Monthly Favorites: August

August came and went, now it's time for September!

These are the products I have used in August!

1. Aveeno Positively Nourishing in Energizing Pomegranate Grapefruit- I apply this after I take a shower and it makes my skin so soft and I love the scent. At first, when I took a quick sniff, it smelt a bit floral, but it really is pomegranate with grapefruit.

2. Dove Style+Care Strength and Shine Extra Hold Hairspray- I use this for my side bangs. Since my hair is naturally straight, the only way to keep it out of my face is to use this hairspray. Now, I am a total hair noob(meaning, I haven't really put any kind of hair product in my hair) and this thing is easy to use, not that hairspray usually isn't...

3. Mark Good Glowing Powder Blush in Golden Glo- Now this blush is definitely a bronze and it is so sheer that it has no point. Or so I thought. It is super shimmery or sparkly that I just use it as a highlighter on my cheekbones, carefully of course. It gives me a wonderful glow. 

4. Orly Nail Lacquer in Rage- Absolutely love this color! It's a metallic rose gold that is a bit bronze and I cannot live without it. Go get it now!!!!

5. Maybelline Ultra Liner Waterproof in Black- This liquid liner is really pigmented and gives me good control and generally stays in place. There is one thing I don't like: it flakes really bad when you take it off. This makes it hard to get off since the flakes go everywhere on your face and if you rub your eyes enough, it flakes quickly. Bleh!

6. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny- Love this bronzer! The only other bronzer I have used is the ELF blush and bronzer duo and I did not like all that shimmer. This is perfect for me because it isn't overly orange and completely matte while still giving you that glow. 

7. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic- This has been my go to lip color. I just apply a sheer amount onto my lips and it gives me a nice flush of pink to them. If I wanted to go a bit more dramatic, I just apply more layers. 

I actually just added that ankle bracelet to the bottom because I thought it was a good accent for the picture. Ha!

Thank you for reading,

Megumi

PS: Tell me of a really amazing waterproof liquid liner! I really want one!

Hawaii Pics

So back in June I went to Hawaii and I said I was going to show tou guys some pictures, but I got a bit lazy....
anyways, I thought, "Why not do it now?"  So here are some of my pictures. I hope your not hungry because a lot of it is food haha!
Ps. This is the first time I am using my phone to blog. Hopefully it turns out great!

Simple Drugstore Look: Every Day Edition

Today, I am going to show you a look that I have really liked. It is a really easy look and you can adapt it in a way that you like. You can stop after the first step or do every single step and even add more colors. It is a very neutral look so it's not all up in your face. As an added bonus, the look is pretty much all drugstore. Cheap, but awesome at the same time!

Products Used:

Face

Skin79 Oriental Gold BB Cream

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Sand

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny

Eyes

Wet n' Wild Eyeshadow Palette in Comfort Zone

Maybelline Ultra Liner in Black

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara(Waterproof)

For tools, I pretty much only use ELF so there is nothing really specific that you should use.

For the face products, this is just what I use. I love these products, but you may have products you prefer.

This is the only eyeshadow palette I am using. It is super cheap ($4.99) and really amazing. You can find this at Walgreens. I labeled each side as Side 1 or Side 2.

Apply the browbone color on your browbone and the eyelid color up to your crease from Side 1. Don't go past the crease.

Add the crease color from Side 1. Make sure you blend it in really well.

Add the define color from Side 1 to the outer v. For me, I like it a bit subtle, so I did it with a very light hand.

This is what the look open so far.

For some added drama, I added the gorgeous( and I mean gorgeous!) define eyeshadow from Side 2 to the middle of my eyelid. The color is simply gorgeous!

So I finished it off with eyeliner and mascara. Voila! We are done! Easy-peasy lemon squeazy! 

Now even though this is not exactly part of the tutorial, I just really wanted to show you this color. It is the Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic. I have a very sheer layer, but it can definitely be made to be more opaque. Love it!

