sushi bites

Woops, been a while! Heres a couple of foundation pics/swatches from my recent Lure Beauty haul (samples in Y9, Y10, Y10.6, Y11, and Y12) :

Lure Beauty Foundation samples

Pics below are swatches on my forearm:

Swatches on my neck. (I always try to match my neck!!):

Lure Beauty swatches on my neck (flash)

The yellow is not consistent in these foundations.. The amount of yellow is Y10 looked promising but it went downhill from there. Y10.6 is suppose to be a mix of Y11 & Y10 **CONFUSED**.. it looks much lighter than Y9.

Y11 looks like it would be a match but is much too orange for my liking. I'm so paranoid of looking like a pumpkin!!

These foundations do have a lightweight feel to them, so it would be awesome to find a match here... but that wasn't the case for me. I'm gonna pass yet again.

Hehe it's OK.. I've got a haul from Ocean Mist Cosmetics on the way! I ordered on Saturday & processed my order on Sunday.. pretty fast I say! These might be the last of my foundation sampling days for a WHILE.. I have a teeny tiny supply of blushers & eyeshadows so I'm gonna need to stock up on those instead! =D

FYI! Here's an E-mail I just received from them:

Tempting.. but I'm on a no-buy for about two weeks (payday ha). I did receive my most recent haul from Lure Beauty.. and this was sooooo much better (in terms of creams & scrub) than the last one. I'm loving most of the scents I received!! Yay!

Camera woes: I haven't been able to find my camera which holds all my Covergirl Volume exact lash pics... =( I guess I need to hold off on that.

Here's a couple of things I bought/received today:

As a Beauty Insider member.. I never opted to get a deluxe sample until now. I got Laura Mercier's Metallic Creme Shadow in Gold. I already have full sizes in the colors: Burnished Copper & Rose Gold. I'm pretty sure I have another one around, but I can't seem to find it! Arrgghh.. Well anyway, I've got them side by side & by a Q-tip to compare the size. Swatches also provided.

Is it me.. or does Rose Gold seem more gold than Gold?? Gold looks like it leans more toward a silver color.. O_O
Nevermind, it's more of a dirty brown gold.

Target Haul:

Cover Girl Volume Exact Waterproof Mascara

Yay.. last mini-haul from J.Crew I had to share. I got two awesome shirts for $10 each!!!! What a steal! I guess it helps that the bf works there :)

J. Crew Shirts

Yep.. I'm so broke. Ha!

I haven't been to the beach yet this summer & I blame the rain. Every time I'm off it's always raining.. so I haven't had the chance to catch my "tan". I guess it's fine because I'm unprepared as it is.. I've ran out of my Murad Waterproof Sunblock SPF ($30) so no protection for me.. I've been putting off Sephora anyway for a couple of days because I took advantage of Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale. Ha.. $300 spent (eeeek!!!) should put me in a no-buy situation for a while. (Sorry Silk Naturals.. maybe i'll change my mind tomorrow! LOL).

So I decided to fake a "tan" (as if I wasn't tan already hehe..) w/ my HG bronzer = NARS Laguna. I love how it doesn't make me look orange at all.. Last thing I want to look like is an oompa loompa!!

I applied it where the sun naturally hits the face with my MAC 187SE (one of my favesss. FAVES!). Here's my FOTN:

FOTN 6/23/08

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All MAC unless otherwise stated.
Face:
Monistat Soothing Relief Chafing Gel (primer)
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss in Fierce Abyssinian
NARS Laguna Bronzer
Format Blush
Silk Naturals Heavenly Glow
Fix + (after makeup application)
Eyes:
UDPP (for my oily lids)
Diorshow Waterproof Mascara in Black
Blacktrack Fluidline (tightlining)
Shroom e/s (browbone highlight)
Saddle e/s (brows)
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder #2 (undereyes)
Lips:
Lip Conditioner
Pleasureseeker l/s (LE Neo Sci Fi)
Naked Space l/g (LE Neo Sci Fi)
Pink Grapefruit l/g (LE Neo Sci Fi)

LOTN 6/23/08

At first I had only Pleasureseeker + Naked Space alone.. & I didn't really feel comfortable in it because it looked too pale for me. So I added a splash of Pink Grapefruit on top and it came out just perfect. My lips remind me of melon..mmm LOL. I'm still learning on working with very different color combinations because I don't have much to work with. I've realized a lot of the lip colors I have are pretty similar to one another. I need to work out of my comfort zone & try new things!!

