All right guys and gals,

Time for some up-closeness. I'm gonna share with you some pictures that I haven't really shared with anyone else, pictures of my skin and how it's doing.

In case you don't know already, my skin type is combination/oily, acne-prone. This means that the areas around my cheeks are generally acne-free, but my T-zone (my forehead, nose, between eyes, chin, etc) is a constant war zone filled with acne problems. Not only that, the edges of my face often get acne as well.

In order to improve this, during the last 5+ years I've been trying all sorts of skincare products, regiments, lifestyle changes, etc. I've thrown tons and tons of money (or at least as much as I've been able to) to the skincare industry. This skincare blog is definitely a big part of it - detailing the progression of my skin, the products I've tried and the results I've gotten from them, as well as lots of facts I've learned about skincare in general throughout the years.

Now, without further ado, here are the pics I have. Promise: they are NOT photoshopped in any way whatsoever. I took them with the webcam from my new computer (still transitioning to Windows 8), which is probably the best camera I could find where I could properly control (as much as I could) self-taken photos.

For makeup: I do have some eye makeup on (eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, undereye concealer, brow powder) but nothing else. No foundation, bronzer, blush, face primer, powder, etc. I do, however, have sunscreen on (I wear it everyday).

Here's a very closeup pic of my forehead. As you can see I have some little bumps on my forehead. These are part of the acne I battle all the time. I try to approach acne from a preventative standpoint - aka try to get rid of them before they erupt as serious, vibrant pustules. You can also see an acne scar between the top of my nose area and my right eye (hyperpigmentation). These pictures were actually taken post-fall semester of MS-1, after my acne had subsided a lot (due to high cortisol levels from med school stress of exams and beyond). Thus you are seeing my skin in the best light it has been in for months.

Here's a view of the right side of my face. Generally acne-free but you can see acne on my chin and in the area next to my eyes.

Here's a picture of the left side of my face. Generally same conclusions as the right side, except there's less acne around the eye area periphery.

My chin area: as you can see there are quite a lot of acne marks and scars, especially compared to the rest of my face. I don't think my webcam does the marks/scars justice - there are actually a lot more than are actually shown - objectively probably 3x more. I've been trying different things for years to try to get rid of this, but these are the results I've had.

Overall I think my skin is okay. At least it has gotten a lot better since my middle/high school years. As you can see in the archives of this blog, I've gone through a lot of products. I'll definitely keep on trying new things as time goes on!

Question: can anyone tell me whether I have warm, cool, or neutral skintones? I can't really tell. I understand that most people automatically assume East Asians have yellow skintones but as shown on Musicalhouses this is not always the case. I think I have pinkish undertones but I'm not exactly sure.

In case if anyone wishes to know:

Makeup:

Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Light 4-5

ELF Complexion Perfection powder (covering the concealer)

DIY eye primer

Be A Bombshell Eyeliner

Clinique Quickliner in Black

Stila Eyeshadow + ELF Eyeshadows + Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Highlight

Urban Decay Waterline eyeliner in Dime

ELF eyelid pencil (light brown), Stila Eyeshadow for brow powder

Neutrogena Healthy Volume Waterproof Mascara in Carbon Black using ELF Eyelash Curler

SIUP/TTUP (Normally Project X Pan?)

This weird title = Stuff I've Used Up/Trying To Use Up


I know the title of this series is usually called Project X Pan, where X = the number of products one wants to use up. However, I'm not too creative with these titles, and also, a lot of these products don't actually have pans, so I'm just going to call it this for now.

Anyways, eponymous to the title of the post, here are the products. I've also provided several mini-reviews for the products as well.

The products above are:

1.     Fresh's Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo - this is a duo pack of miniature lip balms that is this year's birthday gift from Sephora. One of the products is not tinted, and is the original Sugar Lip Treatment in SPF 15. The other product is tinted a slight reddish/pinkish color, and is the Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Balm. I've used up the original Sugar Lip Treatment (it only took me ~5 weeks), but I'm still working on the Rose (the tinted one). These lip balms are actually pretty good! They smell really sweet, are very moisturizing, and do not make my lips feel really sticky, especially compared to lip glosses. They also have SPF, which is really nice protection for your lips - your lips need sun protection as well! The one downside is its price - each of these full-sized products cost $22.50 at Sephora, which is, at least in my opinion, quite a hefty price for a lip balm. Especially since each of these are only 0.15 oz. Burt's Bees lip balms, which I think have similar effects to the Fresh ones, cost only $3 each for the same size, 0.15 oz. This means that you can get 7.5 Burt's Bees lip balms for the price of one Fresh lip balm. Seriously?!?!

