october hauls

hi guys! you might notice a bit of a theme in some of the items i got this month. we're went on a cruise! so i got a bunch of minis of oldies but goodies! ~Lin-chan ^.~
ulta: tree hut sugar scrubs, soap and glory clean on me & happy pamper mini set, zoya remove+ mini, body shop tea tree oil (new larger bottle), tony moly i'm real refreshing sheet mask & intense care snail hydro-gel mask, freebie bag for spending a ton of the monies -- i'm surprised there's two full sized prestige products in here: tarte tarteist double take eyeliner & buxom full on lip polish in dolly.

- sephora: i needed to return something that i accidentally bought, so i got an anastasia beverly hills shadow in warm taupe.
- sephora jcp: last month, they had a mascara set with several minis and a voucher for a full-size from that set. i'm planning on giving the minis away as gifts, but i couldn't pass that deal up! got myself a benefit roller lash.
- ulta: travel size clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel
- target: covergirl lashblast volume waterproof mascara in very black -- this used to be my favorite mascara when i first started college, and this is like my first new tube since then! also, loreal pure-clay mask.
- walmart: they're stepping up their sheet mask game in the drugstore! got a couple of yes to ones and a soo ae one. also got equate makeup remover wipes (travel) and a bag of the epsom salt from last month's beauty box.
- bbb: simple makeup remover wipes mini -- because i can't decide which one i'm taking with me on this vacation....
- 5 below: totally random, but i had to inclue them.. pocky & chocorooms. never had chocorooms before, but they were a bad decision. gone in just a couple hours!

warm taupe, dolly, tarteiest liner

sooo... we got a gopro! we went on a cruise and thought this would be perfect for our underwater adventures! (vacation post to come, need to spend some time sorting out photos and footage)
on the ship, they have a ton of shops, and one of the deals they were advertising was a clinique ddm lotion/gel double pack for $40 (ret. $26 ea), and i was like soooold! that's a better deal than saturday's ulta & the upcoming sephora 20% off sales! also, i'm not sure if it's on every cruise line (probably though), but they sell gold chains by the inch. so you can buy custom length bracelets and necklaces and a variety of different chains, gold, silver, and i got this rose gold with rhinestones. it's super pretty, and i kept eyeing it the whole week!
one of the excursions we went on had a gift shop, and we got this super cute obsidian turtle! i'm not sure the name of the dark sparkly stone on the edge of the shell (blue goldestone? i've always loved red goldstone!), but the top is abalone shell. i kind of wish he were bigger, but the larger ones he was selling were like 2-3 times more expensive than what he wanted for this small one.

walmart: soo ae tea tree sheet masks, wet n wild eyeshadow brush & waterproof liner, essential tools makeup brush cleaner

bbw: got another no purchase necessary free travel size coupon in the mail, so i picked up another mini of endless weekend, which is really nice!

h-mart (houston): green tea pejoy, green apple & kiwi melon sodas -- these are the best. they're in a plastic bottle..thing..with a metal can lid. very interesting. anyway, if you see these, be sure to try the apple, because it's the best!

notd: zoya dot & sally hansen strobe light

hi guys! so as seen in my previous post, i got zoya's dot nail polish in my february ipsy bag. and well....i didn't really like it all that much alone, so i added some glitter to distract from the patchiness. so all is well in the world now. =P ~Lin-chan ^.~

also used: opi natural nail strengthener, sally hansen insta-dry topcoat

i was a bit lazy with the polish-on-skin..ness up there. whoops. lol.