The format I used was inspired by Urban Babe. She posts about makeup, life, and it is all really interesting/helpful. You should definitely check her out!

Anyways, I hope this was at least slightly interesting.

Thanks for reading!

Megumi

Things NOT to Buy

Now, we live in a time were money can be tight, but we still want to look our best. I mean, if we didn't what's the point of the countless hours spent browsing on the internet and looking up all the product reviews. Here is a list of things I think you should NOT spend a huge amount of your money on.

#1 Facial Sprays
I think Facial sprays are a HUGE waste of money. I mean, a majority of women only buy them so that they can spray something nice and refreshing on the face. If you just buy a spray bottle in the travel section at your local store and put in water with some rose essence( or any essence) then you can have the same effect. The mist will be finely sprayed and you can still have the refreshing feeling that you were looking for without shelling out as much money. If you are the type of person who wants the benefits of a facial spray, then here is a DIY from another blogger.

#2 Lip Balms
Now when I say lip balms, I'm not talking about the chapsticks, tinted lip balms(well maybe I am for this one), or any of those kinds of things. I mean a lip product whose sole purpose is to save your lips from dehydration. I love chapsticks, they are easy and convenient. I am talking about products like Rose Bud Salve. Now this product is supposed to re-hydrate your lips, but why spend $8, when you can buy something for probably half the price, maybe even less? I suggest instead to buy petroleum jelly, like Vaseline, or products that contain petroleum jelly, like Aquaphor. They don't cost as much, have the same feel(or similar to) as the Rose Bud Salve, and are really effective. Plus, many people are attracted to the color of the salve, believing that it will give them I nice tint. Sorry to say, but it is so sheer that there is literally no point. Plus, if you wanted to make a tinted lip balm, just mix your petroleum jelly with pink eyeshadow or any color that you desire. No need to shell out so much money ladies!

#3 Lipstick
Now this one may or may not hurt me, but their are some great alternatives to some expensive lipsticks in the drugstore. I am not talking about colors that are hard to find or the texture is different, I am talking about the basic colors. When some people say, "I just want a basic red, let's go to MAC!" that makes me think 'don't they know that they could get a really great red at the drugstore?' Honestly, there is only a limited amount of different reds in the world and most people can find their lipstick at the drugstore. The drugstore companies have really stepped it up people so go check it out! If you want a sheer red, matte red, or even a super shimmery red, just go look at the drugstore!

I'm not saying all makeup should be bought at the drugstore or condemning some products for being creative. I just think people should spend their money wisely and not just blindly head over to a makeup counter without checking their drugstore or trying to find an alternative. If you have been eyeing a certain product, then save your money to buy it by looking for alternatives!

Hopefully this was a bit of an eye-opener for some people.
Thank you for reading!
Megumi

CVS Deal:Garnier Hair Products

It's that time of year again where school begins. WOOHOO! To be honest, I am completely excited to go back to school. I get to see all of my friends and roommates again! Anyways, I have to start buying personal care items because I live in a dorm, story of a college student.

Are you ready for a great deal? If you buy 3 Garnier Hair products, not only will it cost $10, but you will also get 3 Extra Care Bucks. If you don't have a CVS card, well, you should. Not only is it free, but you get the benefits of awesome deals and boy do they have great deals!

The products I bought were:
Daily Care Shampoo and Conditioner
Brilliantine Shine Gloss Spray

I have never tried them before, but I never hated anything from Garnier, so I don't think it is going to start anytime soon.

With the 3 Extra care Bucks, I was able to finally buy the NYC Bronzer in Sunny. Guess what? It only cost me 21 cents! How crazy is that? I mean, this is definitely worth the deal, even exceeds it!

It was hard to take a picture. I wanted to have the picture with all three products, but my hands just aren't big enough. Gahhhh, small hand girl problems!

I wanted to try this because my friend is absolutely in love with it. 

