Birthday Haul and Some NOTDs...

Hey Everyone :) So March 19th was my 27th birthday and thought I would show you guys the things that I got~ This year was pretty low key, but I think I had a good one with some of my closest friends that really care about me. Besides the gifts that I received, I did get a lipstick for myself (#foreveralone LOL), just because I had to... and I have to say, I can't be more pleased ;). Anyway, hope you like my baby haul and the notds that I didn't post here (if you follow me on twitter or instagram you already saw them).

The new iPad (!!!), Jo Malone Red Roses Body Creme, YSL Volupte Sheer Candy in #2

NOTDs

Essie Navigate Her & Milani Nail Art White Canvas 704

Essie Chinchilly, Essie Set in Stones

SOPI Looks Like Rain Dear (gold glitter), Never Enough Shoes (black), Essie First Dance (red), Milani Nail Art White Canvas 704

*YAY* Lush Goodies ♥

I was feeling a bit down today, so I went to Lush - As you can see in the photos, I went a little cray cray than normal, but it definitely helped on lifting up my mood :). Let's take a look at what I got!

1. Back For Breakfast Shower Gel : As I walked in to the store this shower gel immediately grabbed my attention, because they had the retro packaging and all. I never used a retro product from Lush before (surprisingly!), so I'm really excited try it out :). The shower gel itself has that candy/ citrusy kind of scent that I love.

2. Jasmin & Henna Fluff Eaze : I needed a new hair mask for my ever-so-dry hair and this one looked  the most interesting. Like most Lush hair masks, this product has that very strong unpleasant scent, too, but I'm gonna give it a shot anyway. I have a review of the H'suan Wen Hua hair mask here.

3. Ro's Argan Body Conditioner : I first saw this body conditioner on Linds1986's video or something and I tried it out in the store and it seriously smelled so good I had to have it. It smells like straight up roses! Now how can you say no to that. Anyway, I think it was quite pricey and all, so I hope it works well.  

4. Grass Shower Gel : I love the color of this shower gel! It's so green and weird?!! Anyway, my lush girl said that the shower gel goes well with Ro's Argan, so I'm going to try that out.

5. Love Lettuce : ... and another face mask... you know I love these little guys. I'm not going into how great they are, because I think I already have 2 or 3 posts on them lol.

6. Samples - Curly Wurly Shampoo, Retread Conditioner

That's all for my lush haul

Hope you're having a fantastic Sunday!

Enjoy every bit of it and talk to you soon

xx

Amy

P.S. Will post a birthday haul soon!

New In : Real Techniques, Benefit, and More

Hi Girls! I felt like I've been really good with my makeup ban (didn't buy any for 2 full months!), so I thought I would reward myself a little bit haha... T^T... Here are the stuff that I've accumulated over the past week or so, hope you like it :).

Real Techniques Blush Brush

I heard so many good things about this blush brush over the internet, so I thought I would give it a try. Blush brushes are my favorite after all. The brush itself is kind of bigger than I thought, but it looks pretty and the bristles are super soft. 

Deborah Lippmann Rehydrating Base Coat

As much as I love nail polish, they ruin my weak nails, so I thought it was time to invest in a good base coat. I read Sabrina's post on her favorite base & top coats on The Beauty Look Book and thought this base coat would be a good match for me. I already used it for a couple of times and think it really does help.

Benefit Dandelion

This is a repurchase. I loved my previous one with the old packaging, but I had it for quite a while (almost 5 years...) and it started to smell funny, so it had to go. It's a lovely mauve-y pink that suits my skin tone very well. 

Benefit They're Real! (Sample size)

I've been wanting to try this mascara since it came out, but I had so many tubes to finish beforehand, so I never purchased it. Then, I saw this cute sample sized tube at Sephora, so I picked it up :). Was only $10!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain #7

A makeup artist at Sephora sucked me into buying this horrendously priced lip product, and I'm so glad she did :). This instantly became one of my all time favorite lip products and I personally think it is worth every penny. Will do a more in-depth review in the near future!

