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...



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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

November 2015 Empties/Mini Reviews

Hi guys!!

Two posts in one day =D Haha reason why I'm so productive today is actually because I caught a cold -_- Just trying to stay out of the cold and away from people lol. Oh good news guys =) I passed both of my licensing exams!! =DD right now just waiting for the Board to issue me my license. Decided to put aside job applications for a while because it's almost impossible to apply for a position without my license. I was hoping some places might be willing to train me while I wait, but nope! lol. Anyway, since I'm just staying home and sneezing and coughing and trying to keep my head from exploding... figured might as well catch up on some blogging. I know it's only mid-November but I figured I already accumulated enough crap to talk about XD


1. Bumble and bumble thickening shampoo and conditioner samples 

In general I would never go for high end conditioners, cuz I really feel like they don't make that much of a difference (since I only apply conditioner from the mid to ends of my hair it doesn't touch my scalp at all). This conditioner is no exception... didn't do much. I liked the shampoo though! My hair does feel more fluffy/voluminous when I use this. I got the travel size to play with, but I don't think I'd ever go for the full-size... too expensive for how much you get.

2. Perfect Whip cleanser

Don't think you can go wrong with Shiseido products lol. I think I went through 2 or 3 of these??? It's cheap and cheerful and does the job. Probably won't repurchase in a long time cuz right now my favorite drugstore facial cleanser is the Innisfree volcanic one, and I haven't got sick of that one yet so I'm gonna stick with that =D


I did good didn't I? haha. Sorry it looks kind of nasty.

2. Fasio mascara and Integrate mascara primer

Talked about these two here. Thoughts did not change so you can just refer to that if you're interested =)

Here's what the wands look like since I didn't show them in that post:





Very very fat wand lol.

Will I repurchase?

Well I don't have access to either, so nope! Haha. If you can try them at a reasonable price I would say you could give them a try. I haven't tried any mascara primer that tops the Majolica one. If I have access to the mascara I wouldn't mind picking the black one up. I like how the formula is very thickening, somewhat lengthening, yet it does not contain any fibers. That gets a thumbs up from me!


3. Yes To Grapefruit Body Wash

I like =) currently using up a LUSH soap that I got a while ago, as well as my Jo Malone body/hand soap that I got in a Nordstrom anniversary sale set, but once I finished those I will probably get something from Yes To.... unless something else really catches my eye.


4. Clinique Repairwear Lase Focus



I've never used an eye cream that made me feel a significant difference. So... I'll leave it at that. I was actually gonna purchase the full size of this but I got a Shiseido one instead cuz I wanted free shipping LOL. But I might revisit this product.


5. Innisfree Manuka Honey mask, My Beauty Diary Arbutin Whitening mask, Naruko mask





Kind of forgot about my sheet masks but pulled them out for extra hydration/whitening since the sun in Cali was pretty brutal in the summer. I enjoyed them all but none of them stood out to me. I used to really like the MBD arbutin one but I think they changed the sheet material and formula so now I'm more ambivalent.


6. Aveda Lip Saver



The last of my backup. Used to be my favorite lip balm but I'm happy with Lucas' Papaw Ointment and that one is MUCH cheaper lol.

7.

Another mask


8.

You guys sick of seeing this? haha


9. L'occitane Almond Shower Oil


Talked about it here:

I can sum up how I feel about this shower oil in two words: OH BABY. 😍😂 in all seriousness though, this thing is so nice! More worth it than LUSH bath products IMO 😂. First of all... It smells absolutely DIVINE. Second of all, leaves my skin feeling moisturized with absolutely no residue/greasy feeling 😄 I guess the only sad thing is that this is not a little-goes-a-long-way product... I would imagine if you're tall you'll probably run out of this product quickly? 😂 #loccitane #amande #showeroil #sephora #review #instareview #beautyblogger #bblogger #blogger

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Sep 22, 2015 at 3:49pm PDT

It's nice if you want to pamper yourself... but I can do without it =D


10. Aveda Scalp Benefit Balancing Shampoo

Of all the Aveda shampoos I've tried, this one definitely feels the most drying to the scalp (think super deep clease). I wouldn't say it's stripping, but it's not a shampoo I would use daily. I did use it daily for a week and my scalp felt fine, but I prefer using it once a week as a deep cleanse. I actually purchased a 1L bottle of this and kind of regretted it... should've just got a small bottle for weekly use.


11. St. Ives Blemish Control apricot scrub

Sorry it looks nasty. I prefer the green tea scrub. The beads in this one are a lot bigger/rougher than the green tea one. I also used this on my body because there was just no way I could get through this if I used this exclusively on my face lol. Won't repurchase. Although I thought it was quite good as a body scrub XD


12. Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb

Got this free sample size from Sephora. It's pretty good-- I think a lot of ppl would like the consistency and the formula of this. Even though I really liked it, I personally don't feel any different when I used this vs. using Cetaphil moisturizing lotion lol. Not interested in purchasing the full size.


13. Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister

Reviewed here. Pretty sure I talked about this in one of my empties. Anyway, I have a lot of these but they aren't my favorite. When it dries out as you use it, it gets very clumpy because it has SO MUCH fibers in it. And I always have to make sure to use a tweezer to pull out any of the fibers sticking out so they won't poke my eyes. Also because of the high fiber content, it does dry out faster than other mascaras.


Hope you guys enjoyed =)

<3 Frances

March 2014 Hits & Misses

Hi guys!

