finally,

i bought my first actual hair brush, one of my best investments ever (magnifying mirror aside).
got my lurebeauty.com mini eXotic body butters and body scrub in some sweet scents: baby bee butter, candied apple, first kiss, nectarine & honey, doodle bug, kulu bay, vanilla cream, baby clean, pink lemonade. the stuff makes my skin smooth, but the second ingredient is emusifying wax, so i'm not sure how that's good.

also received my silknaturals.com order. blush- babydoll, tart light, lovelace; bronzer - tahiti sweetie; perfecting powder- tempt tryst. the forumla is light and silky, which i love. colours are gorgeous (except the bronzer which due to its bragged about lack of orange, looks like dirt on my face). i got 5 sample sized items for only 2$ shipping, i would definately reorder to try out more of their shades. i'm still on the lookout for a good contouring colour and matte forumla.

still waiting for my thesshespace.com order to arrive damnit! its been 3-4 weeks already. also excitedly awaiting my Skin79 Lovely Girl BB Cream

bought Mavala double lash from ebay, its a forumla applied like a mascara that's supposed to lengthen and strength the eyelashes! i've been using it for about 3 days, my hope for quick results has withered away but i'm gonna try and stick to it for another few weeks.

i was in the market for some weight loss pills, when i stumbled upon my mom's stash! sweet, Hydroxycut! I'm always on the lookout for a quick fix, so since it was free I started right away. Day 1: caffeine rush! day 2 until now (forgot to track how many days, damnit) lost 5 lbs give or take. For me, Hydroxycut is effective in that it decreases appetite- even with a bowl of hot pho in my face. mMmmmm ... but it probably isn't the only factor contributing to the weight loss. I borrowed someone's Slendertone ab belt, increased the excercise, and drinking cranberry, grapefruit, and lemon juice. One can only hope! hahaha. All this damn prep for Hawaii *sighs dreaming of the day she looks great in a bikini.

i wanna get some green or grey circle lenses but I can decide which colour..

i'm glad i did not add the site counter

quick update on makeup/me.
going to buy 50cent sample baggies from www.theshespace.com . i've been deciding on colours and looking at swatches for a long time now.
going to buy some $1.00 .3 oz. jars of scented body butter from www.lurebeauty.com
looking for emu oil and castor oil, supposedly it makes your eyelashes grow
waiting for my order of blushes/finishes from www.silknaturals.com
went to the chinatown dollarstore and bought tiny clear jars 8 for $2.00. going to transfer the mineral pigments from those fucking annoying bags.
also got some cute spray bottles 3 for $1.00! i'll find something to mix up ..watered down face cream. and i also got a small blush/contouring brush for 1.00 ..its actually pretty awesome: little shedding, cheap, no bad smell, soft, oh and CHEAP (better not be dog hair.................)

my new best friend,

15x magnification mirror! SO what if my face has to be within 5 cm of the mirror causing my to eyes strain and become cross-eyed; watching blackheads being squeeeeezed- i mean extracted- is fucking, FUCKING awesome!!!!!

among other stuff from bellingham walmart:
neutrogena pore refining toner - smells good, feels like the dead skin/oiliness is being swept away
aquafina hydrating facial spray - very faint lotiony scent, not much hydration going on but the mist is super fine and feels refreshing
axe shower gels - shock and recovery, the label says i'll attract women and at 3.15 usd ea. what a sexy steal.
humco glycerin - gonna make mineral makeup medium and take another stab at foiling damnit, tastes good, (glycerin must have other uses.. curious)
nyc 974A black-glamour eyelashes - changing it up from my usual dramatic-fake lash style, these lashes are pretty symmetrical
salon perfect lashes starter kit 33 black - lashes look furrry, dramatic ...and fake ....haha<3, 2.5g LashGrip adhesive, cheapass (it looked sturdy in the packaging) application tool but hoping it works magic anyway. the kit for around 5$, damn!

My Review of Plumping Lip Glaze

Originally submitted at EyesLipsFace.com

Forget costly Collagen injections, or those painfully stinging glosses, stimulate your senses to a refreshed full perfect pout with e.l.f. Plumping Lip Glaze! e.l.f. proudly presents a revolutionary lip plumper, infusing Natural ingredients that awaken your senses for fresh, volume enhanced...

Plumping Lip Glaze

smells like ..muscle relief cream

By Carmen from Vancouver, Brisih Columbia on 5/16/2008

1out of 5

Cons: Bad Tasting, Stinks

Describe Yourself: Trendy/Hip

This gloss has some good qualities: sparkly, not sticky, good consistancy, cute container, dual-sided, also tingly which means it could possibly plump......However, it doesn't matter because I found the smell and taste to be horrible. It's not breath freshing mint gloss, and definately MENTHOL as e.l.f. as describes.

Anyway, I bought baby doll and its a pretty bubblegum colour. I also bought Oasis which is not exactly peachy as shown. It seems to be a muted pink/purple with an golden sheen, might be nice for a beach look.

(legalese)

My Review of Concealer Brush

Originally submitted at EyesLipsFace.com

Achieve precise cover up with the on-the-spot corrective brush, specifically designed to mask imperfections.