FOTN 2 6/23/08

Camerawhoring again.. Hey maybe I don't need a tan after all.. My foundation looks a tad too light for me here!

Anywho.. I've noticed a little peach fuzz growing on my upper lip which is very visible on my lip swatches (refer to picture above.. then ZOOM!!!!! haha), so I decided to whip out my Sally Hansen Hair Removal Wax Strip Kit ($5.49 at Walgreens). It's a pretty easy procedure & for me, it's not that painful. (Painful = me plucking the hair away for a grueling half an hour!! Yikes!) I still have to pluck when I use this product, but at least it takes away most of the hair beforehand & sparing me the pain.

Basically, you prep the area you are about to wax by cleaning it thoroughly. You take a pre-waxed strip & rub it between your hands to make in warm. Apply it in the direction of hair growth.. then pull it against the direction of the hair growth to get rid of the hair. VOILA! No more mustache!!!!! YES.

I would have taken more pictures.. but my battery died. FAIL.

The nice thing about these strips is that you can cut the strips to your desired shape to fit over/underneath your brows. Perfect for anyone who waxes their eyebrows! I haven't tried it yet because my eyebrows get really irritated from previous waxings but I can see how this can be beneficial for people who'd like to try it (no scalding hot wax here!).

I mean, my upper lip gets irritated too (note: not as bad as my brows though), but I don't fret because the kit provides Azulene finishing oil which does help soothe my irritated skin plus takes off any excess wax left behind.

& Although it says on the box that you can use it on your bikini area.. I honestly wouldn't even try. It doesn't have enough "pull" to grab onto coarser hair. Sometimes I have to go over some areas on my upper lip to ensure all the hair is gone. It would take a wholllle lot of patience to try to do the bikini area (& probably a lot of tears). If you can make it through, then god bless you. LOL.

Iced Coffee = crack!

(This is kind of unrelated to anything beauty.) It's getting late. I'm up no thanks to iced coffee (iced coffee = crack!!!!!!!). My addiction to iced coffee is as bad as my addicted to makeup.. YES, IT'S THAT BAD. It's funny because I told myself around noon that I was gonna give it up.. & what did I get at Dunkin' Donuts around midnight?!? LOL. Check it out--->> I am happy as hell gettin' my fix (and dare I say.. the second one today! LOL). Sigh, I'm afraid to look up anything relating to ingesting massive amounts of caffeine & it's negative effect (if any) on skin.. because I might just turn away & kick this delicious habit (read: help! *wink).


4:10AM EDIT:
So.. I looked up on the web that coffee can prevent a type of skin cancer.. So that means.. I'm drinking away LOL.

a haul from Lure beauty!! (not a baby..not yet LOL. *knocks on wood. j/k!!!).

What I finally decided on:

I decided to skip on the Emu oil because I'm kinda scared what it might do to my skin & how it would smell. My aunts had tried it, but it burnt their skin pretty bad. I mean, my skin is different from theirs.. but for now I'm gonna have to pass. I've been pretty good to my skin lately - recently adding double cleansing & sunscreen to my skincare regimen. It doesn't need any abuse at the moment!

Anywho.. expect some swatches & my take on the new fragrances soon! To smell good is a necessity.. BUT I'm very picky! (can't you tell??).  Hopefully I don't sample too much that & eventually try them all LOL! Oh man, my nose needs a break.

SOoo.. next online purchase: Silk Naturals. But first, I must stop at a Sephora soon.. I've ran out of makeup remover. My wallet hates me =( Must. Save. Up. for vacation!! arghhh...

I've been taking a look at my SN samples for my next haul (full sizes) & decided to gather some swatches:

Silk Naturals Powders

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Silk Naturals Lippies

I absolutely LOVE their mineral glows. They are gorgeous over blushes & even by themselves. When it sets on my skin, I looks so ethereal. I'm grabbing full sizes of Cupid & Heavenly & after taking a look at Titty's swatch for Halo I'm definitely getting a full size of that also.

