BeautyBlog62-The best things come in small boxes...

Hi my lovelies,

Here I thought the only thing I had to look forward to was getting back into thesis-mode - but OH NO - how amazing it is to receive a small package in the mail with goodies - paid by me - sent by the most amazing friend Katrine, who is traveling around the U.S. this summer (note: she is just as amazing when she is back in Odense ;))

I had put together a small wish list for her and here are all the goodies I excitedly received today:

1) TRESemmé FreshStart Dry Shampoo Spray. I have heard so many great reviews of this, so I thought I'd give it a try. Never before have I ventured into the dry shampoos but there's a first for everything! I will do an updated blog soon w/ more detailed reviews of a lot of the things I've acquired over the last couple of months!



2) I am so exited to try this Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in 006 Medium Beige or 008 Golden Beige to see if it is as good as all the rave reviews claim! I will probably try to mix it with my ColorStay for a less shiny finish! Very exited about this!



3) I also got a back up of my favorite foundation primer by Laura Mercier - the oil free one that makes my make up last all day without melting off or smudging! Good stuff - I highly recommend this to anyone! (note: depending on you skin type there are different versions of this - my skin is combination/oily!)



4) My new favorite lip product is without a doubt the Korres Lipbutter in Jasmin. They were out of that but I got their LipSaverRoll with three amazing lip butters. This is the first lip balm that I can put on at night and then wake up with soft lips the next morning. My lips tend to dry out a lot during the night so thumbs up! The roll contains Mango (sheer peach), Guava (clear) and Pomegranate (sheer coral). Check out makeupbytiffanyd's review here: Tiffany's November Favorites



5) A new friend (Thanks Christina) recommended I try the BareMinerals (id) foundation. I've been kind of sceptical about trying mineral foundation since I've tried MAC's mineral foundation and others, which did not provide a very good coverage. However, Christina convinced me I would still see the same coverage, so here goes...I decided to get the 5-Piece-Starter-Kit in Medium Beige. It contains the Original SPF 15 Foundation, the Matte SPF 15 Foundation, an Original Mineral Veil, a Warmth All-Over Face Color and a Mini Full Flawless Face Brush. I will try it out over the next few days and let you know what I think in my collective review post!



6) I also got two back-ups of my favorite facial cleanser Cetaphil!



That was it! Thank you to Katrine, who was so nice to run around L.A. picking up things for me;)

So what do you think? Please leave a comment below and tell me about your latest beauty-buys, about what you'd like me to blog about or what kind of beauty products you want to try out!

xoxo
msbeautyblogger

(photos: tresemme.com, revlon.com, lauramercier.comsephora.com, cvs.com)

BeautyBlog59 - Back in beauty business!

Hi my lovelies,

After 20 delicious and much needed vacation days I'm back!!

I started out spending four fantastic days in Rome. It was my first time there and I loved the city, the architecture and the sun!

Initially, I was saving my money for my next destination (Seoul, South Korea) but I couldn't resist getting a few things including a small golden cross at the Vatican. I also ventured out onto Via del Corsa - aka THE shopping street, where I found a Sephora and a Lush.

Unfortunately, the Sephora did not carry Nars, which I was pretty keen on trying out so I went for Make Up For Ever instead. Since my skin is combination/oily I was advised not to go for the ever so popular MUFE HD Invisible Cover Foundation. Instead I bought the Mat Velvet + Foundation. I've only had the opportunity to try it out a few times but so far I like it! It does seem to give my face a mat finish, which I love - however I don't think the coverage is as good as my preferred foundation: Revlon ColorStay.



I also went into Lush where I spent the majority of my time. I love it there. All the soaps, face products and funny bath-things. I only got four things in there.

I wanted to try Dark Angels skin exfoliant. On Lush's own website Dark Angels are described like this: "Dark and tough, this one doesn't mess about. It's a black, squidgy scrub made with charcoal to absorb oils and exfoliate your skin. Nutritious avocado oil softens, glycerine keeps the moisture in and black sugar scrubs away." I already love it. I used it daily in Korea and it was wonderful for deep cleaning my face after long busy days, where my skin would be dirty from all the activity and all the sweating! (Korea was HOT HOT HOT with even more humidity to go with it!)



I also bought my first bubble bar called Creamy Candy Bubble Bar. I don't have a bath tub so I use it for the water I soak my tired feet in once a week;) It smells so good! So sweet like candy and it turns the water into a sea of pink bubbles!



