[LOTD] Everyday Neutral Eye Makeup

I'm totally in love with this look. While your eyes still look accentuated, 

you can play with almost any shade of lipstick, whether vibrant or muted.

For a formal occasion, I tend to go with Revlon 001 Pink Truffle (review) and

Lancome Rouge in Love 230M Rendez-Vous or NARS Flamenco to party.

With Lancome Pale Lips, this look can even become nude.

Therefore, this look can be very versatile depending on your lip colour.

Please let me know what you think!

Products Used:

Primer: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer 

Eyeshadows: TheBodyNeeds2.com Elegance,

Urban Decay Smog or MAC Roasted Chestnut (I pressed the pigment myself)

(I don't remember which shade I used on the outer corner!)

MAC Glitz & Blitz 

xoxo,

cynthia.

[LOTD] Tough as Taupe & Hustle from Naked Palette Look

I was in rush to my lecture and it took me less than two minutes to complete this look. 

I never wore the same look but after this one, this became my most favourite!

Products Used:

MAYBELLINE Colour Tatto 24h Eyeshadow : Tough as Taupe 

URBAN DECAY Naked Palette - Hustle

MAC Blitz and Glitz

xoxo

cynthia.

[Hits&Misses] January/February 2012

I frankly feel as if I only had a week of February but I was surprised to know that it is already March :D For the lack of posts, my excuse has to be the fact that I'm a fourth-year undergraduate so this time of year really matters to me; but without any further due, I'll get right into my January & February hits & misses.


Hits 
LANCOME Genifique
Lancome promotes this product as "Youth Activating" serum and such term is definitely unexaggerated. As it touches the surface of your skin, it instantly absorbs and gives the smoothness that you experience when you exfoliate your skin. After a week of using this product, I've experienced a visible sign of both improved skin tone and even texture. Personally, I didn't get any blemish problem with this product although my cheeks are dry and my T-zone is oily.

As for the negative aspects of this product, it comes in a thick liquid form which has its significant scent which I do not find quite pleasant. It also falls into quite expansive side as for the skincare product but, despite these facts, this product instantly became the most important part of my skin care regimen.

DEBORAH LIPPMANN Wicked Game Nail Polish
If you can tell from my past few videos, you would know that I'm not a fan nail polishes but love definitely began to grow on me and I purchased a few. While China Glaze nail polishes dominate most of my collection, I think I'll make more purchases from Deborah Lippman after this purchase. It applies in a very thin coat but comes opaque after two coats (maybe depending on the application). Moreover, it didn't chip off until the fourth day of application and most lasted for six to seven days (until I had to remove the nail polishes to try new ones). I love this nail polish so much that I think $22.00 + tax from nailpolishcanada.com was definitely worth it. I am willing to give up three China Glaze nail polishes to purchase one Deborah Lippman.

LANCOME Tonique Comfort Re-hydrating Comforting Toner (Dry Skin)
In comparison to other toners available in the market, the texture of Tonique Comfort is quite thick to call it a "toner". However, it definitely meets its purpose of both hydrating and comforting the skin. I have a full review on this product so I will not discuss this product in detail but please check out the link below for more information.
http://benefitter.blogspot.com/2011/07/lancome-tonique-comfort-review.html

BIOTHERM Aquasource 24h Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel
I know how much I talked about this product pretty much for every Hits and Misses but I really love this so much and I'll have to run to grab my third one real soon. If you want more information about this product, you can also follow these links.
http://benefitter.blogspot.com/2011/07/miscellaneous-junes-hits-and-misses.html
http://benefitter.blogspot.com/2011/12/collective-haul-yesstyle-ebay-ardene.html

REVLON Colourstay Foundation
This product give a medium coverage so if you have blemishes or under-eye circles, then you would need an additional touch-up with your concealer. It gives a nice sheen to your skin but as the time passes by, it turns to matte texture with powdery finish. It slightly creases but still an amazing product for drugstore foundation (probably one of the best foundation I've used from drugstore). As for the downside to this product, one of them would be the fact that the price of this product was $21.99 + tax in Canada which falls into the pricier side as for the drugstore product. Also, it has no pump which can get a little unsanitary if you are constantly getting the product out with your finger. However, this is still an amazing product and I highly recommend this foundation.

