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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sarah and The Mary Kay Look

I'm a whore for free stuff, I'm not going to lie to any of you.  It's why I've shared reviews of stuff I've gotten from Bzzzagent and Influenster in the past.  But this time, Influenster sent me a box that was filled with stuff from Mary Kay.  This was like, the holy shit motherload of free stuff, you guys, and I'm nearly giddy.

Mary Kay is a brand I've never really played with before; it seems to be marketed toward a demographic a bit older than I am, and I honestly don't know anyone who sells it.  But now that I know I can buy it online, my mind is changing in favor of grabbing some more products.  Here's what Influenster sent me.


LOOK AT HOW CUTE THE INSIDE OF THE BOX IS!

Holy shitballs, Batman, that's a lot of stuff!

Well, naturally me being me, I went to open up the cream eye shadow first.  I use a lot of loose eyeshadow, and pressed eyeshadows, but not so much creams.  Color me intrigued!




That was just one swipe of the cream shadow; it's a very dark purple that I'm hoping will build up to something even prettier.  I also got a brush with which to apply cream shadow.  I LOVE BRUSHES.



I will always take mascara.  I don't know if it'll be able to dethrone my current Holy Grail mascara, Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes!, but we'll see.  And lash ... primer?  Ohhhhkay.  I haven't tried one of those since Origins' Underwear For Lashes didn't do anything back in high school.  But like I said, I'll try anything once!  (I'll review it once I've given it a go.)





Lastly, I got a lipstick in Pink Cherie.  This pink isn't the sort of color I'd usually go for - it's kind of bright on me - but the forumla feels nice.  Not too gloopy, almost balm-y, not too waxy either.

All things considered, the cute packaging and the pretty colors are convincing me to give Mary Kay another look.  I hope the eye shadow and mascara live up to the hype, and I'd love the lipstick in another color.  The lash primer I'm not holding out much hope for, but that's a bias against the idea of lash primer in general, not just Mary Kay.

Do you use Mary Kay?  How's your day goin'?

Disclaimer: This product was provided by a third party for reviewing purposes.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.


Friday, June 28, 2013

Nail MADNESS - Julep "Joy"

Here's a quick stamping manicure I threw together using Julep's "Joy", a dusky, nude-y pink, Konad black stamping polish, and my Nailz Craze NC02 stamping plate.







Kind of jacked up my ring finger, but whatever - this was my first try with this plate, and it's gorgeous.  Some plates just don't pick up the stamping polish very well, but these work like a dream.  Very, very happy.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with this seller.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

My Holy Grail BB Cream - Skin79 Hot Pink

I haven't talked a lot about BB creams here before now.  I have a smallish collection, both Korean and US brands.  But honestly - and this is just my humble opinion - Asian BB creams are where it's at.

If you're a beauty novice, you may be wondering what in the world a BB cream is, which is understandable.  They're pretty new here Stateside.  Basically, it's a multitasking cream that was invented in South Korea for people post cosmetic surgery (or at least that's what I gather after reading Wikipedia).  It's shorthand for any cream that's going to do at least triple duty.  Most BB creams offer light to medium coverage for imperfections, sunblock, and moisturize.  Some go further and whiten (for dark spots and/or acne scars) or have anti-wrinkle properties.  BB creams are perfect for lazy people like me who maybe want to shave five to ten minutes off of their get ready in the morning routine.

Sounds awesome, right?  Sold you, yeah?  Well, American BB creams... don't seem to do this.  At least not that well.  They seem to just be tinted moisturizers - crazy light coverage, some moisture, maybe some sunscreen as an afterthought.  Fffff, whatever.  So, what BB cream do I use?







 This is my HG BB cream, my Holy Grail, my sun and stars - Skin79 Hot Pink Super+ BB.  It whitens (and I have noticed a reduction in the dark marks acne leaves behind on my face in the two or so years I've used this product), it has SPF 25, and it allegedly helps with wrinkles.  That last claim, I don't know - it's not like I take photos of my face on the daily.  But what I do know is that it also does help with oily skin.  This is a BB cream meant for people with oily skin and/or acne, and it really does help with shine.  And the coverage is far better than any other BB cream I've ever tried, and that includes most Asian ones.




Here's my left hand.  I've got a mole and a freckle there.  Let's see if we can't cover 'em up some.



 This is the approximate amount I'd use to cover my whole face,  just one pump of the BB.  I know what you're thinking - dear god, is it ever grey!  That's nobody's skin color anywhere!



You're still thinking it, huh?  How is this ever going to match my skin?  Well, most Asian BBs are like this - they oxidize a bit, eventually matching your skin tone.  If you've ever used a complexion matching foundation - Almay and Josie Maran make them - it's the same thing as that.




Here's what it looks like blended.  The mole would need a little concealer, but overall, this is what I use on my face on a daily basis.  Instead of doing primer + foundation + concealer + powder, I use primer + BB cream + concealer but only if I need it so not very often + powder to set.  BB also lets me skip moisturizing my skin in the morning so I can just use a face wipe if I overslept like woah.