I also decided to give the Sugar Scrub a try. I have yet to try it out but here is what the website says: "Tough on cellulite, kind to skin. Our Sugar Scrub is hard, but a bit of a sweetie. Its no nonsense stance stimulates activity and tackles cellulite with fennel and ginger. Calming lavender has a balancing effect and encourages healthier skin." I mean who wouldn't want to give this a try!?



In the end I decided not to get a lot of soap since I still have some left from last time I got a shipment from Lush in December. But I had to get one little piece and I picked the Triple-citrus cleanser. According to Lush: "Lemslip is our creamiest, dreamiest lemon shower soap, but this is only one of the reasons why it's a best-seller. It has antimicrobial lemon, lime and sweet wild orange to clear up spots all over a body that gets a bit oily now and again" and I really love everything lemon scented. It just smells clean and summery!



This was what I got beauty-wise in Italy. I flew straight from Rome to Korea where I just returned from after 16 great days! Experience and shopping-wise.

Upcoming blog-posts:
-Korean Skin Care Products
-Haul - beauty products
-Korean Fashion and Haul

TTYL,
msbeautyblogger

(photos: sephora.com, lush.com, a248.g.akamai.net,4.bp.blogspot.com)

BeautyBlog54 - YouTube made me do it....

Hi my lovelies,

I sincerely apologize for not being a good blogger. I've been MIA for a month...sorry! Been very busy w thesis and life in general. Therefore, I wanted to get back into the game with this tag, that's been going around: YouTube made me do it!

If I have to be honest most of my beauty buys in the last 18 months have been YouTube inspired. Here are the main ones:

1: Revlon ColorStay Foundation! I had seen so many beauty gurus talking about this little darling. Perfect coverage, flawless finish and cheaper than MACs foundation. I bought my first one back in September 2009 and have been using them ever since. My shade, if anyone cares is - I'm also a NC40-42 in MAC. I know I've seen DulceCandy87 use this. Fafinette3x also loved this. Well almost everyone I saw out there did!



2: Nude Attitude - Revlon matte lipstick. Everyone went crazy for this lipstick during the summer/fall of 2009. I bought it and have to say it's a bit too light for me. Makes me look a bit washed out on its own! However, if I match it with another more rosy colored lipstick or a pink or golden lipgloss then it gives me a perfect nude lip! Don't remember who talked about this first. I do now I've seen fafinette3x talk about it and possibly also lollipop26.



3: ELF products. I bought a lot from the ELF - eyeslipsface.com website when I lived in the US. It so cheap - 1 dollar to 5 dollars pr. product. The 1 dollar items are not that good, however their eyeshadow brush for a dollar is great and their Studio Line, where I got lipsticks, loads of brushes and lipgloss for 3 dollars. I think I even got it all on sale 50% off so it was a great haul! ELF products were some of the first I became familiar with after I began watching beauty vids back in the summer of 2008. I saw an ELF haul by fafinette3x - and everyone else out there - back in 2008. JuicyStar07 also did an ELF haul back when I was just getting into YouTube.



4: Sigma! I have fallen in love with Sigma brushes. The same quality as MAC brushes but at half the price! I have a lot of their face brushes and I love them! If you're looking for great quality brushes then buy Sigma brushes! They are so pro, very soft and
easy to use! I remember seeing a review from Makeupbytiffanyd on Sigma brushes before everyone had them!



5: CoverGirl Lash Blast. Ever since I started using this mascara, which was the first thing YouTube made me buy, has changed my life! That is quite a statement. Before this, I could never get my eyelashes to stay curled all day long and because I'm Korean my eyelashes would go back to their original state during the day - straight out- and my mascara would always smudge. Well never again! I am in love with this and have been using it for almost two years. It gives me a false eyelash effect, if I apply more than three layers! I think I saw Xteener talk about this one first.



6: Face foundation primer. I never used to use a primer on my face before foundation. I always do now. The foundation goes on a lot smoother, it lasts all day and gives me a flawless finish. I used the Rimmel Fix & Perfect for a while but am now using the Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer. I love this. It's so light and moisturizer-like. The Rimmel one is more like the typical primers with a silicone base feel. I like the smoothness of the Laura Mercier a lot better. It was Kandee Johnson who recommended the LM-primer!



7: TRESEmmé Heat Tamer Spray. I love this thing. I use it in my damp hair before I blow dry it. It protects my hair from the heat. Leaves it more shiny and softer and the scent is absolutely lovely! Been in love with this since I saw Xteeener using it.



