Hi there, friend! I hope whatever on your end is great as well as that this week has been treating you well.

The other day, in the Monday Poll, Tisha asked the complying with concern in the comments:

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Btw, what are you reading? I’ve been dying to get my hands on a great book, seems like fun!

I checked out great deals of excellent fiction last month. My preferred out of the lot was “Klara as well as the Sun,” by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s science fiction, however not the kind that includes aliens destroying the earth or superheroes saving the world from killer snakes from outer space.

It’s a peaceful story of a robot buddy as well as her teen charge, as well as it contemplates what it implies to like as well as be human. Days after I completed the last page, I kept believing about the story, as well as my heart would feel both heavy as well as hopeful at the exact same time.

Sigh… I’m not prepared for the increase of the machines, man.

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Still, I liked it. It’s one of the very best books I’ve checked out in years.

I’ve just recently found that Reese Witherspoon (yup, the actress) has a book club, kinda like Oprah’s book Club. Every book that she’s suggested so far, I’ve enjoyed. In January I finished…

“The Giver of Stars,” by Jojo Moyes

I started this a while back however stopped reading when it got frightening for the primary characters, librarians who travel by horseback into the far reaches of the Kentucky mountains during the Depression. I just couldn’t take it as well as needed a break. I’m so pleased I completed this book, though. It’s about friendship as well as resilience, as well as the connections between the women are beautiful.

“The Last story of Mina Lee,” by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

This secret is about a Korean lady who immigrates to Los Angeles in the ’80s as well as her daughter, as well as it flips back as well as forth between the past as well as the present as the story unfolds. I had to force myself to put the book down before bed! It’s one of those books you might quickly checked out cover to cover.

“The Henna Artist,” by Alka Joshi

Another page turner! It’s set in 1950’s India, as well as it’s about a lady trying to make it on her own in a world where there aren’t a great deal of opportunities. Again, I couldn’t put it down.

That Reese Witherspoon understands exactly how to pick some great books.

I likewise checked out a couple non-fiction books, too. “Painless Grammar,” by Rebecca Elliott, is written for kids, however it’s a fun refresher on fundamentals of the English Language. I likewise delighted in “The simple Filipino Cookbook,” by Roline Casper, as well as I can’t wait to try a few of her recipes.

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What’ve you been reading lately?

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen

just a little meow time!
Welcome to the weekend. truth be told, the last few days have all felt like a Saturday with the holiday and all. hard to believe Thanksgiving has come and gone… I don’t know why, but I continue to be shocked by how quickly the days sneak up on me this time of year!

It’s a sunny day here in Novato, and I’ll be taking it easy today. I’ll be doing some intense Netflixing because there’s a new season of “Selling Sunset” out.

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I can already feel my brain melting…

Yes, it’s cheesy, and I don’t really have any interest in the Los Angeles real estate market, but I enjoy it because my brain can completely turn off while I watch it.

After lunch I’m taking Connor ice skating! We went ice skating together for the first time when we were in Tahoe last weekend, and she picked up on it pretty quickly. She’s been eager to get back on the ice ever since, and there’s a temporary ice skating rink at the Northgate mall nearby in San Rafael, so that’s where we’re going.

Also, before we head out, I’m going to try to not eat this entire box of satsuma oranges I got at Trader Joe’s the other day… DANG! Satsumas are where it’s at, girl. They’re so easy to peel and so soft and juicy… If you see them at the store, grab them! SO GOOD.

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This week’s reading

Say what?! Are thin eyebrows back?

Do probiotics have any benefits for skin?

Seriously, I can’t wait to see lady Gaga in the new “House of Gucci” movie. Here’s how her makeup and hair team transformed her look for the film.

I’m a huge fan of this eyeshadow placement, and I especially love a diffused spotlight of shimmery peach or pink in the inner corner.

12 scents for people who prefer perfumes that aren’t overly sweet.

Oh, my! Cats have driven these species toward extinction.

How ballet companies are planning covid-free performances of “Nutcracker.”

“Clean” (airquotes) shampoos for curly hair.

In case you were looking for a new nail polish remover that doesn’t destroy your nails…

I love learning about color theory.

Cozy

I’m loving all the sequins and the energy.

Bridal makeup is my favorite.

Drop that knowledge on me.

But what if we had one of these for humans…

Street style

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I hope the rest of the weekend treats you well! I hope you have some time to relax.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I chose not to do a trash stash (empties) post for September because I’m so backlogged with messages but I certainly want to squeeze in my accountability for the month. here are some of the items that got added to my stash:

To refresh, for the month of September, I had -$91.68 balance left in my budget. Yup, you read that correctly, I was in the hole. No makeup spending for me. but luckily, I went on getaway in September so the “Vacation Clause” kicked in, as is widely known.

Firstly, here’s the Mediterranean cruise makeup haul that I just posted about this week:

I purchased my first Catrice and also a bunch of Korres makeup! and that’s it in terms of makeup. Here are the other items I purchased earlier in September before I went on vacation:

Online Order

Shiseido The makeup blush brush – ever because I got my paws on the Powder brush when I was in Japan, I’ve been kicking myself for not getting the blush brush as well. I sought it out on ebay and when the Canadian dollar was a little stronger, I chose to take the plunge. I’m so pleased I did. I’ll do a review of the various brushes I’ve acquired this year.

Winners

These are random acquisitions when I hit up the various Winners either on the way home from work or on the weekends. I probably purchase something for every 4 times I visit a Winners store.

