Bam!

While uploading photos from my camera, I came across these that were taken about a week ago. The poll said you wanted more photos! When I get home from work, I'm a little silly, a bit disoriented, and a whole lot of tired. Sometimes it results in weirdness of this nature. I can't tell you exactly what's on the eye, as I didn't create it, but I know there was a lot of MAC and Armani used.


The second installment of my Korean cosmetics posts is coming shortly...

Korean Cosmetics & a Swap!

The shelves of Sephora have been a bit uninspiring to me lately. Some of the fall and holiday lines are looking promising, so my eyes will be peeled for those--however, in the meantime I've decided to try my hand at a few Korean cosmetics lines. In these parts, Korean shops are a dime a dozen...but Korean shops with good Korean makeup--now that's a different story. I was lucky to find one that was willing to work with my limited knowledge of the lines, and I will show you (over the course of the next couple of posts), the winners of my purchases. Most can be purchased online.

Clio Art Shadow 1.5 in Forte Goldgreen

Clio is a brand that is made in Italy, yet marketed in Korea. It's affordable (under $20 for an eyeshadow), and very well made--especially for those who are interested in color. The shadow combinations are endless, and most of the items from this "Art" line are baked. I've been using this one for the past four days straight. So do I like it? Oh yes.

One of my favorite lip products that discovered, was Clio's Milky Pink Lipstick--also from the "Art" Line. My lame Photoshop skills prevented the packaging from showing, but the case is just as special as the color--it's covered in multicolored hearts! The formula is creamy and consistent, so I will return for others that fall outside of the "very popular in Korea" tagline that the sales lady gave me. Milky Pink reminds me of some of MAC's cult faves (I'm thinking St. Germain or Color Crafted), yet for me it is a bit more wearable since it has less of a blue undertone. In this case, the term "wearable" means that I will most likely be using a gloss to sheer it out a bit. I just can't pull off this stripperish pink and still be expected to be taken seriously, with my skintone.

Castledew is a line from VOV cosmetics, and they offer a huge selection of Over Setting Glosses. I absolutely love this moisturizing gloss, as it has one of those teardrop sponge applicators, and a delicious scent. It lasted for over an hour before I decided to re-apply (I am constantly eating or doing something that requires me to touch up, so this is good time here). I will definitely be back for other shades. I love watching commercials for cosmetics--it's all in the hope of the marketing:



Oh, before I forget--I participated in my first International swap, with the infamous OxfordJasmine in England. I sent her the following items based on her requests:

My post to OxfordJasmine

I took a picture of the items she sent to me, the moment I pulled them out of the package:

Oxford Jasmine's post to me

Have you ever participated in a swap? What are your thoughts? Also, what has your experience been with Korean cosmetics?

Sonia Kashuk: Another Win!

I was tagged by the super sweet Dila over at Bubble Mubbly Bubble Gum. How's that for a mouth full?! This was a photo tag, and the idea is to:

1. Open your first photo folder
2. Scroll to the 10th photo
3. Post the photo on your blog and tell us the story behind it
4. Tag people to do the same

Now we're just getting all up in each others business! When I realized that my first album was of a wedding of two good friends, I thought...hmm, should I be letting them know that I'm posting their wedding photos? Mind you--they had the most amazing wedding photos ever (read: their professional ones, definitely not my amateur collection), so I really wish I could link you to them...but, I digress...

They were married almost a year ago in Honolulu, at a fantastically grand yet architecturally island-esque church. The entire interior was white, with open doors that lined the sides (very common in the islands, as a means of keeping the air circulating during those long services). Following the ceremony, there was more than a handful of attendees that vowed to get married at the same location! They are a beautiful couple, and share a love that is so apparent and genuine. Oh, and I was the MC at their reception--can you imagine?! Testing, Testing...

Now I tag:

Kajal Couture
Bubblegarm
Su-Pah
'Eseta
Tiff

Do you remember when I raved about the Sonia Kashuk Flat Blusher Brush? Well, my little thing with her brush line hasn't stopped. I can't say that I've checked out all of her brushs lines, but the ones with the weirdly shaped black handles are quickly becoming my favorites of my collection. I've spent more than I would like to consider on makeup brushes--and I would gladly replace all of the similar MAC ones with these dupes. They are soft and non-irritable, and do not shed a hair.

I grabbed the Powder Brush in addition to the Blending Sponge, and have yet to come upon a day that I haven't tried to use the powder brush for even the silliest of reasons. The blending sponge is similar to the BeautyBlender. I never use a sponge on my face, but this one promises a dewy foundation finish, and I figured that if I were to try any, $10 wouldn't break the bank.