8: MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural. A lot of people have been using this to set their make up, as a sheer foundation with light coverage but oh so silky smooth finish. I like how it is less powdery, more natural - hence the name - and leaves my skin looking soft and touchable! I've been using the MAC Studio Fix powder and it seems almost too heavy on me now! I don't remember who I saw with this product specifically but almost every beauty guru out there uses it or has used it in videos.



9: L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense. I was never good at applying liquid liner - before YouTube that is. I've become a lot better at it since watching loads of videos and everyone raves about this liner. It is pretty easy to use, once you get the hang of it and it's the perfect ink black! Love it!



Those are just some of the great finds I've gotten out of YouTube. So what are you waiting for? Go check out the beauty-vids yourself and get inspiration for your next shopping spree!

You can check out my favorite gurus here for more inspiration!

xoxo

msbeautyblogger

(photos: wonderfulwortelworld.files.wordpress.com, www.polyvore.com, 2.bp.blogspot.com, www.sigmamakeup.com, 1.bp.blogspot.com, slimages.macys.com, www.makeupandbeautyblog.com, files.hfmus.com, i90.photobucket.com)

BeautyBlog39 - February Favorites 2010

Hi my lovelies,

Time flies! It's almost March 1st, which means February Favorites is coming right at ya!

- Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream: During February I've fallen back in love with one of my first beauty-related loves! I primarily use it to moisturize my lips, for small scratches and to soften my hands. It's perfect. Some people don't like the scent, it's very herbal - I however love it. I remember back in my senior year in High School (1.G) I and a friend thought we'd read somewhere that it was being discontinued and went to our Elizabeth Arden counter to stock up big time. The sales women almost panicked...lol! But it was just a rumor, thank God!:)



- My Cetaphil facial cleanser! Can I just say: LOOOOVE! It's perfect for my skin! I've never had softer skin! I am simply in love with this product. Mine is for normal to oily skin. I use it twice daily and it's so great. It's very gentle, has practically no scent and is used in hospitals as well.



- In February I've sort of gone from my NYX blush in Angel ( a soft pink) and back to my amazing Clinique Blushing Blush Powder in 107 Sunset Glow. It's amazing. Described on the website as a mid tone redish bronze, on my skintone it comes out as a coral reddish bronze color! It's amazing I love it. I was inspired to go for a blush flushed tone when I was watching my fave Lipstick Jungle, where the character Victory Ford wears blushes similar to my Clinique one all the time!



- Sunsilk Care & Repair. Normally I'm not a fan of leave in things in my hair. It makes it greasy and kills any volume! However, I love this for the ends (okay, the split ends!) of my hair! It makes it silky soft and it has the best smell. I use is once a week! - Could not find a picture - the bottle is small, orange and is part of their Care & Repair line - 24/7 Day Care Cream.

- Since it's so cold, wintery and snowy outside my lips need a lot of protection! They crack all the time! :( I've therefore also been loving my Clinique Repairwear Intensive Lip Treatment. It makes my lips instantly smoother and softer!



- Since discovering I had this hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works - brought it back from the U.S in Nov 09, but it was hidden in a bag of make up I did not open until I returned to my apartment in the beginning of Feb ! It's the Winter Candy Apple scent, and I absolutely love it! It's the sweetest apple scent with pops of Christmas right there inside of it! I've been using it daily ever since!



- Another lip product is my Revlon Super Lustrious Lip Gloss in 010 Shine City. It's a bubble gum pink (almost sheer when put on) lip gloss with tons of glitter! I only use a little right on the center of my lips for that extra pop:)



I think that's about it for Feb 10! Let me know what your favorites are!

xoxo

msbeautyblogger

(photos: amazon.com, sephora.com)

BeautyBlog35 - My Go-To-Products

Hi my lovelies,

As you already know, I love make up and trying new stuff. However, there are days, when I just reach for what I know will work, and these are some of the products that always makes me feel good and gets me out the door that much faster!

Primer: Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer from Rimmel. I love this product, and even though I use my Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation primer at the moment, the Rimmel is a go to for me. Like a tinted moisturizer it smoothes out my skin and makes my foundation last all day!



Foundation: Revlon Color Stay Foundation in 350 Rich Tan! I love this product! Have like four back ups in my make up drawer! It gives me great coverage and blends in very smoothly.



Concealer: MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer w/o a doubt! I just love that product!



