Charlotte Russe Cashmere Shrugs and Giveaway

A few months ago Annie of Really Petite blogged about these 100% cashmere shrugs from Charlotte Russe. I love shrugs so I decided to go and check it out.

I picked up a size small in fuchsia and a size medium in charcoal. I really liked the charcoal color and they didn't have it in small, which is why I picked it up in medium.

I brought it home with the intention of trying to decide whether or not to keep them. They were $49.99 each. After trying them on and pairing with a variety of different outfits, for some reason I can't work the shawl style collar. I don't think that it looks that good on me. I decided that I would return them BUT someone in my family took the empty Charlotte Russe package to use but didn't realize that the receipt was still in it so it's gone.

I am still sitting on the fence on the charcoal-colored one but I have decided to do a giveaway on the size small, fuchsia-colored shrug. My loss is your gain! All that you need to do is comment on why you would like to win this shrug. (Or you can just comment on anything.) The last day to enter will be on Monday, February 7 at midnight Hawaii time. Everyone who enters will be assigned a number in the order that they commented. I will then use random.org to choose a number, hopefully on Tuesday, February 8.

Good luck everyone!

*Kat*

Update Blog Sale Page

I just updated the Blog Sale page. (Click on tab to the right)  I deleted the items that have been sold and added quite a few more items. Thank you for taking a look!

*Kat*

Hello Kitty Mini Haul

Although I'm supposed to be trying to use my current makeup stash, I knew that I wanted things from Sephora's Hello Kitty line when it got released. I purchased some items online and made a few more purchases yesterday at my local mall. One thing to note is that it is NOT a limited edition line, which I thought it was going to be. I guess that there really was no need to rush and get everything. However, it is so popular that many things have sold out already. I hope that it won't be like the elusive NAKED palette by Urban Decay.

Hello Kitty Brush Set. The HK container that holds the brushes is a lot larger than I thought it would be. As you can see from the picture, I haven't opened the brushes up yet so I have no clue what the quality is like although from a review by Denysia, she was disappointed by the brushes.

Two nail polishes--one in Frosted Cupcake and the other in Pink Sprinkles.

Two Sweet Gloss Lipsticks in Peachy and Pink Grapefruit. I also purchased in-store 2 more in Sweet Berry and Charmmy.

Pen Pal Eyeliner in Chocolate Milk.

I also "broke" my use my stash rule and purchased UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Greed. I have it in a mini version and I really love it.

I used 100 of my VIB points and picked up a mini bottle of HK Eau de Parfum. 0.25 fl oz/7.5 ml. A decent size in my  opinion.

Lastly, I finally found the Sonia Kashuk synthetic flat top multipurpose brush that I wanted. K did a flat top brush comparison in her blog but uses the flat top blush brush. I think that it's quite similar. I had said that I was going to buy a brush a month to build up my brush collection so this is my brush for January. (I am not counting the HK brush set for the brush a month purchase.)

My initial impression of the Hello Kitty makeup line is that I really think the cosmetics are geared towards the young teens. Yes, I realize that it IS Hello Kitty but hey, us older folks like Hello Kitty just as much as the younger pre-teens and teens. The sweet gloss lipsticks are quite sheer and even the Pen Pal eyeliner in Chocolate Milk is not highly pigmented. Actually this is good for my purposes because I wanted a brown eyeliner that was going to be on the lighter side. I knew that I definitely wanted a pen liner since I love my K-Palette liner. Unfortunately, it seems that the various Japanese brands of pen eyeliners have it only in black, at least the online stores that I usually purchase from seem to carry only black. I didn't want a heavily pigmented color for a more natural look for my lower lashline.

Have you or are you planning on purchasing from the Hello Kitty line?

*Kat*

P. S. I'll be updating the blog sale page with more items for sale.

Review: Nature Republic White Therapy Skincare Trio

A while back, I wrote about my friends returning from a trip to Korea and bringing back Nature Republic products for me. Amongst the items brought back were 3 products from the White Therapy line--micro bubble foam cleanser, toner and emulsion. I have been using it for a couple of months now so I think that I can give a decent review on it.

First of all, what Nature Republic is all about as explained on the product box:

Here is the information for the micro bubble foam cleanser:

Here is the information for the toner:

And lastly, here is the information for the emulsion:

The micro bubble foam cleanser comes in a typical cleanser tube. The cleanser itself is typical in that it's a white cream and it does foam up quite nicely. It feels nice a smooth while you are washing your face. After rinsing your face, it feels quite nice although after a while, I do notice some tightening of my skin. I do have admit that is quite typical of most cleansers for me though.

The toner and the emulsion come in quite heavy glass/ceramic containers. It is quite nice although my one gripe about it is that it is quite a thick white container and there is no way to tell exactly how much product you have used and how much is left. I personally prefer nice plastic containers to glass because I have a tendency to knock things over.

