Hello and welcome to my beauty blog. =] My name is Christiana and I am a make-up addict. LOL. On this blog I'll be sharing things like tips, tricks, reviews, swatches, FOTD's, etc. I am in NO WAY a professional, nor do I claim to be one. I am simply a regular girl who enjoys make-up. =P Have a look around and I hope you enjoy your stay. Have an awesome day! =]
DISCLAIMER: All reviews and/or experiences with companies that are mentioned on this blog are based on my own personal experience. Purchase products and/or from companies at your own discretion.
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Feel free to contact me through one of these sources should you have any questions and/or inquiries. To be completely honest, I prefer e-mails seeing as their easier to maintain and organize. If you prefer, feel free to ask your question in the Cbox below. Thank you!
Not the best picture of me (LOL.), but oh well. It's for FOTN purposes. LOL.
What I Used Face: Revlon Colorstay Makeup with Softflex in "Golden Beige" (oily/combination formula) Buff'd Mineral Foundation Original Formula in "Buff" MAC Studiofinish Concealer in "NC30" (on blemishes) MAC Studiofinish Concealer in "NW25" (on undereyes) Ben Nye Powder Rouge in "Contour No. 1" (contour for whole face)
Cheeks: MAC Beauty Powder in "Melba"
Lips: MAC Lipstick in "Up the Amp"
Eyes: MAC Paint Pot in "Painterly" TKB Pressed Mineral Pigment in "Purely Purple" (on inner 2/3 of lid & on outer 2/3 of lower lash line) TKB Pressed Mineral Pigment in "Swiss Chocolate" (on outer 1/3 of lid, in crease, & above crease) MAC Hello Kitty Palette "Lucky Tom" (The "Lucky Tom" color) [on outer 1/3 of upper lid) MAC Hello Kitty Palette "Lucky Tom" (The "Creme Royale" color) [on inner v & under brows] Coastal Scents Gel Liner in "Deep Plum" (on outer 2/3 of lower lash line) Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liner in "Black" (on upper lash line) Covergirl Lash Blast Waterproof in "Very Black"
I will get to work on that Auraline Beauty haul/review vid! =] Hopefully I get some downtime this week so that I can do it, so hold tight peeps. =P Hehe.
A quick tutorial of how I apply my liquid foundation. =]
What I Used Face: Revlon Colorstay Makeup with Softflex in "Golden Beige" Buff'd Mineral Foundation in "Buff" MAC Studiofinish Concealer in "NC30" (on blemishes) MAC Studiofinish Concealer in "NW25" (on under eye area)
Brushes: Ulta Highlighting Brush (dupe of MAC 187) Adorned with Grace Minerals Fiber Optic Blush Brush (dupe of MAC 188) Essence of Beauty Kabuki Brush Ultimate Concealer Brush from Lumiere Cosmetics Contour Crease Brush from Auraline Beauty
My General Overview: So as you all may know I had to start using liquid foundation again because mineral foundation was proving to be TOO drying for my face in this cooler weather. It's been a while since I've worn liquid foundation so I did some research before buying one. After doing some research online I noticed that Revlon's Colorstay Foundations got TONS of good reviews. I decided on that one. Upon going to the drugstore I was honestly surprised by the price tag of this foundation. LOL. I couldn't believe that this drugstore foundation cost $12.99. I mean, seriously... when did DRUGSTORE foundation start costing $12.99. Last time I bought drugstore foundation it cost me around $5.00 or $6.00. LOL. Anyway, I bit the bullet & bought it.
Intially when I tried it I thought, "Oh crap, this is one of those foundies that give me a grey/white cast." Which it did, INITIALLY. After warming up on my face a bit, it matched better. That night after wearing it, I thought it was a decent match... not great.. but pretty good. What I did notice & like about it though was the fact that the coverage was actually VERY good, especially for being a liquid foundation.