You Cosmetics charm Blender Cleanser Rosewater – I’ve never tried a spot brush cleanser before, but ever because I started project Pan, I’ve been sticking to the same few brushes because I’m wearing the same eye shadows day in, day out. but the idea of not cleaning those brushes gives me the heebie jeebies so I hope this brush cleanser will work well. I noted that it’s alcohol-free which is essential to me because I mostly use natural bristle makeup brushes and I didn’t want the alcohol to dry out the bristles.

Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water – I was so thrilled to find a whole display of Sukin skincare products but even much more thrilled about finding the micellar waters again!

I tried it earlier this year and it is so good that it challenged my longtime preferred micellar water from Yves Rocher – the Sukin made my favourites of early 2016 list. and I was shocked that they were only $5.99 each. I know that the bottle I got back in January cost $9.99. So of course, I grabbed 2 bottles. They have expiry date of March 2018.

Holika Holika One service Anti-Wrinkle serum – I’m stocking up on serums in advancement of the upcoming winter. this one looks like a good one for night time. It always surprises me to see well-known Korean brands at Winners now.

La Roche Posay Effaclar K – remember how I was moaning about this being discontinued in Canada? Well, I found this at a Winners, just in time!  I went into a location that I don’t visit regularly and it was just sitting on the shelf, all by its lonesome. It’s fate, I tell you.

Shoppers drug Mart

Etival Ener-C Vitamin C mist and Brightening Serum – I recently finished the Paula’s Choice RESIST C15 very Booster which I love, but it’s a bit spendy with the current exchange rate (C$64 not including shipping) so I chose to give this home-grown brand a try (plus, I like trying new things). Etival is the private label skincare brand of consumers drug Mart. I’ve been implying to try something from them so I was pleased to get these during a 40% off sale (with the discount, the 2 items concerned C$32).

Bunch o’ Mascaras: (replacements – I go through mascaras quickly)
• L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Sculpt mascara – found this in a clearance bin for $3
• Essence I extreme volume mascara
• Essence get Big! Lashes mascara
• Annabelle Expandable mascara – I like the idea of twisting this mascara wand for much more / less drama. I am a sucker for gimmicky mascaras and this was on sale for $5

The day I got back from vacation, I retrieved my mail and came across this:

I had just one day left to redeem it… 10% off makeup! thoughts of hauling from Nars or Burberry danced across my jet lagged brain. but in the end, I opted to stay home and do copious amount of laundry instead of filling my life with much more makeup.

Guess what, my No-Buy is OVER! I’m now back in the black! I have $108.32 to spend in October… let’s see how long that lasts because I’m planning on going to the newly opened Nordstrom store here in Toronto soon.

To my fellow Canadians – I wish you a very pleased Thanksgiving! may your plates be full of Turkey, stuffing and… apple pie (you thought I was going to say pumpkin pie, didn’t you – I’m not that cruel).

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Trash Stash: September and October 2016I skipped September trash stash due to post-vacation lethargy and the reevaluation of my life: Why am I not on getaway still? Why is anybody even interested in taking a look at my charm empties? Why am I here? then I snapped out of it and got back into the swing of…
November 1, 2016In “Beauty”

Japanese makeup Haul!!!Yeah you were all waiting for this, weren’t you! 😛 Personally, I didn’t think I went completely overboard with makeup shopping. For one thing, I was supremely concerned about wandering around Tokyo at night by myself to go shopping. Why I had to go shopping in the evenings was because…
June 17, 2016In “Beauty”

February 2016 Low-Buy AccountabilityThis is the first check-in for my 2016 Low-Buy.  For February, I allocated $50 to spend on makeup.  I managed to stay within my budget! 😀 My first makeup purchase of February was in my lush haul at the beginning of the month where I purchased the Sophisticated cream Eyeshadow for $19.95…
March 2, 2016In “Beauty”

lots of hair and skincare empties to kick off the year:

I must mention here that I have to wash my hair every day or else it gets really limp. I have started to skip one day a week – typically Sundays when it doesn’t matter if I just tie my hair back – I honestly don’t think my hair / scalp is any better for skipping the one day of washing. Anyway, onto the empties.

Head & Shoulders Shampoo dry Scalp care with Almond Oil – $8 for 400ml (drugstores)
I always have a bottle of H&S on rotation come fall time considering that my scalp gets incredibly itchy and prone to dryness and flakes. This almond oil version was just ok – I still like the green apple version for both the scent and how bouncy it makes my hair.
Stash worthiness: 7/10     Repurchase: No

Clear Scalp & Hair appeal therapy damage and color repair Deep Nourishing treatment Mask – $10 for 180ml (drugstores)
I love this stuff! but I suspect it is being discontinued because I scored a few tubes on clearance. just so typical! It’s a rich cream conditioner that I massage into my scalp focusing on the crown and temple area – leave on for 3 minutes and rinse out. This mask helps relief the itch and tightness without weighing my hair down. It smells really great too.
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: Yes (unsure if discontinued)

Arrojo curl Definer – $22 for 150ml (salons & beauty parlor supplies)
I scored a few tubes of this from the local barber supply store for only $4.99 each. originally I only gotten 1 tube, then discovered that I really like it, so I ran back the next week to get the rest they had left. It’s a similar product to my beloved curl Keeper – it supplies slightly less hold than the curl Keeper though.
Stash worthiness: 8/10     Repurchase: Yes (if I can find it on discount!)

