Fitness Shoes

Has anybody tried the new fitness shoes? Like the Fit Flop, Skecher Shape Ups, or Reebok Easytone? I know they look super dorky but I recently read an article in Elle about how they really work and now I want to get a pair! I don't know which would be best though.

Thanksgiving haul!

I didn't go out for Black Friday but I have been taking advantage of the Thanksgiving sales online all week. Here's what I'm waiting for in the mail:

Korres Sugar Crystal Cream

I remember using this a few years back and it was really nice. I got 30% off and free shipping using the code TEMPTALIA (I'm pretty sure it still works). I've been having some skin problems lately so I'm really excited to try this again.

From Forever 21:

These are called fairytale earrings. They remind me of Disney princess stuff (which I have a huge weakness for) so of course I had to get them!

I got this cardigan in black because it was only $7!

Isn't this tee the cutest?!! My bf is an enginerd so I love this shirt.

I also got a pair of black bootcut jeans for only $6 but they didn't have a pic of it anymore. It must have sold out.

My next purchase was at Guess, which was having 25% off their full priced merchandise:

I love the fit and cut of Guess clothes and I love clothes that have lots of accessories/detailing in the back, so I had to get this sweater.

squeee, I'm so excited to get my haul! Did you guys get anything?

Fantasy Shoes

Occasionally, when I get down and am not feeling too good, I like to peruse Christian Louboutin's collection. These are my current obsessions that I drool over whenever I get bored:

Lolo Ballerinas:

I have an obsession with ballerina shoes but I personally hate flats. I don't like the way they look on me. I'm 5'8" but I love 4-5" heels, so I always end up looking like a giant. Thankfully, my boyfriend is 6'3" so it's not that big of a problem. These shoes are perfect for me since they combine the look of a ballet flat with Mr. Louboutin's gorgeously sexy heel. The only problem? It's $795! eep!

The next shoes, Christian Louboutin's glitter pumps, are marginally more affordable at $595:

I LOVE these!!! I gasped when I first saw them. I want to wear these for my wedding (whenever that may be). I love sparkly stuff, I love nude colored shoes, and I love high heels, so these were practically made for me!

Anyway, I just wanted to share my most recent obsessions. Do you have any fantasy shoes you like to stare at?

I'm off to study now so I can go make that money to buy all these gorgeous shoes in 5 years!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm thankful for...

1. my wonderful family, for always supporting me and being behind me no matter what.

2. my awesome bf, who's always so understanding.

3. the opportunity to be in school, furthering my education

4. my roommate, without whom school would be much more lonely and boring

5. COFFEE

6. makeup, for pulling me out of my funks and cheering me up

7. my friends, for being there for me when I need someone to talk to

I hope you guys all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat lots of tasty treats!

concealers and full coverage foundations

Having dabbled in freelance makeup artistry, I have an obsession with professional cream foundations, like the ones by Joe Blasco, RCMA, Cinema Secrets, Ben Nye, etc. All my friends who are working professionally as MAs swear by them for photo shoots so I'm always on the hunt to get them all. Like Pokemon!

For the most part, however, I've been disappointed since they tend to be oil-based and do not work on my oily skin. They look great when freshly applied but tend to slip and slide around as the day wears on (even with a good primer and powder). I mostly just save them for occasions when I will be photographed a lot since they do photograph really well.

The latest foundation that I tried is RCMA. I had read on MUA that it had coverage comparable to KA SSE but that was NOT the case on me. I wear a MAC C3 in their studio fix and got the RCMA foundation in KO-2 which was a great match. It has medium-full coverage in my opinion. One of the advantages of these cream foundations is that they can be layered for heavier coverage but I still didn't find that I could get the kind of coverage with RCMA that I could get with any of the 3 concealer/full coverage foundations listed below. Compared to Cinema Secrets, it transfers a lot less (which was my main complaint with CS) and doesn't oxidize as much as CS did. It also imparts a more natural finish than my Ben Nye matte cream foundation. It is also not as greasy feeling as Joe Blasco's Ultrabase, so of these theatrical brands, I have to say that RCMA is my favorite but it's definitely not something I reach for everyday.

I've had no problems with breakouts from it, though, which is nice. The coverage is not enough for my under-eye circles during my hellish weeks of reading and library-ing, though, so I would still recommend a stronger full-coverage concealer if you have things to cover up (like I do). Below is a pic of the RCMA:

As you can see, it is very simple, no bells or whistles, just nice and practical.

The next products I'll be reviewing are pictured below:
L-R: CoverFX foundation in M30, MAC concealer in NW20, and KA SSE in SX07. Why is my MAC soooooo light? I use that almost exclusively for my undereye circles and I like using a cooler-toned, lighter concealer there because it not only counteracts my dark undereye circles but the lighter color also helps brighten the face/bring out my undereye area, which in turn makes my face look more "sculpted," especially when combined with contouring.

I purchased the CoverFX foundation on the recommendation of a Canadian professional MA who swore by it for all her photoshoots. Sadly, however, it has not quite worked out for me for everyday use. The color is a good match for me and it looks great upon initial application, but it tends to settle into pores and wears off unevely as the day wears on, so that I end up looking rather speckled by the end of the day. NOT a good look! Since this one is close to my actual skincolor, I use this as a normal concealer if I get a blemish or if I have a bruise or something on my body (I'm clumsy and run into things a lot!)

