New Years Nails! 2012-2013

Finally got to use some colors from my Cinderella by Sephora collection!

photo credit

Grr, it is so hard to capture sparkles without a DSLR!

The blue is Blew my Curfew

Sparkles were Step Off, Sister!

This was a bit rushed, as I was trying to get it done in time. So embarassed, I almost didn't want to post it! But why not, next time I'll put more time into taking the photos!

So so excited to try the golds! That will be next week ;)

Happy New Year!

Product Review: Too Faced's Summer Eye Palette!

Post taken from my personal blog.
This was written when the palette first came out in the summer. Perhaps some people have not yet been exposed to it or heard much about it! Still a new palette!

 It looks gorgeousss! I was so excited when it finally arrived in the mail!

Came with a free mini mascara & a sample of their new bronzer.

Kept forgetting to do swatches so here is Beauty Junkie's picture.

I'm personally obsessed with the last 2 pinks. 

I've only tried 2 looks so far from this palette. Both are pretty neutral for everyday wear. I wanted to try more but didn't have enough time to experiment yet. I only have work to wear a lot of makeup to and I'm not really the type to wear dark heavy makeup just to cashier lol. The blue is really pretty though!

First look I did, I used Peach Fuzz, Coral Crush & Cocoa Beach which are the coral, light yellow, and light brown colors. Excuse the horrible lighting =___= I really need to step it up a notch!

[I also don't know why I look like an alien here]

For a phone camera, I'm surprised you can see any details.

As for my next look with the pinks [Sugar Sand & Plumeria], I realized that I don't know what happened to those pics. FAIL! I only have one and you can barely see! Unless you look verrrryyyy closely.

So sad. My apologies. I'll post more pics when I do those looks again. =)

Love that this Summer Palette has bright colors for spring/summer yet they're not neon or super dramatic so that it can be used for everyday wear for a fresh happy look!

Here are 2 more pics that I took on the same day I received the palette. Got a little camera-happy =)

I totally need to invest in a pro camera. Perhaps in the near future!

Hope I get more awesome things soon, trying out new products is so fun!

Follow me on Instagram! antran24

Christmas Nails! 2012

Red is "Curve-acious" Sephora by OPI

[ it's a little darker in real life which I really like ]

Glitter by L.A. Colors

Product Reviews: St. Ives body wash and lotion!

Post taken from my personal blog.

Hello!!! I'm going to try to do a quick review for St. Ives's body wash & lotion because I love those two things and have been wanting to tell everyone about them for a while!

St. Ive's has a few different types of body washes. I haven't tried the others but my job [Ulta] had this kind so I grabbed it since it was on sale for $3.49! I fell in love. I thought it wasn't going to have a smell since it's just the regular collagen kind but it smells soooo good. I feel like I'm in heaven everytime I use it in the shower. I can't describe it but it's a very calming, pleasant, and soft smell. I also like the texture..? of it, very pearly. Feels great when you lather yourself up with it. Since the time I bought my first bottle, I have already purchased 3 more so now I'm stocked!

5 stars for St. Ive's body wash!

This is the St. Ives collagen elastin lotion. It also has a faint calming smell to it and I LOVE the texture of this lotion. It's almost like a gel, nothing like other lotions that I've used. It says on the bottle that it's fast absorbant and non-greasy. 100% true! I am extremely fond of the packaging for the lotion & body wash. Very "clean" and simple. Both include collagen to help you achieve younger looking skin! Not sure if it's super effective but gives me peace of mind that I'm doing something hehe. The lotion also tends to go on sale and my entire family loves this lotion. Can you say WIN!? Another 5 stars for the lotion!


I can't say I love all St. Ive's products because I hate and am against the use of their Apricot scrub. BAD! Don't use! But, if you're looking for inexpensive body wash & lotion, try these 2! I heard that Walmart doesn't carry St. Ive's anymore..??? Either that or my mom can't find it anymore but hey, Ulta carries and I'm sure Target and other places carry it so check it out!

Product Reviews: Too Faced Primed & Poreless + Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara

Post taken from my personal blog.

So first will be the Too Faced Primed & Poreless Powder.

What it is: It is a translucent powder that you can apply under and/or over your makeup. You wear it under to minimize the looks of your pores and it acts as a primer for foundation. Wearing it on top of makeup is for it to act as a finishing powder to set your makeup and to keep the face looking matte for a long period of time. Comes in powder form & liquid form. [Liquid can only be used under makeup, which is why I prefer the powder one]


Ingredients - I don't know because I threw away the box it came in hehehe, but if you really wanted to know I'm sure you can google it.