Did anyone notice that Siren Bronze glow is suppose to be a dupe for Global Glow MSF?? I've always wanted MSF's but they're waaayy too much on e-bay (next time they launch I'm definitely haulin a$$ LOL). I wonder if these glows are anything like they're MAC counterparts but otherwise they're definitely beautiful.

As for the blushes I received, they were way too light for my taste.. BUMMER. I was most excited about Wish You Were Here. =(

Capricious

The lippies are very moisturing/comfortable on the lips & pretty pigmented.. However, this is the second time I've opened them since I've got them (which was about a month ago). I don't really like the colors I picked up this time around so I'm hoping to pick better colors that suit my skintone better in the next haul. I probably could get away with Capricious alone, but the rest would need some MAC lipglass on top or else I'd be a little too self-conscious.

OOOOO the swatches I've been seeing around of Swept Away look pretty tempting, so I believe I'm adding that to the list along with the glows ;).

Here's a simple FOTD from the other day wearing Cupid Glow over my MAC Sunbasque Blush:

Cupid Glow

All MAC unless otherwise stated.

Face:
Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Gel (primer)
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss in Fierce Abyssinian
Sunbasque Blush
Silk Naturals Cupid Glow
Blot Powder in Med/Dark
Fix + (after makeup application)

Eyes:
UDPP (for my oily lids)
Blacktrack Fluidline (upper lashline & tightlined)
Diorshow Waterproof Mascara in Black
Shroom e/s (brow bone highlight)
Saddle e/s (brows)

Lips:
High 90's Slimshine l/s (LE Cool Heat)
Sugar Trance lipglass (LE Fafi)

So lately I've been comtemplating over purchasing some Lure Beauty items. They have such a wide selection of skin care, makeup, & misc items - so hard to choose!! This is the first time I've heard of Emu oil.. It's making me curious. I'm going to have to read up on that more. Fat from Emu = good for my skin?! The last thing my face needs is more oil on it LOL (I have extremely greasy skin!) but I hear it's very beneficial especially for wrinkles (I've been more wrinkle conscious lately). I'm also thinkin' about purchasing their foundation.. I'm so unsure I need some guidance LOL. Anyway here's my recent Lure Beauty haul:

Lure Beauty Haul

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I ordered samples of Exotic Butters Body Cream in Beach Baby, Apricot, Strawberry Vanilla, Lick me All Over,  & Fresh and Clean + Shea Butter Light Cream in Peaches & Cream, Baby Clean, & Coco Mango. They also added a generous amount of add'l samples (9 to be exact!). There's only five pictured because the 4 other samples were for men.. and my co-worker took it off my hands already.. & I'm pretty sure I don't need after shave cream.. hehe. Before reading please note that my opinion is only one out of many and you don't have to agree, k thanks! ;)

Peaches -n- Cream:
Lure Beauty website says, "This fragrance has been raved about by our customers, they can't get enough.  Highly scented with peaches and cream fragrance you will think there is a big bowl of peach ice cream near you. "
I think KNOW that I'm very picky with scents. I had high expectations for this scent to come to find out that I didn't like it very much. I tried to make it work & kept putting it on hoping that it would grow on me but it kinda smelled like Playdoh (bad batch maybe?).

Baby Clean:
"Unique and calming; we're taking baby powder to a higher level. This wonderful scent has top notes of granny smith apple, lemon zest, and hints of mint, rounded out with blossoms of spring wildflowers, butterfly violets & honeysuckle. You can actually smell hints of a new born baby haha!. "
They pretty much have this accurate.. it's a very calming scent that I've grown accustomed to. I usually love strictly fruity/sweet scents but I can see myself buying a 2oz trial size of this. For those days that I want to be babied. =D I can really smell the lemon zest & mint in this.

Strawberry Vanilla:
"Just like it says, fresh strawberries mixed with yummy vanilla!"
This is an OK scent. It has a very strong fruity scent at first. I mean, I love fruity but this is definitely a wake up call. I'm not sure if I would get a tub of this.. it kind of reminds me of a cross between strawberry bubblegum (mmm bubble tape!) & bubblebaths (maybe it was a bubblegum smell? LOL. I miss those, but I don't really wanna smell like it). I think I'll just keep it aside when I want to take a whiff and bring back those childhood memories.