Philosophy Purity Face Cleanser (Sample size) - 100 point perk

I'm really excited to try this cleanser, because I know it's a favorite among many beauty bloggers. The scent is very pleasant and all, so I hope it works for me as well.

Kiehl's Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion

This is a repurchase and I have a short review here. My skin has been acting up a bit, so I needed another bottle :/.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes - Night Calming

I always had the original (blue packaging) one in the past and loved it, but I wanted to spice it up a bit and try a different version.

Have you tried any of these products? - Let me know what you think and have a great week!

xx

Amy

February Favorites 2012

Hi Lovelies~ It's that time again for the monthly favorites :D. Don't forget to link your favorites post in the comment section, I'd love to see what you liked!

1. O HUI Powder Sunblock EX+ in Beige (SPF 50+PA+++)

This powder is gorgeous. I got this as a gift from my mom (thanks mom!) and I was really excited about it, because I knew that it was one of the cult favorites in Korea. It's a medium to full coverage powder that has sunblock properties, so it will not only make you look flawless, but protect your skin as well. Whenever I apply this powder, it feels like I've been photoshopped or something lol - it's that good. However, I do not like the sponge applicator that it comes with. It grabs way too much product so I end up using a small contour brush instead. 

2. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow in Copper Sand

Copper Sand is a great all over the lid color when you don't want much going on your face. It looks super natural and blends easily.

3. Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose

This is the perfect rosy blush for me. It gives a really natural flush/sheen to the face and it's easy to blend. The packaging is kind of bulky, but it's a great product nonetheless.

4. Josie Maran Argan Mini Color Stick in Petal Pink

This is another rosy blush I've been using all month. It doesn't have shimmers in it or anything, but it gives this beautiful, healthy glow to the face and it's quite lovely. Also, all of the JM product contain argan oil, so I guess it makes a nice treat to your skin as well. I have no idea why the Happy Booster  blush and this blush stick shows up differently on the camera (swatches below), but they look kind of identical on the cheeks. 

5. Benefit Coralista

Coralista is a beautiful coral/peach blush and I've been using it non stop since I got it. It looks very natural and smells yummy.

6. Anna Sui Lip Rouge V in #660 

I guess I've been really loved this month, because this is another gift that I received! One of my dear friends was so sweet and she bought this lipstick for me at the duty free shop while she was traveling. The color is excellent for the spring season and the texture is sooooo smooth. Also, it has that signiture rosy scent that all Anna Sui lipsticks have and the packaging is gorgeous.

Swatches 

L-R : Anna Sui Lip Rouge V #660, BB Copper Sand, PF Happy Booster in Rose, JM Petal Pink, Benefit Coralista

And last but not the least,

7. Lush Buffy Body Butter

I seriously can't get enough of this body butter! It smells amazing and it made my skin super smooth. 

That's it! Hope you enjoyed reading and talk to you soon xx.

Review : Buxom Buxom Lash Mascara in Blackest Black

Hi Everyone! Today I'm really excited, because I have a review of my favorite mascara for you :). If you have been reading my blog, you know that I initially received this mascara as a sample at Sephora. I didn't think about it too much back then, and pushed it back in my makeup drawer, but now it's definitely one of my holy grails. Finding "the perfect mascara" can be difficult and frustrating time by time, but I guess some things are just found by accident. 

Before I get into the review, I do want to mention that different mascaras work differently on different lashes. So, the mascara that works for me might not work for you. It all depends on your eye shape, length  & texture of your lashes, etc etc. So let's get right into it!

1. My lashes? I have very straight / short Asian lashes

2. Likes ?

 - Has a plastic wand which I like

 - Separates and lengthens up to 300%. No joke.

 - Makes my lashes look "fuller"

 - No clumping

 - No crunchy feeling

 - It's not a water proof mascara, but it doesn't flake or smudge during the day

 - Formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates

3. Dislikes ?

 - Wand is a bit too big for my eyes - hard to get into the corners

 - Ugly packaging. The finish is even worse than some drugstore mascaras.

