Beauty Emergency Solved: No Nail Polish Remover

In the last few weeks, I haven been putting off buying some much needed supplies from the drugstore. I have been running low on everything: from cotton balls, Qtips, tissue and the like. I've also been very dangerously low on nail polish remove, but I figure the last 5 drops I have in the bottle will certainly last me a few more weeks. Well, it did... until it ran out.


Today, my nails are just so horribly ugly due in fact of negligence and also the lack of nail polish remover - LOOK!

Pardon the Ugly Nails...

I need to remove these ugly looking varnish I had once called "art" - yet I've ran out of polish removers. I had to improvise.

I was able to discover a new methods of removing nail polish - even without nail polish removers - with very very minimal (if any, I wouldn't know) damage to your nails. You can certainly file your nails until the varnish chips off, but that would damage the nails so much, and I've already brittle nails.

What you'll are are just three very common things, which I think every girl will bound to have: cotton, clear nail polish, alcohol. That's it!

First, prepare your cotton by soaking it with alcohol. I just do this to add strength and to help remove the old nail polish. Then, just apply the clear nail polish over the old nail polish. Then wait maybe 2 seconds and wipe off. The old nail polish should mostly come off.

If they don't all come off, then just repeat until it's all gone.I did this on my entire hands and feet and works like a charm.

So the next time you run out of nail polish remover, this is one way to remove your old ugly nail polish with very minimal damage to your nails. Ofcourse, nothing beats having the real nail polish remover - one swipe and its gone, but it helps having an alternative.

Hope this helps you guys out!




Toodles X♥

Review: Mac Viva Glam: Cyndi Lipglass

 

I recently just got the MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipglass, and originally I really wanted to get the lipstick, but the nearest MAC counter is at Macy's and they are out. I realize that I am probably lucky to get the lipglass at this late and I was told by "Harlow" - the SA who helped me - that even the lipglass are discontinued, so they are just finishing up what they have.

In case you didn't know, the MAC Viva Glam line donates every cent they earn to the MAC Charity for HIV and AIDs Fund (or something like that) and I think this is really awesome! I love and respect companies that care about the world and donate a part of their earnings to those people in need. That being said, it made me want to buy something else in this line from the MAC counters (because buying from ebay won't help the cause), even though the Cyndi's not there anymore.

 

Anyway, I have been using these lipglass for a couple of days now and I have to say I really love this color very much. I would have liked for it to have a bit more product in the tube, but it doesn't matter.

 

The pigmentation is great and you can wear this alone without any other color underneath. The color is really very pretty, I would say a cross between a red, coral and pink. It looks much redder on the tube, but its very very wearable when applied on the lips. 

 

I am glad I was able to get my hands on these and I will probably go back and stock up on this.

Toodles X♥

EOS G201 Max Pure Pink

So the last post I made I went on about my little Circle lens purchase. I have since tried the EOS Max Pure Circle Lenses, so I wanted to share my thoughts.

 

 

First of all, I went and purchase the Clear Care to be used as my contact lens solution / cleaner. You can find out more about Clear Care on the net if you;re interested.

Any Circle Lens cannot be used right out of the bottle, or you'll really hurt your eyes, so you have to soak them either overnight, or atleast a few hours. I soaked mine overnight.

This is how the pink lens look out of the bottle.

 

Place it onto Clear Care's special contact lens case

 

 

 

From here on out, I want to say that my experience I am pretty sure is not normal. I had a really different reaction to the lenses and I'm pretty sure it's not normal. This is also why I am not naming this post as a "review", but just a regular blog post.

So anyway, I put on the lenses, and here's now it looks... my eye on the left (as you are seeing it) is the eye with the pink circle lens, and my eye on the right is the eye without lenses (so boring looking, lols).

This first picture is me closer to the light - but without flash.

 

The second picture is me further from the light - still without flash

 

I didn't have the chance to shoot one WITH flash because for some reason, I hyperventilated... YES! HYPERVENTILATE... who in the world hyperventilates from wearing contact lenses!!!

After maybe 2 minutes of puttung the lenses on, I felt like my head was spinning, and like I couldn't breathe. Maybe something you'd feel when you're claustrophobic, or right after a roller-coaster ride and you want to puke.

At this point, I forced myself to suck it up so I can take some photos, and I was able to but then I really couldn't take it anymore. I had to sit on the toilet to calm myself, wondering how I was going to take it out. Fortunately, I was able to.

See what I mean about not a normal reaction!

However, in the midst of all this happening and in all fairness to the lenses, I really didn't think it was uncomfortable. I was able to wear it for a minute or two and was able to admire how pretty it looks. My initial reaction was definitely not "this is so uncomfortable". However, I cannot attest to this because I haven't been able to wear it for a long period of time...

So sad... i really wanted to wear these too! I'll probably give it another shot sometime... I am determined... lols...

Thanks for reading... I know it's long, but atlest you get to see it on my eyes and had a laugh or two...

X☮X♥

Circle Lens Mini Haul: EOS Max Pure and MI M301

A few month back I got a couple of circle lenses to try it out. I've seen tons of people using these and they look pretty awesome. I thought they instantly made your face more interesting. Having a colored eyes instead of the boring brown is always fun too. So yeah, decided to join the bandwagon (if there is a bandwagon).

A brief rundown on Circle Lens Info:

Circle Lenses are basically contact lens that are bigger in diameter, and the intention is to make your iris look bigger to make you look like an anime character, or a doll.

They are mostly either made from Japan or Korea, and I think they are technically cannot be legally sold in the US because of FDA issues or something.

Circle lenses are said to be thicker in make, which means your eyes may tend to have less oxygen going into them, as oppose of the daily contact lenses sold in the US. That said, they are also said to be less comfortable.

You can order them with prescription as any contact lens.



Lastly, they are said to last between 6 months to a year of opening... tons of people suggests only using them for 6 months to be safe.

You can google it for more info. =)







I went online and searched for the best priced circle lens. I also wanted to make sure that I'm getting an authentic one. Finally found a seller with great reviews and great price: Kiwiberry. You can check her out here:

http://www.kiwiberry1-collection.com/

As far as her service, she is really a very nice lady. Answered tons of my questions. Also, she packages the lenses well, and gives you a lens case for every pair you purchase - which I found to be really helpful. Shipping was quite quick (I think she's based from Canada), and most importantly, her prices are the best.

So anyway, I got the package, and like I said, it was bubble wrapped and placed inside an envelope with bubble wrap too - so double the protection.

 

 

I got two circle lenses, each one priced at $20.00.

First one is the EOS G201 Max Pure in Pink.

 

A close look on the lenses themselves. Aren't they real pretty!

 

The next one is MI M301 3-Tone Grey

 

And a closer look on the lenses themselves. I love the 3-Tone!

 

Overall, Kiwiberry's service was really great, the lenses looked amazing, and all that's left is to try em.

Let me know what you guys think of them, and if you;ve tried any circle lenses before.

X☮X♥

Hautelook Score! Rock & Republic Cosmetics

I had no idea how competitive it is purchasing from Hautelook! I was waiting for the Rock & Republic Cosmetics event to begin at 11am EST this morning because I am really interested to try out their blush - I've heard many great things. Also, I have been attempting to purchase the blush on Hautelook for a total of 3 months now! I've always either come in late or I wasn't aware until later in the day. Ridiculous!


Finally today... I was waiting at 10:55am... I refreshed... nothing yet... 10:59am.... 11:00am! I quickly refreshed, entered the event, and lo and behold all the blushes were already on hold... meaning someone has already placed it on their cart! HOW?! I went in no later than maybe 5 seconds after 11:00am and already someone's put it on their cart... how is that possible?!

Fortunately, I was very patient and persistent. Once you placed something in your cart, you can only keep it there for 15 minutes, after 15 minuted if you haven't checked out, they will put the item back in the list... I was very determined to get the blush this time... 3 months is a very long time to wait.. I could lose 10lbs in 3 month but cannot get this damn blush (it's just way cheaper on Hautelook so yeah... )

I opened all the blushes in separate tabs... kept refreshing... every so often one would come back but before I could hit "Add to Cart", someone already had... but I kept going and kept refreshing and persistence prevails! I got one!

I'm sorry, I really feel like I've won something and am so so happy! Only bad thing I see here is that it's not to be delivered until March 11... such long time!

This is a run down on what I got... I'm so excited!

Contrived Pressed Blush in Immoral $12.00

Exhibition Pressed Powder in Satin $13.20

Eyeshadow in Snakeskin $8.40

Lipgloss in Muse $7.20

I think there are tons more great eyeshadows on Hautelook and most important here is that the price is just too great to pass up. I purchased an eyeshadow from Hautelook before for $10.50 I think, and now it's only $8.40... its a really great deal...

You can head on over to Hautelook, if you need an invite, you can click here, otherwise I think you can just head on over there and sign up... not sure... =)

Let me know what you guys think!

X☮X♥

Beauty Review: Darkness False Eyelashes in KMA 4

I feel like this blog is transitioning from the initial intention of being a fashion blog... and now drifting into more beauty topics.. I guess the winter has really put me into a fashion hibernation mode.

Anyway, I've decided to give a try the false lashes I bought. I've had them for a little while but haven't really tried them out until today.


These are called the Darkness False Eyelashes

 

I actually got two of them, another in KMA-2 but I haven't tried that one yet.

I was surprised at how natural looking these were... They were really long so I wasn't sure how they would turn out - especially with my smaller eyes, but I thought they were great!

First off, I'm loving the glue. I'm not sure of what others have said about the glue - I'm sure there are other better brands, but I thought they worked pretty great.

 

A set will come with 2 types of glue - one with a white cap, and another with a yellow cap. The white one is actually a primer, and the yellow one is the adhesive. What the primer does is it gives another invisible layer between the lash band and the adhesive, so essentially it makes taking out the glue faster and safer making your lashes last longer for more use.

The lashes themselves were great! They were the perfect size for my eyes and I didn't need to trim anything.

The photo below shows how little lashes I have... ugh.. annoying... but the false lashes really made a difference.

This photo shows how the lashes look from above - with my eyes open... they look really really natural... like they were coming from my own lash line... when my eyes are closed, you can kinda tell that it's stuck onto the lash line, but when the eyes are open, you can't even tell...

 

Comfort wise, I wasn't uncomfortable at all. If you tried a false lashes and you felt uncomfortable, it's probably from the way you applied the lashes, just a thought.

 

Overall, I'm loving these and I'm surprised by that because I don't usually like having anything in my eye. (I hyper ventilated when I tried on circle lenses... for real!) DEfinitely would recommend this particular brand, especially if you have asian eyes, I suppose this is made for a more asian eyes since its a korean brand.. I dunno.. whatever.

I got mine from Luna Beauty for $2.95 and there's 2 pairs inside... not bad!

I wonder what you think of them...

I also did a post on Luuux, and a few other product that I made a fast review on, in case anyone is interested.

X♥

Review: Revlon Custom Eyes Waterproof Mascara

I have been wanting to get the new Revlon Custom Eyes Waterproof Mascara ever since I saw it in the commercials. I haven't really been able to pick it up until a few days ago, and now I've used it and played with it enough for me to make a review


The thing that intrigued me the most is the 2-way bristle... it's so techy and advanced.. I just was really very curious how it worked... and I've actually figured it out too...

 

You can make two looks with this mascara. No. 1 is labeled Length and Drama - which is basically just volumizing, and No. 2 is labeled Length and Definition - which is basically lengthening.

 

 

 

I wasn't able to take photos of the bristles new - but I got a picture from the net to explain better how I figured this wand works.

 

There are two bristles - one is purple and another in aqua blue. The purple one has longer bristles and the aqua one has shorter bristles. When you twist the wand to switch from #1 to #2 - the aqua blue bristles are the ones that move... and they move in and out (or up and down, depending on your direction).

When you have the wand set at No 1 (volumizing) - the bristles are aligned in front of each other and so when you apply the product into your lashes, it leaves more product onto your lashes and so it makes it more intense and more volumized.

When you have the wand set at No. 2 (Defining) - the aqua bristle moves and shifts and aligned next to the purple bristled so that when you apply the product into your lashes - it brushes your lashes better and so it creates more definition.

So basically that's how I figured it. I hope I've explained it well... =)

THE PERFORMANCE

 I really like how this mascara has turned out. I am a little confused because when I was testing it out - I found that No.2 (Defining) actually gave my lashes more volume than No. 1 and No 1 gave me more definition than No.2 - so it's kinda backwards... 

Also, this mascara is waterproof, and I tested this by putting some of the mascara at the back of my hand, let is dry, and got some water and tried to smudge it out... DID NOT BUDGE. Also, I took a nap wearing the mascara and woke up without any gunk under my eyes.

Below is the comparison between No. 1 and No. 2 - as applied on my lashes. Oh, and BTW, my lashes are naturally thin and sparse (think Asian lashes)...

One coat

You can clearly see from the photo that #2 has more volume than #1 - which is weird...

This is a close-up of #1 on my lashes

 

This is a close-up photo of #2 on my lashes

 

THE VERDICT

Overall, I really did like this mascara. Apart from being confused with the result of no.1 and no.2 - it did perform very well in giving me volume and definition. I don't think it can compare to CoverGirl's Lash Blast - in terms of giving that much definition, but it did perform well and I have no complaints.

I felt like the mascara did what it's supposed to do. It is true to its claim being a waterproof mascara. It's staying power is pretty great. Plus, you get to have ton of fun with the twist handle.

I give this mascara 4 out of 5 stars. Recommended.

You can pick this up in any drugstore. I purchased mine for $8 or $9 - but depending on the deal you get, it could be lower.

Let me know what you guys think!

X♥

<3

The 30 Day Challenge and Luuux

Below is the list of the 30 day challenge from Luuux. I thought it was interesting and fun, so I decided to do one myself.

This is my first day:  30 Day Challenge: DAY ONE: Favorite Eyeliner

If you want to follow mine, I guess just head on over to LUUUX. Click HERE to get to my page.

BTW, I know people are talking shit about Luuux, but I found it to be very very fun. It’s sort of like Tumblr, where you can post a photo and say something short about it, and move on to a new one - but you earn points doing it too. But points aside, I thought it was really fun. Check it out if you want.

See Ya!

X♥

THE 30 DAY CHALLENGE:
Day 01 — Your favorite eyeliner
Day 02 — Your favorite bag that you own
Day 03 — Your favorite brush
Day 04 — Your favorite foundation
Day 05 — Your favorite thing to do
Day 06 — Anything Hello Kitty
Day 07 — Your Favorite animal
Day 08 — A photo that makes you laugh
Day 09 — Your favorite pair of shoes
Day 10 — Current fashion/style you like
Day 11 — Bag you want to have
Day 12 — Your Favorite color
Day 13 — Photo of your fashion/style icon
Day 14 — Photo of a hairstyle/haircut you’d like to have
Day 15 — Photo of your favorite bracelet
Day 16 — Music you like
Day 17 — Fashion Pieces that’s on your to-buy list
Day 18 — Your favorite beauty guru
Day 19 — Your favorite look from a beauty guru
Day 20 — Your favorite mascara
Day 21 — Your favorite lip stick
Day 22 — What makes you happy
Day 23 — Place where you want to live
Day 24 — Your favorite food
Day 25 — What do you want to get from luux
Day 26 — An Item from your wishlist
Day 27 — Your favorite skincare product
Day 28 — Your favorite drink
Day 29 — Photo of something that makes you go awww
Day 30 — Your favorite nail polish

HOW TO: 2 Minute Hair Bun

I'm really starting to enjoy making videos just because I feel like some things are better in live action than in still photographs.

I made a really quick video on how I do a quick messy hair bun. All you really need is two hair ties and you're set.

The more time I save on worrying about my hair, the more time I have to put together my outfit. Lols...

Let me know what you think of them.

HOW TO: Quick & Easy Natural Make-Up

Just thought I'd so something new and fun over the weekend - I made a video!

I have a minor obsession with watching YouTube videos. I just think it's a great source of information - especially if you want to buy or do something and wouldn't know where to find the information for - Youtube is the answer!

From beauty tips, fashion tips, everyday random life tips like how to cook something or how to install a door (totally random but its there!), all kinds of reviews - It's there!

Also, I have a new respect to these Youtubers who devote a lot of time uploading videos. It's not easy and it's not quick - it's very time consuming and requires creativity. I thank all the people who take the time to make these videos and help people out!

Let me know if you guys also enjoy these types of videos.

X♥

Review: Crown Brush

Ok, so I know I've rant about the Crown Brush earlier after having washed them and they bled like crazy making me instantly not like the brush set. It was an undue conclusion so I decided to give them a try - afterall, I already have them, why not right?!

The brush I ordered was the one with the faux snakeskin brush roll in black. I initially purchased this after I watched Kandee Johnson - a really excellent beauty guru on YouTube - gushed about them and had given good reviews for them. PLUS, they were on sale!

After trying these brushes out for about a week and a half, I found that I still feel the same way about this set of brushes on most of them. The bristles were just not as good as I would like them to.

To give you an insight on what I consider a good brush - I LOVE The Body Shop brushes! They have the softest bristles and the prettiest handle. Although, it might not be fair to compare Crown with The Body Shop given The Body Shop brushes cost a lot so it follows they were made with higher quality materials. So I directly compared the Crown brushed with the ELF Studio Brush - I think this is a fair comparison since its about the same price.

I took some detailed photos of the brushes, and I'll give my take on them as we go. Although, keep in mind, I did not try all of them, just the ones that are relevant to my everyday make-up.

The Brush Roll

In all fairness, I did like the brush roll very much. It kinda smelled something plastic at first, but overall I like the look - so sleek and classy.

In addition, I loooved the handle, how its red and black. The handle color is the main reason why I got this set and not the other (Pink set and Bronze set).

Brush Roll

Brush Roll Open

Brush roll open and showing the brushes inside

POWDER BRUSH

Most horrible of them all. This is the brush that bled the most and it bled black. It dried pretty quick, but afterwards it was shedding like crazy. You can get a couple of bristles here and there, even a casual run of the hand thru the bristles can make this shed.

On top of that, it's so pokey. It hurts the face when using this. The bristles look and feel like the ELF brush, but it is nothing like it. I do not like this one at all.

 

BLUSHER and ANGLED BLUSHER BRUSH

The Blusher brush bled the second most, and out of the three, the angled blusher brush bled the least. The Blusher brush also sheds like crazy, but the angled one not as much.

However, these two are also a little pokey

 

 

EYESHADOW BRUSHES

There are 3 eyeshadow brushes with this set - the C-Eyeshadow Brush, a regular eyeshadow brush, and a mini eyeshadow brush.

Overall, these did not bleed upon washing and they dried quickly. There's also very minimal shedding.

I am on the fence with the C-eyeshadow brush. It works fine and it packs on color really well, even better than the ELF one, but its really pokey and it hurts. I'm just a little concerned because I use this near the eyes, and we all know the eye area is the most sensitive. However, it does have its merits.

The Regular Eyeshadow brush is alright. Nothing much to say about it. It works fine.

The Mini Eyeshadow Brush is the worst. I felt like it did not pick up color as it should, plus its super pokey. I used this to put some shadow on my lower outer corner lids, and let me tell you - it hurts like hell!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 FLUFFY ANGLED BLENDING BRUSH

I haven't tested this yet. I haven't found an opportunity to use it. But, I haven't seen this brush in a lot of brush sets before, so I felt like this was a bonus.

However, quality wise - again, I don't like it. Very very rough, as you can see on the photo.

 

CONCEALER BRUSH & LIP BRUSH

I have only used the concealer brush to test at the back of my hand, so I won't even say anything bad about it. It worked well, just as it should.

And, I haven't used the lip brush yet, but it feels exactly like the concealer brush - it can actually be used as a mini concealer brush too.

 

MINI FAN BRUSH

This is another brush that I felt was such a bonus because I haven't seen this in a lot of other brush sets. 

This one's great. It could be softer, but maybe that's just nit-picking it.

This is just the right size to use as a highlighter brush on my cheek. Its not too big, just the perfect size. Also, it can be used to dust away pigment fall-outs under your eye.

Overall I like this one.

 

SMUDGE BRUSH

This is one of my favorite brushes from the set. I wish it was filled with bristles a little more though because its not as dense, but it works just fine.

Its very soft to the touch and it washed well without bleeding of shedding.

Its not the best smudge brush out there, but from this set, its one of the best brushes included.

 

ANGLED AND FLAT LINER BRUSH

I've only tried the flat liner brush because I did not like the angled one. I felt like the angled brush was too thin to be used for my eyebrows.

Not much to be said on the flat liner brush - it worked just as it should. I still like to use my Body Shop angled brush for gel liners, but this one worked ok too.

 

There!

Overall Score: 5 out of 10

Brushes I LOVED: 3 out of 15

Brushes that are JUST OK: 3 out of 15

I have nothing against the Crown Brush company. I just think maybe this particular set is not the best ones they have. I have read a lot of other reviews on their other brushes and others seems to rave about them. Maybe if you buy individually, you can get a better bang for your buck, but the brushes included with this set, in my opinion, is sub par.

This is my honest opinion on these brushes. I hope you guys find this helpful and informative. Ultimately, its still your choice if you want to try this out. But for me, I wouldn't repurchase this.

X♥

FTC: I bought these brushes with my own money and all opinion stated herewith are my own true and honest opinion.