Monday, February 28, 2011

Glow.

Look radiant with MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion.

Honestly, I don't own ANY MAC face products because I have very dry, sensitive skin and I'm scared that I might breakout, so I stayed away from them.

People always rave about Strobe Cream, but I found its sister.

I went to MAC and was looking for a good highlighter(for cheekbones). I tried A LOT of highlighting products such as Dior Amber Diamond, NARS Albatros, MAC Vanilla Pigment, MAC By Candlelight MSF, etc and yet I haven't found my holy grail highlighter. I went to a MAC SA and asked her what will be a good highlighter that will give me a "natural" healthy glow and won't look fake. I don't care if its powder or liquid, I just want to find my HG highlighter.

This is what I want a highlighting product to give me:
> Natural glow
> Will not give me a disco ball face(not shimmery)
> Light weight

and guess what?

MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion works perfectly. I didn't want to purchase the full size yet just because I want to test wether or not this product will break me out. I have been using this for over 2 weeks now(every day) and...I LOVE IT.

so..time to purchase the full size.

I got a tester, but I will quickly purchase a full size right after I finish this.

About MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion:
> $29.50 in the US and $38.00 in Canada (WOW! almost $10 difference :)
> Perfect for the summer season mixed with your foundation to give you a dewy face
> Contains iridescent pigments to give an all over subtle sheen
> Contains Bismuth- may give some people breakouts
> Lighter- weight compared to Strobe Cream
> No scent
Where you can apply MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion:
> all over face mixed with your foundation
> cheekbones
> nose bridge
> brown bone
> cupid's bow

Conclusion: I think this MIGHT be my HG highlighter :) Thank you MAC for making Strobe liquid lotion. You just made another girl happy.

What highlighter do you guys use?

Don't forget to join my Giveaway and follow me on TWITTER.

ENJOY the lasy day of February

-Kim

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Haul: MAC, Benefit, and Tarte

Got few goodies from Sephora and a brush from MAC.

Okay I'll start of with MAC- I got MAC's 109 brush. I was looking for a good contour brush and this works perfectly. I will be doing a review on this brush next week.

so...

As you guys know, I finished my Laguna bronzer and I was in desperate need of a new one. A lot of people recommended Hoola by Benefit, and guess what? That's what I bought. Whoohoo! I'm actually loving it and using it every single day.

and...

While strolling around the store, I spotted these blushes by Tarte. They're called Amazonian Clay Long Wear blush. The shades are based on their Cheek Stain line. They used amazonian clay which apparently hydrates dry spots and absorbs greasy areas as well.
> Available exclusively in Sephora and online.
> They cost $25 in US and $33 in Canada.
> 12 hour wear
> Embossed leaf on the pan
> Comes in variety of shades.
> The compacts are color coordinated to match the blush inside
> Very pigmented

I bought 2 shades:
> Tipsy- matte coral
> Amused- matte baby pink
and...the swatch

Left: Tipsy
Right: Amused
swatch: not blended

Left: Amused
Right: Tipsy
swatch: blended
So, here's a no help photo of me wearing Amused blush
one more shot.
So what do you guys think of the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes? Will you be purchasing some of these blushers soon?
Have a good weekend!
-Kim

Friday, February 25, 2011

Skin.

Going on with the nude trend...I titled this post as skin because well..you'll see.

I'm a Nude Nails Newbie- Now there's the TRIPLE N's

I'm having two minds whether or not I like this shade on me or not.

I do not wear nude/office appropriate shades often, so this is new to me.

It's one or two shades darker than my skin(NW 25). It's probably the most professional looking polish I worn in a long time and yet I'm having two minds about this nude polish that I'm wearing at the moment.

The said polishes are OPI Dulce de Leche and Anna Sui 700

OPI Dulce De Leche- subtle nude shade that does not scream "Hey there, look at my nails!". Very office appropriate.

Anna Sui 700- sheer neutral color with a hint of pink and it has gold/silver/baby pink shimmer

I applied OPI Dulce the Leche first and thought "There is no way I will wear this polish alone because it looks like I don't have any nails" so I grabbed Anna Sui 700 and applied it on top to give it a nice shimmery finish.

The result:

You judge...

Lady Like- Check!
Chic - Check!
Nude trend polish- Check!
Comfortable wearing it?- NOT SO SURE!