2.     ELF Brightening Eyeliner in Coffee - I bought this brown colored eyeliner in a pack of 5 items (3 liquid eyeliners in coffee, black, and plum, as well as a Brightening Eyeliner in Black) as a gift set from Target.com. I tried the liquid eyeliners (see my review here) and gave the black eyeliner to one of my friends as part of a bigger set of various makeup products from different brands. The concept of this eyeliner is pretty cool; it's supposed to, eponymous to its name, brighten the eye, and comes with its own pencil sharpener as well. However, I don't think it actually lives up to its expectations; the pencil sharpener does not work well (it is not good at sharpening) and it doesn't really brighten up my eye as an eyeliner. It provides only a slight brown color, and is not very vibrant. I currently use it on my brows, because its light brownish color provides some leeway for me to fill in my sparse brows. However, at the same time, I don't really like it on my brows because it feels really cakey, if you get what I mean. I'm trying to use up this product as quickly as I can in order to, literally, get rid of it. At the beginning, when I first tried ELF products, I really liked them, especially for their price (this eyeliner retails for only $1 on the ELF website) but their products are super hit-and-miss. I think the one product I've liked consistently is their eyelash curler (also $1 on the ELF website). this will definitely not be a repurchase for me.

3.     Wet N' Wild ColorIcon Brow & Eyeliner in Dark Brown - I bought this eyeliner at a Walgreens about 2 years ago. These eyeliners also cost only $1, but they are a lot longer than ELF's eyeliners (I think the Wet N' Wild ones are about 7-9 inches long, while the ELF ones are shorter, perhaps around 5 inches. So thus, per dollar, you get a lot more product. Also, this eyeliner is fantastic in color - it is super dark, and can be super creamy and smooth, especially if you heat it up with a blow dryer or something. The only problem I have with this eyeliner is that it smudges a lot, and smears a lot. It is not known to be a kohl eyeliner, which I know is supposed to smudge, but this eyeliner still smears. Usually, when I wear this eyeliner, I have to set it with powdered eyeshadow or something. Thus, I'm trying to just use it up. Do you see how much of it I've actually already used up? It's gotten to the point that it's actually shorter than the ELF eyeliner. I bought a Sephora Flashy Waterproof Brown eyeliner with a Sephora gift card that I got from a friend for Christmas ($8), so I will be testing it out after I finish both of these brown eyeliners, and see how that works.

4.     Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Cream (Light 4-5 shade) - this concealer is actually a repurchase for me. I originally bought one at Walgreens when it was going on sale (the product was just about to be discontinued) for about $4, and I absolutely loved it. It worked really well, was really smooth and creamy, did not show my fine wrinkle lines, and stayed put throughout the day. I liked it so much that about a year after I bought my first one, after it was discontinued, I bought another one on Amazon for about $6. I think it's more expensive now on Amazon, because the supply of it is less, now that more people have bought and used up the discontinued stock (see this link for current Amazon prices). I still really do like it, but I think I want to try other brands of concealer after I finish this jar of it. I really do recommend it. However, I have some other concealer products, such as Maybelline's FitMe concealer in shade 25 and Sheer Cover Concealer Duo in Light/Medium that I got at Target and January's MyGlam bag, respectively, that I want to try out. Thus, I'm trying to finish this product off.

5.     CoverGirl's Eye Enhancer's 1-Kit Shadows in Pink Chiffon - this is the product that is in the little white jar. I know, the jar is not actually CoverGirl; in fact, it's actually a department store brand called Omorovicza (from Hungary). It originally held some sample of day eyecream, but after I used it up, I just cleaned it out with alcohol, just in case, so that it could be used to hold other products if needed. One day, I actually dropped the Eye Enhancer, and it broke apart into pieces. So, I just put the pieces of broken eyeshadow into the Omorovicza jar, smashed it into pieces, and am currently using the rest of it as a pigment. Don't believe me? Here's a picture of the inside of the jar: 

Anyway, as you can see, there’s very little product left inside the jar. I’m trying to use it up so that I can move on and try other highlight products. BTW, this serves as an excellent highlighting eyeshadow – for your brow bone and your inner eye corner and stuff. I think this was actually featured for a Selena Gomez look on some Seventeen/Cosmopolitan/other superstar magazine or something!


Oh yeah, and one of these Eye Enhancers costs about $3 at Target and the like. Pretty good deal.

