notd: opi miss piggy's big number

hi all! today i bring you miss piggy's big number (3 coats) from opi's muppets most wanted collection! ~Lin-chan ^.~

also used: formula x for sephora the system

notd: sephora formula x wunderkind

hi guys! i've got swatches of wunderkind for ya now!

and to be honest i feel like i may as well have applied black polish to my nails. the shimmer isn't noticeable unless you hold it reallllly close to your face in very bright lighting. i picked out this polish because swatches that i saw looked really good..but idk... hmmm.... ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

comparison review: urban decay perversion vs. jordana black point

today, i bring you a comparison of urban decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in perversion and jordana 12-hr made to last liquid [pencil] liner in black point. last month, i hauled this and did a photo-comparison of these two liners. there's a definite price difference between these liners ($2.50 & $19) and i wanted to see if they were good substitutes.

i normally only use dark liners on my lower lash line and not my waterline, as i did here. i have not tried these liners to line my upper lid.  i took the following photos 5 minutes, 7 hours, and 14 hours after application..but, realistically, who doesn't touch up throughout the day?

this was a normal day, me rubbing at my eyes as i normally do. i did not touch up or wipe off the raccoon-y for the photos. sorry for the inconsistent lighting between each shot.

my right (the left): perversion, my left (the right): black point

what i found:

• application: both pencils have about the same texture and creaminess, i didn't think that either one applied any smoother or creamier than the other.
• color: i think that they are the exact same color, very dark black and nicely pigmented -- upon application; but they fade at different rates so black point might be patchy while perversion is still semi-solid.
• longevity: after a few hours, both started to raccoon and fade a bit beneath my eyes. realistically, i would have touched up (if i could) at that point anyway.

the verdict:
i feel like, if you don't mind touching up a bit throughout the day, get the jordana one. i mean, $2.50 is so cheap. i generally carry around q-tips with me anyway, so bringing the liner along wouldn't be a big deal to me. with perversion, you'll still need to touch up, but not quite as often as you would need to with black point.

other products i used on this day can be found in this fotd post. ~Lin-chan ^.~

target spring 2014 beauty box & impressions

hi all! target offered a second beauty box for $5 through the actual target website this time. they also didn't keep it a surprise what items we'd receive this time, which was nice too. ~Lin-chan ^.~

1. TONI&GUY casual sea salt texturising spray (2.5oz--mini, ret. $4.99) -- i'm not huge into texturising sprays since they generally dry out your hair, but i'll have to give this a try and update this post later.
   repurchase? probably not
2. covergirl smoochies sizzle gloss in tickled pink (full size, ret. $5.99) -- this gloss is ok, it doesn't last very long and the glitter particles are so large that it's almost like an exfoliant. though this is 'colored' it doesn't appear to do anything really different to my lips, aside from the sparkle. i'm probably going to pass this off to a friend.
   repurchase? no
3. herbal essences naked dry shampoo (1.7oz--mini, ret. $4.99 for 4.9oz [$1.73]) -- i'll have to update on this one too. it appears to go on nearly clear and has a slight citrus scent to it.
   repurchase? maybe--the price is right!
4. l'oreal voluminous butterfly mascara in black (full size, ret. $7.99) -- this mascara is pretty good, the wand is kind of annoying and interesting at the same time. mostly the issue is that you have to be ambidextrous in order to actually apply this mascara the way they intended this wand. i'm probably going to pass this off to a friend.
   repurchase? no
5. jergens bb body cream for light skintones (2oz--mini, ret. $11.99 for 7.5oz [$3.20]) -- i like how this lotion has a very light and pleasant fragrance, i don't however see the point in body bb creams--or at least this one..especially when it went on invisible.......anyway...
   repurchase? no
6. card with product info & $3 off $15 beauty purchase coupon at target
7. dermstore.com/blush.com/hairenvy.com: 20% off and free shipping, code: beauty4U (exp. 6/30/14)

approximate product value: ~$24

birthday schtuff & march-ish hauls (pic heavy)

birthday stuffs and hauls for the month--most of which were separate shopping trips. ~Lin-chan ^.~

let's start with the birthday stuffs.

teh hubz: tarte bright by night duo (maracuja oil & eye cream--$10!), sephora gift card, swimsuit cover up--my family's taking us on a cruise this summer

