Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Fairest of Them All?

"Not you, you lamer."

Gee, thanks... *proceeds to regulate on the mirror with a hammer* LOL. My corny and lame humor, you know you love it. Well probably not... but ehh... at least I try? LOL.

Anyways, my boyfriend and I went to the MAC store in Pasadena Saturday, to try and get the "California Dreamin'" Lipstick with the coupon... but no dice. They were all sold out. Bah. Oh well. That kinda put a damper on my day and made me sad. :( But I should have figured that it would have been sold out by Saturday.

After that we went to eat at Pechang's; their food was ehh. It was nothing to really write home about. So we just walked around Old Town Pasadena for a little and proceeded home. I asked my honey if we could stop by ULTA really quick just to peruse and he said yes. So we stopped by ULTA and they were having a sale. :) Yay.

So I went in, just looking around and not really finding anything interesting. I finally got to the last aisle in the store and in that last aisle they had a lighted magnifying mirror, that also had a weighted base and it was on sale! :) Their normal magnified mirrors were on sale, you know the ones that stick on your bathroom mirror because they have suction cups, or the ones that have cheap little plastic stands that aren't weighted, therefore they look like they'll tip over and crack any minute. Although those were on sale, I wasn't tempted to buy them because I wanted something durable and reliable. :) So when I stumbled onto the Zoe Lighted Mirror I was stoked! LOL. It was on sale for $12.99 and it had the following features:

- Built in Light with dimming capabilities
- Weighted Base
- Two Sided Mirror with 1X on one side and 5X on the other

I've been lemming a good vanity mirror that magnifies and has a weighted base. The fact that this mirror has lights was just an extra feature that came along with the mirror but wasn't a necessity for me. :) Anywho, my bubs saw how excited I got when I saw the mirror on sale and said, "Just get it babe!" and immediately grabbed one. I think he felt bad for me because I didn't get my free MAC lipstick so he bought me the Lighted Mirror to make me feel better. Hehe. My lover is indeed a sweetie. :)

Anywho, my dorko self forgot to take a picture of the box and I already tossed the box in the dumpster by the time I realized that I probably SHOULD have taken a picture of the box. LOLOL. Anyway, here are pictures of my new vanity mirror.

Taken with Flash
This is the 5X Side


Taken Without Flash
This is the 1X Side


Here's the Dimmer Switch, you can control how high or low you want the lights inside the mirror to be. The lights in the mirror aren't all that bright and are actually pretty dim, even on the highest setting. Which I don't mind because the lights were just an added in bonus for me anyway and the little light that it does give still helps me out in my crappily lit bathroom, believe it or not. :P LOL.

Anywho, I'm happy with the mirror. :) I used it last night to pluck my brows and wowee... I don't remember the last time I had such clean looking brows. LOL. The only drawback is I can see every little imperfection on my face (LOL) but it's okay because I just ignore it otherwise I start getting obsessive compulsive. LOL. But I DO love how you can see every detail when applying makeup, more specifically eye makeup! :)

The sad part is that even the 1X side of this mirror is better than my bathroom mirror... well, it's not sad, I guess it's a good thing, but I can't believe how truly sucky my bathroom mirror is. LOL. I wanted a vanity mirror because the mirror in my bathroom is old and sucks. :( LOL. My mom's bathroom has large magnifying mirrors and better lighting, compared to my crappy lighting and mirror. LOL. But I'm happy because now I have this nifty little vanity mirror, that my bubs got for me, AND it was on sale! SCORE! LOL. :)

Review: Urban Apothecary Crease Brush

Urban Apothecary Crease Brush

Price: $28.00
Where You Can Buy This Product: UrbanApothecary.com
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Product Information:
Crease Professional Makeup Brush
Tapered to a point, this long-hair brush blends 'crease' color like no other. Our pick for fail-safe eye shadow application, it guides as it glides.

The Materials That This Brush is Made of:
Make Up Brush Bristle: Natural, Squirrel
Makeup Brush Handle: Birch

My General Overview: Cheri (the owner of Urban Apothecary) sent me this brush and I'll admit at first glance I didn't think much of it. I thought, "Oh, another crease brush." And BOY was I WRONG. This brush is NOT like any other crease brush I've used AT ALL.

When I first opened it, it felt hard but I realized it was some sort of sealant that was probably put on the brush to help it retain it's shape. I've never had one of these on any of the brushes that I've ever bought but I actually found this to be a pro. It actually makes sense because it SUCKS when you get a brush and the bristles are all wonky from the way it was packaged. It washed off easily and did not leave any residue behind, so it's not a bad thing because you're ALWAYS suppose to wash a brush right after you buy/get it anyway. :)

This brush it didn't shed AT ALL while I was washing it. This is always a HUGE plus since most natural hair brushes almost always shed during their first washing, so I almost always expect shedding with natural hair bristled brushes. I was quite surprised when it didn't shed at all! :P There was no odd smell or bleeding that accompanied it during its wash.

After it dried, I figured I'd try it and I honestly wasn't expecting much. I used it with my Simply Naturals Pigments DRY and from the VERY first moment it touched my crease I was FLOORED. This brush wasn't ANYTHING like ANY of my other crease brushes... AT ALL. It made the colors go on so precise, so pigmented, so smooth! I couldn't believe it!

The design of this brush is PURE brilliance. The fact that it's tapered to such a fine point helps deposit color AWESOMELY and makes it so that it fits PERFECTLY into my crease. It's soft and the density of this brush is PERFECT. It's not too dense and not too flimsy, it's dense enough to deposit color BEAUTIFULLY and loose enough to give it that "glide" as you ease it into your crease. It also works beautifully when you use this brush to deposit color on the outer corners of your eyes. It blends outer corners and crease colors beautifully.

Close-up of the brush bristles

Although the bristles of this brush are natural, they don't feel it. The bristles honestly possess the same softness as synthetic bristles which is another plus in my book. I usually avoid buying natural bristle brushes because I'm not a fan of natural bristle brushes... but this brush is phenomenal. The bristles feel like butteerrrrr in my crease. NO JOKE!

I've been using this brush for maybe about 2-3 weeks now and I refuse to use my other crease brushes because they can't compare! It's kind of sad because now I feel that my crease has been spoiled and now has new standards. LOL.