6. Santee’s Shimmer EyeStick in Blue – I think this is a dupe for some of NYX’s Jumbo Eyeliners. Santee’s eye sticks can serve as eyeshadows, eyeliners, etc, and can also serve as great primers. They also are smudgable, and don’t need any sharpening, because they are twisted upwards from the bottom. I am trying to use this product up because, well, I have used it for quite a long time, and have actually barely made a dent in it. It sort of feels like I'm in a makeup rut, if that is what it's called. I took a break from using it for a few months, and now, I think I'm going to start using it again in an effort to finish it. Hmm... perhaps 5 years down the line, I'll finally finish it?

I got this eye stick, along with several other ones, from Amazon for about $17. If you were to get 8 NYX jumbo eyeliners, it would cost you about $36 - more than twice the cost of these eyesticks. Pretty cool, huh?

7. There is one last thing, a palette, that I have been trying to finish for quite awhile:

This product is ELF's 27-piece Shimmer Palette. It is a limited edition palette, but ELF sells a similar one on its website for $15.  

According to the website, this palette has:

The Studio 27 Piece Mini Makeup Collection includes:
9 Eyeshadow Shades
1 Cream Eyeshadow Shade
1 Blush
1 Bronzer
10 Lip Gloss Shades
1 Brow Powder
1 Eye Liner Pencil
1 Dual-ended Eyeshadow Applicator
1 Face Brush
1 Small Precision Lip Brush

When I first started looking into ELF products, I thought the concept of such a palette was pretty cool. After all, all of these products combined into one package! However, after tons and tons of use, I think that the novelty of this palette is starting to wear out. I depotted and got rid of the cream eyeshadow shade, and one lip gloss shade, because they were getting really sticky and gross from the powder eyeshadows. Since I don't use bronzer, I started using the bronzer as a neutral eyeshadow, and it is pretty good as an eyeshadow, especially with a primer. I used some of the blush to make a DIY lip gloss as well (just take some of Carmex's lip balm and mix it with the blush, so that it makes a nice pinkish color; put the product in a clean contact lens case or a small jar). I think the eyeshadows are pretty good, but they are pretty crumbly by themselves, so in order for them to not fall out, you need to put on a good primer underneath. The lipstick colors - let's just say they are OK, but I don't like their feeling, and they don't have a very good texture. I want to actually depot the eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer shades, but (a) I don't really know how and (b) I don't actually have an empty palette to put them into. So thus, I'm just trying to use up all of the eyeshadow colors, as well as the eyeliner, and as soon as I do that, I'm just going to chuck it out.

BTW, the brushes and applicators? They don't really work well. The eyeliner is actually pretty good, except it's really hard to maneuver because it is so short. Even with my small hands.

Anyways, that's all I have for now. Whew! That was a long post. Thanks for bearing with me this long. Have a great day everyone!

<3

ELF cream eyeliner review

I got this eyeliner purely out of curiosity. I was always afraid that eyeliners with applicators that weren't pencil style would not give very precise lines. Ai ai ai.

Finally, however, I decided to just go, out of pure instinct, and try these out. I got two of these eyeliners - Plum (purple color) and coffee (brown color).

Plum is on the left, and coffee is on the right.

These eyeliners were $3 each (you can find them either at Target or here).

I have been using these eyeliners for more than 3 months now. At first, these eyeliners were really quite nice. For some reason, the plum one was really dry, whereas the coffee one was much more "creamy" - living up to its purported name. I would apply them with my eyeliner brush from ELF's mineral line's 5 piece brush set (click here for the link). They actually are very easy to apply on and get on.

However, afterwards, it wasn't so good (after ~2 months):

Look at the physical evidence here on the Plum eyeliner! the "pot" of eyeliner literally popped out. It dried out so much that it had come out.

Oh my goodness.

I don't know if you can tell, but the edges around the coffee eyeliner here have dried up too. The eyeliners have literally "shrunk". Lolz.

Nevertheless, while they were still good, their staying power was very good. They were super pigmented.

Swatches: Plum, Coffee

Swatches more up close (except a bit blurry)

As I had stated before, their staying power is quite great. Here they are after rigorous rubbing with paper towels + alcohol hand sanitizer in a futile effort to remove them:

Notice how red my skin is because of the rubbing?