I wore it the next day in the daytime. During that time I noticed that the color I bought (310 Warm Golden) was the right shade but the undertones were off. Why, you ask? Because, in the daylight it was apparent that my face had a pink cast to it while my neck & chest were much more olive and/or yellow. This made me VERY sad. This was disappointing because I bought one of the yellowest shades they had that was in my shade range. Apparently, it wasn't yellow and/or olive enough. Sigh... the same problem I had with my old liquid foundation. I made a couple of other observations by the end of day two. (1) my foundation was still on by the end of the night (2) I wasn't oily & greasy looking. Sure, I had that slight glow that I also get when I wear mineral foundation but definitely not greasy & oily. So the lasting power was pretty darn good along with the oil control properties. Mind you, I wasn't wearing ANY primer underneath this foundation. I also applied the foundation using a skunk brush this day & the look & finish of it was AMAZING. Airbrushed & natural... freakn' amazing. One thing that I did notice is that it dries HELLA fast... like REALLY fast. LOL. So with this foundation you have to definitely work with small areas... so that you're able to blend it out in time. This didn't personally bother me, but it may bother some so I thought it was important to mention.
The next day I experimented by using one of my mineral foundations as a finishing powder (VERY LIGHTLY). It did help offset the pink in the foundation & it definitely looked better with my mineral foundation on top to set it since my mineral foundation DOES have the right undertones for me. I find that applying it THIS way was definitely the way to go for me. When I apply it this way it's still not a PERFECT match but definitely much better.
So by the end of day three I pretty much knew everything I had to know about this foundation. I knew that it controlled oil pretty damn good. I noticed the coverage was pretty damn good as well. I knew that it had impressive lasting power. I also figured out that unfortunately, this line lacks the yellow & olive in their foundations that I need. After taking pictures with this foundation on I also figured out that it has reflective properties in it that do cause that slight white cast that some foundations can cause. So it's DEFINITELY not as picture friendly as my mineral foundation... then again, as stated before, this foundation was lacking my yellow and olive undertones so I think that plays a factor as well. I also noticed that it DIDN'T break me out! This is a VERY good sign. I have sensitive skin & usually almost anything breaks me out... but this didn't, even after a week of using it everyday faithfully... no breakouts. ZILCH. Huge plus for that.
Rite-aid was having a BOGO so I bought "Golden Beige" & "Natural Tan". I bought these shades just to see if maybe either of the two would be a better match. "Natural Tan" is obviously too dark for me right now, but could possibly work as a summer shade depending on how tan I actually get this summer. "Golden Beige" is VERY similar to "Warm Golden" with only a slight difference. "Golden Beige" is more so neutral & just a tad more yellow. When you hold the two beside each other you will notice that "Warm Golden" has more pinky/peachy undertones in it than "Golden Beige". I found that I can get away wearing both... & still have yet to figure out which one I like more... but since I have both shades anyway, I figure I'll alternate between the two.
Here are swatches of the foundies on the back of my hand.
Here's a picture of me wearing "Golden Beige"
Here's a picture of me wearing "Golden Warm"
As you can see there's not a HUGE difference in the way that they look. They both cause a slight white cast on me in the pictures because well, these pictures were taken with flash. LOL.
Just for the sake of showing the difference, I'll be showing you four different pictures of me wearing the two different shades of foundies. One pic with flash & one without flash. These first two are pictures of me wearing "Warm Golden".
a picture of me wearing "Warm Golden" WITH flash
the foundie looks slightly whitish right? this isn't the whitest my face has looked in a picture either. i'm guessing it depends on how strong the flash is. the stronger the flash, the whiter your face is. LOL.
A picture of me wearing "Warm Golden" without flash.
Well, the pic is blurry but you should still be able to tell if my foundie was too light for me or not. yep, that's right... a close to perfect match in person. it'd be perfect if it had OLIVE undertones in it... but well, we can't have everything we want. LOL. That pink cast that it gives (hard to capture on camera) really does bother me. LOL.
These next two pictures are of me wearing the shade "Golden Beige".
a picture of me wearing "Golden Beige" taken with flash.
Again, a white cast is present when the picture is taken with flash, but not as noticeably bad versus when the picture is taken at night or in a dark room. I've noticed that if you take a picture with flash in say your bedroom at night with bad lighting, the flash will reflect off of this foundation even stronger & cause more of a noticeable white cast.
A picture of me wearing "Golden Beige" taken without flash.
What I did notice between wearing the two shades is that "Golden Beige" definitely doesn't make me look quite as pink as "Warm Golden" does, so I think I slightly prefer "Golden Beige" on myself.