Packaging - 5 stars. The packaging for all Too Faced products are super pretty to me because most of the time it's pink and girlie. I like how the container feels in my hand and I like that it has that lock thing so that you can "lock" the container when you're traveling so powder doesn't spill everywhere.

Price - 2 stars. It's a whopping $28 at Ulta. I only have it because I got it as gratis.

The reason why I love this product so much is because my nose tends to get a lot more oily than the rest of my face during the day. I hated it and tried a bunch of different products and carried around oil blotting sheets. I still do, but I hated using them. After using this product, I only have to blot my face 1 or 2 times if I'm out all day & need to look nice. I only use it on my nose & a little on my cheeks so the product will last me a long time. After putting it on, whenever I felt my skin, it gave a very silky or velvety feel and I love it! After I finish with my makeup, I'll apply a little more and then I'm done. It creates the beautiful matte finish that I've always craved and takes a longg longg time for my nose to get even a little oily. It's not a miracle product that will STOP the oil from coming but it keeps it at bay & that's all I can ask for. <3

Overal rating - 5 stars

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Next is the Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara.

Packaging - 5 stars


Price - 3 stars. It's priced at $19 which is what a lot of our prestige mascaras cost but I think $19 is expensive for a mascara.

If you can tell by the wand, you'll know that this mascara doesn't really give a lot of volume. Especially for my barely-there Asian lashes. I like it because it applies better than my other mascaras since the wand is so thin. It coats my lashes evenly and although it doesn't provide volume, it provides length. If I wanted volume, I have to put on a million coats of it so that's when I'm like "screw this" and use my Smashbox mascara. As for holding the curl, it's just average. Nothing amazing that I know of.

I tried to take a picture of it on me today...but couldn't get a good angle.
Here is a googled pic. Credits go to whomever the picture belongs to. And I got it off this link.

Overall rating - 3.5 stars.

That's it for now, let me know if I should review a certain product!

Product Review: Garnier Moisture Rescue Moisturizer !

Post taken from my personal blog.
This is a review for the Garnier Moisture Rescue Moisturizer!

Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue 

Lightweight UV-Lotion

SPF 15

Before this, I had been using Aveeno's Positively Radiant moisturizer SPF 15 which I really liked and used for a while before I saw that during the winter, it doesn't provide as much moisture as I wanted. [I have ezcema]. Now my bf uses it teehehehehe.

I also want to put out there that I am very picky with moisturizers [and about everything else]. It can't be too heavy because I have to put on make-up right after, can't have too much oil, must have SPF, etc. So, needless to say, I was not too pleased to be on the hunt for another morning moisturizer. 

Of course, I looked up a bunch of reviews on various products, read ingrediants, price, etc. I was debating whether or not I should try the Olay hydrating one but didn't like that it was a bottle and not a pump. While I was at Ulta looking through the moisturizers, Garnier was next to the Olay so I quickly scanned over them too. I saw the Moisture Rescue which I had read reviews about and decided if I should try that one since it had a pump and the bottle looked "refreshing". I remember thinking in my head "this thing doesn't have SPF ughh!" Then I saw it in the corner..........SPF 15 in small letters. HECK YEAH! I immediately grabbed it and took it to its new home. I kept the box and tried it for a week to see if I would like it or want to return it. Threw the box away, it is here to stay! From the first pump it was love at first.....application. =P 

What it's supposed to do : Locks in moisture. Blocks out dryness and provides UV protection. Skin is deeply hydrated and smooth for 24 hours. 

YES! So light & cool on my skin.

And a bonus: IT SMELLS SOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD.

And I don't know how to explain it but it just feels so amazing to put it on every morning, I swear it makes my mornings a little bit better.

Price: $7.99 at Ulta stores

Will last a long time since a little bit will have your skin feeling smooth, soft, and hydrated!

It's only been about 2 weeks of using this so I hope that my skin doesn't randomly decide that it doesn't like it anymore because I like it T___T

Such a super inexpensive moisturizer that works great!

Side note: I realized that if you have more severe dryness in the winter, I wouldn't recommend this product. Just use it for spring/summer!

How to find peace in yourself

Post taken from my personal blog.

Lately I've been on an internal roller coaster of emotions. Came out of nowhere O_o I'll be pissed off at the world sometimes and then really happy & grateful for everything. Of course at the end of every day I'm always thankful for my blessings and every thing that's happening in my life. But it's during the day that I don't like. I don't like that I get caught up with stress or worries or just little things that annoy me.

