TheBalm's "Meet Matt(e) Nude" Palette via Hautelook

My dears! 

How cute is this palette from TheBalm? I jumped at the deal on Hautelook after hearing so many great reviews about this matte eyeshadow palette, since I had credit left over - It is originally priced at $42 and was 50% off on Hautelook.  With my existing credit, I paid $2.50 and got this baby in the mail a month later (for those of you who are not familiar with Hautelook, sometimes their shipping can be quite slow.. but I suppose this is the trade-off for discounted prices!)

Swatches from Top, left to right.

For those of you who are not familiar with TheBalm, it is a cute & fun makeup line that utilizes a play on words to create their product names (think: Shady Lady Palette or Time Balm Primer) .  They are now sold in select Kohls & Sephora stores as well.  I was hoping to add this eyeshadow palette to my kit since it is a collection of all matte shades.  Just a warning- these shades are not extremely pigmented if you're expecting MAC-type shadows.  They are good neutrals and mattes to have to use as crease colors for a more natural look - perfect for bridal makeup!

Sneak Preview - Em by Michelle Phan

Hello Everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! You can only imagine how happy I was to receive my girlfriend Lovely's Christmas gift in the mail.  One of the items that my fabulous friend gifted me was a concealer from Michelle Phan's new makeup line, "Em".  I received this in the shade "Medium" which looks perfect with my NC30 skin.  Unfortunately, I was not able to take a photo of the swatch against my skin in daylight, but I assure you that a more detailed post is in the pipeline!

Em by Michelle Phan // The Great Cover Up Concealer in "Medium"
 (please excuse the ink on my finger!)

Hawaii for the Holidays

There is no better way to describe Hawaii other than paradise.  I was so blessed to spend a week in Honolulu (my first time!) with my boyfriend, where we explored the island from one end to another & probably gained 10 lbs in the process. 

View of the beach - 3 blocks from our hotel!

Even though it was 85 degrees every day we were there, the holiday spirit was still apparent every corner we turned. 

Garlic Shrimp, Lobster & Steak from the International Marketplace!

We literally had the BEST pastries from this local bakery - famous for their malasadas (which look like fried donuts topped with sugar & the inside is so soft that the bread literally melts in your mouth once you take a bite)

View of Waikiki Beach

After snorkeling at Hanuama Bay

One of our favorite restaurants during our stay - Murakame - all this food + drinks was only $19 ! 

As much as I enjoyed my nice, warm vacation, I missed this little guy:

Now it's back to business as usual and I cannot wait to share with you some packages that I received from Influenster (my #JollyVoxBox), TheBalm via Hautelook, and some Chanel goodies :-)  - To be continued!

Shimmery Smokey Eye

Obsessed with this photo so I had to share!

Via Trends-style.com

2014 Pantone Color of the Year

Hi Loves,

The 2014 Pantone Color of the Year has been announced! The winner is......... Radiant Orchid, shown below.  Emerald green had a great run for its money in 2013 - now it's time for this bright fuchsia to shine.  This only means one thing:  we should all expect to see this color dominate in shopping malls pretty soon, whether it be in the form of a purse, a pair of heels, or a lipstick!  I think this is a pretty wearable shade for all skin tones - What do you think?

via LA Times

Thanksgiving Weekend

Hi Loves!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend! :) In a nutshell, mine was spent ...

...Hanging with this cutie ;-)

...Rockin' my new Miu Miu cat-eye glasses (my current fav)

...Actually "cooking" (if you can call it that) in the kitchen:

Super Easy Garlic Knots

Delicious Chicken Veggie Soup done in a crockpot

Overall, a very much-needed relaxing weekend without my usual 3-hr daily commute- definitely something I was certainly thankful for! 

Holiday WishList

via Pinterest 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner next week, I can't help but engulf myself into all the festive splendor (i.e. KOST 103.5 holiday music, 24/7! Wreaths, stockings, and all things glitter!). There is always something about the holiday season that just makes me want to shop, shop, shop.  This Christmas, I asked my boyfriend for this closet:

......of course I told him that if room permitted, I would allow him to have a corner ;-).  All joking aside though, I have so many beauty products that I want to add to my wishlist this season, some of which are replenishments for my personal stash, as well as for my kit, along with some fun goodies:


1. Some gorgeous YSL lippies:

via Makeup4All

2. My holy grail mascara base: Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base

3. More palettes: Another LORAC Pro Palette, or Laura Mercier Artist 2 Palette? I'm leaning toward the Artist 2 Palette for my wedding makeup kit -- sadly, this palette is LIMITED EDITION so I will most likely not get a chance to get my hands on this (unless I steal my sister's .. ) :

via Musings of a Muse

4. Some more SLEEK Makeup items - For those of you who are not familiar with this UK-based brand, I highly suggest you check it out! The prices are fabulous & inexpensive for the amount/quality of product that you get.  My favs? Their blushes (check out my review here), their face contouring kits (complete with contour powder + highlighting powder), and their inexpensive eyeshadow palettes.

Pictured: Pink Sprint

5.  Some more Real Techniques Brushes for my kit:

via LaceFleur

6. Some lovely Chanel compacts, my favorite Illusion D'Ombre cream shadows, moisturizing liquid foundations, and a good liquid concealer for my kit:

via Odd Dolly

What beauty purchases are you planning to make soon? I know my poor wallet will be crying after this, but I will definitely be one happy camper! :) 

What A Month!

My Loves!

It has been, as usual, an insane month for me.  Between working my corporate 9-5 job, weekends with Chanel, wedding gigs & short trips with the boyfriend, I have not gotten the chance to update this.  Here's a quick update of what I was up to during my month-long hiatus:

My sister & I took our dog, Toby, to the Rock & Roll LA Doggy Marathon.  How can you resist that face? ;-) 

My boyfriend and I flew up to San Jose for a quick getaway - We watched a couple get engaged at Santana Row and tried what I believe to be the BEST boba I've ever had - If you're ever in the San Jose/Milpitas area, I HIGHLY suggest trying Fantasia!  We had a cup every day... 

Last weekend, we stayed @ The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas - 3 days of soaking in the hot tub, lots of delicious food (Bachi Burger, my love!) and of course, we visited my girlfriend & her adorable newborn right before we left. 

Now that we're all caught up with what I've been up to - Did any of you order from Sephora's Friends & Family and VIB sales?  I was DYING for another Lorac Pro Palette & Shiseido Nourishing Eyelash Base ... but of course, good ol' Sephora was sold out of everything I wanted. 

Did you guys get your Sephora wishlist checked off? 

Halloween Makeup Ideas v.2

My loves,

Since my first Halloween Dia de los Muertos makeup look suggestion was so popular, I have decided to do a second "photo gallery," if you will, of some pretty makeup looks that I think would look amazing for Halloween.  Being the girly girl that I am, I am always looking for a way to be creative yet still look pretty or glam at the same time.

Here are some of my favorite looks, all pulled from Pinterest:

All of these looks are relatively simple to create - I'm always a sucker for glitz & glam, so I am leaning toward doing a pixie or fairy-type look with glitter & sparkles!

Currently Obsessed: Teal Under-eye Liner

Hi Loves! 

I have been so slammed with work and activities that I haven't gotten a chance to share much on this blog lately!  My past weekend was spent in San Jose with the lovely BF.  It was short but sweet and filled with lots of yummy food and drinks (BonChon Chicken & Fantasia, anyone?).

Clients oftentimes ask me what colors (shadows, liners, etc.) would work best for their eye color.  Because I work 9-5 (actually, 7-7...) at a corporate beauty company, I stick to a standard smokey brown eyeshadow look.  Lately, however, I've been obsessed with using jewel-toned eyeliners to line my bottom waterline, like this:

via Pinterest

Obviously, my look is a little more muted for work (sadly, no gold glitter), but the fun thing about this is that you can do your eyeshadow any way you like, really, depending on the day & occasion.  This can work with a subtle brown smokey eye for work or amped up with a dark smokey or glittery shadow for a more dramatic, fun look for a date or girls' night.  

Here's a set of jewel-toned, versatile eyeliners that I'm currently obsessing over: 

Urban Decay, Ocho Loco 2 Set, $59 for a set of 8 full-sized liners - greens, teals, blues, purples, browns & the blackest black eyeliner I've ever used! 

What makeup looks do you guys find that you're doing more often now that Fall is here? 

Which Eyelash Curler is Right for You?

Did you know that not all eyelash curlers are created equal? 

I will FOREVER remember that one fateful day when I got to school one morning in 9th grade and my best friend (at the time) told me that she had literally "cut off" half of her eyelashes while using her older sister's Revlon eyelash curler the night before. 

First of all, I had never used an eyelash curler in my entire life at the time.  Secondly, I was horrified to see that her lashes were, in fact, half the length that they were the day before.  I quickly made a mental note to NEVER buy that eyelash curler for use and later on that night relayed the story to my older sister.  My sister scoffed and gave me one piece of advice that I live by to this very day: 

Shu Ueumura eyelash curlers are your best friend -- that is, if you've got relatively large, double-eyelid, long-ish eyes like me.  

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $20 

Lucky for me, I have a sister who believes in splurging for a good product as long as the product is effective - and believe me, as a 14 year old high schooler, $20 was a huge amount to spend on a contraption that was meant to "open up my eyes" and make me look "more awake."  Ten years later, I am a believer and this is my go-to lash curler of choice.  Imagine my horror when Shu Uermura counters were all shut down in the US - thankfully, Amazon and my lovely best friend who travels to Japan often have kept me well-stocked.

For those of you who have monolid, short, or relatively small eyes, this Shiseido eyelash curler will be your best friend: 

Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $19

 What's so different about this eyelash curler, you ask?  The length of the eyelash pad is shorter, which ensures that all lashes will be curled.  The curve is also slightly flatter, which fits smaller eyes better.  This will prevent the seemingly inevitable "pinch" that eyelash curlers give when you're using an eyelash curler that is wrong for your eye shape, so beware, my lovelies!  When in doubt, keep experimenting with different eyelash curlers, but in my experience, these seem to be the best two in the market! 

Halloween Makeup Idea: Dia de Los Muertos

You guys! I'm totally obsessed with this makeup look for Halloween:

Photo credit: Juxtapost.com

This is a Dia de Los Muertos look for Halloween.  Dia de Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where they honor their loved ones who have passed.  All I can say is, the Mexicans sure know how to party and celebrate in style!  I'm absolutely loving this look - glitz and glamour, finished off with a scary vibe... probably the most beautiful "dead & scary" look that one can achieve, if you ask me.

Break out those gems, glue, glitter, Kryolan face paints, Make Up For Ever Flash Palettes, waterproof liquid liners and bright eyeshadows!  It's time for some face decorating ; )  

Make-up Monday

I was so happy to be able to share my love for makeup with my fellow coworkers last Friday!  It's fascinating how much control you have over a makeup look, simply by using lighter vs. darker colors, smoking the eyes out, or even contouring the face.

Joy opted for a natural, office-appropriate look.

Claudia's dramatic, Friday-night-out smokey eye.  I contoured her face with NARS Laguna Bronzer & highlighted with Benefit's High Beam Liquid Highlighter.