Best of 2015 & Resolutions

Hi guys!!

Running short on time here, so let's just cut to the chase LOL.

Happy New Year!!

Last year I ranked my yearly favorites... this year... in no particular order. Let's start with skincare :)


1. Albion Skin Conditioner

Really the most conditioning toner I've ever used. My skin feels so calm and comfortable every single time after I use it. Stopped using it for a while cuz I got distracted by the SK-II Clear Lotion, but when I went back to it again, I was like OMG I FORGOT HOW GOOD IT WAS!!!! It's very expensive but I definitely recommend :)  By the way it's just a very conditioning/comfortable feeling... if you're looking for something more it might not be for you.



A shout-out to the SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. Unfortunately this did NOT make it to my Best of 2015 list. I was OBSESSED with it for months, but after a while I feel like I stopped feeling/seeing effects from it. You can read about my initial thoughts about it here. I ran out of it but still have a second bottle. Maybe after this little break I will be able to see if it makes any difference again?


2. Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

Last year I raved about the Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask. This year it was replaced by this XD Now I just use this whenever I cleared out my blackheads. Not only it keeps the pores tight, it also nourishes and reduces the peeling process to a minimum. I mean the Mask is still great... it works through a different mechanism (ie, drawing things out) so it depends on what you're looking for. Personally, the oil > mask because the mask is such a hassle to wash off. Before I was willing to put up with it just because the results were phenomenal, but after discovering this oil does the same... I haven't touched the mask at all lol. Prob will save the mask for the summer. I also use it all over my face once in a while. Personally can't use it every day-- too much exfoliating/breaks me out. 


Here are my most used skincare from 2015

Cetaphil is awesome.

Still loving the Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum.

First Aid Ultra Repair Cream is awesome.

When I had that peeling problem around my mouth, Luca's Paw Paw Ointment helped with the healing process a lot (that and it's a great lip balm in general). Not as much as Carmex though :) Seriously, Carmex is the cure/godsend for any lip problem O_O

Want to give a shout out to the Origins GinZing eye cream. Used to think it was just okay but not only it's great for dark circles, it's also awesome for reducing puffiness.

And of course, the Diorsnow UV Shield is still the most amazing base makeup I've ever used =)   


3. Innisfree Smart Foundation Super Moisture

Best liquid foundation award of course goes to this! Although.... it might be discontinued already O_O I have no idea. You can read my review here.



 
Want to give a little shout out to the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. Although I only tested out that foundation briefly... still thinking about it lol. Review here. Although I heard they expanded the color range... I might be able to find a better match?


Most used base makeup...

Clinique Air Brush Concealer-- Don't use it as a concealer cuz I just can't place anything underneath my eyes =_= so was just trying to use it up by using it to highlight my forehead, between my brows, my nose bridge, around my mouth, and under my chin. It's grown on me =D

Too Faced Chocolate Powder Foundation. Review here. Now I actually really like it since moving to Cali.

Lancome Teint Miracle Powder Foundation (Asia edition). Talked about it LONG LONG time ago here.

SK-II Auractivator CC Cream. Reviewed here. It was only most-used because it's sheer coverage + sunscreen in one... I used it a lot when I was lazy. But it's not something I would repurchase... I'm kind of over the super glowy look and plus it doesn't last on combination skin.


4. 廣源良菜瓜水 Luffa Water Facial Mist

Favorite mist of the year LOL. So cheap, yet the spritz bottle is so nice! Super portable and light. Also the mist it gives out is pretty fine. Pretty damn impressed. Did I mention it's so cheap??? LOL. Been enjoying my Jurlique Rose Water Mist but this is something I definitely will go back to. Thumbs up! Hmm... not sure where you can get it, bought it when I was in Taiwan. If anyone is interested let me know I'll look into it.


5. Lunasol Beige Beige eye shadow quad

Favorite eye shadows award no doubt goes to this quad =D


Really, can't find fault with any of the colors. Still obsessed with the glitter shadow, and the brown shadow. Really want to try out more Lunasol eye shadows. Pretty sure if I ever run out of this palette I would repurchase (or at least I would buy another quad from Lunasol). See here for details/swatches.