Sunny Bronzer is in my life! Now, I can contour or at least put on some color that my BB cream takes away.

I hope this post was at least a little bit helpful! Now my next hunt is to find a waterproof liquid eyeliner from the drugstore. Wish me luck!

Thank you for reading!

Megumi

Regret Buying: Revlon Lip Butter

This is such a sad day. I regret buying something that many people absolutely love! If you couldn't tell from the title, I regret buying the Revlon lip butter.
Why do I regret buying it? Not because of the packaging or the color or anything like that. I love the product itself, well, kind of. My problem is that it melts! It melts all the way down to the bottom of the tube. Why would I waste my money on that? Plus, I bought it for $8. I could have bought another lipstick that doesn't melt instead. It's a waste of money AND product.

The tube itself. I love the packaging!

 I've had it for barely a month and I don't even put it on everyday. I put it on maybe once a week if I remember and it's not even like I am swiping it on my lips constantly. I put a sheer layer and leave it at home.

I am sad to say that I will never buy another tube of this. So sad, but it had to be done! I mean, if my chap stick and such don't melt, why do you!

I hope you found this post helpful.

Thanks for reading!

Megumi

Mario Badescu Haul

Hello! I made a small purchase from Mario Badescu after trying some of their products. If you want to know how to get samples click here. (It is a step by step guide on how to receive samples and my review on the ones I received.)

I bought the Enzyme cleansing gel and special cucumber lotion because this combination has given my face a new glow! It is blemish free and silky smooth. I knew these two products worked because after I ran out of my samples and tried to go back to my other skincare, my skin was terrible. My pores got clogged up and I started breaking out. Not a good thing obviously.

Special Cucumber Lotion and Enzyme Cleansing Gel

(Review of the two products on sample post)

I also received three complimentary samples that come with each order.
They are:
Strawberry Face Scrub(review on sample post)
Ceramide Eye Gel
Drying Cream

From Top Left: Drying Cream, Ceramide Eye Gel, Strawberry Face Scrub

What's great about the samples is that there is a large variety of them. Usually, if you were to pick a sample off of Ulta or Sephora, there is only nine you could pick from. On this site, there is a long list of products which is great.

It seems there was a promotion because I also received either a travel size or deluxe sample size(I don't know the difference!) of the Summer Shine Body Lotion. Boy, does this lotion have some shimmer! It smells like coconuts which is fantastic, but I would probably only put it on my legs. It's still great to receive something for free.

Summer Shine Body Lotion

My total with shipping is $31.95. It is a tad expensive for my taste, but with such great results, I don't mind. too much.

Anyways, thank you for reading!

Megumi

Product Rave: Wet n' Wild Jumbo Juicy Flavored Lip Balm

Quick post! I found the Wet n' Wild Jumbo Juicy Flavored Lip Balm at the Dollar store in a pack of two so I decided to buy it. I actually really like it!

credits: chaptastic.blogspot.com

 I like it even more than the Maybelline Baby lips. It is a lot more hydrating for me and I like the flavor. I have it in Orange and Grape, but don't get the Grape. It smells like Grape flavored medicine. EW! I don't think they are very expensive(considering that they are from Wet n' Wild) and they have quite a bit of product. I'm not saying that the Baby Lips are not good because I still love them, especially the tinted ones. Just give this one a try as well!

Skin79 Oriental Gold BB Cream: Review

Now this review has been long over-due. It's my Skin79 Oriental Gold BB Cream review! Now if you want to read my Initial review click here.