 

teh inlaws: harvest moon: a new beginning (3DS), merona large hobo handbag in truffle--i got an i.o.u.  >w< but it came in the mail the next day so it was cool, and Cisco ccent/ccna certification guide textbook, formula x for sephora the system with prism polish (see notd here)

swatches: focus, pose, born to, tranquil

mom: sigma giftcard + birthday 20% off --> blush in born to, eyeliner in focus, P82, lipgloss in tranquil, shadow base in pose, mini E25 (free gift)

• shadow base: this plastic packaging is so bulky for the amount of product you get, but i hear that they're thinking of fixing that sometime soon
• i feel like the mini E25 that i already had (left) is thicker and more dense than the newer one (right), but we'll have to see

• aunt: emilie m handbag (kimberly small satchel)
• T: minis of my favorites from bbw

A: ubran decay naked gloss in naked, formula x polish in wunderkind (notd to come later!)

• i like how the naked glosses have similar packaging to the rimmel show-off's; where there's a tamper evident chamber when you first open the gloss.

haul stuffs:

swatches: bourgeois pig, pops, almond, pink cognito

• ulta.com: nyx powder blush in bourgeois pig, butter lipstick in pops, benefit posie-tint & freebie stay flawless primer, essence about matt! compact powder & nail art dry drops, ecotools deep cleansing facial sponge--i've been wanting to try a konjac sponge and this one was inexpensive.
• cvs/walmart: milani shadow eyez in almond cream, revlon lipstick (marchesa packaging) in pink cognito, rimmel polishes in midnight skinny dip & mintilicious--swatches below, (not pictured: revlon parfumerie nail polish in winter mint--see notd post here)

 
lipstick swatch: mufe #9, event entry palette top row, bottom row

sephora.com (2 orders): clinique clinical clearing gel, sephora event entry palette (on sale for $5! i've been eyeing this palette for a while now and pigmentation's not too bad!), 2014 birthday mufe set (smoky extravagant mascara & lipstick in no9), benefit it's potent! eye cream (100pts), vib code: marc jacobs mascara, givenchy lipstick in rose dressing,  hourglass veil mineral primer; [gift card from teh hubz:] buxom show some skin foundation in dim the light, l'occitone amande shower oil, glamglow mask (100pts), lancome lip lover gloss in framboise etoile (vib code)

• probably going to pass off the lancome and givenchy lippies to my mom. those suit her skintone better.

top row swatches 139 (1x), 127 (2x), 119 (2x), 131 (2x), 131 (2x) over opi black onyx (1x)
bottom row swatches--2 coats each: sally hansen black and blue (hauled in feb), rimmel midnight skinny dip & mintilicious, revlon wintermint

groupon: nicka k new york 5-polish set: fast dry topcoat, ny119 (blue), ny127 (green), ny139 (red), ny131 (silver glitter). so, irony that i bought this set even though i gave my mom the 139 polish from my december ipsy bag. i might give this one away too. i haven't decided.

sweet watermelon; palette left side, right side

• ebay: wet n wild 8-pan shadow palette in walking the red carpet....because I couldn't find this palette locally either.......(hint: i bought the nude awakening palette from ebay too). for the most part, this palette's not too bad. the gold eyelid shade on the right is awful. it's very gritty in texture and comes off extremely patchy. it took several tries to get the swatch that solid. see the patchiness toward the top of the swatch.
• walmart: neutrogena moisture stick in sweet watermelon 

• body shop: got a $15-for-$30 groupon for $12, and spent $2 in addition for a blueberry scrub, satsuma shower gel, and olive body butter -- i know i got a bunch of random scents, but i probably won't use them together at the same time anyway
• sally's: had my birthday $10 off $20 and got a queen helene mint julep scrub, nail art decals, and a one n only hydrating mask packette to try, not pictured: hair clips

swatches: rose redefined, bb cream in light

target/cvs: tree hut scrub in hawaiian kukui, aussie 3-minute miracle hair mask, maybelline the elixir in rose redefined, elf blush brush, sonia kashuk eye on neutral palette, revlon photoready bb cream in light

swatches: ulta taupe, loreal bronzed taupe

ulta: got my birthday free calvin klein ck one mascara, an ulta medium powder brush (feels too small and dense for powder...maybe i'll use it for blush) for my fall spending points, nivea kiss of olive oil & lemon lip balm, ulta eyeshadow in taupe (similar in concept to loreal infallible shadows)

baublebar.com: 2x $5 SWAT surprise bracelets

• qvc: bareminerals true romantic marvelous moxie lip duo (lipstick: feel the love, gloss: heartbreaker)
• lorac: rockin red hot 3D liquid lustre set -- they had to resend it to me because a couple broke the first time around... sadface. (see swatches here)
• winn-dixie: milani eye tech liquid liner