So what do you guys think?

NAILESS! is there even such word as NAILESS? haha

-Kim

Thursday, February 24, 2011

MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 (swatches)

I'm gaga over Gaga 2 lipstick and lipglass(okay, that sounded cheesy!)

I assume by now the whole world knows that if you purchase a Viva Glam product, 100% of your money goes to the MAC AIDS fund.

Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick and lipglass.
> $14.50 in US ans 17.50 in Canada
> Viva Glam gaga 2 lipstick- light warm beige and has an amplified finish
> Viva Glam gaga 2 lipglass- light pink beige
> Same packaging with the first Viva Glam Gaga- with the red MAC logo and Lady Gaga's signature


Hand swatches:
Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipglass on the left- the lipglass looks browner and darker on the tube and when swatched, but take a look at my lip swatch below and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick on the right- I would say that this lipstick isn't all that brown when applied on the lips and it is very a flattering pinky/beige. No concealer lips here. The amplified finish of the lipstick is definitely a plus for me. Lip swatches:
> Take note that I have pigmented lips. The lipstick and lipglass may appear differently if you do not have pigmented lips.
Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick:
Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipglass on top of the lipstick:
Comparisons:
I have swatches of what I thought would be a close dupe for the Gaga 2 lipstick, but I don't think I have a dead ringer in my lipstick stash.
So from left to right(All MAC): Gaga 2, Peachstock, Creme D' Nude, Myth, and the bottom one is Hue.
As you can see nothing is similar with the Gaga 2 lipstick, but I think MAC Peachstock is the closest I have.
Here's Peachstock and Viva Glam Gaga 2 side by side.
and the swatch...
Gaga 2 on the left and Peachstock on the right.
> Viva Glam Gaga 2 is definitely creamier and has less orange tones compared to Peachstock.
Conclusion: I thought I wouldn't like them at first, but I'm glad I bought them. I will definitely purchase more in the future.
So did you purchase your Viva Glam Gaga 2 already?

Don't forget to join my contest to win these two lip products. Enter HERE! and follow me on TWITTER
Have a good day!
-Kim

Prizes for my Giveaway 2011

These are just half of the prizes I will be giving away.

I'm still waiting for the others to arrive.
SO JOIN TO WIN THESE AWESOME PRIZES!
> 2 L'oreal Voluminous mascara
> MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipglass
> MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick
> MAC Pink Nouveau lipstick
> MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick
> MAC Vuva Glam Gaga 2 lipglass

the other prizes that are not in the picture are:

> Essie French Affair collection 4-pack mini
(Nice is Nice, French Affair, Coat Azure, and Topless and Barefoot)

> Maybeline Falsies mascara
> 2 OPI polishes of your CHOICE!

Have fun and goodluck!

-Kim

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Haul: Essie French Affair Collection(swatches & comparisons)


Hi there!
Long time no blog. I'm back with a tiny teeny nail polish haul to share with you.

I first saw the Essie collection from Sandra- she has a Youtube channel so GO AND SUBSCRIBE TO HER PLEASE!. I've been following her ever since day one. She is a fellow Canadian and I absolutely love hair and cheek combinations.

Anyways, I'm on a Nailpolish Out 2011 and that means that I can only buy 5 nail polishes for the entire year. I ordered the Essie 4-pack mini bottles from Transdesign, but the day after I ordered it my friend gave me 3 bottles of Essie polishes from the French Affair collection because she didn't like it. Now if you read my giveaway post, you know that I added the Essie 4-pack mini bottles as a prize. So Don't forget to join!!! :)


The Essie polishes that I have are as follows:
> Nice is Nice(cream no shimmer)- Pastel pale lavender with a touch of pink (Think OPI Rumples Wiggin' or Lucky Lucky Lavender. but a little bit brighter)

Essie Nice is Nice and OPI Rumple's Wiggin'- I don't have Lucky Lucky Lavender, but I saw swatches and it's a very close dupe
> French Affair(cream no shimmer)-Light pastel pink (think OPI Mod About You, but a tad pinker)

Essie French Affair and OPI Mod About You.
First 2 fingers- OPI Mod About You
Last 2 fingers- Essie French Affair
> Coat Azure- Bright blue with blue and silver shimmers(Reminds me of Essie Lapis of Luxury and OPI No Room for the Blue, but with shimmers ).

