Every Shade of the Rainbow? You've Got It!

Whoa. Excuse the absence. I'm back now...and all I need is my usb cord for my camera. I should just pick a box and tear it up until said usb is found. First off, to those of you celebrating Lent...Happy Lent! It's one of my favorite times of year (although I know for many, it's probably the worst...sacrifice? Are you kidding me?!)

Anyhow, back sometime following the holidays, I told you all that I had received some things in the mail that I would be testing for quality and value. Well, they have passed the test (all three months later), and I wanted to share the first one with you today.

Have you ever perused the MAC counter and thought--who the heck would ever wear that bright yellow or blue shadow? But in the depths of your inner being, your heart was just dying to actually own the colors and see what you could come up with? Well, even if you don't have these strange thoughts counter-side like *cough cough* some of us may, it probably occurred to you that unless you were planning on building some huge collection of the world's most unused eyeshadow shades, you weren't going to buy the stuff. But what if, right? A silver or gold would tone down that blue, and an amber shade would really make the yellow pop, don't you say?

With this in mind, I considered what I would do had I owned a huge palette with colors that I've only seen in the pages of couture magazines and on the faces of clowns. Bam! Mid-consideration, I am introduced to something that has changed my life and the way I view color wheels. Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer 88 Eyeshadow Palette practically fell into my lap (well, after waiting for a couple of weeks for the holiday mail to be sorted and delivered). What is this, you say? It's a collection of amazingly pigmented, great-quality colors that you can play with to your heart's content. And guess what? It's $25. No, this isn't one of those block party combos that you can find on the end of the aisle at Walgreens over the holidays. It isn't even one of the sorts that Costco used to sell. This has been test-run by some of the most popular makeup artists out there, as well as my own makeup-obsessed friends and yours truly. The payoff for shade is amazing. No cheap filler or excess shimmer--just real color. Each color is the size of a dime (which is fine by me--how often are you going to hit pan with bright shades like these?), and for the price of about 1.5 MAC shadows, you get 88 colors! Sure, the website leaves a bit to be desired--but I've ordered, and am genuinely pleased. Here's what I did...I purchased the shimmer palette, matte palette (I don't like total shimmer all the time), and the neutral palette (which deserves its own review...let's just say PERFECT for work and everyday). With today's crunch, if you are going to indulge in some treats, why not get the most for your money?


Above is a look that I used the palette for, in celebration of New Years. I thought--red? I'm no harlot! But ahhh, that can all be changed with the accompanying charcoal and silver...

Stylista Pasifika

I'm such a big jerk for not updating lately, right? That's how I feel...but, I think I'm nearly 97% finished moving into my new place. The remaining 3% goes to the place that I've left behind, which has a few dried foods and canisters waiting to be picked up. I seriously want to leave it all, but I must finish what I've started. What's clear is that internet was not an option, and was installed the second I moved. Can't be away for too long!

Now, this is unrelated to beauty, but perhaps it can be considered beautiful in a different sort of way. I was browsing Target online and came across a book that I picked up years ago in a New Zealand bookstore. It's called Pacific Island Style, and can now be purchased via Target--which, if you're in fact interested in purchasing, you should..as it's a pain in the bum to haul home on a plane due to weight! I'm telling you, as a fellow Islander, this is a fantastic coffee table book showcasing interior design from around the Pacific. Even dear Tonga can be found within the pages :) Why outfit your home like an Ikea warehouse or a Macy's showroom, when you can draw upon the beauty of the South Pacific? If you get a chance to pick it up, let me know what you think--I have a feeling it's not available in stores (this comes from many hours spent at my local Target).

I'll be back promptly with beauty-related news!

Bump, Set...

Evening @ The Beach - by Suka&Spice on Polyvore.com

Nice little travel ensemble, yes? Hello H&M, so pleased to see that you are offering beautiful dresses again! I'll be back with something good--moving is still in progress :)

Needed: Wedding Scent

As I've eluded to a few times now, I'll be getting hitched this upcoming May. Of course there are big decisions that need to be made. You know, regarding catering, floral, etc etc. But as you could have guessed, I've kicked it up a notch, and have decided to focus on the very important things such as what perfume I will be wearing.

Really now? Yes.

This planning business is all too much at times--so of course as I've been perusing through the many wedding websites out there, I've found that it's common for brides to choose a special fragrance for their special day. Now, I'm not so delusional as to believe that the Mr. will notice any difference (I typically wear a different fragrance from day to day anyhow), or that he will somehow forever link it to memories of love and laughter (that's more my thing, actually)...but hey, if there's a special dress, special shoes, and a special freakin garter belt involved, then why not a special perfume right?!

So here are the contenders:

1. Creed's Love In White: To me, this just screams wedding. You know, like something you'd imagine you'd eventually throw in a shadow box with a little copy of your wedding programme on the side (not really though. I hate shadow boxes.)

2. Creed's Virgin Island Water: Completely non-floral, carrying traces of sugar cane, rum and hibiscus. If the day-of becomes stressful enough, I may resort to ingesting this one.

3. Estee Lauder Private Collection: This tuberose gardenia scent leaves me smelling as though I've been rolling in a garden of unassembled leis. Some may find it a bit strong, but for the girl who can constantly be found with her nose stuck in a box of gardenia corsages, it's nothing.

4. A Mix!: This past month, I've been really into at-home chemistry with my perfumes. I like to spray one scent on the neck and wrist, and then just a little of another at the back of my neck. It may sound strange (and I promise it's not as strong or as overpowering as one would guess), but it really creates a nice effect which is hard to place--especially if you tend to prefer very common scents or brands. With this method, there's a little bit of foreground and background and your scent is completely unique.

With this in mind, I wandered on down to Sephora a couple of weeks ago, and picked out two very good single fragrances that merged into a great combined scent! I would never have picked out the Harajuku Lil' Angel, had it not been for the recommendation of the salesperson (it has lollipop in it...umm, do lollipops now grow on trees with possibility of being extracted?!). Mixed with Marc Jacob's Gardenia Splash, you get a lightly fruity yet tropical result.

So what do you suggest? One of these? Something else? If you were picking out a very special scent, what would it be?

Mask of Aspirin?

It seems as though within a matter of a day or two, my world has been flipped upside down! I'm making a move (just cross-city), and I have no idea where to start. Oh well. I suppose I'll figure it out by the weekend...moving tips, anyone?

Over this past weekend, I heeded the advice of a very wise YouTube chica, purchased a box of BC Pain Relief Powder, and got straight to work at making my very own aspirin mask. Now, I have used crushed "aspirin paste" on a blemish in the past, at the advice of a friend. However, I have never gone the full mile and covered my whole face in the stuff. BC Powder in my opinion is the best way to go, as it provides you with a smooth, non-abrasive consistency. I left my mask on for about 10 minutes and then rinsed in-shower--I do not fib when I say that I have never felt my skin so soft. In fact I couldn't stop touching it, as the outer layer felt thin (in a good way) but supple, and similar to that of a baby's bottom! This is possibly the cheapest and most effective mask I have come across--surpassing all of my little Sephora finds!

For complete info and directions:



Side note: Isn't her voice almost hypnotic? Shoot, she could very well have been telling me to spread kim chee on my face and I would probably follow her lead!

After These Messages...

...things suddenly took a turn for the busy! I'll be back with a new post hopefully as early as this evening ;) As for now, I'm diving into the world of packing boxes...