August 2013 Favorites

Hello guys!

Time for another favorites post! ... Actually come to think of it, this is only my third O_O (after about 3 years on blogger... lol wow). How do ppl do monthly favorites?! I mean I try out a lot of products too... but maybe I'm just too lazy to obsess over anything lol. Anyway without further ado, let's see what products won my heart over the last few months ^_^

1. Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque

I purchased this little sample size on Amazon after seeing Lisa Eldridge talk about this in her My Beauty Regime on Long Haul Flights video. I brought it with me for my flight to Taiwan and OMG it saved my skin. It is seriously hydrating... it kept my skin so comfortable throughout the whole flight (I'm talking about 12 hours straight of flying). My face didn't feel dried out at all at the end of the trip. However I didn't really use it as a mask... I used it as a moisturizer lol cuz my skin literally just ate it up cuz it was sooo dry. You can obviously use a thicker layer but I don't like the feeling of something sitting on my skin. Definitely recommend this for long haul flights/air-conditioned room/if you need a lot of hydration! Only downfall... it kind of smells like fish oil??? O_o not that it really matters since the product itself is awesome hehe.


2. Bubbi Powder Brush and Multi Brush

I only used powder foundation this summer since my skin just couldn't stand anything else (my fav is Lancome, which I already talked about here so I'm not gonna repeat myself). It's actually really funny because for the last year or two I was obsessed with using BB creams for the summer (SKIN79 to be exact), and this year my skin couldn't even tolerate BB creams O_o probably mainly due to my skin issues... BB cream was starting to feeling heavy/bothersome. So anyway! Love these brushes for powder foundation. Super super soft. I can't believe the multi brush is discontinued... I should've bought a backup T_T so great for travel.

3. Za Plumper Lips in 08

Been really liking this color! The formula is really moisturizing, and I think this color is very flattering on me =)



A pic of me wearing this lippie. Sorry not the best quality!

I have 3 other colors, the full review and swatches will come later ^_^


Okay the next few products are in line with dealing my face "allergy" problem (I use the term "allergy" loosely since I'm not sure what it is). I have a post dedicated to my skin problems, which you can refer here. So anyway this summer most unfortunately I had a flare-up again. I suspect it has something to do with the heat and the humidity... not sure.

Luckily the problematic area was quite contained this time; it didn't spread throughout my whole chin and jawline like it usually did.


It was swollen and itchy. The itchiness was the part that was killing me... I tried not putting any makeup on it cuz it just aggravates the problem. At the very most I would dust a tiny bit of powder over it (Lancome was fine, but Paul & Joe powder seemed to irritate it as well).

4. Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cream

For those who've been reading my blog will be no stranger to this. Pretty much one of the very few moisturizers I could use on my problematic area without irritating it (I was using the Shiseido Pureness Matifying moisturizer which I LOVE for summer. But unfortunately the fragrance in that moisturizer doesn't sit well with my allergies). Not only does this moisturizer not irritate my skin, it SOOTHES it. I would wake up and find my skin less itchy and the redness/swelling gone down a little. I simply cannot stress how much I love and rely on the Mega Mushroom line.

5. Physiogel Lotion

Upon returning to the US, my skin went through another shock O_o it was SO DRY. Even though it's still summer and I'm near the waters, I guess compared to the humidity in Taiwan the humidity here is nothing. I usually reserve this for the winter but I had to break it out for my skin emergencies lol. I purchased this last year based on Bubbi's recommendation in her Favorite products video. I have to say last year I was not feeling this product at all; I just thought it was moisturizing but nothing too special about it. But now I know it was because my skin was normal. Now my skin is problematic I cannot use anything with fragrance in it. I usually mix this and the Mega Mushroom face cream together and apply it all over my face. This combination has helped sooth and hydrate my skin tremendously! So so glad I have this.

6. Oatmeal

Since my skin is problematic, I have been using oatmeal to clean my face for the last week. Again got the tip from Bubbi's Beautiful Skin Remedy video (I also wrote a post about it). I cannot tell you how thankful I am toward Bubbi's skin remedies! Her oatmeal cleanser and natural yogurt mask have seriously saved my skin. After a week my skin improved slowly but surely.

=) it still hasn't recovered 100%, but no one can really tell anymore. It's not red or swollen anymore but it's still itchy -_- and I know if I scratch it or something it's gonna full-blown freak out again. But I'm not complaining! I also started using natural yogurt mask yesterday, hopefully my skin will make full recovery soon. So sick of feeling itchy all the time lol.

