Monday, July 26, 2010

Color of the Week - Simple Heart Nail with Bubble Gum and Jasmin

I can't believe it's Monday again. It seemed like this past weekend went by extremely fast. The biggest winner is of course my daughter. We took her to playground on Saturday and swimming pool on Sunday. My husband and I were also happy. He found a little friendly meat shop and I got some Chinese beauty magazines. So that's my weekend. And today I'm only going to do a simple nail design because I'm finalizing my blog migrating process. Here we go!


From left to right, Dior 741 Bubble Gum, Lunasol EX16 Soft Silver Lighting and Chanel 171 Jasmin.


First step, paint the whole nail with Chanel Jasmin. This nail polish itself is pretty enough for everyday wear especially great for office ladies. It's got that rich creamy texture with a pearlescent finish.


Then I did a slightly large reserve smile line with Dior Bubble Gum. Dior doesn't have a line of nail polishes for the US girls here. They rather release some seasonal colors at exclusive stores which sucks. I think I got this at Nordstrom last summer.


Now to fix the imperfection, cover the edge with Lunasol Soft Silver Lighting. This is another limited edition nail polish which came with Christmas 2008 coffret set but there shouldn't be a problem finding something similar.


Last step, put on a cute sticker anything you like. This complete my simple nail art today.






Thursday, July 22, 2010

Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow Eye Enhancer

See the full article and swatches at Fruity Lashes






















Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Burberry Beauty Finds

"Burberry Beauty reflects the natural Style and relaxed attitude of our iconic trench coat capturing the effortless elegance and individuality of the Burberry Girl." - Christopher Bailey

Over the past weekend, I did get a chance to check out the new Burberry Beauty line at the Nordstrom San Francisco store. I knew there was a launch event earlier that week but I couldn't make it. It happened that Christopher Bailey himself was at the event, the sales girl told me.


The loot


Some pictures I took at the store. Surprisingly there wasn't a lot of shoppers at the counter even on the weekend.





Related Post:

The Wait Is Over


Monday, July 19, 2010

Color of the Week - Nars Orgasm

Nars Orgasm blush is one of my go-to blushes but today I'll show you the matching nail polish instead. It's also called "Orgasm".


It's peachy, pinky with a hint of gold shimmer.


Since I got this in the Orgasm Laguna Blush Bronzer Duo and Nail Polish set, I don't have the original box to show. But this is what the bottle looks like.


The polish is made in USA and it's good for 2 years after you start to use it.


The polish is very sheer compare to many of my other polishes. One coat of application is not going to be good as you can still see through it.


And I'd say two coats is acceptable. The gold sheen is really beautiful and girly.


I decided to try three coats which I don't usually do. It turned out more glossy and doesn't look heavy at all. I'm very pleased with the result.


I haven't wore it on my hands yet so I can't tell you the staying power. All I can say is the color is gorgeous and it's perfect for summer.


This is what it looks like with flash.


Have anyone tried this yet? Do you think Nars make good nail polishes?



Friday, July 16, 2010

Weekend Plans and Moving to WORDPRESS

First thing first, I'm moving my blog to WordPress. Blogger has been good to me and I had a lot of fun with it. But I definitely want more control over my design and be more professional. WordPress seems to be a better choice.

And yes I'll have my own domain and sadly a new blog name instead of "Life Spice". If you follow me on Twitter, you might have an idea on what my new name would be. Even you don't, I'll promise that you will be re-directed to the new address when you log on to this URL.


Second, to celebrate 50 followers on my blog also my moving to WP I'll be hosting a giveaway. Most likely after I switch to WP but no later than August 1.

Last, plans for the weekend:

1. Migrate my blog to WP.
2. Get prize(s) for the giveaway.
3. Take my daughter to playground.
4. Check out Burberry Beauty counter at Nordstrom (might not be able to).
5. Make lots of chocolate chip cookies and beef jerky.

Alright that's it for now. I hope you all have a great weekend!


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Make Up For Ever (MUFE) HD High Definition Microfinish Cream Blush

Make Up For Ever is a brand that I've been neglected for the longest time just because a lot of the products have a strong scent that I can't stand. But I never want to give up the brand. I know there must be something for me. And recently I found one. It's the High Definition Microfinish Cream Blush.