So I have been using this BB cream for a little over a month and I think I can give an honest review about it.
This bb cream gives the skin a really nice dewy, glow-y look. It has a sheer coverage than can be built up to a sheer-medium coverage. Not quite sheer, but not quite medium. It does not look cake-y at all.
I have noticed that some of my dark spots have been lightened(hyper pigmentation rocks y'all!) and that is such a relief to see.
The blush is so nice! It looks really natural, like you are just having a nice glow to your cheeks. I also like the consistency of it. It's like it melts every time you try to apply it. If you apply just a tiny bit to your lips it can give it a nice, natural pink look, but remember, if you put too much, it can look fake.
 I personally really like it, but the weather doesn't so if you live in a humid climate this may not be for you, trust me. Too bad I am too stubborn to follow my advice. The way I combat the sliding and stickiness of the bb cream in humid weather is to wear my Dream Matte Powder by Maybelline. I apply it everywhere except for my nose( I like the highlighting effect) and voila!, no more smearing bb cream! ( I know this works well in drier places. Tried it in Hawaii and California and did not have any problems there)

Picture Time!

The BB Cream

The product itself. I wear the Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation in 20, Natural Ivory. I believe that is a MAC shade NW20 or NC 20.

The Blush on top

If you find the blush too cool toned for your liking( bottom), try the NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink(top).

Thanks for reading!

New Favorite Mascara

I have found my new favorite mascara! It is the Maybelline The Mega Plush Volume Express WaterProof Mascara! Whew, that takes a minute to say!

This mascara is supposedly made with a gel-mousse formula that is supposed to never flake. I do not doubt the gel-mousse part because this mascara makes my lashes not feel crunchy. Do you know what I mean? Most mascaras leave your lashes feeling super spidery and sometimes they even make it look that way! Also, this waterproof formula is actually quite waterproof from what I have heard on reviews. For me, all mascaras I have tried always smudge a on me. Not so much that I have black rings all around my eyes, but it kind of emphasizes my dark circles a bit. Sadly, this mascara is not exempt, but it does last the longest without smudging. I love and will repurchase it again.

No mascara on both

Left eye: None

Right Eye: Curled and with Mascara

Super freaky eyes, no? But, I felt it was necessary haha!

Same format as above

More natural shape.

Can you see that my right eye seems more, I don't know, more feminine and more awake?

I really hope you give this mascara a chance! Many people call this their daytime mascara, so maybe it could be yours too?

Thanks for reading!

TJ MAXX Shoe Find

I found some really cute shoes at TJ Maxx! I am in love!

They are nude, kind of an off-white cream color, almost like chucks, but definitely not heavy.
These are from Talbots and are super comfy.
I tried to find the same style on the website, but I am guessing they are not selling these anymore.

front view

side view

I am a size 7-71/2 and this shoe was $29.95.

There was another pair that I wanted from Steve Madden, but it was $49.95! Definitely not in my price zone. When I looked them up, they actually cost $139! Crazy talk! I will just wait for them to be more on sale!

Thanks for reading!

Mario Badescu Samples!

I got Mario Badescu Samples! So exciting! I got them last week, so I really should have done this earlier, but I didn't. Please forgive me!
Here are the steps to get samples from Mario Badescu:
Go to this link:http://www.mariobadescu.com/questionnaire.aspx
Fill out the questionnaire
Wait a couple days for an email about samples( I did the questionnaire on Thursday and received the email on Friday. My mom did hers Saturday and received the email Monday)
TIP: Check your spam!( For Yahoo: it should not end up there, but still check. Hotmail/MSN: Definitely check! that's where my mom's ended up)
Go all the way to the bottom and you should see a link about samples:

Click it

Go all the way to the bottom of the page and again, you should see something about samples. Click it.

You should next see a page about your address.

PRESTO! You are going to get samples!

Wait for about a week or so!

Now that you know how to get samples, I am going to show you mine and tell you what's great about them!

This is what the envelope will look like. Expect it to be in your mail

Two guides. One is a product guide that goes over all of the products that they carry and an order form. The second one lists the products you received and a day and night guide. It will tell you what you should do with each product.

Samples!

I am going to list them from left to right, top to bottom and how I like each product.

• Special Cucumber Lotion- This is a toner that is quite fantastic. It doesn't sting my face at all like most drugstore toners, but I still feel that it is taking off the extra dirt on my face. Do your eyes ever water when you put too much toner on a cotton pad? I did that once and my eyes never watered!