Overall, I'm pleased with this foundation because it's an exceptionally good foundation besides one tiny fact... I wasn't able to find a PERFECT match in this line because their foundations lack my olive & yellow undertones. Actually, the fact that it causes a white cast in photos turns me off as well. Also, it's priced kinda steep for a DRUGSTORE brand, but if you get it during a BOGO, it's definitely worth it. =]
PROS: The coverage is excellent along with the lasting power. It controls oil very well, especially considering it's a liquid foundation & not a powder foundation. It looks natural & airbrushed and feels very lightweight, definitely doesn't give you that "caked on" feeling. Dries fairly fast which I find a pro cause I'm in a rush most of the time & I don't have time to wait for my foundation to dry. LOL. It didn't break me out & my skin didn't react to it at all, which is awesome because I have acne prone skin. The formula I bought (the "Oily/Combination" formula) has SPF 6 in it which isn't much, but at least it has some sort of SPF in it. The "Normal/Dry" formula has an SPF rating of 15.
CONS: Didn't have enough yellow and olive undertones in the foundations for me. Causes a white cast in pictures. Kinda pricey for a drugstore brand.
You'll Like This Product If: - You want a liquid foundation that provides pretty good coverage (medium to buildable) - You want a foundation that doesn't have TOO much yellow in it - You want a foundation that offers differenty formulas for different skin types (they have two formulas one for "dry/normal" skin & the other for "oily/combination" skin. i've been using the "oily/combination" formula.) - You want a foundatoin with some sort of SPF rating to it - You want a foundation good with oil control - You want a foundation that lasts long & DOESN'T transfer - You want a foundation that looks natural - You want a foundation that feels lightweight
You Won't Like This Product If: - You need a foundation that's photogenic & DOESN'T cause a white cast in pictures - You have strong yellow and/or olive undertones - You don't want a foundation that dries down too fast therefore making application take a tad longer since you have to work in sections - You're on a budget & don't believe in spending $12.00 for a drugstore foundation - You're an all minerals type of person & prefer a very minimal ingredients list
Would I Re-purchase This Product?: I feel like I have to hesitate to answer this because... I don't know. LOL. The ONLY reason I wouldn't is because it gives a white cast in pictures & their line doesn't offer the undertones that I need in my foundation. I think if I could find a perfect match in this line, I would DEFINITELY re-purchase... no second thoughts. But since the pink cast DOES bother the heck out of me (I can be pretty OCD when it comes to foundie matching), I don't know. I'm not SURE if I would repurchase after I use up what I already have. Maybe during a BOGO, I'm more likely to. This really sucks because I REALLY DO like this foundation because the feel, finish, coverage, oil-control, & lasting power are all awesome... but the lack of the correct undertones for me & white cast in pictures do bother me quite a bit. LOL. I don't know... probably during a BOGO... other than that I'm still unsure. This really is an AWESOME foundation, if you can find a match that you're happy with... just wish I were that lucky. Damn my OCD for foundation matching. LOL.
To show you guys how "Warm Golden" looks without flash I also did a YouTube video. Here it is for those of you who are interested. =]
So my love Jackie just texted me about IMATS and asked me if I was going which I DEFINITELY am because I missed it last year. =( I was planning on going last year, but didn't because guess what, I was jobless & didn't have money to be spending there. LOL.
So basically I just wanted to know if any of you ladies are going? =] I know pink is doing another pow wow & that she's already gathering up a good amount of beauty bloggers to hit up IMATS but I know there's a few ladies that live close by me that I have yet to meet & what BETTER way to meet up than at a freakn' beauty convention!? Haha! Ladies that come to mind are Imee, Jes (Jesmakeup), Anne (Yummiebitez), Nessa (Nessasarymakeup), etc.
So I'm wondering if people who live in so-cal close to Dena (Pasadena) plan on hitting up IMATS this year? =] If so, you'll def see me there. LOL. The bf is coming with me too cause he agreed to already & actually thinks that makeup can be pretty cool. He's fascinated by the artsy fartsy type makeup and of course special effects makeup. LOLOL. But yeah. =P
Let me knowwwww... ;P
BTW... you do NOT need to be a professional in anyway to attend this show. This one is open to the PUBLIC unlike other big makeup conventions. :P So yeah. If you need more info about IMATS go here. There you can find info on what booths will be there (stuff you can buy) & much more important/helpful information. PLUS, you can buy your tickets in advance for cheaper on the website. =]
So guys, I finally have the internet back. LOL. My internet connection at home went haywire last weekend & it didn't get up & running till this weekend. Yes, a week without the internet SUCKED huge. LOL. XP
Anywho, I've started using liquid foundation again because my skin is EXTREMELY dry right now & mineral foundation wasn't really acting favorably because of this. It's not that I have dry skin, my skin is actually oily... but I have combo skin & my t-zone has surface dehydration right now... so I need a foundation that's a tiny bit moisturizing. I decided to try out Revlon's Colorstay Liquid Foundation because I've seen a few raves about it here & there, plus they have TWO formulas! One for dry/normal skin & one for oily/combination skin.
I bought the oily/combination formula because I'm afraid the dry/normal one would be TOO moisturizing & break me out. So far, so good! =] It really looks MUCH better on my skin right now. My mineral foundation was ACCENTUATING dry spots & that's NOT cute. LOL. This foundation doesn't do that at all so two thumbs WAY up for that. =]
It's been a while since I've bought drugstore liquid foundation but... wth? When did drugstore liquid foundation start costing around $12.00 a bottle? Last I recall my foundation from the drugstore use to cost me like $5.00 or $6.00 a pop... my pre-mineral days. Jeebus, drugstore make-up costs so much now! LOL.
Anywho, overall I'm really liking this foundation so far. The coverage is surprisingly really good & it doesn't feel heavy at all. I applied it with my ULTA Fiber Optic (dupe of MAC's #187) & it came out looking really natural & airbrushed. I'm tempted to say that I love it... BUT, I don't want to speak too soon. :P I'll probably do a formal review of this foundie after a week or two of usage. =]
Okay, so here's the thing that I DID notice with this foundie though. It's not picture friendly. LOL. It matches pretty damn good in person, but in pictures it does cause a slight white cast effect. I bought the shade "310 Warm Golden" & it definitely is a decent match. I wouldn't say perfect because to be honest... it lacks the olive undertones in it that I need. It's definitely warm & has golden undertones but no olive... & unfortunately I have olive undertones in my skin so I wouldn't say it's a PERFECT match, but definitely close enough for me to get away with it. I'm wearing it in this picture & the flash in the pic did cause a slight white cast... but I'll be doing a youtube vid soon & I'll wear my foundie in that vid so that you can see that it actually matches. LOL.
By the way, like my glasses? =] I bought them at the mall a couple of weeks ago. No, I don't need glasses or contacts for corrective purposes... they're solely accessories for me... well... for now. LOL. I'm pretty sure when I get older I'll need them for that purpose. XP BTW... I did get a haircut & no it's SO not fixed in this picture. Haha! My hair is completely homebody status in the pic but oh well. LOL. I just got bangs again & relayered my hair. Nothing different or crazy. Ha. :P
On top of that, I wasn't going to buy anything from MAC's HK collection because I just didn't have the cashflow needed for it. However, my dear friend Jackie, being the sweetheart that she is, bought me some stuff from the collection as a late bday gift! =]
She surprised me at work last week. At first I thought she was stopping by just to say hi because she's done that before, but she also surprised me with my late bday gift! Thanks girl, I LOVE everything you got me. Good thing you know what I like. Haha. =] I'm not going to lie, I LOVE the packaging of the blush & the imprint of Hello Kitty on the lipstick... it makes me not want to use the lipstick. Haha! Anywho, here's a quick & simple FOTD that I did using everything she got me. =]
What I Used Eyes: Hello Kitty "Lucky Tom" Eyeshadow Palette "Creme Royale" (highlight under brow & on inner v) "Paradisco" (on inner 2/3 of upper lid) "Stylin'" (above crease & on outer 2/3 of lower lash line) "Lucky Tom" (in crease & outer 1/3 of upper eyelid)
Lips: "Strayin'" Lipstick
Cheeks: "Fun & Games" Beauty Powder Blush
So that's it. BTW... my Valentine's Day weekend was great. =] Didn't do any fancy smancy look for V-day... just a basic smokey eye. What can I say, I've been makeup lazy lately. LOL.
So that's all. Expect some videos soon about a few makeup brushes that I want to talk about. That's all! Hope you guys had a great V-day with your loved ones. =]
deuces! <333
I totally wasn't feeling the whole, "I wanna be sexy." thang when I took these pics. The "I'm asian & I'm a dork." persona kinda took over for a brief second. Please excuse that. LOLOL! =]
P.S. I got "Warm Golden" instead of "Sand Beige" (which I've read was a match for most MAC NC 30's) but to be honest, to MY eye "Sand Beige" was still slightly too pinkish. =/ "Warm Golden" looked similar in tone but more so yellow... which is why I picked it. =] Although, "Golden Beige" looks like it might work too. Honestly, "Sand Beige" looks rather pinky especially in comparison with my skintone. If you're an NC30/NC35 range that TRULY does have golden or yellow undertones, I'd recommend looking into "Golden Beige" or "Golden Warm" instead of "Sand Beige" because "Sand Beige" is definitely pinker than the two "Golden" shades... hold them by each other & you'll be able to see for yourself... or hold the bottle up beside your skin & you'll be able to see the difference in undertones. =] If you're unsure still, I suggest buying it from CVS because they have an AWESOME return policy. =]
because I've been doing that thing where you splurge on like 2 or 3 fairly big hauls. LOL. =X
So I finished paying off the bills I had due at the beginning of this month & had some extra room for shopping... so I figured, what the hey. Hehe. =]
I placed my first order with Auraline Beauty just to order some of their brushes. =] I've heard many good things about them PLUS they had a brush on their site that looks EXACTLY like a certain brush that I simply ADORE. I'll probably do a vid about that with more info, comparisons, etc. once that haul comes in. =]
I bought more tongue rings. LOL. Dude, I could seriously buy a display case & fill it up w/ all the tongue rings that I've acquired at this point. LOL. =] Sa'll good... I don't end up paying more than $3.00 per tongue ring... & that's pushing it. LOL. =] Might post about that... might not... we'll see. =]
I bought the MAC #226 brush... like 10 minutes ago on the Nordstrom's website. =] Apparently, it's still available for pick up in a Nordstrom's close to me... so yay. =] I bought that brush cause from some pictures that I've seen it looks similar to my ALL TIME favorite crease brush for PRECISE crease work. I do plan on doing a comparison & more in depth talk about that later. I'm also planning on checking out the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer (since I ADORE their Studiofinish Concealer SO MUCH) & their MAC #165 brush cause I contour & highlight almost every time that I wear makeup... definitely a POSSIBLE must have for me. But... I feel like I have to see those two last things in person to make a solid decision. MAC prices are still kinda steep IMHO. LOL. XP
Besides that... I've been working sweat shop status (analogy compliments of ms. imee herself. haha). No JOKE. I'll be working 13 days STRAIGHT... NO days off. Tomorrow will be day 6 of my work chain. Haha! This is of course my choice... I COULD have had this Sunday off but they were short on staff for that day so I volunteered. I figured, what the hell, I need the greenbacks anywho. :P So I WILL be expecting a fat paycheck on the 16th or 17th of this month. w00t! hehe.
When I get my next paycheck... I plan on doing some clothing shopping (I feel my wardrobe needs some upgrading) & some shoe shopping (that needs some lovin' as well) because my focus for the past year or so has been mostly makeup. LOL. I also want to shop for some accessories... a couple of new earrings, etc. =]
Hard work pays off yo, you just gotta be willing to put in the work. So, I guess that's it. I gotta replace the light bulb on my headlight this weekend (YES, I know how to replace my car's headlight myself. =]), do some errands, work (obviously. ha.), & try to relax somewhere in between there. LOL. BUT... I do have three days off NEXT weekend... yes, Valentine's Day weekend. The bf & I are doing our getaway thang again. Ha! =D So I go on vacay for three days & by the time I get back it's payday! AWESOME!!! Haha. =]
That is all. As you can see I'm a busy girl lately. =X Hopefully life slows down soon, but not by TOO much. =] Being this busy & productive is a good feeling... especially when you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. =]
This is a quick & pictureless post about my skincare regimen as of now. =] Once again, a request from Tao. Hehe. =] It's okay though, I like her requests seeing how they're easy and all. LOL. =X
Alrite, to be COMPLETELY honest, my skin BEHAVES in cooler weather. =] I have oily/combo skin in the summer and normal skin in the winter. =] I just wanted to state that because that has ALOT to do with why my skin's been pretty clear lately. SUMMER is when my skin totally hates me & decides to have mounds & mounds of breakouts on it. =*(
Anywho, I still get some pimples here & there & this is the regimen I use ONLY when I need to, meaning I'm starting to get a pimple or breakout OR I just want to maintain my skin. I'd say I use this regimen about two times a week... three tops. The rest of the days I just lightly wash my face with the Camellia Rose Goats Milk, Rose, and Shea Bar OR I don't wash my face at all. Some nights I don't pay any attention to my face & just let good old plain water do it's job while I'm taking a shower. :P
Yes, my skin is unbelievably low maintenance right now... I just wish it were like this all of the time. :( *sigh* But I can honestly say these products DO help when my skin decides to act up. =] They've been stopping my breakouts & pimples in place. Please NOTE that this is what works for MY skin & it may NOT work for YOUR skin the same way.