The toner has a consistency of water, which is quite typical of most toners. I usually apply it with a cotton pad after washing my face. It is quite light and refreshing.

The emulsion I usually apply after applying a serum. It has a light, creamy consistency. It is neither too light nor too heavy.

As for the whitening properties, I haven't noticed anything. This line does seem to moisturize nicely and I haven't had any adverse reactions to it. It does have a floral scent, which I would say is a little bit stronger than a light scent but it doesn't linger. To me, this is nothing exceptional but neither is it inferior. I think that it's a nice line to use as a daily skincare regime. I can't say that I would purchase it again since it's something that's not available here but if it were, I'm not sure that I would repurchase it. I would probably prefer to try out another line but if it were given to me again, I would definitely use it.

As a side note, for a product that is supposed to be based on natural substances, it sure does have a lot of ingredients in it. Granted it does say that it combines with state-of-the-art technology but I was surprised by the long list of ingredients.

*Kat*

Giveaway Winner

Yesterday was the last day for the mini giveaway and this is the list of people who joined by commenting in the order that they commented:

 1. Sheila
 2. rhaindropz
 3. yuriko
 4. sugar sugar
 5. K
 6. Vanity-Fashionista
 7. Jennifer
 8. Kim
 9. Ying
10. coffretgorge
11. Nic Nic
12. Brianna
13. Steph

I couldn't get ahold of Mai to have her draw a name and Hime chan wasn't being cooperative in wanting to pull a name either so I ran it through random.org. I couldn't figure out how to get the widget with the winning number onto this post so please believe that this is truly the number that was chosen by random.org.

The winner is....


#7 Jennifer!!!

Congratulations! Please email me your full name and mailing address so that I can send you your prize.

There will be a couple of near future giveaways coming up so stay tuned!

*Kat*

Some of My Favorite Gifts

Before I start off this post on it's topic, can I just remind you that I have some things listed on the blog sale page. There's still many items left and you can view it by clicking on the Blog Sale link to the right.

Over the holidays and up till now, I received many wonderful gifts from so many wonderful people. While I loved everything that I got (except maybe I was a bit ho-hum on what the hubby gave) there are some things that I wanted to share with everyone.

First up are gifts/love package items that I received from blogger friends. There are so many wonderful, kind and generous people that I have met through blogging and I feel so blessed. They seem to know me so well as to what I like and use.

Mezaik Double Eyelid Stretch Fiber. I use this every single day. It is a "must have" item in my daily routine.

Sleek and Barry M eye dust pigment powders. The colors that were given to me are amongst my favorites. Both are UK products and are not easily obtainable here--unless I get it off of ebay.

Lush soap. Although there is a Lush store here, I almost never go to it and the one time that I did, I got so overwhelmed by the products and overpowered by all of the scents meshed together that I left before purchasing anything. I've read so many wonderful reviews by K of cosmeddicted that I'm so happy that I received this.

MBD masks. I love these masks and one can never have too many of them.

Gokubuto mascara, my favorite of all time. I also received from the same person this super yummy chocolate candy. It's soooo delicious!

Now on to "family"...

FANCL Mild Cleansing Oil. I have never tried this before and I'm so glad that my son and his fiancee bought this for me as a Christmas gift. I really like it a lot.

Mai knows how much I love Hello Kitty.

A really cute HK calculator and a cute and blingy watch. I love it!

I have a really dear friend in Japan. Although born Japanese, I think that she was born in the wrong place. She loves Hawaii and whenever she's back in Japan, she tells me how homesick she is for Hawaii. She is like a sister to me and she even calls me "Oneesan" (Older Sister). I had a hard time taking a picture of this since it is so long. I wanted you to get the full effect of it but unfortunately I can't. This is a yukata--a summer kimono in a pretty floral design. She told me that it is a limited edition print. She also included a white obi, which is a sash, to be worn with the yukata. Hopefully we'll be able to go bon dancing in the summer when she's here.

Here's why it's limited edition--Hello Kitty is part of the print! It's so cute! It also has sakura (cherry blossoms) in it, which I also love.

She also gave me a couple of Japanese idol trinkets. My favorite singing group happens to be from Japan, an all-boy group called Arashi. My favorite singer in the group is Ohno Satoshi so she picked up a couple of items with him on it.

The hubby calls me a cougar! I can't help it, he's so cute!

Can you see some kind of theme going on here? First of all, all of the things that I really liked are all non U.S. items, with the majority of it being asian. Then there's my love for Hello Kitty.

Coming up soon will be another Hello Kitty post...

*Kat*

Love Package, Barry M Products + EOTD

Last week I received a surprise love package from Nic Nic of bang bang she shoots. Nic Nic was so kind and generous to think of me when she was back home in the UK. She sent me  a very sweet note, two Barry M Dazzle Dusts and a Barry M lipgloss.