february 2014 ipsy bag

hi guys! i've finally got my february IPSY BAG* yesterday! (theme: the look of love). that's 2 for 2 with the bags arriving late this year. hopefully it's just the weird weather we've been having and i'll get them sooner again... but we'll see... ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. pop beauty plump pout lip gloss in fuschia freesia (4g--mini, ret. $16 for 8.5g [$7.53]) -- this shade's bright for me, but this gloss is fairly comfortable and not sticky whatsoever. it does need a somewhat frequent reapplication.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe, other shades
• product given away
2. zoya nail polish in dot (.5oz--full size, ret. $9) -- between the two shades given in this month's bag, i was meh about both of them (the other shade is odette). i'm not huge into neutral-pastel type polishes, mostly because they come out patchy near the cuticle sometimes..
• likelihood to repurchase: no, but definitely other shades
3. eyetini cordial cream shadow & base in violette (.14oz--full size, ret. $18) -- despite how gorgeous this product is--when applied, the packaging is really cheap and it smells really weird, kinda plastic-y. i guess at the very least, it's going on your eyes, so you shouldn't be able to smell it after application. this shade kind of reminds me of clinique's cream shadow in rock violet.
• likelihood to repurchase: nah
• product given away
4. skyn iceland fresh start mask with ice age mud (1 packet duo--ret. $39 for 6 packets [$6.50]) -- i'll have to post an update of what i think of it when i use it, but this is so expensive to repurchase!
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not because of the cost
5. jcat beauty eyelashes in EL13 (1 pair, ret. $3.99) -- i'm not huge into lashes..more like the couple times i attempted wearing any, i wasn't digging it and it felt weird. so these are getting passed off.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• product given away
6. hot pink ipsy bag -- this bag is really cute for girly-girls. the inside has a cute abstract pattern too. i'm not a huge hot pink person, but i likes it.
7. card with company info/discount codes
1. popbeauty.co.uk: 25% off any purchase, code: popping pout (exp. 3/15/14)
2. zoya.com: buy 2 zoya polish get 1 free & free remove+, code: ipsyzp4 (exp. 3/15/14)
3. tinibeauty.com: 50% off any purchase & free nail polish, code: ipsylove (exp. 4/10/14)
4. skyniceland.com: 50% off one full sized product & 20% off additional items in your order, ipsyfsm (exp. 3/15/14)
5. jcatbeauty.com: 25% off any purchase, code: eyeluvjcat (exp. 3/15/14)
6. mallybeauty.com: 25% off any purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 2/28/14)
7. citycolorbeauty.com: 20% off purchase, code: 14ipsy20 (exp. 3/15/14)
8. uberliss.com: 30% off any purchase, code: ipsy30 (3/15/14)
9. firstaidbeauty.com: 20% off any purchase, code: ipsy (exp.3/31/14)
10. myphyto-c.us: 20% off velvet gel, code: ipsy20 (exp. 4/4/14)
11. drlinskincare.com/ipsy: 50% off any purchase, code: ipsydrlin (exp. 3/31/14)
12. pacificabeauty.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 3/15/14)
13. numeproducts.com: 50% off + free shipping + free classic curling wand, code: nipsyparty14 (exp. 5/11/14)
14. jessesgirlcosmetics.com: 20% off any purchase, code: ipsyfeb2014 (exp. 3/15/14)

approximate product value: ~$45.02

 

zoya dot, pop fuchsia freesia, tini beauty violette

*Affiliate Link.

november hauls

  

hi guys! here's my monthly hauls post. a lot of these purchases were made while xmas gift shopping. so yeah. anywho, here's what i got! ~Lin-chan ^.~

artestile buttercup kit & studded bag--giveaway win from thefabzilla

 
swatches: complex, demure, strawberry milk, milk, black bean

1. bbw: 2 for $22 candles! fresh balsam & lemon mint leaf, forever midnight perfume
2. cvs: revlon lippies in complex & demure