Concealer Brush

favourite elf product

By Carmen from Vancouver, British Columbia on 5/16/2008

5out of 5

Pros: Compact, Functional, Easy To Use, Not scratchy, Firm, Multifunctional

Cons: none

Best Uses: Everyday, Going Out, Travel

Describe Yourself: Trendy/Hip

LOVE THIS BRUSH! wish I bought a few more.

concealer use- bristles are firm allow you to apply with precision (small scars, acne, freckles)

eyeliner use- eyeliner (use brush at any angle depending on desired thickness), bottom lashline, and smudging!

lip brush - would work great especially around the cupids bow

however, if you are looking to cover huge undereye circles, or giant birth marks this will not work well.

(legalese)

FAKE EYELASHES

recent look from pursebuzz

oh my! this is my favourite look from pursebuzz- wish there was a full face+hair shot though! such a gorgeous smokey eye. as usual, a dozen mac colours (that I don't own) were used. i wonder if i can recreate the look using my own stuff. black, grey, sparkley beige and possibly copper? click for additional photos and video tutorial link!

so I forgot

and I'm lazy.

Clubbing calls for crazy makeup, and is a fabulous opportunity for step-by-step makeup pictures. From my miserable failure, I have gained an even greater appreciation for makeup bloggers! Creating the perfect lighting is a tricky bitch to master. Even though my eye makeup was as dramatic as hell (and looking a tad evil) I wasn't able to capture it; and I tried with and without flash... so what to do, what to doooo?

Anyway, new topic: ELF cosmetics. WTFFFFFFFFFFFFF 1$ makeup????!!!
The first thing I added to my shopping cart was fake lashes, a few of both the natural and dramatic lashes. Finally, I'll be getting a flat eyeliner brush- which I've wanted ever since Smashbox came out with their cream eyeliner but was too fucking cheap to buy. I thought their custom compact was a neato idea. After 2 or so weeks of deciding on colours and reading on/off -site reviews, I placed an order for 30 or so items. ELF emailed me the code ECTAPAY, so I saved 30% off my order and you can too! SADLY, Canadian shipping is $14.95 and I'm going to have to pay custom fees and 12% tax. So, I just keep in mind that I'll be receiving a fucking monster box. Can't wait to do my first official review!

I really super duper love ..

MASCARA!! It only makes sense that I start off my blog with my favourite. Screw the natural look, when it comes to plumping my lashes, the more dramatic the better. Clumps? I don't really care, in fact, I think it adds to the fullness. There's really no need for me to be subtle about the fact that I layered 10 types of mascara to enhance my modest lashes. A frame of curled, super lush lashes is a gift for us tiny eyed folk. That being said, you must CURL! I got my lash curler for 2$ at Daiso in Richmond (supposedly they're designed for asian eyes?)

Anyway, here's my walkthrough:
1. after eyeshadow application, comb through non-creamy, non-oily, clean eyelashes to separate and straighten
2. using lash curler, start squeezing lashes starting at the base, hold for 3 seconds and release.
3. repeat process as you work your way up to the lash tips, don't be afraid to over curl as the mascara will start sagging your lashes later

4. begin with mascara#1 that will lengthen and separate your lashes, to help you choose, use a mascara with a thin, many bristled brush
5. start at the base of your lashes, and wiggle the brush a few times from left to right as you move upwards. do this until you've achieved your desired length

- tiP: if you're finding this wiggling technique difficult, try holding your mascara wand horizontally and still in front of your eye. then, blink so that your lashes sweep over the brush. and keep on blinking!

6. now, time for mascara#2 that will add mini fibres in the application. work it!
7. next, mascara#3 with a plastic comb to help the fibres spread evenly, and separate ..keep building!
8. finally, use mascara#4 that will create volume and thickness, go crazy!
9. and now back to mascara#1 which will once again help separate lashes, and bring the other mascara goop to the lash tips. or you could instead use a eyebrow or mascara brush to comb through
10. optional, gently re-curl. but if you have brittle/easy to fall out lashes ..do not!



As for the bottom lashes, use mascara #1 and then #3. You may also want to try holding the brush vertically, moving side to side, or painting up and down. For the longest time, I never did the bottom bits because I always ended up colouring my eye skin. But what I've found is that non-waterproof mascara can be easily taken off with a q-tip and flicking motions, don't be afraid =)

*pictures and review of my collection coming very soon!* I have my fair share, cause I don't throw them away as recommended. No eye infections as of yet!

hey, it's your girl Carmen!

I spent years of lining only my lower rims with black Bonne Bell pencil eyeliner, thinking that my tiny asian eyes had become visibly larger and more defined. Strangely, I had used the same "technique" on Halloween when I trick-or-treated as Wednesday from the Addams family.

Anyway, noticing other girls, I envied their perfect skin and fancy sparkley eyes. How did they look so damn good .....? Online and in search for makeup application specific to asian features/skintones, I found a lot of misleading crap from the shoulder pad era (presumably, written by non-asian people). Just fabulous, I then relied on my own judgement and bought whatever was pretty/advertised on TV- I'm a sucker for packaging. Much later, I came across pursebuzz.com and was impressed with her how-to videos. I watched her clips straight into the morning hours. Catching on to the idea of blending and sculpting, I started my brush collection (non MAC) that day.

I've been experimenting since annnnd ...it's about fucking time for a blog. OK, my Xanga does not count; I wrote that garbage for me and my all of two Xanga veterans. And so, my written world as of yet consists of two styles: APA and MSN, so please chill as I try to find balance. I only want to help, entertain and get your addicted =) As I slowly build confidence, expect to see some close up shots of my makeup face (not saying this is particularly a good thing).

Later to be discussed in no particular order: makeup brushes, mineral makeup, eyebrows, glosss, hair, eye shadow, fake lashes <3,>