Forever 21, Clinique, and Walmart

Moccasins from Walmart (originally ~$25 bought them for ~$9!)


I bought the exact pair about a year ago but ruined them one morning when I went to the beach to watch the sunrise with my boyfriend. He was pleased to hear that I was going to throw them away because he hates moccasins haha. I was quite devastated but I have found my love again :D !! The boyfriend is not too happy.

Skirt from Forever XXI (~$16)


It's super soft cotton and I can never get sick of teal! In terms of clothes, if you live in Canada, make sure to check out Bluenotes because they are having lots of items for buy one get one 50% off. I bought 4 pairs leggings for ~$20 and 2 shorts for ~$30!

Clinique Lash Building Primer (~$17)

I decided to stock up on this because of their Clinique Bonus at The Bay for those of you in Canada. I really haven't used any other eyelash primer so I can't really do a comparison, but all I know is that it works on my oily eye area! I have tried many many drugstore waterproof mascaras and techniques to avoid racoon eyes and they just don't do the trick.

This works much better with Clinique's own mascaras; I use this primer with Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara and it does not give me any racoon eyes!! I have tried using this primer paired with a drugstore waterproof mascara and it does not work that well - it has to be a Clinique power dual! The best thing about the Clinique primer and mascara is that it can be easily removed with water and soap - I really mean it - easily removed! Unlike gunky waterproof or voluminous mascaras where you have to soak your eye area for 30 seconds in makeup remover :( Check it out if you have the same problem as me!

Free Mario Badescu Samples

Mario Badescu products is used by many celebrities! If you haven't heard of this already, follow these steps to get free mario badescu samples!

1. Fill out the Mario Badescu Consulting/Questionnaire - to find out the recommended products for your skin, and enter in your correct address and e-mail
2. A few days later (~3 days) you'll receive an e-mail (make sure to check your junk e-mail!) asking if you'd like to try some samples
3. Follow the link in the e-mail and receive free samples recommended for your skin type absolutely free!

My package took about 2 weeks to arrive. I received the following samples:

1. Enzyme Cleansing Gel
2. Special Cucumber Lotion
3. Ceramide Herbal Eye cream
4. Flower and Tonic Mask
5. Collagen Moisturizer (SPF 15)
6. Strawberry Face Scrub

+ Product Guide and Product Application Guide

Unfortunately, I did not receive the infamous Drying Lotion because I believe its contained in a glass vial! :( But I do plan on trying out their Drying Cream because I tend to get those stubborn pimples underneath the surface of my skin.

I have tried the Enzyme Cleansing Gel which left me with that tacky feel to my skin and it stings my eyes, so I'm not planning on using it again. I think I'll stick with my Cetaphil. The Special Cucumber Lotion was okay but it's very yellow on the cotton pad making it sort of difficult to tell if I did get rid of any dirt/makeup off my skin. I like my current toner (Olay Refreshing Toner with Witch Hazel) more which is clear and I'm able to tell better if my skin is squeaky clean and also leaves my skin feeling tingly clean.

The Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream is definitely moisturizing for my eye area, but it leaves a shiny, thick film around my eyes so I've only used it at night. The Collagen Moisturizer also feels like it leaves this thick film on top of my skin, which I guess would make a good primer underneath your makeup. I'm not a big fan of products that seem to sit on top of my skin, I like products that absorb into my skin and makes my skin feel like its hydrated - not like an oil slick.

I haven't tried the scrub or the mask yet but I'll definitely rave about it in another blog post if it works great. Either way, the samples are free so try them out!

Have you had any luck (or bad luck) with Mario Badescu products?

Epistick and Bow-Tie Hair Velcro

The Epistick (~$1 on Ebay)

When I first received this I was a bit skeptical of using it with the sketchy photocopied packaging. There are more expensive versions out there that claim that the metal the spring is made out of is more suited for sensitive skin...but who knows - I always thought it was a scam. So I just decided to try out the super duper cheaper version - for $1 why not?! So of course being the evil girlfriend I am, I asked my boyfriend if I could try it on him first :D hahaha He was quite hesitant but he finally gave in on trying it on a few hairs on the back of his neck. It certainly worked, I could literally see the hairs pulling out and my boyfriend was not a happy camper after that haha. Apparently it hurts, which I expected. I tried it on my upper lip but nothing happened. Not sure if it's just because the hair is too fine and it can't get a good hold, but I still haven't really figured out how to use this properly! Let me know if you have some experience with this.