Of course... you guys know it by heart now, the only eyeliner I use is by Milani Infinite eyeliner in 06 unlimited.


My best advise for long-lasting eyeliner is...
1. Avoid liquid foundation over the eye area. Or if you must, at least set it with powder. Just use a powder foundation
2. Do your eyeliner first with an eye shadow. My favorites are the brown one from Lunasol Beige Beige and L'oreal Infallible eye shadow in Bronzed Taupe. Those two seriously make EXCELLENT eyeliner base. Helps my eyeliner stay on super long... and gives my eyeliner and much more softer and blended look.
3. Then layer this eyeliner over the eye shadow

Years and years of wearing makeup and these are my best tricks to long-lasting eyeliner =D Seriously, give this a try. Don't do liquid eyeliner first then layer with eye shadow, that doesn't do anything. Do eye shadow as eyeliner first THEN the liquid/gel eyeliner.



Trusty and beloved Shiseido eye lash curler, and Majolica Majorca mascara and mascara primer.


6. Neuve eye brow pencil

Faaaavorite eye brow product this year!!! the Maybelline one and everything else fell out of my favor. And this is so freaking cheap too.


Favorite blushes

If I have to pick a favorite one, it will have to be the THREE blushes. However, I feel like these all got equal amounts of love from me... the formulation for all three brands are amazing. Check them out!

THREE- Sweet Thing-- LOVE THIS for spring/summer.

THREE- Into the Aether-- OBSESSED for colder months. Currently reaching for only this LOL.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes-- Mood Exposure and Luminous Flush are my favs. Mood Exposure is just an amazing all-year-round color.

For these blushes you can see my swatches here. 

Discovered the Bobbi Brown blushes like in mid-year and they have amazing formulation. I love both colors that I got-- Coral Sugar and Peony, but I prefer Coral Sugar :)


I actually made a little dent!!!!!! I've never made a dent in a blush before!!! *Le PROUD*


Favorite lip products

3CE lip laquer in Dahlia. Formula is VERY drying, me no like. But I love the color and the matte finish so I'll deal with it LMAO

YSL volupte shine in corail intuitive. It's a nude pink... I seldom use it on its own, but it's the PERFECT nude pink to layer over :))) One of my fav combos is to layer the Clio Lipnicure in Revenge Pink over it to create the gradient lip.

YSL glossy stain in #29... an all-around favorite now lol don't think I can live without it. It just goes with EVERYTHING.

Favorite lip tint/stain award goes to the VDL Triple Shot Tint Bar. It's not gimmick at all lol. Cannot say enough good things about it. Staining is decent, but the formula is impeccable-- super moisturizing!! I would really really love love LOVE to collect all of the colors... but... calm your panties now Frances =_=


Shout outs to Rouge Dior Nude in 169 Greige. No idea if it's still being sold, but at one point was obsessed with wearing nude lips hahaha.

Aritaum Honey Melting Tint deserves a shout out too... great great formula. Would've made it to the best if I have different shades I guess? For some reason even though these two are super cute shades... I don't always feel it.


Fav brushes awards go to...

SUQQU cheek brush. Yes. It's love! Awesome for small face girls lol. And I mean it's pretty multi-functional too... for powder, highlight... etc :)

And a surprising favorite... SUQQU eyeliner D brush. Funny thing is I kind of hated this brush for a while LOL cuz it felt so scratchy. Was about to give up on it. Took me 3 months to break it in I'm not even exaggerating =_= not sure if the turning point was when I decided to clean it with my cleansing oil?? Maybe that helped. And yes, I prefer this over eyeliner C now, simply because I like a softer look.












Of course... additional shout-outs.

Well actually the Bubbi multi-function brush isn't a shout-out, it's an all-time favorite. Why is it discontinued??? I don't get it. SO GREAT for traveling, and honestly sometimes I just use it even when I'm not traveling cuz it's so great. So soft and applies powder SO WELL and so portable. Love love love.

