April Favorites

I can't believe it's going to be May tomorrow already. The year is going by so fast, and I feel like I haven't even done anything. I haven't really had the chance to try out makeup lately, it's just been too busy, but there are still a few things I wanted to share.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder 

This one is Dim Light, the powder is so light and so fine. You definitely don't need to pack your brush. I just lightly dust this all over my face. This is a light peachy color, looks shimmery, but once you brush it over the face, you don't notice it at all. It's extremely sheer, and just gives a nice finish to your makeup look. I'm so mad though, because just a few days after I bought it, Hourglass brought out the Ambient Lighting Palette! It's going to be part of their permanent collection now, so if anyone wants to try these out, I highly suggest checking out the palette. It's a much better deal, and you get to try three different powders. One of the powders is also exclusive to the palette.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine

So unfortunately, you can't buy this in stores anymore. It was a limited edition perfume Marc Jacobs brought out last year. Since it's Spring, I wanted something really light and flowery. Just like the name suggests, it's like sunshine in a bottle! The perfume has notes of strawberry, apple blossom, grapefruit, jasmine, rose, violet leaves, oak moss, and amber wood. The only thing I don't like about Marc Jacobs perfumes is how the scent disappears after a few hours. You definitely need to top off using this. 

Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

I expected to like this, but not this much. It's not a heavy oil at all, it's actually quite watery. I use two pumps and it takes off all my makeup, even my waterproof mascara. But I always use another cleanser afterwards. (Double cleaning is your best friend guys)  It has a faint fragrance, nothing too in your face. The Body Shop has 40% and 50% sales all the time, so definitely check it out if this appeals to you. This is the first cleansing oil I've used and I love it.

Vitamin E Moisture Serum

I've always loved the Vitamin E line, especially the scent of the products. I heard good things about this serum and since I needed one, I thought why not give this a try. I've used this the whole month and I can definitely see a difference in the texture of my skin. My skin is so smooth and not as dry as it used to be. You cannot use this alone as a moisturizer, always use a moisturizer on top to lock it in. The smell is really light and the texture of the serum feels like water when you put it on your skin. I use one pump and it's plenty enough for my whole face and neck.

What items have you been loving this month? :)

Music Mondays

I love her voice so much and this song is just so catchy. The video is also really cute, because she has different Youtubers lipsync along with her. I've been hitting replay over and over again!

Coldplay's new video is definitely something very different that I've seen from them. It's quite touching actually.

The sassiest men ever in this video. Watch the whole video and see if you notice anything! 

Food Adventures: Satomi Sushi

Yesterday, after shopping, Victoria and I decided to go to Satomi Sushi again in Fremont. It's definitely not the BEST sushi place I've ever been to, but the rolls are a decent size and the prices are reasonable. I can see why it has 4 stars out of a 1000+ reviews. It's quite a small restaurant, so come early. We had to wait about 30 minutes for our table, so not too bad for a Saturday night. The food comes out pretty fast too. If you're ever in the Fremont area, check this place out!

Assorted sashimi

Dragon Roll

Giants Roll

My Favorite Fashion Blogs

No matter how much I love makeup and watching beauty tutorials on Youtube and shopping at Sephora, my first love will always be fashion. If anyone follows me on Tumblr, literally 75% of my posts are pretty dresses.  I wanted to share my favorite fashion blogs, since I read these blogs almost daily. Some of these bloggers, I've been following for years and years, long before they became as famous. I think they all have their own unique style and I just love looking at the pictures!

Gary Pepper Girl

She is hands down my favorite fashion blogger. If I could raid anyone's closet, it would be Nicole Warne's. I think I'm most jealous of her travels though, she's always moving around, and she just never slows down. And her pictures are always gorgeous! She does lots of campaigns for companies like Lancome and Louis Vuitton.

The Cherry Blossom Girl

Another blogger I've been following for a long time, I wouldn't say I love her style, but it's definitely unique to her. Alix has daily blog posts and I don't think I've ever seen her repeat a single item of clothing. Her clothes are always super adorable, with cats too! Also, her Parisian apartment will make you swoon.

Wish Wish Wish

Carrie just quit a job at Asos to blog full time. Her style is definitely more laid-back and wearable for everyday. She also posts about beauty and food and everything in between. I love her 60s vibe, especially her perfect cat eyeliner!

The Coveteur

The Coveteur takes you behind the scenes of the world's most prestigious brands. They interview celebrities, designers, bloggers, models, etc.  They take you into their own closets, homes, places you don't normally see. It's an interesting website to browse, because you never know who they might interview.

The Sartorialist

He's the guy that first got me interested in street fashion. The Sartorialist portrays fashion in the most natural form. They're pictures of daily life, not on the runway. The subjects look relaxed, and not like they're posing. It's not a blog with the prettiest pictures or anything, but it gives you a different feel for the fashion world.

Are there any fashion bloggers you follow? I love discovering new blogs!

