We Shop. We Find. We ShopStyle!

This is for POPSUGAR + ShopStyle's campaign: We Shop. We Find. We ShopStyle!

ShopStyle by POPSUGAR is a social shopping website for anyone who loves fashion, giving style-conscious consumers a place to shop the online stores they trust, all in one place.

  

Using ShopStyle's new ad campaigns that came out this month as the inspiration for this lay down blog post. I have included my Must-Have style for my

  All Day Out n'About in the City Look!!!

Review on Studio Gear Holiday Palette + FOTD

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"Be radiant on any occasion with this sultry, shimmery palette of dramatic shades – perfect for creating a classic smoky eye look, with a hint of unexpected golden glimmer. This collection of four complimentary eye shadows with matching blush deliver several day to night options that are both seductive and wearable. With pure color, pigment-rich formulations, you’ll be sure to smolder all night!"

Beauty Crown 2013 Reveal! Are you In?!?

Review on Michael Todd's Acne Sensitive Regimen

Now there's a serious organic approach to clearer skin quickly for those with sensitive skin suffering with acne. Used as directed, results in 30 days - guaranteed or your money back. 

Individuals with sensitive skin almost always have one thing in common: inflammation. The Acne Sensitive Regimen is a proprietary combination of non-irritating blemish healing ingredients and “nature’s first aid kit” organic aloe vera. Unclogs pores, kills acne causing bacteria, calms inflammation and keeps the skin hydrated without irritating sensitive skin. Contains NO added water,alcohol, mineral oil or harsh chemicals like benzoyl peroxide.

This regimen is designed especially for individuals with sensitive skin suffering with acne. 3-4 months supply. 

*CLOSED* Just Because + FiveTwo Certified GIVEAWAY!!!

Winner is Lily from Beauty With Lily blog

Don't you just like those random, out-of-nowhere, "Just Because" gifts from either the hubby, boyfriend, best friend or sibling or cousin?!? Coming home to a bouquet of flowers not because you had an argument; he comes home with your favorite chocolate or pastry from your favorite bake shop not because you asked him; Sis paying for today's impromptu lunch; Or bestie paying for your coffee --- Just because!

PopSugar Must Have November 2013

"With the holidays kicking into high gear very soon, we wanted to make your life easier with practical but swoon-worthy pieces. From a cozy wrap to a new way to remove nail polish, you'll find everything to get you through November and beyond. Of course, the season wouldn't be complete without a touch of caramel apple or pinecone scent, so look out for that as well as a few items to brighten your Thanksgiving whether you're a hostess or a guest. We hope you enjoy this month's goodies as much as we do. Let the festivities begin!"

- Lisa Sugar, POPSUGAR FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF

POPSUGAR Live!

Just want to share you all this awesome event that POPSUGAR will be having. 

If you are still having troubles on what to get your Dad or Mom or Sister-in-law or cousin or co-worker I assure you POPSUGAR will have options for you on this live event. So go mark your calendars, set your alarm, go tell your friends as well and don't miss their live show! 

http://bit.ly/POPSUGARLiveGiftGuide

"For the third year in a row, we're bringing our amazing holiday gift guides to life with our 2013 LIVE Holiday Gift Guide show. To make the holidays even sweeter, we're also giving away some of the hottest items from our list. Watch as our POPSUGAR editors show off our favorite gifts for the season to help you with all your holiday shopping needs. Plus, we've made it easy to shop while you watch with direct links to purchase all the items. We'll also be giving away incredible items LIVE, so you won't want to miss it.

Be sure to tune in to POPSUGAR.com on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST to discover our must-have gifts of the season and for your chance to win awesome prizes!"

Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel Review

This product I bought from a shop in Flushing, Queens NY called Nature Republic (here's their YELP site) . It is another Korean brand store, like The Face Shop, that only sells their brand products from makeup, nails to skin care to makeup tools to bath & body products. The store was by my Sis and whenever I go to her place, we definitely go to Main St and check out the Korean bakeshops, bubble teas and boutiques! She lives right in the Korean neighborhood and I just love how it feels like I am in Korea when we walk around her 'hood. 

A few facts online about this product:

THE BEST OF BEST! million-selling gel. This GEL made about 30 times of sold-outs in a year, and also sold about 1.50 million. Main ingredients : aloe vera extracts 92% stimulated by the sun, the aloe vera relaxes your all reddish and dried face, arm, leg, and whole body. it also gives good moist and it is also rich in vitamin. Especially it is approved by CCOF(California Certified Organic Farmers) which has real 90% of the aloe. fresh taste and fast absorption. it gives no sticky face but relaxed.

*Facts taken from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Republic-Soothing-Moisture-300ml/dp/B0080EEMCA)

Clarisonic Mia2: 1 Month Update

Quick update, for you guys wondering how my Clarisonic Mia2 journey has been going.

