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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! :)
Showing posts with label Shu Uemura. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shu Uemura. Show all posts

Thursday, March 5, 2015

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
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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 
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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
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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
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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
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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



6. LUSH Fresh Face Mask
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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. 


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More Skin Conditioner

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


17. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Body Wash.
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Haul Attack! Sephora, Innisfree, & Taiwan

Hi guys!

Happy 2015! Hope y'all have a wonderful New Year :) Can you believe we are already more than half way through January?! Time is FLYING by and I'm getting really excited. Nervous, but excited. I feel like I've been waiting for 2015 for a really long time. Why? BECAUSE IT'S THE YEAR THAT I AM GOING TO GRADUATE!!!!!! O.M.G.  After 3.5 years of grueling pharmacy education, if I may say, I am finally gonna move forward to another phase of my life. Granted, the life of employment isn't fun, but I feel very ready for it. I'm SO ready to move, find a job, get a pet :D and just start saving money.

Anyway, enough of the wordy intro. I am finally back in the US. If some of you are wondering how I am able to be away for so long at this time of the year since I'm still in school, it's because in the fourth year of pharmacy education (at least at my school), we do rotations/internships throughout the whole year. So it's basically working full time. And I decided to combine my vacation block (which is 5 weeks-- I know, kind of insane) with my winter break. Hence the super long vacation in Taiwan :P

To ease myself into blogging again, I decided to go for something easy to write XD It's gonna be a brief one as well, sorry :( have sooo much stuff that I need to do that I really shouldn't be blogging at all -_-"  This is basically a collection of the hauls that I wanted to, but never showed here. The Sephora VIB sale, some purchases I made on innisfreeworld.com, and the stuff I got from Taiwan. If you follow me on Instagram you will also see that I went crazy while I was in Japan, but I will dedicate another post to that haul :D


First, the stuff that I got from Sephora VIB sale
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1. Chloe perfume
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I think this is the first time I've ever repurchased a perfume. On the left is my current bottle (duh LOL)  When I took this pic I was only 1/3 through the bottle, now I'm half way through the bottle. Still in love with this perfume :D it's rare that I have such a long-going affair with a perfume lol. I think the only other perfume that I've kind of made my way through is Dot by Marc Jacobs-- that one I used up about 1/3. I still like that one but so far I have no intention to touch other perfumes XP


2. Diorsnow sunscreen
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IN LOVE. Been using it since last summer? Still can't get enough!

3. Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 575 Wonderland
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Lovely color, great formula. Wanted this forever and so glad to finally have it. Another color that I want to collect from this line will be 373 Rieuse. :D

4. Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation in Golden Light
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To be quite honest, now I have been using this for a couple of months... I kind of regret buying it :/ it's just decent. What I don't like about this product is that the staying powder really isn't good... it tends to break down and get patchy as I get oily. This only happens when I use this as a powder foundation all over my face aka when I use more of this product. When I use this for setting powder, since I only use a light dusting, I don't really have the patching up problem. Honestly, I do not recommend this powder. If I could return it, I would have lol.  Definitely only a novelty product for the chocolate smell.


5. Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in 15
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Really liked this taupe color. Got it to create a more subtle eyeliner look/smudge out my eyeliner. But I ended up returning it cuz it smudged within an hour :( Dry products are the way to go when coupled with liquid eyeliner. And notice the product was already kind of dried out when I received it in the mail. 

6. Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Pink Peony
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I love the name of this lip product =P

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Can we take a moment to appreciate how cut the packaging is?!

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It's a very nice, soft, natural pink.

Went to return the MUFF aqua cream (cuz it smudges within an hour 😓) and pick up the Clinique smart custom repair serum and came out with this 🙈🙈🙈 was gonna pick up the 1.7 fl oz one but there's actually a value set so I got this instead (1 oz serum, 0.5 oz uplifting firming cream, and 0.17 oz laser focus wrinkle correcting eye cream 😄), and spotted that Hourglass has an Ambient lighting blush palette 😱😱😱😱 I reasoned that after 20% off each blush is $16... So... 🙈 and didn't get to redeem my gift during my bday month so also did that today! Heard many good things abt this MUFF smokey extravagant mascara so I'm excited to try it 😊 I know I went a little too crazy for this sale... 😳 #sephora #vibsale #clinique #hourglass #ambientlightingblush #ambientlightingblushpalette #makeupforever #muff #skincare #makeup #beautyblogger #nomakeuporskincareformeforalonglongtime
A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on
Items 7 and 8 would be the Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette. While The Hourglass Ambient lighting powders absolutely do not work with my combination skin (makes me extra oily... not just look oily, but makes my skin produce more oil), I have NO regrets with those blushes :D 


Now onto my Innisfree purchases. I basically went on a Innisfree spree after the Long Wear cushion. But I'm kind of over Innisfree now hahahahaha.
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So many samples!


The main reason why I made that purchase is because I wanted this. I absolutely LOVE the volcanic pore clay mask so I really really wanted to try the toner to see if it would do anything to control my blackheads. 
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I bought two of them because I was gonna give one to a friend as a gift... but I ended up having a reaction to the toner... and my friend has even more sensitive skin than me so I don't feel safe giving this to her :( so I just ended up keeping it for myself.  Kind of sucks cuz now I'm stuck with two of the toners that I have no idea what I'm gonna do with. 

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Haven't tried the cleansing foam but I hope it's good. I feel very optimistic that I won't get a reaction from the cleanser though :P


Here are some of my review posts from my Instagram for the Innisfree products. I figured it's too redundant to type up a review again when I've already done them lol.