Overall, after comparing pictures of this brush and the MAC #219 Pencil Brush I concluded that they look VERY similar. The MAC brush costs $23.00 while this brush costs $28.00. There's a $5.00 difference, and IF the MAC brush works just as good as this one, I would probably get the MAC one because it's $5.00 cheaper. But I'm NOT sure if it works just as good as this one because I've never used it. :P

This brush is WITHOUT a doubt a HIGH QUALITY brush and probably one of the BEST QUALITY brushes I own. I'll admit that I'm not one to usually spend more that $10.00 on ONE brush but I think I MIGHT be willing to make an exception for this one! :P

I think I'll have to try the MAC one out and see how it compares. I am in SERIOUS LOVE with this brush and if the MAC one is a worthy advocate... I will continue to repurchase the MAC one instead of this one because it'll be more readily available while being a few bucks cheaper.

The reason I rated this a 4 out of 5 is because of it's price tag and JUST it's price tag. I find $28.00 to be a little steep for one brush. Also because I personally think MAC brushes are expensive; and this one is a little more expensive than MAC's version of this brush so that kinda turned me off. Other than that, the 1 point deduction had NOTHING to do with the brush itself because this brush is AWESOME.

PROS: Even though it's made of natural bristles, it's SUPER soft and not scratchy or irritating at all. It literally glides in your crease, crease application with this brush is a BREEZE. It doesn't shed or smell before, during, or after washing it. It comes with a protective film that helps maintain it's shape yet washes out easily. It's dense enough to deposit color BEAUTIFULLY in your crease, and I mean B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L-L-Y! Love this brush, LOVE IT!

CONS: My ONE and ONLY problem is the price. :( I don't own any MAC brushes because of this same reason.

You'll Like This Product If:
- You want an AWESOME crease brush that blends and deposits colors beautifully
- You're favorite thing to do with your eye makeup is to emphasize your crease
- You want a good crease brush that will help you cut and define that crease without having to work too hard for it
- You're a fan of High End Brand Brushes
- You want a quality brush and have no problem shelling out the dough for it
- You're willing to give this brush a fair try, even if it is a little pricey

You Won't Like This Product If:
- You're on a budget
- You can't convince yourself to spend $28.00 on ONE brush

Would I Purchase This Product? I received this brush free and probably wouldn't have tried it out if I didn't get it free because of it's price tag. I honestly didn't think I would care for this brush too much but I actually ended up falling in love with it. LOL. I can say with all honesty that it's HG status for me, and none of my other crease brushes (i.e. Sonia Kashuk & Beauty Strokes) compare to this one. NONE. Since I've actually tried it and now KNOW how well it performs, I would SERIOUSLY consider purchasing this brush.

The reason I say CONSIDER is because now I want to try the MAC one, and if I find that the MAC one is comparable, I will just buy the MAC one since it's a few dollars cheaper. You'd be surprised what difference a few dollars make! LOL. BUT, if the MAC one is NOT comparable I WOULD shell out the extra few bucks for this one because in the end it's WORTH it. I need a good crease brush because I'm one of those gals who like to contour my crease almost all of the time so this is definitely an essential brush for my arsenal. So I'll skimp on my other brushes and stick to cheaper brands since I'm not too picky about those brushes and they work perfectly fine for me, but a GOOD crease brush is irreplaceable, for me at least. LOL.

RE.EDiT:
I went to the MAC store today and looked at MAC's #219 Pencil Brush and it's NOT like this one. MAC's Crease Brush has more of a ROUNDED tip and it's not tapered to a fine point like this crease brush. So I'm assuming they don't perform the same exact way. :P

I didn't buy the MAC one because I noticed the differences between the brushes immediately. I don't think I'll be buying the MAC #219 either because after looking at it person and feeling it and what not, I realized it resembled my Beauty Strokes Crease Brush by ALOT. I would even go as far as saying that the Beauty Strokes Crease Brush is possibly a dupe. If not, I think you could find a cheaper dupe of MAC's #219 on the Crown Brushes website. I still have yet to find a crease brush like Urban Apothecary's; I haven't been able to find a crease brush tapers to such a fine point.

Final thoughts? I am willing to spend my hard earned money on a GOOD crease brush because I use my crease brush almost daily. I would also rather put $28.00 towards a good brush instead of one NARS blush or a MAC eyeshadow palette because I feel that a quality makeup brush will last longer than an eyeshadow palette or blush and work interchangeably with ALL of my eyeshadows and pigments. :) I completely understand if you don't use a crease brush that often or don't prioritize a crease brush up higher on your makeup splurges list, but I personally do because my favorite part of my makeup is my eyes! Haha. :) So that's just my two cents. If you don't need an AWESOME crease brush and just need a decent one that works pretty good then I think that Sonia Kashuk's, Crown Brush's, and/or Beauty Strokes crease brushes will get the job done. But I am honest when I say there is a HUGE difference in ease of application, blending, and pigmentation between the Urban Apothecary Crease Brush and the other crease brushes. I am the type that would rather spend more on SPECIFIC eye makeup brushes that I use on a regular basis instead of face brushes. :P

Review: Camellia Rose - Rose Clay, Goats Milk, & Shea Beauty Bar

Camellia Rose - Rose Clay, Goats Milk, & Shea Beauty Bar

Price: $5.95 on sale $6.50 regular price
Where You Can Buy This Product At: http://www.camellia-rose.com
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Product Information: This Beauty Bar is so luxurious you will wonder how you ever did without it!

To help it stay around longer... When you get it, cut into 4-6 slices and use one slice and store the rest. Try to keep it out of water when not in use!

Best way to cut it? Use a hot knife! I highly suggest making sure the knife is hot because since this is a REAL soap it can crumble sometimes. You can either heat the knife over fire (not my favorite way) or you can just dip the knife part into very hot water) Dry the knife off and cut the soap.

Do not leave the slice in the shower unless you have a way to keep it out of water. Because of the high amount of glycerin and shea in this product, water is ATTRACTED to the soap and it will disappear quickly if left near or in water.

Sometimes you will see crystals or condensation on the soap. This is NORMAL! Don't worry! :D It is a by product of the high amount of glycerin and shea that I put into this soap.
Ingredients List: spring water, sodium cocoate, sodium palmitate, sodium castorate (from organic coconut, palm and castor oils) glycerin (naturally occuring and extra added), unrefined organic shea butter, sorbitol aka sorbus aucuparia extract (from Mountain Ashberry), organic goats milk, organic lecithin (soy derived), rose clay

My General Overview: I started using natural skin care about a year ago and it was around that time that I was introduced to Camellia Rose. Jennifer (the owner of Camellia Rose) has always been a HUGE pleasure to work with and she's a very knowledgeable woman. She's very helpful and kind hearted and does take very good care of her customers. Her customer service is top notch and she is indeed a wonderful lady to deal with.

