LORAC Pro Palette

Hi everyone! So I have something exciting to review today, the LORAC Pro Palette! I've been wanting this palette for years, but could never justify buying it, but there was an amazing deal online and I got it for only $22, which is almost half the price. It normally retails for $42. This palette appealed to me because it has a good mix of matte and shimmer shades, unlike the Naked palettes, where it's mostly shimmer ones.

This neutral palette has a total of 16 colors, the top half is matte and the bottom half is shimmer shades. The palette is super thin, made from sturdy cardboard, very travel friendly, with a huge mirror. It also came with a sample size of their eyeshadow primer. The color names are straightforward as well.

Here are the swatches, you can see the lighter shades are on the left and the darker ones are on the right.

White / Cream / Taupe / Light Pink / Mauve / Sable / Espresso / Black

Nude / Champagne / Gold / Light Bronze / Pewter / Garnet / Deep Purple / Slate

These shadows are super pigmented, and I've found them to be extremely blendable too. They're buttery soft, some people might find it chalky, but it's a finely milled kind of fall out. The shimmer shades don't have those annoying big chunks of glitter either. My favorite colors are Mauve, Pewter, and Garnet.

Have you guys tried this palette out yet? What do you think about it? Also what is your all time favorite eyeshadow palette? :D

Music Mondays

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. Let's face this Monday together! :D

Kind of really loving Mikky Ekko right now. His music is very chill and laid-back.

Hurts is a new group I recently discovered. Their style is rock and pop mixed up, but I really like this song here.

Lobsta anyone?

Last week was full of food. Delicious, fatty food.  Well, every week is filled with food really. :D

On Tuesday night, Sponsoree was so nice and picked up Fanny, Victoria, and I one by one at our houses. We first went to Palace in Sunnyvale for some all you can eat Korean bbq. We were definitely not hungry enough to eat our money's worth, but we wanted to save room for dessert. Somehow, we all decided to get our own dessert and we all finished it too. Tried out a new Asian dessert place in San Jose called Hello Desserts. At this point, I'm trying really, really hard not to fall asleep from my food coma haha.

Off the Grid comes to Alameda every Saturday, so Katie and I decided to grab some lunch. It was my first time trying out Lobsta Truck. I've never seen this truck before, but that lobster roll was SO GOOD. The bread was perfectly crunchy and buttery. MMMM

Sunday brunch is one of my favorite meals. If my tummy could fit it all, I would eat waffles, pancakes, and french toast everytime. This is from American Oak in Alameda. The restaurant was very nice inside, but the service was meh. I also don't know if the food is really worth the price. The french toast was good, but I still like old school American diner food more.

Music Mondays

This week's Music Monday was inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy. If you haven't seen it yet, GO WATCH IT. Such an awesome and hilarious movie. And the best part is the soundtrack. These are just a few of the songs from the soundtrack, but oh my god, it brings back so many memories of when I was younger. Music needs to be like this again. Anyways, enjoy!

Music Mondays

Good morning lovelies! :D

I know this song was in last week's post, but the music video is finally out! Touching video and story.

Paloma Faith's style reminds me of Amy Winehouse mixed with Lana Del Ray. But I like her voice.

Who still remembers Hilary Duff aka Lizzie Mcguire? I used to love watching that show! This song reminds me of being in high school, she sounds exactly the same as she used to, which can be a good or a bad thing. Enjoy!

Empties #1

Hello everyone! So I'm sitting here in my local Starbucks, using their internet, because my parents decided to upgrade our plan and didn't tell me until yesterday. No internet for 5 days! AHHHH HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE? I decided to come here to catch up on some posts, and of course to get my Oprah Chai latte. YUM.
This is my first empties, or products I've used up, post! I rarely use up anything, just because I like to try out so many different products. The things I usually use up are mostly lotions and cleansers.

The Body Shop's Seaweed Clarifying Toner
This is less an empty and more like it's been sitting in my cabinet for too long. I wanted to try this toner out because it's supposed to balance and control the oil on your face. Honestly, though, it did nothing. It smelled nice and didn't irritate my skin, which was great, but I couldn't see any improvement to my skin at all. I will not purchase this again.

The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Serum
I'm already half way through my second bottle of this. I absolutely love this serum. Perfect all year round. It's been featured in my favorites before and you can read it here. This serum has helped my dehydrated skin look smoother and clearer. For those on a budget, this is a good choice too, since the Body Shop has deals all the time.

Korres Greek Yoghurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial
I bought this a while back, in February I think, because I wanted a super creamy, hydrating night time moisturizer. I was in Sephora for a long time, asking for help from the salespeople, and they pointed me towards this one from Korres. It was also rated really high on Sephora's website. I don't love this product, but I don't hate it either. I think it's definitely not for people with sensitive skin though. When you apply this, for the first 15-30 seconds, there's a slight tingly, burning sensation. It did moisturize my skin, but not as well as I hoped. I'm still searching for the perfect moisturizer for my skin, so any recommendations would help!

Victoria's Secret Aqua Kiss Hydrating Body Lotion
My favorite scent from Victoria's Secret.  I go through body lotions really fast, because you should always moisturize right after getting out of the shower! This one supposedly smells like "rain-kissed freesia and daisy". I don't know what those flowers smell like, but if it's like this, I love it. The scent is cool and fresh, and the lotion absorbs quickly as well.

Have you tried any of these products and how did you like it? :D

Music Mondays

First Monday of August. Have a good day everyone!

Baby Jonas is all grown up. This song is completely different from what the Jonas Brothers used to produce. I like it.

New song by The Script. This is a very typical song by them, but the melody is nice and I love these Irishmen. 

The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack is so good. Here's one by Charli XCX. Super catchy and upbeat!

Individual Cheesecakes

So, if you didn't know, National Cheesecake Day was this Wednesday and to celebrate, I baked these small, individual sized cheesecakes and brought them to work. I've never made these before, but they turned out okay! Cheesecake is one my favorite desserts, but whenever I make it myself, I don't eat it. I hope the people at work liked these, they were all gone at the end of the day, so that means they did right? 

These cheesecakes are not as rich as the ones that I normally bake in a springform pan, but still creamy and cheesy. They're easier to share too.

Makes about 18 cupcake sized cheesecakes

Crust

1 package (10 pieces) of graham crackers

1 stick of melted butter

1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional, but I think the cinnamon gives it a kick)

Filling

2 (8oz) packs of cream cheese (room temperature)
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I just squeezed half a lemon)
3/4 cup of granulated sugar

Directions

Put pack of graham crackers in ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin, or you can put them through a food processor, but I'd rather not wash it (lazy person right here). Add the cinnamon before butter.
Melt butter and mix with crushed crackers.
Afterwards, place in refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.
Now you can take it out and press the batter into the individual cupcake holders (I used the foil cups here).

Before you make the cheesecake filling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat eggs and sugar until creamy. And here's another lazy person's tip, I poured everything into a blender. After eggs and sugar are mixed, put in cream cheese and mix again. Make sure there are no clumps. You'll have to scrape the sides to make sure all the cream cheese is getting mixed.  Add vanilla extract and lemon juice one at a time. Keep mixing until the filling is smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Fill the cups about 3/4 way full. Bake for 20 minutes. 
It poofs up when its baking, but once you take it out the oven, it deflates. Once the cheesecakes are completely cool, you can add some fruit toppings or anything you want, I just left it simple here.
Once that's all done, leave in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight. And voila, your cheesecakes are done!

This recipe is super simple and it wasn't too sweet, but still very creamy and yummy. Now go make some cheesecake!