Beauty Review: Birchbox

I first read about Birchbox in one of my favorite magazines but soon forgot about it until recently. I decided to take the plunge and sign up for its services. If you don't know about Birchbox, you might be living under a rock (jk). It's the newest trend in beauty. Every month they send you 4 or more deluxe sized samples of various beauty products that they try out for themselves before including it in their boxes. The beauty products range from makeup to skincare to haircare. The products they send are considered luxury brands and the sample sizes are DELUX which means they are in bottles and tubes-- not in pouches. The co-founders met at Harvard Business School and they are all bona fide beauty junkies--- just like me and just like some of you!

(Source)

Wednespiration: Glaminar

As part of my birthday and Christmas present, my hubby did a crazy thing and he bought me a ticket for Kandee Johnson's Glaminar. He knows how much I love makeup and I'm always trying out new stuff or going to Sephora to play with makeup. I was very thankful for the opportunity to attend. I was there for the GLAM Day which is for the whole day (9- 6pm) with an hour break for lunch.

I woke up pretty early to drive out to LA from OC. I was a bit nervous because I didn't know anyone but surprisingly there were many people who were there by themselves. Everyone was friendly and I was able to meet some really sweet girls!

SAMPLE SALES

Hi everyone~~!

Tis the season for sample sales... Here are a couple that I'm looking forward to...

Ella Moss/Splendid Sample Sale.

When: Friday Nov. 19 & Sat. Nov 20th 9am-4pm

Where: Cooper Building, LA- 11th floor

(Source)

I love their makeup!

(Source)

Will you be going? It's a great time to stock up on favorites as well as get some gifts for the holidays!

Super Saturday

I know it's been quite a while since I've last posted. It has been extremely busy. I will try to be better about posting beauty related posts as well as food reviews.

I just found out something so FABULOUS! I LOVE Hello Kitty! When MAC did a collaboration with Sanrio, I bought many items from that collection (like makeup train case and small mirror). Small Gifts (Sanrio) is having a 50th year party/carnival this weekend until November 21st at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. If you are in California, you MUST go! It is pretty crowded but if you love all things Hello Kitty, you will not regret it. I will do a full review of the event in a couple of days but I wanted to devote this post to something that put a sparkle in my eyes....

Sephora is doing a collaboration with Sanrio and there will be Hello Kitty makeup, nailpolishes, mirrors, perfumes... etc... look at how CUTE everything is. The promo pictures had the hand mirror but it was all silver. The one in the case had crystals or rhinestones all over it. Squeal!!

Anyway, it is supposed to launch in January of 2011. If you would like more information, you can sign up on Sephora here to get notified when it launches. Are you as excited as I am?

Tip Tuesday: Long Wear Foundation

Sorry for the lack of posts-- I am SWAMPED. I hope to be more consistent with posting in the next few weeks. It's been difficult to fit blogging into my schedule with work. Thank you for your understanding.

Anyway, I am always in search of foundation that not only feels good on my skin (so I don't feel like I have a pound of make up on) but also evens out my skin tone. I also happen to have more oily skin so by the end of the day, my face is extremely shiny and usually I don't have time to blot so I walk around all day looking like an oil slick.

I was intrigued by MAC's new Pro Longwear Foundation and Concealer. I love MAC's Face and Body foundation because it is so buildable and doesn't look caked on. It also doesn't oxodize or change color (turn orange) on me unlike some foundations. I went to my local MAC counter and decided to check out the Pro Longwear Foundation.

What they claim:

A long-wear foundation that gives up to 15 hours of wear in any environmental condition. Lightweight and creamy, applies smoothly to provide sheer to medium coverage. Even in hot and humid conditions, controls oil to keep skin fresh, natural and flawless. Provides everyday SPF protection. (Source)

The makeup artist matched me as NC30 although my regular foundation match is NC25. They say the Pro Longwear runs light. I tried some of it at the store and then got some to try out later on in the week.

You know how it's been horribly hot the past couple of days in LA? Well, usually my face is a puddle of oil, sweat, makeup, and basically a "hot mess." (not the good kind). But with the Pro Longwear foundation, my face had a slight sheen to it by the end of the day. It lasted for over 10 hours with minimal shine!! I set it with a translucent powder in the morning and I was amazed at how well it lasted!!

I will try it out for the rest of this week but so far--- SO GOOD!! If you have not tried this foundation out, I highly recommend it. Go to the MAC counter to get matched and ask for a sample so you can try it out for a few days. This foundation could reach "HG" (holy grail) status if it continues to hold up like it has the past couple of days!

Would you try this foundation out? What is your favorite or HG foundation?

Wednespiration: Pros Make it Look Easy

For my birthday present last year, one of my dearest friends, Yuree, got me a makeup session with an Emmy Award winning makeup artist named Linda Rondinella-Osgood. I was beyond thrilled for the opportunity to not only meet her but to have a makeup/hair lesson from her!! You can only imagine my excitement being the makeup junkie that I am!! She is the makeup artist for the soap opera General Hospital and also does makeup for Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe Pageants. Check out her website-- The Pursuit of the Crown. She's created a palette that includes all you need for beautiful looks whether you are pursuing a crown or just want to look HOT! She also has great tips for a flawless face.

Here is a picture of the palette-- only $30! It includes everything you need-- 4 different eyeshadows (black, brown, gold/bronze, and white), 2 blushes (light pink, darker pink), and 2 glosses (a clear one and a really pretty reddish brown one.)

(photo source here)

Tip Tuesday: Red Lips

I am always in search of the perfect red lipstick. There's something about the boldness of a red lip that screams sexy. Many women are afraid to put this color on because it is so bright. I used to be frightened of it myself until one day I saw swatches of it and decided to try it. Here are some swatches of some of my favorites. As you can see, I tend to like blue-based reds due to the fact that this makes my teeth look whiter than the orange reds.