So I still am using my Mia2 every Sunday and Wednesday nights. On Fridays I would use Michael Todd's Jojoba scrub for a good exfoliation. I don't want to increase my use of the Clarisonic yet as I can feel my skin feels sensitive/ tender after using the Mia2. And after being on this routine for a month now, here's what the results are:

• Sis noticed my skin looks more even, I do still have acne scars but overall she said my skin looks better than before.
• I do noticed my pores aren't as noticeable as before. 
• I haven't had any bad break outs except for my hormonal acnes which dries out after a few days. Nothing extreme at all just a few spots around my jawline and big one that's drying out now by my cheek.
• My dry patches have disappeared but I believe this is from using my Michael Todd Acne Skin care regimen (a review of this kit coming soon!).
• I have noticed my foundation application looks more even and smoother.
• I also have been doing my neck and collarbone area and I can tell my neck feels smoother now too!

So that's all what I have noticed so far.  I do love how there are more pros than bad results. I really think when starting it slow and not using the machine everyday on your face helps with your skin adjusting to it. Like anything new that needs to be introduced to your body, it needs time to adjust. That is just my opinion and what I have learned through life. Not sure what experts would say and think but this seems to be working with me and so I will stick to it!

I'll update you all again in a month, maybe do a once a month update from now on. I'm sorry for the lack of pictures but I am not really ready yet to disclose a close-up of my skin. I do owe you guys a before and after picture so that I will include on a future post, not sure when though.

What's in my Weekend Make-up Bag?

Last Friday I planned to spend the night at my Sis' house to spend the weekend with my niece! They live less than an hour from us but with busy weekend schedules, we only get to see each other a few times in a month. 

I wanted to keep my bag light since I still had a dentist to go to that afternoon then walk around the city a bit before heading home to their house with my overnight bag. And so I packed light even with my makeup bag.

L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara Review

From my recent drugstore haul, I have purchased this new L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly mascara in blackest black. I just opened this mascara a few days ago and the same day I posted my haul here on my blog, Shalunya theChronicBeauty of Shalunya&Boyet blog also have posted her haul which had this mascara as well. And that's when we agreed to do a showdown on this mascara. 

We just both agreed to post our reviews at the same day, and see if we will have the same result on this mascara. I usually go for waterproof mascaras as that holds my curl the best, and will not melt on me after a few hours of wear as I got no time to be re-applying it while running around the city! 

October 2013 Favorites

tag post: Why Do I Wear Makeup?

Tagged by the sweet Ashley from Ciao Bella. Have you guys checked her blog out yet? She has amazing beauty posts, a Fall nail of the day Series, and a great tip for bloggers who are having "blogger's block" - she has some great tips for you so head over to her post and tell her I sent you!

1. When did you begin loving makeup?

• I've always loved makeup but because of my acne-prone skin I did not wear a lot of makeup growing up. In my head, I was thinking if I pack on all those creams and powders on my face, I will just break out some more so I kept it to a minimum of sunscreen and lip balm all through out HS and College! 
• I wanted to get back to it, when my skin got better and so I look more put together for when I used to work but when a specific brand broke me out I knew my theory was right! My face is so picky, I can't just put any makeup on! So before jumping back into the makeup pool, I had to do some reading and research! I am so glad a lot of beauty brands out there now uses more natural ingredients than super harsh chemicals hence my shopping-beauty-problems!

2. How do you feel without makeup?

• I don't have a perfect skin, but I can go grocery shopping, Dunkin Donuts, Walgreens , USPS and the deli which are just a few blocks from me without any makeup on. If I am about to hang out with friends and family, I need to put my full face on since I know there will be picture moments and I need to be picture ready, duh!

3. What do you like about makeup?

• I love how I can express myself that day with what color I put on my face. I want to  look fierce, I go for a bold lip color. I want to look simple but put together, I go for a nice neautral-gold eye makeup. If I'm feeling daring then I'll go wear some bolder, brighter eye makeup. 

4. Three holy grail items:

• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains: when in a hurry, I grab these!
• Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil: I use this on my dry skin problem areas, eyes and lashes, hair, lips and cuticles!
• Jordana Fabu-liners: no look of mine is finished without a winged liner!

Have you guys done this tag yet? I'd like to know your answers so please link your post on the comments below! If you haven't, I tag you to do it and let me know!

Hope you all are having a great weekend so far!

Wet n' Wild Lipstick Collection Review

So a few posts ago, I shared with you my disappointment with a few new Wet n'Wild products. You can check out that post, HERE.

On this post, I want to share with you my new fave drugstore lipsticks!

A little background about my lipstick experience before I go on with this review. I am no pro at makeup but I am pretty picky of what I put on my face and especially my lips! The last experience I had wearing lipsticks were years ago, I can't really remember. I think my mind just kinda deleted it in my head, all I know is it was such an awful experience that I did not want to wear anymore lipsticks ever! It just made my lips really dry that's why I stuck with tinted lip balms ever since. Too many rules back then too on how to wear a lipstick properly when all I want is some color on my lips in 2 seconds so I can go catch my bus! 

So when I saw the lipstick is back on trend and how a lot of YouTube Beauty Gurus and fashion blogs and articles are raving about lipsticks again, I wanted to give it another chance and see if after so many years maybe they have finally found a way to make these lipsticks less drying on the lips!

Ipsy has converted me to a lip gloss fan so why not jump on the hype of these lipsticks and see if I feel the same way about them.