Overall, what do I think of them? Nice price, great staying power, great pigmentation, great versatility. While it lasted. These eyeliners say that their lasting date is 3 months, and literally it IS ONLY 3 months. Any more, and they literally shrink up, change composition, and don't really work properly anymore. Would I repurchase it? Probably not, because really because I can only use them for 3 months, whereas if I had bought another one, say Maybelline's Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (click here for reviews) I could probably get 12 months of use, and that would be for $8. $8/12 months = 67 cents per month of use, whereas $3/3 months = $1 per month of use. Yeah I know, only 33 cent difference, but still I'd like to try something else after this. Even though I still think ELF is a very good brand to use.

Have you peeps ever tried cream/gel eyeliners? What do ya'll think of them? Leave a comment below!

<3

Random tag!

Here's a tag from Jen from frmheadtotoe. There are some really random questions here. The original link to her original tag is here.


What is your current obsession? buying things from ebay, whether they are high or low quality. I think just the randomness of the site kind of is exciting.

What is your weirdest obsession? 


I think I have 2:


1. Wanting to eat and pile on sauces. My friends know that I LOVE piling on salsa on my omelettes and french fries and whatnot. Yes, FRENCH FRIES WITH SALSA. I've eaten ketchup with rice, although that wasn't so good. Ketchup with sandwiches, ketchup with potatoes, ketchup with collard greens, ketchup with dumplings, yeah, crazy. 


2.Wanting to eat especially sour things, in many forms. I love eating any sour candies, Sour Patch Kids, Sour Gummies at the supermarket, sour-tasting hummus (yeah I know weird right?), super sour tapanade toppings, artichoke hearts, pickles, you name it. I think it's just that punch of color.

What are you wearing today? Black skinny jeans from Forever 21, purple tank top (Old Navy), striped burnt purple + grey cardigan (Old Navy), brown belt (don't remember where), leopard flats (outlet store, I think), an owl necklace from Forever 21.

What's your favorite comfort food? Chinese dumplings! Any flavor except those with beef.

What would make today special? If it would rain. This year is la niña and it has been the driest it has ever been in Texas. I would be so grateful if it would rain and bring some water to water our trees and grass.
What would you like to learn to do? I would love to learn how to grill, and how to sew! Knitting would also be fun to learn.

What's the last thing you bought? Black-grey legwarmers/armwarmers by Dolce!

What are you listening to right now? Dark Black Forest by DDR.

What is your favorite weather? Fall I guess, finally cool enough to stay outside for more than 5 minutes without dying of heat stroke.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Passing my cell biology class and trying to sleep more.

What do you think about the person who tagged you? I wasn't really tagged, but I do respect frmheadtotoe (Jen).

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? Probably somewhere far away from Texas but still in the contiguous 48 states. Somewhere where you can experience all 4 seasons, probably some place that is not very dry.

If you could swap lives with anyone for one day who would it be and why? Real person: Chriselle Lim from Youtube, she seems to have such a glamorous life. Not-real person: Hermione from Harry Potter, she reminds me of myself a bit and it would be soooo fun to be in Harry Potter's world for realz (I am SUCH A HP nerd)

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? I would go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, I've imagined it's pure bliss up there but I don't really know. If I c

What would you like to have in your hands right now? a piece of paper to be studying, but on my hands, probably a pair of gloves because I'm freezing cold.

Which language do you wanna learn? Perhaps Italian.

What do you look for in a friend? Trustworthiness, love, kindness, tenderness, a proclivity for hugs!

Who do you want to meet in person? Person that is still alive: Bill Clinton. Person who is dead: my grandfather.

What's your favorite type of music? Everything from Top 40 to electronica, to Latin/Reggaeton, alternative, pop, rock, classical, dubstep, DDR-type, etc. Just about everything.

What's your dream job? Being a doctor on the weekdays, a Zumba instructor at night.

If you had $100 now what would you spend it on? For immediate pleasure: dark chocolate (lots of it) and froyo and boba. For long-term thoughts: into a bank account for med school.

Things you wish you could change in the past? That I would've been less awkward in the middle school. That I got better grades in the 6th grade so my (Asian) parents wouldn't have hounded me for all of those years. That I participated in a drama production in high school. That I slept more and got taller. That I had better vision. That I was smarter and could learn things faster. That I could weigh less. That I could be skinnier. Oh, lots of things....

Fashion Pet Peeve? Really baggy clothing. I feel that it hides your true form and shape.

Do you admire anyone's style? Wendy from Wendy's LookBook - she's pretty petite as well and can dress really well. Also Bubzbeauty's style (Lindy Tsang) but she dresses a bit more on the youngster-looking side and I need to be able to dress more professionally in order to become "a true adult" or transition into my professional life better.

Describe your personal style. I'm pretty girly, I guess. I like layers, accessories, and jeans, although I've got to say at school the accessories are often not visible! No one at my university really cares about the way he or she dresses - it's mostly a school with a uniform of sweatpants, t-shirt, and flip-flops. Heck, there's even a section in our weekly university newspaper giving fashion tips in an effort to try to break this trend. I love dressing up, wearing high heels, trying on new things, even though high heels really hurt and I'm still not really used to being in them in general. I'd like to get a very classy style that is very professional and feminine as well. 

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Probably green tea. Second would be pomegranate or tart raspberry.

What's your favorite makeup brand? Drugstore: Maybelline, CoverGirl, ELF. High-end: Urban Decay, Clinique

What makeup do you use a lot?
ELF: Eyelid primer, cream eyeliner in coffee, Translucent complexion powder, Professional eyelash curler
High-end: mocha/pink chocolate duo from Estee Lauder, 
Other: Almay One Coat Thickening Nourishing Mascara in Black, Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer, Maybelline FitMe concealer, Rimmel Bronzer

Do you get enough beauty sleep? Yes or no? Why? Of course not! I'm constantly on a terrible cycle of the stereotypical college student and sometimes pull all-nighters. Pretty terrible I know. I need to learn to better my sleeping cycle and become more efficient if I want to survive med schol and residency and everything. Time to grow up I guess.

Why did you start your (beauty) blog? I originally started a Youtube Channel, but some of my friends watched it and laughed at my clips. So I decided to do some stuff on a blog, where it would be more anonymous, and at the same time I would be able to share my love for these things. This is, I guess, a non-professional side to me - something that most people at my university don't know about me, that I still like to do despite what they might think of me if they found out.

What do you think is the best feature about yourself? I want to be kind and nice to everyone, and try to help out everyone I can. I'm a terrible liar and faker too. I guess I'm pretty true to myself.

What is your favorite vacation spot? Paris, London, all of Western Europe =D (Although I've never been there!)

What do you like least about yourself? So short. Pretty insecure (my friends often tell me I underestimate myself too much)

How many pairs of shoes do you own? Too many. I'm guessing around 40-50 pairs. Only about 1/2 of them are at my dorm. I should get my boots and stuff from home so that I can wear them in the Fall/Winter seasons.


All righty, I guess that's it. I'll tag whoever wants to get tagged, meaning if you want to do this tag, you can, but if you don't, don't worry!


<3

What the heck ELF?

Like just about every other customer who orders from ELF online, I get periodic newsletters from the website. In case you guys and girls don't know, ELF stands for EyesLipsFace and is a cosmetics company that sells cosmetics at a REALLY cheap price (the majority of things are $1, $3, or at most $5). Today, I got such a newsletter. The featured product was the eyelid primer, which I love!

Nice huh? Look at the pink boxes to see more of the reviews, it says.

However, when I go on the ELF website (www.eyeslipsface.com to check out the product, ALL three types of eyelid primer are sold out!

WHY would you advertise something if it is out of stock? What's the purpose of enticing people to buy it if it isn't even available? Do you just want people to wait around and keep on checking the links to see if the products are available?

Silly ELF.

Anyways, have a good day guys and girls!

<3

My makeup brushes

Here's something that I've been collecting for awhile now. My makeup brushes....

This is how I store them: in a bright pink mug, along with my eyeliners, lip glosses, etc.

From left to right:
1. ELF Mineral Lash & Brow Comb ($5)
2. ELF Mineral Eyeshadow brush ($5)
3. ELF Mineral Eyeshadow brush (#2)  ($5)
4. ELF Mineral Flat Eyeliner brush ($5)
5. ELF Mineral Concealer Brush ($5)
6. ELF Mineral Complexion Brush ($5)
7. ELF Professional Foundation Brush ($5)
8. ELF Studio Eyeshadow "C" brush ($3)
9. Estee Lauder Concealer Brush 5
10. Estee Lauder Eyeliner/Brow Brush 20
11. Estee Lauder Lash & Brow Comb
12. Estee Lauder Shadow Blending Brush 25

I'm not exactly sure about the Estee lauder brush prices, since my mum got them for me (Thank u mommy!)
I really like the ELF brushes because they are soft, and I especially like the mineral line because they are made out of environmentally-friendly materials and are cruelty-free. As you can tell, the majority of stuff I have is for eyes. I don't really do makeup anywhere except for my eyes during most events, except for maybe during very special events.

