Hauls from Sasa and Imomoko

Oh hayyy I am making 3 posts in one week!! Haha.

I had to come into work both Saturday and Sunday T_T so I didn't have much of a weekend....but I did watch UP in 3-D!!!!! Soooo amazing I love that movie, I was pretty much like bawling for the first 20 minutes. This movie has such mature themes for a Disney flick I was very surprised!

Anyway, on to my hauls! Few weeks ago I ordered some stuff from Imomoko and Sasa, and they finally arrived!! Lots of skincare goodies ~

First, from Imomoko:

Finally got my hands on some Kevin Beautymaker stuff!! Geezus these were sooo hard to get a hold of, every time I checked the website they would be out of stock, I finally caught them on a day when all 3 items were in stock so I ordered them as fast as I could haha.

From L to R: I got the Aquamarine Hydrating Eye Serum, Aquamarine Hydrating Serum, and Aquamarine Hydrating Lotion.

I really love the packaging, so very simple and clean, not fussy, and very practical sanitary pumps! It reminds me lot of the Boscia packaging.

I've only tried the products for 2 days so far so I can't really comment on how well they work, but so far I'm liking them, they all have a very faint rose smell which I love!

I like the texture and consistency of these products so far, especially the serums, they actually do feel very moisturizing. The lotion is a little runny but we'll see how "hydrating" it really is.

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Then my haul from Sasa~

I got a ton of stuff!! Mostly skincare things. Lots of masks from Silk Whitia (they were having a BOGOF sale!), Catena, Hisamitsu, and My Beauty Diary. Some of them are for my Mom. Also got some cool 3M Nexcare acne dressing patches, haven't tried them out yet but will when I get a pimple haha. Also got some cotton puffs, cotton mask sheets so I can make some DIY masks, a Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil, and finally Maybelline Angelfit foundation.

I got it in shade N02 Shell Beige and it is actually a very good match. I think N stands for Neutral, there are other shades that start with W(warm) and C(cool). The picture came out darker than it actually is.

The packaging says it is the #1 foundation in Japan, hahah really? I have no idea if that is true.

The foundation has SPF 17 PA++ and contains chamomile essence, royal jelly, Vitamin E, and....PINK PEARLS!! Are pink pearls more special than regular white pearls? haha who knows. It claims that it is developed specially to suit Asian women's skin.

The consistency is super liquidy! And it blends really well and feels absolutely WEIGHTLESS on the skin, like it is so light that you really don't feel like you have anything on your face at all. Coverage is light to medium I would say, however I find that it kind of accentuates the flakes on my cheeks, so I have to make sure to moisturize very well before using this. Will report back when I have tried it out more thoroughly.

Can't wait to try all of my new goodies :)

New Discoveries and New necklace!

Awwwwwww thank you guys for being so caring and encouraging!! It makes the long hours somewhat bearable...hehe. Even though it is pretty tiring, I am actually liking work a lot, I am learning tons of new things and the project I'm working on is very interesting! I actually got off work before 11PM tonight so I decided to blog! haha.

I have not been wearing very much makeup to work because I simply don't have time in the mornings, I much rather catch up on some much-needed sleep than spend the time to do makeup. I've learned a lot of things about makeup at work so far and I want to share with you guys!

#1. Portable concealers/touch up pens are your best friend!! I have a newfound appreciation for those clicky concealer/touch up pens that I used to find very annoying, like the YSL Touche Eclat. I keep it in my desk at work and touch up during the late afternoon to look more awake, it is not a concealer but I simply dab some under my eyes, top of cheekbones, forehead, and nose bridge for highlight and it TOTALLY makes me look 10x more awake and refreshed. Super easy and quick! I used to think Touche Eclat was useless but now I think I finally "get it"!!

#2. Facial sprays are your second best friend!! I like the idea of face spritzers but I never remember to use them. Now when I am working for 12+ hours under air-conditioned office and in front of the computer all day, my skin feels totally parched! I keep my Mario Badescu Facial Spray at my desk and spritz my face when my skin feels dehydrated, and the cooling mist helps me stay awake and alert!

#3. Eye drops are your third best friend!! Hahaha this one is kind of a no brainer, my eyes get pretty red and dry when I am tired, so eye drops are a must to keep them moisturized. According to my optometrist, I actually am a "half blinker" which means when I blink, my eyes do not close all the way, so I sort of half blink and because of this my eyes are more prone to dryness. So I keep my trusted bottle of Systane with me at all times. These eye drops are awesome! But I really want to try out those cool Japanese Rohto eye drops that are supposedly like "crack for your eyes" haha.