Have any of you used a blending sponge? Where are my fellow Sonia Kashuk brush fans?

Christian Siriano for Victoria's Secret

I'm back! I had to leave town unexpectedly this past weekend, and I've spent the last few days making up for it--in the way of work, rest, etc. Last night I updated myself on what must have been a bajillion blog posts that I've missed--so much can go on in such a short time!

I'm pleased to announce that I have completed Project 5 Pan, and will more than likely never do it again. What misery! Day after day I would coat my lips in the same product--it was the most uncreative outlet that someone with a love of makeup could throw themselves into. I suppose I don't mind that I go through my items slowly--I'm just not going to set myself up for a month of boredom like that again. I now present to you those five pesky items that I finished off:

Mac Lipgelee in Valentine, Hard Candy Brow Pencil,
Stila Lip Glazes in Peach Cobbler & Praline,
DiorShow Mascara in Black

It's done done done, and I couldn't be happier about it--so, of course I have been out and about stocking up on new items--the latest of which has been Christian Siriano's limited edition line for Victoria's Secret.

I absolutely love the packaging on this stuff--it's a little lighter weight than it appears in photos, but is still very pretty and a bit punk. It reminds me of this ring that I sometimes wear:

As nothing in the line is above a $20 price point, it is very affordable, and the colors (even the shadows--I plan to pick up Oasis, as it was sold out) are very smooth and have good color payoff. I opted for the kajal liner--which is a creamy and smooth deep black--as well as the bronzer. The bronzer is tri-colored, with a highlighting shade included--although it has a bit of shimmer, it is very light and not at all over the top in the glitter department.


Victoria's Secret has done it again with a lovely limited edition line, and this may call for backups.

Are you planning on picking up any of the Christian Siriano items?

Mama & Me

Mayjah apologies for my sparse updates these past couple of weeks. There has been heaps of to-do's on my plate as of late, so by the time I arrive at my computer, there's a whole lot of squinting and tiredness going on. I do want to say a huge THANK YOU to you lovely readers--there's over 100 of you, and I'm so honored that you all take the time to chit chat and read my ramblings! Big Hug, Little Hug, Big Kiss, Little Kiss :)

It's no surprise that my mom is my main pusher of beauty products--it's sort of where I learned all this mess in the first place. As a little girl I would go to her room, lock the door, and then begin playing around in her vanity. Only after she'd practically bang down the door (mom is a total mama, but don't make her upset, as she is also an ex-policewoman with the strength of a bull) would I unlock the door, and run past her as quickly as possible--smelling as though a Chanel #5 bomb had exploded, with filled-in eyebrows rivaling those of Frida Khalo's. She knew from a young age that I had been bitten by the beauty bug.

So, explaining to her that I was in the midst of this Project 5-Pan experiment, sounded like "pure rubbish" to her. She gifted me with a handful of items over the past few days, as she claims that she feels for me during this time. We are spitting images of each other with this dramatic nature of ours--but hey, I got it from my mama!

Monoi oil (or more specifically lolo Tonga) is something that she is quite good at preparing. With the heat that we've been experiencing, it has been the perfect opportunity for the oil to infuse the fragrance of the flowers, and she has created quite the collection of filled bottles. It is richly scented, and I can't stop inhaling it, as the scent contains all the memories of my childhood. My role is to stir, monitor and locate pretty bottles (the boring role), as she makes the final call on when the oil is ready.

Strolling through the CCO (Cosmetics Company Outlet), she found a little cluster of lipglasses/dazzleglasses from one of MAC's past lines. Now, as she is more of a skincare guru than a makeup fanatic, she has been watching me apply my MAC lip gelee as though I've been scorched by the desert. "If you don't stop putting that on, your lips will fall off--give it to me, then you can say you're done with it". I like the small size of each of these--as I can hardly work my way through a regular sized tube. What do you make of the items at your CCO?

To my dismay, she is often out of town--but whilst away this past week, she grabbed some goodies that I have been enjoying. Shiseido products never seem to let me down, and this Balancing Softener is no exception. It has a very thin gel quality to it, and it readies the skin to accepting moisturizer. The brush in my opinion is more gentle and sensible to use in comparison to the Clarisonic. If your skin is dry or irritable, their Benefiance line is something that you must check out. Lastly, this Donna Karan deodorant that I'm sure many of you have used. It is non-irritating and has a rather non-imposing clean scent.

So, who is your pusher/enabler in your beauty product fascination?