But yeah, those are my brushes!
<3

Review: ELF liquid eyeliners

During this past summer I got some liquid eyeliners from ELF. Of course, they were $1!
For those who don't know, ELF stands for EyesLipsFace, a cosmetics company that sells a lot of products that are very DIRT cheap. Their products are pretty high-quality and definitely affordable. You can buy their products at this link; alternatively, they sell at some Target, Fiesta, Kmart, and Dollar General stores across the US. I think there is also a ELF website for the UK (click here for the link).

Anyways, I got some products from them, and tested them out for awhile.

I got three liners: Plum (purple-ish color), Black (black, lolz), Coffee (brown) [from left to right on pic below]

Upon opening the eyeliners, I don't think that they were very fine tips. Observe:

I believe the black and plum tips were fine. However, the coffee color's tip was very smudgy and flat. I didn't really like it since it couldn't apply very precisely.

Another thing I didn't like was that they took FOREVER to dry. Seriously, I would apply one layer on, and then wait ~3 min for it to dry. Of course, perhaps it doesn't seem like a lot of time, but seeing that I'm always in a rush to get to class, that doesn't leave a lot of time...

One thing I did like was their price. $1, that's something that some people leave out on the street. Definitely affordable, even for someone as much in debt as me XD I wish we had more of those deals =D

Another cool thing was its color and lasting ability. It was able to last for up to 12 hours and still stayed vivid towards the end. These are very bright, vivid, dark eyeliners.

Bottom line? I wouldn't repurchase it. For those who like dirt cheap makeup and don't mind waiting 3 min for liner to dry, and who want good staying power, this is a good recommendation.

<3

ELF Shimmer Palette Review

Hey guys,

So today I decided I'm going to do a review of a product I've been using for a long time. I think I actually kind of like it! It was the first thing that I had ever purchased from ELF from my first ELF haul. I bought everything on the ELF website, which you can get to here.

So here is what the palette looks like. Note that I've been using this for a long time so the palette is kind of smeared; the original thing looks a lot more aesthetically pleasing.

When you open it up, you get a brush, and 4 shimmer cream shadows:

As you can see, I've used the first 3 colors quite extensively. I've used this palette for about almost a year now, and it still has a lot of use in it left!

The first color is a pearly white color. The second is more of a peachy pink, while the third is a beige-like color. The fourth is more of a pinkish color. They are all pretty sheer and light, yet very shimmery:

As you can see from the swatches, they look very similar to each other when actually applied.

I personally think they are a great base to use, as you can see below:

The color to the most left is the eyeshadow color without any primer of sorts. The second, third, fourth, and fifth swatches are the same eyeshadow with the shimmer palette's bases underneath. There's a big difference between the eyeshadow without a primer and that with the primer (of the shimmer palette). The order of the shimmer palette's swatches is in the same order as those in the palette themselves (the white first, then the peachy, then the beige, then the pink).

Here's the eyeshadow I used to swatch everything. It's "Cornflower" from Wet N' Wild:

Anyways, I think this was a great buy. It cost only $3 from ELF's studio line and, after a year's use, is still going strong!

XOXO!

My Makeup Story

Hi guys,


Today I'm going to go back to makeup stuff and answer one of the most common tags on the internet. My makeup story.

http://www.layoutsparks.com/1/103146/makeup-default-girly-stuff.html

Questions:
1. How old were you when you started wearing makeup?


I started wearing makeup when I was 16, a junior in high school. But back then it was basically just smearing on some eyeshadow and eyeliner. I didn't really understand how to use it and it looked pretty terrible. I didn't really get into it till my second year in college, when I actually started watching tutorials and trying out different looks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1164888/Should-let-year-old-girl-wear-make-up.html

2. How did you get into makeup?


I think it was really via viewing youtube videos and seeing all the looks that were possible to be created. I feel like the face is a painting, and truly makeup is a form of beautiful art. Only in this case, it is art for the face. Isn't that cool?

http://www.examiner.com/beauty-events-in-new-york/make-up-for-ever-body-painting-and-makeup-event

3. What are some of your favorite brands?


I really like ELF (eyeslipsface). That's really because it's extremely cheap, and on my incredibly limited college budget (and saving up for med school) it works well. I also like CoverGirl for mascaras, and, through mom, Estee Lauder is cool too. 

