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

All Time Favorite Nail Polishes

Hello fellow interweb friends!

How are you guys doing today?!?!?! So first, I'd like to apologize for being a little off track with my blogs lately. I've been super busy with school and finishing up some projects for my internship that I haven't really gotten a chance to post as much as I usually do. But I'm kind of back now, not completely, but for sure, will be posting more from now on!

So for this week, I thought, instead of sticking to Foodie Tues-dee, I thought I'd do something a little more spring/beauty related since the weather has been kind of nice lately. You guys probably already know, based on the title, I will be showing you some of my favorite nail polishes of all time and I think these will be perfect for spring and summer as well. 

For the first set of polishes, I decided to put Essie's "Haute as Hello," "Turquoise & Caicos," and "Case Study" together. "Haute as Hello" is a creamy, vibrant coral color; it may look pastel-like, but when you apply two coats on, it is kind of bright but just perfect. As for "Turqoise & Caicos," just like the first one, is a creamy, vibrant color leaning towards a minty green shade; this color gives you a refreshing, tropical feel, which makes it super perfect for spring and summer. And of course, "Case Study" is a more neutral color but still light enough to use in the spring and summer time; it looks like a cream coffee kind of color, which makes it nice as a base color for designs or as accenting. These three colors, to me, compliment each other very well. You can paint your nails with one color and accent it with another or use the 3 as a combo to do different designs. The "Case Study" kind of pulls together the other colors since it's a more neutral color if you want a more subtle look on your hands. If you want a little bit more of a vibrant look but not obnoxious, then "Haute as Hello" and "Turquois & Caicos" will be perfect since they are both a creamy but yet still slightly bright color.

This next set, a little bit more of my favorite that I constantly go back to, includes: "Beyond Cozy," "Butler Please," and "Chastity." So as you can already see, this trio that I decided to put together is a little more vibrant than the first one, which makes it perfect for me (save the best for last right!?!?!)! The first one, "Beyond Cozy" is from Essie's most recent holiday collection, but I personally use it all year long just because it is so beautiful! it's not necessarily silver or gold but a mix of both, so when you have it on and the light hits it, it looks like a mixed metal color. And then of course, "Butler Please" is the epitome of the perfect cobalt blue! When you put it on, it just looks amazing and goes with every outfit because the color is so versatile; the same goes for "Chastity." My most recent purchase is "Chastity" because I've been looking for the perfect baby/bubblegum-like pink for a very long time. Essie has a new one called "Boom Boom Room" that is very similar to "Chastity" but it's not the same. To me, "Chastity" is the right amount of brightness/lightness that makes it go with all seasons (that made more sense in my head but you know what I mean). I think what I wanted to say is that it's bubblegum pink but not obnoxious, which makes it super easy to use and beautiful and everything amazing!

Overall, Essie makes some amazing nail polishes that are super easy to apply and have great color pay off. Some of them, like "Chastity" and "Case Study," can go on without a top coat just because it shines all by itself. All in all, these 6 are my favorite and I use them all year round, even if it looks like it should only be used for spring and summer! 

That's it for now,

Until next time,

With love,

Uyen

Things I Cannot Live Without

Hello fellow interweb friends!

So I thought I'd start a thread about different things that I completely love and can pretty much not live without! This is going to be a wide range of things that I've been introduced to and fell in love with and I think it is only best to share things I love! It can be from random apps, school supplies, beauty products, skin care shizz nizz, etc. 

For my first "Things I Cannot Live Without", I would like to share to you guys this magical bottle of lotion that I purchased from Bath and Body Works that I pretty much use everyday. As you can  see, it is the Sensual Amber scent from their Signature Collection. I decided to take a picture of this bottle of lotion in this very sad and empty condition just to show you guys how much I really use it and how horribly in love with it that I have to tip it over to fully use up every little once that is in this bottle (sadly, I realized I can't literally use every drop or else I would). 

The scent, to me, is super therapeutic. It is definitely a very feminine yet kind of musky smell. It is not super strong or florally even though there's a small hint of flower in it. I can't describe it very well, so I thought I'd just look up Bath and Body Works' description of their product! 

Based on the scent descriptions from Bath and Body, Sensual Amber is a mix of: vanilla, creamy sandalwood, patchouli, a little bit musky. Mixed in with all the spice-like aromas, there's a hint of: white roses, orange flower, lotus, iris, bergamot, wild berries, and succulent plum.

Since I am using it as a lotion, I thought I'd also talk about some of the ingredients that is in it. So the main purpose of lotions is to keep our skin moisturize, which this lotion does very well, same goes for the majority of the Bath and Body Works products. The main ingredients in this, like all other lotions, are: shea butter, jojoba oil, and vitamin E. Here are the functions/uses of these ingredients:

1. Shea butter: helps restore skin elasticity, reduce scarring, helps eliminate dry spots, relieves symptoms for rosacia, eczema, and psoriasis.
2. Jojoba oil: prevents clogging in hair follicles, helps with acne, psoriasis, sunburn, and chapped skin.
3. Vitamin E: treat scars, acne, and wrinkles by speeding up cell regeneration, retain natural skin moisture, freshens up dry skin to make your skin look less dull and discolored.

Hopefully, you guys will give this scent a try! It is wonderful after a nice bath, maybe even before bed since the earthy-spicey scents are usually very therapeutic and warm, perfect sensations to have as you dry to fall asleep. Not only that, the smell is so amazing that it will make all your clothes smell wonderful as well as your bed sheets!

Until next time,

With love, 

Uyen