SUQQU Face Brush... okay I would NEVER travel with this thing. Too expensive and I'm too scared to lose it. It's a luxury brush and it's super soft... but it's not a must. Still, a pleasure to use so here it is lol!

Eyeliner C also deserves a shout-out. Good brush =) 





Only one favorite hair product from this year (aside from my old standby-- Aveda shampoos). Bumble & bumble Surf Infusion hair spray. Already talked about it on Instagram so not gonna elaborate.


Favorite perfumes!


Jo Malone Nectarine & Blossom. Still going strong =P Might get a full size one... Although I want to buy the Blue Agava & Cacao next... hmmmmm....

Chloe... the perfume?? LOL too lazy to look up the name...



======================================================================
Beauty resolutions for 2016 =)

This might be shocking to all of you XD But I want to stop using liquid foundations. For good. I will continue using up what's already been open on hand (or I might not... still deciding), but I think I will get rid of the rest and just use powder from here on out.

The reason why I made that decision is that being a pharmacist (yayy I can say that now) you learned that your skin ABSORBS a lot of stuff. A lot of medications work by being absorbed from the skin into the blood stream (like gels, patches, etc). I don't want my body to absorb anything unnecessary. These days I sometimes only apply skincare at night... or I haven't been wearing my Dior sunscreen at all just because it's been very gloomy and I just got lazy with the sun protection. Interestingly my skin got better O_O so even skincare products are just full of chemicals. Feel like my skin does better without most of it. I mean of course I'll still continue to use them LOL. But just trying to keep them to a minimum and just back to the basics. I think even though the Dior sunscreen is great, but because it literally fills in all the pores, it adds burden to my skin without me even realizing it.

Second resolution... take off my lip products before I eat. Don't want to swallow all that shit LOL. I still forget a lot of times. Working on it!!

Third... keep gyming/be physically active

Fourth... eat only till when I'm full. My new thing is to eat whatever I want and whenever I want (preferably only when I'm hungry or really really craving for something... or just if it feels really good/fits the mood :D) but to never be too full. NEVER stuff myself!! lol. Been doing really well on this. I no longer do cheat days... I feel like that kind of mentality actually made me have very unhealthy relationship with food. Cuz you're constantly restricting yourself and thinking about what you should reward yourself with at the end of the week you know? lol! I just want to eat and enjoy food and not think/obsess about it.

Fifth... cut down makeup expenses. Hahaha. Feel like such a hypocrite saying this cuz obviously I'm sharing things I like and therefore "promoting" stuff (in the sense I make my readers want to buy stuff XD)  but I really just need to get away from YouTube and all that so I won't get "triggered". These days I mostly watch vlogs and just try to put my energy elsewhere. Time to move on to bigger and better things??? Can I save up for a house please??? LOL!!


Alrighty, if you've stuck around for this far, thank you =) thanks for reading my blog and just put up with my general ramblyness haha. Not sure where the direction of this blog's headed... I mean I love reviewing stuff... but since I want to actively distance myself from the makeup world so I won't get triggered to always wanting to buy/try new stuff... not sure what kind of content I will be able to bring you guys. Any thoughts?

Again... happy 2016 to you all!  I'm really excited to see what 2016 has in store for me ^__^

Much much love,



<3 Frances

February 2015 Empties

Hello everybody!!

You know what it is... so I'm just gonna get right into it (so sleepy... LOL. Just waiting for my yogurt mask to sink in). Here's my empties over the last few months =)

----------------That intro was clearly written on a different day LOL-------------------

1. Caudalie Polyphenol Anti-Wrinkle Defensive Serum

Another sample... honestly I used it up so long ago I can't really remember much about it. I think I've reviewed this in another empties before. Nice but nothing exciting? 


2. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo & Conditioner 

I think drugstore wise this is my favorite line of shampoo. Smells really nice too. But since I've gone back to using Aveda... I won't be repurchasing these lol. For drugstore though I definitely recommend it =)


3. Fresh Sugar lip balm

This thing is SO OLD. It's been like this for a really long time at the bottom of my drawer lol. I just decided it's time to toss it out. I remember really liking it back then =) The color is really nice. In terms of moisturizing/nourishing properties... it's very buttery and nice but I didn't find it amazing/mind-blowingly good. This was a free birthday gift from Sephora I believe. While I enjoyed it, I will never pay the full price for this product.


4. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle "Strong" conditioner

I usually get the "Moisturize" one but I spotted this and got curious. Couldn't resist a new product =P it was good... I think the same formula as the blue/moisturize one. Won't repurchase cuz I prefer the scent of the blue/moisturize one. 



5. LUSH "Big" Sea Salt Shampoo

I believe it also comes in a shampoo bar form, which I've also tried before. They're the same thing and I got the same experiences/results. Already did a review on Instagram so here it is

Review: LUSH "BIG" Sea Salt Shampoo. I'm not sure why but with sea salt shampoos, I noticed I only get good results when I use this very sparingly. My hair would feel fluffy, voluminous and weightless. However when I use it consecutively (like if I use it two days in a row), then the second day the result is just like my any other typical drugstore shampoo. Weird. Anyway so I only use this occasionally. I'm very 50/50 abt this product... Like I won't mind repurchasing and using it again, but I won't feel sad to do without it. For the price however, most likely won't repurchase 😆 also one thing I really hate is the container. No matter how tightly I screw the lid, it always gets loose and water would get in there. Really annoying 😒 #lush #seasaltshampoo #seasalt #shampoo #review #hair #beautyblogger

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Nov 8, 2014 at 9:12pm PST

6. LUSH Fresh Face Mask

LOL. I was clearly obsessed with them hahaha. You can see that BB seaweed is my favorite :) The only one I don't have here is the Cosmic Warrior. I did purchase that one, but after using it two times, I just gave up. It smelled DISGUSTING. I kept feeling like I have bad/rotten garlic on my face. ME NO LIKE. I had to take it back and exchange it... I felt so bad /__\ I consider myself having high threshold for unpleasant scents but I just could not deal with the garlic one. Anyway, the ones I would probably repurchase besides BB seaweed would be Ayesha, Love Lettuce, and the Sacred Truth.


7. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

Finally used up my 330ml bottle. If you want to see my past thoughts on this product... just go to the label section and look under SK-II, you will be able to find all of them lol. I clearly lied when I said in my last empties that I won't repurchase, cuz I did LOL. But to be completely honest, it's more of a psyche thing. It doesn't do much for me. I'm using it for preventative/anti-aging purposes. I feel safer having this... if that makes any sense? XD as a child I always saw my grandma using rice water to wash her face... and she had beautiful skin. So I really believe in the power of rice XD I tried using rice water to cleanse my face but it was so. much. hassle. -_- sense of security sure comes at a hefty price tag... LOL -_-"


8. Shu Uemura Depsea Water Facial Mist (Lavender)

I wonder if it's meant to say "deep sea water"??? LOL. Anyway, this product is OLD as well (haha prob shouldn't have tried to use it up but it smells fine XD). I got it in a value set ages ago. It was my second bottle.  I LOVE the scent of this... it's not the kind of gross lavender scent you get from some products, very relaxing. But otherwise it's just water and nothing special.  Anyway, while I enjoyed it, I for sure would not spend $25 on this... Just get Evian or Avene or something. They do the same thing and are much cheaper (minus the lavender scent though lol).


9. Chloe Perfumed Body Lotion

Sorry if the bottle looks nasty. This was a free sample size that I got from Sephora. This sample was the reason why now I'm obsessed with the Chloe perfume XD I got a new full size of this lotion in a value set from Nordstrom =D but I haven't used it yet haha. Think I will just stick to the perfume from now on (if I don't get tired of it that is lol) cuz I feel like having the lotion is kind of overkill.... aka too luxurious XD



10. REM Micro Polish Cleanser

Honestly when I saw this in my "empties bag"... I was like... huh??? Did I use this??? LOL. But then I remembered! I ended up using this to scrub my underarms (aka armpits... underarms sound so much nicer HAHAHA) to prevent ingrown hairs after epilating. So in short, good and effective, but too harsh for the face for my liking. If you think St. Ives scrubs are harsh, then for sure you wouldn't like this.


