My Ups and Downs for 2010

*New year means new template although to be honest I'll probably change this one soon)

I was tagged by the lovely Anna from Fenua Beaute to do this :)

1) Name your ups and downs in 2010 in a blogpost

2) Tag at least 5 other bloggers

My Ups for 2010

This person was a big part of my Ups for 2010 :) He's my favorite significant other and we've been together for a long time. If you were wondering about the height difference I'm actually wearing shoes with a 2 inch wedge and he's hunched over. I'm about 5'2" and he's around 6'4" so yeah that's a 14 inch height difference

I don't think the height difference could be any worse actually haha. There are a lot of reasons why he's one of my Ups for the year including the fact that he has cute fluffy cats that he lets me pet but there are too many to list

Another Up was learning American Sign Language(there are different sign languages like French Sign Language which was the origin for American Sign) this year. I took the class with my boyfriend and it was strange to be introduced to it. Learning sign language is completely different from learning English or any romantic languages. I know English, Vietnamese and now Sign Language and attempted to learn French and it's fair to say that all are different in terms of learning styles.

I think as much as I liked learning the language (by the way, easiest language ever. If you don't know a word you can fingerspell it and there are many instances where there is an overlap in terms of English grammar) it was the culture that got me sucked in. I went to many Coffee Nights at a local outdoor mall and it was an amazing experience seeing all these people communicating without even talking.

My Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, Language, and Hearing class was a really hard class and everyone was told that 50% of the class would not pass with a B (a rather depressing bit to hear) but I consider it an Up because it's what really pushed me into doing my major which is Communicative Disorders

*Added because I'm thinking of more things*

This blog has been a great Up for me and all of the people I've been able to communicate with. I've put in a lot of effort but I know that it's been making me more comfortable with wearing makeup on a day to day basis. So thanks to everyone that has read my blog, participated in my giveaways and has great content for me to read :)

My Downs

One of the most prominent downs of the year was my dog Zorro going missing. It has been 7 months now and while I don't know if I'll ever find him, I have hope that maybe someone found him instead and he's being loved now.

I have had other downs this year that I'm not talking about but I know I had more Ups.

I tag:

Mara

The Peach

Lady in a Top Hat

LuckieBeauty

Annamax

Another Source for Sleek (other than a CP!)

So I was watching Pixiwoo's video about their Sleek Makeup giveaway and they happened to link to another site called http://www.glamr.co.uk/that also sells some Sleek products. They don't carry all of the Sleek products but they do have most of the palettes and some of the eye dusts and the eye liners.

I honestly haven't gotten any Sleek yet because of the fact that the Sleek Makeup website charges $13.50 for shipping. Now I'm sorry but if the palette I want to get is $11.75 and the shipping is $13.50 it truly isn't worth it in my book.

I have yet to shop there but I'm already cheery about the prices. The Original palette that is being sold for $11.75 on the Sleek Makeup site is $9.44 on Glamr plus shipping to the US depends on how many things you buy but for one item it's only 4.50 pounds meaning $7.00. I'd much rather pay $16.44 than 25.25!

Has anyone shopped at Glamr before? Any good or bad experiences?

Goldilux Redux

Update: Everything from my giveaway is shipped! I apologize for how long it took for everything to get done but with school, the weather (ridiculous rain for California) and the holidays I got really sidetracked. International winners, it will take some time to get to you but for the domestic winners you should get it in a couple of days!

It's also my mummy's 58th birthday today :)

Anyway so you know how I said to expect more looks with Goldilux? Yeah I wasn't lying.

If you didn't get the hint, go buy this nowwww. Again there is some glitter fallout but it's worth it

Kat Von D primer
Sugarpill Goldilux
Milani Flare (This was discontinued a long time ago but MAC Coppering is similar or you can try to find it on the internet!)
NYX Sahara

I got lazy with my eyelashes and eyebrows haha

Happy Boxing Day!

I'm not even going to attempt going to the mall for sales. I know it would be an absolute madhouse so my sister can do all the shopping.

I've been experimenting with Goldilux and here's one of the looks I did.