Wishlist #2

Zara T-shirt // Zara Blazer Coat // Zara Flared Skirt // Zara Mini City Bag

Can you tell I'm kind of obsessing over Zara's new items? I know it's Spring, but who ever said you can't wear black during Spring? I've always loved full skirts, and this red one is perfect for a day out in the sunny weather. And I adore this tiny bag, it's the perfect size, I'm so close to buying it!

So what items have you guys been eyeing?

A little nature...

After I got off work today, I took the long way home and drove by Crown Beach. I forget about this place sometimes. Living here for so long, I did the most touristy thing you could do and took a picture of the ocean. It was so sunny, but so windy, I thought I was going to fly away. But there were still lots of people, surfing and doing some sort of sailing. If it wasn't so windy, I would have stayed longer, I need the sun anyways. Today was Earth Day, but technically, everyday should be Earth Day. Everyone should be appreciating the Earth daily. I guess I just wanted to write a post about enjoying what's right in front of you and appreciating what you have. Don't know why, but I'm feeling quite pensive today.

Music Mondays

So I'm going to start a weekly post showing you guys what songs or artists I've been liking. You'll start to notice my music taste is quite varied. ;D

This song was in Divergent and that's where I first heard it. It's been on repeat nonstop for almost the whole month. And who doesn't like Ellie Goulding? 

Ugh, I love his voice, it's so smooth and soulful.

Besides Clarity, Foxes does sing other songs and I've been really liking this one lately. And don't her eyes look HUGE??

Let me know what you've been listening to lately!

Food Adventures: Fenton's

Love it when Suzanne and I can go out on our food dates. We created our own hashtag #michellensuzannefoodadventures HAHA. If you're ever in the Bay Area, check out Fenton's. You might recognize it from the Pixar movie, UP. I can't believe how much we ate.

Crab salad sandwich (I love their fries!)

Bacon cheeseburger

Jumbo sundae with 4 GIGANTIC scoops of ice cream and 2 toppings. Everyone was staring at us when it came out. Who knew two girls could eat so much? ;P

The leftovers. Looks delicious right?

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Joy the Baker!

Decided to bake some cookies for work tomorrow, since it's Good Friday and yea, it's Friday. I haven't baked in such a long time, I forget how much I love it sometimes. Measuring out the ingredients is really fun to me, is that weird? o.O

Anyways, I tweaked the recipe a little bit, I didn't have enough dark chocolate, so I only used 3/4 cup of sugar and used a mixture of dark and milk chocolate chips, so it wouldn't be too sweet.

I think I'm going to use more cocoa powder next time, so it'll be even more chocolatey.

I like having everything all spread out. Always remember to take out the butter and eggs first, so that the butter can get soft. And never bake with cold eggs.

It looked like chocolate mousse after I mixed everything together. I want to eat it already.

Little dollops of poo.

Baked poo.

The final product. It looks disgusting, but I swear it tastes delicious.

Check out Joy the Baker! Her recipes always look so yummy and she's so funny.

Makes 24 cookies

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips ( I used Ghiradelli)

3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

"Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla extract.  Beat for 1 minute more.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients all at once to the butter and egg mixture.  Beat on low speed until just combined.

Stop the mixer and stir in the chocolate chunks.

Scoop dough using a small cookie scoop, or by rolling dough by the heaping tablespoonful.  Place on cookie sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each dough ball.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until cookies are just done.  It’s even ok if these cookies are slightly under baked.  Try your darndest not to over bake them.  Allow to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool before storing.  Cookies are best within 3 days of baking." Joy's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Beauty Haul #1

I really don't understand where this urge to shop comes from, but it needs to stop. Right now. But first, a mini haul. I didn't buy these at the same time, but I decided to just save them into one haul. The Body Shop was having a 40% off sale the whole online store, so I decided to pick up some things I've been eyeing. AND Sephora was having a 15% off sale, which we all know is rare. It was just too good to say no.

The Blueberry Body Butter was one of the first things I ever bought from the Body Shop when I was still in middle school. Oh my god, I sound so old. But I've loved the smell for a long time and I was so sad when they discontinued it. They recently brought it back and added other products to the line, such as the Blueberry Body Lotion, body scrub, and lip balm. It's not too strong and it's a mixture of fruity and floral scents. I don't know how blueberries smell like, but probably not like this. Anyways, it doesn't matter, it smells good to me.

This Early Harvest Raspberry Body Scrub is a brand new line from the Body Shop. This looks EXACTLY like jam. It looks so yummy, but don't eat it. This smell is definitely more tart than the blueberry one. There are actual seeds in there too.

I've always been into skin care, but recently I noticed my skin seemed to have more lines. I know I'm only twenty-three, but it's never too young to start taking care of your skin. Serums are an important step of any skincare routine, and I wanted something effective, but not too expensive. I wanted to try out the Vitamin E Moisture Serum and Aloe Protective Serum both, so I've been using the Vitamin E one at night and the Aloe one in the morning. First impressions: I like the Vitamin E more, mostly because of the smell. The Aloe serum has a weird smell. I'll let you guys know how they work out after I've tested them longer.

