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

June 2015 Empties/Mini Reviews

Hello hello!

Long time no blog again.... O_o|||  Hope all is well with you all!

So a lot has changed in the last month, with graduation and moving and all that. But maybe I will give that a write another time, cuz I sense this is gonna be a long post lol. Anyway! I'm obviously settled enough to be able to sit down and write a blog post ;)  By the way... I don't have my blogging camera with me... and it's kind of broken anyway -_-  so I'm not sure what to do if I want to do any kind of swatches/reviews, cuz the camera I'm using now automatically corrects tones and makes colors more vivid @_@  and I'm not really in the place to invest in a new camera. So we'll see. I love doing quick reviews on Instagram but I don't think foundation reviews are ever complete without application photos >_<

Now let's talk about the products I finished over the last few months!

1. Aveda Stress-Fix Body Lotion

I had it for a long time, but I rarely used it because I was always trying to save it for when I'm feeling extra stressed or tired LOL. I really like the lavender scent of this body lotion... it's not the fake, icky type of lavender scent that is so common among many lavender scented products. I found the scent to really be relaxing and soothing :) anyway I decided I needed to stop just hoarding my nice/expensive products and saving them for special occasions and just use them while they're still fresh LOL. Will I repurchase? Yes! But only when I'm feeling spendy... this I consider a luxury/pampering product lol. In terms of how well it moisturizes... it's decent. It gets more points in the scent department; the "moisturization" is just so-so.


2. Ryo Hair Mask

Err... forgot the name of this product. Sowee! XD  I think it contains ginseng and is supposed to smell like ginseng... but for some reason, it totally reminds me of this Chinese dessert... the red bean soup thingy


↑ This. LOL!! I swear every time I used it I wanted a bowl of red bean soup hahaha. It was a hair mask but I just used it as a conditioner. It was alright. Nothing special. I didn't purchase this it was a free gift.


3. The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam

To be fair, I think it's an okay cleanser but somehow I just got so sick of the scent @_@ For some reason the scent really started to bother me. So about half way through I just started using it as a body wash so I can use it up quickly LOL. Waste not! Won't repurchase. By the way, I threw out the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Cream (please refer here) cuz it was SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS to use. Takes wayy too long to work makeup off my face (namely... my super waterproof mascaras) I officially write off cleansing balms/creams... just gonna stick with cleansing oils from now on. Oh and I also tossed out the Screen Cell Cushion.


4. Wen Lavender Re Moist Intensive Hair Treatment

It was good. Can't think of anything else to add cuz I feel like I already talked about Wen too much in the past LOL. Won't repurchase.


5. DHC supplement for slimming

Bought this when I was in Japan. I can't really read Japanese but I understand this is for slimming (how though I'm not sure). I got it because I was curious as to if it actually works or not. Ummm I noticed no difference XD Didn't notice any appetite changes or anything. Nor did I notice any diarrheal effects. Hahahaha.


6. Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion

This is my replacement for my favorite summer moisturizer-- Shiseido Pure Matifying Moisturizer. It's really light and great for summer! Also an awesome medium for mixing heavier creams/lotions. Will repurchase. Although since my recent move I'm now at a much drier climate... not sure if this will be enough. Currently still using Cetaphil and it works great.


7. Innisfree the Green Tea Seed Serum

I mentioned before this thing broke me out all over my face. Was gonna give it away to friends but none of them were interested lol was gonna try to sell it but it isn't the most practical cuz the shipping fees alone are ridiculous. So I used it on my body LOL. Interestingly when I used it on my body, because it's a gel formulation, I feel like after the initial moisturized feeling, my skin would actually feel dried out O_O didn't notice that when I used it on my face, but then again I didn't use it on my face for that many times and I use a lot more follow-up products on my face. For those who don't know... it's extremely fragranced... I wouldn't describe it as a herbally scent (which is usually typical of Innisfree products)... smells like a cleanser to me. 


8. Aveda Rosemary Mint Hand and Body Wash

My favorite body wash O_O! This was a sample gift. If you don't like mint you obviously want to stay away from this XD But it has a nice cooling effect and I just love the smell. Also it doesn't leave that residue-feeling some body washes do. Will I purchase? Ehhh too expensive. Hahaha. I'll stick with drugstore body washes and soaps.


9. Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub

To be fair I remember liking it and it is a nice and effective facial scrub. But I just prefer my St. Ives scrubs with salicylic acid treatment. So I ended up using this to scrub my underarms LOL. Ehhh TMI?  It gets kind of messy though... I have to make sure to rinse my bathroom walls/tub cuz the black stuff gets everywhere.

10. Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum

Already talked about this before. Holy grail status. Smooths away flaky skin and helps skin repair faster. Already repurchased. I don't use it every day-- only use it when I need it in case my skin gets too used to it. 


11. Evian Mineral Water Spray

Also an old product. I prefer canisters over spritz bottles cuz I found they dispense the mist more evenly. I haven't really been using mists that much as of late... may or may not repurchase.


12. Dr. Hauschka Eye Contouring Day Balm

Why this is called a day balm still mystifies me to this date. How on earth do you use this during day time??? It really is a balm... I don't know how anyone can apply makeup over this thing without it creasing/slipping off. I used it at night. It didn't do anything for me. Glad to get rid of it. Will not repurchase.


13. A'PIEU Essential Source Snail Vital Cream

Was super excited to try this but it broke me out as well... think I've mentioned that before?? Anyway so I also used it as a body moisturizer. It's a very thick clear gel formulation... kind of reminds me of sleeping masks but even thicker. Didn't smell like anything. Actually, as a body moisturizer, it wasn't bad :P  Will not repurchase obviously.