Goldilux looks so smooth and yummy, if eyeshadow could ever be considered yummy.

Expect a lot of usage of this gorgeous shadow. I will say that there is fallout from the fine glitter in the shadow but that's easily cleaned up with makeup remover

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Sugarpill Goldilux (applied wet)

NYX Champagne and Caviar palette (the dark brown)

NYX Sahara

Wet n Wild Mega Liner in black

L'oreal Voluminous WP in Carbon Black

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and I hope you cherish the time you spend with your family and friends!

Will you be on the lookout for Santa on NORAD?

Sugarpill Haul :)

I don't know why I waited so long to get Goldilux, but I made an order a couple of days ago to get a present for someone ( and of course missing out on the Black Friday sale).

I wanted to just wanted to do a small post about how I love Goldilux. How do I love thee, let me count the ways...
I noticed from some of the other Black Friday orders that they have been including free samples :D I got Weekender but I've seen many people getting Junebug. The packaging for the sample is so adorable and I love that the sticker with the ingredients is included!

Do you not love the high heel on the sticker?! <3 the attention to detail Mmmm the glorious gold herself (if boats and cars can be female, why can't eyeshadows be too?)
Maybe it's me but there's just something so sexy about Goldilux. It's like someone took liquid gold and turned it into eyeshadow.
It's a beautiful burnished gold with fine glitter, so pretty that this swatch picture doesn't do it justice.
I rather like how they've been updating their packages over time. My boxes of Darling and Royal Sugar did not have a sticker label like this but the upgrade is greatly appreciated :D I'm a packaging fiend so the amount of detail goes very far with me.

Have you gotten Goldilux yet? You must must must I promise you that.

False Eyelashes Bonanza!

Beware, super wordy and picture filled post ahoy!

I was recently contacted by KKCenterHK, an online shop based in Hong Kong, and they asked me if I wanted to try out a couple of their eyelashes. They sell so many eyelashes it's kind of overwhelming how many options you have.

I'm not familiar with most of the brands but I did notice Elise which I've been tempted to try because their manufacturer is the same one that makes Shu Uemura lashes (and you can find the Make Up For Ever counterparts too)

I got the ES A218, M123-A and the M131 which are bottom eyelashes. None of these eyelashes came with eyelash glue.

It took 13 days to get here from Hong Kong, specifically 9 business days which is within the shipping range of 7-14 business days.

I was the most excited for the ES A218 eyelashes because they seemed so economical and gorgeous. They are wispy lashes with a lot of fullness closer to the band and longer strands that flare out. The box had 10 pairs and retails for $8.40.

I will say that I noticed that not all of the lashes in the box were consistent, some were tapered at one end whereas others had an equal gradient.

This one was eh to me; I think it'll be one that's going to be harder to work with if you're a newbie with false eyelashes. It took me two-three tries to get used to the flexible band and it tended to stay straighter.

The packaging is a bit fiddly with how they're glued in the back. The ends of the bands are extended and glued behind onto this glue strip and so I had to be extra careful to pull them off.

I'll demo the eyelashes at the end :D!

The next pair is my favorite. The M123-A fit the best, had a nice thick (but not too thick) band and kept its curve. The thick lash band made them so easy to put on; It took me about 2 seconds flat and adjusting was a breeze. Well worth it at $1.50.

The glue adhering the lashes to the packaging is a bit strong so you do have to be careful with pulling them off but they were amazing.

So I've never worn bottom lashes before so I don't know if it would be fair to review them. Just from initial thoughts alone the lashes themselves are a little too flexible for my taste. These cost 99 cents. Can anyone offer some tips as to application?

Here are the demos of everything :)

For reference, my lashes curled with mascara on them
With the ES A218 lashes
With the M123-A lashes
The TL:DR version is that the ES bulk ones were okay, a bit fiddly unless you're an expert at applying false eyelashes while the M123-A were the best ones. I'm incompetent with bottom lashes so I'm putting off reviewing those until I get the hang of them.