Those are the 3 beauty lessons that I've learned so far, I would love to hear you guys share your own beauty tips for long days at the office! :)

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Finally, a little shameless plug, a brand new necklace is up on my jewelry blog!! It is called the Purple Variations Necklace~

I made this a while ago actually...but have been too busy to actually upload the pictures and list it for sale...

Check it out here

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OK it is 1am so I must go sleep! I should be excited that tomorrow is Friday but considering I have to work over the weekend there's not really much to celebrate for :/

FML

Hi guys, so sorry for the lack of updates!

I just started working at my internship and I've already worked an average of 12 hours a day...T_T. I've literally just woke up and showered, went to work, came home, washed up, and went to sleep. I haven't checked my blog list at all, I probably have like over 500+ posts waiting to read!! ahhh.

So just a quick update and a heads up for some very sparse posting in the near future :/ I hope to make more time to blog and to work on my jewelry!! Haven't had time to do any of those :(

Hauls: B&BW, Sephora, Kiehls

I have been blissfully relaxing at my parents' house for the past two weeks and spent a lot of quality time with the fam.  Now I have to fly back to Cali tomorrow and start work on Monday T_T.  

I have been doing a lot of shopping, but mostly online.  I checked out the Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual sale and while most of the stuff were pretty disappointing, I managed to find some awesome products at 75% off!

Here is the collective haul~

I don't really like the B&BW in-house line, so I picked up some goodies from C.O. Bigelow and True Blue Spa.  

I got a C.O. Bigelow Cucumber Skin Tonic.  It's basically a toner that has a slightly gel-like consistency.  It's alcohol-free, which is a MUST for me when it comes to toners, and it's targeted for dry skin.  Contains witch hazel and cucumber extracts, and smells like fresh cucumbers!  Not a fan of the packaging though, I wish it came in a pump.  But for $3.75 I can't really complain haha.  Will try this and report back!

Also picked up this interesting product, True Blue Spa's For Heaven's Sake Super-Softening Oil-to-Cream Bath & Shower Wash with Sake.  Haha what a mouthful.  I looked at the ingredients list and it actually contains real Sake!! It smells delicious, kind of fresh and fruity.  It's like an oil that emulsifies into a creamy lather when you add water, pretty much like a cleansing oil but for your body!  Can't wait to try this in the shower~

Picked up another True Blue Spa product, Self Meditating Body Butter with Rice Bran Oil & Green Tea.  This smells really really good as well, and contains a high amount of Shea Butter (3rd on the ingredients list) so it must be very moisturizing! I used it yesterday after my shower and it applied very smoothly and sank into the skin without too much oily residue.  The texture is really similar to The Body Shop Body Butter, those are my fave's but this one is pretty good too.  Very moisturizing!

Then stocked up on some travel sizes of the C.O. Bigelow Protein-Enriched Conditioner for only $1 each!!  This is hands down the BEST conditioner that I've used.  It's sooo extremely hydrating, it makes my hair incredibly soft and shiny afterwards.  I actually just finished a travel size bottle of this not too long ago and was about to go and buy the full size until I came across these little bottles on sale at B&BW!  I highly highly recommend this conditioner to anyone with dry and over-processed hair.  It worked wonders for me when my hair was permed, it made my curls soo shiny and luscious afterwards!  It also smells like fresh pears.  

The Semi-Annual Sale is still going on!! So go and grab these goodies while they're still available!  

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Then I stopped by Sephora to browse around and to repurchase the Shiseido sunscreen.

Just stocked up on the Shiseido sunscreen and got a deluxe Stella McCartney perfume sample. 

I finished my first bottle of the Shiseido Sun Protection Cream and this is my second bottle!! This stuff is awesome.  Not sticky and not greasy, smells good, absorbs well, and has SPF 55 PA+++ protection!! Definitely one of the highest protection that I've seen in a facial sunscreen.  

Got this deluxe sample for hitting 100 points.  It smells really good, like roses!! I'll be carrying this in my purse~

The latest Sephora products are looking rather lackluster.  Nothing seemed to really interest me, or maybe I just have too many products already haha. 

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I decided to pick up the Creamy Eye Treatment from Kiehl's.  This is my first Kiehl's purchase! I needed a very moisturizing nighttime eye cream, and this was actually recommended to me by my boyfriend's roommate LOL yes he is straight and uses eye cream! haha.  

Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado.  It comes in a pretty heavy glass (ceramic?) jar.  Yea I know jars are yucky for eye creams!! I'm going to see if I can get a little spatula to scoop it out instead of using my fingers.  

