What is up Internet community?!

I'm taking a break from studying for midterms and writing a blog about a few of my beauty favorites and some non-beauty favorites of the month! Keep on reading if you want to see what I've been absolutely LOVING this month!

First up, my favorite foundation of the month is definitely Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua! Such an amazing product! It's such a light-weight foundation that feel like you're literally wearing no foundation at all! And I'm one of those people who absolutely hate the feeling of when you actually feel your makeup sitting on top of your skin. Such a nasty feeling! YUCK! But this foundation, my goodness! Amazing!

The next product is a lip product that I've recently featured in my latest haul: NYX Xtreme Lip Cream. It's been my go to lip product. The color payoff of this product is so there!! Absolutely opaque!! I usually put only a little amount on my lips and sheer it out so it gives the perfect little hint of color. It has a really thick and "rich" texture, if that makes sense. That's actually the word that comes to my mind when I think of this product: rich. I DON'T KNOW WHY! xD I have it in the color Buttery Nude. Perfect everyday color. Enough said.

My next favorite beauty product is another NYX product. Their Eyebrow Cake Powder in Blonde, in particular. (NYX products are just so freaking awesome!). I have to note that my hair is no where near blonde. It's a really dark brown, practically black. I didn't want to get one of their darker sets because I don't want eyebrows that jump out and say "HEY! LOOK AT ME!". Instead, I got this and use the lightest color to fill in my brows everyday. With this color, I can achieve nice full eyebrows that look really natural! If I ever want more defined and full brows, then I can mix a bit of the darker color in, but I think the lighter shade alone is fine.

My last beauty product of the month is Stila's Sensational in Sydney palette. I got this as a Christmas present from one of my friends this past year. The color selection in it is perfect for a light daytime look, a sexy nighttime look, and all of the possible looks in between. I've been using this lately as my everyday eyeshadow palette (even setting aside my Naked2 palette for it :O). I just love how it's so compact! I will definitely bring this with me when I fly back home for Spring Break.

I only have one non-beauty product that I think deserves some serious recognition. It is Vita Fusion's Multi Vites. They are like gummy vitamins for adults! These are essential for college students who focus a lot of their time on school and sometimes neglect maintaining a proper nutrition. Just two gummies give the Vitamin A equivalence of 1 cup of broccoli, the Vitamin C equivalence of 10 tangerines, and the Vitamin D equivalence of 3 oz. of salmon. This is awesome for a person like me who hates broccoli and doesn't eat fish (because I'm a vegetarian). Only two a day, but it's so good that it'll make you want to eat more than 2!!

What has been your beauty favorites and non-beauty favorites of the month?

Till next time!

Lisa xx

Since last year, we've seen a huge increase in popularity for BB creams.

Quick lesson on BB creams:
BB stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. It's suppose to be a primer, moisturizer, foundation, and sunblock all in one. It originated in Germany and has been huge in Asian markets.

Lately, western cosmetic companies have been creating their own BB creams. From drugstore to high-end brands, by now, practically every cosmetic brand has their own BB cream.

The Low-Down
I personally think BB creams are a waste of money, Western BB creams that is. Asian BB creams are really good on the other hand, but for those who don't live in Asia, it can be really difficult to find (unless you buy it online), and it only matches light skin tones because their target market is the Asian population.

DIY BB Cream
Save your money buying and testing out different BB creams and make your own instead! This is something I actually have been doing for awhile now.

A very simple BB cream formulation that you can use alone or use as a base is mixing a drop of your favorite foundation with a small pump of moisturizer. I usually stop here and use this, especially during the summer.

With this base though, you can add other things to your liking. Want sun protection? Either use a moisturizer with SPF or add a touch of sunscreen with your desired SPF! You can also add serums if you want! Customize with what you already have instead of spending $6-30 on a new product + gas money to get to the store.

When I make my own BB cream, I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Foundation and Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer. Fresh and glowing skin with products I already have! WHOO HOO FOR SAVING MONEY! ;D

I hope this was helpful to you!

Lisa xx

Here's the story...

I went to Fashion Island (a huge outdoor mall) with the intention of buying new boots because my old ones were completely trashed. I did get new boots, but I also picked up a few other things too that I wasn't really suppose to get but did anyways. I'm a really bad shopper when I'm shopping by myself because there's no one there to tell me not to buy things! I need help :(

But on the bright side, I am in LOVE  with the things I was not suppose to get! :D

The very first thing that I got (even before I bought the boots) was Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Makeup in the shade 20 Biege. I've been hearing nonstop raves about this foundation! Over winter break when I went back home, I picked up a sample of this and fell in love with it! It really is ultra-light! It's a very light coverage foundation, so it's a perfect everyday type of foundation. The thing that I love most about it is that you can't really tell that you are wearing foundation! It cost me $45 + tax which is a WHOLE lot of money, but I've never tried any drugstore foundation that comes even close to this one, so it's money well spent.

Next, I hit up Ulta to look at some NYX lip products. I got two different lip products. The first is their Xtreme Lip Cream in the color Buttery Nude. Their Xtreme Lip Creams are suppose to be a combo of a lipstick and a lip gloss, and it definitely is! It has a thick consistency, and it's also VERY pigmented.

The next NYX product that I got was the Mega Shine Lip Gloss is Beige. I've heard a lot of people talking about this lip gloss, so I was curious to see what it would be like. The color is a really nice "bubble gum pink" type of color in my opinion. I would actually consider it to be THE pink gloss if you are looking for a nice pink lip gloss. I really like the texture: not too sticky which I hate in some lip glosses. I would definitely buy another color, maybe a more pinky nude next time.

Comment below on a few products you've purchased lately and have been loving or tell me whether or not you can't be trusted when it comes to shopping alone like me x) I will definitely read all of your lovely comments!

'Til next time

Lisa xx

Hello!

I have a simple and quick tutorial for you that I feel will really help those who are like me: lazy college students who often say they will wake up at 6:45am to get ready for their 8am psychology class across campus but instead wakes up at 7:30am. You know what I'm talking about, right? You want to get to class on time, but you don't want look like, mind my language, crap. Here is a schedule of what to do if you are ever in the same situation I have been.

7:30am
Lunge out of bed

7:33am
Brush your teeth

7:35am
Comb through your crazy bird's nest  of hair

7:40am
BEGIN YOUR MAKEUP!!

1.    Buff on a mineral foundation. Mineral foundation is so simple to apply and it gives the most natural looking finish, which is perfect for school because you don't want to show up ooking like you are about to walk down the red carpet for the Oscars. My favorite mineral foundation is bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation.

2.    For the eyes, pat on a nude shimmery cream eyeshadow. Yes, you can go for an expensive cream eyeshadow from Mac, Benefit, or MakeUp For Ever. BUT, Maybelline came out with their own line of cream shadows that are much more affordable: Maybelline Color Tattoo. For a natural look, go for the shade Barely Beige. A light shimmery shade also helps brighten your eyes.

3.    Mascara is a MUST!! It opens up your eyes and, with certain formulations, can make your lashes look full and lush. For an everyday look, I always use Maybelline Volum' Express the Mega Plush . It's a very nice, light and flexible formulation. It enhances your lashes without making it look like you have heavy mascara on.

4.    Finish off with a hint of color on your lips! And I do just mean hint. Have you ever seen those girls at school who walk around with BOLD red lips? While there are some exceptions on when that's acceptable, for an everyday school look, not so much. Sometimes, LESS IS MORE! Try a tinted lip balm instead. They are much more moisturizing than a lipstick, which is perfect for those cold mornings. I recommend the Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment range. I can't even describe how good this line of product is. So good that I've even gotten my mum to try, and now it's her absolute favorite product!!

I've been enlightened by the damp sponge method! :O

Nowadays with face brushes from numerous makeup companies, it's not uncommon for a person to overlook what a standard makeup sponge can do. I admit, I do have many face brushes. Also, I'm one of those people who adores her Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which I may talk more about in a future post. So, when I heard Wayne Goss (aka gossmakeupartist on YouTube) talking about using makeup sponges, my reaction was "What?! A makeup sponge?! That won't give me the natural result that I want!!"

.... I've learned an important lesson since then. Never underestimate what Wayne Goss says. What he says is right, even if it proves what you've thought all along wrong. You've just have to suck up your pride. Keep that in mind from now on....

Damping a makeup sponge a bit and then using that to apply your foundation gives the most unbelievably natural effect I've ever seen. I now know what "makeup that goes on like a second skin" means. Unlike a makeup brush that can pick up a lot of product, a damp sponge allows you to use just the tiniest amount for your entire face, which saves you money. I suggest using a full coverage liquid foundation because with a damp sponge, you can sheer it out for a very light coverage or create the absolute most flawless full coverage.

In addition to liquid foundation, you can use it for cream foundations, concealers, powder and cream blushes, bronzers, etc. And, if you happen to have spilled a bit of coffee on your desk but you don't have a napkin to wipe it up but you have a makeup sponge, you can use that to clean it up ;D

The best part is that makeup sponges are super cheap!!!!! I got a packet at Target for not even $2!!!

Here's Wayne Goss' video of how to apply foundation with a damp sponge:

Thanks for reading, and I hope this method will enlighten you as it did me!

Lisa xx