Bow-tie Hair Velcros (~$4 on Ebay - pack of 4)

The infamous pink strip hair velcros seen on bubzbeauty but in bow-tie shapes! ;) They're velcro and are meant to keep your bangs off your face while you're applying your makeup or washing your face. Cute!

Do you own any crazy asian beauty tools?

Acne Cure? My experience with Manuka Honey.

Manuka Honey comes from the nectar of flowers that grows on a Manuka bush in New Zealand (only trust the products made from NZ). It has a high potency of unique natural anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties (greater than tea tree oil). It has many many uses including wounds, burns, sore throats, and treatment of conditions such as arthritis, stomach ulcers, and staph infections.

I did want to focus on the acne part of the treatment though. Last summer I got attacked by cystic acne right on my chin. It was growing slowly and wouldn't come to head, it was literally just a big lump on my chin. It stayed on my chin for at least a month, so finally went to go see my doctor hopefully to get rid of it for me without any scarring, cystic acne that big would've left a huge scar if i messed with it!

I was devastated and decided to research ways on how other people got rid of their cystic acne. Benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil...didn't work, and I finally came across an individual who used active manuka honey and emu oil. The concept was using the honey as a spot treatment and then using emu oil's trans-dermal carrier properties to carry it into my thick cystic spot. I was desperate and decided to go to my nearest health store to buy both...it wasn't cheap, probably spent about $40. I used it whenever I was home and overnight, the stuff is sticky so be prepared to get it on your blankets! I do recall reading somewhere there is a cream, but not sold in Canada.

Anyways, second day using it, I realized my cystic spot was EXPANDING, yes expanded like a balloon. I did thought maybe I should stop using it, but I'm so glad I didn't. I applied it again at night, and in the morning I saw white pus clearly at the spot! I was overjoyed because I knew once all that goop came out, I would be cured! I drained it myself, and although I did have a scar afterwards, it was small, easy to cover up, and it healed fast (I used Vitamin E oil)!

At first, I didn't really know if it was the Active Manuka Honey, but my sister recently has been attacked by cystic acne and she's tried about almost everything (from zit creams to birth control pills). It has been working for her, draining everything out and reducing the pain of the cystic spot. I too, have tried it on whiteheads which are super hard to get rid of it, and it does take some patience but it has brought the whitehead to the surface faster :)

Of course, with all treatments, this may not work for everyone, but I think it's worth trying! The most popular Manuka Honey is by Comvita. The higher the potency (they call it UMF) the more pricier it is, but I'm assuming the greater the results. I actually used one that was just UMF +5 (~$18). My sister uses the UMF +12 (~$33). The highest I've seen is UMF +20 (~$46). If you'd like to try this, please do your research and see if this is for you!

How do you get rid of your zits, pimples, whiteheads, cystic acne?

Quick thoughts: Flash Tape and Rub Shield

Dr. Scholls For Her - Rub Shield (~$10 at SDM)


Claims: Friction preventer stick; Invisible protection from shoe rubbing

My thoughts: After a night of probably 1 hr of walking around indoors, and 30 min of dancing - no blisters, just red marks. After reading 5 reviews online, many have claimed that it really did prevent blisters. I'm not so sure that this is true after say 4 hours of dancing though! Nice small packaging you can stick in your purse :)

Braza Flash Tape (~$13 at SDM)


Claims: Body/Clothing tape; A must have fashion accessory!

My thoughts: I've used this twice both for strapless dresses. My first use was not so great, I only taped the top front part of the dress and it was sliding! I do believe it might have been because of other factors though: my push up bra (too much push, too heavy? lol), the dress material was slightly on the heavy side, the dress may have been half a size too big for me. My second time worked out much better, but I had to use more tape...strategically! I taped the push up bra (same one) to my body, taped the front top and top of the back as well. And I came up with a plan that since the dress was somewhat held by my upper ab part thats where I taped too (my friend thought I was crazy btw when I told her about my plan). In the end, it worked out SO SO well. I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to pull my dress up at all all night.

Cautions: Read the instructions about the sensitivity test! Remember to tape slightly offset of the edge of the dress in case if your dress does start sliding your tape is not obviously visible! When removing from body/skin, REMOVE SLOWLY! When removing from dress, REMOVE CAREFULLY and SLOWLY, or you might damage the inside lining of your dress.

