Pick Me Up Haul

There's no denying I've been feeling under the weather lately. There is no denying either than when I feel stressed, I tend to channel it by spending my money. It makes me feel guilty sometimes, but when I'm driven to the wall, all I wanna do is feel good by treating myself. Here are some products I picked up.

NARS Duo in Isolde; this duo from NARS have been in my wishlist since forever. I'm smitten with the combination of  gold and copper, such beautiful pair for easy yet polished look. Perfect for someone who's more into 'one wash wonder' kind of shadow. The formula is dreamy; buttery-smooth, non-powdery, and pigmented.

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Concealer; for years I stay loyal to BOBBI BROWN's creamy concealer, to the point I actually got kind of bored with it (I'm sure I'm not the only one?) . FIT ME Line just got available recently and with how many people said it's dupe of the infamous NARS creamy concealer, I cannot help but try.  I've only tried it a couple of times to really give my verdict, but this one is a lot more runny than the original NARS.

KIEHL's Butterstick Simply Rose; the new lip balm offering from KIEHL's got me reeling. I absolutely adore KIEHL's as a brand and this balm reminds me a lot of FRESH sugar lip treatment (which I had love-hate relationship with). I can say I like this tinted balm more than FRESH's offering, simply because it doesn't make my lips flakey by the end of the day, and despite being light-weight, it gives my lips lots of moisture.

THE BODY SHOP Lip & Cheek Tint; I got this for free by exchanging my TBS points without any expectation at all. The pigmentation and lasting power surprise me, but other than that, the formula doesn't work that well. It leaves my lips patchy by the end of the day and doesn't stay on my upper lip at all.

THE BODY SHOP 3 in 1 Brow Definer; this brow-noob is finally challenging the world of brows, yay! I stick with brow mascara not only just for the ease of it, but because I'm scared I'd just buthcer my brow if I tried anything more 'complicated'. Yes; 'drawing brow' is complicated in my opinion. This pencil comes with brush, highlighter, and actual brow pencil. The pencil is creamy and easy to draw, it's not as pigmented but it saves me from over-drawing my brow.

What do you buy when you're feeling down?

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5 Jill Stuart Favorites

As a brand that often get mention in this blog, of course Jill Stuart deserves another exclusive post. I admit that Jill Stuart product can be a hit or miss on me, despite how much I love them. But once they ticked the boxes, they’re too amazing not to be talked about. Here are 5 favorites of mine.

Nail Polishes; I’ve talked about their nail polishes here. Not only beautifully-made bottles, they also come with beautiful formula. I rarely have problem with neither applying nor removing except for some that came with glitters. They wear beautifully for 3~5 days without chipping. The shades range is more on romantic side with many pinks and nudes, it goes well with their brand identity; something romantic and timeless.

Hand cream; some people might find it marmite but hand cream is something that is actually difficult to get right. Some only have the scent without having moisturizing quality, or it’s hydrating but too sticky. Jill Stuart got it right in every sense; consistency, hydrating and moisturizing, also the heavenly scent. There’s a reason why this is my mom’s favorite.

Blush; it’d be weird to talk about Jill Stuart but not about their blush, it’s equivalent to talk about MAC but not about their lipstick, seeing as it’s their best-selling product. You’d think they’ll turn sheer on my medium-tan skin, but they’re actually quiet vibrant. The medium pigmentation makes it buildable so it’s impossible you can go wrong with it. It also gives your cheeks nice and healthy radiance with their micro-shimmer, I have large pores, but I never have issue with it.

Lip Balm; like hand cream, it sounds simple but finding ‘the one’ for you is not an easy task. I can say this is the best lip balm I’ve ever used. It’s thick but absorbs into lips quickly, giving my lips sheen, moisture, plus a hint of color. It also tastes and smells delicious, as I don’t have problem with fragrance in product, it’s pleasant, but if you have, this might not be the one for you.

Mouse Brow Mascara; I recently talked about this in my 1^st impression post. This quickly rose to the top of my favorite brow product! Brow used to be the last of my priority but after this came into my life, filling my brows become such a joy. I love how easily it fills my brow, shape them, and keep them at place at the same time. It doesn’t even take a minute, so hassle free!

Have you tried any of these products?