By the way, got the green tea seed serum bcuz my roommate got it for me when she went home to Korea lol. Not part of the haul.

Review: Innisfree Jeju volcanic pore toner also did not work for me 😔 used it twice (only used it on my nose since that's where I'm more oily and have bigger pores) and both times my skin got incredibly itchy where I applied the toner 😳 my skin also started peeling a few days after but I'm not sure if it was directly related to this. The toner itself contains some jeju volcanic powder in the bottom so you want to shake it well before you use it. It's not drying at all which surprised me because I thought it'd be somewhat drying for oil control (can't remember if oil control is one of the claims at all though). The smell is pleasant but not organic at all lol (your typical skincare fragrance). Really surprised this didn't work for me because I use the volcanic pore clay mask from the same line and got incredible pore tightening results from it, and no reaction! Sad 😞 #innisfree #jejuvolcanicporetoner #volcanicpore toner #toner #skincare #koreanskincare #review #beautyblogger
A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on

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Also got a cleansing oil to try. Hope it's good!


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I really wanted to try the soybean line but now I'm too scared to try :/ sad....

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The volcanic mask sample will be good for travel. But all these samples... I have no intention to use them cuz my skin has been quite sensitive these days. Just gonna give them to friends or give them out as free samples on my next blog sale. 

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Since I liked the Skinny Microcara, I wanted more of them since they are quite affordable. I had the waterproof version and that one does not hold curls, so I wanted to try the none-waterproof version just so I can spend less time massaging my eyes when I try to remove my makeup XD I'm currently using one now, but for some reason... I think the none-waterproof version is even harder to remove than the waterproof version O____o||| Maybe because it's hydrophilic and I use cleansing oil which is hydrophobic? Haha... -_-"  

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Got one in brown :D

By the way, Innisfreeworld.com sometimes have free shipping events... so I would recommend signing up for the newsletter and just wait to purchase from there when there's an event ^_^ I purchased all my products during the free shipping event.


Now onto the products I bought in Taiwan...
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Got the Clinique smart custom-repair serum duo while I was at duty-free. Don't think I have talked about the serum here on my blog O_o 
I have no idea what's in this stuff... But it's AMAZING 😳 Currently having a lot of flakey/peeling skin going on on my nose because I squeezed my blackheads 🙈 but when I smoothed this over... It literally smoothed EVERYTHING DOWN. Like you can't even see the slightest flaking 😳 how does it do that???!?!??? Usually I have to use a stickier moisturizer to pat down the flaky skin but the texture of this serum isn't even runny or sticky. The finish is matte, which is completely mind boggling LOL. Tried it again this morning (only used it twice so far) and got the same results!! 🙌🙌🙌 granted the flakey skin is still there, but just no longer visible. Makes makeup application 100x easier 🎉🎉🎉 I NEED to pick this up while the VIB sale lasts!! So glad I got a sample of this ❤️❤️❤️ #clinique #cliniquesmart #customrepairserum #serum #amazing #skincare #beautyblogger #sephora
A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on
I hope it's not annoying that I just keep reposting stuff from my Instagram XD but it's just so much easier for me. Easier for you guys too I hope for those who've already read them so you don't have to re-read the same information. Anyway, the serum already obtained holy grail status in such a short amount of time... lol. I do have a holy grail post in the works... :)

And yes, I am fully aware of how crazy it is that I bought SO many mascaras and mascara primers. Since I will be entering the work force soon, don't think I will be able to go home in the next few years :'(  so I went crazy stocking them up lol. Mascaras I can do without, but I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THOSE MASCARA PRIMERS. As long as I have those babies, I can pretty much make any none-Asian mascaras work (as long as they don't migrate down my eyelid haha). While others may be known as the crazy cat lady, I am totally happy being known as the crazy mascara lady lol.

The stand-out products in that pile for me will be the Aritaum Honey Melting Tints-- now I understand why the rage over the Internet. They're awesome! Also the Maybelline Fashion Brow Duo... my new fav brow product :)  (yes, more than my Anastasia brow powder duo). The other brands that I have not talked about before on my blog here will be Bevy C., 3CE and VDL, Clio and Pupa. That pink mascara on the lower right corner is a Thai brand called Mistine, which I purchased while I was in Bangkok :) heard good things about it. The pink thing below the Clinique serums is an eyebag highlighter (it's by Pmel). I think I've seen something similar on Bubzbeauty so I picked it up (but she uses it as a highlighter). To be honest, I should've picked up the champagne one (there was pink and champagne and white I think??) because pink just does not suit me around the eyes.  

That L'oreal lip tint in the middle I didn't get from Taiwan lol. Bought it yesterday. But figured would include it in the pile anyway. The color is 202 Coral Encore and it's gorgeous. Like the formula too. The only thing I don't like is the super strong fragrance... kind of like the Clio Lipnicure if you have tried that before. 


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Thought it'd be fun to show you guys the things I have back-ups for :D Got an extra Dior sunscreen with my VIB $20 coupon.


The last thing I got from Taiwan will be the Shu Uemura cleansing oil... also from the duty-free. My luggage were so heavy that I could NOT bring a makeup remover with me =_=" so I had to buy one at the airport lol.



Now as an ending to this post... here's a sneak peek for my Japan haul: 


Alrighty guys. Hope you guys don't mind this semi-lazy post >_< Feel free to let me know if there's anything you would like me to talk about first. Otherwise, I will see you guys in my best of 2014 products post :D

Hope you guys have a fantastic week!



<3 Frances