Essie Coat Azure and OPI No Room for the Blue
First 2 fingers- OPI No Room for the Blue
Last 2 fingers- Essie Coat Azure
Conclusion: Amongst the 3, Coat Azure is my favorite because the formula is amazing and it is not streaky- needs only 2 coat for the perfect look. Both Nice is Nice and French Affair are perfect for spring and the finish result is pretty,but application for these are a little bit tricky and they need at least 3 coats.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post.



Did you purchase any Essie French Affair collection polishes? If so, how do you like them?

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but I have lots of hauls to come and that means that my bank account is going down the drain. Yikes!

Don't forget my giveaway :)

-Kim

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Giveaway Update (additional prizes!)

Additional Prizes!!

I'm still waiting for my prizes to come because I ordered them online.

I decided to add more prizes for my giveaway.

I will list down the prizes once again and some additional prizes as well
> 1 MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipstick
> 1 MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipglass
- Still waiting for these(Viva Glam Gaga 2) babies to arrive(ordered it online). I ordered them last Friday, so I'll have them by Tuesday.
> 1 MAC Pink Nouveau Lipstick
> 1 Maybeline Falsies Mascara
> 2 L'oreal Voluminous Mascara
> 2 OPI nail polishes (your choice)

and..here are the ADDITIONAL Prizes
> 1 Essie French Affair collection 4-pack mini bottles (inludes: French Affair, Nice is Nice, Coat Azure, and Topless & Barefoot)
- My friend bought me 3 bottles of the new Essie French Affair collection (Nice is Nice, Coat Azure, and French Affair). I know I'm on a Nailpolish out 2011 movement, but these were given to me so that doesn't count. I ordered these minis originally for me, but I have three big bottles already, so might as well include this as a giveaway prize.
> 1 MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lipstick
> 1 MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass
- I wanted to add these Viva Glam lip products because I know 100% of my money will go to the charity :)

SO PICTURES WILL BE POSTED WITHIN NEXT WEEK

Have FUN and Goodluck. Don't forget to JOIN here and add me on TWITTER too
LOVE, Kim

Friday, February 18, 2011

Giveaway Time!!

Hello lovelies!

Remeber me telling you about a giveaway? Well here it is!

I will be having 2 giveaways- one that is sponsored(maybe two weeks from now) and the one that I will be hosting right now.

I have been blogging for almost a year now and I am VERY happy for the support you guys are giving me. If I can only say thank you to each and everyone of my followers/readers I will, but unfortunately, I can't. Instead, I decided to host a giveaway to show my appreciation to you.

So, shall I continue with the giveaway?

okay, here are the rules:

> You must be a follower
> You can also follow me on TWITTER and lets be Twitter friends :)
> You have to answer 2 simple question:
1. Who is your inspiration in life? (mom, dad, brother, sister, bestfriend, boyfriend, etc.)

2. Share with us your makeup routine- I don't need pictures, just post it in bullet form.(step by step)

> Comment below and JUST SHARE your BLOG LINK(not your answer!)
> Post this photo on your blog and title it as "MissKC027's(Kim) Giveaway" and answer the 2 questions above.
> Giveaway will be open INTERNATIONALLY!
> Giveaway will end MARCH 10, 2011(Thursday)- thats's 3 more weeks!

So the prizes:

> 1 MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipstick
> 1 MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipglass
- YES! I just ordered online(I ordered 2 Gaga 2 lipsticks and 2 gaga lipglasses, one lipglass/lipstick for the giveaway and 1 lipstick/lipglass for me, of course!)
> 1 Maybeline Falsies Volume Express Mascara
> 2 L'oreal Voluminous Mascaras
> 1 MAC Pink Nouveu lipstick
> 2 OPI Polishes of your choice.

** I bought all the prizes except for the 2 OPI polishes. I do not have a photo for now, but I will post a photo of all the prizes next week. I'm actually just waiting for my MAC parcel to arrive and then I will take a pciture of all the prizes! :)


SO GOODLUCK and thank you so much for your support and love. Please spread the word :D

- Kim

In & Out - Feb Edition

There are so many things I want to blog about, but sometimes it's just nice to do an In and Out post. These are the things I've been loving and some things that are just well.. "meh" for me.

