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! :)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Weight loss.... at goal =D

Hi guys ^_^

I'm so happy to write this post XD because after about 9 months... I'm finally happy with my weight =DDDD

Let's look at my weight loss progress again shall me? XD

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LOL I CRINGE.

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This was when I lost about 5 kg (11lb)

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I was so frustrated for the longest time... I was at 51kg and unable to breakthrough for about 4 months. No matter how diligent I was with working out, how careful I was with eating healthily, I was at a plateau.  My initial goal was just 50kg, so being stuck at 51kg was excruciatingly frustrating.



Somehow I started losing weight after I returned to the US O_o I wasn't even working out (hahah kind of stopped working out since returning to Taiwan for the summer cuz it was SO hot... every time I worked out I felt like I was gonna have a heatstroke), but then I started noticing the the needle on the scale moving to the left XD I realized it was because I was eating much much less than I used to... at that time simply because I didn't feel all that hungry and only ate when I was hungry, and stopped as soon as I felt full.

So being highly encouraged =D I started working out/dieting again, but this time, focusing on dieting instead of working out.

And now I'm 48kg (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦) (≧▽≦)
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Hahahah the scale says 47.5kg... but I consider myself 48kg because that's my normal/consistent weight (how much I weigh during the day/at night... as opposed to how much I weigh in the morning). I'm SO happy now!! I haven't seen myself below 50kg in years!!!!!!!  

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Honestly this picture doesn't look too different from the one I took in April but I lost about 3kg since (3kg=6.6lb). Not that obvious in pictures but definitely visible in person =D I've had A LOT of my friends coming up to me telling me I've become so thin/skinny XDXDXDXD hahah you can tell I'm totally ecstatic XD what you guys don't know is that the word "thin" or "skinny" has never been said to me my entire life (although right now I still wouldn't call myself skinny haha cuz I'm not). It's true I've never been too big or fat but I've never been the skinny one.  My physique is just naturally more plump (that combined with the fact I'm short T^T) and I've always been the one being made fun of at family reunions... like "Been eating well huh?" or "Getting kind of chubby here aren't we?" "Wahh dude what have you been eating in America?!" I know my relatives don't say it in a mean way (it's just the way the Taiwanese culture is... ppl can call you fat without meaning to offend/insult you). So yeah, this is probably the only time in my life I've heard me being described as thin XD Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *happy dance*

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LOL oh gawd. I LE CHUBBY. You guys can tell my face has slimmed down right?!?!! =DDDD

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My arms are still fat... but ACTUALLY they are already better than before xD Nothing I can do about my arms it's just the way my body was built *shrugs* chubby arms for life TvT lol!!!

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Ladies and gentlemen (?)!! As of this month I finally fit into my smallest jeans from Guess =D HELL YESSSSS  *gives self a big pat on the back*


So if you're curious how much weight I've lost since I started trying... I initially weighed about 56kg (123.2lb) (I'm not sure about this number though because I weighed myself last winter break before I went off to Boston... and I might have gained even more after that because I gorged myself like there's no tomorrow while I was there -.-|||),  and now I weigh about 48kg (about 105.6lb), so
I lost a total of 8kg (17.6lb) 

=DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I'm very happy with my weight now, and I'm not planning to lose more. I'm just gonna try really really REALLY hard to maintain it. Since winter is coming it will be a bit more difficult cuz I always have the urge to stuff my face when it gets cold -.-"


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Happy for a slimmer face XD although I still have double chin. Which has vastly improved actually cuz I really don't notice it as much as I used to.

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That's all I'm sharing today =D  GOOD LUCK to all the ppl who are trying to lose weight!!!!!! DON'T GIVE UP. Stay focused. YOU CAN DO IT. You have to work for it, cuz I definitely worked really hard for my results, but it's well worth it. I feel so much more confident and happy and healthy now =D

If it helps anyone... I was inspired by Julia from MissChievous.



I was amazed by her transformation. I don't know why, but her weight loss experience just spoke to me more than any other weight loss videos out there. I think it's because her results are amazing, but at the same time really believable, if that makes any sense?