Tresemme perfectly (un)done sea salt spray – $10 for 200ml (drugstores)
I wasn’t a fan of this – didn’t supply much structure to the hair. I had to spray about 20 spritzes into my hair to get any body. It felt like it was a very diluted version of a texturizing spray. considering that I had to spray a lot more than normal, I went through this bottle incredibly quickly. I got this for complimentary so I really shouldn’t complain.
Stash worthiness: 5/10     Repurchase: No

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne anxiety control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne treatment – $15 for 59ml (drugstores… who knows anymore)
I used this ages ago and forgot about it, and made a decision to give it another try last year because it had such rave reviews on Beautypedia.  It’s a great hydrating gel – I like it a lot more than the oft-hyped La Roche Posay Effaclar K – both of them I use as a preventative maintenance on my t-zone, especially my chin where I get hormonal breakouts.  I find the Neutrogena to be a lot more hydrating, and it’s a much better value.  I’ve read that this product is discontinued in the US, but still available in Canada, although I’ve not seen it on store shelves lately. I have one unopened tube in my stash.
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: Yes (still not sure if it’s genuinely discontinued)

Mary Kay TimeWise even complexion Essence – $45 for 29ml (Mary Kay reps and online)
This has a 4 star rating on the Beautipedia, which is the primary reason why I got it. For me, it was a great serum but I didn’t see noticeable results. The crucial ingredient in this serum is niacinamide which is meant to help reduce discolouration – I observed no reduction on my hyperpigmentation or freckles (my lifelong battle!). I did go through this serum rather swiftly – maybe I need to try another tube to see results?
Stash worthiness: 7/10     Repurchase: Maybe

Beyond belief ABH Intensive repair treatment – ~$8 for 53ml (Sally appeal Supply)
This is such an old product. beyond belief is the private label brand of Sally appeal Supply. way back before Paula’s choice chemical exfoliants were all the rage, the beyond belief the only game in town. and it was a fantastic product – combining AHA and BHA into a single serum. It left my skin clear of clogged pores and looking glowy. but of course, like everything good, they made a decision to play around with the product range – the current beyond belief products are a pale comparison to the former glory days!
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: No (discontinued – are you noticing a theme here?)

Shiseido Bio-Performance advanced incredibly Revitalizing Cream – $92 for 50ml (department stores)
This is not cheap, but it’s my HG wintertime nighttime face cream. It’s rich without being overly oily. It’s hydrating and softening on my skin, and I don’t break out or get clogged pores with it. This jar lasts me a long time because I only use it during fall and wintertime months. I’ll never be without this unless they change the formula, or if the price becomes prohibitive.
Stash worthiness: 10/10     Repurchase: Yes

Shiseido Facial Cotton – $11 for 165pcs (drugstores and department stores)
Not much else to say about thesepillowy cotton goodness except that I wish they were cheaper.
Stash worthiness: 10/10     Repurchase: Yes

TheFaceShop Multi 5 Layer Cotton Pads – $5 for 80pcs (TheFaceShop)
I use these cotton pads for one thing only: cleaning up eye shadow fall-out when I do my eye makeup. They’re lint-free and perfectly sized for the job. I do my eye makeup first before foundation, so it’s easy to just pour a bit of micellar water onto these and wipe the under eye area clean. A box of these lasts me forever considering that I use each layer separately, and I cut them in half as well (80 x 5 x 2 = 400pcs).
Stash worthiness: 10/10     Repurchase: Yes

Rougier Glycerin – $6 for 100ml (drugstores)
I use this pure glycerin to make my own Zoya “Remove+” which is essentially acetone with a dash of glycerin. I add about a tbsp of this into a 200ml bottle of acetone-based nail polish remover and shake it up. works like a charm.
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: Yes

Kibio Suncare face lotion SPF 50 – $22 for 40ml
I’m an idiot and this unopened bottle of sunscreen is already expired before I had a chance to use it. Kids, let this be a lesson to you about hoarding appeal items.  I didn’t even like this – very greasy.
Stash worthiness: 6/10     Repurchase: No

Cake Milk Made Velveteen Hand cream – $18 for 100ml (Sephora and online)
I love the scent of this! It smells like a mixture of Rockets candies (I think Americans call them Smarties) and marshmallows. The formula is fantastic too – rich but not greasy and absorbs quickly. I wish it was a lot more readily available and less expensive!
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: Yes

Haken essential fragrance Cuticle Oil in Cranberry – $7 for 15ml (Sally appeal Supply)
I’ve had this bottle forever. I use it every single week on my cuticles after my manicure. but last week, I opened the bottle and the oil had gone off! So odd how something could be fine one week and spoiled by the next. Ah well, RIP Cranberry cuticle oil, you were a good pal. I got this on clearance from Sally appeal Supply. I have an unopened bottle from the same brand but in a melon scent.
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: No

Maybelline Age Rewind Erase Dark Circles treatment Concealer in Neutralizer and medium – $12 for 6ml (drugstores)
These are HG under eye concealers for me. I’m not able to find a best match in the shade range offered, but I’ve found that mixing 2 parts Neutralizer and 1 part medium gets me a good match. There’s quite a lot of product contained in those tubes – they last me about 8 months with daily use. I have no issues with the packaging considering that I just dab the product onto my ring finger and apply to my face that way. someone made a great comment about the sponge applicator on these – when you think about it, there’s really no difference between this versus a concealer with a doe-foot applicator.
Stash worthiness: 9/10     Repurchase: Yes

Jack Black intense Lip therapy Lip Balm in Lemon & Chamomile – $8.50 for 7g (Sephora)
I know there are die-hard Jack Black fans and I’m just not one of them. I don’t find this to be that hydrating and it doesn’t seem to last very long on my lips either. The only things I liked about this was; it’s not incredibly glossy – I liked using this to apply over lipstick to add some slip but no shine. And, it also smelled nice.
Stash worthiness: 5/10     Repurchase: No

Maybelline Eye studio Master drama in bold brown – $12 for 0.28g (drugstores)
This is a pretty good liner for the lower lash line (I mostly use pencil liners on the lower lash line – I use liquid or gel liners for my upper lash line). It stays well if I use powder eye shadow on top – on its own, it does tend to fade a bit. I also find that automatic pencils seem to get used up really swiftly and this was no exception.
Stash worthiness: 7/10     Repurchase: No

CoverGirl Flamed Out mascara – $10 for 11ml (drugstores)
Bah, what a letdown. I had a really tough time applying this mascara onto my lashes – the weirdo hourglass wand shape was utterly useless. The formula was a clumpy goopy mess that refused to build any length. It was also a flaky nightmare. It was like CoverGirl wrote down all the traits of a bad mascara and aimed to create it. The only saving grace was that it didn’t smudge and was fairly easy to remove at night.
Stash worthiness: 3/10     Repurchase: No

L’Oreal Bare Naturale mascara (discontinued)
Another tube bites the dust. I did a review on this HG, but discontinued mascara. This mascara saved the CoverGirl flame Out Mascara by supplying the much needed length and separation when I layered it on top. I think I have 4 of these precious tubes of mascaras left in my stash. *sigh*
Stash worthiness: 10/10     Repurchase:

bareMinerals Locked & Coated waterproof Lash topcoat – $15 for 7.5ml (Sephora)
I did a comparison post of this product against the Clarins double Fix’ Mascara topcoat, and I preferred the Clarins more. I’ll be going back to the Clarins even though it’sa lot more expensive, it just works better. The greatest issue I had with the bareMinerals was the brush design: the bristles were so short they could not get into the lashes to coat them with the topcoat. I had to really press the wand against my lashes to try to get product onto them.
Stash worthiness: 6/10     Repurchase: No

Samples

Clinique Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser
This is a no-frills cleaner that’s better suited for oily or combo skin – I found it to be quite stripping to the skin.  I would not purchase this in full size.
Kiehl’s Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish
This is actually unused. My SO received this in a loot bag and was quite pleased to give it to me. However, when I turned it over to read the ingredients, I observed that it consists of those microbeads (polyethylene) that choke the fishies. So it’s going in the bin instead of being rinsed down the drain.
Burt’s Bees Rosewater & Glycerin Toner
By the name alone, this toner sounds like it would be gentle, but alas, it is not. It has heavy on the alcohol content and I used this to wipe my underarms as a refresher.

21 full and 3 sample-sized products to kick off the new year!  Reminder: today is the final day to enter my much-loved things Giveaway – don’t miss out!

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Trash Stash: August 2015Last month was a doozy for empties, I have no idea how I went through so much: Let’s get started! Full-sized items Shiseido Refining makeup primer – $35 for 30ml (department stores and online) I did a review of this before and it’s my staple face primer. I don’t use it every…
September 3, 2015In “Beauty”

Trash Stash: may 2015Another month end, another installment of trash Stash.  I’ll let the group picture do the talking: another full month of emptying! Body stuff: Yves Rocher Désir de Nature Perfumed shower Gel – $14 for 200ml (Yves Rocher online or stores) smells like lilies and honeysuckle which I really take pleasure in -…
June 5, 2015In “Beauty”

Trash Stash: June 2015The end of June marks the official mid-point of the year! I’ve always wondered why it’s “Christmas in July” when it really makes a lot more sense to be in June! 💡 It was especially satisfying to finish some of these products this month because many of them I’d been using for a long…
July 2, 2015In “Beauty”

The weeks are just accelerating, aren’t they? I’m kind of glad. I cannot wait for 2016 to be over!

If you’ve been too busy with making a list and checking it twice, here are the posts that went up last week:

Trash Stash: November 2016

My trash stash isn’t just only about empties, sometimes I show things that are gone from my stash; for instance, I re-homed these items!

November 2016 Low-Buy Accountability

Even though I went over my monthly allocated budget – I’m proud that I’m still holding myself accountable!

Kiko makeup review – color Fever Eyeshadow Palette, Moon dust face Powder and shade fusion Trio Blush

Swaps are great to try new things and I am so happy that I got to try these Kiko products!

Nuworld everyday Zen: Jasmine Aroma Diffuser and Oil Blends

This makes for a great gift idea… OR, if you can’t wait, just pick it up as a gift for yourself!

Schtuff

• We saw the movie “Arrival” last week – I didn’t know much about the story line going into it and I ended up really liking this movie! It’s a sci-fi film that’s not really about sci-fi stuff – without giving too much away, the movie asks viewers fundamental questions about freewill and fate. This might be one of my favourite movies of 2016.

• cat and I met up on Tuesday for some shenanigans! We each had 2 large glasses of white wine sangria, on a rainy Tuesday night:

That’s cat in the background there.  
• last week we also recorded a new episode for the podcast which will air this coming Thursday – our guest is local jewellery designer Daniel J. of earth Elements. It’s another fun episode talking about random things but with an injection of a male perspective!

• Look, I did finally hit pan on my project pan item, the Cargo HD pressed Powder!

I was just a week too late…

Blogmas stuff from last year:

Blogmas Day 7: favourite Christmas Songs

Blogmas Day 8: diy Stardust Jewellery

Blogmas Day 9: Christmas Sweets

Blogmas Day 10: holiday party looks

Oh man, re-reading that post makes me want to buy a Barbie! This year’s holiday Barbie is this:

Meh, kind of boring. The tops look crocheted? I still prefer last year’s better.

And, if you want to get to know more about me, here’s a very personal post I wrote for Blogmas Day 11: Christmas Traditions:

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Stash Dash: Oct 30 – Nov 5It’s November! It’s officially: • American election Time (finally) • Movember (I should really parlay the stash in stash matters into some Movember theme thing…) • Christmas music Time (too soon) In case you’ve been busy preparing your immigration papers to come to Canada, here’s what you may have missed on the…
November 6, 2016In “Beauty”

Trash stash 2016 SummaryI started this tradition last year and I’ll continue as long as I keep up with my empties.  This is what 12 months’ worth of empties looks like: 😮  And since I have last year’s trash stash stats, I can also do some year over year comparisons! This post took…
January 6, 2017In “Beauty”

Stash Dash: Nov 13 – 19It was nice to have a slightly slower pace on the blog this past week! I’ll be continuing with 2 or 3 posts a week until the end of November. here are the posts that when up last week, in case you were too preoccupied with watching the super Moon:…
November 20, 2016In “Beauty”

It was good to have a slightly slower pace on the blog this past week! I’ll be continuing with 2 or 3 messages a week until the end of November.

Here are the messages that when up last week, in case you were too preoccupied with viewing the very Moon:

Project Pan: MAC Powder blush in Cubic

Using this blush daily has really made me appreciate it again! After project pan is over, I’ll likely not touch this blush for another 6 months though, because I’ll be so exhausted of it!

MyLipAddiction.com charm Podcast:
a Yank and 2 Canucks Talk about the us Election

It’s not about charm but I’m really happy of this!

Sephora VIB Sale fall 2016 Haul

So numerous Pretties!

Schtuff

• I went into the COS store for the first time – the stuff if so pricey for what they are!  In case you’re not familiar with COS, it’s a clothing store owned by H&M. It’s higher-end and has a very minimalist Scandinavian / Japanese aesthetic. I did eye this glass bobble necklace:

The bobbles are made of hollow glass like Christmas ornaments and feels so weightless and floaty.  Even though it costs C$70… I can’t stop thinking about it. I might get it – what do you think?

• Went out for dinner on Thursday with some girlfriends I haven’t seen in a few months. It was really good to see them! We chatted about so numerous things (the election, jobs, relationships, clothes, and MAKEUP) and I drank a bit much more than I ought to on a weeknight. My voice was a bit hoarse the next day.

Source.  We were seated at the best side along the mirrored wall.
We also had fantastic food at a still fairly new restaurant in town called Piano Piano.  It’s the second time I’ve been there but their first – I would describe the food as unpretentious comforting Italian fare: we ate pizza and pasta.

• My SO and I went to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them and it was fairly entertaining. It’s darker than Harry Potter films (especially the earlier ones) and I felt there were some pacing issues, but the film sets up the new world and characters well for future films. One gripe I have though: Eddie Redmayne annoys the heck out of me! He’s a mumbler and I find him creepy, not endearing. Also, the term “No-Maj” was the best they could come up with as the American word for “Muggle”?!! Really!  What about “Naybler” or “Boolee”. I just made those up in less than 15 seconds and they [subjectively] suck less than “No-Maj”! Overall, I give this film 7/10

• I finally got my flu shot for this year – I’ve been getting a flu shot each year because I was in high school.  It’s not a miracle cure but I usually do not get full-blown knocked-on-my-ass sick during the flu season. I find it funny that it is always the people who say they “don’t believe in it” and never get the flu shot, who are sick as a dog every flu season, without fail.

How was last week for you?

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MAC Prim & proper and dupesAhh, this blush. THIS BLUSH. I love it, and I hate it.  Well, I primarily hate the fact that I didn’t purchase a back-up of it.  It’s not the blush’s fault. but the love I have for it… yes, I want to marry it. It was part of MAC Give…
August 27, 2015In “Beauty”

Project pan 12 autumn 2016: Sephora Jumbo liner in BrownThis is week 1 of the project pan collab.  If you’re not familiar with project Pan, please check out my post last week introducing the concept. My first product is the Sephora colorful Jumbo liner 12 hr wear in 07 Brown: I purchased this back in 2012 during holiday Boxing week…
September 12, 2016In “Beauty”

Project pan 12 Collab: autumn 2016 EditionHappy labour Day!  Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend!  And welcome to another collab with the Canuck gang! We are once again, trying to chip away at some charm products in our stash. this time we are choosing 12 items to try to pan / empty. The length of this…
September 5, 2016In “Beauty”

last week I used The Body shop Colour Crush nail polish in #620 got the Blues, which I got during the makeup 50% off sale back in May.

This usually retails for $8 for a 6.8ml bottle.

