Skin Care Necessities

Hello fellow interweb friends!

So being a girl, I have a whole lot of skin issues and body image problems, which is never fun, but thank goodness, there are products out there that an help/improve my problems and issues! First is my face! My main problem is the black heads on my face. I have quite a bit of black heads, which automatically darkens my face and make it look not as bright as it is. My black heads mainly gather around my nose and chin. Those areas not only darken, but it leaves some kind of a shadow on my face, making other areas look darker than what it actually is. I started using Origins "Clear Improvement" charcoal mask. I usually put this on 2-3 times a week, depending how much make-up I wear during the week. The more I wear, the more I'll use the mask just because it does a very good job unclogging my pores and clearing up my skin. 

Usually, after I use this, I will use Origins' "GinZing" moisturizer as well.The GinZing moisturizer has all natural ingredients, just like all other Origins products. The one thing I really appreciate about this one is it does not leave my skin feeling oily or heavy at all! To me, it's like I slathered loads of water on it. My face feels nice and fresh when I put it on after the mask, and when I wake up in the morning, my face just feels nice and smooth! So right now, I'm only using a mini sample pot just because I wasn't sure if my skin will react well to the moisturizer, but now that I know my skin loves it, I will be going back soon to get a full sized one. And of course, who can forget about the lips, definitely not me! So after I put on my moisturizer, I also put a bit of my Dior "Creme De Rose" on and leave it over night. This lip balm, though expensive, really does the job! It leaves my lips feeling soft an smooth all day long! I usually only need to put it on once a day and my lips already feel amazing, so imagine the wonderful results after masking it all night?!?!

Another one of Origins' mask that I thoroughly enjoy is the "Drink Up Intensive Mask." This one, in spring and summer, I will only use once a week just to replenish the moisture in my skin since I am out in the sun a lot and probably use a lot of make up. If you read my previous post, you know I have a bit of oily skin, but still, there are dry spots and after I use a lot of make up during the week, I definitely feel my skin getting a little weird. This mask is perfect to use once a week just to get the nutrients and natural oils back in my skin to replenish it. I use it once a week because I have oilier skin, but for those who have drier skin, I would suggest doing it twice a week. You definitely feel a difference when you wake up in the morning, especially since this is a leave-on mask and you can just wipe it off in the morning when you get ready. Once again, I'm using a small sample pot to try it out on my skin, but I am for sure getting this in a full sized one to use at home but also a travel sized one for when I go to Vietnam. I definitely do not enjoy the gross, dried-out feeling of my skin when I'm sitting on the plane for 18 hours straight, so this shall keep my skin feeling nice and smooth and moist!

So besides bad facial skin, I also have bad body skin! Even though I've never had kids or gain major amounts of weight, I deal with stretch mark problems. It is definitely not the most pleasant problem to deal with, especially since I'm barely 20 something with no kids and all the girls my age are looking nice and smooth in their two-pieced bathing suits! I've learned to embrace my stretch-marks, or my "life-stripes" as I'd like to call them, making it sound ferocious like tiger stripes. Still, I want to minimize the stripes appearance, so I use Palmer's "Tummy Butter" and then also later on lotion specialized for stretch marks. I usually put these one everyday after I shower, but before doing so, I make sure I exfoliate my tummy area well so that all the moisture and cocoa/shea butter and vitamin E can soak in to give me the best results possible! These products aren't like MIRACLE WORKERS, so I'm not expecting all my stripes to go away, but I definitely see improvements. All I can ask for is to lighten my stripes, so I don't feel like a complete fatty next to all these smoothed-skin-skinny girls in the summer! Since I know my body and my issues, you will rarely catch me in a two-pieced bathing suit because of this, but I still enjoy one-piecers that have a little cut-out and what not, so I am definitely appreciating these Palmer products that are making my skin look a little better in my bathing suits!

So of course, it is important to keep your body completely moisturized, so I never miss a day of lotioning my skin after I shower! And hand creme and foot creme are a must too just because no one wants flaky/cracked/dried out hands and feet, especially during the summer time when we're all out and about in our sandals and flip flops!

That's pretty much how I deal with my body issues, still working on the mental issues, but hey, a girl can only do so much at a time right?!?! If you guys have any other suggestions for stretch marks or my "life-stripes" please do share!

Until next time,

With love,

Uyen

Spring/Summer Make-Up Necessities: Lips Be Poppin'

Hello interweb friends!

Piggy backing off of my PREVIOUS POST, I thought I'd give you guys a little bit more of my spring/summer must-haves and always-use beauty products. I think this will be a little bit more of a multi-part series just because I have quite a bit of things to share with you! For today, I will be focusing on lip products, all the goody-goody gumdrops that will make your lips look amazing, vibrant, and fresh for the spring and summer time!

So first up is the Clinique Almost Lipstick in the color "Flirty Honey." This one is very sheer and glossy, which makes it a nice everyday wear kind of color. The cool thing about this one, each person will have a different color pay off when they put it on their lips; I think it's one of those pH changing lipstick that creates a unique color for each person who wears it. It barely adds any color, but it definitely adds just enough to keep your face and lips looking fresh and awake since it is quite glossy. Its moisturizing formulation makes it super easy to wear and you don't have to worry about putting on some kind of lip balm or chapstick underneath to prevent cracking. Pretty much, this one is kind of like a long-wear lipstick but just very sheer and individualistic while keeping your lips nice and moist at all times. Also, this line has eight different colors, so you can pretty much have 8 different, individualistic lip colors! Quite honestly, this one can be used all year round, however, I think it just goes so well with every kind of dress or boho-chic outfits that it's a definite must have for the season.

The second one I want to share with you is this one from Lancome from the "Rouge In Love" line in the color 340, "Rose Boudoir." I did do a mini review on this one on my previous haul post, but I will give you a little more in-depth on here since I mainly talked about the formulation last time. So as you can tell from the squatch on my hand, it is super pigmented and slightly glossy. The same color payoff and texture will apply when you have it on your lips. It is super long-lasting, like maybe 6 hours or a little more and you don't have to worry about it drying and cracking whatsoever. What I usually do when I put it on my lips to calm down a little bit is to add a little bit of lipbalm underneath as well as a little bit of clear-to-nude gloss after applying the lipstick. When you wear it, you can decided whether or not you want medium or full coverage just because it is so pigmented, which makes it worth every bit when you buy it! This line actually has fifteen different colors that you can pick from and each color is part of a specific group that identifies the mood/feel that the lipstick creates. The one I have here is 340M, which is part of the "Jolis Matin" which means "pretty morning." This group of colors give off a more vibrant and fresh set of colors. The "Rouge in Love" line has two other color groups and those are "Boudoir Time" (B), which is a more evening-wear line, and "Tonight is My Night" marked by (T), which is more sophisticated and deep set of colors.

Of course, in the midst of all the bright, vibrant colors, we all still need to have a nude color in our bags to keep things cool and calm! This one is Nars "Catfight" from the Semi Matte Lipstick line, which comes in 6 different colors. For this one, it is a nudish mauve color with a hint of gold shimmer, which adds a little bit of golden/bronzy look to your lips. Pretty much, it's very similar to the "Orgasm" lipsticks, just not as pink but more mauve. I decided to do a little nude color in the mix just because sometimes I want to wear bright colors, so this is just a nice balance to pull together my look when I don't want too much color in the face. This lipstick is definite a full coverage one cause its quite pigmented; even though it's nude, with one sweep, you can definitely see it on your lips. The color and feel when you put it on is very rich and creamy even though it's matte and sometimes, matte products can be kind of dry. So anyways, I love this color for pretty much any look and most of the time, I will pair this with a VERY thin layer of gloss after just because I like wearing this with dresses at night time. At night, I think adding a little it of gloss will give it more dimension. But as a day wear lipstick, just add a little bit of lip balm or chapstick underneath just to keep it looking moist; this one, compared to another matte one that I'll share later does dry up a little bit easier, so definitely keep your lips somewhat moist to prevent any kind of cracking.

This next one is actually my very first ever lipstick purchase, the days when I first started wearing make up! It is Benefit's "My Treat from their Silky Finish Lipstick line. So this one is a full-proof lipstick and perfect for starters - making it the best choice for me when I first got it. It is super glossy and moisturizing and quite pigmented. You can definitely see the color with just one swipe, but if you're like me and like a little more color, this lipstick is super buildable and when it dries, there's a little bit of a silky, satiny finish. I'm not quite sure if this specific color is still available, but the line does have over 10 different shades and all are super pretty, vibrant, and fresh, so you can't really go wrong with any specific one; I'm just a huge pink/coral color kind of person, as if you can't tell already! If you're looking for something to use on the daily over summer to add a little color while still keeping your lips moist, this is pretty much the perfect one. The only thing you'll have to do when using this is to pucker around one of your fingers and pull just cause it might get on your teeth easily since it's so moisturizing that it does run a little.

Alrighty, last but definitely not least is this Smashbox "Fuchsia Flash Matte" from the Be Legendary line. The formulation of this one is super creamy even though it's matte. It is also super pigmented, so with one swipe, you can definitely see quite a bit of color on your lips and the color on your lips is pretty true to the color of the stick. This one, at first, I didn't think will be flattering on my skin, but after trying it on I fell in love, so if you see any color that you may be hesitant about, just give it a little trip on your lips and see how it really turns out for you and then decide, nothing is worse than regretting not getting the perfect lip color! So this one is for sure much more matte than the Nars "Catfight" but yet is a lot more creamy. You don't need a balm or chapstick under to keep it from cracking; this may be because of the vitamins C and E, which are important vitamins to keep your skin nice and elastic.  This color is a show-stopper for both day and night, and it's one of those colors that will brighten up your day the minute you put it on just because it is so beautiful and vibrant! If you're not a bright pink/fuchsia/coral person like myself, no need to fret because the Be Legendary line actually has over 20 different shades, from creamy to matte, which means there is one for all of us!

