Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Korean Products Haul

After doing the blog post asking about recommendations of three different Korean brands, it got me motivated to go to 2 of the places.

The first shop that I went to was Tony Moly. I went there mainly because they were doing a promotional sale with our local KPop radio station. Everyone who went got a free C mask (for the outer corners of the eye) and a VIP card good for 10% off purchases until December 2014. It was the perfect opportunity for me to go and experience Tony Moly.


I found a lot of the products so cutely packaged, which I believe is typical of Korean beauty products. I have actually never tried any of these products. Tomatox is supposed to help detox and whiten your skin. The green apple item is a massage peeling gel, which I've used Japanese brands and love. Panda's Dream is eye masks to help dark circles, which is a small gift for someone. Cherry Blossom Hand Soap, which I've been using since I purchased it. It's lightly fragranced and quite pleasant. 7 Days Eyebrow Tatoo (yes, that's how it is spelt) is the one item that I had been interested in the most. Will do a review after I've used it a bit more. The other two items are the freebies that I got.

This afternoon I finally stopped by The Face Shop, which is located very close to me. I had gone to the other location about a year ago but just did a quick look. This time I had looked up their Facebook page and picked out items that I was interested in looking at.


Everything that I purchased is for gifts. Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam in Spearmint is for Mai's son. She's been trying to get him into the habit of taking care of his skin, even if he is a boy and 11 years old. She feels that getting him in the habit now will be easier than later in his teen years. Mini Pet hand lotion, which I think is a cat but might be a dog, is for a co-worker. Nail Gradation Art Nails is for my sister. I have seen a couple of other bloggers who did their nails using these sets and it is gorgeous! Mild Bubble Hair Dye in Pink Brown. I haven't decided who I will give this to so perhaps I might keep it for myself. The two lemon containers are hand creams. I was given this hand cream when my friends last came back from Korea. I just opened mine up a couple of weeks ago and I'm really loving it! It's so emollient and perfect for using at night just before going to bed, especially since it's starting to get ever so slightly cooler. These will be given away to co-workers as well. The other items were gifts/freebies, which I will keep and a store customer point card.

The last store which I need to get to is Nature Republic. This is the store that I'm most excited about going to. As I had mentioned in the other blog post, this store is the farthest away and most inconvenient BUT will be opening a 2nd store in Ala Moana Shopping Center. The grand opening date is Sunday, December 15! There are a couple of blogger friends coming to the islands for vacation so the timing will be perfect as we have planned meet up day to be a shopping day. Nature Republic will be one of the store we will go to, definitely!

If you have any experience with any of the products that I have purchased, please leave me feedback on your thoughts.

*Kat*

Monday, December 2, 2013

Using My Stash November 2013

Wow! I can't believe it's December already! Where has 2013 gone?

Here's the products that I used up in November:

Aquamoist Facial Cleanser and Daiso Sponge and Puff Cleanser


I really liked the Aquamoist Facial Cleanser. I was just given another one and it's in my back stock. You all have heard me rave about the Daiso Sponge and Puff Cleanser, which I used to deep clean/wash my brushes. I have a few more bottles in back stock.


Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner, Noevir Raysela Face Protector UV, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.


The toner was okay. I like the fact that it's alcohol free. I also like that it was a lot of product for a reasonable price. I'm not too particular about toners as long as they are not drying. The one thing that I didn't like was the dispensing cap. Although it's a flip top with a small hole, it still poured out very easily. As a result, my cotton pad would always get way too soaked. Noevir's Raysela Face Protector UV is my HG sunscreen product and something that I can get easily here. The other sunscreen item that I really like is Hada Labo UV Whitening Emulsion but I can't get this easily. In fact, I've been having difficulty finding it online. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion was a deluxe sample item that I had received. I didn't care much for it using it as a facial moisturizer so I used it on my neck.


Tony Moly and Face Q masks


I didn't do a good job of masking this month as I had hoped. It was my goal to try to mask every weekend. The Tony Moly mask was okay and I do like the Face Q masks.


Bare Escentuals Eyeliner brush and Maybelline Whisper lipstick


I found this brush as I was cleaning up. It has so little hair on it so I must have loved it well. I have not used it in so long that I'm not even sure what kind of brush it was but I'm guessing that it was an eyeliner brush.


As you can see, there are barely any hairs on it and what little hair is on there is all wonky.

Maybelline Whisper lipstick in 70 Rose of Attraction was my favorite lipstick. I love the color and the formulation. I will have to buy another one but I do have so many other lipsticks that I should use first.

Even though I've been using my stash over the past couple of years, I still have so much in my stash. I've been receiving products as gifts but recently I have done some hauling. I will continue to do these Using My Stash posts in 2014.

*Kat*

Friday, November 22, 2013

Question: Nature Republic, The Face Shop or Tony Moly

I have a question for all of you Korean brand enthusiasts. I have not been much into Korean brands other than for the fact that they were the ones who introduced the world to BB creams. I did my share of exploring those BB creams and my friends who travel to Korea quite often brought me back various skin care and makeup items. I just wasn't really wowed by anything in particular.

The popularity of Korean products has really taken off and over the last couple of years, several well-known shops have opened up here in Hawaii. I have to admit that I've only been into one, once. My question to you is, which do you prefer and why?

Nature Republic


The Face Shop


Tony Moly


If I were totally into Korean brands, then I would probably pick The Face Shop but only because where one of the shops is located is the most convenient for me. Next wold be Tony Moly and the least convenient is Nature Republic because they are in a hotel in Waikiki. Waikiki is so crowded and busy that I avoid going there as I feel it's a traffic hazard driving in Waikiki.

I've used a skin care line from Nature Republic and have a CC cream from them and all were okay. I've used makeup remover wipes and some face masks from The Face Shop and again, they were okay. Tony Moly has peach hand cream but I mainly like it for the packaging. All of these were gifts to me. I would love to find a product that I would really like from any one of these brands. That's why I'm reaching out to you for suggestions.

*Kat*

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Gift Review: Perfecter Heated Round Brush

When I was in Las Vegas, I saw an infomercial about the Perfecter and quickly wrote down the information so that I could research it when I got back home. After I got back home, I did do some research and the reviews were mixed so I decided to not purchase it and instead look around for something comparable to purchase in store. I didn't really find anything that I liked so decided to just give up.

Fast forward a couple of weeks later to my birthday. I got together with Mai and when I opened up my birthday gift from her, my jaw seriously dropped! She gave me the Perfecter. It was such a coincidence because I hadn't even told her that I had looked into it. When I told her that I had seen the infomercial while in Vegas and that I even had written down the info, she was quite surprised too. Apparently she went through some lengths to get this for me because when she called to order it, she found out that they won't ship it to Hawaii, for whatever reason. She had to get it sent to her cousin, who then mailed it to her.

It comes as a set with the Perfecter Heated Round Brush, instruction booklet, 3 clips, a paddle brush and carry case.


The carrying case is insulated so that you can store the Perfecter even while it's still hot and transport it easily.


The Perfecter has two heat settings and you can straighten, curl and add volume. It has ion ceramic technology which aids in adding smoothness, shine and body to your hair. Unlike curling irons and flat irons, it is cool to the touch so you can touch the bristles or have it hit you against your skin and it won't burn.

Most of the negative reviews that I read were from people who had thicker, coarser hair. The positive reviews were from people who had thin, fine hair, which is what I have. After playing with it for a few weeks, here are my thoughts:

I can understand why the people with thick, coarse hair gave it negative reviews. While I have fine, thin hair, it is quite frizzy and even on the high heat setting, it didn't straighten my hair out well. I find that it work really well if my hair isn't frizzy. It's great for touch ups but only if you are not in a big rush. It does take some time to do--the informercial said approximately 3 minutes, which is close but to do a quick touch up with my flat iron will take about a minute.

This is my hair when I woke up in the morning:


As you can see, the ends are a bit scruffy.

This is after I used Perfecter:


I like that I can get a nice, slight curl at the ends which is a little more difficult to achieve with a flat iron. Hair is also smoother.

Overall, it's a nice gadget to have and will work out nicely especially if you have the time to work with it. I think it would work a lot better if you were able to adjust the heat even higher but it will also result in more damage to your hair.

*Kat*

Monday, November 18, 2013

How Much Beauty Product To Use Answers

Thank you to everyone who responded to the quiz and sending in answers whether via comment or email. I had a total of 5 people who responded and I hope that it was fun for you. Here are the answers to the quiz. Please remember that I compiled these answers after doing some searching around. I compiled these and came up with a general average amount. These are subjective, especially with hair care products since it can depend on the length of your hair.

1. Spot Treatment
 

Answer: b. Tic Tac
For me, I find this to be the general amount that I tend to use.

2. Facial Cleanser


Answer: d. Size of a plain M & M
I find this to be just about right to a little too much for my use, although it does depend on the facial cleanser that I am using. I find that some don't foam up as well as I like so I tend to use more.

3. Eye Cream


Answer: g. Rice grain
Pictured is a cooked medium rice grain. I looked at the uncooked one and thought that it was a bit too small. This is how much eye cream that I use.

4. Serum


Answer: a Pea
Again, the serum will determine the size of this. For most serums, this is about the right amount. I am currently using Clarins Double Serum and use quite a bit less than this, although it is difficult to get a size since it is quite runny.

5. Moisturizer


Answer: i. 2 raisins or 1 almond.
Sorry, the moisturizer did not squeeze out nicely so the picture is a bit messy. I also did not have a regular almond so I had to use a honey roasted almond. I actually find this amount of moisturizer to be a bit too much for my preference.

6. Sunscreen


Answer: e. Peanut M & M
Although this amount is to be used on face and neck, I find that it's too much for my preference.

7. Foundation


Answer: j. 6 small dots.
The amount on the left side of the picture is 6 small dots together. I thought that 6 small dots was a small amount but when I combined it together, it ended up being more than I tend to use. The more foundation that you apply, the less natural and more cakey it looks. Less is more and you can always apply  more in areas that you feel you need more coverage.

8. Shampoo

Answer: f. MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette Refill Pan
I know that the shampoo in the picture looks larger than the eyeshadow pan but it's because it started spreading out before I could snap the picture. I think that this amount is good for those with medium hair length.

9. Conditioner

Answer: h 2 grapes
This is a good amount for those with medium to long length hair.

10. Mousse

Answer: c. Golf Ball
Sorry, I don't have a golf ball at home (no golfers) and I don't think the hubs would have been too happy with me buying one just for blogging. I don't use hair mousse but I think that this is quite a bit of mousse. Perhaps this amount is best for those with longer length hair.

Remember, the more product that you use, doesn't mean that you are getting more benefits out of it. You are just using too much product and thus wasting your product and money.

The person who had to most correct answers is LauraLeia! Congratulations! Please email me your mailing address so that I can send you the prize.

Again, thank you to everyone for participating in this little quiz.

*Kat*

Friday, November 15, 2013

Sephora VIB Haul 2013

Someone asked me to do a haul post so here we go. I actually did 3 separate purchases during the VIB period. I first window shopped online a couple of days before the VIB sale started. I then went to my local Sephora store the day before the VIB sale started and scoped out what I saw online to see if I liked it in person. It's a good thing that I did that because I discovered that the MUFE Midnight Glow palette that I was interested in wasn't in store. Since I am in Hawaii, the next day hits us last in the States so just before midnight I was online putting things into my shopping cart. There was one item that I had seen in store but it wasn't available online so from that point I knew that I would need to go to Sephora later in the day to make another purchase. A few minutes after midnight, Hawaii time, I hit the pay button and my first purchase was made.

Later in the day, I went to Sephora and picked up the items that were not online but was in store. The next night I was out with a couple of friends who wanted to hit Sephora so of course I found more items that I wanted.

Here are all of my purchases together:


Since I had made 3 separate purchased, I was given 3 VIB bags. I did tell the SA that I already had a bag but I guess they had quite a bit so they gave me with each purchase and told me that I could use it as gift bags. The online purchase that I had made was actually mostly because someone wanted help getting some items so I gave that bag to that person with the products I purchased for her. I did not picture the items that I bought for her.

Items purchased:

Philosophy Shower Gel Sweets x 5. I bought these to give as gifts and these were the items that were not available online. I also bought Formula X for Sephora "The System", which is nail polishes and Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. These items are considered flammable so I purchased these items in store too.

Sephora Crystal Nail file x 2, Clarisonic Replacement Brush Head twin pack, Urban Decay Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Make Up For Ever Midnight Glow palette,Too Faced La Crème Color Drenched Lip Cream in Cinnamon Kiss and Amika Mighty Mini Ceramic Styler. I was also given sample packets from Amore Pacific, Boscia and Ole Henriksen.

Please share with me what you hauled at Sephora VIB. Or, if you were good and didn't haul, what would you have liked to hauled.

*Kat*

P.S. Don't forget that today is the last day to do the quiz. I will work over the weekend to figure out the winner and hopefully post the answers and winner on Monday.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Purchase Review + EOTD--Make Up For Ever Midnight Glow Palette

Today I wanted to do a review of the Make Up For Ever Midnight Glow Palette. I was thinking of doing a different post (my Sephora haul--is anyone interested in it) but decided to post this one instead because I don't find too many reviews out there on this palette.


I saw this palette online and really wanted to see it in person but unfortunately, my local Sephora isn't carrying it. It looked really pretty online so I just had to get it, especially with the VIB sale that happened recently. It arrived yesterday and it is gorgeous in person!


The colors from left to right: Snow White, Gun Metal, Icy Blue, Icy Pink, 04 Black, Gold Pink, Midnight Purple and 127 Metallic Taupe. Unfortunately, the gorgeousness in the palette, doesn't translate the same when swatched. All of the shadows are quite hard and not highly pigmented. In fact, the first 4 colors are extremely light and need to be heavily applied to get good color. The last 4 colors are the darker colors in the palette and while they do show up with more color than the first 4, it does take applying several layers. The one color that I really like is 04 Black. Usually black eyeshadows apply extremely dark and harsh but because this shadow is hard and not highly pigmented, I liked the way this one applied. It gives me just the right intensity of color without appearing harsh. Overall for me, this palette is a disappointment. If I had been able to swatch it in store, I would not have purchased it. Perhaps it's just because I've been using more pigmented, buttery shadows that I am not too pleased with this. I feel that for the price, one should get a better quality product than this. It really feels like a drugstore brand eyeshadow.

Here's the EOTD look that I did with this palette:

I applied Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion first. Gun Metal was applied over entire lid from lash line to crease. Midnight Purple was applied to the outer 1/3 of eyelid and using my finger tip, I put one dab of Snow White to the center of eyelid and lightly blended everything. K-Palette eyeliner was applied and using Midnight Purple, I lined the lower lash line from outer corner and fading in towards mid eye. 04 Black was applied to outer "V" and I used Midnight Purple to soften Black and blend in the colors.



I think that the colors work well together and it created a nice EOTD but it did take a more heavy application of shadows than I normally do.

Don't forget that the quiz answers are due in two days. I have several people who answered on the blog and a couple who have privately emailed me. Join in the fun!

*Kat*

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Purchase Review + EOTD SUQQU EX-07 Tsukiakari

A few months ago I had purchased some items from a blog sale and one of the items that I got was SUQQU EX-07 Tsukiakari eyeshadow palette.


I had heard many good things about SUQQU so I am excited that this is my first and only SUQQU palette. It appealed to me because it isn't strictly a brown eyeshadow palette but also has a peachy-pink and off white powder shadows and a navy cream shadow/liner. I don't tend to look well with warm tones and especially brown shadows but I have been really liking this palette a lot. The powder shadows are soft and buttery and nicely pigmented.

For my EOTD, these are the products that I used:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
SUQQU EX-07 Tsukiarari
MAC Deep Secret from Mystic Cool Eyeshadow Palette
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner


I applied the peachy-pink color over the entire lid from lash line to just above crease line. The brown shadow was applied from the outer end of the eyelid and blended in toward mid eye, concentrating the color mostly on the outer 1/4 of the eyelid. Using K-Palette, I lined the upper lash line of the eyelid and the outer corner of the lower lash line. The navy cream shadow was applied to the outer "v" and to the outer 1/3 of upper lash line. I don't normally like to use cream shadows since it doesn't work well with the Mezaik Double Eyelid Stretch Fiber but since I'm applying it to just the outer "v" and lash line, it has worked okay. Deep Secret is applied to the line the lower lash line going over the K-Palette and fading it in toward mid eye. Deep Secret is also applied over the Navy cream shadow to the outer "v". Using a fluff brush, I blend the edges of the "v" to soften the color a bit. I then lightly applied more of the brown shadow to blend the colors in even more.



With the blue, it brings in a cool tone color which helps to offset the warm tones and thus I think this is what helps make this eyeshadow palette work on me. You can create an evening look by not blending out the outer "v" so much and keeping it darker. For the last month or so, I have been reaching for this palette and Urban Decay Anarchy Face Palette almost every day.

*Kat*

Monday, November 4, 2013

Using My Stash--September and October

I thought that I had used up a lot of products over the past couple of months but it was less than I thought. I also ended up doing a bit of purchasing of items that I don't need but it's been a while since I've splurged and I think that I've done a good job of using items in my stash so far this year.

On to my used items...


Skin care:



Clarins Double Serum. This is my current favorite and I've been using it for a few months now. Apple Peeling Gel. I really liked this but it's quite strong so I don't recommend using it often. I think once every two weeks to once a month is good. I don't know who I received this from and I only had two packs. I'll need to ask my friend to pick some up for me when she goes back to Korea as I can't find it here. Ole Hendricksen Sheer Transformation sample pack. This was okay but it's difficult to give any kind of opinion because it was just a sample pack that I was able to use only a couple of times.

Face masks:

I have a lot of face masks and wasn't using them. I decided to start using them on the weekends. I have to admit that I wasn't consistent because I went on the trip so I have to try to get back into the weekend habit again.

Foundation and Concealer:


I use Clarins foundation and wanted to try a darker color since I tanned a bit during the summer. I ended up liking the darker shade that I was given and bought the full size. Hourglass Veil Foundation samples were so miniscule that I was able to get only a day's usage. Again, difficult to give any kind of firm opinion but I didn't care for it too much. It didn't seem to work well on me. Sue Devitt Bermuda Triangle Concealer, my HG concealer. I am so sad that Sue Devitt line is no longer being produced so I'll eventually have to find a new concealer that will work as well as this.

Brush Cleanser:


I used up another bottle of Sephora's Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. I use this to quick clean my brushes every night.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I travel with small sample and travel size products. I will also travel with "older" items that I am ready to throw away, use it on my trip and throw it away on the day that I return home. Not much but it's a little less bulk.


Neutrogena makeup remover wipes, DHC eye cream, Cle de Peau eye cream, DHC primer, Face masks, DHC CoQ10 Facial Film Soap, shampoo and conditioner, Japanese wash cloth and travel shower cap.

*Kat*

Friday, November 1, 2013

How Much Beauty Product to Use Quiz Contest

When I was in Las Vegas, I was watching a television program and they had this little quiz. I don't even remember what show it was on so I can't give a reference to it. I was happy that I got all the answers correct. After I got home, I did some research and while there are some variations on recommended usage amount, most are pretty similar. I've compiled these together and came up with a general list.

How much beauty product do you use each day? Most of us probably use too much, thus throwing away our money. If you are using higher end products, then the amount can add up significantly. Some of us might be using too little, thus robbing our skin of important nutrients. This, in turn, also wastes our money on the products that we have purchased because they are not being used to their full potential.

I wanted to do something fun on the blog so I decided to put the quiz contest here. I will have a prize of Canmake's Fall 2013 line--the Glow Fleur Cheeks in 01 Peach Fleur.


I think that this is a nice neutral color that will match any skin tone.

Rules:

Match the product to the size. I tried to use universally know items for the product size. Write your answers in the comment box and make sure to include your email address. One entry per person.

Beauty Product Usage Guide
 
Product:

1.  Spot Treatment
2 . Facial Cleanser
3.  Eye Cream
4.  Serum
5.  Moisturizer
6.  Sunscreen
7.  Foundation
8.  Shampoo
9.  Conditioner
10. Mousse

Answers:

a. Pea
b. Tic Tac
c. Golf Ball
d. Plain M&M
e. Peanut M&M
f.  MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette Refill Pan
g. Rice Grain
h. 2 Grapes
I. 2 Raisins or an Almond
j. 6 Small Dots

To start off, I will give you the answer to the first item as an example:

1. b

This contest will run until November 15. If only one person has all correct or the most correct, that person will be the winner. If there are any ties, then a name will be drawn from all those who are tied.

EDIT: If you prefer to email your answers, please do so at galpal.hi@gmail.com

Good luck and have fun!

*Kat*

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case Review and EOTD

I know that I had done a quick review of this latest acquisition but I've had time to really work and play with it so I can now do a better review.

The Anarchy Face Case contains 5 eyeshadows, two blush, a highlighter, 24/7 eye pencil and a Super Saturated High Gloss lip color.



I don't use eye liner pencils so I can't really review it. The blush are nice colors which are wearable for me and while I don't normally use highlighters, I do on rare occasions. I love the Super Saturated High Gloss lip color and I have it in Lovechild. The one included with this set is Scandal, which is quite a bit darker than I normally wear.

Going from let to right on the eyeshadows, Redemption, a deep gunmetal satin; Fray, warm mauve matte; Vaporize, a deep metallic gray-taupe shimmer; Provocateur, a light metallic mauve shimmer and Revolt, a bright metallic silver shimmer. The last two colors also have micro glitters in them.

I have been reaching for this palette on a regular basis and it has quickly become a favorite. I use all of the colors except for Fray. All of the colors are buttery soft and nicely pigmented. The only "problem" shadow is Provocateur. This shadow crumbles easily so it's best to tap the color onto your makeup brush and not swipe it on.

This is the first look that I did with Anarchy:

Products used:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Redemption, Vaporize and Revolt eyeshadows
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner Pen
Fetish blush, which is the mauve-pink blush
Scandal High Gloss lip color

Eyes done with Revolt on entire eyelid from lash line to just above the crease line. Vaporize is on outer eyelid blending it in toward mid eye. Redemption is blended in on the outer "v" and lining the lower lash line, fading in toward mid eye. Lined the upper lash line and outer edge of lower lash line with K-Palette.



Cheeks are lightly brushed with Fetish.


Lips are lightly colored with Scandal.


EOTD 2

Products used:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Redemption, Vaporize and Revolt eyeshadows
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner

Using the same application method above, I used Revolt instead of Provacateur. This 3 shadows are my go to colors. It doesn't look much different in the pictures but this look comes out a little stronger in color than the first one.



I am really liking the eyeshadow colors. I am hoping they get released as singles. I also heard from my Sephora SA that Anarchy was going to be permanent, although the website still says it's limited edition. If it's going to be limited, I am going to have to pick another one up. I am liking it that much.

*Kat*

Monday, October 28, 2013

NOTD--Another Gel Nail Manicure

Just before I left for my trip, I had to redo my manicure. I have always either traveled without any manicure or with a very toned down manicure in case of any chipping or tip wear. I had read on another blogger's blog that she had done a very simple gel nail manicure using mainly clear polish with gold glitter at the tips. I decided that it was perfect to do for this trip.


By the time I managed to take this picture, this manicure was already almost a week and a half old. Sorry, the color also is a bit off, don't know what happened.

I love doing gel nail manicures. It is easy to do at home and no wait time for the nails to dry other than when you put it under the lamp. It is very long wearing on me despite the fact that I am very hard on my hands and nails. My nails are also very soft and they bend and rip easily. Although you have to buff your nails, which weakens it, after applying the gel polish, my nails are much stronger.

The downside to gel nail manicures is removing it. Being the lazy person that I am, I decided to try to just buff/file down that current manicure, paying close attention to the cuticle areas that had lifted a bit. I then went ahead and started the whole application process and did a new manicure. I was curious to see if it would work and it did!


The end result is great and my nails are even stronger right now because of all the layers of polish. I actually have never had my natural nails this long before, I was going to cut it down but I am interested in seeing how long they will get before I have to redo the manicure again. Hopefully I can hold out because I am finding it very difficult to type with the longer nails. I keep making typos.

When it is time to remove this manicure, I will take a break from doing gel nail manicures to let my nails rest and recover.

*Kat*

Friday, October 25, 2013

Early Morning Routine Shortcuts--Not For Every Day

When I travel to Las Vegas, it's usually with a package deal that includes airfare, meals and transportation to and from the airport. It's a great way to travel. The downside is that the flight leaving Las Vegas is usually an early morning flight. Baggage pull is at 4:30 a.m. so you need to be up and have your bags packed. Meet up is usually at 5:30 a.m. to get ready to take the bus to the airport.

I am not one of those travelers who can go sans makeup and my normal morning routine is actually quite time consuming. I think that prepping my face takes way longer than the actual makeup application. Getting up at 3:30 a.m. and being ready before 4:30 is a challenge. Only with this last trip did I think up some early morning, time-saving steps to help.

My normal morning routine does not include washing my face with a cleanser. I feel like I'm washing off all of the skin care that I applied the night before to a clean face and all I did was sleep so I usually just rinse my face off and use a cleanser on my eyelids and eye brows. These are the two areas that I need to have absolutely clean and free of any oils. I have made it no secret that I use mezaik stretch fiber to help make and keep my eyelids double. To save time, I applied this the night before. It is waterproof so I can rinse my eyelids in the morning and not use any soap. It is an absolute must for me to draw in my eyebrows. I found a product that is pretty much budge proof. I also applied this the night before and just needed to do some touch ups. I did my regular night time skin care routine and instead of rinsing my face in the morning, I just applied the remainder of the normal morning skin care routine. It is not something that I would do on a regular basis but for those times when you're really pressed for time, it works. It probably shaved off a good 15 to 20 minutes of my normal morning routine.

Any other ideas that you have implemented?

*Kat*

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Travel Makeup Hints for Me to Remember

This is part 2 of Travel Makeup that I posted in the previous post.

Normally I like to travel with sample packets of skin care products because it is less bulky. One thing that I don't like about doing so is having to work out of the packets because depending on the item, one packet can last me through a whole 5 day trip. I have cut them open and placed them into a little Ziploc type bag but it can still be awkward to work with. I decided that this time I would take along a few empty containers. I find that contact lens cases work well. They are inexpensive and you can just dump them before coming home.


I usually look around for the contact lens cases that are pliable so that you can cut them in half. I used one for eye cream, one for primer and a container for serum. The container that I used for the serum was actually a travel container that I found at KMart. It came in a set of two. I really like it but haven't been able to find more. I decided to keep that and can wash it to reuse.

I tried using the hotel shampoo and conditioner the last time I traveled and really missed my regular hair care products. This time I used a couple of small plastic containers, recycled from some other product that either I or someone in my family had used. I had planned on just dumping it before I came home. Unfortunately I had so much product left in the containers and my mom thought it was wasteful but I dumped it anyway.

After coming home and thinking about it some, I decided that I should try packing it into little Ziploc type bags. It would be best to use a clear packing tape to seal the zipper end of the bag to prevent it from unzipping with the airplane pressure. You can cut open a corner of the bag to squeeze it out. I tested one out by putting in some shampoo that I thought was about the amount of shampoo I would use for a night (normally wash my hair two times and condition once).


It worked out great and the amount of shampoo that I had put in was actually enough to shampoo 3 times. I must remember to put in a little less shampoo. Empty bag:


One thing that I would like to highlight is the facial soap that I used this time. It is by DHC and is a film type of soap. It's really paper thin and took up so little space.


It seemed like it was a really popular item but unfortunately, DHC discontinued it. I happened to catch it when it was on clearance sale. I hope that they come out with something similar to replace it as it's really handy.

A couple of weeks before I left on this trip, I received some items that I ordered from a blog sale and my Sephora order of the Urban Decay Anarchy Face Palette came in. In the blog sale package, was a SUQQU eyeshadow palette. I've been totally obsessed with both the SUQQU and Anarchy palettes that I decided to take it with me to Las Vegas. I normally travel with just the magnetic freestyle palette that I've filled up with eyeshadows, blush and contour colors. It ended up being a bit more bulky than I'm used to bring the SUQQU and Anarchy palettes as well as another container which had the other additional eyeshadow, blush and contour colors. You can see the difference in this picture:


This is how I had to pack he container with the additional items that I needed:


Normally the Canmake Shading Powder is depotted so that it'll fit into the freestyle magnetic palette. As much as I loved having the two palettes, I like having less bulk so I'll have to remember to just bring the freestyle palette. I will be doing reviews with EOTD posts on the two palettes in the future.

I will have to retired the Sephora makeup bag that I love so much. I have been using it for several years in my hand carry bag. Unfortunately, the zipper doesn't work any more. Which ever way I zip it, it stays open. I'll need to replace it before my next travels.

I thought that I would get everything into 2 posts but I will need to do one more for my "early morning rush" tips.

If you have any packing tips and ideas, please be sure to share them with me. I tend to travel with a load so any ideas to help lighten it will be appreciated. There will also be one last post, which will be with the "Using My Stash" post which will appear at the beginning of next month.

*Kat*