Final words: Two good must-haves for those fun nights out ;)

Gradball :)

So I ended up wearing the pinkish hue dress! It worked out pretty nicely with the help of some fashion tape!! Taped my bra to my body, taped the back, taped the waist, taped the front - thats right :D! I have worn a tube dress before where I would be pulling it up every 10 seconds and I did not want that to happen again! I also ended up not wearing the false lashes because I was running late and did not want to ruin my eye makeup if I failed, and the friction preventor stick worked out so-so, no real blisters but definitely still red marks :P The picture is the boyfriend and I with the ballroom behind us ^^

One word: Gorgeous

Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab's watercolour pastel print gown at the 2010 Oscars - gorgeous!

I also want everyone to visit SERENAEVERYDAY blog! She gave me my first "I love your blog" award :) Thanks!!

Girls have so much more to think about.

Thanks for all your opinions on the dress! I still haven't decided 100% which one I'll be wearing yet, but I am leaning towards the second one! I'll probably be deciding a few hours before the event what I'll be wearing! Good thing I have shoes, clutch, and jewellery that will complement both lol And with the necklace, although I still think its so bubbly and fun, I decided to go the earring and bracelet route. Below are some things I picked up in preparation for this Saturday :) I'm so excited!

Friction preventor stick (SDM), thumbs down for blisters in 4 spots on each foot last time I wore my shoes - has anyone tried this BTW?

Half lashes (Sallys), wish me good luck with those.

A Phillips 3 Row Teaze Brush (Sallys), it really does tease my super thin hair!

Bracelet (Claires), and teardrop earrings (Le Chateau).

Revlon nail polish in Perfect Pink, what a perfect name :p

And lastly, thought I would share my boyfriend's favourite teddy when he was a kid ^____^ Apparently he used to stick his boogers on this teddy and his mom put it in the wash which changed the fluffiness of it and so he stopped playing with it :p I decided to adopt him :)

Dress Dilemma

I finally found 2 dresses that I can wear to my gradball this coming up Saturday. They are both from BCBGeneration and are GORGEOUS! This one fits super nice (however sort of short!) and is a bit edgier.

This one fits, but I wish it was a bit more fitted, however I'm leaning towards this one. It's a bit more me :)

I'm also planning on wearing this necklace with the second dress, not quite set on it yet. I like to eliminate some bareness because I do have a long neck, but from looking at celebrities in the same neckline dress, most of them just wear earrings and a bracelet.

I have five days to decide!

Makeup from Etsy!?

I'm a huge fan of Etsy, I really support all the sellers and I love purchasing unique goodies from this site :) A few weeks ago I decided to purchase some makeup goodies from the seller theallnaturalface. I was inspired by her story that she had very sensitive skin towards makeup and decided to make her own makeup as a hobby. She also mentioned that 65% of the chemicals we apply to our body gets absorbed into the bloodstream (yuck!). Her ingredients are all natural and the thing that intrigued me the most were they are all VEGAN. Isn't that neat? I decided to buy the Vegan Oily Eyelid Primer (full size), 7 samples of mineral foundation (which were actually free, you only have to pay shipping), 6 samples of her concealers, and 7 samples of her blush. All of this for about $9 USD with shipping!

I received it in the mail this week and not only did she send me everything I ordered, she actually gave me 12 more mineral foundation samples, 3 mineral eyeshadow samples, and a gel pot sample. I love receiving things in the mail, and you can imagine all these makeup goodies making me super happy :)

Now onto the quality of makeup - I am really impressed! I'm the type that wears very sheer coloured makeup (the natural look) and her products suited me very well. They are not super pigmented but is very buildable. So if you're the kind that likes heavy coverage and very pigmented makeup, this is probably not for you. Also with mineral makeup, for longer lasting application, there is a need to wear a somewhat sticky base, for me it would just be my daily moisturizer.

There are also many other bath and beauty sellers on Etsy, however, I chose a seller that could a pretty good amount of sales. The unique thing about buying from Etsy is that a lot of the sellers are willing to customize colours and orders for you :) Overall, I just thought that this was a fun purchase, and I will most likely buy from this seller again!

Pink please.

The infamous Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick! I really want to like lipstick, so I decided to pick this up at Walmart the other day. The colour is very nice and flattering with my skin colour, and the formula is creamy with medium pigmentation but not extremely creamy enough to be moisturizing for the lips. It settles into the lines of your lips. It smells like a lipstick. The packaging is horrible (was it just me or was it not sealed?). I know there are a lot of girls out there that really like this lipstick, but this didn't really impress me :(