Archive for July, 2012
Essie Bikini So Teeny Swatch and Review
Good morning everyone! It’s tu-tu-tu-tu-TUESDAY!
Have you been following the Olympics? I just watched the women’s soccer match between US and North Korea. The US won 1-0, WooHoo!
While watching I finally had a chance to try Essie Bikini So Teeny. I absolutely love this color! From the latest Essie collection, it’s described on the Essie website as sparkling cornflower blue. Don’t worry, the “sparkles” are super small and you can barely see them which is a plus in my book.
Essie Bikini So Teeny
Application was difficult. I needed to apply 3 coats to get rid of the streaks. It seems to me that when it comes to pastel colors coats 1 and 2 are the most difficult. After 3 coats plus a top coat I really like the application!
Bikini So Teeny is pretty similar to Urban Outfitters’ Crowded. See? Essie Bikini so Teeny is more blue while Urban Outfitters’ Crowded is a touch more gray.
So far Essie Mint Candy Apple has been my favorite for the summer but Essie Bikini So Teeny is giving it a run for its money, haha!
I know that a lot of girls are having a hard time with applying pastel nail polish so here are my quick tips!
ABD’s 5 tips on applying pastel nail polish that can be streaky
1. Use a light hand. If you push the brush too hard you’ll create more streaks.
2. Apply at LEAST 2 coats preferably 3! Usually the streaks will get covered after the 3rd coat.
3. Always use a top coat. It will smooth the polish out to create a smoother glossy finish.
4. Don’t give up! For me, the 2nd coat always looks terrible and I want to just stop. Keep going through the 3rd coat and top coat and it’ll look much better!
5. Practice Practice Practice! The more you practice, the more your hand learns how to apply different texture nail polishes.
Hope these little tips are helpful! I’m off to make myself some lunch while being careful not to chip my nails! Leave me a comment on what your favorite summer nail polish has been this year!
Retail Therapy – My Wish List
Happy Monday everyone!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I got back from Portland yesterday and boy was I pooped! I think I’ll try to take it easy today- a nice relaxing bubble bath and an at-home mani/pedi sounds great right now.
One thing I wanted to mention about my weekend is that I finally got to try Pine State Biscuits a Portland breakfast fav featured on the Food Network Channel and it was AMAZING!! I got their Reggie Deluxe which is a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and egg inside topped with gravy (sausage or mushroom). I got it with the mushroom gravy and seriously it was heaven! SO YUMMY! It was the perfect amount of savory (not too salty at all!) and creamy! I highly recommend it if you’re ever in Portland!
The Reggie Deluxe from Pine State Biscuits
Also, a few of my makeup products that seemed to be a hit with my girlfriends over the weekend were of course the Smoked Palette from Urban Decay, Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish and Sephora Lip Attitude – Glamour in 02 (I believe this line is discontinued now!).
On to my retail therapy wish list!
Clean Shower Fresh Perfume
I absolutely love this smell and will never get sick of it! I currently have the roller ball but it’s starting to run low.
YSL Glossy Stain $32 in #15 Rose Vinyl
MAC Pro Palette Eyeshadow X 4
I want a small palette just for my basic everyday shadows (highlighter, eyebrow, liner)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
I ended up giving mine away to my mom because I was using Added Goodness
I definitely need a black again
MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline
I need a black liner that’ll smudge and blend well for smokey eye looks
MAC Rebel Lipstick
Beautiful dark berry for the fall/winter
My list is nothing extravagant right? Just some basics that I’d like. Looks like I’ll need to stop by the MAC store soon.
Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL start to the week!
Tarte Smooth Operator Review & Swatch – Agent 04
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you’re excited for the wonderful weekend ahead!
I’ll be taking a little road trip to Portland, Oregon for one of my besties’ bachelorette party. More than anything I’m looking forward to spending time with my best friends since it’s been harder meeting up as we’ve gotten older. I am a bit sad to leave behind Hubs- this will be the longest we’ve ever been apart since we’ve gotten married.
Speaking of Hubs, I finally got a chance to take a photo of his hilarious horrible tan line from waiting in line to meet Will Ferrell last week! Too funny!
See the V-neck line? 
I know I talk about this all the time but I realize that I’ve never done an official review for it! I’m talking about my holy grail tinted moisturizer, Tarte Smooth Operator!