The packaging is very small and cute even though it's only plastic. It holds 10ml, 0.33 oz which will last forever. My husband got it for me at Sephora for $25 two months ago when he picked up the tokidoki necklace.


There're 14 shades available and what I got is the number 14 Star Struck. Every one of them has a different name and a lot of them are interesting names, such as 03 Truth or Dare, 06 Quickie and 10 Skinny Dipping. But I couldn't find the name anywhere on the package. What a waste.


On the back of the packaging, it says "Press slightly: a small amount is all that is needed."


And the ingredients are (the picture is clickable):


Now here comes to the fun part, the pump design. I've seen some bloggers commenting on how tight the pump is and how they always end up with too much product by one squeeze. But to me, I don't find it to be a problem. It's just that you need to be gentle and don't push it all the way. And the amount of the product it comes out actually makes sense. I'll explain that later.


This is what I get from one pump. It's totally controllable and not that much at all.


Since the blush is in cream form it will settle after a while. Compare to the very top photo (taken two months ago), there's already a gap showing on the top left.


And the cream dries up like this. So for best result, you're going to have to use it frequently. Or else you either deal with the thick cream or you get rid of the first pump. And that's a lot of waste considering how little the bottle is.


The texture is creamy and the coverage is sheer but buildable.


What I like:
  1. It's very natural looking. The soft focus effect gives my face a subtle flush of color.
  2. The pigments are ultra-fine and it does not crease or sink into the pores.
  3. A little bit goes a long way. One pump is all you need.
  4. No weird smell. That's a huge plus for a MUFE product.
  5. The staying power is superb. There's no fading or sliding.

What I don't like:
  1. It dries up very quickly so you need to be fast applying it. 
  2. The consistency is on the thick side. Using too much can look cakey and fake.

The best way to apply it:

By a brush! That's why I said the amount of one pump actually makes sense. Don't try to blend the blush on the cheek using your finger. It'll dry up before you can actually blend it. So this is what I do, I dab the blush with a kabuki brush to pick up the color, then I work it in a circular motion on the apples of my cheek. The result is always natural and glowy. And of course by doing this, you're going to use more product than applying with fingers.

Conclusion:

Overall, I think it's a pretty good cream blush. It's well worth the price.



Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Review: RMK Recovery Gel Intensive Night Treatment Anti-Roughness & Hydration

Oh wow it's such a long name for this product - RMK Recovery Gel Intensive Night Treatment Anti-Roughness & Hydration. So today I'll be doing a review on it (I'm not going to repeat the name, scary!)


Let me list some facts about this gel first.

Ingredients:
Bread Yeast Extract
Apricot Seed Extract
Diptoassium Glycyrrhizinate (Anti-inflammatory)
Grapefruit Extract
Aloe Extract
Raspberry Extract
Ceramide D

Usage:
Last step of skincare routine. After applying lotion and serum, I massage about two pearl size of gel into my face. Then wrap it with my palms to help the gel absorb.

Price:
The Recovery Gel(40g) sells for 6,000円 alone but I got it in the Spring Care Kit which sells for 7,000円. It's a much better deal to get the whole kit. But still it's not very cheap especially when you buy online. The price could go all the way to $80+.


The jar is made of plastic, it'd be so much better if it's a glass jar. But at least the jar doesn't look cheap.


The inner lid comes with a handle for easy opening.


The gel is in yellow orange color with tiny white bits (capsules). It smells like grapefruit and looks so yummy that I almost want to take a bite.


Now let's do some "experiments" with the capsules, shall we? I scoop out a bit of gel on the back of my hand.


Here I'm smoothing it out gently so you can see the capsules are being crushed.


Massage the gel even more and the capsules completely disappear. I'm not sure if you can see the picture, but once the gel gets absorbed it leaves a beautiful sheen on the skin.


Thoughts:

It's definitely a Spring time skincare product. The grapefruit scent is so refreshing and it makes me want to sniff it all day long. The gel texture is light yet super moisturizing. I only used a couple times since June because it's almost a little too intensive for summer time. When I wake up in the morning my skin is still wet feeling but at least I know it's working. For now I kind of prefer something light. So I'll save it for fall and winter.

Conclusion:

I really like it. The grapefruit smell alone is well worth it and the white capsules are fun to play with too. But the most important thing is that it really is a treatment which makes my skin well hydrated and plumped overnight.






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