What's inside my makeup bag?

This is my lately collection of items in my makeup bag. Being pregnant doesn't leave you much time nor energy to put on makeup everyday, so I have an express makeup kit that takes me about 1 minute to make myself not look extremely tired from nights of insomnia.


I am a big fan of drugstore cosmetics, because all fancy makeup usually comes from the same factory as your over the counter cover girl lipsticks. So here's what I've got inside my bag!

1. Maybeline Colossal mascara This is about $8-$12 at your drugstore, makes eyelashes really black and full! Comes in waterproof and regular. I am currently using the regular one, and it's pretty waterproof, doesn't smudge at the end of the day.

2. Essie Sand Topez nail polish This was in my bag, just for the days that I am bored, and could use a freshen up on my nails! $9.99

3. Annabelle Smoothliner eyeliner Probably the best waterproof pencil liner I have ever used. This is cheap and effective! Goes on smooth and easy, and it really does not smudge! No eyelid crease lines! $6.99 at superstore!

4. Burt’s Bees lip balm 100% natural with kokum butter. It doesn't really condition well if your lips are always chapped. I only got it because of its 100% natural content, so I feel safe ingesting the lip balm.

5. Tweezerman mini tweezer To get rid of those unsightly eyebrows and hairs in odd places....This is a travel size, the mini~! Great to have for those embarrassing growth. $15 at Sephora.com

6. Mac eyelash curler I've had this curler for ages, it doesn't do much since I don't have much eyelash, but it does make it curl and easier to apply mascara! $24 now at M.A.C.

7. Rimmel Pink Sorbet blush I got this at Shoppers Drugmart because of the name! I like the colour, a soft healthy pink tone that looks natural. I think it's about $5-$8. I can't remember.

8. Paul & Joe creamy powder foundation I don't usually wear foundation, mostly just moisturizer and tinted moisturizer and a little powder to set. This is perfect for light coverage just to even the skin tone a bit. My last two powder compacts have been from Paul & Joe because I simply love the packaging and also the soft and natural effect of their powders. I got this from Taiwan for about $35 CAD. This is sold at Sears for $55.. and I just discovered this new website of cheaper cosmetics! http://www.beautyhabit.com/ It is sold on Beauty Habit for $40!! A steal..sort of.

Lastly, I forgot to include an eyeliner sharpener. You need to have it in your bag!! Or else you'd be scratching your eyelids with dull eyeliner!

All clogged up?

If you've been paying attention to your face, you may notice sometimes it changes! BAHAH!

So, for the longest time I had combination skin with oily tzone. After a couple of years into university, I had wonderful skin! Not too oily and only the occasional pimple! Although I've never had major acne problems, I always battled with my own fidgety hands. I was my own skin's worst enemy. I loved to pick away at my face, any chance I got at squeezing some whiteheads/blackheads, I was ecstatic! I went through a couple of rough patches when I decided staying up till 6am and drinking 2-3 cups of coffee was a good idea. My skin was screaming for help. So I stopped that lifestyle. Recently my skin has become more sensitive. The cheeks are drier than usual, and the bumps.

Let me tell you about the bumps. They are like clogged pores on my forehead and my chin. Slight round elevation that are not red, nor white, just bumps everywhere. The first time it happened I attributed it to stress, but 3-4 months went by, and the bumps did not go away but had worsen! I was in a panic! By a coincidence, I saw in a clinic waiting room, in a magazine it had mentioned a toner which was good for acne prone skin. So I went and bought it, along with some benzoyl peroxide. I had been using salicylic acid acne cream for the longest time with no noticeable results, so I decided to try benzoyl peroxide. I also read that benzoyl peroxide worked well together with glycolic acid from the toner! And just like that, my bumps went away in a matter of days. It was clear skin again. I couldn't believe it! Later my friend told me that mineral powder made her break out in bumps too. So I stopped using my mineral stuff! I had been bump free for almost a year, but just about last month, the bumps came back! I hadn't been using the toner and had major red patch reaction to my benzoyl peroxide. It could be the change in weather or the heavy night cream, or the new makeup I had been using. Anyhow, I went to shoppers and picked up another bottle of Neostrata's toning solution! When the toner is used in combination with the benzoyl peroxide cream I don't have such a severe reaction! Weird! I've been using the toner for about a week now, and my bumps are down to 10% :) It is always difficult to find the culprit, but I'll watch out for new products I use.

Hello clear skin, here I come :)





These are the two products that got rid of my bumps. YAY!

What's in that makeup bag?!

So, here's the download on my basic makeup bag goodies.