Of course, I love my lipsticks just as they are when I put them on and it is also a habit of mine to put some lip balm or chapstick underneath just because I think it primes your lips just like primer for your eyes or your face, making your make-up look even better. Sometimes, when I feel a little more shiny, then I will use these glosses. As you can tell, they vary from nudes to bright-but-sheer pink. These shades are very complimentary to most lip colors, especially the ones that are more sheer or nude. The one that I use the most is the Victoria's Secret "Blush" gloss, but sadly, it has been disconnected, so this little tube is a treasure in my make-up bag for sure. As for my other most commonly used glosses, it will definitely be the Lancome Juicy Tubes. The "Dreamsicle" is the sheerest of all three and I use this with pretty much everything. It doesn't tone down the water as much as the "Blush" one but definitely adds a nice shine to everything. It looks nice on its own too when you just want to make a quick run out of the house. As for the "Miracle" one, this is a sheer pink gloss with a little bit of gold in it. I love using this with the nuder lipsticks since it does add just enough color to make the lips look natural and not too nude. This one works great with the Lancome "Rosy Boudoir" as well, pretty much any bright color, because it really brings out the bright pigmentation of the lipsticks. One of these three will always be used on my lips as the wrap-up, tie-all finishing touches, especially when I go out at night since it does keep the lip color on a little longer.

 'Tis all for now,

Until next time,

With love,

Uyen

Let's Talk About the Free Stuff!

Good morning fellow interweb friends!

A few weeks ago, I got a letter for a recall on my car and when I read that it was about the Safety Restraining System (SRS), or as we all know it, the seat belt thing, I thought it might be important to get it checked out, especially if the service is free. Not only is it free, but it also guarantees my safety and prevent me from spending money on fixing it later on. So anyways, I got an appointment to come in today, at 8 in the morning - wowzers, that is like super early for me when I don't need to worry about school or work! So here I am, as I write up this blog, sitting here in the Toyota loune waiting on my car to be serviced, thought I'd write about my very sweet and quaint experience!

So I pull up my car into the Services area and was greeted very quickly and within a minute later, a customer service agent was at my door, welcoming me into his office to get all the paper work done. Within seconds, I found out that I'm getting a complementary car wash as well as a tire pressure check! I completely scored there since I've been meaning to go get my tire pressures checked but haven't gotten around to it yet. The best thing though is the car wash. Haha as my mom says, my car barely gets washed or never at all, so today will be its first wash since like maybe February...hahaha let's just say, taking car of my car's physical appearance isn't very important to me, the only thing I care for is the gas that keeps it going. So within the first 5 minutes of me being at the dealership, I've already gotten loads of free stuff! This is just perfect cause all the complementary perks are all things that I currently need!

After finding out all the schnazzy dazzy free things and got my receipt for the service today, I went into the lounge to wait since the customer service man says my car is going to take about an hour or so. Ummm, this lounge is loaded with all these super cool gadgets and trinkets that makes coffee and popcorn! There's a popcorn maker in here, that makes you free popcorn!sadly, I wasn't very interested in the popcorn machine and felt a little awkward of taking pictures of everything so I didn't. However, that coffee/expresso machine is a whole other story!

So a little known fact about me, I am quite the coffee drinker. I have coffee all day, every day, even multiple times a day. Since my appointment was at 8 and I value my sleep too much, I didn't get up early enough to go get my usual Starbucks drink, so when I saw this heavenly machine, I was ecstatic! I tried to keep calm and let all the elderly new friends that I made get their coffees first, but when it was finally my turn, I was mesmerized! Hahaha talk about being technologically behind! I played around with the machine and got myself a cafe vanilla. Even though it's pre-made in the machine and I couldn't do my little mix and tricks on it, I think it came out pretty darn nice! Then, right next to the coffee maker, there was a plate full of Famous Amps cookie and Knott's boysenberry shortcakes! I was so super duper tempted to grab a bag, or two, but had to practice super duper self control. Even though those treats are super delicious, I thought it would be better if I acted strong and brave and just walk about from the beautiful goodness of buttery sweet goods!

So I conquered my temptations, got back to my chair, and then starting playing with this little twirly-whirly gadget that's probably meant for kids under 5. Not gonna lie, I did get some weird looks from the other people who are also waiting for their cars but hey, the thing is there to be played with so why not right?!

Pretty much, I just rambled on about all the free goodies that I got today while I waited for my car to get done. It's been an amazing experience so far, so maybe I might want to get my car serviced at the dealership more often just to enjoy the complementary goodness, the heaven of free delights while I wait! Hahaha, well hope you guys can experience the fun that I've had the next time you go get your cars done!

Until next time,
With love,
Uyen