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!

April - June Favorites

 

hi all! here's my spring-summer favorites. i don't have that many since it was during crunch time for school, with finals and projects, and i was in and out of a movie, it was our first anniversary, and gahhh craziness! lol. anyway, here's what i've got for ya.

theBalm time balm concealer in light
last year, i bought this concealer on a whim (both the shade and product itself) from hautelook*. and i used it for a little bit and then kinda quit. somewhat recently, i finished my mini pan of benefit's boi-ing (from the confessions of a concealaholic set). and i began using the revlon photoready concealer a lot, i'm still on my first one but i've slowed down using it since i've rediscovered this concealer. the real problem was that it got stuck in my bathroom drawer, out of sight out of mind. i've been using it nearly every day since i've pulled it out and i love it. it's really creamy, with light-medium coverage. it does dry out some with non-use but once you break through that top layer, it's good. i kept the little applicator sponge with it to kinda help keep it fresh. i love how small this little container is, but seriously, i've barely made a dent in this thing after 50+ uses. which is great, but i also have my other opened concealers i need to finish. ~.~

Be a Bombshell blush in sweet cheeks
ever since i got this in my april ipsy bag* (impressions post), i've loved it. it does need a light hand when applying because it can be too much. the blush can become powdery fairly easily, so be gentle when you dab into it with your brush or make sure you tap off the excess before applying.

Cailyn Cosmetics line-fix gel eyeliner in iron/Sigma E05/Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush
this eyeliner was an instant favorite from my june ipsy bag* (impressions post). it's waterproof and stays put practically for days. when i first got it, i swatched it on my arm, took pictures, waited a bit, then used an equate exfoliating makeup remover wipe in a sad attempt to remove it. three days and showers later, it finally faded and was no longer visible. it was crazy ridiculous. but i love it a lot. i'm not too keen on the price ($21+shipping) as far as trying other colors, but this was a definite winner for me. i've been using this eyeliner in conjunction with sigma e05 brushes or sonia kashuk's bent eyeliner brushes because i really like the application they both give.

Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap in peppermint (liquid & bar soap)
one of the many nail art/polish bloggers i follow (i can't remember who!) mentioned how much she loved dr. bronner's liquid soap for cleaning her makeup brushes. so, while i'm experimenting with different brush cleaners/cleansers, why not?! so i originally bought the liquid soap and i loved it immediately. what i don't like about it: it doesn't really foam up that much for mineral brushes, so it's kinda like..well is it clean or not?! like you can see the makeup coming out of the brush into the sink, but yeah.. (i haven't used it with foundation or concealer brushes yet to know how well it reacts..) it foams up quite a bit for my synthetic brushes. you do have to be careful with duo fiber brushes, more specifically, elf small stipple brushes. a little bit of this goes a long way, and these particular brushes soak this soap up. so even after they dried, they had an oily-weird feeling; so after rinsing them and letting them dry a second time, it's better. i've only used the bar soap twice so far, but i like it a lot. i feel like it's easier to get the right amount of soap onto the brushes (the liquid soap kinda pours out very quickly as it is an almost oil-like consistency). i haven't had the same problem with the elf small stipple brushes when i used the bar, so that's good. it is a little more difficult cleaning my eyeliner brushes with the bar soap, but just get a little onto your fingers and it'll work. i think that, for the price, i'm probably going to continue getting the bar soap since it will definitely last a lot longer than the liquid. don't get me wrong, the liquid soap will last forever too, in moderation. i think i'll try the other scents too, eventually, but i figured peppermint was a pretty safe scent to start off with.

Picross 3D for NDS
in the past few months, i rediscovered this game in the depths of my ds & wii accessories bin. i'm a puzzle and RPG person, and this game, i really like. there are varying levels of difficulty and an introductory tutorial. basically you start off with a 3D rectangle, divided into a bunch of cubes. each row and column of cubes have numbers on them indicating how many cubes must remain in the row. then you gradually remove all of the unnecessary blocks to reveal the final image (you can mark the ones that must remain, kinda like minesweeper). for example, the image in the cover is a dog. you can kinda see him in the shadow on the right corner (which shows how it should look at the end) and in the center photo where the blocks have been removed.

K-dorama: 200 Pounds Beauty (watch it on crunchyroll)
despite how the photo looks, both women are the same character & actress. the idea of this story is that the girl on the right undergoes plastic surgery because she feels self conscious about her appearance, blah blah blah. but she has the most amazing voice, she's a ghost singer for a lip-syncing pop star and a ..ahem....hotline voice. it's kind of a romantic comedy. anyway, i really liked this movie. her puppeh is so kyoot. >w<  i'm pretty sure T told me about this movie a long time ago, i just never got around to watching it until recently.


*Affiliate Link.

first anniversary & trip

hi guys! this post is late after getting put onto the back burner while i was working on my photo migration. i'm not 100% finished with it, but anyway here ya go. please read this as if i posted this on our actual anniversary date, 6/9/13.

hey guys! the past two weeks on the movie set have been super crazy and chaotic! here's what i did...
5/27: 730A - 530P work; drive back home
5/28: 710A - 9P movie set
5/29: 1115A - 230A movie set
5/30: called in sick with a major migraine
5/31: 5P - 5A movie set
6/1: slept a lot, hung out with friends
6/2: slept in, went to see star trek
6/3: 530A - 730P movie set
6/4: 515A - 830P movie set
6/5: 615A - 830P movie set
6/6: 430P - 630A movie set

6/7: after coming home from set, i took a shower and somehow got a second wind and was able to stay up a bit longer, and i drove us back to our apartment. from there, paul drove us to houston. got settled in at the hotel and then went to chipolte for dinner. i got a barbacoa bowl and i think that if i ever go to chipolte again, this is the way to go. $6.50 for something that is two servings for me. heck yes. paul finished his burrito before i was even 1/4 done with the bowl. then he helped me eat about half of it. then we went to see now you see me--i updated my prior post as for where i saw myself. and around 11 or so, i finally crashed. somehow i managed to stay awake for about 36 hours without caffeine, as i cannot consume it.

6/8: went and got dim sum at ocean palace. yum! for those who don't know, dim sum is a chinese small-plate style brunch/lunch. when you go, it's usually around lunchtime on the weekends. ladies (and sometimes men) push carts to your table and show you what dishes they have, and they put a stamp on your bill to tell check-off how many plates of what cost you had. we got short ribs, duck, shrimp shumai, shrimp rice noodles, and sesame balls with red bean paste inside. it was aproximately $30. afterward, we went to the hong kong market and bought goodies: philippines brand dried mangoes, strawberry pocky, garden strawberry wafers, biscotto strawberry wafer sticks (these have surpassed my beloved love letters! *gasp!*), haw flakes, a japanese-style grater, and my favorite brown rice by nishiki.

 

afterward, we drove over to ikea. can i say, oh my god whoever thought of this was a genious! houston ikea is basically the closest one to us---at 6 hours away---but we were so confused and surprised when we drove up. i mean, why is the parking lot a mini version of disney?! there's lamp posts with section markers on them! whaaaaaat!? oh and not to mention, there were a crapton of people in there. i was totally expecting like a one on one type experience, like a mom and pop furniture store. no. A CRAPTON of people were inside as well. so we're super confused and we just followed the traffic inside and up the escalator. we grabbed a map--yes a freaking map!, pencil, and disposable measuring tape--so cool! and you go through the display area, and it's all set up fancy, some areas are like minis of rooms inside your house, or the section we paid particular attention to was set up like any other place that sells desks. then you keep making your way around, hardware like knobs etc, and kitchen stuff like dishes etc, wall decor, lighting, everything! and a food area! whaaaaa?? then you get around to the end and it's self service. so you grab a palette-cart and go find the items you wanted to buy (the displays are marked with what aisle they're on and what number on the aisle, you just have to write them down before leaving the showroom). then you check out and try as you might to pull your car within reasonable distance to the loading area. i swear, this place was almost like a theme park..for furniture! we were in there a good 2-3 hours, spending about half of that time in utter confusion, trying to wrap our heads around what we were seeing. as far as product selection, this place is like bed bath and beyond, but with furniture and less really random stuff. [we purchased 2/3 of my new desk, will update when i get the other 1/3 (a 59" table top)... my car isn't long enough...........]

then we went to the container store because we don't have one of those either and it, too, is the closest one... and i got 2 acrylic lipstick holders (24x) and a small acrylic drawer box. so again, omg at this place too. the organization-freak in me wanted to BUY ALL THE THINGS. it was crazy. but i had to keep saying: we need a house first. lol. i loved it in there, but teh paul was being very watchful about what i was picking up. >.>

and for dinner, we went to pappadeaux's. which is funny because we're in texas eating louisiana food. *mind blown* anyway, i got paul to try frog legs for the first time. and they were pretty good. i think they mixed some tony's into the batter because they were a bit spicy for my taste. for our entree, we shared the halibut duo, which was two halibut fillets, a small lobster tail, and some grilled shrimp. it was derricious. >w< and the drink i got was pretty good too: the strawberry lime sparkler. we've got to replicate it at home. yummm. so get this..this place gets sooo busy, they have their own freaking parking garage. really?! ..well, i thought it was crazy.

 

afterward, we wondered around the galleria mall and got a few shirts at wet seal (5 for $20!), and some dessert: a starbucks strawberries and cream frapp.

6/9: got up early to go to the bao store! yess. so we drove out to king bakery in chinatown to get lotsa bbq baos. my mom wanted some and so did we, and we also got a cream bun which was basically a buttery cream (not buttercream icing!) with their bao bread. if you ever go, remember that they're cash only! afterward, we went on a hunt for animal crossing (it was released on this day) since it was too early to go to the nearest game stop and another didn't have any that weren't reserved...we finally found one at target. yay~! we went to lunch at schlotzskys--since we don't have any of those anymore...and drove back home. before the night was over, teh paul already ate two baos out of our dozen. ~.~ [i forgot to take pictuers of the baos to show you guys....] and we opened up and finished our champagne from our wedding reception.

 

anyway. that was our trip. hope you guys enjoyed. ~Lin-chan ^.~

end of may & june hauls

haul post...yeah! so some of these things i have tried since i've gotten them. some i haven't had a chance to yet. so far, i finished pokemon black 2, we haven't figured out how to play hanafuda yet, thirtyonewest pigments are amazing, i like dr. bronner's solid soap..a lot., revlon 002 light concealer is actually my match now, rimmel apocolips are gorgeous but they're teeth-magnets, and BUY ALL THE CG INK IT's! lol. ~Lin-chan ^.~

 

ulta: real techniques limited edition duo fiber brush set, tree hut tropical mango sugar body scrub
target: pokemon black 2; elf st. lucia blush/bronzer, small stipple brush, and the mascara & shadow shield
cvs: biore blemish fighting ice cleanser & acne clearing scrub (i had a $3 off biore coupon and $5 extra bucks, then biore was buy two get $5 extra bucks, so i technically paid only $3 total for both!)

swatches: nars orgasm, elf st. lucia (fingers: bronzer, orgasm, blush)

club nintendo points! woohoo! i've finally accumulated 800 points to get the hanafuda cards! (hanafuda rules/instructions: scan 1, scan 2) i didn't realize this, but nintendo began in 1889 making handmade hanafuda cards. so that's really neat and these look so awesome. i've been wanting hanafuda cards ever since i bought and watched summer wars. love that movie! the concept of summer wars isn't all that new, but i still liked it anyway. =P

• club nintendo is a rewards program that is free to sign up for. certain games and all consoles (see list of eligible products) come packed with a slip that advertises club nintendo with a code to register the product. after creating an account and inputting your code, you are taken to a survey as to what your expectations are of the product, who bought it, why, etc. then you are awarded points (point values are shown on the above list). some time afterward, particularly for games, they will ask you to take a post-play survey and will grant you 10 or so more points. then you can accumulate your points and redeem them for prizes. 
• each fiscal year, if you have accumulated 300 points, you will have gold status and will automatically receive a gift. (i've gotten gold only once before and it was a desk calendar) or you can accumulate more than 300 points in a fiscal year, you are granted platinum status and can automatically receive an even better gift.
• accumulated points can expire, but they will email you to remind you to redeem them
• for more information regarding club nintendo, visit the club nintendo how it works page.

(swatched over milani eye primer)

etsy: etsy sent me a $5 gift card to use, so i went ahead and got a sampler pack of pigments from thirtyonewest. it was $8+$3.50ship for five 1.4g containers. i chose the natural pack which she randomly pulled: la flama blanca, cleopatra, sealed grounds, sweetheart, and galaxy radiance. these are so much more gorgeous in real life. love it! i wouldn't recommend using these without primer.

 

***rimmel apocolips/show off lacquers are only available at walgreens.

walgreens: rimmel london show off (apocolips) lippies in: solstice, galaxy, comet, celestial, light year, and stargazer. so i love how rimmel designed these so that you can tell if they've been tampered with or not. there is a seal on the outside that can be easily broken, but where the applicator is scraped off is clear when you first open these. as you pull the wand out, it fills with product. what i don't like about the packaging: the names are only on the upc sticker. >.> lame. as far as formulation, these are not sticky whatsoever, they have a slightly balmy-lipsticky feel to them, and they stay like that until it wears off (or rubs off, when you eat/drink, etc.). that being said, there is a high possibility of it rubbing onto your teeth repeatedly. so i don't advise using these if you plan on smiling in any photographs.

solstice looks like a pinker, my lips but better. galaxy is purplish but it kinda looks like a vampy red/purple on me--but i like it. comet is a pinky brown matte-ish nude. celestial is right on my yes/no pink borderline. i love light year, it's similar to comet and has shimmer. stargazer is more of a shimmery gold topper. i give mad props to solstice, galaxy, comet, and light year.

target/ulta: simple cleansing wipes, dr. bronner's peppermint soap (solid; to see if i like it more than the liquid), revlon photoready concealer in 002 light [light-medium is too orange on me now!!], covergirl & olay concealer in light, essence gel look top coat, nyx eyeshadow base in skintone & cream blush in natural, sonia kashuk bent eyeliner brush, elf small stipple brush

cvs/neighborhood walmart: covergirl ink it! eyeliners, in golden, silver, aquamarine, cocoa, and black. i originally bought cocoa to try it out and i instantly fell in love. the first night, i was lazy and actually didn't take my makeup off before going to bed..and it actually stayed put to about 23hrs after application. these things take a lot of effort to remove, but that's what makes them great! they stay put forever. ..so i went back and bought the other four colors. >w< i will say that, when applying these, be sure to clean off your lashes if it gets onto them. this product is very creamy until it sets.

update: whatttt there's a charcoal ink it liner too?! muuuust buy.

update: i found itttttt!! ^___^

   

big lots/target/eyeslipsface.com: elf: moisture stick, small tapered brush, c shadow brush, sheer eyelid primer, lip exfoliator, angled eyeliner brush, angled blush brush, st. lucia cream blush/bronzer, beauty book in au naturale, [i threw away the box for the palette on the far right, sorry! dunno the name].

happy 4th!

happy 4th all! it's been a long day of playing around with this photo migration update, but it is nearly complete! ^_________^


planned posts will now resume as planned. the following three posts still need tweaking, but i want to get back to making new posts. later!

2012:
reswatch: 5/13
retake photos: 2/28
update 9/15

**i have encountered a problem with using Google Drive to host my photos; if you use MS Internet Explorer, my photos will not load. you will need to use a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox.


anyway. have a safe holiday! ~Lin-chan ^.~