Here’s how Tarte describes it “a weightless formula is no lightweight: packed with skinvigorating™ ingredients this tinted moisturizer will keep skin looking and feeling naturally smooth.”
And my Tarte Smooth Operator review? I use Tarte Smooth Operator (in Agent 04) almost daily and have been using it for the past 2 years. What I love about it is that it’s so light-weight but gives me just enough coverage to really smooth out my complexion especially the pores on my nose. It never feels heavy or cakey on my face nor does it ever look it. Also, it does not turn orange on my face like Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer does due to the oxification. The SPF 20 also gives me peace-of-mind that my skin isn’t out in the sun without any kind of protection.
Tarte Smooth Operator Swatch in Agent 04
(Note: hands are tanner than my face)
I absolutely love this tinted moisturizer but if I could make a couple tweaks it would be increasing the SPF level, making it medium coverage while keeping it lightweight and also taking out the sparkles.
Oh the sparkles- once in a while I see little sparkles in places they shouldn’t be like above my lip or on my chin, haha. I wish they’d take out these little tiny sparkles and keep the formula matte. Maybe it looks pretty when they catch the light which is awesome for the summer but it could be a little weird when your inside especially in the winter time.
I wonder if their Amazonian Clay 12-hour full coverage foundation is what I’m looking for?
I’ll have to give it a try soon but I don’t think I’ll ever stop using my Tarte Smooth Operator!
Hope you all have a BEAUTYFULL weekend! I’ll try to snap lots of photos in Portland for you!
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Swatch and Review – 015 Cherish
Can’t say that this is the color that my lips would turn after being “Just Bitten” but I’ve sure been loving Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish!
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain is a chubby crayon (like the Clinique Chubby stick) that is a light-weight lipstain. I’m really liking the chubby crayon design- it’s very easy to apply with it’s thick pointed end, like coloring with a crayon! And you don’t have to deal with using a sharpener- all you need to do is twist the bottom and more will come up. It smells like mint and has a slight tingly feeling after application.
Swatch of Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish (015)
The one that I decided to try out is 015 Cherish. It’s a bright blue-tone magenta. If you’ve been hesitant to try out a bold lip, I think these Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains are a great way to try it out without the high maintenance of making sure it hasn’t smeared or having to reapply every 1-2 hours. My lips stay pretty moisturized for the next few hours and after that all I need to do is swipe on some chapstick. It’s definitely not as drying as other lipstains that I’ve tried. The stain stays on well past the 5 hour mark.
I’d definitely recommend this lipstain to others and am thinking about picking up a couple more when there’s a sale. Here’s some random trivia, does anybody recall the Revlon Just Bitten commercial song that was aired a few years ago with Jessica Biel? Give up? The song was “Icarus” by a group called White Hinterland.
Check it out and let me know if you have any color recommendations!
Well, that’s it for this Revlon Just Bitten review…Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL Thursday!
My Louis Vuitton Galliera PM Review
Happy Hump Day All!
I hope your week is going wonderfully! If it’s one of those slow weeks for you, don’t worry you’re halfway through and doing great! Keep it up and it’ll be the weekend in no time!
Obama was in Seattle yesterday and I think today. Max and I were driving home from a friend’s home last night when we saw all of the southbound freeway shut down and dozens of cops everywhere! Max says he saw a line of black SUVs driving so perhaps we were that close to Obama! Pretty cool!
I think it’s finally time to review my Louis Vuitton Galliera PM in Monogram print. I honestly don’t know why it’s taken this long!
First of all, I love it, haha! No seriously, I’m really happy that I chose the Louis Vuitton Galliera design as my first LV bag. Some of the other Louis Vuitton designs I feel are very plain. The LV Galliera has lining that gives it more of an interesting shape. It looks very complete to me.
Size: The Galliera PM is a great size for everyday use and if I need to I can actually stuff quite a lot in there! The exact measurements are 16.54Wx 11.42H x 6.69D inches. For reference, I’m 5’3″.
Weight: The bag itself is not that heavy for a designer handbag. If I have a lot in there it can get heavy but thankfully there is a pretty wide shoulder strap that distributes the weight.