Morning: NOTHING
Night: Cleanse: w/ "GoW (Garden of Wisdom) Simply Clean Tea Tree Cleanser" or "Camellia Rose Goats Milk, Rose, & Shea Bar" Manual Exfoliation: w/ "Microfiber Cloth" (i bought mine from GoW) Chemical Exfoliation & Treatment: "GoW Blueberry Exfo Serum" & "GoW Majik Anti-PopUp Blemish Gel"
I do these last three things DEPENDING on how the weather is that night or how it's been lately. If it's been hot I skip these last three things. If it's been cool and/or cold I'll usually do these last three steps... it depends on what I feel my skin needs at the time. Also, sometimes I only do the last two steps & skip the mask... like I said, it depends on what I feel like my skin needs.
Mask: (rarely done, maybe only once a month) "Glacial Clay" Mask (bought it from GoW as well) Hydrate: Water & "GoW HA Serum" (I prefer GoW's Honeycomb HA Serum or Immortelle HA Serum) Moisturize: "Camellia Rose's Seabuckthorn & Blue Tansy Nourishing Eye & Face Cream"
HOW I APPLY THESE: CLEANSE - I just dampen my face with warm water (NOT HOT) & apply the cleanser. I massage the cleanser into my face SOFTLY (VERY SOFTLY, I don't want to tug on my skin & cause premature wrinkles. LOL.) for about 3 minutes then I rinse my face completely clear of cleanser with warm water. MANUAL EXFOLIATION: I then massage my face with my microfiber cloth for about a minute again fairly lightly. It's EXTREMELY easy to over-do it with the microfiber cloth so you'll want to start off light & figure out how much pressure you should apply little by little. Overdoing it with the microfiber cloth WILL hurt afterwards. LOL. After exfoliation, rinse your face with warm water again & dry off your face completely. CHEMICAL EXFOLIATION: Apply the GoW Blueberry Exfo Serum all over your face (make sure your face is dry) & then apply the GoW Majik Anti-Popup Blemish Gel on top of the Blueberry Exfo Serum & let it dry. If you're moving on to the next step let this sit for 15 minutes then move onto the next step, do NOT rinse/wash it off. If you're not doing the next step... you're done for the night. No need to rinse or wash anything off after this step. =] MASK: I mix some Glacial Clay & water in an empty yet CLEAN facial cream jar that I have & apply that all over my face. I let it dry for 20 minutes then rinse it off. Then, I dry my face with a clean towel. HYDRATE: I spritz my face with water until it's VERY damp & then apply my HA Serum of choice (either Honeycomb or Immortelle) MOISTURIZE: I then apply Camellia Rose's Seabuckthorn & Blue Tansy Nourishing Eye & Face Cream all over my face. I apply a TINY bit because this cream is VERY rich & you only need very LITTLE.
Notice I DO NOT use the Ly-Na Pearl Face Cream. Why? Because I DO NOT like my face being 5 shades lighter than my chest. LOL. My face is always naturally lighter than my chest as it is... so that stuff wasn't helping. LOL. I only really wanted to use it to lighten up old acne scars... & most of them are gone now so I stopped using it. =]
So that's all. It SEEMS crazy & tedious but I swear to you it's not. Haha! Hope this helps. =]
P.S. For those of you who are interested in the products that I mentioned in this post you can easily find them on their respective websites. =] I've linked the stores that sell these products below.
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