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.
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.
Obviously, Expert Face is for foundation, Blush is for blush/bronzer and Powder is for setting/matte powder.
At first, I liked the idea that these brushes can stand on their own but I later realized that if you are in a hurry (or clumsy), it didn't really matter. Nice to look at, though.
Fluffy!!
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.
I'm using my bareMinerals for about a week now and it's definitely a rediscovered love. I bought a starter kit in 2006 (I believe) and I remember liking it back then. I didn't have any problems with the brushes in my old kit but this new one is seriously SUPER SCRATCHY and makes my face feel like it's swelled up! NOT GOOD. I think the bristles are made of natural hair and I heard those can be rough on sensitive skin. It's a good thing I kept my elf Mineral Powder Brush.
But I don't really like elf brushes in general. I know lots of people say they're good quality for the price (and I got sucked into believing that). I've bought a couple from the Studio line and also the cheaper Essential line. Out of all the brushes I tried, only three worked out: Studio Face Kabuki Brush, Studio Powder Brush and Studio Mineral Powder Brush. I wish I kept the other brushes to show you all the shedding, the uneven bristles that poke my eyelids, and handles getting unglued. (Oh yes, I love using the oxford comma.) But that's not what this entry is about.
The elf Mineral Powder brush is fabulous at picking up the product and is super soft on my face. It's made of synthetic taklon bristles so I can buff buff buff without feeling like I'm dragging some itchy material against my skin, which is what happens when I use the Full Flawless Face brush.
elf's is smaller in width but it's more round than wide. Eeeuhhh! Just looking at the bM's bristles makes my face feel all itchy!
But I don't really like elf brushes in general. I know lots of people say they're good quality for the price (and I got sucked into believing that). I've bought a couple from the Studio line and also the cheaper Essential line. Out of all the brushes I tried, only three worked out: Studio Face Kabuki Brush, Studio Powder Brush and Studio Mineral Powder Brush. I wish I kept the other brushes to show you all the shedding, the uneven bristles that poke my eyelids, and handles getting unglued. (Oh yes, I love using the oxford comma.) But that's not what this entry is about.
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| I like using the Matte powder |
The elf Mineral Powder brush is fabulous at picking up the product and is super soft on my face. It's made of synthetic taklon bristles so I can buff buff buff without feeling like I'm dragging some itchy material against my skin, which is what happens when I use the Full Flawless Face brush.
elf's is smaller in width but it's more round than wide. Eeeuhhh! Just looking at the bM's bristles makes my face feel all itchy!
I wanted a new bag for work so I went to Ross to get a really cheap bag (like a regular cloth tote with zippers) but then I saw this blush colored bag from Steve Madden and I forgot what I was there for. LOL! Also, it was deeply discounted for around $36. I love the color scheme on it of blush, cream, and gold. I'm really into gold these days.
Zipper detailing is a little off on the left side which is probably why this bag was discounted. ^_^ But I don't mind. It doesn't shout at you and you don't really see it once the handles are down. What matters is... this bag is so cute and oh buttery soft!
It's so roomy, I can sneak in food and drinks to the movie house! Hahaha!
How did I not know that Netflix streams Korean dramas? All this time I've been trying to watch on my laptop and android (I bought a phone-to-tv cable just for this) when I can enjoy it on tv?! Holycamolysmokes! Anyway, I started watching Protect the Boss which is a romantic comedy I always read people rave about. I'm only on episode 3 but I already love this show! Lots of comedy in this!
I like that the show managed get me laughing (many times) even though it's a very cliché kdrama meaning it revolves around two things: love triangle and power struggle. It's not boring like the last few I tried to watch where I jumped to the last episode just after seeing the 2nd or 3rd. Aaah, looking forward to watching more of this later... ^_^
I like that the show managed get me laughing (many times) even though it's a very cliché kdrama meaning it revolves around two things: love triangle and power struggle. It's not boring like the last few I tried to watch where I jumped to the last episode just after seeing the 2nd or 3rd. Aaah, looking forward to watching more of this later... ^_^
Plot from Wikipedia
Cha Ji-heon (Ji Sung) is an incredibly immature young man who is useless at his job as a director at DN Group, where the chairman is his father (Park Yeong-gyu). Ji-heon has a longstanding rivalry in work and love with cousin Cha Mu-won (Kim Jaejoong), as Mu-won is a mature, hardworking, and seemingly perfect executive, and the two both have a romantic history with Seo Na-yoon (Wang Ji-hye). Spunky and tough Noh Eun-seol (Choi Kang-hee) is struggling to find full-time work because of her juvenile delinquent record and poor academic background. After giving Mu-won a piece of her mind during a job interview at DN Group, she is surprised to find herself hired as a secretary to Ji-heon. Determined not to be fired from her first professional job, Eun-seol works diligently at putting up with Ji-heon's childishness and keeping him in check. As their working relationship progresses, they earn each others' trust and friendship, and Eun-seol helps Ji-heon deal with his phobias and prove himself capable of becoming DN Group's successor. Things get more complicated when Ji-heon and Mu-won both fall for Eun-seol, who doesn't want to get mixed up with either of them... or does she?
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
I got another set since I had to return the kit I got from Sephora (I had the Golden Tan, too orange on me).
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 can tell you that it evened out my skin tone. But while it looks like a perfect match, it actually is a tiny bit off on me. My phone camera picks up the two-tone color more. Here you go:
It's subtle but I'll still return this and get Shell.
I think it's better to work with a lighter shade because you can add bronzer and blush.
Here's how it looks in natural bright light.
I can tell you that it evened out my skin tone. But while it looks like a perfect match, it actually is a tiny bit off on me. My phone camera picks up the two-tone color more. Here you go:
It's subtle but I'll still return this and get Shell.
I think it's better to work with a lighter shade because you can add bronzer and blush.
Comparing it with the Revlon Colorstay, Nearly Naked definitely does not feel like a foundation. I think it acts more like a heavy tinted moisturizer. I read someone say that Revlon's other new line, Photoready BB Cream, is practically the same. The only difference is that the BB line only comes in 3 shades: Light, Light Medium and Medium. Also, this doesn't have that strong chemical scent like Colorstay. Eeyuck!
Anyway, this foundation has SPF 20 which means good for your skin but bad for flash photography. And my t-zone started getting oily about 3-4 hours after application. But that's without a setting powder so it might last longer if you "seal" it. I like that it looks natural on my face and that it doesn't easily transfer on stuff (except when I wiped my nose when it got oily, hahaha).
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?)
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.
I will probably depot the most pigmented ones and chuck the palette away. LOL!
Sporadically updates this blog. Cheers!