Price: $1,580. Pretty steep but I use it a lot and I know I’ll be keeping it for years and years. While it’s fun to buy cheaper fashion bag for under $50, they don’t last very long and the trend passes quickly. I think of the Louis Vuitton Galliera bag as an investment since the design will never go out-of-style and it’s high quality. Maybe I can even pass it down to my future daughter?
Things to Consider:
As I mentioned above about the thick strap- it’s great if you’re carrying a lot that day but on a normal day I wish it was a bit thinner. Sometimes the strap twists when I put it on my shoulder and it’s a hassle to have to adjust it because it’s quite thick.
The metallic plate with the Louis Vuitton signature is fancy but be careful on super hot days- that baby can get hot! I’ve placed my arm on that plate on a hot day and flinched it away because of the heat.
The canvas body feels stiff when you first buy it but it starts to soften with use. Also the straps will be incredibly light. The leather will patina (get darker) with use and time. I personally love the honey brown color that the leather straps become over time. It makes the bag look more vintage. In these photos my bag has been in use for around 9 months.
Louis Vuitton Galliera PM in Monogram print
Purchased in November 2011
The inside is beige with 3 pockets.
The smallest pocket on the left can fit my iPhone 4S
There is a little ring on the right to hook your keys
Top has a magnetic closure
4 protective studs on the bottom
The metallic plate with LV signature
My LV Future?
This is my very first Louis Vuitton bag and I adore it! I seemed to have skipped the two that are considered the “starter” LV bags- the Speedy and the Neverfull. I know that many girls have these two bags which should deter me from wanting them… but it doesn’t. They are so iconic. I especially love seeing a well used Monogram Speedy. It makes me think of old-time London (I don’t know why London and not Paris, haha). If I’m graciously gifted any more LVs in the future from dear Hubs, I’ll definitely post more reviews for you and comparisons.
Thanks for reading my super long review. Let me know if you have any questions regarding this bag!
Urban Decay LoveChild Lipstick Swatch and Review
Hi Everyone and Happy Tuesday!
Man, am I sore today! Yesterday Max and I started our 3 week bootcamp class and it was so challenging! My whole body is super sore now!
When I ordered my Urban Decay Smoked Palette I needed 1 more dollar to meet the $50 free shipping. After google-ing some swatches of lipsticks, lipglosses and eyeliners I ended up ordering the Urban Decay LoveChild lipstick. Love Child is described on their website as a light, cool pink and it’s just that. A very wearable, sheer pink.
You can pick this up on Urban Decay’s site right now for $22 and they have a special offer that includes the limited edition lipstick cap for free!
In the regular cap
Standard cap on left, limited edition cap on right
Swatch of Urban Decay Lipstick in Love Child
Several layers for this pigmentation
Honestly, I’m not a fan of the packaging. The cap is pretty fancy but what’s with the sword at the top of the lipstick? It’s fun but it’s also sharp and hurts my fingers when I grip it to pull the lipstick open! And the limited edition cap is even harder to open (had to have Max pull it open for me!). Maybe it’ll get easier after a while?
The pigmentation is very sheer and I had to swipe on multiple layers for the swatch on my hand and my lips. The pink is very wearable and natural for an every day look.
The texture is very smooth and glossy.
The scent is very sweet. It’s described as “creme caramel” but it definitely has that artificial smell to it. It’s really rare that I end up liking the scent on lipsticks so I’m not surprised that I’m not fond of this one either. It doesn’t bother me as much once I have it on but is pretty strong in the tube.
Overall? It’s a fun lipstick to have. The packaging is very unique and I’ve always wanted to try an Urban Decay lipstick. I don’t think I’ll be purchasing any more for a while. I’m pretty happy and loyal to M.A.C as my go-to lipstick supplier, haha. Their lipstick is more wallet-friendly ($14.50 each) and I love the vanilla scent! :)
What lipstick brand is your favorite? Are there certain lipstick scents that you love or hate?
Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL day!
Urban Outfitters Nail Polish Review – Hottub & Crowded
Happy Monday all!