11. Shiseido Pureness Matifying Moisturizer

Used to be my favorite moisturizer for the summer =) super light, watery gel consistency. But after I discovered the SkinMD moisturizer, which in my opinion is very similar to this, just gonna stick with SkinMD instead cuz it's much cheaper =D Don't get me wrong I still think this is a good product especially if you have oily skin and just want something super super light, but it's just not that cost-effective for me.



12. SK-II Skin Signature moisturizer and Cellumination Deep Surge EX

These are super old as well... and the reason why I only used them up now is because I forgot about them -__-" I actually bought these sample size jars from Sasa.com a long long time ago. I remember trying out the Skin Signature and it broke me out in red little bumps all over my face (usually happens when a skincare is too rich for me I believe). Tried the Cellumination one and same thing. Was gonna try and sell them but that never happened lol so it they were just sitting in my drawer. Anyway I ended up mixing them with my body moisturizers XD heyyy why not. Might as well get my money's worth (not really... but you know XD) I loved it when I used the cellumination one on my body O_o I can definitely feel my skin much smoother and hydrated when I used that one. Can't tell the difference from the Signature one. Anyway, since these don't work for my face, I'm obviously not planning on purchasing the full size items. Maybe I will revisit them in 5-10 years or something lol. 


13. Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister Mascara and Innisfree Skinny Microcara (Waterproof)

Edge Meister-- Y'all know Majolica Majorca makes my favorite mascaras... but this isn't my favorite from them. Reason being it's packed full of fibers and I found that with fiber-rich mascaras, as they start drying out (as you keep using them... not because the caps don't screw tight lol)... the fibers just kind of stick out and poke my eyes. This mascara is no exception. Will I repurchase? Well... I did. A LOT of them O_o but it was because they were on sale for 15% off!!! And usually MJ mascaras don't ever go on sale!! So I went cray cray even though they're not my favorite haha. Did a review if you guys want to see this mascara in action. I neither recommend or not recommend this mascara... depends on how you feel about fiber mascaras.


Innisfree-- I actually used up two of those, but I have no idea where the other one went O_O must have tossed it out by accident. Anyway, since I did use up 2 of them, obviously I repurchased XD I liked it a lot initially... but I noticed as these dry up, they get quite clumpy. Really not the most flattering look. I guess I don't mind this particular mascara... the lengthening/volume are quite impressive... but I just don't like the formula as I make it half way through the tube. I think it's worth checking out, and I am currently working on using another one up, but I'm not planning on repurchasing. Oh by the way, no curl hold.


14. Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream

It's quite thick and you can see it contains some oils because as you squeeze out the product, you can see a bit of the separation. I enjoyed it but I think I just got tired of it toward the end lol. It was nice though =) Really good for winter. Not planning on repurchasing. 



15. GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

Little sample I got from Sephora. Talked about it before if you want to check that post out. It exfoliates well, does nothing to extract blackheads, but makes the bumpiness of my nose (from blackheads) smoother. I liked it, but you all know what I think about GlamGlow... wayy over-priced. $69? You've gotta be kidding me.



16. Albion Skin Conditioner, Eclafutur, Exage Moist Crystal Milk

Albion Skin Conditioner-- You all know how I feel about this toner so not gonna elaborate. LOVE. Not a toner person but still get a high from using this every morning XD

Eclafutur-- This to me, I think is kind of like the Clinique Smart Serum that I raved about. Got these samples when I was in Japan, and I wish wish WISHED that I had tried it then =( cuz I would've gone back to purchase the full size bottle. My skin was visibly smoother, brighter and plumper the next day after using it. And I noticed it helped with healing as well (which is why it reminded me of the Clinique Smart Serum). The only thing though is I don't know if it helps smooth out flakiness, which is the main reason why I am smitten with the Clinique Smart Serum. And price point wise I think it's wayy more expensive than Clinique. This to me is a luxurious product... if I can ever get it at this low Japanese currency... I will pick it up. But I'm not gonna go out of my way to purchase it (I had ample of opportunities to purchase it while I was in Taiwan but the price was so inflated... so... NO).