Multi-Colored Nails

Last weekend, my dear friend came into town to celebrate her birthday, and as usual she was sporting a new nail trend. This isn't unusual, as she changes her nail routine constantly, and I've featured it before. This time however, she went for the mismatched nail color, and I was all over it! We've seen it with nail trendsetters like Solange--whether it be black and white or multi-colored madness. Instead of going for the all out shocking contrast like my mi amiga, I combined two colors that I like together in any situation (by this, I mean that I like it on pillows, clothing, cakes, etc). A little bit of OPI's Senorita Rose-alita, and a touch of OPI's Bright Lights Big Color was all that was needed to spice up my once boring nails. As I am someone who sports a lot of solids and dark colors, this is an almost unoticeable, yet nice "accessory" for the hands. What do you think? Would you dare to switch up a digit or two?
In other news, I was speaking with a friend the other day about the gradual change I've been feeling in everything from my skin, to energy levels. Something is just off and for the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to put a finger on it. We got back to discussing healthy eating and the like, and I suddenly realized that it's been over a year since I've done my annual cleanse. I can't even begin to explain what great things cleansing and detoxing can do in terms of skin--seriously cleansing from the inside out! It's time to get things back in order, but not so fast. I have a wedding to attend this upcoming weekend, and the last thing I want is to be unable to eat--so I'm pushing it off another week, and in the meantime having a daily glass of Green Drink. My favorite is Amazing Grass' SuperFood that is easily mixed with water--it gives a great boost of energy and goes a long way in helping to sort out imbalances in the body.

Is anyone with me on the cleanse/detox? You have a week to consider all of the goodness it will do!

A Little of This & That...

Our short heat wave is now a fading memory, and although we still have lovely weather, the days (and nights) of lying flat on the floor with a fan to the head, are over. Can't say I miss those times, as I much prefer a nice in-between sort of temperature...but I can't be picky. Nice long hours in the air conditioned mall, assisted in my survival during those times, and while there, a couple of items were picked up, that went the long haul in keeping temperatures below boiling.

Lovely reader Onyx, had suggested that I try the Tea Tree Water from Lush, and I followed her directions to a T! Right into the refrigerator it went, and it became an instant chilled hit--even with the guys! Actually, as I type I continue to take short breaks to spritz. The blend of tea tree and grapefruit, really works well in sorting out my easily congested skin. The scent reminds me of my old Body Shop Tea Tree products that I now recall loving.

For the hours that I actually stepped out of the house, I made sure to apply a nice layer of Shiseido's Ultimate Sun Protection in SPF 55. The parts of our body that show the earliest signs of sun aging, are the backs of our hands and our necks. Once those go, there's little that can be done to reverse the shrinky dinky skin. With this in mind, you'll never want to forget your sunscreen and moisturizer!

How quirky are the stickers on Lush packaging? It's all
about the packaging for me!

What is your idea of good packaging?

And once again, it's tag time! I'm so honored to have received the Freakin' Fabulous Blog award from Tina over at All The Vanity. Each day, I look forward to each new comment from each of you--I love the banter that we can have about beauty (amongst other topics), so to receive this sort of recognition is just that: fabulous! The rules with this award are

• List five current obsessions
• Pass the award on to five more fabulous blogs
• On your post of receiving this award, link back to the person that awarded you
• Link your five winners, and let them know that they've been awarded

So here we go--my obsessions (the Frankie J. soundtrack, circa-2005 playing in my head):

*Cleaning: I had to do everything I could to stop myself from posting pictures of my new cleaning supplies--a broom with this chic & sassy handle, a yummy scented dish soap, a blind duster...*sigh*

*Fragrance: My interest in fragrance is back, and in full force. It used to be something that revolved around clean and simple scents, but is now moving towards stronger mom-like (I mean that in the best way possible) complex notes.

*Reality TV: Impressive, I know. The Real Housewives of Atlanta has broken into their second season, and I'm already hooked. I can't watch a lot of serious television...in my book, that's not what the tv is for.

*Furniture Hunting: Hunting--not shopping--because that's what it's beginning to feel like. There are a few pieces that I am wracking my brain trying to find. I think I've made them up...

*Organic Foods: This is a mainstay, but each time I return from the grocery store I feel a surge of interest with this one again...I tell ya, if you've never put yourself on an organic diet, do so and see how your body reacts. Love it.

And now, the award is passed onto these amazing ladies:

Javy at Scarlet Empress
Tiff at Big Hair Bigger Lashes
Resham at Dazzle-n-Sparkle
Rocaille at Rocaille
Sara at The Makeup Snob

I'm off for now, as I have a raging headache that just won't go away--any recommendations for a cure?

xo