LANEIGE Water Bank Long-lasting Hydration Essence
Before I mention anything about this product, I would like to inform you that "Essence" refers to serum. Thus, this product is a serum and I tend to apply this product after Lancome Bienfait Aqua Vital Continuous Infusing Moisturizer. I don't know why I abstained from using Water Bank Essence since my first year of university but I began to use this product again this year. After using this product, I grew a habit of touching my face a lot to feel how smooth it is (it's not a good habit!). It instantly smooths the surface of your skin and keeps it smooth and long-lastingly moisturized.

NEUTROGENA All-in-One Make-Up Removing Cleansing Wipes
I tend to fall for foam or lotion-textured cleansers because they cleanse the face without irritating the skin. I used make-up removing wipes from several companies but I haven't found a great cleansing wipe and Neutrogena's cleansing wipe would be one of the best cleansing wipes I've ever tried. It contains 25 of 190mmx185mm wipes which is "gentle on eyes". To mention its positive aspect, it does its job of removing make-up including eye make-up without irritating the eyes. However, I still think the surface of this tissue is not soft enough. Yet, I'll have to say this is the best cleansing wipe I've tried so far. So this one would be both a hit and a miss.


Misses
URBAN DECAY NAKED Palette (original)
There was the time when Youtube fans wildly confessed their love for the original Naked palette and I completely understand why such palette became so viral: this palette has twelve full-sized, highly-pigmented eyeshadows that is perfect to carry around. I've been using the palette everyday since I purchased this product (therefore I tried to incorporate every look with this palette for more than three months, hoping to understand why Youtube went wild with this product) but I still indicated this palette as one of the "Misses" because it has some fall-out especially for the glittery shades. After I use Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Base, it seems to work better but I still get fall-out. If I pay for $50+ eyeshadow palette, I would obviously expect less of such problem so that's why this would be a miss.

BIOTHERM Aquasource Nuit High Density Hydrating Jelly
As you can tell from the number of Biotherm posts that I've made, you may be able to tell that I really love Biotherm. Despite my disappointment with Aquasource Skin Perfection 24h Moisturizer, I still used their skincare products nonetheless. Therefore, my recent purchase of Biotherm Aquasource Nuit High Density Hydrating Jelly also happened without hesitation. The first few days of my experience were full of wonders and praises. It made my skin feel heavenly: as smooth as a baby's buttocks :D.... however, I feel as if my skin is getting used to this product and my skin does not feel as smooth as the first experience with this product. I wasn't sure whether this product should be listed as a miss but I don't think it was worth paying $48 for 50ml product.

L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle
I remember the time when I posted a haul including this product, talking about how much I will enjoy it etc etc. However, I don't think I do. The shade 516 Nude Beige matches my skin (the foundation itself looks really yellow when first applied but it seems to match perfectly as it sits on my skin). However, it, for some reason, feels grainy to me and I started to abstain from this product. Besides, this is one of the more expansive drugstore product and this did not meet my expectation.

MAC Black Line Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner
This is a black-brown shade with gold shimmer that does not smudge nor budge on me and, while I was satisfied with this purchase, it burned my eyes after application and had to remove it immediately. I gave it a try about three to four times but I cannot mention much about it since I couldn't have it applied for a long period of time. What's good about an eyeliner if you cannot apply it?

That's all I have to say for January and February. I made many purchases but I'm still trying one after another so please stay tuned for more reviews and tutorials!

xoxo
cynthia.

[Collective Haul] Yesstyle, eBay, Ardene, Sephora, Urban Decay, Jack Black, and Biotherm

Ardene

Beret is my current obsession I bought this Burgundy beret and another from Forever21.

They are so chic but also totally necessary when you are trying to live in Canada :P

Yesstyle

I made a few purchases from Yesstyle.com (of which I highly regret).

They had  some Korean clothes that I've seen back in August that 

Koreans have sold (or are still selling) in stores or online.

The website costs twice as much and I really wish I didn't make these purchases.

 I really wish I checked the website more thoroughly so that I can realize this fact but

the realization hit me AFTER I made these purchases so...ugh.

