school update.

ok, by now you guys must have noticed that i'm procrastinating on something. i've reeled out four posts today--including painting my nails, and a post yesterday.

you know when it gets to that point in the semester when your brain just starts shutting down from information overload and no free time. yeah. that's three [bazillion] weeks ago. this semester is so ridiculous. my homeworks, tests, and projects are spaced out among my classes such that i constantly have something to do. and it sucks. big time. i have two classes with group work which we've been meeting practically every other day per group. aka, i've been meeting with one group or the other each day for pretty much the whole semester thus far (and one group member is in both groups!). anyway, here's a look at my midterm grades and anticipated spring schedule, since i got to schedule on thursday.

midterm grades: programming: 92 A databases: 90 A networking: 92 A finance: 93 A econ: 60 D

spring schedule:           isds 3200 mwf 1230-130           isds 3115 mw 3-430           isds 3105 (online)           mgt 3200 tth 1030-12           mkt 3401 tth 130-3

so, what am i procrastinating on, you ask? my finance and econ classes are back-to-back tomorrow and that means a back-to-back quiz and exam! and then a few hours later, in my networking class, i have to give a presentation with my group. it's going to be totally awesome! NOT.
just like the last time that i had a finance quiz followed by an econ test...oh, i don't know, a few weeks ago? TT_TT

where's fall break, you ask? NEXT FREAKING WEEK. apparently fall break, which is normally the week before or the one after midterm week, is now one month before the end of the semester, about three weeks before thanksgiving break. i wish i knew who came up with this crap because my brain is completely fried and i'm totally over everything school-related right now.
[now, the spring semesters aren't so bad. we get mardi gras break and a week off for spring break... it's just the fall semesters that suck as far as holidays.]

well..that's the end of my rant for now. i need to actually try to study...if i can. ~.~
~Lin-chan ^.~

october hauls

i found some new great stuff this month! got a great deal on the em michelle phan day life palette ($29 out of pocket!!), lorac pro palette with an eyeliner for $39, and did you guys know that the brush guard sells through walmart?? well, the variety pack at least, if you want more of any particular size, it's best to get them through amazon. ~Lin-chan ^.~

 

• pokemon x
• mua brushes (E3, E5, F6) -- i wasn't kidding when i told you guys that i looooove their E3 & F6 brushes, so i had to get a few more while they were having free international shipping after £15 (~$24).
• em michelle phan day life palette -- see my haul post for more details about how i paid only $29 for it! (right now there's a 20% off coupon code: treat20, exp. 10/31/13 midnight pst)

 

• ulta: opi pink of hearts 2013 duo (notd post), real techniques brow and lash comb, covergirl glosstini in blue hawaiian
• cvs: i had some extrabucks burning a hole in my pocket, surprise surprise, so i got wet n wild/fergie's eyeshadow primer to try out and essence of beauty's precision blender sponge (a ytmmbi - phyrranyx)

 
 

ulta: lorac rockin red hot pro set ($39!!), real techniques stippling brush

• can we take a moment and just stare in awe at the second row shadows. oh my god! i love it.
• (swatches are over ud original primer potion; didn't want to open the new lorac one since i've got a ton of primers open already)
• after trying this eyeliner for the first time, omg this might be the new holy grail. i accidentally blinked before giving it time to set (like most other liners) and it didn't smudge or transfer. i like the applicator on this one more than the eyeko one, it glides on more smoothly. but the very tippy top of the tip is super-duper thin and i accidentally got some tiny marks on the outer corners of my eyes when using my semiparallel-stamp-and-drag method.

 
swatches: blush, honey love, ingenue, sultry, berry smoothie, lorac eyeliner

cvs: revlon balm stains in sultry and ingenue, nyc grand central station
walgreens: vaseline lip therapy in rosy lips, wet n wild shine clear polish, jordana honey love balm stain
walmart: the brush guard variety pack (because i don't have enough of these already? lol. i needed a couple more of the medium ones...all those real techniques brushes!), rimmel london match perfection blush in light, revlon berry smoothie lip butter

notd: zoya neve

 

hi guys! here's the notd for zoya neve, which i got with my october ipsy bag*! ~Lin-chan ^.~
also used: orly bonder, nyc grand central station (as topcoat)

