July Favorites

And just like that, July is over. This month has been super hectic for me, so I'm glad it's finally done with. Work and apartment hunting is stressing me out so much, all I want to do is sleep when I get home. 

Anyways, it's been super hot here lately and I don't like to wear too much on my face when it feels like it's going to sweat off any second, so I've been just wearing a bolder lip and keeping everything else bare. And to keep my lips hydrated in this heat, I think I might have found my favorite lip balm EVER. The Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm is super duper moisturizing and I love that it's a squeezy tube, so no need to dirty fingers. It also has SPF 25, which is important since we tend to forget about protecting our lips from the sun. The consistency is like petroleum jelly, but since you only need a little tiny bit, it doesn't feel gloopy at all. I think what I like the most is the scent though, the one I have is Lemon Chamomile and it reminds me of a lemon cake, smells delicious!

Another lip product I've been using lots this month is the Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in New York Scene. You can see my swatches here. This is more like a liquid lipstick but with a balmy consistency. It doesn't dry out your lips at all. I would say I got a few good hours of wear, and it would have lasted longer without eating or drinking. The colors are gorgeous and extremely pigmented, especially the darker colors. The only fault about this is the initial smell from the tube, but that goes away when you apply it.

I've been using the Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer  from First Aid Beauty for over a month now and I can definitely say that I like it. It's a much lighter consistency than the Ultra Repair Cream, which I still use at night. I've been using the moisturizer in the mornings and I like how it's so light and sinks in quickly. You need a pee sized amount for your entire face and it's really good to use under foundation as well.

Last favorite this month is my Bauble Bar Daisy necklace. I originally wanted the white one, but they were out of stock and sent me the ivory colored one instead, but I really like it anyways. I freaking love Bauble Bar, because it has absolutely everything for everyone. The prices are decent, without compromising quality, and they always have sales and flash deals.

Hope you all had a good month and let me know if you've tried any of these products or had any favorites to share! :)

Music Mondays

Only a few days left in July, let's survive this week! 

This song was written by Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic, so you know it's going to be a hit, and her voice is so good. If you like the original, the remixes are just as amazing.

This might be my favorite song from the Coldplay album. It's kind of sad, but also very relaxing.

Really like this song by Tove Lo, she's becoming more popular now!

Sizzling Plates and Jumbo Cups...

Are you guys tired of all my food posts yet? But I can't help it, all I do is eat. :)

On Saturday, Deanna and I decided to skip the Ramen festival in SF and go to San Jose instead. Good thing we skipped it, since all I heard was that the lines were too long and no one even got to eat ramen! I had to return something at ZARA, so we decided to make a day trip out of it. We went to Pepper Lunch USA, which is the only Pepper Lunch in California, or was it the whole US? Anyways, it was DELICIOUS. It's so interesting that it comes out on a piping hot, sizzling plate, you kind of cook it yourself. Definitely want to go back. Afterwards, on the way back home, we stopped by Verde to grab some boba. I got a large, thinking it would only be a bit bigger than the regular cups, but it was gigantic! The milk tea part was good, but I didn't really like the boba, there was no sweetness at all.

We got back to Alameda (after a little car incident) and just hung out and watched movies. It was my first time watching Gladiator and The Fifth Element. I loved both movies, but Gladiator made me so sad!

Music Mondays

After a super chill weekend, here are some slower songs for you guys!  Happy Monday :)

Absolutely beautiful, I can't stop replaying this song!

The video is different...haha, but I like this new band!

Sara Bareilles is the best, this song is so sad and emotional.

A Saturday Night Out...

What better time to write a blog post than late at night? Wanted to share with you guys my Saturday night outfit and makeup look. Three of my friends decided to celebrate their birthdays together, which meant there were TONS of people at the club that night. I didn't really know most of people, but it was fun, I mostly went because I haven't seen my friends in such a long time. Seeing everyone reminded me of college freshman year memories. We all had a little Malcolm moment there. Hahaha. I haven't gotten this dolled up in a while, and I've definitely never wore this much makeup in my life EVER. It's fun though, once in a while. I've put my partying days behind me (I'm such a grandma now).

This is an old dress from ASOS from New Look (similar here), a super simple lace dress. I liked that it wasn't too short or too long (I don't have that hourglass figure, I look straight as a board).  I still feel super self-conscious when I wear form-fitting dresses. 

Love these criss-cross wedges from Chinese Laundry. Much easier to walk in than pointy heels, even though they were five inches tall (my feet died at the end of the night >.<).

And here is my makeup for the night. I really wanted to wear falsies, since I rarely get the occasion to. I decided to go for a more dramatic eye look than I would normally wear, winged my liner out a bit more too. Eye shadow is seriously so hard to apply on my hooded lids, but I hope I did an okay job. 

Eyeliner was Stila's Stay All Day liner in Black. I first applied Maybelline's Color Tattoo (see my post here) in Bad to the Bronze as an eyelid primer all over, then went over it with Stila's Mink (pictured here).  My fake lashes are from China, so if anyone is ever over there, you should definitely pick some up, they're super cheap and easy to apply. When you apply falsies, always curl your lashes first and apply mascara, it looks more natural. I also go over my lashes with mascara as a last step to make sure there's no gap.

Base is Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua in 22 Beige Rose and set with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. Then I used a teeny tiny bit of the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Natural Beauty on the apple of my cheeks (this stuff is seriously pigmented, just a dab was plenty). Did a little contour, but not really, since I don't think I'm very good at it, with NARS Laguna bronzer. Finally, on my lips, I used the OCC Lip Tar in Stalker, which is a true red.

It felt very unnatural wearing so much makeup, but it's so fun to apply. Practice makes perfect right? 