          Final verdict: Love it and will hopefully purchase

• Collagen Moisturizer SPF 15- This is a super lightweight moisturizer! It feels like nothing is on your skin and yet you know something is there to keep your skin hydrated. It really is a great moisturizer and even though it isn't much, the SPF is good enough for days you accidentally forget sunscreen.

         Final Verdict: Love it, but it won't be the one of the first things I buy. I still want it badly though!

• Orange Tonic Mask- Its kind of like a thin, clay mask that dries very quickly. It smells like orange which is really great, but I am not sure if it is doing anything. I love the fact that it dries so quickly though!

          Final Verdict: Its okay. Not something I will go out of my way to buy. It's good, but not something I  

          am interested in as of right now.

• Enzyme Cleansing Gel- Holy smokes this is my favorite thing ever! It is non-foaming, but my skin still feels clean! After using this, I immediately see the results. My skin is clean, a bit hydrated, nice, and plump. This is a miracle worker!

         Final Verdict- Love it with an emphasis on love. Most definitely need to purchase

• Strawberry Face Scrub- This is a whole new kind of scrub that I have never experienced before. It has strawberry seeds and something else that makes it an exfoliant. For some reason, after using this, my skin felt...soft? plump? I don't know what the sensation is, but I can't get enough.

         Final Verdict: Love it and want to purchase

• Hyaluronic Eye Cream: This is my first time ever using an eye cream, so I do not know how to react to it. It feels a bit heavy when first applied, but that quickly goes away. I don't notice anything different about my eyes in particular, but it must be doing something.

         Final Verdict: I don't know? Probably won't purchase right now. Maybe when I am a few years older.

So that's everything. If you are still reading, you are quite the trooper! Definitely do the samples! I heard they do international and it doesn't hurt to try right?

Thank you for reading!

VoxBox: Summer 2012

 I got my voxbox!!! If you don't know what a VoxBox is, it is a box sent to people by Influensters so that they can review the boxes. Kind of like a Birchbox, but for free and not always once a month. You are chosen for the boxes, so there is no guarantee that you will receive one.

On to the box! I can review this really quickly after receiving my box because I have tried most of the products.

This is the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration sunscreen. This is non-greasy and does not have that gross sunscreen smell that most people do not like. I have used this before and all I can say is, I love it. My parents and I have used this. Now, my parents did get sunburns, but that is because they forgot to re-apply. This claims to be only water resistant, so always remember to re-apply after having a nice swim. Lucky for me, I didn't so no burns for me!

Next is the Tampax and Always collection. In the bag comes three tampons, a pad, and a couple of pantyliners. Now I personally do not use tampons, but my mom has bought, and used, these particular tampons. She said that though she loves the convenience of the sticker, she feels it is a waste of material and she could buy more of the Tampax Pearl tampons for the same price of these. 

The Sally Hansen Nails and Cuticle Hand Creme in Shea Butter is definitely going to be a buy for me. It smells really nice, but not over powering to the sense that someone a mile away from you can smell. It really made my hands nice and soft, which I really enjoyed.

Next is the Quaker Soft Baked Bar in Banana Nut Bread. Sadly, I am not a banana lover so I can't really eat this. I will probably give this to my mom. Luckily, I have a friend who loves this so I am guessing it's a really good product(she's a picky eater btw). Since it is soft, don't buy it if you don't like chewy or soft things.

This is something that I saw in my box and pretty much flipped out. I was always tempted to buy a magnetic nail polish, but I personally thought it was overhyped and probably not that great. Boy, was I wrong. The product that proved how wrong I was is the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Silver Elements. They definitely gave me a great color because it is a gunmetal grey and if the magnetic didn't work out, I would still wear it. It's easy to use and pretty freakin awesome.

Here are my nails painted in it. LOOOVE the effect, don't you?

Thanks for reading!