I actually purchased the MAC full coverage foundation on the recommendation of my old roommate, who was a MAC MA, and she told me that this foundation is the secret to a lot of the MAC MA's FLAWLESS looking skin. I am actually contemplating getting this in a darker shade for days when I want FULL full coverage but I have not had occasion to need such heavy coverage yet. If you want a truly flawless look with maximum coverage, I'd say this foundation is the best of the bunch. This compact will last you FOREVER too, since a little goes a long way.

My last one, KA Sensual Skin Enhancer, is also great for that purpose but it's a lot pricier at around $45 for that tiny jar. For that reason, I only use it as a concealer. It is a LIFESAVER when I get a really nasty blemish or have insane undereye circles. It has the most coverage out of any face product I've ever seen. People complain that the texture is too stiff, and yes, it is stiff if you're planning on using this as a foundation. But for a concealer, the stiffer texture is great since it keeps the product from sliding around your face and ending up in places other than where you meant it to be. The color is actually a little bit light on me, as this line runs VERY light. I love that the yellow tones run really yellow (since I'm really yellow) but I think it may be too yellow for girls who wear a NC something in MAC.

Overall, I'd say you can skip the CoverFX, get the MAC Full coverage for a great, cost-effective concealer/full coverage foundation, and get the KA SSE for occasions when you might need hardcore FULL coverage.

Laneige Strawberry Yogurt Pack

This is a review for the Laneige strawberry yogurt pack. I've had it for over a year now and use it when my skin is feeling dried and stressed out and needs a little pick me up.

The main thing I love about it is the SMELL. It smells JUST like strawberry yogurt - I seriously get tempted to eat it! The pack itself is a light cream texture with small red beads - you're supposed to apply a generous amount to your face and massage the cream into your skin until the little red beads disappear, then wash it off after 10-15 minutes.

When I wash it off, my skin looks and feels a lot dewier and just "healthier" overall. It's a good mask for all skin types in my opinion, because it doesn't aggravate my oily skin or break me out while imparting moisture. (A lot of products break me out so that's a big deal to me). It's moderately priced (about $20 for a jar) but it lasts you a long time. If you can get your hands on this, I'd definitely recommend it!

some of my makeup favs!

so... the all day at the library thing is not nearly as exciting as I had hoped. Here are some makeup pictures. These are my current favs for face makeup. I'm going to wait for some sunlight before I post more. :)

This isn't my entire collection btw. This is only part of the small percentage that I brought with me to school. :)

This is a closeup of the NYX Lake Moss trio. I used it over the weekend and it was ok - not as smooth as the Runway palettes.

My face makeup brushes:

L-R: Sephora angled blush brush, MAC 129, MAC 109, MAC 190, Sephora small blush brush (I think it's d/c now), EOB concealer and foundation brushes

Eye makeup brushes:

L-R: NARS #16 (HG, use this everyday), cheapo round brush, Scott Barnes crease brush (similar to MAC 224 but smaller), Sonia Kashuk small e/s brush, Sephora large e/s brush, MAC SE #266, fine e/l brush from the art store, Sephora round crease brush, MAC 217, MAC 219
My HG blushes!

clockwise from top left: (OMG this pic is so orange - I'll try to take a better pic soon) - NARS Torrid, MAC Fleur Power, Taupe (great for contour), Trace Gold, Dame; NARS Orgasm, Angelika, Madly, Outlaw, Sin, and Deep Throat
HG highlighters:

Shu P Gold 93D blusher (it just looks like glowy skin - Shu F&F is supposed to start next week!), WnW All over shimmer (I think it's d/c/), MAC Perfect Topping MSF

My Rock and Republic blush in Kinky!

LOVE the hot pink shade and the luxurious packaging. I keep the box because it's so cute!

Concealer/full coverage foundations:

CoverFX cream foundation in M30, MAC full coverage foundation in NW20 (only use this under eyes), Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07 - amazing pigmentation

everyday face makeup (L-R):

The Face Shop BB cream (good for everyday)

MAC hyper real foundation in NC200 (imparts a really lovely finish but has only sheer coverage so I can only wear this on good skin days)

DHC Q10 cream foundation in yellow ocher (comparable to Revlon colorstay but better IMO)

EL Doublewear foundation in Sand (my workhorse foundation - lasts all day on my oily skin.)

Chanel glossimers! I ended up giving a lot of these away because I'm not in love with glossimers anymore (too thick) but I just love this pic because they are so pretty! You can click to enlarge to see the names of the colors.

an old pic of my UD e/s collection: I have a few more now, but this is still the bulk of it. My favs are blunt, midnight cowboy, and midnight cowgirl:

a better pic of some of my NARS. I got rid of that NARS e/s duo because it was really chalky but I still use everything else. My favs from here are the blushes, Night Clubbing e/s, and Thunderball e/s.

Hard Candy eyeshadow quads! (before they went to Wal Mart). These were really underrated and great quality for the price. My favs are the bottom 3. :)

I've decided to start posting again. Hopefully with pictures. I think it will be a good source of stress relief from law school.

I tried to tone down the makeup for school, but it's not working. I get depressed when I am not groomed! I do have to admit that I don't bother during the week, though - my only outing is either gym or class so I feel like it's a waste of makeup to do my hair and makeup everyday. I just spent a weekend in LA, though, and had an awesome time getting all dolled up. I need to do it more! The main thing holding me back right now is that my eyes can't really handle wearing contacts anymore and get all dry when I wear them and I hate doing my makeup when I'm in my glasses. :(

I really want a pair of black round-toe ankle boots that are about 4" high. Any recs?

bleh, I need to start my diet tomorrow, but it's thanksgiving week! hrmph.