 

left: giovanna, 2nd: kotori

1. zoya: for halloween, they were having free shipping and a free polish, so i got giovanna and kotori.
• kotori is more of a sheer, dark-based polish with blue shimmer particles
• giovanna is a gorgeous metallic emerald
2. cvs: nyc smooth skin pressed powder
3. target: nyc smooth skin loose poweder, nyx jumbo eye pencil trio (strawberry milk, milk, black bean)
• i've decided to give milk a second try. i didn't like it the first time i bought it, but maybe now that i've become better at makeup application, we'll give it another shot.
4. amazon: used ebates* credits & opinion outpost* points to get a sigma F80 & joby gorillapod original
• if you buy sigma products through amazon, make sure the seller is authorized and listed on the sigma website
• gorillapods are a type of camera tripod with ball-jointed legs so that you can position them onto any surface, gripped or wrapped around different surfaces like rocky terrains or railings.

 
fishwife, pretty in plum, bluecoat, bluecoat & leccy

1. beauty.com: had a couple drugstore.com dollars to spend, and i saved up some opinion outpost* points, so i got butter london holiday ice lacquer and overcoat duo (bluecoat & leccy), nicole by opi selena gomez pretty in plum, elf studio powder brush (the flat-topped one), and a travel-size of psssst! dry shampoo. i've suddenly gotten an interest in trying dry shampoo out and i needed a little bit more to get to the $35 free shipping anyway.
2. beauty.com part 2: (20% off friends and family sale) butter london fishwife, pair of sea bands to try when i get nausea from migraines (ytmmbi: frmheadtotoe)

• sephora vib sale: clinique clarifying lotion 3 & dramatically different moisturizing gel, benefit rockateur blush, becca the one perfecting brush, dior creme de rose lip balm, benefit gimme brow in medium/deep, l'occitane hand cream in cherry blossom; tote bag, urban decay 500 point gift
• not impressed by the creme de rose..so it got returned. it chapped me and i didn't realize that it literally is rose scented...(more like i didn't totally read the description....)
• i think i'm going to leave rockateur in it's box; i deboxed all my other benefit blushes but i really like the packaging on this one
• code-samples with other sephora xmas-gift purchases: too faced better than sex mascara, benefit creaseless cream shadow in no pressure!, sephora merry crazy sample blitz in holly jolly nourishment

brownie, petal, inspired, rockateur, gimme brow, no pressure!, mushroom (swatched over ud antiaging primer)

1. tarte's website was having a free full-size glamazonian clay lipstick of my choice (inspired) with a holiday item purchase. so, score i got a free lipstick by buying an xmas present, and they sent me some bag tags
• note: that is the lipstick fully dispensed. like for real. whattttttttt? so tiny!
2. ulta 20% off sale: opi nail envy (original), essence nail art dry drops, nyx butter balm in brownie, the body shop olive body butter mini from the 6pc set (not pictured: 2x earth therapeutics soothing beaded gel eye masks--great for migraines when frozen!)

 

michaels: they have these cute ornament kits for $1-5 for kids and i really liked this one...for me! but he came out a little funny. cute, but funny. haha.

*Affiliate link.

notd: zoya neve

 

hi guys! here's the notd for zoya neve, which i got with my october ipsy bag*! ~Lin-chan ^.~
also used: orly bonder, nyc grand central station (as topcoat)

*Affiliate link.

October 2013 ipsy bag!

  

hi guys! guess what finally decided to show up? my october IPSY BAG*! (theme: the art of beauty). pretty bummed that i got my email in week two of shipping. so, sorry that this post is late, but..not my fault. ~Lin-chan ^.~

ranking the past seven months, from today's standpoint:

1. april
2. september
3. october
4. august
5. june
6. may
7. july

here's my impressions

1. zoya nail polish in neve (.5oz--full size, ret. $8) -- ugh! i love this color. so excited that they gave me a blue one, but i have so many blue polishes! ^_^
• likelihood to repurchase: yes, different colors though
• update: see notd post here.
2. sexy hair blow dry volumizing gel (1.7oz--mini, ret. $16.95 for 8.5oz [$3.39]) -- i really could do without all these hair products. it took me forever to use up the argan oil thing from april's bag, i haven't even touched the hair spray from july yet, and now a blow-dry gel. meh. the consistency is more like aloe vera rather than hair gel. it smells like hairspray to me, with a teeny tiny hint of fruitiness.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• update: i tried it once and it wasn't for me. i just don't like using hair gel anymore, i don't like that weird sticky feel while i'm blow drying it. i think i'll give it away.
3. bella terra cosmetics mineral shimmers in emotion (2g--deluxe size, ret. $14.99 for 2.5g [$11.99]) -- such a pretty purple color in the pot, but when it's picked up by a brush, it's very sheer almost red-pinkish. if you pick up a clump of it and gently spread it on, it's gorgeous, but if you spread it out too much it sheers out. (thus, i didn't take a swatch photo of this one for you guys). as far as my ipsymatch, i think this one was the better bet than the blue one.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
4. coastal scents medium shadow brush (full size, ret. $2.49) -- seems like a pretty nice shadow brush. not as stiff as i like them, but it'll definitely be put to use. very soft.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
5. la fresh oil free face cleansing wipes in refreshing scent (10 wipes--⅓ size, ret. $9.99 for 30 wipes [$3.33]) -- smells citrusy. la fresh wipes are pretty expensive, i think i'll stick with my simple wipes.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• update: product has been finished. it wasn't that great at removing makeup.
6. white ipsy bag with red text -- i really like this bag, but i don't like how it's white and can get dirty easily....
7. card with company info/discount codes
1. zoya.com: buy 2 nail polishes, get 1 free & free remove+, code: IPSYZ3 (exp. 11/10/13)
2. ulta.com: $5 off $25 purchase of sexy hair products, code: 105339 (exp. 11/15/13)
3. bellaterracosmetics.com: 50% off & free shipping, code: ipsy (exp. 11/15/13)
4. coastalscents.com: 25% off purchase, code: cs25 (exp. 11/7/13 4PM EST)
5. lafreshgroup.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsylove30 (exp. 11/15/13)
6. olehenrikson.com: 20% off & free shipping, code: loveipsy (exp. 11/15/13) 
7. h2oplus.com: 25% off purchase; code: ipsy13 (exp. 11/15/13)
8. ofracosmetics.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsy30 (exp. 11/14/13)
9. starlooks.com: 20% off $35 purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 11/15/13)

approximate product value: ~$29.20

 

*Affiliate Link.

notd redo: zoya ibiza & finger paints motley

hi guys! so most of you know that i had to update basically all of my posts because xanga (where i was hosting my photos) is potentially going down. in doing so, i relabeled all of my posts with the new disclaimer banners and stamped all of my old photos. ..[and even more] in doing so, i noticed how absolutely terrible my original photos of this polish combination came out. so i decided to give you guys some new and better quality photos! enjoy! ~Lin-chan ^.~

i used orly bonder as my basecoat and two coats of essence gel look topcoat. i couldn't decide which photo i liked best..so here are the good ones!

may 2013 ipsy bag & impressions & notd (updated)

 

hey guys!! look what came in the mail today~! MAY IPSY BAG*!!! spring fling edition

i was really hoping to get the macadamia natural oil healing oil treatment because i love that stuff...but no. *sadface*

overall thoughts: ok to meh. yellow nail polish on an asian, hahahaha! honey (shade) concealer on a light/medium person? no! bronzing products for a homebody who tends to stay indoors all the time? ipsy "YouMatch" was more like a you-fail. ~Lin-chan ^.~

edit/update: they have finally made it available for you to retake your style quiz and my skintone answer from before was medium.............wtf. the interesting thing though, apparently the skintone you put on your style quiz is ultimatum (for your subscription/items), because my profile page says light. and honey is definitely not light. i still wish there was a way to tell them your favorite colors, because yellow polish is a no-no! ..well, maybe not neons.. =P also, i definitely had 'self-tanner' de-selected on my quiz. so why i got a body bronzing product: i have no idea. this bag, realistically, was more of a half fail, not a full-out one. i do like half of the items included.

1. mirabella shimmerati glimmer gloss in brilliant ruby red (6.4g--full size, ret. $24/$16 on sale now) -- this is by far the most bizarre yet interesting packaging ever. the cap does not twist off, you pull it off and it's quite stuck on there which is great for travel, but make sure you're holding it by the sides and not squeezing down on the product when you pull! the back of the package looks similar to the cap: solid plastic. on the front where the product is, it's the squishy clear plastic like any other squeeze tube gloss. so weird!! the applicator is similar to the tip on any squeeze tube lip gloss, angled with a hole in the center. this gloss feels great, not sticky, and balm-like. i'm a fairly neutral, sheer, or brownish lippie lover but this is a pretty flattering shimmery red. love it!
• likelihood to repurchase: yes
2. yaby cosmetics concealer refill in honey (3.5g--full size, ret. $4.85) -- this concealer, as i thought..honey, is a little too golden for me. coverage wise, it seems pretty good, light-medium. comes in a magnetically-attractive pan, so you could put it into a unii or z palette.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe; not this shade
• update: passed it off to T
3. zoya piaf (.5 fl oz--full size, ret. $8) -- pastel yellow with silver shimmer, from the lovely spring 2013 collection. while this color is probably flattering on other people, as a person of asian descent, yellow is the least flattering on my light skintone...
• likelihood to repurchase: yes, not this shade
• update: passed it off to T
4. pacifica island vanilla perfume roll-on (.33oz--full size, ret. $12) -- this smells great! i probably wouldn't have picked up on my own since i've been having really bad migraines lately, but i love this! i'm definitely a vanilla person. thank you for not sending me gardenia!
• likelihood to repurchase: probably
5. pacifica coconut crushed pearl bronzing body butter (2oz--mini, ret. $7) -- i'm not huge into tanning/bronzing products, but after testing this on my hand, it's not too bad, it looks nice. it's about 1-2 shades darker than i am so it looks natural, aside from the shimmery pearl mica in it. it smells good, like any coconut scented product would, but i probably won't repurchase because i'm not into looking tan.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• update: passed it off to mom
6. $110 off code for nume hair styling tools and extensions + free thermal pouch
7. blue/orange ipsy bag -- while the bag is cute, it's not really spring-y to me.. material feels similar to a beach/summer tote bag, like the lightly padded, quick-drying kind....wait, yes!!! 80's - 90's sweatsuits that your extended family would always send you for christmas and it would make that annoying sound whenever it rubs together when you walk..that. -.- you know what i'm talking about. ~.~
8. card with company info/discount codes
1. mirabellabeauty.com: 50% off colour sheers: ipsy50 OR 30% off all else: ipsy30 (exp.5/31/13)
2. camerareadycosmetics.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsyluvsyabycc20 (exp. 6/10/13)
3. zoya.com/ipsy: buy 2 get 1 free + free 1oz remove+ & $5ship, code: ipsyz (exp.5/31/13)
4. pacificaperfume.com: 20% off purchase, code: beauty20 (exp. 5/31/13)
5. numeproducts.com/shop: 60% off any single product, code: ipsy60 (exp. 10/31/13)
6. sttropeztan.com: 20% off purchase, code: Ipsy20 (exp. 6/30/13)
7. macadamiahair.com: 30% off a 4.2oz healing oil treatment, code: ipsy30 (exp. 7/31/13)
8. juicebeauty.com/ipsy: 20% off of $30+ purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 6/15/13)
9. anastasia.net: (no offers)

approximate product value: $55.85 (gloss at regular price) or $47.85 (gloss at sale price)

swatches: honey concealer, coconut bronzing lotion, shimmerati glimmer gloss; 2 coats zoya piaf
(the concealer on the left in the top left corner is from theBalm in light, which is a perfect match for me)

zoya piaf: 2 coats, no topcoat

*Affiliate Link.

notd: zoya lindsay

hi all! ok ok, yes: no more hauling...but i found this online and had to get it. it's a limited edition from a few years ago.. ~Lin-chan ^.~

3 coats.