I’ve done a evaluation on the Colour Crush nail polishes before, as one of the very first articles on my blog where I examined my very first Body shop polish, the shade Almond Kiss (the high quality of the pictures were terrible as well as I have toyed with the concept of redoing those older articles however I believe it’s much better to leave them as they are, to show progress…)

Do you SEE exactly how close I was to dripping polish on my back drop! It’s only a matter of time! I don’t care, I like trying to catch dripping nail polish off the brush.
Got the Blues is a denim-y blue with a bit of a periwinkle leaning. It’s dirty sufficient that I don’t feel like I’m using BLUE nail polish to the office. Plus, I believed last week was a great week to bust out a a lot more colourful mani considering that 1) my manager was a away (which is funny I’d even care considering that my manager really uses a lot more outrageous colours that I do) 2) it was a short work week considering that we had Monday off 3) it’s full on summertime weather condition right here

I discovered the formula to be a bit on the thinner side, here’s the very first coat:

But I accomplished opaque protection on the second coat:

The polish applies ever so somewhat darker than exactly how the polish appears in the bottle:

After 7 days of wear, this is what it looks like:

Oddly, I experienced a chip on the index finger on my ideal hand on Day 7 – I barely ever get actual nail polish chips like this. I don’t fault the polish considering that it’s likely I was choosing at something (probably a sticker).

I truly must apply hand cream as well as / or cuticle oil before I take these photos! This is right after I had completed cleaning the kitchen. keeping it genuine here…

My general score as well as evaluation still holds true from the Almond Kiss review. The Body shop color Crush nail polish is a solid performing polish however the fat cap still bothers me, as well as it is costly on a per ml basis compared to other polishes – I’d only ever get these when there’s a 50% off sale.

Are you a fan of The Body shop nail polishes?  What’s your much-loved blue polish?

By the way, I’ve figured out with 97% certainty that the secret shade from OPI is Venice the Party? based on comments on right here as well as on Instagram.

Thanks to everybody who supplied feedback!

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Body shop Flash Sale as well as Clearance HaulThis publish is sooooo late. I published about the Body shop Flash Sale back on may 11th – it was a someday sale for 50% off on makeup. I gotten the makeup products that exact same day however didn’t get around to publishing it up until now… only 6 weeks later!…
June 24, 2016In “Beauty”

How I Do My ManicuresI realized just recently that I’ve never discussed exactly how I do my manicures so it’s time to treatment that. I’ll go over the steps I take to prep my nails as well as show the tools that I use. removal of existing polish I’m seldom without nail polish so the very first step I take…
May 15, 2017In “Beauty”

OPI dim Sum PlumHappy worldwide Women’s Day! 😀 What much better method to celebrate Women’s Day than speaking about quite nail polish, right? 😉 however on a severe as well as personal note: I’m included in a women in service network at work that satisfies regularly – just recently I was privileged sufficient to satisfy women from across…
March 8, 2017In “Beauty”

Finally, the post that many of you requested when I received my AliExpress order back in March. Here’s the comparison between the Nars Kabuki Ita brush and the cheaper knock-off alternative.

• Nars Kabuki Ita brush – C$70 (Sephora) Note: I paid around C$60 for mine about 5 years ago – shocking to see how the price has jumped.
• “Professionals brand Kabuki Ita No 21 makeup brush” – C$2.74 (AliExpress)

(can you tell which one is which from the photo above?)

The answer: the top one is the AliExpress one, and the bottom one is the Nars!

Let me start off this comparison by saying that I’m not a big fan of Nars brushes in general. I find the goat hairs they use to be really scratchy – don’t just take my word for it, I encourage you to test out a Nars brush at the counter and don’t just touch it with your hands, test it on your face – it’s downright rough. I also  find their brushes to shed excessively. I understand that they will shed due to the natural hairs but the brushes seem to continue to shed even after years of use and multiple washings.

Yes, this is the real Nars brush – can you see how wiry the hairs are?
And here’s the thing, the Nars Ita brush is made in China!  How do they justify charging that much for a brush made with low-cost labour, and what I consider to be inferior materials? Do you know how this brush is made? I inspected it closely and it’s essentially a bunch of black dyed goat hairs bundled together with what appears to be duct tape at the base, then sandwiched between a plastic handle, and a polyester cording is woven through to secure the bristles to the handle. I guess that’s what they call an artisan brush these days.

Now, onto the AliExpress brush. Please note: I bought this brush knowing full well that it wasn’t the real Nars brush. I got it to see how a $2.74 brush would compare to the $70 one. Those of you who are thinking they can get a “deal” on the real thing from AliExpress – they’re all fakes on that site!

On the surface, the AliExpress brush looks identical to the Nars brush – the handles look so similar that when I first received it, I put a hair elastic around the Nars one so I wouldn’t confuse the two.  Now that I’ve used both and inspected them closely, I can tell the minute differences straight away.

Firstly, the AliExpress version has a faintly stamped code on the back:

Secondly, the hairs are shorter and very bluntly cut on the AliExpress one compared to Nars:

The wrapping of the bristles are neater and looks more secure on the Nars:

The Nars brush has more hairs (thicker profile) and more spread out bristles compared to the AliExpress brush:

However, there are many similarities – the hairs between the two feel exactly the same – that same course black goat hair. The cording used to stitch the handle also appear the same.  And the handles of both feel exactly the same with the same Nars logo – and it has that rubbery finish that is typical of Nars packaging (which attracts fingerprints like crazy!)

I hardly ever reach for my Nars Ita brush anymore, I much prefer my Anna Sui face brush (C$48) for contouring – it provides a much better diffusion of colour compared to the blunt lines of the Nars Ita brush. I never want to look like I’ve got 2 stripes down my cheeks, contouring should be so subtle that it’s not detectable when talking someone face to face. I suppose it’s a different story if you’re doing it for Instagram or for photography – but I live in the real world and I see poorly blended contours on a daily basis! #endrant

The Anna Sui face brush is wider, fuller and the bristles more evenly distributed:

And the hairs are much MUCH softer compared to the Nars or AliExpress!