Maybeline Colossal mascara

Sephora black eyeliner

Sephora eye pencil pearl colour

Rimmel London Blush: Pink Sorbet

Esprique concealer pallet

MAC eyelash curler

Maybeline Eyestudio eyeshadow: Give me gold

Givenchy Primissime face/eye powder

Tweezerman lashcomb

Cargo Blu-ray pressed powder

kabuki brush from Bare Escentuals

I forgot to photograph my chapstick!

That's my go-to makeup essentials. I don't usually wear makeup. Usually just slap on some of that SPF moisturizer and a bit of translucent powder from Almay.

Vanity

You are looking at Guerlain's meteorites powder. I guess this is one of their most signature products, one for its distinctive package and for its awesome colours. The product is suppose to applied all over the face, for a glowing effect. The red gives a feeling of blushing, greens tones down the redness, purple attracts light and gold and white balls highlight and brighten! Sounds like an amazing product eh!?

I swear this product has been around longer than me, because I used to see bottles of beautiful cosmetics on my aunt's vanity table. The most intriguing one was the one with rainbow balls of pearl! Since I was a kid, I had been eluded by the packages of beauty products. This meteorites powder has to be one of my first encounters with cosmetics!


Museum of Shanghai Toys Taken from Sparklette.net
I like this kind of feel! Old school Shanghai women's vanity table, much like my aunt's!

I don't think I am a makeup/product junkie, but there is an army of bottles sitting in my bathroom. Sometimes it is simply difficult to resist such impeccable marketing! Beauty in a bottle! So I've been wanting to get my hands on this powder for years now, but never had the opportunity, or time, or the justification to buy another $60 product.
(By the way, this sells for $52 on Strawberrynet.com)

I think the closest thing I came to buying something similar was the Givenchy's Prismissime 9 colour face powder. It sells for $56 at strawberry.net.com
I bought it at airport duty free when I was bored and waiting for board. This is what happens when they have those fancy duty free stores luring you in with shiny cosmetics! A trap! But nonetheless, I love it! The package is convenient and cute! The powder smells nice, and makes me have that 1920's shanghai feel when I use it!




P.S. I will be posting a blog real soon about the 1920-1930 Chinese and Japanese antique advertising poster! I really love them! I loved everything about that era, the Western influences on traditional Chinese architecture, the glamorous outfits, the hair, the life!

Day 3: Lemon Juice experiment

So, a little update on the lemon juice treatment I've been experimenting on my porous and acne prone skin. There appears to be less bumps on my chin, and minimal breakout of 1-2 pimples in this 3 day progress. Although the little bumps on my forehead are still there, they do appear slightly flatter..Maybe it is all psychological!

Stay tuned for more lemon juice update :)

The nail colour I am wearing today is elephantastic pink by O.P.I

Hello Lemon

So today I don't work till 1pm, which is kinda nice, gives me the daylight to do some chores and fun things! So I did laundry this morning, and I plan to paint my nails while watching the new episode of True Blood! Perhaps a pampering shower before lunch! There's just so much you can do on a Monday morning! After work I will be meeting up with the girls to look at some Victoria Secret stuff for an online purchase! Hello Bikini. Even though Bikini season is almost over...but nevertheless we plan to take a road trip down to California! Perhaps I can wear my bikini there...!

Speaking of lemons, my t-zone has been bothering me since late May. Mysterious bumps everywhere on my forehead and breakouts like a greasy 16 year old boy! It's hard to pin point the cause, but I suspect them to be one of the following:

Stree

Greasy food?

Change in climate/weather

Cosmetic product misuse

Stupid fingers touching my face

Karma

So, I've been trying to find a way to restore my skin back to its glory days. My recent endeavor involves lemon juice! It's suppose to work like a chemical peel. Let the lemon be an astringent, and kill the bacteria! Lemon also help bleach the existing scar/spots. So we will see if this lemon juice really works. Day 1, no signs of improvement!

My giant hair

Look how voluminous my hair is! It's huge!

I have nothing else to blog about. Please forgive me. ha

Curls with flat iron

So I've finally learned how to curl my hair with a flat iron! Though I didn't do all my curls in this photo here! It is so easy! Hope you like my curls, because I do!

Sunspot

Recently I've been busy, and as with stress comes the customary bad skin. I've notice the bumpy texture of my usual smooth surfaces, and marks left by sun exposure and time. I realize...I am aging! Woman's decline from her prime is creeping in slowly, but surely. I am not getting any younger...A thought that is more haunting than scary.

My tummy is churning with hunger, and I don't feel 100% comfortable about leaving the hotel room. Though it has been a dead and quiet morning for Peony at the shoe show, perhaps it is a good exposure to be in the directory guide! Put our name out there, and let people familiarize with us! The company needs to undergo some changes in order to find the right market. Quiet lonely day. I am so hungry. I shall venture to crystal mall for a quick bite. Hope no customers come by and misses me!