This beauty bar is the one that I've been using exclusively and I'm VERY happy with how it's been working for me. I have tried a number of other beauty bars including Camellia Rose's Green Tea Shea Bar, Pure Luxe's Calamine Bar, and a few others. But this bar is the one that seems to agree with my skin the most. Granted, those other bars are good as well, but this specific bar is my favorite.

The scent of this bar is NOT overpowering which is a plus, and I really like the scent that it does have. It's hard to describe I guess I would describe it as having a slight rose and shea smell, sorry if that doesn't help. I can't really describe what it smells like all I know is that it smells good. LOL.

This beauty bar does lather up when you wash your face with it. It leaves your skin clean but the beauty of it is that your skin DOES NOT feel tight after you wash the cleanser off! I suspect this is due to the fact that Jen doesn't skimp on the Shea in her beauty bars therefore making it more moisturizing than other beauty bars, making it so that it's not stripping your skin of it's natural moisture. After using this beauty bar my skin is clean, NOT dry, and soft.

Something that I noticed with this bar personally is that I didn't purge when I first started using it. I HATE having to purge when incorporating a new product into my skin care regimen and this specific product didn't make me purge! So yay for that. LOL.

You do need to cut the bar into several smaller pieces, so that you can use one piece at a time and store the rest that you're not using for use later on. This is actually a good thing because to be honest, these beauty bars last me FOREVER. You also have to store this and any other beauty bars the right way. The right way to store them is to store them in a soap dish that lets the water drain out (something like the wooden soap dish in my picture up above) and keep that somewhere where water will not come into contact with it. Jen notes why in the product information section of this review. If you store and care for this properly... it will last you a VERY long time. This is a plus because the price for the bar, how well the bar works, and how long it will last you all combined makes for a STEAL.

PROS: Since it's made of natural ingredients, you don't have to worry about artificial preservatives or chemicals being in it. It's gentle yet effective, it cleans thoroughly without leaving your skin like it's been stripped. It's priced reasonably and the price to product ratio is MORE than reasonable. It has no expiration date. It will last you a LONG time if stored properly. It smells really good, at least I think so. Jen's customer service is awesome and she knows what she's doing.

CONS: I can't think of any!

You'll Like This Product If:
- You want a cleanser that's gentle BUT effective
- You want a cleanser that won't leave your skin feeling stripped or dried out
- You want a natural cleanser that doesn't contain artificial preservatives or chemicals
- You want a cleanser that will last you a good amount of time for a reasonable price
- You want to try out natural skin care from a company that knows how to take care of it's customers
- You use regular/commercial soap as a face cleanser and are looking for a better alternative that isn't as harsh or stripping

You Won't Like This Product If:
- You're allergic or react to any of the ingredients in this product

Would I Repurchase? YES, YES, YES! A million times yes! LOL. If you've noticed I haven't given ANY of my product reviews a 5 so this is the first. LOL. This is MY HG Cleanser/Beauty Bar and I won't use any other cleanser because it works so well for me! :P Granted I might try her new Ananassa Shea Beauty Bar to see how it works out for me versus this beauty bar.

For Reference My Skin Type Is: Combination Oily. I have an Oily T-Zone with Normal Cheeks.

NOTE: Please keep in my mind that my skin may be different than yours so the results you get may be different from mine.

Review/Comparison: LA CROSS Detail Mini Lash Curler VS. Shu Uemera Mini Eyelash Curler

So my email to Shu Uemera didn't go through and they ended up processing my order. LOL. I was only charged the amount of $5.54 so no big.

Anywho, I suppose this was good because I was able to do a comparative review of the La Cross Mini Eyelash Curler and the Shu Mini Eyelash Curler.

When I first put the two eyelash curler together, I noticed that there was a significant difference as far as design goes. The La Cross Mini Curler is STRAIGHT, it has NO curve at all which is actually a con because it makes it slightly more difficult to use. The Shu Uemera curler DOES have a slight curve so it is easier to use than the La Cross Curler.

The Shu Uemera one is slightly smaller than the La Cross one, and the Shu Uemera one is more narrow and than the La Cross one. I think that the difference in the curvature of the two curlers DOES make a difference as far as performance goes.

To show you what I mean, I've curled my eyelashes using ONLY the mini curlers on each eye. I wouldn't recommend doing this because mini eyelash curlers are a bit harder to work with than regular ones and they're MEANT to curl stray lashes that are left behind after using a regular eyelash curler. I curled my lashes only using the mini curlers purely for comparative purposes.

As you can see, the Shu Uemera Curler creates nice clean curls, without any rogue or stray eyelash hairs.

The La Cross Mini Curler gave me wonky lashes that looked really messy! I even tried combing out my lashes so that they would all go in the same direction and it didn't help.

Here's the side view of the eye that was curled with the Shu Curler, again no wonky curls that are out of place.

Here's the side view of the I curled with the La Cross Curler, see how wonky and messy it looks in comparison to the side curled with the Shu Curler

As you can see the La Cross Curler gives you messy curls that turn in stray directions. The Shu Uemera Curler gives nice, clean, and uniform curls without any trouble.

Another thing that I've noticed is that sometimes when I use the La Cross Curler, some of my eyelash hairs fall out, more like get pulled out! Given mini eyelash curlers aren't as easy to control as regular eyelash curlers, but STILL, the La Cross Curler takes even MORE work and patience than the Shu one. The Shu one was actually very easy to use, didn't take as much work, and ended up given me a nicer more clean curl.

I've also noticed that the La Cross pinches my eyelids VERY easily, and I mean VERY. When I first started using the La Cross curler I had to be EXTREMELY careful not to pinch my eyelids. I didn't have this problem with the Shu one AT ALL. Not ONCE did I pinch my eyelid with the Shu Uemera one.

What I have noticed about BOTH of the curlers is that it's hard to curl your lashes the "right" way. You know how you're suppose to curl your lashes several times working your way up and out, well it's VERY hard to do that with both of these mini curlers which is why I just curled my lashes straight up in the pictures. This is a con that I noticed applies to both of the eyelash curlers.

If I had to pick which one I liked better, I'd say it was definitely the Shu Uemera one. There was a big difference between the two as far a performance goes. I do NOT however agree with the price. $17.00 for a mini eyelash curler? No thank you. The La Cross one is only $4.99 - $5.99 depending on where you go, but it doesn't really do much to help with eyelash curling.

Overall, I honestly don't find a mini eyelash curler is necessary, ESPECIALLY if you find a REGULAR eyelash curler that works good! It makes sense if you think about it. If you find a regular eyelash curler that gets the job done all in one shot, what is the purpose of a mini eyelash curler. After all, a mini eyelash curler's purpose is to curl outer/inner lashes that are missed by regular eyelash curlers... but I honestly think that can be fixed with a regular eyelash curler that works GOOD.

The regular eyelash curler that I use is E.L.F.'s Mechanical Eyelash Curler. I know many people aren't crazy about E.L.F. and neither am I but I must admit that their Eyelash Curler is actually pretty good! It works better than most of the other drugstore brand eyelash curlers I've used. I've heard and read many good things about Shishiedo's regular eyelash curler as well. I've also noticed that many actually prefer it over the Shu Uemera one, AND it's cheaper than the Shu Uemera Curler.

All in all, I think that the best thing to do is save your money for a Regular Eyelash Curler that works VERY well versus buying a crappy Regular Eyelash Curler and a hard to work with Mini Curler. It just makes more sense to me and seems more practical. Overall, that's just my two cents.

MIA & Camellia Rose Update!

Sorry I've been MIA lately guys! Two of my brothers have just graduated, one from High School and the other from 6th Grade! So I had two graduations to go to, plus I've been helping the high school graduate with his college stuff this week. It's been a really busy week! :P

Anywho, I just wanted to stop in and say that next week will probably be more normal and I'll be able to get back into the blogging routine. I have TONS of reviews and stuff that I've gotta post about! :P

But I just wanted to let you guys know that Jen added more products up on Camellia Rose! :) Here's the update taken from Camellia Rose's Blog on vox.

We've added some of your favorite skincare items back to the site!

Also we are reformulating our Stay the Day Moisturizer so we are putting our current one on SALE!!!!

It will be on sale until we run out! Limited amounts available and price will not be this low again!

Once we run out, we will introduce our new version!

Stay the Day Moisturizer (aka Moisturizing Primer)

(PLEASE NOTE: we have a limited number of these ones available since we are reformulating this. So this is all we have left of this at a very special sale price!)

This moisturizer was developed because every time in the past I ever used a moisturizer it would cause my makeup to separate later on in the day.

Granted everyone's mileage may very but this is highly antioxidant (antioxidants are GREAT for daytime to help prevent sun damage) and is great for keeping your makeup put. It is like a primer/moisturizer in one!

Orig. Price:	$18.95
Sale Price:	$15.95

Here are the other Products we have recently added!

	Jen's Antioxidant Cream This antioxidant day cream makes a great base under your makeup! Packed for nutrient and antioxidant rich properties, you will love this cream once you try it! Orig. Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $17.95
	Seabuckthorn & Blue Tansy Nourishing Cream This lovely cream is packed with skin nourishing ingredients, Oat extract, Olive, Sunflower and Evening Primrose oil, seabuckthorn berry oil and blue tansy essential oil! Same cream that some ladies are using as eye cream! Orig. Price: $22.00 Sale Price: $18.95
	Pearl Cream Wonderfully emollient cream with the added benefit of pearl! Pearl has been used for centuries in asian countries due to its nourishing and brightening properties! I personally also find Pearl to be very mattifying! Alot of gals like to wear this underneath their makeup! Orig. Price: $16.00 Sale Price: $14.95 Rose Clay, Goats Milk & Shea Beauty Bar This Beauty Bar is so luxurious you will wonder how you ever did without it! This version has Rose Clay, Rich organic goats milk and shea butter! Orig. Price: $6.50 Sale Price: $5.95

Ananassa Shea Beauty Bar

This Beauty Bar is so luxurious you will wonder how you ever did without it!

Our newest addition has skin nourishing organic shea butter and lucious strawberry extract!

Orig. Price:	$6.50
Sale Price:	$5.95

I personally use and LOVE her "Rose Clay, Goats Milk & Shea Beauty Bar" and her "Seabuckthorn & Blue Tansy Nourishing Cream". I'm VERY curious about her "Ananassa Shea Beauty Bar", it sounds very promising! I've honestly loved all the skincare products that I've ordered from Jen thus far and she makes quality products, she never skimps. I will have to order some of that soon. LOL.

Since I get asked this sometimes, I've decided to update what my skin care routine is like right now. It changes quite frequently, but I'm really like this routine right now because it seems to be working pretty good for me.

AM:
CLEANSE: Wash face with Camellia Rose's "Rose Clay, Goats Milk & Shea Beauty Bar"
MOISTURIZE: Moisturize with either Skin MD Natural's "Shielding Lotion" (I use this as my moisturizer if I'm wearing makeup that day) or Camellia Rose's "Seabuckthorn & Blue Tansy Nourishing Cream" (If I'm not wearing makeup that day)

PM:
CLEANSE: Wash face with Camellia Rose's "Rose Clay, Goats Milk, & Shea Beauty Bar" OR Garden of Wisdom's "Takrai Lemongrass Cleanser" (I use the Lemongrass Cleanser ONCE every week or two)
EXFOLIATE: Exfoliate with Cory's "Revitalizing Facial Mask Treatment" (I use this mask once every two weeks)
TONE: Tone with Garden of Wisdom's "Pineapple Hydrating Mist"
MOISTURIZE: Moisturize with Garden of Wisdom's "Honeycomb HA Serum" + Ly-na's "Pearl Face Cream" (I tried this combo thanks to Imee's Creams/Moisturizer/Oils post and I LOVE it! It's been working out very good for me, so thanks Imee for sharing. :]

I DON'T do this routine EVERYDAY! I use this routine every other day. Why? Because I find that MY skin personally behaves better when I give it time to rest, so this is just what's most effective for MY skin. :)

I can't use moisturizers everyday because I have oily skin and it makes my face OVER moisturized. Regardless of how light a moisturizer is, it results in build up and gunk on my face, definitely not pretty.

On my in-between days I actually leave my mineral foundation on overnight. Call me crazy, but it heals my skin and my skin actually LIKES IT. LOL. I actually DO find that my mineral makeup helps heal my skin, and it works great as a night treatment. Yes, weird, but true... for ME at least.

I ALSO don't cleanse my face every night/day. I RINSE my face with water EVERYDAY, but I don't cleanse with a cleanser everyday. Yes, it sounds gross but I swear that my skin prefers this. LOL. I use to use facial wipes, but I ran out. But those work very well as well for the days where I don't use cleansers. I'm actually thinking of getting some of Everyday Minerals' wipes because they look very promising. :) But just rinsing my face with water suffices. :)

I will be doing a review of the Ly-Na Cream soon, so please hold tight. As you guys can tell, I don't like to do mediocre reviews. Therefore, I won't review a product until I feel I've tested it thoroughly enough to give it a fair review. :) HOWEVER, Anne has a done a really good review on the Ly-Na Pearl Cream and she's actually the one who made me want to try it! She's also posted a skin timeline that shows you the long term results of using it which is really helpful!

Anyway, I will probably try posting up reviews of things that I've already used for a good amount of time. :) Some of these reviews include my FAVORITE skin care products from Camellia Rose, My favorite Mineral Foundation Brush, Joppa Minerals Full Coverage Foundation, and a few other things. So keep an eye out for all of the up and coming posts! :)

Review: Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liners

Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Eyeliners

Price: $5.99
Where You Can Buy This Product At: Walgreens, Rite Aid, and any other place that carries Jane Cosmetics
Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Product Information: Be Pure Mineral Gel Eyeliner contains a unique hydrating formula loaded with minerals for a smooth, long-lasting, water-resistant coverage. Wear it thick or thin for intense color results. Includes an angled brush for easy application.
Ingredients List: Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyethylene, Barium Sulfate, Adipic Acid/Diethylene, Glycol/Glycerin Crosspolymer, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Phenyl Trimethicone, Tourmaline, Phenoxyethanol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, BHT. MAY CONTAIN: mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470), Iron Oxides (CI 77491/CI 77492/CI 77499), Carbon Black, Ultramarine, Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 775).

NOTE: I CANNOT compare these to MAC's Fluidlines and/or L'Oreal HiP's Gel Liners because I've never purchased or used the gel liners from these two brands.

First, here are the pictures of the gel liner in "Dark Brown". You can find the pictures of the rest of the liners and the eyeliner brush that comes with each gel liner in this entry.

My General Overview: Each liner comes in a jar with a natural hair angle brush. It claims to be water RESISTANT NOT waterPROOF, which means that if exposed to water it will fade, but it will not wash off completely. Waterproof means that water won't affect the product at all. I find that it is water resistant and not waterproof, so they haven't made any false claims.

The wear on these liners are very good. I've worn them with and without a base and/or eyeshadow and they've performed up to par with my Indelible Gel Liner. I haven't experienced any creasing or fading. The only fading that I have experienced is when I apply the gel liner on my waterline. It does fade on the outer corners of my waterline after a few hours, but it doesn't completely disappear. One thing that I did like, is that even though it does fade on my waterline, it does not RUN. So although the color fades on my waterline, it will not run onto my bottom lids or outer corners, which is a BIG plus because I HATE it when eyeliner runs, no one likes raccoon eyes. :P Heh.

The color selection contains all of the basic eyeliner colors that one needs. As of this moment they only offer "Black", "Navy", "Wine", and "Dark Brown". I find that some of their colors wear better than others. "Black" and "Navy" wear the best among these liners. I find that "Wine" isn't as opaque as I would like. It's a very pretty color, but it doesn't pack the intensity that I prefer from my eyeliners. I would probably use this color to line my lower lash line, but not my upper, because I personally don't find it opaque enough. I wasn't too crazy about "Dark Brown" because I've honestly never been a huge fan of brown eyeliner. However, if you love brown eyeliner, you'll probably like this one. My two favorites are "Navy" and "Black".

The pigmentation of these gel liners are very good. They're pigmented enough so that you only need to apply one even layer, no need to layer it on just so that the liner shows. I find that the intensity and pigmentation are the best with the "Navy" and "Black" liners... I wasn't so wowed by the "Wine" liner because as I said... it wasn't as opaque as I'd like. I think that maybe this also has to do with "Wine" being the liner with the most sheen among all of them. "Wine" has a sheen to it and is not a flat matte, unlike "Dark Brown", "Black", and "Navy". I think this is why "Wine" is not as rich or intense when applied. I think they could improve on the color "Wine". I'm guessing that if they made the color "Wine" a touch darker and made the liner richer color wise with a little more purple, while also making the liner more matte, it would make a big difference. "Wine" is probably my least favorite liner among all of them. Who knows though, maybe it just depends on the looks I use it for, but when I use "Wine" as a liner, I'll probably be drylining over it with a deeper purple pigment to give it more definition. The "Black" liner from this brand is comparable to my Indelible Gel Liner in "Blackout". The pigmentation of Jane's is on par with Indelible's. "Black" is just that, a matte pigmented black.

The texture of Jane's Gel Liners is soft, but not TOO soft. I find it to be a touch firmer than the Indelible Gel Liner's texture, which I actually prefer. I would sometimes get TOO much product on my brush from the Indelible Gel Liner because the gel was TOO soft and it was easy to over dip my brush and end up with a ridiculous amount of liner on my brush. Since this gel liner is a touch firmer, I find that it's easier to control how much gel gets on my brush. It glides on smoothly and does NOT flake or crack after it is applied. I find that Jane's Gel Liners dry quicker than the Indelible Gel Liners. I personally felt that the Indelible Gel Liner took longer than necessary to dry. Don't get me wrong, the Indelible Gel Liner dried quicker than say a liquid liner, but still not fast enough. I know, I can be pretty demanding. LOL.

The brush that comes with these gel liners are actually good! They aren't too thick or too hard. The brushes are natural hair bristles and they don't poke or irritate my skin when I use it. It's not too firm and not too flimsy, so it's easy to use. I would totally recommend that someone who doesn't have a gel liner go out and get a Jane one because both the brush and the liner are good products for a more than reasonable price!

The size of Jane's Gel Liners compared to the size of the Indelible Gel Liners is significantly different. I've included pictures of both gel liners to compare the size differences. As you can see, the Jane ones are significantly bigger while being cheaper at the same time! Although my Indelible Gel Liner has lasted me a LONGGG time,because a little goes a long way, I find the same to be true of my Jane Liner. So the better value goes with the Jane Liners, because they come in a bigger jar, are cheaper, and work just as well.

"Whereas MAC Fluidlines are 3g each, and Stila Smudge pots are 4g each, the L'Oreal liners are 4.5g each" (SOURCE: Emilee @ GMM) This quote is taken from Emilee's review on the L'Oreal HiP Liners, I thought this quote would be useful to use because the amount that comes in the Jane Liners is 5.0 grams... so Jane's Gel Liners offer the MOST product for the most inexpensive price.

When it comes to taking these off, simple water and soap won't do because this gel liner is water resistant. You will need to use a makeup remover. If you still have trouble getting off the liner I suggest dipping a q-tip into whatever makeup remover you use and using the q-tip to remove the liner from your lashline. This is how I remove my gel liner and it works like a charm.

PROS: The Jane Gel Liners are the most inexpensive gel liners around. The wear is very good, especially with the "Navy" and "Black" colors. They don't run, smear, flake, or crack. They're pigmented and are long lasting. They're easy to apply and don't need to be layered on to show. The brush that comes with it is of decent quality, and you get a good amount of product for such a cheap price. It dries fairly fast after it is applied which makes it less likely for your liner to smudge. The texture is a tad firmer than the Indelible Gel Liner's texture which makes it easier to control how much product goes on the brush. They have all the basic eyeliner colors that are must haves (i.e. black, brown, and navy). This is overall a really good product!

CONS: The gripe that I do have with this product is that it fades on my waterline, where as my Indelible Gel Liner didn't. My Indelible Gel Liner lasted VERY well on my waterline. The other gripe that I do have with this product is that the "Wine" color isn't as impressive as the "Navy" or "Black. "Dark Brown" is okay, but like I said... I'm not much of a brown liner girl. I think the fact that I don't like the "Dark Brown" liner is based more so on my personal preference and not on the fact that the product doesn't perform well. They don't offer vibrant and bold colors like L'Oreal HiP's Gel Liners. Other than that, there's nothing major that I can complain about.

You'll Like This Product If:
- You want an affordable Gel Liner that performs well
- You want a liner that doesn't smudge, run, flake, or crack
- You want the best bang for your buck
- You like wearable shades of colors
- You want a gel liner with a decent liner brush, so that you don't have to buy a new brush separately

You Won't Like This Product If:
- You want a gel liner that will last all day on your waterline
- You want VIBRANT shades of colors

Would I Repurchase? YES! I think that this is a GREAT deal for a quality product! I think these gel liners are great, but to be honest with you, I probably wouldn't be repurchasing the "Brown" or "Wine" colors again... because the colors themselves didn't impress me. I'd prefer a much richer, more opaque purple and I'm just not a brown liner kinda girl. :P

Testing Products

Do you guys ever throw on different sorts of makeup/products just to test out numerous products that you have to review? LOL. Well, that's what I sorta did today. :) LOL.

So what products am I testing today? Buff'ds new Concealer Formula Foundation in "Buff" which is my perfect match as of the moment, because I got an unintentional tan. LOL. This always happens during the summertime. I tan like nothing. Thus far... I like it, and it definitely hasn't disappointed. I'm also testing out Jane's Gel Liner in Black. I've been using all three of the gel liners and I think it's safe to say that I can thoroughly review the liners soon. Expect the review of Jane's Gel Liners sometime this week. :)

So here's a pic of how I look today. It's not an FOTD because as I said I just slapped on some stuff to test it out, so it's nothing extravagant or anything like that. LOL. :P

This summer HEAT makes me such a lazy unproductive bum. Thank GOD for summer break. LOLOL. What about you guys, does the heat make you sluggish and hesitant to do much at all?

RE.EDiT:
I got my final grade for my class. I passed with a 95% and I scored 85% on the final, so I got 170 questions right out of the total of 200. Not bad. Plus I got an A in the class, so no worries. LOL. :) Time to celebrate and buy myself more makeup for getting an A in my class. Hahahaha. I'm kidding.

MAC Friends & Family Sale. Coupon Code for ONLINE Shopping!

This is the coupon code for the MAC Friends & Family Sale for ONLINE shopping only. This coupon code will give you 15% off of your order total. There is FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed TODAY. No coupon code needed for the free shipping, it's automatically applied. Enjoy!

Click on the image to enlarge and view the coupon code/sale details.

RE.EDiT:
MAC has decided to EXTEND this special until June 17th 11:59 PM PST. :)

Dupes for MAC PRO Neon2 Pigments

After catching up on some of my beauty rounds, I noticed Temptalia's post on MAC PRO's Neon2 Pigments, I glanced over the pictures of the pigments and swatches and thought to myself... I SWEAR I have some mineral pigments that look almost identical to those. Sure enough, I've found some pretty accurate dupes of this collection. I was able to find dupes for all of the colors except for the green one. So here are the MAC Pigments on Temptalia's Page and here are the pictures of my mineral pigments. :)

Swatches applied DRY with UDPP as a base

Call me crazy but don't you think they look oddly similar? :P

"Sunflower" has some shimmer to it while MAC's is a pure matte, BUT I think Simply Naturals' "Yoke" or "Sunshine" pigments would be more suitable dupes. I don't have those pigments, but I know they're neon yellow and matte so I'm guessing they'd be worthy dupes. :) I haven't seen a fluorescent/neon MATTE green pigment yet, so I can't really think of a dupe for that specific pigment. :P Also, "Cobalt" is a tad lighter than MAC's pigment but they're pretty much the same color. :)

I think all of the other dupes are pretty darn close. LOL. I put the dupes in the same order as Temptalia's pictures and swatches btw so that you know which ones are dupes for what. :) So if you don't have a MAC PRO card or just refuse to pay that much for those specific pigments, here are the mineral pigment dupes! :) I hope this helps.

Drugstore Find: *NEW* Jane. Be Pure Mineral Gel Eyeliner

Jane. has some new gel liners in their Be Pure Mineral Line. Guess how much they are? $5.99 REGULAR price. :)

I decided to break the rules for my spending limit this month to reward myself after my finals. :) I got the gel liner in the colors Black, Wine, and Navy... and I will also have swatches of the Brown because my mom was so impressed by them when I showed her that it DIDN'T SMUDGE AT ALL... LOL. She's always on a quest for the PERFECT eyeliner, so after showing her that it didn't smudge at all once it dried, she jumped up and went to get a brown and black one for herself... so I'll provide pictures and swatches of all of their liners!

So far so good! Don't worry guys, a proper review for this is coming up! :D I can only compare it to the Indelible Gel Liner in "Blackout", not L'Oreal HiPs or MAC's Fluidlines because I've never tried/bought either of the two. :P

I will be re-editing this post sometime tonight with pictures of the products, swatches, etc! :) A review will follow sometime in the following weeks. I want to put this baby through good use before doing a proper review!

So check back later tonight for pictures and swatches of all of the Jane. Be Pure Mineral Gel Eyeliners! :)

RE.EDiT:
Here are the pictures as promised. :)

Here are all of my gel liners in their packaging. :)

Here's how the packaging looks when you take it out of the box. :)

A picture of the gel liner pots. :)

Close-up of the eyeliner brush that comes with each gel liner. Guess what, the brush is actually pretty good! :) It's not crappy! I heard the L'Oreal HiP eyeliner brush that comes with their gel liners is, but thankfully this one actually works good! :)

Swatches taken in Natural Lighting

Swatches taken with Flash

I didn't take pictures of the brown one because I had to go to the movies with my Aunt before my mom could come home, but I will take pictures of the brown one tomorrow. :) It's a deep chocolate brown color just to let you guys know. :)

P.S. You can find these gel liners at Walgreens, ALTHOUGH these were sorta hard to find because I think they're fairly new. :) The Walgreens around the corner from my house didn't have it, so I had to go the next city over to get these! :P

I'm DONE!

I took my final today! So I'll be back for good on Monday. ;) I'm taking a little break for myself this weekend. :D

I have some serious ketchup to do. LOL. :) Then again, I'm wary of ketchuping sometimes because people always post about their great finds and I just get tempted even more so. :)

Happy 24th Bday Mikey!

Last night bubs and I went to Sushi Cruise in Claremont to celebrate Mikey's 24th birthday. :) It was a very laid back night filled with sake bombs, sapporo beer, sushi, good company, and the Lakers game. :) Very cool. Anyway, here's a picture from last night.

From Left to Right: Krissa, Angeliza, Birthday Boy Mikey, Me, and Lorianne

I took a ton of pictures but they're all on my myspace. LOL. :) Anyway, good times. Oh, I used Urban Apothecary's Crease brush for the first time last night and I LOVEEEEEE it! I'll have to do a proper review on it after finals. ;)

Thanks Fly Mama L for all the Hello Kitty Goodies!

So Fly Mama L was kind enough to send me some goodies from Japan in exchange for some pigment samples from my pigment stash. Sweet of her, yeah? :) Well she decided to be EXTRA sweet and included a couple of unexpected extras! By the way, I absolutely ADORE everything that I got! Thanks again hun, I REALLY appreciate it. :D

First up, here are the Hello Kitty jars that she got me. They come in sets of 3 and are stackable jars. :) If you don't know what stackable jars are, they're jars that are conjoined to one another and only the jar on top has it's own lid. :)

Here's a picture of the jars still in their packaging

Here's a picture of all the jars she got me. She got me a total of 27 jars! They're SOOO cute. You don't even know. LOL.

Here's how ONE stack of the jars look disassembled. :)

Moving on to the cute Hello Kitty baggies she sent me! They're basically tiny baggies that look like sample baggies. They're about the size of The She Space's Sample Baggies. :)

Picture of the baggies still in their packaging

And here's a picture of an individual baggie. :)

Last but DEFINITELY not least is the CUTEEEEE organizer she got me. :) It's too adorable for words, I'm NOT even joking. LOL. It collapses so that it's compact and easy to take along with you while traveling! :)

Here's how the organizer looks when it's fully collapsed.

Here's how it looks when you push out the collapsed corner

After you push out both of the collapsed corners you're suppose to put the hard bottom in to keep it stable.

Here's how the organizer looks when it's fully assembled! SUPER cute AND convenient for me! I now have a place to put my most commonly used minerals! (i.e. fave foundation, mineral concealer, etc.) BTW... those are 3 gram sample jars in my organizer, not full size ones, just so you guys know! :) But I think I can fit up to 2-3 full size 30 gram jars in it. :) Also, you wouldn't guess it, but this thing is actually pretty darn stable/durable once you have it assembled completely!

Thanks again Fly Mama L, I really REALLY love everything you sent me! :) You're a doll! Like I said girl, if you ever need anything over her in the US, let me know! ;)

Almost there...

Finals are sometime this week, depending on what day I want to go into the learning center and take it. Bah. Almost there... almost there. LOL. :)

I can't wait until I finish my final. LOL. :)

Oh and just a little tid bit for you guys. :) If you're interested in Pure Luxe's Bubblegum Ballz Collection, you can get more product for cheaper somewhere else. The two collections look almost IDENTICAL to me, I haven't bought the collection, because I promised myself I wouldn't buy anymore pigments. LOL. But take a look and you be the judge. ;)

TKB Trading's POP Sampler looks pretty much identical to Pure Luxe's Bubblegum Ballz Collection AND Simply Naturals Lollipop Colors collection. :) Except you get the best bang for your buck at TKB Trading because they give you the whole collection for $9.00 and you get 1 TABLESPOON of EACH color. :) The only downside is that you HAVE to make a purchase of at least $15.00 to order and you have to buy jars to put the pigments in because they come in baggies. :P But to be honest with you, their jars are SUPER cheap, especially if you buy in bulk... so it's totally worth it. AND if you want, you have enough of each pigment to play around with and mix. :) Anyway, just wanted to give you guys a heads up. ;) Thanks goes to Dio for giving me the heads up. :)

Buff'd Has *NEW* Foundation Formulations AND a SALE!

My HG mineral foundation company is having a sale and have TWO new foundation formulations! :)

Here's information about the *NEW* foundation formulations taken directly from the Buff'd Website.

Available in three outstanding formulations:

original: a great full-coverage foundation with fantastic oil absorption and natural UV protection. ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica, iron oxides, ultramarines

light: specifically for those who prefer a lightweight foundation that still offers buildable coverage and great oil absorption. ingredients: mica, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxides, ultramarines

concealing: made with a touch of kaolin clay offering even better coverage with greater oil absorption. Ideal for those with combination to oily skin and a great spot concealer. ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxides, kaolin clay, mica, ultramarines

They also have one new shade added to their foundations called "Cognac". It's a dark shade foundation with heavy yellow undertones. :)

I'm excited about their new concealing formula, because I already love their Original formula so much. I actually PREFER my foundation with Kaolin Clay because I have combo oily skin and kaolin clay does actually help control my oilies better AND I find that it helps MY SKIN heal. :) I get less break outs when I use foundation with Kaolin Clay in it, and Zinc Oxide as the second ingredient. Zinc Oxide is known for it's healing properties, so it's usually the second highest ingredient in foundations that are tailored to people with acne.

Anyway, here are the sale details. ;) ALL of their FULL SIZE foundations are on sale at 20% off! :) No coupon code needed, the price already reflects the sale. So instead of $15.00 per full size, it's NOW $12.00 per full size jar until July 31st! :) Yay. How exciting. :D

If you guys are wondering, I wear "Almond" right now and "Buff" when I get a tan. :)

La Femme Blush on Rouge Haul!

Hello! I just wanted to say THANK YOU everyone for all of your good luck wishes! I've been studying the whole week so I'm feeling confident. To be honest, I don't even need to take the final to pass the class, but of course I shouldn't try to JUST get by with the minimum when I can do better, right? :)

Anyway, I needed a break from studying. :P Hehe. So I did the small swatch video and pictures of my La Femme Blush on Rouge Haul! :D Yay! I know there were quite a few of you who were looking forward to this post, so here it is!