7. Diet book by Jung Dayeon

I'm a fan of Jung Dayeon ^_^ Admittedly I don't really do her exercise anymore(since I take classes regularly at the gym) but I really like her philosophy. Anyway I bought this book because even though I have managed to maintain my weight (almost 2 years!!), it still fluctuates somewhat and a lot of times I have to fight so hard to control my appetite and cravings. Most of time I do well (mind over matter lol), but I just want to find a more sustainable way to maintain the healthy lifestyle (Mrs. Jung said she has maintained this lifestyle/diet for 13 years now). This is an amazing book that contains amazing tips! I love this book so much I bought one for my mom, my close aunt and a close friend. It's not about losing weight it's about eating healthy and eating wisely. Most of the stuff isn't new to me or anything, but there are a lot of valuable things/tips I learned too. Still trying to get into it (changes don't happen overnight). I highly recommend if you can get a copy in your language! (If you live in Korea/Hong Kong/Taiwan... or something. I don't think it's available in English... not sure). There are a lot of recipes in this book too, which is awesome because I want to try out new recipes ^_^ I actually got the habit of reaching for this book and reading it whenever my will power is weakened by my appetite... and shockingly it works XD it's like it gives me more motivation and strength. Pretty cool. I will try to share some of the tips from this book ^_^ (although I don't know if there will be any copyright issues...).


That's all I have! Did you guys go hauling this Labor Day weekend? =D I want to go to the mall but I never want to go when I know it's gonna be crowded -_-a

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and have a great week!

Random catch-up :)

Hey guys!

Longgg time no blog! Which is normal I guess XD I decided to do this catch-up post to show you guys my update and some new/newish products I've been using and trying out. Just so I can throw out my general thoughts out there :P since it seems kind of impossible for me to sit down and write detailed individual reviews about everything nowadays.

Hmmmm let's see what first?

There really hasn't been much going on with me =_= honestly student's life is pretty much the same everyday... exam exam exam. But I did go see The Hunger Games movie!!! XD!!!! I know quite a few bloggers went to see that movie. What did you guys think???? I give it an 83% =DDD which is high from me by the way, because I tend to be very critical when it comes to novel-based movies (Harry Potter movies are generally in the C range for me... what can I say the books are just too brilliant and they change the story too much in the movies T^T). I am a HUGE fan of The Hunger Game books!!!! I gotta say, a lot of the parts in the movies really really exceeded my expections *happy tears* but I was kind of disappointed in Rue's scene... it's not as moving as depicted in the book. And I really didn't think they develope Rue's personality as well in the movies. Also I wish there was more to the "cave romance," and they didn't cut the part that she drugged Peeta... so I docked points off from these :P But other than that, the movie was so AWESOME. Jennifer Lawrence was absolutely AMAZING. Can't wait for the DVD to come out!!! Really want to see it again >_<


So being the makeup dork I am, I couldn't help but notice the fashion in The Hunger Games XD Did you guys pay attention to Cinna's gold eyeliner as I did? :P

When Cinna came out in the movie, I was definitely looking for the eyeliner. And I must say the gold eyeliner looked really attractive on him... exactly like the book described!

I never possessed a gold eyeliner before, but now I do XD

Trying to do gold eyeliner XD I've seen other youtubers/bloggers do this look before but I was never able to try it out cuz I didn't have a gold eyeliner... but now I do =DDD

Super subtle gold. Hmmm I kind of want a brighter yellow gold =P my eyeliner has more bronze tone to it.

I can go on obsessing over the books/movie forever, so let me go onto the next subject before I go crazy XD


Hmm next I guess will be a rather "tragic" news. My Bubbi Dual Cover brush came apart =(

Not surprised it happened. Remember when I first reviewed the brushes I noticed cracks along the handle? Then I noticed the ferrule started to get loose after a few months... and they finally came apart. Oh well. Honestly I'm not all that upset (I don't really get upset over things like this for some reason lol) and I'm actually not planning to superglue them back together for the time-being because I think having them apart makes it easier to travel with??? XD We'll see. The other brush that the ferrule has come loose will be the HD flawless brush. I think these are going to come apart soon. We'll see. Guess they're not built as sturdy as I had thought. But anyway besides the Dual Cover brush and the HD flawless brushes, I haven't noticed any other issues with the rest of the brushes.

Next I finally tried out the Lioele Triple the Function BB cream.

This is a major MISS for me. I do not like this at all. It's a really REALLY thick formula, but the thickness doesn't bother me cuz I just sheer it out. But the color is very pale (it does oxidize a bit though) and most disturbingly, this BB cream just doesn't adhere to my face that well. It starts to cake and crease under my eyes and settle in fine lines. I've never experienced this with BB creams, so I am very disappointed. By the way I did try blending this BB cream with other BB creams. Still no improvement. This will go onto my blog sale soon. Other than that it gives medium-full coverage and semi-matte finish.

See it for yourself

Honestly usually my undereye fine lines aren't even that bad, but it just cakes up on my "laughing lines" (my cheeks and my eyes tend to squeeze together when I laugh ahaha) and make me look I have aged years. ICK.