So without further a do ladies and gents, my In & Out Feb edition.

IN

MATTE RED LIPS - I just love girls who wears red lips. When I see someone with a bold red(or red toned) lips it just screams "CONFIDENT!" I know not everyone can pull red lips, but there are some techniques that we(yes, I'm included) can do- apply balm, apply red lipstick on top, then wipe your lips with tissue, then finally apply red lipstick(just dab) again.

BRIGHT LIPSTICKS- Hello Spring. I can't wait to wear bright lipsticks. I actually tried wearing a bright lip(Full Fischia)it might not be appropriate right now, but I quite like it.

here are some bright lipsticks from MAC:

Saint Germain
Girl About Town
Neon Orange
Full Fuschia
Impassioned
Morange

STARBUCKS- Green Tea apple juice and Marshmallow dream bar- My two very best friend every morning before I go to work/school. The best thing about these is that they only cost 5
dollars all together. :) Horrah for Strabucks!

SUNNY BREAKS- Sunshine in Vancity for the past week! :D Good Job Mr. Sun! I heart thee.

VITAMIN C- Vitamins!? What the!? Yeap! I finally learned how to drink vitamins in the
morning and before I go to bed. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been sick for a month- bloddy flu! I've been drinking Vitamin C twice a day, specifically Centrum and One A Day Women's(a big thank you to my dad because he keeps nagging me to drink Vitamin C for the past year :D)

DAINTY JEWELRIES- Feminine, classy, and chic! I'm still looking for nice dainty charms- necklace or bracelets. So if you guys know any site or seller please comment below. :)

MAC PETTICOAT MSF and NARS MADLY CHEEK COMBO- If you guys know me, I'm a Stereo Rose addict for the past months, but I should set that aside for now and use Petticoat for a change. I've been using NARS Madly and a swipe of Petticoat on top :) Perfect combo!

GUM- I need a pack of gum inside my purse or else I'll die for the day(well, not really, but I need to chew gum every after meal).

MAC TLC(Tinted Lip Conditioner)- I have Petting Pink and I've been wearing it under every lipstick. I love love MAC TLC's

SHORT NAILS- dark polishes needs to be applied on short nails.

OUT

MAC- STOP! stop with your overflowing collections please. We are not millionaires here! Please release a collection once every two months or at least once every month. I already saw about 5-6 collections for the past two months.

COLD WEATHER- I know it's been sunny for a week now, but the wind is just BLOWING HARD!

POSTMEN THAT DON'T EVEN PRESS THE DOORBELL- Come one! Ring the doorbell. I was at home the whole day yesterday and was waiting for you to come Mr. postman, but you just left a note outside my door. Why oh why!? Now, I have to go to 7 eleven to get my parcels :(

OPI MOD ABOUT YOU- Pretty color, but a mother to apply- streaky and thick! eew. I need a professional to use this and she can deal with the hard-to-apply polish.

FLAT IRON GIVING UP!- It's about time to change my flat iron. I had my Coriolis Flat iron for three years already, and it's slowly giving up on me. I bought it for $250 in 2008, so I'm on a hunt for the perfect flat iron :)

Have a good almost end of the week everyone :)
Kim

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Rings, Rings!!


My love for statement rings has reached the next level!


I found some affordable rings from Aldo Accessories. They retail for only CAD$12. I'm really sorry if you do not have any Aldo stores in your country(they do have an online site-aldoshoes.com).


I love Low Luv X Erin Wasson and Soixante Neuf rings so much(Singer22.com/shopbop.com), but they are pricey. Low Luv X Erin Wasson rings retail for $30-$100, while Soixante Neuf rings retail for over $200.


okay, so enough with the blabbering of expensive jeweries and let me show you what I got from Aldo.


Why I love them:
> Adjustable- one size fits all
> They come in gold and gunmetal
> They fit me perfectly
> Affordable price

*** IGNORE my nails please.I have no polish and my hands are super dry as of the moment.

Gunmetal
and the Gold


So what do you guys think? Will these rings catch your attention?


Anyways, I will be going on a 4 day vacation. I will be going to Seattle on Friday. I'm just letting you know because I don't want to leave you guys hanging. I will try to blog, but I can't promise anything for now.
Bye for now :)
-Kim