• ulta: real techniques complexion sponge, opi miss piggy's big number (notd to come later)
• l'occitane: they have a facebook coupon (through the end of this month) to get a trio of minis for $3! plus they showed me the red cherry scent, so i decided to pick up a hand cream in it
• target: so i saw this vanity tray and matching cup by sonia kashuk and i had to get them. between the two, it was like $20 and they're so pretteh!

beauty blogger tag

i don't generally do tags, but this one sounded interesting. saw it on one of my first subscribers' blogs (paula from aboutface) a while back and decided to partake as well. ~Lin-chan ^.~

1. Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?
i actually didn't start out with a beauty blog. i made my first blog on 6/28/04? something like that...it's deactivated now that i've joined the realm of the all powerful google. but i was in summer school because i didn't do to well in the second half of geometry after they switched our teachers...and well, i was bored that summer. being a gifted student and going into a class full of average/lower-level people, it was so freaking boring. the class moved way too slow, and for crying out loud, one of our assignment grades was basically arts and crafts. >.> anywho, it was a place for me to complain about my day, post random crap--like quiz results and such (like what all the old people on facebook are doing nowadays: "i got ___ from [tv show]!"), and connect with some of my friends who had xangas already.

sometime around t's birthday 2011, she came to stay at my apartment and was watching beauty videos on youtube. i got hooked instantly. at the time, i was already spending money on random crap at sephora anyway, so why not? so that's when i slowly changed my blog from straight complaining about things to more about random tidbits of life, new stuff i've gotten, and--i've been slaking in this department but--doing some reviews. january '13, i decided to migrate to blogger to try and get a larger following, and xanga converted itself to a pay-to-use site. so, no thanks. and here i am today!

2. Whose blog did you fall in love with first?
makeup by tiffanyd .. more like i found a how to use bronzer video of hers. because i had some from a sephora favorites set or something and i was like wtf do i do with this thing?

3. What was the first blogosphere hyped about product that you bought? Was it worth the hype?
urban decay naked palette. or more specifically, the naked2. for my graduation present, i asked mom for to pay for the naked1, and i paid for the naked2 in the round two shipments when they first came out. the naked1 probably is worth the hype, but i didn't reach for it as much because of the warmer tones. i quickly gravitated to the naked2. now, my semester after graduation..or my semester off..i was a movie extra a lot, so i tried to use them equally, but still i kept grabbing the 2. and lately, i'm in too much of a rush to get out of the house, that i don't bother with palettes during the week and just use the loreal one sweep (see question 9, #4).

4. What are the five favorite things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

1. i've been trying to gravitate toward things that might be hidden gems that most people don't talk about. for example, the macadamia natural oil hair masque was super popular and talked about, so i bought some. but there was a "compare to mno" advertisement for hair chemist products at sally's. i made a post comparing the two, and people are interested in that sort of thing.
2. having an excuse to buy new stuff -- a lot of times, if things don't work, i've been passing them off to friends or my mom to see if they'd like them
3. having some sort of medium to communicate with a greater audience. i'm not of the personality to be able to turn on a camera and talk to it, the universe, and the interwebz. a lot of times, i feel like i can best convey myself through text after carefully thinking of how i want to phrase things. a lot of times, i will publish a post, and read through it several times to fix anything that sounds weird or random punctuation, etc. sometimes i do this with old posts too. i don't know why. haha.
4. having a sense of community with others that share the same interests. after high school and throughout college, you realize that your circle of friends kinda dissipates or everyone moves away to get along with their lives, and it's hard to keep up with many of them. there's facebook, but our generation is kinda meh about it now that grandma and grandpa have joined--kind of thing.
5. having bloglovin and youtube accounts. bloglovin is great because after the almighty google killed google reader, it's been a great way to keep track of the blogs you follow, all in one place. youtube is the same reason. i created a google account just to save all of my youtube subscriptions instead of bookmarking everyone. then they kept asking me to make a blogger account and i didn't really do it until i migrated onto here. and it's been nice.

5. What have you learned from being a beauty blogger?

getting the latest and greatest...and limited editions...adds up. really fast. and it's hard for me to contain myself. at the very least, when i find out about such items (specifically drugstore), i have to wait a couple weeks anyway because the south seems to be a few weeks behind the shipments to the west and northeast.

6. Have you changed anything since becoming a beauty blogger?

i try to be better about buying things on a whim. i try to search for reviews or swatches before buying; trying to be a better-informed consumer. obviously it's hard when something's brand new, but like i said about drugstores, there's swatches for most of the new stuff before it gets to my area anyway, so it's ok.

7. What advice would you give to a beauty blogger just starting out?
i feel like i'm a fledgling myself still, but keep trying. try to be outside of the box yet still likable. to some degree, it's a popularity contest, so if you make content people are interested in and enjoy, they will likely come back to you.

a lot of the popular bloggers have many connections to companies. a good number of them pay for their web hosting, graphic design, and do videos, etc. but at the same time, they can make money off of these too. i feel that starting out is kind of hard in this respect because these people are so highly regarded, but don't be discouraged!

8. What are your top five makeup brands? [these aren't in order]

1. urban decay
2. too faced
3. z palette
4. cover girl
5. clinique

9. Recommend your top five makeup products. [these aren't in order either]

1. lorac pro liquid liner -- it makes the thinnest line out of every liner i've tried. dries reasonably fast and doesn't transfer, has a stiff brush tip
2. too faced primed and poreless primer (original tube) -- it's 50/50 for people if they like silicone-based face products, but i really like this primer and my pores look smaller and my makeup does stay on longer than most other primers i've used.
3. vaseline lip therapy -- between the three, i like the rose one the most, then the coco butter, and original. i never really used petroleum jelly as a lip balm before, so i'm not sure how straight vaseline feels on the lips, but i enjoy these. the rose one gives a nice subtle tint and smells slightly rosy, the coco butter has a great scent, and the original is plain and boring. lol! it was the first one they made, after all!
4. loreal one sweep eyeshadow in natural for brown eyes -- i know that some people really don't like this or don't get it. but i think it's great for lazy mornings [or if you wake up at the last minute possible and need something quick and easy...guilty!]. the included applicator is interesting at first, but it works for me. if you follow the directions, sweeping it across the shadow pan on one side, flip it over and swipe across the pan in the opposite direction, and that's all you need. swipe it over your eyes in a similar fashion, with the point toward your tear ducts. and you can blend a little with this brush by gently sweeping it across a couple times.
5. covergirl 3-in-1 foundation -- i think i like this so much because the first 'liquid' foundation i tried was stila one step. this has the same consistency but it's thick enough that you can use it as a concealer, if you don't want a full-face of foundation. my skin issues are mostly active acne breakouts whenever i don't take care of my face, or hormones. whether i use this on my whole face or as a concealer, it really works well and stays put. i do apply powder over it to make sure i don't get oily too fast, but the oiliness does tend to show through before the end of the workday.

10. Tag Others!

whoever's interested!

march 2014 ipsy bag

hi guys! my march IPSY BAG* has arrived! (theme: destination beauty). and it's actually mid-month this time! woohoo! ~Lin-chan ^.~

ps, i'm still working on that eyeliner comparison post. i haven't had time to write it up and i feel like i need another round of testing.

here's my impressions:

1. bare minerals marvelous moxie lipstick in get ready (.05oz--mini, ret. $18 for .12oz [$7.50]) -- i'm kinda glad i got this lipstick instead of the moxie gloss in rebel..because i already have and love the gloss and this gives me a way to try other bm products. (i swatched the rebel gloss below too) i like the way this lipstick feels, but i'm not too keen on how the color looks on me. my lips are fairly pigmented by themselves, so it's like a bright pink-berry on me. i typically prefer to stick to lippies close to my natural lip color or ones that are relatively sheer.
• likelihood to repurchase: not this shade, but probably others
• probably will pass off to a friend
2. be a bombshell shadow quad in bora bora (4.8g--full size, ret. $16) -- if i had a choice, i probably would have picked the madrid set, but this one is so pretteh omg. these were fairly pigmented when i went to swatch them all. and actually, they didn't totally want to remove with a simple cleansing wipe! so they're probably going to stay put pretty well! the names of the shadows are written on the box, not the back of the compact, but they are: (top) starlet, bora bora, (bottom) rock bottom, risky business.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe (i have so many shadows already)
3. nicole by opi roughles polish in on what grounds? (.5oz--full size, ret. $8) -- i love how they sent my favorite color. i'm still iffy about all these textured polishes..they're kinda meh to me.
• likelihood to repurchase: not this collection, but other polishes probably
4. pacifica body butter in indian coconut nectar (2.5oz--ret. $18  for 8oz [$5.63]) -- i can smell this through the seal. it's really nice but i don't know that i'd necessarily want to wear this. it's a sweetened coconut, sorta floral but not totally scent.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe others
• probably will pass off to a friend
5. white ipsy bag with multicolored designs -- this bag is kinda meh. i'm not totally sure how they think this pattern has something to do with traveling, but ok. kudos for teaming up with an artist in making it though.
6. card with company info/discount codes
1. bareminerals.com: [unique code]
2. beabombshellcosmetics.com: 40% off purchase & free fuschia lip crayon, code: ipsy40 (exp. 4/15/14)
3. pacificabeauty.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsygirl (exp. 4/15/14)
4. nyxcosmetics.com: 25% off butter lip balm, code: ipsybb (exp. 4/15/14)
5. chella.com: 25% off purchase, code: eyeliner (exp. 4/15/14)
6. dermstore.com: 15% off klorane purchase, code: ipsy (4/30/14)
7. pixibeauty.com: 25% off purchase & free ship after $50, code: flawlesspixi (exp. 4/15/14)
8. misshaus.com: free gift with purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 4/15/14)
9. vitaliberata.com/ipsy: buy pHenomenal 2-3 week tan lotion & get 3 free gifts & free shipping, code: ipsy (4/30/14)

approximate product value: ~$37.13

rebel, get ready, bora bora quad: starlet, bora bora, rock bottom, risky business (swatched over ud original primer potion)

*Affiliate Link.

fotd!

hi guys! so today i'm testing out the wear on two different pencil liners..so if you notice two listed down there...that's why. haha. but the catch this time is that one is $2.50 and the other is $19 (last time they were both $19 each). so yeah. that's crazy. the liner comparison post will probably go up tomorrow, after more testing. also my birthday gifts and march hauls post will be posted in another week or so, after everything i ordered comes in. i also got a haircut earlier this week, had her give me thicker bangs but they're still a bit shorter than i'd like them...oh well. anyway, here's what i used today. ~Lin-chan ^.~

update: i'm still working on the comparison post, school & life have taken over my time.
update: this post still seems to keep getting hits, so i'm going to leave the link for my liner comparison review here.

maybelline baby skin
buxom show some skin foundation in dim the light
pixi finishing powder
revlon colorstay concealer in light
maybelline master glaze blush sticks in just pinched pink & warm nude
benefit rockateur blush
thebalm mary lou-manizer
rimmel liner in nude -- waterline
urban decay perversion liner
jordana 12-hr liner in black point
ulta eyeshadow in taupe
urban decay de-slick spray
lorac liquid liner
ck one mascara (free birthday mascara from ulta! w00t!) -- used both extended and scrunched (has an adjustable wand)
bite lipstick in pepper -- applied lightly

notd: formula x prism

hi guys! long time, no post. it's been a crazy 2 weeks-ish. one of my cousins passed on way too young by the widow maker, went to his funeral on my birthday, and there was mardi gras. talk about lots of stuff going on. anyway, i'm back again today to show you guys something i got for my birthday: formula x the system, with prism. now, i haven't had time to take a photo til now, but today's day 4 or so with using the system, and i've got slight chipping and minor tip-wear. which is totally awesome. so anyway, here's day 4 photos! ~Lin-chan ^.~


update: i'm glad i was able to post this when i did; day 5 nails chipped like crazy!