http://www.firstcoastweddings.com/2010/02/beauty-at-a-bargain/1563

4. What does makeup mean to you?


Makeup for me is several things. At first, when I first started, it was a way to cover my insecurities about myself (I used weigh a lot more than I do now, and I used to look like a total dork/geek/nerd in high school). My confidence has increased a bit sense then, and now, for me, makeup is a way to express myself, to increase my confidence still, and to make me feel more free and liberated.

http://idietplan.net/Beauty_Life/make-up-classes-recovery-school-lets-students-catch-up/

5. If you could only wear 4 products on your face what would they be?


They would be (1) eyeshadow, (2) mascara, (3) eyeliner, (4) concealer. The very basics for eyes.

http://www.smokeyeyemakeup.com/

6. What is your favorite thing about makeup?


My favorite thing about makeup is that it allows me to express myself in ways I have never been able to before. It is literally like painting a picture on my face. It is a very mobile form of art, since I take it everywhere I go.

http://ferenc.biz/photography/miss-emily-ann-emmett-make-up-artist-newcastle-united-kingdom

7. What do you think about drugstore makeup vs high end makeup?


I think that drugstore makeup can be just as high-quality as high end makeup. I've actually used both, but I feel like sometimes drugstore makeup can actually be better than high end makeup. For example, I am really wary and cautious about mascara, because I really need a good one (I have short, straight, sparse eyelashes), and the drugstore ones I've used (Covergirl LashBlast Length + Volume, Almay) are actually a lot better than the high end ones (Estee Lauder Magnificent Lash? something like that).

http://www.ioffer.com/offer_transactions/show/12450751

8. What is one tip of advice you can give to a beginner? 


I would say that the adage that "less is more" is definitely true. Please do not slather on tons of makeup onto your face at once - due to lack of experience, it'll more likely make one look like a clown rather than a beauty model. 
Trust me - I learned this the hard way in middle school.

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/05/gop_clowns_bach.php

9. What is one makeup trend you never understood?


One makeup trend I never understood was setting eyeliner with eyeshadow. Getting eyeshadow where eyeliner should be, especially on the lower lashes, just would get eyeshadow into your eyes and irritate and hurt your eyes.

http://www.theucbinstituteofallergy.com/patientspublic/knowbetteryourallergy/allergicdiseases/respiratoryallergy/conjunctivitis/index.asp

10. What do you think about the beauty community on YouTube?


I think the beauty community on youtube has really helped me improve a lot on my makeup techniques, as well as taught me a lot of tricks and tips for improving my skincare and health. It's awesome!

http://ohinternet.com/YouTube

Hey guys!

Hey guys!

Sorry it's been a long time since my last post. I've had a ton of exams, projects, papers, etc get in the way. I still have one more paper left, but I'm gonna take a break and work on this for now.

Craziness!!!!!

http://slublsa.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/finals.jpg


Anyways, I just wanted to share with you guys some stuff for the summer. I have an internship lined up and have to wake up around 6 AM everyday. Yeah I know for a college student that's absolutely horrific :( But still I really need the money for med school as well as my personal expenses, fees, books, etc for the school year. So broke right now :(

 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/author?auth=492

Onto beauty-related stuff, I just bought another ELF brush today, this time from Target. I got a studio kind just for kicks (since I usually use the Mineral line kind and they were out of the Professional line):

 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCOez_rJ0NuJuasrxaPkjqrtq7ABHa80R7iasDTHjmxwYIniszKSEcKqGtSacJrBlx2FjdeYJd_4KgviAIIfekUBX8aWlEVBZi0zfuf4u-mR1y6DsK0GNVaISDD9le5dC5k6CXl1zYw/s1600/DSCF1886.JPG

I was actually slightly disappointed. While it was nice that it would get dirty less easily, since it is black, at the same time the actual brush's bristles were shorter than those of the Mineral line's. It is a longer, heavier brush than the Mineral Brush, and I like the length, and can get used to the weight, but perhaps I'm just complaining because I've used the Mineral line brushes so much...

Here is a video from DaisyCheekz on the Day-to-Night quad from ELF, as well as the Eyelid Primer and lipstick (eacy only $1!):



Some people might say I'm cheap because I use ELF products all the time. Perhaps I go for quantity rather than quantity or something. Well the thing is that I really can't afford much right now... I'm already heavy into college debt, and I have to pay for med school still, so that doesn't leave me much room now does it? I constantly have jobs to pay for stuff but even still it's not enough. So please don't judge me; I'm only trying to do my best with what limited means I have, okay? Someday, when I do become a doctor, I'll do a haul with higher-quality, more expensive makeup, but for now, I'll settle for this.

 http://yourfriendstoo.wordpress.com/tag/career/
All right anyways enough with this negativity. I hope you guys have a great day with lots of happiness and sunshine!