Once I come into some nice discretionary cash, I'm buying all of the M lashes because I just love how nice the lash band is. Some of the brands do sell the lashes separately and in bulk packaging so I'd try the one pair ones first before investing in the bulk.

I will say that there is a language gap so the English on the site isn't 100% correct all the time but you can definitely understand everything.

Disclaimer: KKCenterHK provided me with the lashes for review. I wasn't paid (that'd be nice wouldn't it?) and I'm not compensated in any way.

Zoya Spooooons

There's something about the only Zoya polish I have (Charla) that doesn't respond well to my beloved Seche Vite. I love the color but I'm not about to go out and purchase another top coat for it. Despite this I always find myself ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Zoya's colors so I picked up a couple of the spoons during their Free Spoon Friday or whatever day it was.

My camera decided to be funny so I split up the photos in terms of color accuracy

Left to right is Goldie, LC, Pinta, Mimi, Dita, and Julianne

Everything but the pinks are color accurate.

The purples are not color accurate.

Yeah okay was I the only one up at 7:45 eagerly anticipating the Hautelook sale? I was on the site refreshing until 8:00 and tried to add the Blush brush at 8:01 only to find out it was "on hold" Eh it was overrated anyway; I find myself expecting these amazing items when in the end they're not and I'd have to wait weeks for what I wanted to get.

Nutcracker Series: Mirliton/Dance of the Reed Flutes

So I kind of failed on finishing my Nutcracker series so I shall be playing catch up on that. There are many different variations on costumes for Mirlitons; sometimes they are called Danish Shepherdesses or they're considered the Marizpan candy.

I decided to draw my inspiration for colors from this video where the costumes are grey with a black stomacher and I rather loved the French theme (a Frenchie here!)

I used my BFTE cosmetics eyeshadows that used to only be available in the Wizard of Oz-Some kit. I read from the BFTE cosmetics facebook that they'll eventually be sold separately so be on the lookout for that :)

Yummy yummy the silver sheen is amazing because I did a sandwich of PE, eyeshadow, PE and another layer of eyeshadow.

Kat Von D eye primer in Skin
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
BFTE Have a Heart

BFTE Twister

NYX Sahara

NYX Black eyeliner

Maybelline Falsies WP Mascara

Sparkly Sugarpill Darling!

*Contest winners, your prize will be sent out on Monday, I've included extras inside to compensate for the long wait!*

*Don't Ask Don't Tell passed the Senate today :) I'm rather sad that the DREAM act didn't but DADT was an amazing victory!*

I'm trying to use Darling with every color eyeshadow that I have because I love it so much

I only recently tried using Darling with Pixie Epoxy only because I thought the matte base wouldn't work out well with PE. Oh but I was wrong. I then combined this trick I read from Cosmetic Viking's post about doing several PE/Eyeshadow sandwiches to intensify the color.

Here is the result of the experience.

I know in this picture it looks really patchy near the outer corner but I only decided to try the Pixie Epoxy trick AFTER I did my eyeliner so I was trying not to get PE on it.

But hello! Look at that gorgeous turquoise sparkle! Before this I had some trouble getting the sparkles to show up and now I know how to do it!

This was 2 layers of eyeshadow total, first PE, then eyeshadow, then a small amount of PE dabbed on top and finally eyeshadow. That sparkle is so droolworthy.

Kat Von D High Voltage eye primer

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Darling

Sugarpill Midori
NYX Sahara

NYX Eyeliner in Black on the waterline and on my brows (trying out this trick Phyrra did)

Wet n Wild Mega Liner in Black

Maybelline Falsies WP mascara

This weekend is for recovering from finals week. Yesterday I had to turn in an 8 page paper and do a final. I don't believe in school on Friday, Fridays are days that I relax and see my boyfriend.

Luckily I was able to see some of my friends yesterday because we all went to see Tron together. I won't spoil it for you other than to say loved the music, was meh about the movie. Go listen to the soundtrack and save your money unless you're really a diehard fan.