It contains lots of moisturizing ingredients like shea butter and avocado oil.  The consistency is a very thick cream.  

There is actually a trick to applying this! 

What you have to do is first take a little blob of the eye cream and put it on the back of your hand~

Then use your ring finger to blend it and warm it up, because the texture is so thick it cannot be absorbed unless you blend it a little bit.  As you keep on blending it will begin to change texture and start to emulsify, it's actually kind of cool, because you rub rub rub and suddenly the cream becomes very liquidy.  

Then you take the liquified cream and dab it around the eyes.  It definitely feels very moisturizing when applied.  I've only used it for a few days so I can't tell if it's really working, but I will report back!

I'm also expecting some packages coming from Imomoko and Sasa!  Some Beautymaker stuff and lots of masks!  I've been on a skincare kick lately.  

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Finally I wanted to show off my tiny little "pan" collection haha.  It feels so good to hit pan!

Clinique Butter Shine in Poppy Love, Becca cream shadow in Quartz.

I've actually hit pan on this some time ago...but the pan is bigger now!! :P

I actually finished all of this lipstick!  It used to be my favorite lippie because the color was so flattering and the texture so soft and smooth.  I think this product is very underrated, and deserves more love!!  I highly recommend Clinique Butter Shines.  They're very very comparable to the Dior Addict High Shines, they have that same buttery texture and glossy finish at almost half the price!  These are a great dupe for the Dior lippies if you are on a budget :)  

So which makeup products have you finished lately?  I'd love to see other people's pan pr0n haha.  

GIVEAWAYS!!, Swap with Sarah, My Doggie

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Mayaari is having a fabulous giveaway on her blog!!

CLICK TO ENTER!

She is giving away 2 different gift packs with some awesome goodies! I spy Darkness lashes, NYX shadows, Dariya hair sheets, O'slee masks, Benefit mascara, among many others!

Go go go and enter. Must be a follower of her blog and choose one of the gift packs! I know which one I'm choosing...hahah :P

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Narita is also having a giveaway....of MAC items!!

Prizes are Style Warrior lipglass, Dazzleglass, and a Blush!

I foresee lots of entries for this one because it's MAC haha.

She's having 3 winners so lots of chances to win!

CLICK TO ENTER!

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A few weeks ago I did my very first swap with Sarah (Izumi)!! We decided on a jewelry parts swap where we exchanged jewelry making bits from our local jewelry supply stores and make some cool pieces using them. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad Sarah was my first swap because she is one of the nicest and most generous person ever!

The whole package~

Haha I blacked out the jewelry parts because I want it to be a surprise! Working on a new collection dedicated to them :)

She included tons of goodies including a pair of her signature dangly earrings!! I was very touched.


Check out these cute earrings, grey and pink = cute combo!

My attempt at modeling them...haha.


(by the way, if you were wondering, that is a little scar on my ear from my 2nd hole. I can still poke through it! But it doesn't look very good because it is so close to my 1st hole.)

Go buy them HERE, and also check out her new Pretty Shimmers collection using materials from our swap!



She also included some makeup. I LOVE the Revlon gloss in Nude Lustre, I now have 4 of these glosses! Best drugstore gloss in my opinion. I blogged about it in this post.

The NYC Waterproof eyeliners are amazing!! A very pleasant surprise, you all know how I love any pencil liners that are waterproof. They are super creamy and very smudge-resistant!


Yummy yummy candies! I especially liked the yellow ones...Sarah what are these called?? I want moreeee!!

Thank you for the swap Sarah, stay tuned for an upcoming jewelry collection using the mysterious parts!! :D

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Since I am at home, I get to spend lots of time with my doggie, Benny. He is a purebred maltese, extremely spoiled by my dad, and is 4 years old already!! Sigh time goes by so fast, it felt like only yesterday that he was a wee puppy :(


I wanted to share some pictures of him I took. I think it would be super awesome if we had a big maltese play date with Angie's boys and Stacy's pup!!!


Here he is cowering in fear hahaha jk, he just stood up from the floor. My leg in the corner :P


Here he is hanging out at his favorite spot...the living room window that faces the street. He sits there ALL day long waiting for my dad to come home from work and occasionally growls at passersby LOL.


I usually come over and bother him for a bit lol. Sniffing his head...


Using him as pillows and such...

He is so hairy now! He needs a haircut soon.


Finally I will leave you a picture of how he normally sleeps...





lol! I like how he crosses his paws :P