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1st Impressions

Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Moisturizer; I started using this one in hope this could prevent my acnes from forming at all. After a month of usage, I found out that this broke me out. Quick search in internet told me that many people experienced purging when using this one on skin with dirty pores. Needless to say, I laid this down for the time being until my break out is completely taken care of, I still have a couple of acne scars left on my cheeks and chin.

Laneige Water Bank Gel Eye Cream; believe it or not, this is the first time I use proper eye cream in my routine. It has the signature Laneige scent that I personally find pleasant, and feels cooling on the skin. The gel absorbs quiet fast, doesn’t leave my skin sticky either. As for the effect, I know eye cream is something that will show effect with long-term usage, so I cannot say much for now. But I think it helps since even with my constant lack of sleep, I never really look dead with horrible dark circle in the morning.

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Toner; like any other toner with ‘clay’ , this toner is dedicated for oily skin. While I do not feel any uh-mazing effect from this toner (since this is toner and many people find it to be a marmite product), I definitely like this more than the previous one I’m using from Kiehl’s. This feels refreshing and cleaning at the same time, something that I’m looking from a toner. Plus, it helps removing some dirt residue from my skin.

UD All Nigher Makeup Setting Spray; I think I don’t need to say much about this highly coveted setting spray; I love it! I understand why people is all over this product, it truly makes difference.

Paul & Joe Protecting Foundation Primer; first of all, I really didn’t expect I’d love this primer so much. I thought this won’t work that well on my oily skin, but how wrong I was. I think there’s never a day when I skip this primer, even when I’m not wearing foundation. This has a very slight tint to it that helps hiding redness and some blemishes, while giving an instant perk up to my skin at the same time. It has heavenly scent as well, so applying this on my skin in the morning (dead 4 AM in the morning) becomes such a joy.

Jill Stuart Mouse Brow Mascara; as a brow noob who had recently overplucked my brow and ended up with uneven brow; THISIS LIFESAVER! It’s amazing how quickly this one fills my brow and makes it stay in place afterward, doesn’t slip even with excessive sweats and washing. Jill Stuart definitely nailed this one!

The Saem Single Blusher OR1; for something that I picked up in a whim, I’m truly surprised with how good this blusher is. It’s not overly pigmented so it can be build up (something I love from a blusher), and it lasts considerably long. The only downside is it’s so powdery so I need to properly tap the brush AND the container after use or I’d end up with messiness everywhere.

The Same Matte Shadow RD1; now, this is the star of the show. I picked up this one when I was looking for the ‘right’ shade of red, and like the blusher, I didn’t have that much expectation toward this dainty little thing. Up until now, it still blows me away with how pigmented and long-wearing it is, for a matte shadow, it definitely isn’t chalky at all, plus it blends like a dream, and did I mention it stays forever without smudging nor creasing? It does better job on my oily lids than TooFaced even. I still have the urge to visit The Saem counter and picked up another color, but for now, this red one will do.

Have you tried any of these products?

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Hello, how are You?

It’s been roughly a month and some more since my last blog post, from blogging at all. “Life happened”, it’s cliché, but it’s true. April definitely took turn for the worse and I can say I was facing – I still am – one of the toughest moments in my life. It definitely wasn’t easy, I’m constantly faced with moment when I question myself and everything around me, there are many times I want to stop, but I’m in a position that disabled me to.

The fact is, I didn’t completely distract myself from the internet. Rather, they’re the only place where I can find solace. In the short time between 21 and 24, those three hours were the only time when I felt free. There were amazing people who made me think all these struggles will be worth it in the end, there are people who told me “just a little bit more, at least see until it ends”, and it’s really the only thing that keeps me going, as shallow as it is.

I have not stopped writing either, I mentioned a couple of times that I had an outlet for my creative writing somewhere in the internet and last month, I managed to finish quiet a big project. They took most of my attention outside work, and thus my blog had to be sacrificed. I just had to choose between that or this little space of mine, and that one won.

I feel incredibly sorry to my blog and people who happened to frequent here during my absence, to be honest, I’m not sure if I can return to my original Tuesday-Friday schedule anytime soon. But, I think I want to start little by little, starting with this post. Hello, how are you? I hope you’re doing fine and will continue being one.

Until next time!

acceptance over understanding

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