Plus, they advertize about FREE SHIPPING with $150 or more

and guess what.... I had to pay $64 dollars per FedEx box, 

which cost me $130~140 just for getting these shipped.

Ugh.

eBay

NO INFRINGEMENT INTENDED

I forgot to take a picture of this dress but this is what I bought.

And it came with a pair of earrings like so. I don't like the earrings but

I'm totally satisfied with the dress. It's amazing.

NO INFRINGEMENT INTENDED

I also bought this one but this really emphasizes your chest area and

......i'm not getting into this.

Sephora

I know that there was a F&F sale back in November but I really had NO TIME

so I hit Sephora right after when I received that $20 (or was it $15?) coupon.

NAKED PALETTE 

I know NAKED2 was coming but as soon as I saw Frmheadtotoe's review,

I decidedly bought this one (it's my first NAKED palette FYI) and 

I'm perfectly proud. I'm not planning on purchasing NAKED2 anyway.

Biotherm 24h Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel

This is my second bottle and I absolutely love it! 

I had a second thought of purchasing a Clinique one,

but I still prefer this one over Clinique. For sure.

(Clinique one feels slightly sticky and it feels 100% dried,

leaving your skin smooth. Definitely leaning towards the pricier side.)

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Lemon & Chamomile

This is my current obsession since the moment of my purchase.

I really didn't want to try the tester one since I don't trust what other people 

have done to it (they might have tried it after a slice of greasy pizza or.. whatever)

so I purchased it, really without thinking. $7.50 + tax for 7g lip balm is horrifying but

it's worth every penny you spend. I've been using this every single day (about two to

 three weeks now....?) but I love it soooooo much. This is my holy grail for now on.

Duty Free

This is what I apply after my Biotherm Aquasource 24h hydration replenishing gel and

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I'VE NEVER REVIEWED ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll review about this product asap. This is one of the permanent items on my skincare routine that I can never forget about. I asked my mom to purchase this because these

are U$150 for two as a combined set. I love this so much.

I also bought a 88 palette from BHcosmetics but they sent me the matte one instead of shimmer one so I have to return it. I'll take a picture of it later when the shimmer one comes back.

And I guess that's all for my collective haul :(

I hope it was helpful and I'll talk to you guys later :D

xoxo

cynthia.

[Haul] Chanel, MAC, Urban Decay, H&M, Garage, Icing by Claire's

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I posted my haul but here's my latest one I did in Mississauga (Square One).




M.A.C Cosmetics

I purchased three eyeshadows and a eye shadow brush. My new eyeshadow obsession has been metallic due to the new Chanel ad (Illusion D'Ombre) and Urban Decay's 15-Year Anniversary Palette.

I'll do swatches and review soon :)

 Urban Decay

I purchased Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I was expecting a bottled version of this primer, so I was partly disappointed but still purchased it anyway :D



Chanel

As I mentioned, my obsession has been metallic (or luminous, in this case) eyeshadows and Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre ad has blown my mind. However, this eyeshadow was much more expansive in Korea and I had no choice but to wait until I come back. 


For a review, please click here: 
http://benefitter.blogspot.com/2011/08/chanel-illusion-dombre-from-chanel-fall.html




Garage 

I purchased this one out of nowhere...... but I'm still into vintage :)

 Icing by Claire's

I've always wanted a watch necklace but this one actually operates! I was very impressed :)......with its efficiency and price ($21+tax).....

Some may now be able to tell that I'm obsessed with hairbands..

I totally had to purchase this one.... ohemgee. 

I know this is very random but I purchased this out of nowhere... and I don't know why I bought it :(

H&M

 I code clothes with many jewelries so I really have to minimize the details or patterns. 
 I thought of coding this navy top with a scarf from Garage and maybe with the watch necklace :)

This is also from H&M. Each was $10ish but looked amazing in the display so purchased it. I'll wear skinny jean.

I'm having an important meeting at school so I purchased this to match it with a skirt.

And random scarf obsession...

So this will be it for my haul :)

I think I'll buy one or two more of Illusion D'Ombres and will be them asap if I get to purchase them.

Until then, I'll post my swatches & review on Illusion D'Ombre soon!

xoxo

cynthia.