Exage Moist Crystal Milk-- it's called a "milk", which kind of leads you to think it's a moisturizer, but it's not. I think this is one of the best selling products from Albion. This is supposed to be an enhancer... or something. Kind of like Lancome Genifique-- you apply it after toner, and before everything else. It's supposed to help prep your skin, help all other products penetrate your skin much deeper and thus more effective. Honestly... felt no difference XD But it was only two samples, who knows. It'd be such a splurge if I do purchase it, but I'm not really convinced of the necessity of it. 



More Skin Conditioner


And more LOL. Told you the Albion MUA gave me so many samples. =)


17. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Body Wash.

I like =) I didn't repurchase this particular scent but I got the grapefruit one. I think as far as drugstore goes, this is pretty good. Doesn't dry out my skin, but it also isn't moisturizing to the point that you feel like there's a layer of residue.


18. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate

I bought this because Pixiwoo always use it LOL. It smells very pharmaceutical. Emm... it really didn't blow me away. I think it's really nice for the winter. I can see why dry skin ppl would love it, but it's just okay for me. This thing is old too... I ended up using it as a body moisturizer as well XD


19. Banila Co. Clean It Zero

Little sample as well. Of all the cleansing balms I've tried (wait actually, have I even tried anything else other than REN?? I think the other stuff I tried were cleansing creams not balms LOL) this is probably the only one I would consider purchasing/recommend. But since I prefer cleansing oils. I won't purchase. Smells nice, effective. And I would think it's quite affordable! =)


20. Majolica Majorca Mascara Primer, Innisfree Skinny Microcara (not waterproof)

Oops, should've grouped this with the other mascara products. Oh well lol.

Majolica-- Fav mascara primer.

Innisfree-- Got this thinking it'd shorten my makeup removal process. WRONG. Since it's none-waterproof... it refuses to come off with cleansing oils. Well it does come off eventually... but that's with extra extra EXTRA massaging. Gawd such a pain in the ass. I ended up just using my cleansing oil to remove everything else, then hop into shower and let the warm water do its job. But then since I have mascara primer underneath... I have to pay extra attention to wash my eye area with my facial cleanser to make sure there is no residue. My regret purchase lol. Should've just stuck with the WP version.


21. Za Ever Brows

Yay!!! Finally used it up =DDDDD Well you can see I have a teeny tiny bit of product left, but it's to the point that the plastic part scrapes against my brows when I try to fill them in, so it's time for it to retire =D first brow product I've ever used up!! So excited XD Prob wouldn't be my first brow product to use up if I hadn't make a conscious effort to though. Liked it. Worth checking out. Not my fav. Review here.




22. Clio Kill Brown Waterproof Brush Liner

So... I didn't use up this product per se... It dried out on me =________________________= I prob got less than 20 uses out of it... what a waste. I think I mentioned on my Instagram that for a liquid/pen eyeliner, I was impressed by its lasting power. I still think it was good for a liquid pen standard, but as I tried it out more, it started smudging out on me more. Don't know how it managed the minimal smearing the first few times I tried it =/ anyway. I know some ppl absolutely love this product. To each and their own. If you've never had smudging problems with liquid pen eyeliners, then you will probably like this (I wouldn't say love cuz it's on the drier side... it wipes off when repeated lined... and the color is not very opaque/intense). I just ended up using it to line my upper lash line. To me, huge waste of money, cuz Clio is on the more expensive side for drugstore. Regret.


 Whew! I actually didn't think I had that many products, but I guess I did LOL. I thought I'd be able to just breeze through this mini review/empties post, but man it took a lot longer than I thought. I hope you guys enjoyed it and it was helpful to some of you. Until my next post, take care, stay warm, and be safe everyone ^_~


<3 Frances