Barry M products isn't something that I can get in Hawaii, nor is it available in the U.S., I think.

The colors that she chose were two beautiful colors--a purple and a gold.

The lipgloss is a reddish-coral color.

I did two looks using these colors.

The first look products used:

UDDP in Greed
UD Virgin and Sin for highlights
Barry M Dazzle Dusts
K-Palette 24hr Eyeliner
Gokubuto Mascara

Here I have the Barry M lipgloss on. It's very pretty and isn't sticky at all. I actually forgot that I had lipgloss on and the color lasted quite a decent length of time.

I decided to use Benefit Bella Bamba for my cheeks.

For the second EOTD, I used the same products but added MAC Print to use on the outer "v" of upper eyelid to create a little more dramatic look.

Thank you Nic Nic for the very wonderful surprise. I was truly surprised. I love everything. The Barry M Dazzle Dusts are nicely pigmented and so easy to work with. The colors are gorgeous.

*Kat*

Blog Sale

I have decided to sell some of my makeup that I'm not using so that I can purchase more things. Hehe! Please view what's for sale here. Thank you!

*Kat*

P.S. Is there any of you out there in blog ville that uses Canon bubblejet type printers that uses #6 inks? Please contact me if you do as I have some photo ink cartridges and regular ink cartridges that I'd like to give away. Will send to the 1st person who contacts me about it.

Review: Benefit Bella Bamba Blush

At the end of 2010, I had decided that I really needed to save up some money for the upcoming events at the middle of 2011 so I was to use up my cosmetic stash instead of buying anything new unless it was something that I ran out of and needed. There were a couple of exceptions because prior to making that decision, I had said that I was going to buy a new brush a month to build up my brush collection. I also knew that Sephora's Hello Kitty line was going to be launched and I knew that I was going to have to buy some things.

So how have I been doing? Well, I had been good BUT the line to our kitchen sink and washer got clogged so I needed to call the repair service to get it unclogged. My oven is also not working right now and I need to call the repair service for that--thank goodness the stove works so at least I can cook. This is probably going to cost at least $150.00. *sigh*

So having to spend the "saved" money on service repairs, I decided to go ahead and purchase Benefit's new blush, Bella Bamba. I haven't tried Benefit blush before because I actually don't like the cardboard box that it comes in.

Bella Bamba does come in a cardboard box and includes a brush. According to Sephora's website, Bella Bamba is a "watermelon-pink blush laced with shimmering gold undertones". It will "amplify cheekbones and create the illusion of sculpted features for a gorgeous 3D effect. Your face will look instantly brighter with just a quick swipe of this ultra-flattering color on the cheeks".

My first thought when I brought it home was that it looked so much like NARS Orgasm. Orgasm is a peachy-pink with golden shimmer.

I had difficulty in swatching these and getting decent pictures. In their respective containers, the colors do look quite similar and when swatched on white paper, I think that it's similar too. 

Swatching it on my arm, there is a subtle difference. You can see that Bella Bamba is definitely more of a watermelon pink color.

I think that Benefit Bella Bamba is a softer cake powder than Orgasm so it applies much more pigmented than Orgasm. The end result of the shimmers highlighting your cheeks is really pretty and I think that it's quite similar to Orgasm in that respect. While Bella Bamba is not a dupe for Orgasm, I think that it comes in really close. It is $2.00 more than Orgasm but you get .28 oz of product with Bella Bamba while Orgasm has .16 oz of product. I honestly do not like either casing that the products come in.

Is Bella Bamba calling to you?

*Kat*

Thank You and Quick Mini Giveaway

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year again.

Over the past couple of months, we have a number of new followers and we want to say thank you to each of you who are publicly following. I'm sure that there are others that are reading regularly but not following and we appreciate you very much too.

Thank you also to everyone who has read my last post on creating double eyelids using false eyelash glue. I had a couple of people inquire as to how I do it, which is why I did the post but the number of people who have read it is quite significant. I didn't think it would be quite that popular.

I'm trying to do cleaning for the new year and have so much things set aside for giveaways that it's time to do another quick one.

What's in the giveaway?

A Lancome cosmetic bag which will be filled with mini Lancaster Self Tanning Essential Bronze Milk, Lancaster Tan Maximizer Cream. Both of these to get you ready for the summer. I'm sure that there's quite a few of you who are looking forward to warmer weather. Small jar of Lancome High Resolution Refill 3x, small jar of Estee Lauder Resillience Lift Extreme cream, Estee Lauder Long Lasting Lipstick in Hot Kiss and mini Sephora Atomic Volume mascara. Those items were GWP's that I received when I made various purchases. Also included will be two pairs of false eyelashes, The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter mini and 4 Tarina Tarantino Magic Hour Smudge Pens. Those items were purchased by me.