A quick update from my last post: We DIDN’T get to see Will Ferrell on Thursday! Boooooo! We waited for over an hour and he was in and out of the little coffee shop in 30 minutes so we barely had a chance to make it to the front of the humungous line! Seriously, the line wrapped around the block! It was pretty disappointing especially because we were waiting in line under the hot sun during the hottest hour of the day! Max got the funniest tan lines (I wonder if I can sneak a photo)! Anyway, it makes me not want to watch his new movie… (yes, I’m bitter) but honestly, how long can I resist the guy? haha
Even though I’ve been loving Essie Mint Candy Apple and receiving tons of compliments from strangers (makes me love it even more, haha), I couldn’t help pick up Urban Outfitters nail polish in Crowded after seeing it on my cousin-in-law over the weekend. It’s a pretty pastel gray-blue with a touch of lavander. And seeing that Urban Outfitters is having a 2 for $8 deal (normally $5 each), I couldn’t pass up the savings and picked up Hottub which is a super bright hot pink.
L-R Crowded and Hottub (both with 2 coats, no top coat)
From Urban Outfitters store, currently 2 for $8 (normally $5 each)
I really love both of these colors! It’ll be difficult to choose which one I want to wear first but I think I’m leaning towards Crowded since I’m so into the pastels right now. Oh and just in case you were wondering, I only painted two nails each to do this swatch. This isn’t how I’m going to go out, haha.
You can probably tell but Crowded was a little difficult to apply smoothly to my nails. I’m finding that a trend with all pastel colors like Essie Mint Candy Apple. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a layer of top coat. The application for Hottub was much smoother and easier to work with. Crowded is much thicker per application and Hottub is thinner so I’d consider a 3rd coat for that one.
Overall, Urban Outfitters makes fun, on-trend colors for a very affordable price but I think I’ll be sticking to my Essie and O.P.I in the future.
Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL start to the week!
FOTD – Off to meet Will Ferrell
I am such a big fan of Will Ferrell! I loved him in Zoolander, Elf and Blades of Glory just to name a few. Well yesterday I found out that Mr. Ferrell will actually be here in Seattle serving coffee today to promote his upcoming film The Campaign. I MUST GO FIND HIM!
Here’s a quick “Stalking Will Ferrell” face of the day!
Face
Tarte Smooth Operator Agent 04
MAC Prep + Prime
MAC Well Dressed Blush
Lips
MAC Hue
MAC All Styled Up
MAC Pro Long-wear Lipglass – Infinitely Likeable
Brow: MAC Concrete
Eyes
MAC Brule Eyeshadow
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow – Heather 03
Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow – 2CE Iced Mauve
NARS Lhasa Eyeshadow
MAC Fluid Line – Added Goodness
Covergirl Lash Perfection Mascara
Wish me luck! I’ll snap photos if I see him!! 
Inglot is at Macys!!
Okay, I guess everyone else knew but me but Inglot is now at my local Macy’s! I’ve always been curious about Inglot after seeing something on Kandee Johnson’s blog but I refrained from ordering because it seemed so out of reach. I’m so glad that it’s now available nearby where I can actually swatch and see the products in person. First of all, I’m very impressed by their display. So many colors! I also took a glance at their price sheet and it looks like they are pretty affordable. I’ll definitely need to do some research on some shadows, blushes to check out. I’ve been leaning more towards matte eyeshadows so I might getting some from Inglot soon.
Hubs and I are watching this strange show called “Worlds Worst Tenants”. We randomly landed on it and now it’s addicting… Anyway, wishing you all abeautyfull night!
Essie Mint Candy Apple Swatch and Review
The more I look at it, I think that I might have had the name wrong on the manicure that I had before while I was on vacation. It probably wasn’t Essie Turquoise and Caicos but actually Essie Mint Candy Apple! Anyway, I love this refreshing minty green color! It reminds me of swimming in the beautiful waters of Bermuda. I’m so glad I got to pick this up while I was in New York. I’ll always be able to bring back the memories of my family vacation when I glance at my nails.
That’s one of the things that I love about nail polish. Certain colors are really able to evoke an emotion or memory that I can carry around on my hands all day long. Am I weird or do you feel the same? What colors do the trick for you?
One thing to note is that I do feel that this nailpolish is hard to apply. The tip that I’d give is just keep going! I used a base coat, 2 coats of Mint Candy Apple and then a top coat. It didn’t look good until I smoothed it out with the top coat. I’ve been receiving several compliments by strangers and today our waitress mentioned that she tried to apply it this morning but she gave up because it was so streaky. I told her how I applied mine so hopefully it helped.
Wishing you abeautyfull Monday~