Hope you guys have a lovely day! My university was shut down for the day cuz of the hurricane... so I'm wrapping myself comfortably in a blanket now hehehe.

<3 Frances

Monday, October 22, 2012

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation Review + Argan Oil+ Argan Daily Moisturizer (sunscreen)

Hi guys!

/__\ I think I bombed my exam this morning. Bleh. So instead of studying I felt like taking a break /__\  (actually waiting for my coffee to kick in XD)

So I thought why not come here to do a review XD I've had these products forever (since the beginning of this year lol!) and have wanted to do a review on them but never got around to it XD (yeah... I'm the easily distracted type.. like "I see new products O_O++++"-then-completely-forget-about-old-products type of easily distracted XD

Anyway! Let's just get into it shall we?

I got interested in Josie Maran products because of the organic (not all ingredients are organic... some are just natural) nature of the products and philosophy of natural makeup. All of her makeup are supposed to be natural and cruelty-free.

Let's talk about the foundation first!

Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation
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Actually... I'm pretty shocked I still have the original boxes for these products -_- I think I saved them knowing I'd be doing a review on them. I thought I recycled them after all this time but somehow they're still in my "bag of boxes" XD gawd I'm such a hoarder.

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It's marketed as "instant self-adjusting" foundation.

There are only 3 shades available for this foundation. Please be careful when you're selecting your shade!

On Sephora's website, the shades are described as...

"- Fair/Light- for the fairest porcelain skin with pink undertones to light skin with pink undertones.
- Light/Medium- for the lightest skin with yellow-olive undertones to medium skin with yellow-olive undertones.
- Meidum/Dark- for medium tan skin all the way to the deepest skin tones"

When I was ordering mine on the Sephora website (never saw the product in person before I bought it), I originally was gonna go for light/medium because that's what I usually go for in any foundations. However after reading through the reviews I saw that a lot of buyers warned that the light/medium shade is a lot darker/orange, and that you should go a shade up when purchasing. So I did and ended up purchasing my shade in "fair/light."


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By the way, as indicated, *=organic, **= natural.
(I'm kind of curious... what is "natural" water??)

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I've only tried one other "serum" foundation in my life, and it was the Dior Capture Totale High Definition Foundation
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*image credit goes to Sephora.com

Which by the way is completely different from the Josie Maran Serum Foundation. The Dior foundation you can actually see the rich serum mixed in with the foundation when it is settled, so you do have to shake it up to make sure the foundation and the serum are well mixed before application. Whereas the Josie Maran one is just like a normal consistency (when I said normal, it's not normal in the sense that it's like any other liquid foundation, because it's not. I just meant you can't really tell there's serum in the foundation).

Anyway I didn't really have a good experience with the Dior serum foundation. The Dior foundation gives supreme coverage, I love the initial finish of that foundation, but it just does NOT hold up on my skin. In fact, the Dior serum foundation kind of breaks down on my face at the end of the day you'd actually see patches of foundation on my face.... NOT GOOD (and it's not just my oily areas too... it's on my cheeks too). So I'd say Capture Totale is probably better for ppl with dry skin or from a higher age group.

Another thing I want to mention is that the concept of this Josie Maran foundation reminds me of Origin's VitaZing tinted moisturizer, because they both contain pigments that burst and give color upon application.
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*image credit goes to Sephora.com

VitaZing is more like a tinted moisturizer so its coverage is really really sheer, definitely not enough to even out my skin tone. Plus VitaZing pigments break down to a weird brown color on me?! So I can't really wear VitaZing alone.

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So yeah definitely can't wear VitaZing alone.



Okay enough on the side notes. Now really gonna get into the foundation itself XD

I heard some ppl complain that this foundation smells like chemicals to them, but I didn't feel like it smells like chemicals?!?!? It actually kind of smells like nuts to me??!!!???? XD  I actually don't find the smell unpleasant at all XD in fact... I kind of like how "natural" it smells... XD and it dissipates pretty quickly anyway.
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You can see the consistency is more "solid"... it's not thin or runny in anyway.

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Ooooooh the color change!!!!