Five Things Survey

I'm rather happy, I managed an 89 on my math final meaning I'll get a B in the class (first B in my 3 years of college!!) but that's okay. I'm taking a study break to do this survey that I saw posted on Phyrra's blog. I've got an 8am final and a 2:20pm final tomorrow, a 12:30pm final on Thursday and an 8 page paper and 8am final on Friday!

After that I'm going to mail packages (sorry for the wait but studying is kicking my butt), go eat French food and then see Tron.

1. What’s been your go-to eye shadows, blushes or lip products this winter?
Blush: Definitely Rock and Republic's Bedroom blush. I'm fond of matte blushes and it's such a gorgeous color

Eyeshadows: I've been wearing my Wet n Wild Golden Goddess holiday palette too much

Lips: lip balm, my lips have been in bad condition

2. What class are you playing the most in Cata (if you play WoW?) If you’re not playing Cata, tell me about the game you’re playing?
I've been playing iPhone games mostly like Cooking Dash, Pocket Legends, and Phase 10

3. What’s on your nails?
nothing at the moment, I've been lazy :(

4. If you were to be a fantasy character, what would you be?
Not sure really, haha

5. If you could instantly know three additional languages, what would they be?
I already know English, Vietnamese, and some American Sign Language and Fingerspelling so I'm starting to run out of languages I can learn here! I'd have to say Chinese, French and uhhh maybe Japanese

You guys should do this tag :)

Packaging Gripe/extended break from studying

I've formed a not so nice opinion about Benefit over the years because I don't like how they approach their customers/their sales schtick.

I had a rather annoying experience dealing with Benefit years ago when I was grabbed by the arm, dragged to the counter and had some sort of glowy bronzing thing slathered on me. I'm sure if you've ever been around a Benefit counter you'll know what I'm talking about.

Still I wanted to give Benefit a chance so I'm rather glad I won a couple of their products *Thank you again Mara!*

I had heard a lot about this specific Benefit set and how sometimes there would be a problem with the creaseless cream eyeshadow/liner drying out in the pot. I was a bit worried about this so when I got the wee set I checked to see if the lid was on tight and it was, yet this is what greeted me when I opened it.

I'm not sure if it's that apparent in the photo but the eyeshadow is basically separated from the sides. I can still use it of course but it is bothersome.

I mean I really like it and it isn't too dried out but since I don't own a full size version I can't tell what the texture is like normally. I love the color and I love the entire concept of the set it came in but damn Benefit get your stuff together!

Taking a studying break

This is just a quick post about a giveaway prize I got from Mara of He Calls Me Mara. Mara is a super frequent commenter and I love how she does her eye makeup so I suggest you read her blog!

I will say that I was super excited about the Stay Don't Stray because I'm being a huge eyeshadow primer junkie. I recently got a sample of Kat von D's eyeshadow primer plus I'm working through my UDPP and NYX Eyeshadow bases AND I asked for Concrete Minerals' eyeshadow primer for Christmas

I know I know, I only have two eyes but damn it I'm hooked. The pink plastic things on the left are the coolest ever! They're these pieces of velcro that you use to keep your bangs out of the way. Genius!

Kittens and Champagne

I have yet to ship the giveaway prize because I'm still waiting for a response from one of the winners and if I don't get it by tomorrow I'm going to pick a new one!

As it is, I may not ship until after finals week (December 17th being my last day) so please be patient! Due to finals week I won't be posting/active as much as I'd like to be so I'll be back until after the 17th :)

I actually managed more time to do my makeup today so woo woo for that
Ooooh smoky
Urban Decay Primer Potion

Stila Kitten

NYX Champagne and Caviar palette

NYX Sahara

Maybelline Falsies WP Mascara

Nutcracker Series: Nutcracker Prince/Toy Soldiers

Woo wooo an Inglot store opened up near me and on Wednesday I don't have class (I should be studying for finals...) so I'm making a trip to the Inglot store :D

For those who have easy access to Inglot, anything I should check out?

Anyway, I figured I'd combine the Nutcracker Prince and Toy Soldiers into one look because they essentially have the same costume.