First of all, I love ALL of the blushes I got. They're SUPER pigmented and the shades they have ARE gorgeous! :) So for $3.50 each, are they worth it? YES! Love em! ;) Anyway, here are the video, pictures of the pots, and the swatches!

Swatches applied DRY without a base

Swatches applied DRY without a base

See what I mean, they're gorgeous. ;) LOVE em! :D Anyway, off to study again. :P I will answer ALL of your questions as soon as I get back sometime next week, so hang tight! :) Take care everyone!

RE.EDiT:
The site that I bought these blushes from is Makeupmania.com! :) If you like, feel free to use me as a referral during checkout. :) My e-mail address is: misschristiana@gmail.com

If you do choose to use me as a reference thank you! :)

Short Hiatus

Hey loves! :) I will be taking a short break from this blog for a while because I have finals next week! I will be back as soon as I finish my final! Sorry for the inconvenience but I will be back soon. ;) I hope everyone is doing well and taking care!

BTW... I got a few things to post about when I come back. I got my La Femme Blushes in today and also some Urban Apothecary product pictures & news. I also have a few reviews and what not coming up. I have a new module added on the right side of the page titled, "Posts to Look Forward to" that gives you a preview of future posts to expect!

Anyway, I'm off to studddyyyy. Beh. LOL. :)

I broke my NO BUY for...

a La Femme Blush on Rouge Haul. LOL! Hey, hey! I did pretty good for being on a no buy for a while (12 days LOL!) AND at least I didn't buy more pigments because we all KNOW I don't need anymore pigments. Surprisingly though, I do need more blushes. LOL. I only have a small amount of blushes compared to my foundations (yes, I have a good amount of foundations. LOL.), eyeshadows, pigments, lipsticks, and even false eyelashes. LOL. The two groups of my makeup collection that I'm actually lacking in are blushes and lipglosses. I don't have too many of either of those. But I'm pretty much set for the blushes now. LOLOL. :P

I mean, I have a decent amount of mineral blushes, but sometimes I just want to grab a pressed blush, especially when I'm in a hurry. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, LOVE my mineral blushes but like I said, sometimes I just want something a little more convenient. :P

So here's what I got! :)

La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Flamingo Pink"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Fushcia"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Lilac Champagne"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Magenta"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Mocha"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Mulberry"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Pink"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Pink Velvet"
La Femme Blush on Rouge in "Stormy Rose"

Tao was sweet enough to e-mail me with some possible dupes for Bobbi Brown's Pink Raspberry blush (the one from the palette) and MAC's Dollymix blush, AND she gave me a nifty discount code. ;) Woo! Thank you again Tao! :D My order total with the discount came out to $31.47. So basically, I got free first class shipping and $0.03 off my order total. LOL. ;)

So what pushed me to break my no buy for these blushes? Simply put, Tao's YouTube video review of the blushes and Elizabeth's blogger review/swatches of the blushes. After that, there was no stopping me. LOL. Their reviews and swatches both stated that La Femme Blush on Rouge Blushes were pigmented, had gorgeous shades/colors, and inexpensive. All the things I like in makeup. ;) Yay. Thank God I'm not a blush addict, otherwise... I would have ordered all of the blushes. LOL. I'm kidding... maybe not. LOL.

I've made a compromise, since I can't do no buys. LOL. It's just too hard to do. LOL. So I'm going to set up a guideline for me to follow. If I meet ANY of the guideline standards; I've met my makeup allowance for the month and I can't spend until next month. ;) Here are the guidelines:
- Makeup Allowance per month is set at $35.00
- Max of TWO hauls a month
- Must wait 2 weeks between each haul

And that's it! :) That's not bad, right? Reasonable? :)

So for example. If I've hauled TWICE within a month, that's it. I can't buy anything for the rest of the month. EVEN if I didn't meet the standard of spending $35.00 and spent only $15.00, since I met the standard of hauling TWICE, I am no longer allowed to spend for the rest of the month.

I think this will help me because it'll keep me from spending TOO much on makeup, while still giving me some space to play around a little bit each month. I think I can actually stick to this routine. ;) So I've met my quota for the month of June. :P Hehe. No more makeup items for the rest of the month. Unless it's under $3.53, and if it is, I have to wait two weeks before I buy it. LOL! It's called obedience man and I seriously think I can do THIS, seeing how this is more reasonable to me versus being on a complete no buy.

Anyway, I will DEFINITELY post up pictures, swatches, and a review of the blushes. Tao's review has actually inspired me to do a video like hers, where I'll show the pots, swatches, and briefly describe the color of each blush. I will of course include pictures of the swatches at the end of the video and the pictures will also be posted in a post in this blog underneath the video. :) What do you guys think? Would you guys like that? :)

The She Space Swatches Part 5 & Mini Eyelash Curler

Here's the FINAL installment of my She Space swatches! :) Enjoy!

Swatches applied WET without a base
Taken in natural lighting WITHOUT flash

Swatches applied WET without a base
Taken WITH flash

"Rude Awakening" is a muted taupe-ish bronze. "Powder Burn" is an golden apricot, more so gold. "Angels Blush" is a washed out pinkish lilac. "Seeds of Truth" is a rose bronze color. :)

So I decided to cancel my order with Shu Uemera because the item I ordered was back ordered and they said it'd take 2-3 weeks to restock. I didn't know if they were going to still honor the promo that they had going on with the free mini eyelash curler, so I just canceled it.

I went to ULTA on Friday, before the bf and I had sushi, and I found the LA Cross Mini Eyelash Curler that Nessa posted about on her blog a while back. She said it was a good dupe for Shu's mini eyelash curler, and I figured for $3.99, why not. Especially since I wasn't going to get my Shu one anymore. :P So here are pictures of my mini eyelash curler. ;)

Here's how it looks when it's in the packaging

Here's how big it is in comparison to the size of my hand

Here's the pad refills that come with it. You get three! Pretty sweet if you ask me. :P

And last but not least, here is a comparative pic of how big the mini eyelash curler is compared to my eye. It fits about 1/3 of my eye. :)

I haven't actually used it yet, so I can't really give you feedback on it yet. :P But I will do a review on this if you guys want one! :) Now, I can't give you a comparative review because I don't have the Shu one, but I can give you a regular review about how I generally feel about the mini eyelash curler, but ONLY if you guys want one. :D