And so here we are with one of my fave drugstore brands, and now one of my fave lipstick brands as well. These five lipsticks are what I have bought this year from Wet n'Wild and I am just in-love with them! I have been waiting for Fall to wear them. I can go heavy on my lip products in cooler weather since I know it will not be melting off my lips! I kept it light during the Spring/Summer season and used tinted lip balms or just a bit of lipstick for a stained effect then topped it of with gloss or lip balm.

Fuschianista / Ferguson Crest Cabernet / Bebot Love

Okay before I go off topic let's start already with these Wet n'Wild's Fergie Creme Lipstick Collection  ($3.99) that I got.

"Soft, velvety lipsticks glide on silky-smooth for weightless wear. These longwearing formulas are specially formulated with anti-aging technology, as well as vitamins and minerals to keep lips soft, smooth, and kissable all-day. Moisturizes and conditions for rich colors that won’t cake, feather, or bleed."

• Fuschianista: from the tube it looks like this nice red with blue undertone shade, which I look for on my reds. I think blue undertone lipsticks seem to complement my yellow skin tone really well. Then I swatched it, bam! There's the loud bright fuchsia color! Love it for those days I need some color in my face!
• Ferguson Crest Cabernet: this was said to be a good dupe for MAC Rebel. I don't own the MAC Rebel lipstick so I won't know. You know me though, I just love my dark purpley-red shades and then it's named after a red wine = I'm sold! I saw this was used on a YouTube make-up tutorial and I knew I just had to have it!
• Bebot Love: This is a nice nude shade. It's more in the darker shade of the nude color spectrum which I think will not wash me out. I have to admit I bought this one because of the name. Bebot is one of my fave Black Eyed Peas songs, so I just had to have it! This is actually my very first nude lipstick purchase! I have been wearing it with a pink gloss on top, though it looked nice by itself I felt "naked" without any color. Baby steps here peeps!

Arm swatches will be down below and let me apologize now for the lack of lip swatches on this post. My lips are dry right now because of this weather change, so let's just stick to the arm swatch for this post. If I do post selfies on my Instagram (follow me: _j4ckie_) I will mention it on the description!

The other two I got are from Wet n'Wild's Megalast Mega Last Lip Color Collection ($1.99): 

Lips take center stage! This 4-hour, longwearing lip color leaves a semi-matte, crème finish in one stroke.

• Glides on easily with rich, velvety color that doesn't cake, feather, or bleed
• Made with hydrating skincare ingredients
• Hyaluronic microspheres provide extraordinary adhesion to lips
• An exclusive polymer complex offers cushion like feel and texture
• Natural marine plant extracts coenzyme Q10 and vitamins A&E help smooth lips

Spiked With Rum / Sugar Plum Fairy

• Spiked With Rum: this is a nice Cinnamon shade, that's what it reminds me of when I look at it. The nice color of that cinnamon stick, perfect for Fall!
• Sugar Plum Fairy: this is almost the same shade as Ferguson Crest Cabernet but this one has more purple tone to it, and brighter on the lips. It looks dark when applied on but it leaves a nice bright almost fuchsia-like stain on the lips. If you are going for a deep berry shade, this is not it.

My Verdict:

• The Megalast lipsticks gives me that nice semi-matte finish, since a full matte lipstick dries my lips out, these don't!
• It's so creamy so it's easy to apply.
• It's a very pigmented lipstick. Those swatches are 1 swipe swatches!
• Staying power is pretty good, I only need to re-touch a little bit after drinking and eating.
• I have no problem with this feathering out or bleeding, so no need for a lip pencil before application! Yay!
• I do put some lip balm on before I apply this, and exfoliate my lips to have a smoother base for the lipstick
• The Fergie Creme Lipsticks are creamy as well but can be a bit drying after a few hours of wear so have a lip gloss on hand for touch ups.
• I also moisturize with a lip balm and exfoliate before applying the darker shade lipsticks.
• The swatch above, Bebot Love is the only one I had to swipe twice to show the color. These are pretty pigmented lipsticks too.
• For the Cons  on these lipsticks: Packaging
• I think I hold my breath every time I put back the cap on these! The lipstick cap is a clear plastic cap so you can see the shade right away but because it sticks out, it's hard to put the cap back on. So when you are in a hurry, don't grab for these.
• I know this is an inexpensive brand and I should not expect much, but I just have to put it out there, the plastic packaging feels cheaply made. I do not want to be dropping this at all, I feel like this will shatter in pieces if it does!

Overall, the lipstick is great. It is great for the price you pay, this may vary depending on where you buy it. It's still worth getting it. If you are just starting to build your lipstick collection OR like me just getting back to lipsticks you can start with these! 

You can always depot them, just search on YouTube on how to do that, if the packaging bothers you. If I do find a nice container for these, I might just do that!

What's your favorite drugstore lipstick? If you picky lips like I do, do I have any other lipstick recommendations for me?!?

disclaimer: I bought all these lipsticks with my own money. I was not asked nor got paid by Wet n'Wild to do this review. This is my personal opinion and experience with these lipsticks and nobody else's.