Cleansing oils are all the rage right now. Every single brand seems to have one. This Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil is a new addition to the Camomile line. I haven't used it yet, but it smelled divine, just like flowers.

My picture doesn't do it justice, but I'll probably do an in-depth review of the powder soon, so I won't say too much. I'm late to the game with the Ambient Lighting Powder, but better late than never right? I got the shade Dim Light, which is a peachy beige color (I can't believe it's sold out on the Sephora website right now). The Veil Mineral Primer is the silkiest primer I've ever tried. It glides onto your skin so smoothly, it feels like nothing. It is quite pricey, but it's worth every penny.

Is there anything you've been wanting to try? Or anything you want me to go more in-depth about? Let me know!

Products Not Worth the Hype #1

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

I've been testing this out for about a month now, and I wanted to love it so badly. My skin was so dry and dehydrated from this winter, and I really wanted to find a new moisturizer. I saw this and read so many amazing reviews about it. This moisturizer claims to be a miracle worker, it also acts as a makeup remover, face mask, and primer. I really liked the scent and the consistency of the cream, but it did not provide enough moisture for me at all. It was pretty inexpensive and it comes with a lot of product, but I think this is definitely more for people with normal skin.

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes

This came with a set that I bought from Sephora last Christmas, but I only recently tried it. I was so confused about the little lash primer. It looks like cotton stuck on a mascara brush. I followed the instructions, put the little fibers on the lashes first and then use the big mascara second. It did nothing. 

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Oh boy. Where should I start with this one? So, I have stick straight Asian lashes. I always use an eyelash curler (love my trusty Shu Uemura one) first. I curled my lashes like normal, swiped one coat of this stuff on, and it straightened my lashes back out. What?! I don't even understand. Maybe the formula was too wet, but I definitely do not see why people love this so much. I'm glad I didn't buy the big version and got to try it first.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

I do not hate this product, but it is seriously not as amazing as everyone says it is. One thing I do have to give is that it lasts forever. I've had this primer for a long time, and there still seems to have lots of product in there. I admit that my lids are super duper oily and that may be why it doesn't work as well on me. The consistency is nice and it dries to a matte base and feels very light. It's better than not using primer at all, so I will keep using this until I get my hands on something else.

I hope I didn't offend anybody by bashing on one of their favorite products!

theBalm Nude 'tude Eyeshadow Palette

Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Sophisticated, Sexy, Serious

Snobby, Stand-offish, Sultry, Seductive, Silly, Sleek

I bought this palette a while back, but I'm finally swatching it. I used theBalm's 50% off sale, so this palette ended up at around $18.00. You can buy it here. Got to admit though, I mostly picked this one because of the packaging. TheBalm's packaging reminds me a lot of Benefit's, with that old-timey feel. There's a Naughty and Nice version, but they both have the same colors. Of course, I got the Naughty one. 

I love neutral eyeshadows, and usually shades with less shimmer. These are mostly shimmer shades, but there are four matte ones (Sultry, Sexy, Serious, Sleek). The shadows are so soft, but I did notice a bit of fallout in them. One shade I didn't really like was Silly, just because the pigmentation doesn't seem to be as good and the glitter is quite chunky. Another one was Snobby, it's too orange for my taste. You can definitely create lots of different looks with this palette, dark and smokey, or light and shimmery.

The cardboard box feels pretty sturdy and it comes with a huge mirror. I do not use the little double-ended brush that came with it. It's not as soft as my other brushes.

So what do you think about this palette? Would you try it?

ootd #2

I just had one of the most embarrassing and horrifying experiences of my life tonight. What happened you ask? I went on an almost blind date. With my mother and aunt. Think of those Asian dramas where the parents are the matchmakers and you're the one just sitting there, nodding and smiling, nodding and smiling. (And if my sister is reading this, I hate you, you left me all alone with them.)  I think I spoke barely ten words the whole night. Both sides of the family were like selling all the amazing qualities we each had. Just kill me now.

Anyways, here's the outfit I wore today. :)

Beauty Wishlist #1

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate 
The Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate is a face oil, which I tend to stay far away from, but this one is supposed to be really light and your skin will be transformed in the morning. Who knows? But I want to try it.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush
Look how gorgeous the marbling is on the Hourglass blushes. I want them all. I'm such a sucker for pretty packaging!

Dior Addict Fluid Stick
The Dior Addict Fluid Stick just came out, but it looks GORGEOUS. The packaging is adorable and the pigmentation looks amazing on these.

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
I've been meaning to try a new eye primer for a while now, since I never really liked my Urban Decay Primer Potion. I just want to finish it, which seems not too far away now. This Nars one is supposed to be much better.

I decided to start a monthly or weekly wishlist on the blog, depending on how often I can find things I want to buy. This isn't going to be hard, considering I find things I want every day.