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Half face application. My complexion look so red lately because I haven't been getting enough/sleeping at crazy hours... =/

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It covers the black heads decently (you can still kind of see the bumpy texture of the blackheads). It really doesn't do much to help with dark circles though.

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It's a semi-matte finish but there's still a glow to it.

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Full face effect. It makes me look a bit paler and on the "white" side.

After about 9 hours.
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From afar it doesn't look too bad (but then again nothing looks too bad from afar XD)

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Dun dun dun close up O_o you can see the foundation has faded where the oils break through. And my blackheads have come up for air XD


So ummm general thoughts on this foundation? I feel like this is a very high maintenance foundation..... if my skin is in any condition less than perfect then it wouldn't look good at all -_-" Definitely avoid if you have patchy skin, because it's the kind of foundation you have to really buff in to break down the pigments and distribute the color... and any buffing is just not good for flaky skin. Wouldn't recommend it for oily skin either cuz oils break through this foundation quite easily (unless you use a primer of course). I have combination skin I can deal with it but I wouldn't wear it out for more than 5 or 6 hours (prob 7 hours max because then it really starts to fade)-- definitely not the best for combination. This probably is most ideal for dry/normal skin (even with argan oil as one of the ingredients I don't feel like it's particularly nourishing/hydrating either).

Another thing I want to add is that this foundation is not very buildable. When you apply your first layer you want to wait a minute or two for it to settle, because it kind of thickens up a little when it sets, so that gives a bit more coverage. So you want to wait a bit and see if it gives you enough coverage before you decide how much you want to use. However if I don't use enough at a go and want to go in with a second layer in certain areas, I found that the foundation that's already settled is kind of too thick to blend in with the newly applied foundation if that makes sense? Making the new application kind of streaky and clumpy. So for this foundation I never try to build it up, I always only use one layer (I can't use too much either because the more I use the more apparent it is when it breaks down on me).

One last thing I want to complain-- the pump for this foundation sucks. The same goes to the sunscreen. It's the "all or nothing" kind of pump-- you either get a squirt at a go or you don't get anything, unless you go very slowly and carefully. Really dislike the pump.


So yeah despite the fact it's a natural product, I won't be repurchasing.


Whew, that was a lot said with the foundation. Now moving on to the argan oil!

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I don't think it feels oily but I made my brother use it on his very dry hands and he said it was so greasy XD so yeah it really depends on your skin type/preference.

I was hoping using the argan oil will replenish my skin's oil levels or hydration level or whatever so it would stop going crazy with producing oils. Sadly that did not work. Aside from the fact it is pretty nice to mix with my normal moisturizers for that added richness, I don't feel like the argan oil has benefited my skin much. However, I do love it for my hair XD I only use it at the ends and 3 drops at most, and it detangles my hair very nicely without making it greasy or weighed down in anyway. But honestly normally I won't splurge on a product like this just to condition my hair. So when I run out... it's whatever. lol.


Lastly, I have the Argan Daily Moisturizer
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Why is it called a moisturizer is a myth to me because this is supposed to be a sunscreen?? But let's just say I've tried to use it as a daytime moisturizer on its own and it's just NOT enough (not in fall/winter anyway). However I love to mix this with my daytime moisturizers! (I don't like to apply moisturizer and then another layer of sunscreen... that's just too much for me). By the way if you have combination skin like me, definitely don't use this for the summer-- it makes my skin noticeably more greasy. So in the summer I had to opt for something else. But I do love this for fall/winter. By the way it smells like cough syrup to me... which really bugged me at first but now I'm used to it. I will be repurchasing this ^_^


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Don't mind the little dent on the back of my hand. I was pressing the pump hard against my hand cuz I wanted to make sure I didn't squirt out a ton of product XD I don't have much of this sunscreen left Q_Q
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It does leave a sheen... but it doesn't look too greasy. More like a shine. Depending on how you look at it, really.


Last note-- I have used all three products at the same time on my face, and no they don't interfere with each other at all. (:

Okay, that's it for my super long Josie Maran products review XD Hope some of you found it helpful!

This review took longer to write than expected -_- now I must go catch up on school work.

Have a great week guys ^_^

<3 Frances