A real shame cuz I really wanted to love this BB cream...

Since we're on the subject of BB creams, Dior has come out with its own BB cream!

I managed to get a sample from Sephora :) The smell is divine and the texture is nice, but the color is so orange :( not that surprised either since I generally have that issue with Dior.


While I have the swatch up for Dior, I figured I might as well do a swatch for Lioele.



NARS has also come up with a tinted moisturizer. I haven't tried it out but I don't think I will be able to since the shade is in medium...

Another sample product I got from Sephora is the Hourglass N28 Primer deluxe sample.

I gotta say I adore this primer! But I went on the website to check the price and it scared me away O_O Not ready to dish out this much money for a primer at this stage. However it is a very nice primer. I was a little shocked at the oil formula, but it absorbs quickly and gives face a smooth finish.







Not sure about the benefits of the essential oils honestly my skin hasn't felt any difference. I just really like how light it is, and the best part is it keeps my oil at bay! My oily nose no longer looks shiny by the end of the day, but rather just dewy. AWESOME!

While I'm not ready to invest in this particular primer, I did purchase the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer the to-go size (hell no not gonna buy the full size product XD) So I'm gonna see how that compares to N28 primer.

I also got a moisturizer sample from Origins.

It's alright I guess? Don't love it and don't dislike it.

I also picked up an eye cream from Origins.

To be honest I've tried a sample of this before and wasn't impressed by any means. But I already went through 2 jars of the Kiehl's avacodo eye cream and just want to try something else. And didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount either...

Also from Origins, I'm gonna introduce my new love to you all =DDD

I. friggin. LOVE. this. stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You guys might remember a while ago I swore off any clay masks because they make my face red and sensitive. But after getting a sample from Origins, I was in love! So so so sooo glad I got a sample. This is definitely nothing like the Body Shop Seaweed ionic clay mask, or the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask. I will have a more detailed review coming up!

Next I have a few products from Korres:

I got a bunch of Korres products in a sale for pretty cheap. I've only used this a couple times but so far not really impressed. Plus the smell is weird... we'll see.

However, I adore the Korres Lip Butters!!!

I adore the wild rose one much more than the guava one. The textures of these lip butters are pretty smooth and make my lips super soft and comfortable! I like!! ^_^ Although I usually HATE having to dip my fingers into products, the formula is good enough for me to overlook that.

You might think the red is over the top, but really you can apply it quite sheerly for a tint of color.

Naked lips:


Apply "wild rose" sheerly

Gives a little color to my complexion ^_^ and a bit of dewiness to my lips.
Build up just a bit

And you can actually build it up to a very opaque/darker red. But usually this is as far as I will go on  a daily basis ^_^
To be honest I am kind of disappointed in the "guava" formula.

On Sephora website it claimed to be a "clear" formula. Well it's not =_= it leaves a very obvious white layer of lip balm. So no this is not something I will wear out. I just slather this all over my lips at bedtime XD plus this formula is not as thin as the wild rose one???? don't know. But anyway even though at $12 a jar, which is quite expensive for lip balms, I'd still like to try out the ones in pink and coral... sometime XD you get quite a lot of products too.

I also finally purchased the Too Faced glitter glue.

This thing is huge O_O when I saw the thing I was like dang when am I ever gonna use this up?! And I'm kind of debating if I should keep this, simply because I rarely use glittery eye shadows and regular primers usually fulfill my needs. I've only used this once since I purchased it and it wasn't on glittery eye shadows XD I have to say it's quite nice. I think it can even work for regular eye shadows as well?! @@ We'll see, I'll have to test it out more.

I also have a new addition to my lipsticks collection ^_^ (which I can count in both hands XD)
It's from the Lacome Rouge in Love collection.


I've been eyeing the nude pink ever since I saw the swatch/review on Rae's channel:


I adore my Giorgio Armani cool pink lipstick, but it had become rather difficult for me to wear it ever since I got paler and paler AND paler over the winter O_O seriously I think I'm at my palest my whole life. But anyway the GA Rouge d'Armani pink 515 (which I actually picked up per Rae's recommendation as well lol!) is difficult to wear now because I'm so pale. I have to wear extra warm/heavy blushes so I don't look too washed out. So I've been looking for another more wearable nude pink. Rae was actually really helpful and told me that this Lancome 307B is not as cool and has more biege, which I cannot agree more.

I put together 3 lipsticks that I thought are similar:

left: Giorgio Armani Rough d'Armani pink 515 (satin finish, with shimmers)
middle: Lancome Rouge In Love 307B Sweet Embrace
right: Lancome Color Design Love It! (cream finish)

In this pic you can see that GA has shimmers while Lancome does not. And Lancome definitely leans more biege. By the way the GA lipstick reads even cooler on my lips than against my hand.