I also rather like the slight orange color that came about due to blending

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Blonde's Gold on the lid

Sugarpill Love+ in the crease and lower lash line

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on top of Love+

BFTE Ruby Slippers on top of Love+

NYX Sahara as the highlight

NYX Black eyeliner

Maybelline Falsies Mascara WP

Giveaway winners!

So I had a lot of fun compiling the entries for the giveaway. I had lots of international entries this time so it was really awesome :)

Okay so here are the winners

Golden Goddess: Snow0016!

Snow Sprite: Kelly!

Sugar Plum Fairy: Winner 1- Sharon!

Winner 2-Anna!

Night Elf-Grey/LeGothique!

I'll email everyone shortly but if you wanted to know stats, 3/5 winners were international although I haven't yet counted how many of the entries were international

Extreme Sephora BI Loophole + B&BW freebie

Thanks to NouveauCheap and this post I was able to utilize the Beauty Insiders giftcard (which is supposed to be $15 off of $40) without a minimum order!

*EDIT* This offer only seems to work for Sephora users in the US, Canadians don't have the offer of doing it online :(

PLUS PLUS I used my Ebates (thats a referral link by the way) with it too (which gave me 6% cashback which in reality wasn't that much but it's the thought that counts!)

I ordered this L'Occitane $10 mini hand cream that my sister and mom liked and used my giftcard.

The hand cream in question.

I then got 3 complementary samples AND used a coupon code for a deluxe sample of the Kat Von D eye primer. All in all? It cost me 1.83. Of course that wasn't the only deal I got today.

I also got these two Bath and Body Works hand sanitizers for free! Use this coupon (Tomorrow is the last day) and you can get one of the five different reindeer hand sanitizers. My boyfriend used one coupon and I used the other.

Apple Mint is just that, an apple-y mint. Sweet Mint kind of reminds me of a candy sort of mint.

There's also a Cocoa Mint available and yuck that smelled awful! If you've ever used Lush's Cupcake face mask then you'll know the scent of the Cocoa Mint.

Nutcracker Series: Russian Candy Cane

Last call for entering my giveaway :)

I'm not planning on posting every day in the month of December but it is starting to seem that way

Anyway, this is a super basic not too creative look. In the Nutcracker the Russian divertissement typically represents Candy Canes and it gave me an excuse to use Sugarpill's Love+ :)
Also, it's really hard to keep red off of white, they're just destined to blend together to make pink -_-

You could wear this out if you wanted to but I think I won't, haha

Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX White Eyeliner
The White eyeshadow packed on heavily from the NYX Champagne and Caviar palette
Sugarpill Love+
NYX Sahara as a highlight
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder
Maybelline Falsies WP Mascara

Nutcracker Series: Arabian Coffee

*One more day before my giveaway ends!*

Now there are a lot of variations on the costume for the Arabian (my old dance studio had Purple and Gold) but I saw this gorgeous costume from San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker and it so reminded me of Sugarpill's Darling eyeshadow.

So I didn't think Darling would work well with Pixie Epoxy because it is fairly matte but damn it worked fabulous! It made it so you could actually see the sparkles so I say use Pixie Epoxy in conjunction with it.

Darling is a lot greener in person than it is in the picture, it looks really blue-tinged for some reason.

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Darling

BFTE If I Only Had a Brain

NYX Sahara

Wet n Wild Mega Liner in Black

Maybelline Falsies WP mascara

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder

Nutcracker Series: Sugar Plum Fairy

:') I just noticed that I went over 100 followers. I love you guys and I really hope that you keep reading and commenting!

I'm not sure if many of you know that I used to be a ballet dancer and as such during the Wintertime there is always a production of The Nutcracker. I wanted to try a new look series to do to get me through the month of December creatively so I decided to do looks based off of The Nutcracker characters and their costumes!

This is one of the more universal of costumes/colors associated with the Sugar Plum Fairy so thus the use of pink and silver.

I'm not sure if it's obvious but I put a bit of silver pigment on the lower lashes too!
Urban Decay Primer Potion

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

BFTE Good Witch

MAC Goldenaire

MAC Silver as a liner

NYX Sahara

Maybelline Falsies WP Mascara

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette