may empties, makeup graveyard, hit pan, and favorites!

hi guys! we are doing another combo post, because i only have a handful of favorites this time! ~Lin-chan ^.~
favorites

1. pixi beauty endless silky eye pen in black noir -- i got this in a recent ipsy bag and this is such a good liner for the waterline! like i was just raving about the it cosmetics no tug liner being amazing... dare i say this is better? it goes on the same as the it liner, but as far as a comparison liner day, it held up and stayed blacker across the waterline by the end of the day. shocked!
2. it cosmetics je ne sais quois lipstick -- this is one of those mood or temperature lipsticks...whatever. anyway, i really like how this is more or less a lip balm with a personalized tint. i really enjoy how this doesn't go super bright pink on me like other similar products.
3. becca cosmetics shimmering skin perfector in prismatic amethyst -- so it's the year of the unicorn. anyone else noticed this months ago before the whole starbucks drink hype..? anyway, this highlighter is gorgeous. i love how purpley it is! (side note, i'm super interested in nyx lavender steel because it might be a dupe... just saying)
4. nails inc. nail polish in rainbow wishes -- i got this in a duo from sephora for $15, which i may have paid for this polish alone.. hmmmm. the other color in the set is ok, i'm not huge into glitters but it did last me 4-5 days -before i removed it- without chipping. anyway, this polish is a gorgeous ...unicorn... color, and i really love it. now the formula is not my favorite. the first time i wore this, i had mixed brands of basecoat and topcoat, and it chipped badly within maybe 2-3 days. pictured above, those chips were within 36 hours and used with nails inc nailkale and kensington caviar topcoat. anyway what i'm trying to also say is that the back of the box says that "they have been formulated with a long wear system". really? LOL.
5. gimme organic premium seaweed in teriyaki -- so this was my first time buying this today at target and it was amazing and i need more. i typically don't eat nori unless i'm having sushi, but i get in weird moods where i want to snack on some plain ol nori. usually you find them in either plain or seasoned with salt, but this brand (and a few others in the asian section) had flavors. so i got this one since sea salt is...whatever, and it's sooo yummm. there's large salt grains on it and the teriyaki flavor..mmm!

empties

1. loreal pure clay mask
2. garnier micellar cleansing water all skin types
3. simple cleansing wipes
4. beauty secrets pure acetone
5. sonia kashuk eye makeup remover
6. maybelline fit me foundation in 120
7. kat von d liquid liner in mad max brown
8. caress endless kiss body wash -- i love the new packaging! it's easier to store upside down now!
9. covergirl trublend pressed powder in 2 translucent light
10. elizabeth mott whatup beaches -- because of the nature of the size, i used this as a transition/crease shade and it was perfect.
    repurchase? on the fence because i'd have to order it... plus i've got a few other bronzers that i'm using as my eyeshadow crease shade.
11. maybelline the falsies volum express in blackest black -- i got this a long ways back when sams had a bundle of falsies mascaras, and i finally got to this one. i still think i like the flared variety better, but this was still good.
    repurchase? prolly not
12. almay get up and grow mascara in blackest black -- i don't recall when i bought this (it's been quite some time), but i was super sad when i went to use it. the bristles were kinda funky and smooshy looking toward the 'top' where it connects to the handle. after a couple pumps (no i don't pump my mascara..) the bristles just kinda didn't come out with the rest of the wand... yeah.......
    repurchase? yeah
13. beauty & pinups fearless hair rescue masque -- this was an ok hair mask. it was more or less conditioner consistency than a thick cream, which i typically like. the scent was ok, a little perfumey for my taste, but it did the job.
    repurchase? nah
14. schwarzkopf gliss hair repair ultra moisture shampoo & conditioner -- whoever thought this packaging was a good idea obviously doesn't wash their hair. the opening for these things is so skinny it's awkward to dispense. but enough of that, these are samples. i thought these were pretty good. i'm not a moisture shampoo type of person, but these didn't get funky oily greasy on me, which was awesome. otherwise, they didn't wow me either.
    repurchase? no
15. ecotools shower pouf -- i got this a ways back in a subscription box, either walmart or target... anyway, i wouldn't wish this thing upon my enemies, it's that bad. yeah maybe it's more eco-friendly, maybe it has recycled plastic or something... but this is not soft. even holding it in your hands before your first use, you can tell it's not soft. then when you actually go to use this thing, it's sooo freakin abrasive. like you know i like my scrubs.. this is worse to the point where it's almost painful to use.
    repurcahse? NO
16. soapbox shampoo and conditioner in coconut -- these are a pretty decent duo. would i go out of my way to buy it, no i don't think so. but i do think that these worked well and they're for a good cause.
    repurchase? nah
17. soapbox body wash in sea minerals -- this smells super nice. it's like a weird mix of floral and beachy kinda... anyway, i'm not sure i'd go out of my way to buy this either, but it was nice while it lasted.
    repurchase? nah
18. theorie marula oil transforming hair serum -- this was a nice hair oil. it smelled nice, and it wasn't heavy but i also wasn't really wowed by this either.
    repurchase? nah
19. ulta 
1. bath fizzes -- like i said last time, they were not even ok. i did try one as a shower tablet instead and it was better, but still not that great.
2. verbena & lemongrass shower tablet (used 1, comes in 4 packs. clear unlabeled wrapper not pictured) -- this was almost perfect. it smells super amazing and higher end (like lush). i generally take 7-10 minute showers, and this lasted about 7 minutes, which was perfect and it smelled great!
3. blooming berries sugar scrub -- i think i'd repurchase this scent.
20. beauty kitchen hether marianna collagen gel lip mask -- i didn't think this did anything. it didn't fit right because of the weird shape of the slit in the middle and it didn't want to stay put. it may have been working some sort of magic toward the end, but i was done with it.
    repurchase? NO!
21. masqueology collagen hydrogel gold mask -- i got this at walmart for like $2..gold you say? it was more like a clear gel mask with gazilions of teeny tiny gold leaf flakes embedded in it. anyway, it didn't feel like it was doing much and didn't stay well on the face. it was a bit odd that they included the cutouts of the eyes and mouth...but i tossed them. anyway, it felt kind of dry and uncomfortable about halfway through and i had to take it off. it had an older floral type scent..not my favorite.
    repurchase? no
22. yes to tomatoes clear skin detoxifying charcoal paper mask -- i don't feel like this really did much afterward. while wearing it, it was super tingly just like the package said, to my disbelief. but i was pretty indifferent after taking it off.
    repurchase? nah
23. soo ae tea tree mask -- this was actually a pretty nice mask -- i think i used one of these before and forgot how i felt about it. maybe it's a mood thing, but i liked it more this time than last time. i'm pretty sure i was indifferent about it last time. anyway it did sooth my irritated skin and felt pretty good.
    repurchase? yes
24. nots soothing multi gel mask -- this was very cooling at first, then became whatever toward the end as it warmed up. this was actually a cotton or paper mask with gel on it, which was kind of weird because when i went to take it off, there was a weird glob of gel on my face...
    repurchase? maybe
25. bio belle #stay gorgeous facial mask -- this was super saturated, like to the point where it was dripping. i really like fiber masks because they're a lot thicker and feel nicer on the skin. the serum felt cooling and moisturizing.
    repurchase? maybe
26. tony moly golden mushroom sheet mask -- this was super saturated, had a light and unpleasant scent like acetone, but it was very relaxing and moisturizing. and i woke up refreshed the next morning which like never happens.
    repurchase? if i could find it online somewhere, i would! i think i got this from ulta, but they don't sell it anymore.
27. tony moly be happy & good luck sheet masks from the my shea sheet mask set (from christmas time last year, $7.50 for 5) -- i can't really distinguish these two if there even was a difference.. these were noticeably thinner sheets than their others, but they super saturated and pretty near dripping as i pulled them out the packets. anyway, these felt really nice on the face and felt fairly moisturizing afterward.

hit pan: tarte amazonian clay blush in paaarty -- ugh why was this a sephora birthday gift (i.e. not permanent)?! such a nice shade!

makeup graveyard: elf lip scrub, this thing's gettin kinda gross, and i have newer ones.. yeah..
repurchase? i got the grapefruit one to try now, so maybe not? not sure.

not pictured: pantene ultimate 10 bb cream shampoo -- this was an ok product. something about it (that i can't place) was not what i normally expected from pantene and made me think it was meh. like my hair felt clean, but it also tended to get oily... idk. maybe it was too moisturizing or something. i really can't figure out what it was about this stuff that was whatever.
repurchase? nah

may hauls - beauty and planner

hi guys! posting this up now because i have free time, three day weekend. so aside from this stuff, and i didn't really mention it on my planner post earlier today, but we ordered our fridge! w00t. spend all the moneys! we picked out the washer and dryer we want, but we're going to wait to order them since we still have two more major holidays before we can even move in. ~Lin-chan ^.~

elf -- best friend eyeshadow duo in pink pal, selfie ready foundation & powder brushes, pointed powder brush, lip exfoliator in pink grapefruit, $1 slant tweezer, and 3 brushes gift with purchase ($1 shadow brush, [flat] powder brush, and contouring brush)

ipsy offer -- 14 day sheet mask challenge

1. sephora -- nails inc unicorn nail polish duo, sephora collection cream lip stain in vintage rosewood, code freebie: bite beauty lip pencil in 22
2. ulta.com -- physicians formula eye booster liquid eyeliners in black and brown (buy 2 get one! -- more cost effective than kvd and i wanted to try these), tresemme thermal protector spray
3. target -- essie gel couture in twill seeker & topcoat, wet n wild megalast liquid catsuit matte lipstick in rebel rose, covergirl total tease mascara, loreal voluminous lash paradise
4. walmart -- maybeline eyeshadow quad in designer chocolate (the pink is similar if not the same as the one in the blushed nudes palette...score!), yes to tomatoes charcoal mud mask, alba botanica hawaiian detox sheet mask
5. hot topic -- nail polishes in lilac shimmer, midnight galaxy, iridescent peacock, and teal galaxy
1. i'll try to post swatches of these at a later time, since three of these aren't really good for work.

rebel rose, vintage rosewood, 22, designer chocolate quad, pink pal duo (accidentally swatched in reverse..) -- all shadows swatched dry, brown and black liquid liners

rainbow wishes & dream dust, twill seeker

sephora vintage rosewood

wet n wild rebel rose

bite lip pencil in 22

NEW ECLP!!!

stickers -- again, here's the link to my etsy list of purchased planner stuff

1. two nine sticker co -- got some 4th of july goodies
2. the washi shop -- blue and white stars bundle and red stripes washi
3. target washi -- $1 spot for the blue foil with stars, and the day designer trio

my newest addiction: i ended up ordering 4 oops bags, which were the limit, plus the 4th of july sheet. so much holo oopsies! i also never mentioned it, but a couple months ago, i got one of her shirts. it's soooo comfy!

erin condren hourly life planner - my may

hi guys! i'm just a day late this time, but that's ok because today's a holiday! ~Lin-chan ^.~
so if you've seen on my instagram (or not) our house permits got approved and yadda yadda, and the last two weeks they've been working on pre-slab prep like framing for it and plumbing. it's so exciting seeing this coming along! and i'll keep on posting about it!

monthly calendar spread: so... i diverged from my usual monthly spreads shop and opted for this one from Dook Plook Designs, because MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU.

week 1

week 2

week 3: so i really did want to shop more during the PBC sale, but i was on a budget this month because i ordered next year's ECLP already, so i couldn't shop more than i originally intended..

week 4: so i'm super sad that one of my friends is quitting this week, but for good cause, moving to a different city with the bf---who was also in our onboarding group and quit last year to go back to school which is why they're moving... anyway, my onboarding group has shrunk yet again. also apparently one of my other friends didn't tell anyone in our group, but she's moving to another state too, but she's still going to be in the company, just that she wanted a different role in a different location. buuut we didn't get to do a going away party of sorts because i didn't know. ~.~ in-office onboarding group count after this week: 11 of 20.

notes page: didn't take a photo this time since i didn't use this space. but the quote for this month is: always see the glass half full

may 2017: sephora play!

hi guys!!! a couple days late, but here's this month's sephora play! (theme: the rising stars) there's a couple things that i've never seen or heard of before here, and an item i got in a previous ipsy, but that's ok! ~Lin-chan ^.~

1. trestique mini highlight stick in maldives luminescent -- this is a really pretty highlight. i actually am passing this one along because i still have the one from my september ipsy bag.
   repurchase? probably not
2. milk makeup blur stick -- i have not heard good things about this. using it on the back of my hand, i'm not impressed. the texture between my fingers is super weird and slightly gritty, and while it does blur my pores, i don't see this being any good as far as primer action. there's no tackiness to even hold makeup down. so this is a no.
   repurchase? no
3. tata harper resurfacing mask -- i can't get past the scent of this to even use it. roses..... it's a pink gel looking product, and seems more or less like a sleeping pack.. i don't know. passing this off.
   repurchase? no
4. christophe robin cleansing purifying scrub with sea salt -- i seriously was confused when i got this. the last product i got from this brand was a hair product, but the name to me is like, ok this is a face or body scrub. lol, nope. this is a scalp scrub, which is pretty interesting. i haven't tried it yet, but the scent is a lot more pleasant and usable than the hair mask i got last time.
   repurchase? probably not
5. grande cosmetics grande lips hydrating lip plumper -- this is a clear gloss basically. it doesn't feel super moisturizing, more like a lip oil? and it has a warm vanilla sugar type scent. it does have a light burning sensation, but it's not by any means painful like some lip plumpers. i will say that i did notice a little of a difference, but i'm not sure how i feel about this one.
   repurchase? nah
6. nest black tulip -- this smells super good. i haven't tried it on my skin yet, but spraying it onto the card.. mmmm! based on the notes listed on the card, i mostly smell the amber plum and maybe the patchouli. and i don't know what pink pepper or japanese violets smell like.
   repurchase? nah
7. 'coupon' for an extra 50 points on the next in-store purchase

2018 erin condren colorful vertical life planner

hi guys! i'm excited to share my new planner that i can't use for the next 7 months! isn't that awesome?! lol. but in all seriousness, i wanted to get the new planner with just 12 months this time. as shown in one of my photos below, my current planner (18 months) is already beginning to "alligator  mouth", which i'm not a huge fan of. on that note, i also want to express my feelings about the new hardbound eclp's. just no. i mean, if you're only using pen in them, sure go ahead. but if you're going to decorate them with stickers like everyone else... just don't.

so since this makes my second planner, and i got a different format and color scheme this time, i figured i'd talk about the differences between the new planner and last year's (hourly neutral). i'll also leave you this convenient link to my post from last year to make your own other comparisons as you please. ~Lindsay-chan ^.~
if you're interested in purchasing your own, you can use my affiliate link* and receive $10 off your order -- which is basically like free shipping, which is awesome.

this time, i got the painted petals planner with personalization, 12 months (Jan - Dec), platinum coil, in the colorful vertical format. also, despite how the photo looks, the planners are the same size. as mentioned above, my current planner is alligator-ing. also notice that the coil is the same width for both years.

the cover is laminated, so that you can use dry erase markers on the inside. after a couple inspirational pages, there are monthly calendars for July 2017 - Dec 2018, goals pages, and a note page with an inspirational phrase before each monthly calendar spread. compared to last year, the notes page was just a lined page. this year, they changed it up a bit and i think this allows for more creativity for utilizing the page space. there's now four circles, two columns of lines and an open rectangular box at the bottom. now granted, i'm still not sure how i personally feel about these pages and how i'll use them, but i'll figure something out over the course of the next 8+ months! also, the paper in this planner is definitely thicker and heavier weighted than last year's. i think this'll be great for pens that are more prone to bleeding. i do also notice that the tabbed pages do not have reinforcement anymore, but because of the thickness of the paper, it should be ok.

sidenotes - the bottom washi provided on the freebie sheet is slightly shorter than the height of the bottom box of the new notes pages. the box seems to be about the size of the notes sidebar on the monthly spread pages. also, something i find odd, but makes sense is that the january tab starts in the third position. compared to my current 18 month calendar that is the correct placement, so it makes sense that they'd not want to redesign tab placement for the different monthly calendars.

something i'm uncertain about with this planner, but i still wanted it anyway was the fact that there's so much colorful ink on each of the monthly spreads. like it's beautiful, but what if i want to put down a monthly kit on top of it? sadness........ as for the weekly spread pages, i appreciate that they got rid of the thankful thought text inside of the top left box. that was really annoying for spreads that i didn't want to put a full box sticker onto in my current planner. you can still put a full box sticker into this box, even though it's slightly bigger than the space they allotted for it... but it's definitely a larger box than what they had for my current planner! they also got rid of the little title bar thing in the left notes area, which i also didn't really use and tended to cover with full box stickers.

the last section in the planner is a notes section, which has several sheets of ruled, dotted, and coloring pages. the ruled pages have little note flags on the top corners, and the dotted pages have a grayscale painted petals design across the top. the next two pages for the 2019 monthly calendars appears to be unchanged, with bullet points and white space to put any future plans. these pages are followed by a four sticker pages, which have been revamped and are more awesome and useful to me than last year's. the first two pages are both full of foiled functional stickers, followed by a sheet of open rectangle stickers, and flag/crinkle edge rectangular stickers (similar to last year's birthday stickers sheet).

lastly, after the sticker pages, there's a storage pocket, where the perpetual planner--among other things--can be stored. on the other side of the folder is another pocket as well as the back cover which can also be written on with dry erase markers. i didn't photograph the outside of the back cover, but it's almost a mirror of the front cover, sans my name.

this year's freebies and accessories are in the painted petals theme. in the first photo is the notebook, sample sticker sheet, ruler, perpetual calendar, and washi tape. the second photo is the things that were in the box or the plan for it pouch. some gift tags, compliment cards, a postcard, coupons for friends, and an extra coil if you want to attach the pouch or other things to your planner.

along with the new planner, i decided to buy the painted petal designer washi tape which was only $3, so why not. i bought last year's separately and it's a skinny washi whereas this is a 15mm tape. i am slightly concerned about this washi because it came with a piece of tape holding it to itself.... it seems like it sticks to paper just fine, but as i sit here typing, the free edge is detaching itself from the roll a little....hmmm...

since i pre-ordered my planner, they were offering their hardbound lined notebooks in turquoise as a gift with purchase. so of course i had to get one *and never use it because it's prettyful and who wants to ruin perfection -- i'll try to use it, but idk when. lol!*. and i love it. it's the perfect purse size notebook, the edges of the pages are a gorgeous blue foil along with blue foil accents in the inner covers (ret. $15). they also threw in a sheet of pretty foiled stickers, i guess instead of the mini sticker book like last year? but i appreciate bottom washi in the painted petal theme. along with the other strips, boxes, and flags.

*Affiliate Link

may 2017 ipsy bag!

hi all! it's been literally years since i got my ipsy bag so early, so that's pretty cool. and i'm actually posting this on the day i got it. shocker, i know! i had a pretty slow and laid back day at work today, so i'm feelin bloggy. annnd i actually prepared about half of this post like a week ago, so lol yeah.... here's my may IPSY BAG* (theme: summer friday) ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. urban decay afterglow highlighter in sin -- heyyy this looks familiar! this is getting passed along to a friend since i've already got a sample of this. this is a really pretty highlight shade. it is a bit creamier than most highlighters i've tried, and i think it might be creamier than my afterglow blush in rapture. weird.
• likelihood to repurchase: i have so many highlighters, probably not.
2. jelly pong pong supercharged super intense eyeshadow duo in electric -- these are really pretty. super creamy like the sin highlighter (if not, more so). i really like both shades here, the left side is a slightly burnt red shimmery shade, and the right is a peachy gold shimmer. i'm excited to try them on the eyes, but this lil bitty thing is $23! whaat?!
• likelihood to repurchase: not for that price!
3. pixi beauty endless silky eye pen in blacknoir -- this is so black! i swatched it on my arm and let it sit a minute or two before messing with it.... rubbed at it, scratched at it... nothin came off O_O i can't wait to use this pencil on my eyes!!!
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe!
4. royal & langnickel moda precision angled brush -- this is a pretty large brush, unless the "precision" is for the face rather than the eyes... i think this would be great either for applying or setting concealer.
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not
5. beauty & pin-ups fearless hair rescue mask -- this has a light perfume-y scent. i'll try it out, love using hair masks!
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not
6. clear ice cream ipsy bag -- this is a cute bag. i'm not huge on bags made of this thick plastic material since it tends to crack around the seams over time..

sin, blacknoir, electric duo

*Affiliate Link.

last week's hellofresh (no.6)

hi guys! we got another hellofresh box! this is our 6th. a few weeks ago, they sent us a $40 off 1 week coupon (aka $29 for 3 meals for 2), and we couldn't pass that up. anyway, here's how this box's recipes went. the meals we chose this time are:

for recipes of these three dishes, see my HelloFresh recipes folder on my google drive. ~Lin-chan ^.~

so. random side notes before we begin.. i didn't take pictures, but they changed the insulating packaging inside the box. instead of some super thick padded..things... there were thick pieces of cardboard with a silver (space blanket-like?) presumably insulated coating on the inner side. otherwise, the contents were the same as before. they threw in an extra cilantro on top of all the boxes (it wasn't inside a 'meal' box...), and none of these recipes use cilantro...? but that's cool, we'll use it! and on the flip side, they shorted us one jalapeno. which is also ok because i'm not huge into spicy and they're so cheap. we ended up buying one about the size of the one pictured (same jalapeno in both below pictures, lol!) for like 6 cents. come on. and i ended up cooking both recipes with the one jalapeno, and i only ended up using half in each of the recipes. so now we've got a jalapeno to use! also, in our absence of this subscription, they began offering breakfast items and saturday delivery. which was great, so we chose both of these, because i didn't want the package to arrive at my apartment office and then she'd leave and close the office before i get home. and she's only open during the week. and on the breakfast side, it was nice because, we get the box saturday and we can do breakfast sunday. niiice!

dinner 1: bacon quesadilla stacks

i made this. so this is the breakfast choice we ordered. and fun fact, we had crazy tornado warnings and such on sunday morning, so this ended up being sunday dinner. but breakfast for dinner is awesome too. back to the recipe. i really liked the salsa, bacon and avocado on tortilla. i did not like the "hash". like it was edible, butttt... the recipe calls for grating a potato on the large holes of a box grater. ok, we got this! then it says to add it to a pan with oil, salt, and "enough water to cover" and bring to a boil. ok, so i cover it with water but not fully. and of course, it looked nothing like the picture. the middle picture shows like actual hashbrown lookin hashbrowns and they probably used a teeny bit of water. whatever the hell i ended up making was potato slime. tried to remedy it by baking it in the oven... didn't work. but whatever, so i ended up proceeding with the recipe, adding the pepper and other seasonings. then i get to the tortillas..which i was reluctant to do, but 425° for 5 minutes for tortillas...? they were balloons when they came out the oven (as partially seen on the right plate). so i ended up opening them along the seam and deflating them. partially because of this, i diverged from the proposed plating of this dish..so we didn't really have quesadillas.. more like tacos with schtuff on the side... anyway, i'm less inclined to make the 'hash' again, but the tortillas...mmmm!

dinner 2: pistachio crusted chicken
i made this. this turned out pretty good. i kind of wish i chopped the pistashios finer, but it said to roughly chop them..so there's big pieces mixed in, because that is a "rough chop"! come on guys! the quinoa turned out a little too vinegary but that was my fault... >.< and the salad was pretty good. i think if you can't find a persian cucumber, you could use part of an english cucumber. and chicken is chicken?

dinner 3: winning pork medallions

paul made this. so aside from the pork not being medallion-y, this came out pretty good. they ended up sending us two flat pieces of tenderloin, so he just left them as patties instead of cutting them.. but i liked it anyway. i do wish the instructions had said to cook the sprouts a bit more as they were very crisp -- and i do like my veggies more on the raw side, but anyway... i'm not sure if we will be doing this one again per se, i wasn't huge into the tarragon, which reminded me of anise and though i'm part italian, i'm not a fan of anise.