<3, chynagrl

Tag: Products I regret buying

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't written in so long... I've had a TON of exams, quizzes, projects, not to mention my own experiments to set up and conduct. It took FOREVER. Right now I'm exhausted; I've basically pulled 4 consecutive almost all-nighters (sleeping 2-3 hrs each night), and I finally finished my 3rd test a few hours ago, but I thought that I really wanted to get something out to everyone ASAP, so here you go!

There has been a very common tag that I've seen on so many people's sites: the Products I regret buying tag. So here's my own. Please remember that these are my own personal experiences with them, and that my skin type, skin color, age, etc might be very different from other people's.

Oh, sorry: My skin type is normal/combination with a oily t-zone, and I have East Asian skin (of East Asian descent).

Products I regret buying:

1. St. Ives Apricot Scrub: Blemish & Blackhead Control
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/St-Ives-Apricot-Blemish-Blackhead/dp/B000TG863S

This product has lots of little grains for exfoliation, but for me they are just WAY TOO big; the grains really hurt my skin, even the first time I used it. Even if I exfoliated only once a week, it would just scrape my skin raw. Did NOT like that.

2. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel

 http://www.amazon.com/Dermalogica-Special-Cleansing-Gel-8-4/dp/B000PKWAM6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300427279&sr=8-2

I got this for $33 on the dermalogica website. I figured I'd splurge since my skin at the time was kind of breaking out a lot more than normal, and I figured if something got a ton of rave reviews and was this pricey, it had to have a reason for it, no? WRONG! I feel like this formula might be too gentle for my skin. It's only 0.5% salicylic acid, and that for me isn't enough. I guess the good thing is that the bottle lasts such a long time; you only need a dime size drop every time, and there's a whole 8.4 ounces in the bottle. I guess that's a good thing, but I'd rather go for quality than for quantity, especially after my painful experiences with acne, sooo....

3. Neutrogena Rapid Clear Sore Pimple Gel
 http://www.amazon.com/NEUTROGENA-Rapid-Clear-Sore-Pimple/dp/B0038ZWAFW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=beauty&qid=1300427458&sr=1-2

At the time I bought this, the product had just come out, so I thought "why not?" Well, I've got to tell you that from the first moment I put a little drop of this onto my acne pimples, it stings A TON. It hurts a lot. Then, afterwards, the cooling effect of the gel takes place and it doesn't hurt as bad, but the stuff flakes off of your skin. I just hate the flaking part, especially since if I put it on at night on my face and went to bed, in the morning there might be flakes of it on my pillow. It's kinda disgusting in a way.

4. Revlon Matte Luxurious Color Kohl Eyeliner, Black Truffle

 http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/revlon-matte-luxurious-color-kohl-eyeliner-reviews

This product goes on very well, but it smears very easily. In my opinion, it is the same quality as the Wet N' Wild ColorIcon eyeliners, except they only cost $0.99 each, while this one cost $10. I could get 10 of the same thing with the price of one of these. Not so cool. I'm trying to use it up so that I can finally throw it away!

5. E.L.F. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara
 http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/elf-wet-gloss-lash-brow-clear-mascara-reviews

Now, I know I put in an earlier post that I had liked this product, but tell you the truth, this product flakes, dries really hard, and is not useful at all. It's kind of a pain. I'm really glad it was only $1, compared to the $10 eyeliner (now, I know all of these prices are relatively cheap compared to stuff like Lancome and Estee Lauder, but I'm on a poor college student budget, so yeah...). Not recommend to buy it.

6. Theraflu Warming Relief Cold & Chest Congestion, Orange
  http://www.amazon.com/Theraflu-Warming-Congestion-8-3-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B002DWA210/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1300427718&sr=8-21

Now, I know this isn't a beauty product, but I just wanted to put this out here because a month ago I had a TERRIBLE cold and this was the only medicine that I could buy at the time, until I got a friend to take me to Target. This thing tastes horrible. You have to drink a lot of it for each proper serving (2 tablespoons; there's a measuring cup to go with it) and it's really hard to gulp down. Not so cool. DayQuil and Nyquil are much better, in my opinion.

So yep, that's it so far guys, thanks for reading this far! Comment if you guys have any products you dislike/regret buying. Doesn't have to be makeup, can be anything!

<3 chynagrl