I haven't tested out if Lancome RIL does indeed have 6 hours wear... but honestly I don't really care lol. I've always adored Lancome lip products! They are super comfortable to wear, and this 307B didn't disappoint =)


Finally I accumulated quite a number of drugstore products. I have to say, I've been mightily impressed by drugstore quality these days O_O these eye shadows seriously are just as good as high end ones.

I decided to pick up Revlon PhotoReady Concealer. The shade in #4 but it's definitely a tad too dark on me. I should've picked up #3 but it was out of stock and I didn't want to wait XD The only reason why I even had the chance to pick these up is because I was on my rotation aka makeup shopping after work XD lol.

I do not own the Revlon PhotoReady foundation but I've heard they contain shimmers. I actually did notice the shimmers in this concealer as well. So if that's something that bugs you then you'll want to stay away. Personally I don't mind it. It is very creamy and smooth, but I found it dries rather fast so you'll want to blend fast. I personally don't find this concealer to be the best for my skin type because I do have combination (normal-oily) skin and creamy products just don't hold up as well on me. I also found this concealer to look quite drying under my eyes, if I'm not careful to take time to really really and I mean REALLY blend it/sheer it out. I prefer to use fingers to apply this concealer so it doesn't sit too thick on my skin which can contribute to cakey appearance.

I honestly didn't expect I was gonna like the Revlon lip butters formula but I do! It's not drying (but also not hydrating... more like it just doesn't dry out my lips that's all, no extra hydration) and it doesn't make my lips peel :D :D :D I picked up Lollipop cuz I thought it looked so nice on Bubbi in one of her tutorials but unfortunately it just doesn't look as good on me lol I think Bubbi is fairer than me.

Before I end this post, I just want to do a little update on my fitness/weightloss progress. So far I've lost solid 7 pounds. Extra 2 pounds (so 7-9 pounds) that kind of fluctuate depending on how much I eat... so I'm working really hard on that. My goal is to lose just another 5 pounds then I'll be so happy. But I've hit a plateau so it's a bit frustrating... sometimes I look at my unchanging number on weight scale and just want to cry T_T I thought about posting some pics but then honestly the difference really isn't that noticeable in pictures for some reason, although you can definitely tell in person. I'm able to fit into some of my old jeans now, without struggling with them either :D :D :D


Even after losing 7 pounds and losing almost all of my boobs and half of my butt XD and some thighs and belly, my face REFUSED to change. Especially my double chin (well my face did get slimmer and my double chin did become less obvious... but just nowhere to my satisfaction). It was so frustrating, so I finally decided to give in and pick up the Clarins Shaping Facial Lift lipo-drain serum (act of desperation I will admit that)


I want to let you guys know that I've always had double chin (was made fun of that in middle school lol) it's just a matter of how bad it is. It's very frustrating because whenever I gain weight, the first place the fat goes to is my chin, and when I lose weight, the last place is my chin as well T__T may I also add when I lose weight I lose my boobs first and gain weight in boobs last ahahaha wonderful combination huh?

I don't know if you guys can tell, but my face did get a lot slimmer on the sides (cheek and jawline).

I know it's hard, you guys prob can't even tell when I gain/lose weight cuz obviously all my good pictures are taken at certain angles to make my face appear slimmer and obviously I chose the better pictures. But even with the same posing, my face is more V-shaped than before.



can you guys tell my chin looks a bit pointier??

a lot more obvious in this pic. But I really don't think my face look this thin in real life lol. Not this thin but at the same time a lot thinner than before. my face looks so stupid in this XD was gonna black out my eyes but oh well whatevs.

Sorry for the mega tired face... yep post exam traumatic syndrome

I will have a more comprehensive review coming up? Don't know how much more comprehensive it can get actually cuz you just have to follow instructions while using this product. And actually unfortunately this is not the result I'm looking for... while it significantly slims down the sides of my face, it hasn't done much to my double chin. I saw results the next day using this product. I'd say maximal effect (like what I look like now, it's not really changing anymore my face hasn't gotten anymore slimmer) in about 3-4 days. It's been about 2 weeks, I'm gonna use it for longer before I make a definite review if you guys are interested?

Okay now for real before I end this post XD

I kind of miss brown hair T_T this was taken about 1 year ago. AHHH but really hate to dye and touch up my hair O_o we'll see if I'm gonna go light for the summer.

If you guys reach the end of this post, I applaud you!!! ^____^ Do you guys like/hate this kind of long post? I try to post as many product pics as I can so you guys can just skip to the part that might interest you. I think from now on when I come out of hiding I will scare you guys with this kind of super long posts XD

By the way, milani liquid eyeliner review coming up! And still working on Josie Maran review XD

Good night world! Tomorrow have to resume my studying schedule again (just been tortured by 2 exams and 1 quiz this week and more to come next week O_O)

Hope you're all doing well!

<3 Frances