Beach Baby:
"A wonderful tropical blend of Hawaiian flowers, tropical fruits, and a base note of new born baby."
This is a very light & refreshing smell. The scent reminds me of a fruity herbal tea (much like the Pomegranate Berry tea from Gloria Jeans) which is very calming to my nerves. I can see this being used for some good aromatherapy. I mean it's OK.. I CAN see myself growing to like this scent, but I'm not sure if I want to pursue the relationship. =X

Fresh & Clean:
"A duplication of the fabulous fragrance by DLish. It combines the fragrance notes of litsea cubeba, orange, sweet lime, pink grapefruit, passion lily, rose geranium, and white musk. Fresh and Clean's sweet layer combines the fragrance notes of sweet orange, grapefruit, lime, neroli, and rose to add a sweet feminine layer to the scent while maintaining the soapy, clean essence.."
This smell like I literally just stepped out of the shower! This would be very good for days when you've woken up late and you have NO TIME to shower (yea.. it happens)! I feel so clean wearing this. "Fresh & Clean". Been out all day in the sun sweatin' your buns off.. just slather this baby on! Fake-shower-in-a-jar. hehe.

Coco Mango:
"This complex fragrance begins with fruity notes of mango, fresh strawberries, elderberries, and ripe papaya. This scent is completed with rich vanilla and toasted coconut with just a hint of soft musk."
I'm undecided about this. I know there's a Piña Colada fragrance, but this kind of reminds me of Piña Colada. I think this is because to me, this smells like coco liquor. I either want to take a shot of Malibu or down Dallas BBQ's Piña Coladas at the moment LOL. *slurp.  It's a fun fragrance.. not the best but the not worst either.

Lick Me All Over:
"THIS ONE IS TOO HOT! There is no mistaking its exotic and seductive scent. Rich with notes of fruit and tropical paradise, you and your customers will love the alluring aroma of this trendy favorite. Perfect for exotic blends. Raspberry, Melon, Citrus with a slight floral note."
Yay! Save the best for last.. I'm excited about this one. I find this to be a fruity (& just right), sweet, and an inviting scent. I couldn't help but reach this one for the past couple of days & now convinced to get an 8oz! The best part of it is that it is not too strong (no headaches here.. yes!). I absolutely adore it.

I didn't care much for the mini samples.. except for the Light Blue type & the Cool Water for Men. I had someone confirm if they smelled the same as the original & they said it was about the same -- not bad.

Sigh, but it's no thanks to lick me all over that I'll definitely be placing another order with lure beauty.. maybe I'll get a match with their foundation *crosses fingers. OK well I'm all pooped out from the overload of fragrances. G'nite! =D

Sigh. My face is recovering from trying on Blusche Mineral foundation from the last day I posted. I received samples of the Full Coverage Oily/Combo with & without Kaolin Clay formulas in practically all the yellow shades. I couldn't decide whether I was a Creme Brulee or a Caramel Macchiato so I did half & half on my face to determine:

Side note: I usually don't opt for full coverage foundations as I only have redness to cover, but I strive for perfection.. and right now it's kicking me in the ass. LOL.

See? Redness. The left side is with Meow Cosmetics Fierce Abyssinian & the right side is completely NAKED. Excuse the hair, I practically just woke up & started camera whoring. & I don't care what anyone says, I'll never walk out the door without my mascara and my eyebrows done!! Sigh, no shame LOL. But really, I LOVE my Meow.. it melds with my skin so perfectly. The finish it just not quite right which is probably why I am still sampling away, but Meow... you will always be my first love LOL. Lure beauty post later. Take care <3

    Yay, my first post! Let's see where to start. OK, let's just get to the makeup part. I use to buy overly priced foundations that weren't a great match for me which would explain why last summer I only had a 2 lipglosses & a mascara. It wasn't until I recently discovered beauty bloggers/forums such as Christiana's blog & Makeup Talk which started my newfound addiction (Yes, it took me this long to find makeup because I've grown up to be one of the guys). The concept of mineral makeup intrigued me so I had no choice but to sample away! And boy did I sample so much! And then as if that wasn't bad enough, I stumbled unto Temptalia's site to discover MAC lippies. I thought my cravings to shop for makeup would go away but unfortunately they've just escalated. This is such a dangerous hobby for my wallet LOL. Hey, whatever makes you happy huh? =D OK I'm going to stop ranting now. Here's a FOTD to start off with:

All MAC unless otherwise stated.