Just to expand a little bit on the Tarina Tarantino Smudge Pens, I haven't used it yet although I do have a set for me. The colors that will be included in this giveaway are Purple Velvet, Smoked Topaz, Aurum and Silk. These are not eyeliner pens but are actually powder eyeshadows.

Sorry, I don't remember which color this is.

It looked so interesting to me when I saw it that I had to buy it. I like the fact that they are powders and not cream eyeshadows. It is foam/sponge tipped.

Here are the rules:

1. You can enter only if you are one of the current 66 followers. (Yes, I have a list of all the current 66 followers.)

2. All that you need to do is comment here that you'd like to be entered and

3. Please suggest to me a good and rather inexpensive camera that is good to use to take blog pictures.

4. This giveaway will end on January 25, 2011, which is only a week. I will have Mai randomly choose a winner sometime after that.

Currently I am using a Canon Powershot SD 1100 IS Digital Elph. I love it because it's easy to use and small. I carry it with me in my purse all the time. The only disappointment that I have with it is that it doesn't photograph well in low light. I've adjusted the settings and it still doesn't work out well. I would LOVE to get a digital SLR but that is currently out of my budgeting. I've also used a Sony but had the same low light problems.

Thanks and good luck!

*Kat*

Creating Double Eyelids Using False Eyelash Glue -- Pic Heavy

As most monolid gals know there are a variety of products out there to help create a double eyelid. Way back in the day when there were no such things, at least that I knew of, scotch tape was used. (This was way back in the 70's.) Now there are eyelid tapes which is the same concept as the scotch tape. I couldn't use it since my eyelids wouldn't double plus it was very uncomfortable for me as the ends would poke my eyelids.

I don't know how I came to thinking about it but I decided to try false eyelash glue. It worked out great. I used it day and night for a couple of years and then only at night for another couple of years. After that, my eyelids would stay double for long periods of time without using the glue. Then for many years I didn't need to do anything except for perhaps a few times a year for only a week at a time. Fast forward to 2008 or 2009. I started having trouble with my eyelids starting to droop, which of course could be attributed to age but at the same time, my eyelids would undouble or become doubled with a very small, deep crease.

Now there are a variety of double eyelid glues to choose from and I became intrigued by them. I decided to try Koji Active Eyetalk since it seemed it was the strongest eyelid glue.

With all eyelid glues, you need to apply it to clean eyelids, free from dirt and oils. You decide where to place your desired crease and then you apply a significant amount of glue to the eyelid. You can view a tutorial here. You have to wait for it to dry and then create your crease, allowing the glue to stick. I found this procedure way too time consuming and unfortunately, it didn't hold well for me. My son's fiancee also uses double eyelid glue and I find that later at night, it is noticeable in that it seems to not be holding as well and I can see the glue.

Back to using false eyelash glue for me, my old faithful. Since I've mentioned that I use false eyelash glue, people have asked me how do I use it. My left eyelid has gone wonky on me so it is the perfect timing to do a quick tutorial

So here's my left eye with the super small crease.

It should look like the way my right eye does.

My supplies: DUO false eyelash adhesive and a metal nail file. I've only used DUO brand since that was the only brand that we had for the longest time. I like to use the metal nail file because I can get a fine line with it. Many years ago, I used to use a toothpick--it was definitely a little too sharp.

Using the metal file, I find the area where I want to create the crease.

Apply a small amount of eyelash glue to the tip of the nail file.

Sorry, I couldn't take good pictures of this portion. I tried and this was the best.

 Apply the glue to the desired creaseline. I usually start in the middle, run it towards the inner eye and then towards the outer eye.

Let the glue set for a while, keeping your eyes open. After it's set, it should keep your eyelids double. Using a small amount of glue will create a natural crease on your lid.

To show the difference, I applied a heavy amount of glue to the other eyelid. See how unnatural and scary it looks when looking down.

Some tips:

*As with other double eyelid products, make sure that your eyelid is free from oil-based products. The oils will prevent the glue from sticking properly. I don't use cream eyeshadows for this reason.

*For purposes of this tutorial, I did it sans makeup. However, gluing my eyelids is the last thing that I do--I apply all of my makeup first and then will use the glue.

*I will carry glue and a nail file with me in my makeup bag just in case it starts to unglue. Most of the time I haven't experienced any problems and often keep my makeup on for 10 hours or longer.

*I will also do a heavier application of glue at night before going to bed if I want to have a good crease in the morning. This helps a lot with applying double eyelid stretch fiber. If you haven't read my tutorial on the stretch fiber before, you can see it here.

I hope this was helpful to those who were curious as to how I use the false eyelash glue. If you have any questions, please comment here or email me privately.

Thanks for reading!

*Kat*