 - Not as pigmented as I want it to be

4. Value ? $19 at Sephora. It works well for me, so I don't think it's expensive.

5. Overall Rating ? 4.5/5. This product has everything that I want in a mascara and I couldn't be more pleased. However, I do wish the wand was a bit smaller.

6. Repurchase ? Yes!

And now,

 you're about to see my bald eyes... If that makes any sense... Sorry that the pictures are out of focus!! :(

Huge difference, right? lol

Hope you liked my review and thanks for stopping by <3

Much love,

Amy

Products I'm Trying to Use Up

I'm currently trying to use up more of my makeup and buy less. I'm starting with 5 products, since I'm not very good at this kind of stuff - Trust me, I tried Project 10 Pan like a million times and have not succeeded once. It seems like it takes a while for me to use up a product even tho I use it everyday...

So What's on my "Use Up" List :

O HUI Cell Power No.1 Essence : Right now I have way too many skin care products, so I'm trying to use up the things that I've had for a while. I have 1/4 left, so it won't be too hard to finish. review here. 

Skin Food Fresh Juice C Serum : Like I said, way too many skin care products - especially these kind of serum type thingies... This serum works great, but I want to finish it, because I'm not very keen about the scent - It's definitely citrusy at first (which I like), but ends up smelling like a men's cologne for some reason. Half left.

Missha Perfect BB Cream #21 : I honestly despise this BB Cream, because it makes my face so greasy during the day. I mix it with other BB creams to make it work. Roughly about half left.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 : I LOVE this lip balm and will repurchase it. It's just that I had it for a while and it's kinda grossing me out. 3mm left! - almost done :)

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in #12 : The cap broke on me, so I guess I have to use it up while it lasts. Right now I don't know how much there's left since it's slowly drying out. Wish MUFE had more sturdy packaging :/. swatch here.

What's on your "Use Up" list? I'd love to hear from you in the comments! :)

Giveaway Wins and NOTD

I won not only one, but two giveaways!!!  *YAY ME*

...........

Well, the thing is, I should've done this post way back in December (-..-......), since I received both packages before Christmas, but I finally got around to it haha. It seems like I always have good blogging intentions and all, but fail to post these days. Anyway, Sarah and Cushy, these two girls were seriously so sweet, they sent me so many great products that I feel like I don't need to buy anything for a while. I used some of the products already and they are pure love! Thank you so much girls for having wonderful giveaways :).

here are the prizes that I won from Sarah's (Beauty Vigilante) giveaway!!

The prize includes : Benefit Coralista, Deborah Lippmann nail lacquer in Across the Universe, CoverGirl VolumeExact waterproof mascara, Wet n Wild Color Icon eye liners in Green, Cool Green, and Turquoise, Urban Decay Travel-size 24/7 eye liner in Zero, deluxe-size Stila Lip Glaze in Grapefruit, and Wet n Wild Color Icon Palette in Envy + a Too Faced Primer sample and a cute note :)

... And this is an NOTD from like a month ago LOL. But whatever.. LOVE this nail color!!

 This is from Cushy's (cushyblushy) 1 year anniversary giveaway :). Soooo many products, right?

The prize includes : rimmel london glam ice shadow, rimmel london sexy curves mascara in black, too faced eye shadow duo in erotica and silk teddy, physician formula happy booster blush in rose, caudalie lip conditioner, crabtree & evelyn lavender hand therapy, benefit a little bit bad girl mascara, kiss french toenail, japanese shoubu bath salt, missha green tea sheet mask, missha pearl sheet mask, MBD japanese cherry blossom sheet mask, skinlite re-energizing green tea masque, escada into the blue eau de parfum sample, forever21 and a kitty earrings + And this cute card :)

and that's it! Hope you enjoyed reading and again, Thanks so much girls!

xx

Amy