*Affiliate link.

em michelle phan: day life palette: coffee break

hi all! here's our third installment of my swatches and impressions of the em michelle phan's day life palette: the coffee break quadrant. (to see the original haul post, click here. the first installment, the second installment) ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

 

eyeshadows 6 to 1, blush, lips 2 & 1 (corresponding names are below); shadows are swatched over milani eye primer

impressions:
eyes:

1. espresso -- it's a semi-matte, dark espresso brown type color. doesn't show up too well as a liner shade
2. cocoa -- while this one looks like espresso, it's actually metallic with a reddish shimmer to it, kinda reminds me of ud darkhorse, but not exactly
3. biscotti -- this in no way is reminiscent of biscotti cookies... maybe if they're 100% burned. lol. the reminds me of ud suspect, it's a really pretty metallicy taupe
4. lottsa latte -- this is an interesting matte light brown, reminds me of ud buck
5. beige frappe -- swatched and in the pan, this looks exactly like girlie from the weekend brunch quadrant. kinda sad.
6. creamy -- this is a really pretty frosty ivory/off-white type shade. it kinda reminds me of ud's virgin

lips:

1. morning peach -- this goes on semi-sheer, on me, it's got a white-ish/peach-ish cast to it. it looks natural after you blend it in a bit and wait a moment or two
2. what's nude -- on me, this is a pretty mlbb coral-y shade. love it!

cheeks: cappuccino -- this is a really nice bronzer shade for me since i'm considered fair/light now. ~.~ i applied it to my cheeks and as a contour.

 

i like this look a lot. it's very natural with a nice range of browns. i don't like how the #1 eyeshadow shade doesn't really show up as an upper liner, but the #2 shade works great as the lower liner.

other products used for fotd:

• eyes
• milani eye primer
• loreal shocking extensions mascara
• rimmel london eyeliner in nude
• face
• smashbox photofinish foundation primer
• wet n wild cover all foundation in fair/light
• revlon photoready concealer in light
• theBalm sexy mama
• lips
• eos lip balm in vanilla
• brushes:
• elf kabuki brush, eyeshadow brush
• mua E3, F6
• sigma F60, F70
• random angled liner brush

em michelle phan: day life palette: weekend brunch

hi all! here's our second installment of my swatches and impressions of the em michelle phan's day life palette: the weekend brunch quadrant. (to see the original haul post, click here. to see the first installment, click here.) ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

 

eyeshadows 6 to 1, blush, lips 2 & 1 (corresponding names are below); shadows are swatched over milani eye primer

impressions:
eyes:

1. nibble -- this is actually a really pretty blue/purple toned black; works great as a liner color and stays pretty well
2. french toast -- this definitely doesn't remind me of french toast...but it's a super pretty smoky plum type shade with an almost reddish duochrome to it; works great as a liner color and stays pretty well
3. ballet flats -- this is such a pretty pinky copper (rose gold?) shade..i can has it in a larger size?!
4. peach gelato -- it's such a pretty orange-cream type color. on my eyes, it's almost like a correcting/base type shade and i actually like that aspect of it
5. girlie -- it's a really pretty pinky-peach shell type color
6. crème -- this is similar to french kiss from the day dreaming quadrant, it's actually like a chalky-pastel white. i applied it with my finger, but it took quite a few swipes to actually get on there good

lips:

1. parisian nude -- this is very similar to one more from the day dreaming quadrant. it's got a pretty shimmer to it but it goes on sheer. the gloss has a slight peachy tint to it..but it's almost negligible.
2. roses -- this is a really pretty shade of gloss, almost a mlbb type shade..on the red side.

cheeks: pinched -- this looks so close to my skintone, it's ok. even if i pack it on, it's not really all that noticeable...unless you're in my face. then you can tell the texture is different and it's shimmery.