Setting Powder: NYC Translucent Setting Powder - it's great for mattifying my oily skin! Here compared to Clinque!



Blush: Hard one! I shift almost daily....but I would probably have to go with either the red part of ELF's - Warm Bronzer or NYX's blush in Angel.





Contour/bronzer: NYC's bronzer in Sunny



Cream Highlight: Don't really use cream highlights.

Highlight: My beloved Cover Girl eyeshadow in Champagne and the lightest color in my ELF Warm Bronzer





Mascara: ALWAYS Cover Girl's Lash Blast!



Eye Shadow: Hmm....I tend to use a bit of Carbon on the outer V every day.



Eye Liner: Almay Eyeliner in black



Lip Liner: Don't use lipliner

Lipstick: Airy Fairy by Rimmel or my MAC Viva Glam V





Lip Gloss: NYX Round Lipgloss in Honey (second from left) or Whipped (fourth from left)



Eyebrow: A bit of Carbon Eyeshadow



Makeup Brushes: Sigma and Coastal Scents





Nail Polish: Sally Hansen in Sheer Strawberry or Essie in Ballet Slippers





What are your go-to-products?

xoxo
msbeautyblogger

(photos: ebay, amazon, redbook,mag, comparestoreprices.co.uk, newyorkcolor.com, 4.bp.blogspot.com)

BeautyBlog2 - December 2009 Favorites

In the spirit of my favorite make up gurus here are my picks for December 2009 favorites - a little late I know - but better late than never:

- MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW25 - my holy grail since I first started using it in August of 09. Previously, I've been using the YSL Touché Eclat but there is no way I'm going back to that!

- Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 350 Rich Tan- I decided to give it a try after Fafinettex3 recommended it. I love it! I was almost out of my Clinique ... and had been thinking of trying the Even Better Foundation from Clinique after Allthatglitters21 raved about it...I may still try that and the MUFE one at some point but for now Revlon is my absolute favorite.

- ELF Warm Bronzer palette - I kept reaching for it every day to give a warm sheen to my face and to highlight! I still haven't bought my first MAC MSF, so for now the ELF Warm Bronzer will have to do, and I've loved it ever since I got it.

- The Shady Lady palette by The Balm - I saw it in one of the first videos I ever watched with Kandee Johnson (<3) and I just had to have it. I finally got it in December and I've been loving it ever since. Especially the colors: caught in the act courtney, shamless shana and luscious lani - the top three from left to right and easy wheezie - the bottom right corner. Although all shimmery, I am just in love with the way they look, when applied, and a girl needs a bit of glimmer to get through the day;)

- Maybelline New York Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Earthly Taupe - been using it every day in December as an all over lid color for almost any look. Love the fact that it goes on mat and is buildable.

- Runway Pink Mineral Lipstick from ELF - just saw Lollipop26's great review on this. Love this one too! Especially paired with the mineral lipgloss from ELF in trophy wife.

- TreSemmé Heat Tamer Spray. A recommendation from Xteeener, and it's a favorite every every month. Just makes my hair so smooth and I love the scent!

- Ocean Salt Face Scrub from Lush. I finally received my first Lush order in December! I am loving everything! Will do a separate beautyblog on my love for Lush soon! The scrub smells like a marvelous margarita and leaves your skin baby smooth. The lime in the scrub really leaves your skin with a sense of having been deep cleaned. Love love love it!

- Rock Star soap! Now I get what all the raving was about (Allthatglitters21)! Even my mom and grandma liked it;) Although Snow Fairy is amazing too - Rock Star is my favorite Lush bar soap for now.

- Lush Shower Jelly in Sweety Pie - the jello like substance is kind of wierd at first, but as soon as I tried it out I fell in love with it. It has the softest best smelling lather ever. Description from Lush.com: "Lashings of blackcurrant and bergamot essential oils in a sour cherry and coconut jelly make this about as fruity as you can get. It is incredibly difficult to resist taking a spoonful. Instead, take a handful and smooth it over your hair and body. Passing strangers will smell you and find their minds wandering to fruit pastilles." And they're right!

- My newest favorite and all time best blending brush is the C200 Deluxe Crease from Coastal Scents. I am loving it. I have a lot of the Sigma brushes, which I also love, but have still to try their 224 brush!

- My Coastal Scents Synthetic Wide Buffer Brush - it's amazing for buffing in my setting powder for a flawless finish!

xoxo
msbeautyblogger