The week is almost half over! Go go go everyone!

Music Mondays

Had a crazy weekend, but I will have another post for that. Hope everyone rested up for another week! Can't believe July is half over already.

A band made up of four siblings. This is a nice song to just chill out to.

Interesting video.

Not another girl group! But I love their voices.

A Much Needed Time Off...

Last weekend, I went up to Davis for a couple days to see some friends and it was so nice to just sit down and talk to people that I haven't seen in a long time. I feel like we always make excuses to not see someone, either we're too tired or too busy, but sometimes, you just gotta do it. Life's too short to be tired all the time.

Thank you to QT for letting me crash at your house and taking me out to the bars and staying up late with me. I seriously miss not having my parents around telling me to not stay out at night and being able to drink without having to hide it from them. Enjoy your college days kids, you'll miss the freedom very soon.

bibimbap from Aura

I was a bit disappointed in this place, I wouldn't go out of my way to try it again.

Pistachio macaron ice cream sandwich from Ginger Elizabeth

I love these, I wish they had them all year round!

look at this cutie! :)

I got back to the bay (after the most horrible traffic) and went back out again. It was a fun weekend, but I was exhausted! Went on a last minute dinner date with sponsoree, Fanny and Victoria!

Music Mondays

Monday is here again guys. I hope you all had a wonderful July 4th weekend! During the summer I tend to listen to more upbeat, techno-y music, hope you all like it!

This came out last year, but I only recently discovered this band and I like them.

Anything with Ellie Goulding is a must listen right now.

Since seeing him live last year, I've wanted to see him perform again. This is a new song.

From New York to Shanghai

left to right: Natural Beauty, New York Scene, Shanghai Sizzle

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Independence Day! It's currently 1:00 AM over here and I can still hear the fireworks going off.  I spent my day laying on the couch and painting my nails. It feels so nice to relax on this rare three-day weekend.

So I wanted to share some recent purchases today with you guys and do a mini review and first impression. Everything I bought was from Ulta, and right now they're having a sale, so take a look if you were eyeing anything.

The Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stains are new releases and every time Revlon has new lip products, I just have to try them. The two shades I picked were New York Scene and Shanghai Sizzle (hence the post title). I have to admit I picked them for the names. All the shades are named after cities by the way. These products are marketed as a liquid lipstick/gloss/stain. The consistency is a bit thicker, so it feels more like a balm. You can't just apply this without a mirror, you do have to be a bit precise. It is VERY pigmented, two layers will really make the colors pop. I don't think the products really have a glossy effect, but it is very moisturizing and feels comfortable to wear. This is definitely a hit or miss product though. People will either love or hate the consistency. The smell wasn't particularly nice either, but it goes away on application. Not a must-have product, but I do really like it.

Another lip product I've been wanting to try is the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 in Lemon and Chamomile. It smells so good, just like lemon and sweet cream! Jack Black is a men's line, but whoever said women can't use it too? I've been using it for about a week, and I really love it so far, but I'll keep testing it. I love the squeezy tube and that it has SPF in it. We always forget to protect our lips.

I've been putting off buying this blush for a long time, since it's not the cheapest blush out there and I never use blush anyway. But I succumbed and bought the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Natural Beauty. The color looks really scary in the pan, but I really wanted a red blush, since I only had peachy pink ones. The swatch looks super pigmented, but it's actually not as red as I thought it would be, it's actually a very natural-looking flush.

Last, but not least, is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I love these brushes, they're so soft! Very good quality for drug store. I wanted a new brush for applying liquid foundation, but I would also probably use this one for bronzer as well.

I hope you guys liked this mini haul! Let me know if you've tried any of these products!

June Favorites

Ahhh...June is over! The weather has been so warm and beautiful, it makes me want to go to the beach and just lie out with a book under a big umbrella. So, who watches soccer (or football for the rest of the world)?! I've been OBSESSED with the World Cup, I sneak in little snippets online when I can at work! Does anyone else do that? :D 

Anyways, back to the products! This month I've been using my NARS blush/bronzer duo tons. I got this in a set from Sephora back in December last year, but I've only recently been loving it. This is a mini version of the Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer.  I used to not like the Laguna bronzer much, because it seemed so hard to get the color to show up, but I found out I was just using the wrong brush. Oops. I use it less as a contour, more as something to warm up my face a bit, and it's easy to use because it's so buildable. It has a little shimmer in the pan, but it doesn't show up at all when you apply it. It's a nice product to have for people that are just starting to use bronzers, since you can't really mess up when you use it. I like the Orgasm blush, because it's such a pretty sheer peachy shade. It can flatter all skin tones as well. 

I always go light on the blush when I use it, because my cheeks are super red naturally. So I was always afraid to use cream blushes, because they seem so pigmented. But the Stila Convertible Color in Petunia is such a gorgeous shade, I just had to try it. It's the perfect Spring and Summer blush, giving your cheeks a nice, glowy flush. I haven't used it on my lips yet, but I feel weird applying something I put on face on my lips.

Another lippy favorite is the Body Shop Colour Crush Shine lipstick in #15 Fuchsia Flirt. Really comfortable to wear and leaves a bright pink color on your lips as the day goes on. Read my post about them here.

A non-beauty favorite has been Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. This was highly recommended by my friend Claire and she was kind enough to lend me her signed copy! Neverwhere is the first book I've read by Neil Gaiman, although I've heard tons of good things about the author. This book is a mix of fantasy and reality with a dark side to it. It's about a normal, London man whose world is turned upside down one day after helping a bleeding girl on the street. I loved it and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy books!

I hope you guys all had a wonderful month and remember to stay cool!