 

i think i'd like going out and about with this one, maybe with a little bronzer since the blush is near my skintone. and the upper liner is a tad weak, but not too bad. i actually like this quadrant a lot more than i thought i would.

other products used for fotd:

• eyes
• milani eye primer
• loreal butterfly mascara
• rimmel london eyeliner in nude
• face
• smashbox photofinish foundation primer
• maybelline fit me stick foundataion in 120
• covergirl 3-in-1 foundation in 825 (as concealer)
• theBalm sexy mama
• lips
• eos lip balm in vanilla
• brushes:
• mua E3, F6
• elf kabuki brush, eyeshadow c-brush
• random angled eye brush

em michelle phan: day life palette: day dreaming

hi all! here's the first installment of my swatches and impressions of the em michelle phan's day life palette: the day dreaming quadrant. (to see the original haul post, click here. for the day dreaming sampler post, click here.)

instead of doing one whole swatch-fest post of the entire palette, i decided to make a post about each quadrant individually. so for this post and the next three installments (when i can get to them, school and work come first unfortunately), i'll have a face of the day photo with a recreation of the look on the card that was included with the palette, swatches of the pans in that quadrant, and my initial impressions of the quadrant. ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

 

eyeshadows 6 to 1, blush, lips 2 & 1 (corresponding names are below); shadows are swatched over milani eye primer

impressions:
eyes:

1. onyx dreams -- i'm not so sure about this one. it's not quite as dark as it seems in the pan. i think that as a "liner" color it needs some help when applied, like a fixative or a wet brush to make it darker. but if you apply it dry, it looks gray and just kinda fades away..
2. storm kiss -- this also isn't all that great of a liner color. again, if some sort of fixing agent was used, i think it would go on a stick on a lot better. i prefer this in the outer v to darken that corner
3. fantasy -- i really like this as a center of the eye to outer corner color it's such a pretty duochrome purple/gold
4. silver lining -- i really like this color as a base it's a pretty blue/purple/silver type duochrome that's prefect for softer looks
5. light violet -- this is a pretty shell pinky-purple kind of color, i really like it. i think it's a great highlight-type color and the pigmentation is pretty decent.
6. french kiss -- i applied this to my eye with my finger, but it's ok. it's a pretty chalky pink kind of color but it's not very pigmented. i had to swipe it quite a few times to get it quite right.

lips:

1. one more -- it's a really pretty clear glitter gloss. the glitter flecks are reddish and it's nice how it reflects off the lips. from afar, it'll probably look like just a clear gloss though, which is lame. feels nice and balmy; not sticky at all.
2. misty mauve -- it takes a few swipes of the finger and a few dips to get complete coverage, but overall not too bad. i love this color. i like that it's a my lips but slightly pinker shade. not too emollient but ok. but i think if this had a different formula, i'd love it more. (i'm too lazy to use and clean a lip brush). (click for comparison to the misty mauve lipstick)

cheeks: day dreaming -- this is a really pretty pink blush, it's a nice light/sheer wash of color that looks relatively natural

fotd: i didn't particularly like how muted this "look" looked on me, so i added some liner to the top and bottom lashes. i also added some bronzer, highlight, and the misty mauve lipstick.

 

other products used for fotd:

• eyes
• milani eye primer
• cover girl clump crusher mascara
• cailyn gel eyeliner in iron
• rimmel london eyeliner in nude
• urban decay eyeliner in stray dog (discontinued, mushroom is similar)
• face
• too faced primed and poreless, original
• wet n wild cover all foundation in fair/light
• revlon photoready concealer in light
• theBalm sexy mama
• too faced chocolate soleil in chocolate
• nars satellite of love
• lips
• eos lip balm in vanilla
• em michelle phan lipstick in misty mauve
• brushes:
• real techniques expert face, powder, blush, buffing brushes
• elf small tapered brush
• mua E3
• sigma E05, E55, E65

October 2013 ipsy bag!

  

hi guys! guess what finally decided to show up? my october IPSY BAG*! (theme: the art of beauty). pretty bummed that i got my email in week two of shipping. so, sorry that this post is late, but..not my fault. ~Lin-chan ^.~

ranking the past seven months, from today's standpoint:

1. april
2. september
3. october
4. august
5. june
6. may
7. july

here's my impressions

1. zoya nail polish in neve (.5oz--full size, ret. $8) -- ugh! i love this color. so excited that they gave me a blue one, but i have so many blue polishes! ^_^
• likelihood to repurchase: yes, different colors though
• update: see notd post here.
2. sexy hair blow dry volumizing gel (1.7oz--mini, ret. $16.95 for 8.5oz [$3.39]) -- i really could do without all these hair products. it took me forever to use up the argan oil thing from april's bag, i haven't even touched the hair spray from july yet, and now a blow-dry gel. meh. the consistency is more like aloe vera rather than hair gel. it smells like hairspray to me, with a teeny tiny hint of fruitiness.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• update: i tried it once and it wasn't for me. i just don't like using hair gel anymore, i don't like that weird sticky feel while i'm blow drying it. i think i'll give it away.
3. bella terra cosmetics mineral shimmers in emotion (2g--deluxe size, ret. $14.99 for 2.5g [$11.99]) -- such a pretty purple color in the pot, but when it's picked up by a brush, it's very sheer almost red-pinkish. if you pick up a clump of it and gently spread it on, it's gorgeous, but if you spread it out too much it sheers out. (thus, i didn't take a swatch photo of this one for you guys). as far as my ipsymatch, i think this one was the better bet than the blue one.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
4. coastal scents medium shadow brush (full size, ret. $2.49) -- seems like a pretty nice shadow brush. not as stiff as i like them, but it'll definitely be put to use. very soft.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
5. la fresh oil free face cleansing wipes in refreshing scent (10 wipes--⅓ size, ret. $9.99 for 30 wipes [$3.33]) -- smells citrusy. la fresh wipes are pretty expensive, i think i'll stick with my simple wipes.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• update: product has been finished. it wasn't that great at removing makeup.
6. white ipsy bag with red text -- i really like this bag, but i don't like how it's white and can get dirty easily....
7. card with company info/discount codes
1. zoya.com: buy 2 nail polishes, get 1 free & free remove+, code: IPSYZ3 (exp. 11/10/13)
2. ulta.com: $5 off $25 purchase of sexy hair products, code: 105339 (exp. 11/15/13)
3. bellaterracosmetics.com: 50% off & free shipping, code: ipsy (exp. 11/15/13)
4. coastalscents.com: 25% off purchase, code: cs25 (exp. 11/7/13 4PM EST)
5. lafreshgroup.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsylove30 (exp. 11/15/13)
6. olehenrikson.com: 20% off & free shipping, code: loveipsy (exp. 11/15/13) 
7. h2oplus.com: 25% off purchase; code: ipsy13 (exp. 11/15/13)
8. ofracosmetics.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsy30 (exp. 11/14/13)
9. starlooks.com: 20% off $35 purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 11/15/13)

approximate product value: ~$29.20

 

*Affiliate Link.

notd: opi more than a glimmer & pink-ing of you

hi guys!! i got nail mail! last week, i ordered opi's pink of hearts 2013 duo, (which has more than a glimmer and pink-ing of you, as well as some rhinestone and pink ribbon stickers) from ulta for about $16. more than a glimmer is a matte glitter polish in a sheer pink base. pinking of you is a pastel medium pink, needs about 3 coats to be fully opaque. ~Lin-chan ^.~

3 coats of pink-ing of you on solid nails, 2 coats with one coat more than a glimmer on glittered nails.

also used: orly bonder, cnd weekly topcoat, essence nail art dry drops, nails inc. matte topcoat

left: thumb is glossy & ring is matte; right: ring is glossy

notd: essie for the twill of it

i totally forgot to include this on my september hauls post. it was sitting in my bathroom waiting to be used...and i forgot about it! anyway, here's what it looks like! such a pretty duo-chrome, taupe-gray with purple/green shimmer. also used: orly bonder, cnd weekly topcoat, essence art dry drops. ~L-c ^.~

haul: the day life palette from em michelle phan

hi guys! so last week, i posted about how the life palette was basically $30 off. so of course i ordered one! another reason why i went ahead and ordered it was because i had $20 on my paypal from doing surveys through opinion outpost (see its blogpost here). so i wound up paying only $29.05 out of pocket for a $75 palette. super sweet. also, i've figured out a reason for their super fast turn-around/shipping time: they're shipping from like tennessee or something (the return address says southhaven, ms but the tracker says it originated in memphis, whatever). i ordered the palette friday at noon and got a shipping email by 8pm, and it arrived on monday.

impressions of packaging & execution:

1. shipping: the life palette sampler and lipstick that i've purchased thus far came in thick black bubble mailers, with the items wrapped in pink tissue paper. this palette, due to its size, came in a fairly well padded box, and both the palette and travel palette were wrapped in tissue.
2. exterior packaging: i like how the box is designed with all the pictures on it, it's got a flap to see the inside. ..i guess that's about it.
3. the life palette: 
• when you go to open the palette, there's a plastic sheet on the inside of the palette, i think this is partially to help reduce mess if anything happens to a pan and it shatters or whatever. i'm planning on keeping it basically for this purpose.
• i like how, beneath the divider, there's a magnetic sheet, so that the pans can magnetize to the palette. i like how it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye as far as artsy-ness, but i tend to prefer space utilization. the packaging, while online may look cheap, it's actually very sturdy and nice. it's a fairly thick acrylic and i think it works quite nicely. has strong magnets on the lower end of the palette for secure closure.
size-wise, this palette is fairly large for traveling purposes, but that's ok. you can just transfer the whole thing into a large zpalette and be good to go (see photo below).
• i think i'm going to eventually take all of the lip pans out and put them elsewhere. don't want to get blush/eyeshadow fallout all in them. bleh!
• dotting tool: this really looks like a nail dotting tool. it's great to wedge into the palette to easily remove pans from the palette. i think i may use it for my zpalettes too, when i can't reach between some of the pans.
• dual-ended brush: i don't really plan to use it, but i'm sure a good number of people will like it and use it
• looks-card: drawn by michelle herself! i'm excited to try out the looks on here; they look pretty easy to follow. she's also got videos of some looks on emcosmetics.com.
4. the travel palette: i don't like how this did not come with it's own box, but it's just a personal preference. i love how it's designed in the same format as the quadrants of the life palette. i don't like, however, is that if you'd like to mix and match from the other quadrants (i.e. don't transfer over an entire quadrant to the travel palette), they have to fit in those particular holes. so you can't carry more than 3-4 of the large shadow pans, given that you stick one into the blush's spot. has strong magnets on the lower end of the palette for secure closure; sometimes the magnet on the lower left side would catch onto shadow pans as i was trying to get them in or out. and by catch, i mean stick. strong magnets!

now, i don't really have time to post swatches on the different quadrants right now; so here are some initial photos of the palette. i intend to post swatches, pan-by-pan impressions, and recreate the looks on the enclosed card when i have time. sorry for slacking on you guys, but this semester's been killing my free time.
***i have not swatched any of the pans yet, outside of the four that were in the day dreaming sampler (see post here).*** ~L-c ^.~

this palette and other em michelle phan products can be purchased at emcosmetics.com.

 

edit: individual quadrant posts with swatches & impressions:

1. girls' day out
2. coffee break
3. weekend brunch
4. day dreaming

 
front, back (click photo to view larger)
 
interior of packaging

life palette, protective covering, ideas, sticker sheet with names of looks + 2 blanks

life palette & travel palette

(my scanner keeps making a weird reddish streak....) (click photo to view larger)
 
mirror inside the travel palette; dotting tool & dual-ended brush

example of how to use the dotting tool to depot from the life palette
 
back of life palette, sticker with pan names (the pans themselves have their names on them too)
 
looks 1 & 2; girls day out & coffee break
 
looks 3 & 4; weekend brunch & day dreaming (see swatches of the day dreaming sampler here)

size comparisons to zpalettes

 
compared to a small zpalette (i depotted my day dreaming sampler!)

compared to a pro zpalette

all of the pans fit into a large zpalette; with plenty of extra room!