Here are swatches of the deepest shade (lower right corner) of the NYX highlight & Contour pro palette using the 3 brushes mentioned:

PS. I will be doing a review and swatches of the NYX palette soon, I promise!
I hope the diffusion of the colour is apparent in these swatches:

The Anna Sui face brush deposited the powder much more evenly and softly than either the Nars or the AliExpress brush.  The Nars one does diffuse the colour but I found it deposited the colour unevenly.  The AliExpress was the most narrow and deposited the heaviest swatch.  But honestly, you’re better off buying the $2.74 knock-off brush than paying 25x more for the real thing since I cannot in good conscience recommend the Nars brush.  Actually, go get the Anna Sui instead!

Are you still thinking of getting the Nars Kabuki Ita brush?  Would you get the cheaper alternative? What’s your favourite brush for contouring?

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I bought a few things off AliExpress…Happy Groundhog Day! I think it’s going to be an early spring this year! Out of sheer curiosity, I placed orders for some makeup accessories off AliExpress: This cost me only $13.97 for all 7 brushes! 😮 (all prices are in Canadian dollars)  I’ve been wanting to try the Real…
February 2, 2016In “Beauty”

AliExpress brush Dupes: MAC Oval 6I bought a bunch of brushes off AliExpress on January 30th and have been patiently waiting for them to be delivered for the past couple of months.  Finally, the packages started trickling in mid-March and I received my final parcel last week.  Here is the real techniques bold Metals set: and here…
March 31, 2016In “Beauty”

PP12: NYX Powder blush in Taupe PB11Happy Halloween! I hope you get sufficiently spooked today and also eat enough candies for a nice sugar high. 😛 Today’s project pan item is the NYX Powder blush in Taupe #PB11: It was not by accident that this item is featured today – if you’re in a pinch for ghoulish looking hollowed out cheeks…
October 31, 2016In “Beauty”

Clearly, my aloe plant is one of those souls that’s been able to kick butt during these pandemic times. check her out. She is thriving!

Side note: I’m removing one of the leaves and using it to moisturize my cuticles tonight.

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Awkward segue, but you know what I just realized today?? I haven’t given a single thought to the food situation ’round these parts for Christmas Eve. Like, I’m normally all about planning every single food-related detail weeks ahead of time, sometimes months, because I get very excited about eating all teh things at Christmas.

Seriously, it’s such a big part of Filipino culture — good food with family to celebrate the holiday, and there are quite a few dishes you only eat on special occasions — but I haven’t given any thought to it yet. Don’t have any idea what I’m gonna make or bring when we go see my family in the east Bay later this month.

I mean, hopefully, depending on the state of the world next week…

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Like they have for most people, the last couple years have changed me PROFOUNDLY. I used to be almost an obsessive planner, but now I’m so hesitant to make plans at all because part of me thinks, “Oh, we’ll have to change plans at the last minute anyway, so why bother planning at all? I’ll just wing it.”

I’m of the mind that things will either be terrific or terrible, but either way, it’s fine! LOL. strange days. strange days indeed…

I wasn’t really a big fan of improvising holiday plans in the “before times,” because planning gave me a sense of control, but now I’m just like Elsa. I let it go.

Seriously, I’m thinking about baking chocolate-chip cookies for Christmas, making homemade pizzas at home and calling it a day. I think that might make me happy! In the end, I know it’ll be fine as long as there’s something a little special at the meal, and chocolate-chip cookies from scratch are always special.

The most stunning thing I ever did see
This week’s reading

If you want glowing skin, Rihanna’s makeup artist recommends pairing concealer with a skin tint. Side note: I totally agree!

Just in case you’re looking for a last-minute fragrance gift for a teenager!

Looking for nail art inspiration? here are 45 ideas.

Speaking of nail art…

Reese Witherspoon hearts Biossance.

I just can’t with TikTok beauty trends… I just CAN’T.

Happy reunions with cats? Yes, please.

Cats and dogs have facial expressions, and we’re only just starting to understand them.

Love this look

I’m low-key obsessed with Marisa.

I don’t really know what’s going on here, but I love it.

Mood music

Trying this…

Feeling festive

What are you up to today? I have some last-minute Christmas shopping left to do, along with some last-minute Christmas returns. You know how when you go shopping, and you don’t plan on getting anything for yourself, but then you buy all of these random “just for me gifts” because you’re out of your mind? and then when you get home, you’re like, “Wait, what was I thinking?”

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Yeah, that’s my life right now.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

happy Halloween! I hope you get sufficiently spooked today as well as likewise eat enough candies for a nice sugar high.

Today’s job pan product is the NYX Powder blush in Taupe #PB11:

It was not by accident that this product is featured today – if you’re in a pinch for ghoulish looking hollowed out cheeks for a costume, perhaps a contouring shade such as this might help!

This is the old version of the NYX Taupe – there is a new version when NYX replaced the whole blush line with the HD Blushes. It was a source of heated discussion when NYX reformulated this specific colour since it’s a much cherished shade. There are great deals of opinions about which version is better: this video shows a comparison between the old versus new versions. She discovered the new one less pink, as well as one more person found the new one warmer, one more person discovered the new formula drier, however yet one more person discovered the new powder to be much smoother.