14. Innisfree Long Wear Cushion

Had a full review, as well as follow-up here. I technically haven't used it all the way up yet... but pretty close. The reason I have to toss it out is because it started to smell funny. I tried applying it on my face cuz I felt like it was such a waste XD It still performed great but it did break me out hahahahaha so it was time to go. I still love the formula and think it's an awesome cushion and I love the way it makes my skin look... but I think cushions just aren't that hygienic. However I wouldn't say I won't repurchase this though... I might :P


15. YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation

You guys are probably sick of me talking about this foundation, but it was my holy grail winter liquid foundation. It is SO GOOD. I think I've had it for a couple of years?? (Hahaha yeah not advisable... should try to finish it within 6months-1 year after opening) and I loved it for the two years that I was using it. However, I haven't missed it as much as I thought I would be O_O maybe because I could only use it for winter only anyway, but I've been using the Innisfree Smart Foundation in Super Moisture and I'm pretty darn happy with that one as well. The formulations for the two are not comparable because they're pretty different, but in terms of the finish, I think it's kind of comparable-- they both give that super nice and glowy dewy finish. Innisfree perhaps more "moist" looking than YSL. 


Sample fest!! Haha


16. Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum-- Ehh didn't do anything for me
17. Sisley Ecological Compound Emulsion-- I remember really enjoying it but I can't remember why hahahaha XD I think I liked it but not enough to splurge
18. Lunasol Moist Conditioner-- It's nice! I liked it! Very moisturizing toner. Thought about purchasing it but I already have some awesome toners that do much more than moisturizing XD
19. Obagi Vitamin C Serum (10%)-- Got the sample when I was in Japan. It's nice... and it smelled so good O_O But I've used better products for brightening lol. 


20. Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque

Really good moisturizing mask if you guys are looking for something like that :) it's my staple when I'm flying long haul flights. I also apply it to the rest of my face when I apply clay masks to my nose lol. Don't think I will ever purchase the full-size product cuz this little sample/travel size lasted me quite a long time.  I would've repurchased it except I wasn't able to find the travel size the last time I looked on Amazon. 


 
21. Innisfree Skinny Microcara (brown)-- This is the none waterproof version. Will not repurchase. I prefer the waterproof version... it's easier to remove with my cleansing oils O_O Also I don't like the color of this brown mascara... it's too light... also on the red brown side. I found it just blends my lashes into my eyeliner. Not a good brown color. I think a deeper brown would've worked so much better. Anyway I have a bunch of Majolica Majorca mascaras now so I won't be repurchasing any of the Innisfree microcaras lol. To be fair, I do like the regular black waterproof skinny microcaras. Although they tend to be on the dry and clumpy side midway through the tube.

22. Integrate mascara primer-- it's decent. It definitely grew on me as I was using it, but at the same time I don't really miss it when it's gone. I prefer Majolica Majorca mascara primer. But it does the job-- holds curls and volumizes.  


23. Caudalie Premier Cru La Creme Riche sample

I enjoyed it! It's on the thicker and heavier side so I usually mix it with Cetaphil or SkinMD. It was a free sample and while I enjoyed it, I don't like it enough to splurge on the actual product. The smell reminds me of calamine lol.


24. DHC L-carnitine supplement



So I bought it because I thought it's supposed to help with more efficient metabolism... I misunderstood the picture and Kanji XD  I think it's actually intended for aging/dieting ppl to replace L-carnitine (amino acid). Haha. Uhhhh. I don't need this at all LOLLLL. I didn't have Internet with me when I bought these -_-


25. Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser sample

I like! It's a really good exfoliator! My face feels super clean and nice and soft after using it. But I still prefer St. Ives hahaha XD What can I say... St. Ives is cheap and cheerful. I don't feel the need to splurge on the full size item =P


26. Aveda Shampure Shampoo

Aveda shampoos are LOVE. Enough said XD If you're new to Aveda and not sure what to try, this is a good one! It's basic and... the cheapest one XD I think this one is awesome for daily use. Have repurchased.


27. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream sample

Already talked about it on my Instagram XD So here it is

New skincare that I was testing out. It was LOVE 👍 tbh, I was never interested in first aid beauty... Simply bcuz their packaging never attracted me 😓😂 this being the "ultra repair cream" and "intense therapy" led me to think that this moisturizer should be super thick and heavy duty. To my surprise, it was so light 😳 but so effective. This is one of these moisturizers that don't do anything special, but I just love the way it applies and how my skin feels after. This sample lasted me a good 2.5 weeks 😳 (I mostly only used it at night though). Sad it was finished. This gets a big 👍 from me and is definitely something I would purchase in the future 👌PS. It contains colloidal oatmeal... No wonder it's so good 😝 I'm so oatmeal-biased hehe 😁#firstaidbeauty #sephora #beautyblogger #bblogger #review #instareview #skincare #moisturizer

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Jun 8, 2015 at 12:18am PDT

That's  all I have! Hope you guys enjoyed this "quick" one. Have you guys tried any exciting products as of late? I feel like there have been a lot new launches but nothing has piqued my interest.  Did I just jinx myself by saying that? LOL. Anyhow, I really ought to control my spendings anyway >_< I spent enough on the last Sephora haul as it is.

Hope you guys are enjoying the summer weather! WEAR SPF!!!!!! Lol.


<3 Frances