Hauls and a birthday

Celebrating the fact that finals is now over and Christmas is almost here, I did a little shopping: for myself.

Ordered myself some footwear from Aldo online.

Melkonian boots.

Guger pumps.

Also did some shopping at Daiso. I was so excited when I saw these aluminum fragrance atomizers that I had to stock up. I might even go back for more because it seems like they consistently stock different kinds. I've only seen plastic and glass ones before.


My biggest spurge is the Tanda skincare system. I've been lemming for this for the last year.


Creams applied to our skin must be able to penetrate deep down to the dermis in order for it to be effective, that's why serums are highly recommended because it assists the moisturizer. Light therapy is known to be effective in treating anti-aging and acne because of its ability to penetrate into the layers of skin. I can get all biological and go on about GAG and polymers but if you are interested in light therapy just google it, it can get quite extensive.


So when SDM had their extra redemption event, I took advantage of it.
I purchase the acne set (blue light) and got the anti-aging head (red light) on the side. Still quite a damage though because the set retails for $250 and the additional head is for $100.

As of right now, I'm really liking the results I'm getting from this system. I will probably do a review in the future but don't want to jinx myself just yet.

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For anyone that's been reading my blog for some time now, you will likely know that my other obsession is my baby girl Caramellie. It feels like it was just yesterday that she came to us. *sniff sniff*

Last week she finally turned 1 year old and I can officially say, I can no longer carry her in my arms. Although she's an adult now she still has the silly willy caramellie side to her.

Although most of my family is out of town we still wanted to have a birthday for her.

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Mel got a brand new extremely expensive bed ($200 ouch). Bye bye bed from Costco.


She loves her comfy bed so much that she fell asleep.
Nap before the torturing agony her mommy is about to put her through.


Setting up the table.
I smell something...peanut butter??


Cake!


Smile for the camera sweetie.


Huh?!?


What's a birthday without the hat.
She did not like it at all and was constantly trying to take it off.
I HAD to have a picture though.


After sitting patiently oogling at the cake and pretending to sniff it, we finally let her have it.


The others get some too.

Video of Caramel opening her presents.
Please ignore me (seriously), I sound retarded and talk way too much. Its because the doggy classes has taught me to put words to all actions.

In case anyone is wondering what language I'm speaking...we taught Caramel her commands in both english and vietnamese.

She LOVES these flossies so we got her a gigantic one.


Hmmm... which end shall I devour first.


Finally done.


Just for anyone that's wondering how Tiger is doing. Here he is.

Cake Pops & OPI Mattes

Has anyone ever heard of Bakerella? After any visit on Bakerella, my hands are always itching to bake. She makes baking look so fun and creative.

So, we made cake pops last weekend. They tasted delicious! Pictures to prove I can bake. (haha)

You don't know Jacques, La Paz-itively Hot, Russian Navy, Lincoln Park after Dark

Last month I finally got my hands on some OPI matte polishes. Originally, I was actually quite excited that mattes polishes were now available. But after purchasing them, I feel disappointed with the color choices. The only colors I vaguely like is "La Paz-itively Hot" and "You don't know Jacques". Another thing is the polishes didn't last very long because you must avoid a top coat, in order to keep it matte.

Although, I still like the finish of matte colors. Anyways, hopefully I can get some China Glaze Matt Magic Finisher, that way I can turn other colors matt.

La Paz-itively Hot, Russian Navy, Lincoln Park after Dark, You don't know Jacques

You don't know Jacques, Russian Navy, Lincoln Park after Dark, La Paz-itively Hot



My first time doing acrylic on myself. I made them short hoping that when they grow out, I can still retouch them up. They are rather squared though.. X)

Murale !!!

Special post for my lovely Vancouverites readers.


Murale (Shoppers Drug Mart's sister store) is finally open in Vancouver. In other words, a prestige cosmetics and beauty store similar to the popular one south of us, aka Sephora

Considering Murale's ties to SDM, you can't not leave out the Optimum points. Yes people, you can collect points there too. I know tons of beauty junkies (and people alone) that get wrapped up in collecting points at SDM beauty boutiques alone. The points add up like lightening when you take advantage of the special events.

Now with this Murale store, I must learn to control my wallet. Weeeeeee.... I'm on cloud nine.

Brands that SDM does not regularly carry; I may now find at Murale.

edit: Brands I noticed on my visit: Fragrances, Bobbi Brown, YSL, NARS, Benefit, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Shiseido, Chanel, Biotherm, along with a vast number of dermatology brands.

Example: My all time lovely adored perfume Hana Mori Butterfly (which is almost empty) and was only available at Holt Renfrew; I detest popping my behind in that store due to the lack of customer service and commission hungry sales assistants. bye bye HR.

I'm going to check out the store today to see what they have to offer and hopefully my discount works there too.


More info on the store below.....

Pictures and text credited to Murale website

What is Murale?

Murale is a beauty shopping experience unlike any other in the world. The spacious, modern store design painted a crisp white and accented with pops of lavender features wide aisles and elongated walls with recessed displays to allow easy access to makeup, fragrance or skincare products. The store incorporates a state-of-the-art dermatological skincare center, cabines for facials and esthetic services, a carefully-edited fragrance library stocking designer and niche scents, a Benefit brow bar, colour cosmetic installations offering luxury and affordable brands, and a pharmacy to dispense an array of the most common prescriptions. In addition, a pharmacist who is knowledgeable about leading over-the-counter skincare brands such as Vichy and RoC, is on hand to answer customer skincare or ingredient questions.

The store’s eclectic mix of brands is the result of Murale’s buying team, professionals with extensive industry experience. They scour the globe in search of the most interesting and effective brands. That’s why you’ll find Bobbi Brown alongside GOSH Cosmetics from Denmark. Cargo Cosmetics sits near Happy Cosmetics from France. The team works tirelessly to bring in up-and-coming brands exclusive to this country, many from Europe and South Africa. Spanish skincare label Nature Bisse, buzz-worthy fragrance house Etat Libre d’Orange, and Gatte Fosse from Paris are good examples.

Product aside, Murale prides itself on unrivaled customer service and expertise. Each makeup artist, skincare expert, esthetician and fragrance advisor, called a Beauty Master, must bring years of experience and undertake extensive training before joining the team. Whether a customer has five minutes to find a new lip gloss or an afternoon to leisurely explore the store, the goal is to satisfy him or her every visit.

Review: Annabelle Studio Pigment

This August 17th, Annabelle Cosmetics will be releasing some new pigments as part of their studio pro line. If you are a die-hard fan of their pigment dust then you will definitely love these. Avaliable in six vibrant shades comes Annabelle's new pigmented Studio Pigments.

See end of this post on a chance to win these pigments for yourself.

Catherine from Annabelle gave lucky me a chance to try out these pigments before they hit store shelves. Thank you once again.

From top to bottom: Karma, Magentini, Cobalt, Dragonette, Greed and Lol

The Claim:

Join the Colour Cult and create a bright, unique makeup look with Annabelle Studio Pigments.

Recommended by the Makeup Artists in the Annabelle Studio, these professional performance loose pigments are highly concentrated with a superior colour pay-off. Their incredibly fine texture enables colours to blend quickly.


Product: Annabelle Studio Pigments
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $8.50 CAD each
Size: about 0.02 oz - 0.04 oz
Would you buy this again? Yes


Pro:

- Extremely pigmented
- Velvety
- Great packaging
- Fairly priced

Con:

- Need proper makeup removal to wash off
- Eyeshadow primer needed for long wear
- Only available in these six shades

Swatches of each pigment with my homemade mixing medium.

Aren't the colors just so fun.

Left to Right: Magentini, Cobalt, Karma, Dragonette, Greed, Lol

Left: Applied with mixing medium Right: Applied with no base
(both applied with a brush)

As with any pigment, I recommend applying these with a mixing medium then dusting on some loose pigments to help blend everything out. These have great staying power but if you are like me and have greasy lids; you will need a primer.

The texture feels velvety and smooth which makes blending so much easier.


I find the packaging a great upgrade from their current ones for their pigment dust. It looks very sleek and professional (doesn't feel like all plastic). It has a black lid that latches shut with a slight click which is great to prevent spillage. I found the old one difficult to open because so much force was needed to actually open it, and therefore my fear of spillage.


Pigments are great and so versatile, I plan to mix some of the blue pigments to make my own nail polish. Will let you guys know how that works out.

Annabelle was also lovely enough and sent me two brushes to play with. I've never owned any Annabelle brushes. They are made out of 100% natural hairs and synthetic fibers.

The angled liner brush A-14 is great for applying my gel liners and for lining the eyes in general. It would probably make a great eyebrow shader brush too.

The small eyeshadow shader brush A-26 (similar to MAC 228) was actually quite good. It feels great on my lids and not scratchy at all.






After a long day at work, I spent the time playing with the colors and came up with some looks.

Why does it always look like I never use a highlighter in my pictures? It looks so unblended. Anyways, I love love Karma, its such a gorgeous purple.



As some of you may know Annabelle is a Canadian cosmetics company that is at the moment, only available in Canada and is exclusive to SDM.

Interested U.S. residents can order by phone, see the About Us section on the Annabelle website for details.



--- Contest has ended ---

Some love for Canadian readers... Wanna test these out?

Leave a comment on this post and I will be doing a draw in a week and you can win all 6 of these pigments including the two brushes.

Thank you to all the ladies that entered. I did a random number draw and got #3. Congrats to Rasilla for winning these pigments.

Review: Lancome Ageless Makeup

I hope this super long post makes up for my blogging procrastination.

Michael Jackson's death came as a total shocker to me and its seems like the topic is everywhere. He is a music legend, may he rest in peace.

On a lighter note, has anyone seen ''The Proposal'' with Sandra Bullock? No? Well then, you must. It was hilarious!!! Its been some time since I enjoyed a comedy like that. It wasn't even weird funny, it was just funny. Does that even make sense? lol. I caught it the first day out in theaters and the whole theater was laughing. It reminded me of asian dramas with the whole relationship contract skit.

Aww... I love Sandra Bullock.


What else.....

I finally got myself a new sleeping mask. My old, now retired mask was white and it did not block out light. My brain must have had a brick on it when I purchased it, I don't know what I was thinking. Anyways, this mask is all black inside and out. It normally takes me forever to fall asleep (insomnia - same reason I'm still up at 3 am writing this post) but I've been sleeping very well with it on, that or I'm just imagining it.

After years of waiting, worried the the 1st gen would have glitches, I finally caved and got the new iphone 3gs. Boy, do I love it. It does everything. Well, everything that I need in a phone that is. I love the apps.

It feels so good to pack away my ipod, palm pilot and lg chocolate. I've gotten so fed up with the chocolate that sometimes I have a huge impulse to throw the thing at the wall. The touch pad was just a pain in the behind; I believe it was one the first few phones with touch screen. Yes I hate it, it has cause me many horrible times. Its aged and needs a nice funeral now. Muahaha.

Anyone read 'The Pillars of the Earth'? Its been sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust for ages. See, I tend to like waltzing into Chapters and picking up books, but never have the time to actually read them.

I've only made a small dent in the pages but I'm really finding myself enjoying it.


End of the nonsense, on to makeup related topics.


Lancome Ageless Minerale Makeup. Write it down. Now go get it.

I've raved about the MUFE HD foundation before but that was liquid foundation, this one is mineral and it is fabulous. I really don't need anymore foundation but after trying this I just had to get it. Plus its summer so I try to avoid the whole liquid foundation thing = too thick.

It is the best mineral makeup I have ever tried. I've gone through Bare Minerals, Sheer Cover, Physicians Formula....None of those really did much for me. Perhaps its the White Sapphire Complex in it.


Lancome Minerale Makeup is a new makeup that has just been released, the set I bought is part of an introductory kit so its slightly cheaper than getting each item separated. The kit comes with two shades of foundation that can be mixed or used separately, a finishing powder and a brush. It retails for $75 CAD.

Comes in a screw top with a sifter.

The brush is extremely soft. I'm not too sure what its made of but its perfect for application.

Ignore the white in the swatches, I applied too much and it looks weird on camera.

Absolutely beautiful. My skin was just flawless after application. It camouflages my pores and didn't accentuate my dry patches.


The Claim:

Brush away the signs of aging.
The first brightening mineral makeup by Lancôme.

From the very first touch, this unique ultra-finepowder foundation blends effortlessly and transforms your skin instantly. Watch imperfections disappear as pores and lines are brushed away with ease. Never cakey. Wears beautifully for hours and hours.

SPF 21 sunscreen protection. Talc-free, oil-free, fragrance-free, non-acnegenic, non-drying.
Safe for all skin types, even sensitive. Contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. Experience luxurious softness. Reveal your ageless complexion.

The Lancôme innovation:
Skin-renewing White Sapphire Complex* and naturally luminous 100% mineral pigments help brush away the visible signs of aging.
So gentle, this talc-free makeup does not cause breakouts or clog pores.
Skin looks revived and healthy, feels soft and comfortable.



Product: Lancome Ageless Minerale Makeup
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 5+ out of 5
Price: $46.00 for Foundation, $41.00 for Powder, $30 for Brush (in CAD $)
Would you buy this again? YES


Ingredients: * Bismuth Oxychloride, Mica, Alumina, Aloe, Vitamin E

Pro:
- Air brush finish (honestly)
- Not cakey
- Does not break me out.
- Talc-free
- Oil-free
- Fragrance free
- Non-acnegenic
- Safe for even sensitive skin
- Brush feels fabulous
- SPF 21

Con:
- Expensive
- Contains Bismuth




I must cut down on my dog posts. :S

Its rather impulsive and rushed but we have another addition to the family. Caramel was already a handful (since I seem to be the only one training her), so it wasn't my idea: Meet Tiger, our yorkie-poo, he is 10 weeks old and is a 3/4 Yorkie and 1/4 poodle.

*sigh* I always get the end of the stick when it comes to gaining the privilege to name pets.

there's a tiger inside that little body.

Vancouverites: Eco tools are now available in London Drugs, Coach is having a 50% off last season's handbags, Sephora is finally opening in Vancouver.