Not my picture – she discovered the HD powders not to blend as nice as the original. Source.
Who to believe? Unfortunately, I do not have the new HD one to compare right here for you (maybe one day).  What I do understand is that the original version, the one I own, has a nice awesome undertone for contouring. Remember: contouring products should mimic natural shadows which is greyish in tone.  Bronzers in gerneral are not great for contouring, they’re usually as well orange. You want something with a taupe / grey rather than orange / brown tone.

Both the old as well as new version phone calls this a blush however it’s definitely a contouring colour. NYX now likewise offer a whack of contouring products (including the Highlighting as well as Contouring pro combination which I won from Sandie’s stock giveaway a while back – still requirement to evaluation that!) so I’m not sure why they kept this product as part of the blush collection. It’s confusing.

There is a slight sheen to the powder however it’s not shimmery.
This powder applies smoothly – it’s not as well extremely pigmented however I don’t mind since I want the contouring impact to be subtle. It’s extremely simple to blend out so there are no harsh lines.

Of all of the beauty routine “extras” such as highlighting / strobing, bronzing, etc, contouring is the thing I seldom do (I mentioned this in my 7 Deadly Sins Tag!).  I do have naturally high cheekbones (not a boast, just describing my deal with structure) so I don’t requirement to contour. But, since contouring almost daily, I do believe that doing this additional subtle step adds a nice definition to my face.  I’ve been utilizing my reliable Anna Sui deal with clean each time:

Since many of you asked about different contouring brushes in my Nars Kabuki Ita clean post, here’s a lot that I own for comparison.  I categorize contour clean into 2 types:

Flat contour brushes

These are fantastic for producing a directly line, particularly for the hollows of the cheeks.

Ecotools Deluxe fan clean – before the availability of actual flat contour brushes, fan brushes produced a nice soft diffusion of contour colour in the cheek hollows. this is super big as well as has medium density.

Anna Sui deal with clean – my favourite clean for cheek contouring – the perfect mix of firm bristles as well as diffused edges to lay down precise placement as well as to blend.

Everyday Minerals Itahake clean – method as well dense as well as can’t blend worth crap. Makes a harsh line as well as then you’re stuck with it! This clean is slated to be purged.

Nars Kabuki Ita – not worth the money! See my evaluation as well as comparison to a $2 knock off here.

L to R: Anna Sui deal with Brush, Nars Kabuki Ita, Illamasqua clean Up
Illamasqua blush Up clean – it’s the most compact, blunt as well as has the shortest bristles of all the ones I own. This produces a sharp line as well as is truly great for blending out cream products (I own the Illamasqua cream blush in Zygomatic, which is a gorgeous contour shade).

Round contour brushes

These are fantastic for contouring around the forehead, hairline, jawline, etc. I believe these would be as well big for nose contouring – you’re much better off utilizing an eye shadow blending clean for that purpose.

Quo Contour clean – this was my very first contour clean as well as it was fine of what it is. now that I understand better, it’s rather scratchy as well as it sheds a lot.

Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt clean – the newest addition to my contour clean stash. It’s a bit floppy to do targeted contouring however the directed tip with the bulbous shape is fantastic for diffusing colour. I like it for forehead contouring.  It’s likewise extremely soft so it’s much better served with very pigmented products.

Real methods Contour clean – this doesn’t pick up powder pigment as well well. I only utilize this for high pigment powders – mainly blushes.

MAC 109 little Contour clean– it’s as well blunt for precise placement of contour, as well as it feels scratchy on the skin. I utilize this for powdery blushes that have low pigmentation.

Back to the NYX Powder blush in Taupe – I won’t rate it since it’s not offered any type of more, however I do truly like its awesome undertone as a contour product.  And based on what I’ve seen online, I would suggest inspecting out the new HD blush in Taupe. It’s an affordable choice for a contour powder that’s not as well orange or ashy.

It’s made in China (P.R.O.C. = People’s Republic of China) like most of NYX’s products.
In the rate of interest of trying to utilize up this product for job pan (as if I’ll ever hit pan on this thing! I’ve had it for more than 5 years as well as the waffle pattern hasn’t even used flat yet), I’ve started to utilize this as a contour for my eye shadows, blending out deeper shades in my crease. It likewise works incredibly for that purpose, however I haven’t made a dent in the weight:

I’m still dutifully utilizing every single product in my job Pan, 5 days a week for my work face. I’m not sure why the Cargo powder didn’t modification last week!

Please inspect out my job pan pals for their updates:
• Ingrid of Curly.Spring.Blossom
• Jodi of A Brash Attitude
• Chanelle of Chanelle Hayleyyy

Do you contour? What’s your favourite contouring product as well as brush?

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Project pan 12 Collab: autumn 2016 EditionHappy labour Day!  Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend!  And welcome to one more collab with the Canuck gang! We are when again, trying to chip away at some beauty products in our stash. this time around we are selecting 12 products to try to pan / empty. The length of this…
September 5, 2016In “Beauty”

Project pan 12 Collab: The ENDWhat an legendary journey! When I very first agreed to do job Pan, I believed it was going to be FUN. Oh exactly how wrong I was. This is the tune that went with my head (sang to the tune of “The tune That never Ends”): This is the Collab that never…
November 30, 2016In “Beauty”

Back-up deserving ItemsAfter being burned one as well many times with discontinued or restricted edition products that I LOVE, I decided to take matters into my own hands as well as bought back-ups of specific products for insurance coverage purposes.  Here are some products I have unopened in my stash: Anna Sui Dolly woman Lipstick in…
June 15, 2015In “Beauty”