And there we go!  My first BB cream post.  I've got like, five other ones to review, but I wanted to let you guys know about my favorite one first.  And if you're cringing at the 30.00 price tag - I've never bought mine direct from Skin79, and this is my third bottle.  Right now, I'm digging KoCo Mall who has it for 20.99 USD, but pretty much any Asian reseller will have samples for two to ten dollars depending on the size.  Get a generous sample before you get the huge size, make sure you like it.  Most of the big samples have enough for a week or two of use.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with this seller.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Nail MADNESS - Coco and HexNail Charms

Quick post today!  Just a lazy mani with Julep's "Coco" and a snake nail charm from Hex Nail Jewelry.



I liked it, and got more compliments over it whilst in hospital than I've ever gotten over a mani anywhere.  You can get Hex Nail Charms over on their website for around 1.75 a pop.  They're reusable and hella fun.  This is the Small Snake, and I just love it to bitty pieces.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

KoreaDepart Haul - Don't Shop While Stoned

Hello, reader.  You may be wondering where I've been!  I was doing quite consistent with the updates, then bam!  Nothing.  Well, I've been in and out of the hospital for the last two weeks.  It kind of sucked out loud.



I look about how I felt in that photo, man.  So, one night while I was waiting for the angel of death to take me, or sleep, whichever came first, I staggered onto KoreaDepart and started clicking.  The next day, I was vaguely aware of having ordered a sleep pack and some food, but that was about it.  Well, the box came today.  Let's see what I get while out of my gourd on Vicodin, shall we?


Oh.  I sure did get food.  I got two boxes of Lotte Duffe honey ginger cookies (1.52 each USD), two mozzarella chicken Spam Singles (1.99 each USD), one container of Ottogi spaghetti ramen (1.29 USD),  a box (15 count) of Ottogi sweet potato & mixed pumpkin tea (5.86 USD).


Beauty wise, I got The Saem's "Snail Trio #3 Lavender Sleeping Pack" (7.85 USD) and It's Skin Nail Styler Smoothie in GR01 (2.34 USD).  I haven't used the sleeping pack yet (it's noon as I write this), but I did sneek a whiff and oh, wow.  This is totally going to help me sleep.  The polish is a cute mint green crelly with  pink and blue glitter.

But can we dig how cute the packaging is on that sleeping pack?  Oh my gosh, you guys.


This was my first experience using KoreaDepart.  They're a bit different than most other South Korean resellers in that they charge you flat 25.00 USD shipping up front, and once the shipping weight is calculated, refund you the difference.  This also lets them default to more expedited shipping with tracking.  At first this irritated me, but I'm kind of okay with it now since I got this package in a week.  It was also carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, and I got about five samples.  I'll order from them again.

So, yes.  In case you were wondering where I was, I've been in the hospital and stoned hauling face masks and nail polish.  Here's hoping I can be more regular with updating seeing as I'm not dying anymore!


Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with this seller.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Honest Company - Baby Balm

So, I'm kind of a free sample junkie.  I love 'em.  Even the cheap samples.  I can't help but adore getting mail that contains things waiting for me, even if I'm just going to stash them in my medicine cabinet.  It's probably the worst habit I have - I'm a hippie, and part of me loathes all of the packaging and fuel waste.  So sad.  

So when I ordered my Discovery Kit from The Honest Company, I was expecting to just stash it with my other treasures.  The Honest Company is a company Jessica Alba started up when she saw how much unhealthy junk is in baby stuff.  They also have some bath and body products.  

First thing I noticed was how pretty the packaging was.  It's shipped in one of those nice cardboard containers, the ones where the outside feels sleek.  I got the Essentials Discovery Pack since I don't have a kid.


from thehonestcompany.com
It has a trial size of the healing balm, shampoo & body wash, face & body lotion, laundry detergent, and hand soap.  My hands were chapped when I got it, so I immediately opened up the healing balm and slathered some on.


photo from thehonestcompany.com
It's labeled for multiuse, but is marketed primarily as a diaper balm, for baby rash.  However, it's also got a lot of other awesome things.  QUOTETH THE SITE:


  • Organic sunflower, olive, & tamanu oils work with enriching shea butter to nourish, moisturize & help protect sensitive & irritated skin
  • Chamomile, calendula, and lavender gently calm & soothe
  • Castor oil battles existing diaper rash and prevents future cases by creating a protective barrier against urine
  • Promotes healthy, supple, soft skin anywhere you need it – top to toes!
  • No harsh chemicals (ever!) – only powerful, natural, non-toxic ingredients in this must-have salve
  • Sensitive for infants & everyday use
  • Hypoallergenic • Certified Organic • Vegetarian • Biodegradable • pH Balanced • Naturally Non-Toxic

That's a lot of awesome claims.  I figured it wouldn't live up to them.  HOLY CRAP WAS I EVER WRONG.  This stuff slogged down into my hands and kept them soft through repeated washings.  This stuff smells like a really nice herbal treatment, like a cuppa tea.  This stuff, I'd love to pour all over myself all the time.  Sadly, I won't, because at 12.95 USD for three ounces, that's ... stiffer than I can afford.  So I will bogart my little tube while I still can.



Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  Referral link used.