Here's my March Hits & Misses. I honestly thought I was gonna be on time for March =_= and before I knew it, it's almost mid-April O_o

So I actually don't have a lot to share for March. Most of them I've already done reviews so I'll link those when appropriate. I actually have a lot on my plate at the moment so I'm just gonna go ahead and jump right into it!

1. Cover Girl Lipperfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 215











Naked lips


With the gloss balm. This really isn't the best picture because the balm does look pinker in person... but no matter what lighting/angle I took my pictures at, they all kind of turn out baby pink ish. So just keep in mind that the balm is pinker than shown above.

My thoughts?

Ummm I don't know exactly why, but I just don't like this product much. The color swatch looks like something I will love, but on my lips, it just translates a lot pinker-- too pink for what I was looking for. I wish it would look exactly the color swatch on the back of my hand. It also has a plastic/rubbery lipstick scent (think MAC lipsticks) which I found to be very off-putting. Texture-wise it's nothing crazy, kind of like Clinique Chubby Stick.

Here's a side to side comparison swatch to Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain in Lovesick. Actually in retrospect, I should've done a comparison swatch with the Clinique Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa... those are much more alike. The Chubby Stick was in my school bag when I did the swatches so I forgot about it O_o But anyway, Mighty Mimosa is a nuder pink compared to Cover Girl.

Revlon has a drier formula (whereas you can see Cover Girl has a balmy formula), and Revlon also has a minty scent.




2. Tanya Burr Lip Glosses

I already did a review on those, if you haven't seen it, please refer here. In short: huge hit! If I were to recommend anything from this month's hits & misses, it'd be these glosses ^_^


3. Mamonde Real Skin Founder

Also already did a review. I wouldn't say I love this, but I do really like it.


4. A'PIEU Essential Source Snail Vital Cream



This product, unfortunately, is a miss for me. My skin was very unstable/breaking out a lot last month, and it seemed to coincide a lot when I was using this product. But then again at that time I wasn't entirely sure if it was from this cream. Anyway, my skin is finally clear these days and I gave it another go-- yep, broke me out. It has a thick gel texture. Kind of reminds me of a sleeping pack texture.


5. Luca's Papaw Ointment



Thought it's pretty cool it came with a twist-open seal.






Please note: it contains fermented fruit.


So I ordered this following my Dior lip balm disaster. It's nice. At first I was like this thing smells really pungent O_o then later I realized it contains fermented fruit, haha. Took me a few days to get used to the smell but now I find the scent pretty comforting XD I guess I would say it's good and it does the job? I feel like it's nothing too impressive (like it didn't wow me like my Aveda lip balm did) but when I switched to my other lip balms I did notice a difference. So I guess it's good. Regarding the claims that it's also good for insect bites... I have applied it on my nasty mosquito bites from PR but I feel like it did nothing. Actually I'm not even sure what it's supposed to do for insect bites?? Maybe it's only intended for a protective layer? But I learned in my self-care class that you're not supposed to put ointments over insect bites LOL (insect bites, especially the swollen kind, are usually considered "wet" wounds, and applying ointments can provide a physical barrier that traps in moisture/secretions/bacteria and lead to infections. Gels are considered "drying" and are more appropriate for wet wounds).

6. Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

Again, already did a review. I feel like this item is gonna be either hit or miss for a lot of ppl, depending on their hair texture and how much effort they put into their hair routines.


7. Aveeno Natural Protection Lotion Sunscreen






This product is a disappointment. It is quite thick (hard to spread) and leaves a ridiculous white cast.



Can you see the white cast? It's kind of ridiculous when you apply it on all four limbs. Plus it's so hard to spread. Lesson learned: rather spend more on high end sunscreens. Never had a problem with Shisiedo face & body sunscreen. But I ran out of that a long time ago.

8. Aveeno Pure Renewal Shampoo





I guess it's alright? No complaints there-- but then again I rarely ever go crazy over shampoos. In fact, I think I've ever only gone crazy for one shampoo-- Aveda Pure Abundance. I feel like this is just a typical drugstore shampoo-- along the lines of Dove and Pantene (in my opinion, Garnier Fructis and Herbal Essence make the worst shampoos-- they leave HORRIBLE residues. But they smell amazing though lol).


9. Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector
 
Heard this evens out skin tone-- not true for me. In fact, it stings and made my face red. I returned it.


10. Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser

This is the second time that my face broke out from using a foaming cleanser (first time was with Caudalie). But with this one I can clearly feel it leaves residue on my face-- there's definitely a layer of something on my face even after rinsing out my face several time. And I can smell it on my face -.-  I have concluded that foaming cleansers are just no good for me. Returned this as well.


11. Aussie Hair Insurance

Sorry I forgot to take a pic so I just reused one of my old pics haha. Honestly, I'm not sure how to tell a good heat protectant from a bad one? My hair is damaged enough as it is so I can never tell if a heat protectant works or not lol. It comes out like a lotion, which in all honesty, I find to be a bit heavy/thick. I would prefer something lighter. Shame because it smells amazing. If I ever use it up (which I suspect I won't) I know it's not something I would repurchase.


12. Makeup Forever Aqua brow

It's a hit!! =) In short-- looks natural (if you use the right tool), and yes IT IS WATERPROOF. Awesome. Review here.


And lastly... I want to mention, oatmeal has been a favorite facial cleanser once again for this month lol. Still using oatmeal to cleanse my face. I feel like it's hard for me to go back to normal/chemical cleansers now X_x

Hope some of you found this post helpful :)


<3 Frances