveda Mineral Loose Powder (Translucent) (see video to see it in action!)
- Gets what the foundation doesn't; provide buildable coverage
- Wears well over the day
- Has fine glitter particles that doesn't show. Gives semi-matte finish
- Doesn't cake and can be used to blot oily face, but your makeup will look a bit heavier.
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See the fine little glitters?
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Not let's see how this powder can be used to blot oily face without caking up. Here's my oily oily shiny nose after more than 8 hours of wear XD

Take 1. By the way I took the pics with macro mode again. Hello blackheads XD 
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Take 2. EW
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After applying the loose powder:
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Makeup appears slightly heavier, but it didn't cake!! =DDDDD
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It's pretty good isn't it? Impressed with this powder ^_^

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Skin Firming/ Toning Agent
- Okay this is the only product that I've only used a couple times so I can't really say anything about it. My MAC Fix+ REFUSES to be used up -__- it's been extremely low for the longest time still I haven't been able to use it up XD
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Aveda Air Control Hair Spray (see video to see it in action!)
- Really light, not sticky
- It's a nice texturizing product, but I found this hair spray doesn't really hold volume
- Not designed to hold hair styles! If you're looking to hold curls, definitely do not use this!
- I don't like the smell
- Doesn't irritate my face
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As usual... I LIED when I said the review's gonna be short. =_=|||


That's all! I hope it wasn't too long and you found the information helpful. If I have to recommend products from Aveda, definitely try their body care ^_^ I like the hand cream and foot cream a lot. I also really like the pure abundance hair potion and it's something I will definitely repurchase =D

Thanks for reading ^_^

<3 Frances

Friday, August 5, 2011

Dolly Wink No.2 Gray Pink Eye Shadow Palette Review

Hey guys!

This is a way overdue post 囧! Cuz I bought this like earlier this year? But I just never got around to review this and the No.1 Palette... cuz... honestly... I wasn't super impressed with them (囧 x 2!!) So I wasn't that excited to write a review on it... (Tsubasa fans please don't kill me >_<)  but since I decided to use this palette today, might as well :P This is probably only the third time I used it @_@

As usual, let's take a look at the packaging cuz you all know Dolly Wink has the most adorable packaging!
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Inside
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The palette itself is small, which I like ^_^ doesn't take up much space is always a bonus!
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The swatches look pretty good on my hands. My main disappointment is the pink eye shadow, which in my opinion is the life and soul of this palette. Unfortunately, I found the pink eye shadow to be the least pigmented, and it just doesn't translate that well on my skin (maybe it's my skin tone). I have to use a wet brush to apply the pink shade to get the intensity I want. The greys and the black are also not as intense when applied on my eyes.

And I guess a lot of it is I compare the eye shadow performance with my high-end eye shadows (like Lancome) so I guess I'm not really being fair. I want to say it is a very good quality palette for a drugstore product (but then again quite expensive for drugstore as well), but it just doesn't match up with high-end ones. Also I am not too fond of the texture of the eye shadow????? I can't describe it but I do prefer certain textures when it comes to eye shadows. I just don't like the feel of these as well.


I don't usually wear lower lashes on a regular basis so I just did my regular eyeliner routine. The pink eye shadow looks weird on its own if I don't wear bottom lashes or eyeliner.
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You can see the dark grey didn't show up too well. And I did use a wet brush to apply the pink shade to build up the intensity.
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Hm I really don't have that much to say so I guess that's it? I love the color scheme of this palette but I wish the pink one is more pigmented.

That's all I have ^_^


Thanks for reading ^_~

<3 Frances