I loved the Green Tea Cleanser from St. Ives (can't get enough of the clean scent) but it's making my face really dry lately. Maybe part of it is because I'm pregnant and this baby is stealing all the moisture from my body (heh!).

Anyway, I went back to using YSL's Natural Action Exfoliator to help with the dry patches on my skin. I love this product. It's like magic. You put it on your dry face and just swirl around with your fingers and the heat will help liquify the product. And it smells super amazing!!


I got the sample sized version on ebay and I don't know for sure if it's authentic or not, but it smells and feels exactly the same. A full size costs $44 and the only reason I first got one was because the Nordstrom ladies grabbed me to do a makeover with their guest makeup artist and you know, I just kind of got sucked into their marketing skills. LOL! But I think it was worth it since I went back for another tube =).

I decided to get the Wet n Wild trio palette in Silent Treatment because it's small enough to put in my little makeup bag for work and I think it has pretty colors that is perfect for an everyday subtle smoky look. I actually also use Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Bad to Bronze which is nice for adding a wash of color over the lids. I usually don't have time to get ready in the morning so anything quick and easy is good.

These are three lip products I regret buying not because they suck, but mainly because the color was not right for me. Such a waste of dollars.




Colors look really pretty but swiped on my lips, they are just horrible. I should stick to my mauves, wines and bricks. Peach, light baby pink and bright corals just isn't for me.

PS. Look at how little product you get from Revlon's Lip Butters! *_* I think average price is around $7. Bummer! But it's one of my favorites! I love the colors Lollipop and Red Velvet!

Back when theBalm redid their website, they had a 50% off sitewide sale and I purchased the Nude 'Tude palette, Bahama Mama bronzer and Balms Away eye makeup remover. Today, I'm going to write about the Nude 'Tude.


The palette is made of sturdy cardboard and closes with a magnet. There's also a huge mirror inside which makes it perfect for travel. It also came with a brush applicator I didn't care for so I tossed it away. LOL!


You get to choose your background between naughty (girls) and nice (room). I thought the nude girls design was really cute but felt like the softer room design lets the focus be more on the eyeshadows so I went with this version. I think it looks classier anyway.


This palette comes with a total of 12 matte and shimmer shadows which you can use dry or wet. They were all pretty pigmented and buttery soft! Sassy and Stand-offish are excellent highlighters while Serious and Sleek are perfect for lining eyes and adding depth and definition.

All in all, I LOVE NUDE 'TUDE!!!

So hey, everyone knows about Baby Lips but I didn't really get into them after receiving the Peach Kiss in my sock last Christmas. I know a lot of girls like it but it didn't work out for me. From what I remember, it was a little gritty and collected in between my lip lines... just sucked on me big time. But it seems like Baby Lips are really popular because they keep coming out with new editions so I decided to give it another shot. If they are this popular, something must be right. I stuck with the original line and got Cherry Me because I know I will need the tint!

The first thing I noticed is the strong cherry smell. I don't really like it but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Application was smooth and effortless, so that was a good sign. And oh golly, I love love love the sheer wash of cherry tint it added on my lips!! One little con I think is that it feels heavy on my lips which I'm not used to for lip balms (I am a Burts Bees gal) but it's something I can get over with. I'm glad I gave this a second chance. Will I repurchase? Not sure yet.

Wet n Wild was BOGO 50% off at Freddies so I bought two lippies from their .99 Silk Finish Line. Hey, they're so cheap I couldn't resist. I want to go back and get some darker shades.





Hot Red goes on super smooth and creamy but I feel like it's too bright for my skin tone and makes me look like a 6 year old playing with makeup. Now Retro Pink I like! It has a bit of shimmer so it doesn't glide on the lips as smoothly as Hot Red, but nothing major, still creamy.

I get these urges to buy a ton of makeup at the drugstore because I get so excited about all the new colors I can play with, for cheap! And I compare the feeling I get to when I was a kid and I'd get a new big big box of Crayola for school... eeeiiihhh!!

• Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick, Retro Pink
• Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick, Hot Red
• Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick, 220 Natural Beige
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter, Red Velvet
• Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Flared
• Maybelline Baby Lips, Cherry Me
• Milani Lip Liner, True Red

I will make little review posts if I can.

Here are some of the products I would love to grab on my next drugstore shopping trip:


Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation - I've been seeing a lot of reviews for this one and it makes me want to try it. Might be hard to find a shade though since it's supposed to oxidize 1-2 shades darker.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet - just because I enjoy buying these.

Maybelline Volume Express The Falsies - I want to see how it will work on my asian lashes.

Neutrogena SkinClearing Foundation - Had good reviews as well and I'm curious if it can really clear your skin. I've been getting these tiny bumps on my face since getting pregnant.

images sourced from Google

I got this collection from Nordstrom Rack for $15 and since I wanted to get the Lorac Pro, thought I might start with this set to test their shadows first. It includes a little bag, quad, bronzer and lip gloss.

I exchanged my Stila In the Light palette to this very pretty nudes-and-purples In the Moment version. I thought In the Light was really pretty but I wanted more colors to play with and this palette was just perfect! I like that it has a good mix of purples for pop of color and neutrals for a basic nude look.

Wow, feels like Mr. J and I have been shopping non-stop the past couple of weeks. He's going back to school so he needed new supplies, clothes and shoes while I am in this make-up phase. Anyhoo, I decided to get some new face brushes: Real Techniques' Powder, Blush and Expert Face brushes. They are so soft!


I've been holding off on getting these because I saw the Core and Starter sets on sale at our local store for $10 each and I wanted to wait and see if I can catch that deal again. But I really wanted to try them now so I ordered the Expert Face brush (to get free shipping from my Ulta order) and then I saw Drugstore.com was doing BOGO50% so I decided to order the Blush and Powder there.







Next on my list is to get new eye brushes. Still debating whether to get Real Techniques' Starter Set or go for individual ones like from Sephora or Coastal Scents.

Yeah, I just felt like doing a separate post for this palette.

So I went to Ulta for the first time yesterday. They were doing a BOGO50% on Real Techniques brushes but the store didn't have the ones I wanted. Bummer! I ended up getting some other goodies:

BareMinerals Try. Believe. Love. Kit

Mr. J and I went out last night to get some groceries and since they were still doing the $3 off Revlon promo, I picked up a bottle of Nearly Naked. I chose 150 Nude based on research online (I love wifi! Internet while shopping! LOL!).

I cleaned out my makeup stash last week and I decided to keep this two liquid foundations. The rest of the foundations I parted with were all too dark on me. I guess I'm fairer than I take myself to be.


elf Flawless Finish Foundation SPF 15 - The shade I have is Sand and it seems to be a perfect match. I love it for that. What I don't love is that even though it says Oil Free, I notice my face get super shiny a few hours after application.

Revlon Colorstay Combination/Oily Skin SPF 6 - I for sure thought that I was a 310 Warm Golden but after spending time to really do a jawline check, it seems to be a shade darker. OH MY GOD, I had been walking around with an orange face!! >_<

(I just realized that I should have gone a shade lighter with Clinique Almost Powder compact. I'm not about to throw it away as I love it for no-time-for-make-up days, and I think powders are more forgiving compared to liquid foundation... right?)

When I first got this palette (cheapie for $5!), I was really excited. After playing with it, I found that most of the shadows are really chalky and powdery and not very pigmented so you lose color payoff once you start blending. You really get what you pay for.

This is an older palette so I'm pretty sure a number of bloggers had already reviewed and swatched this.

L-R: Lucky Charms, Full Frontal, Peep Show, Pin-Up

Top to bottom: Lucky Charms, Full Frontal, Peep Show, Pin-Up

Without primer, the shadows don't stay put. So, bleh. Very pigmented and smooth to apply, though.

I love this product. It has SPF 50 so it is good for your skin! It has nice medium coverage and best of all, I got it on sale for $2.99 (original price is $14.99). LOL!

L-R: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Pursuit, Wet n Wild Megaslicks in Sinless, NYC Liquid Lipshine in Prospect Pink, NYC CityProof in Everlasting Blossom