So, I've been trying to do more things that bring happiness to me so that my mind can be more at peace. My name does mean peace anyways. LOL.

Not trying to be extreme and go all ZEN, but I'd like to achieve a bit of that.

In this time in our lives, it's easy to become too busy to nurture your self let alone your mind.

Working out is hard as it is, I know. But being strong means more energy & happy endorphins!

In more simple words, God said not to be too involved with the world and its things.

That makes me think that I should be into nature which I'm not a big fan of.

I guess we should live life but still pay attention to the SIMPLE little things that bring happiness to us.

Do not neglect them or push them away because you have more important things to do.

A clear and peaceful mind means a happier outlook on life.

A happier outlook on life means good health and better decisions.

Being happy = good health.

Happiness is contagious.

I've gotten my boyfriend to believe that complaining is my favorite hobby but I am trying to do less of that and  find more ways to be optimistic!

I've compliled a list of ways to spend quality time to better yourself based on research & experience =)

- Find ways to express your thoughts & emotions. Paint, sing, dance, or write<3 

Bottled up emotions = negativity! [Can you tell I like my little equations? hehehe]

- Take care of your body. Take a relaxing bath, work out, do yoga, eat right, get a much needed massage.

- Surround yourself with people who encourage you. Be it with friends, coworkers, or college professors.

- Let go of all negativity. Pray, forgive, just let go. If someone's done you wrong, they will be punished. You don't need to lift a finger. I have to work on this one the most. Many things annoy me and I will learn to say OH WELL.

- You know what you want & like to do. So do it. I enjoy reading but have been "too busy" for it. I'm going to make more time. No surprise that I love self-help books lol. I also love to indulge myself in my favorite websites that take my mind away from my world.

- APPRECIATE LIFE. We take a lot of things for granted. Sometimes we are reminded, sometimes we aren't. Try to look at things from another point of view, life is so amazing O_O. Crazy scary things are happening in the world, every day is precious. Everyone's life is different so to each their own in figuring out how you will appreciate yours.

Be Happy =)

Product Review: Butter London Horse Power Nail Fertilizer

Post taken from my personal blog.
This is the Butter London Horsepower Nail Fertilizer!

I never planned on talking about this product. It was just something I received after completing the training for this line at work, but it's so awesome that I wanted to share with everyone. If anyone paints their nails as much as me, he/she knows that nail polish does stain your nails yellow, especially if you use a dark color. When I'm at work people always ask me how to get rid of the yellow stain on their nails. First off, you can't get rid of it completely. If your nails are already stained then all you can do is wait until your nails grow out and cut them.

To lessen/prevent staining, rub half a lemon on your nails for a few minutes & wash. You can also buff your nails but again, the stain will only be lessened. To prevent, obviously skip a week or some time between painting your nails. BUT, I can't do  that lol. When my nails aren't painted, I feel "incomplete" O_o. So I recommend this product for people who always always have to have their nails painted.

It works as a base coat as well =) Well, it pretty much is a base coat but it's loaded with extra ingrediants to help grow stronger nails. Not sure if that part works but all I know is that when I wiped off my nail polish, my nails weren't yellow. I've only been using this product for a few weeks and never really inspected my nails after I'd wipe polish off. This time, somehow, I did examine my nails and they were clear/pinkish as if I never painted my nails. So cool! It also applies really smoothly & lasts forever for some reason. I really really like it! I'm going to be so sad when I run out =( I know Butter London in general is pretty expensive for nail polish & stuff, but, you don't have to buy the nail colors [but they really do last a long time & apply very very well] just get the nail strengtheners & stuff. They also have their own polish remover [guess it removes polish really easily], and a moisterizing stick for people with cracked/dry heels.

This Horse Power Nail Fertilizer is $20 at all Ulta stores, prices vary at other places.



   

Product Review: Sigma F45 Buffer Brush + Coupon Code!

Hey lovelies. Post taken from my personal blog. This is a review for the Sigma F45 Buffer Brush.

It's huge and I love ittt!

It sells for $19 on the Sigma website.

Its main use is for powder application such as powder primers, powder foundations, finishing powders, etc. and to buff out harsh lines for a natural finish.

There were several things I was on the lookout for. How strong it is, how much product it picked up, and how it felt against my face.

I like this brush a lot. The only thing that I can complain about is bristle fall-out. Once or twice I have noticed a single bristle left on my face after using it. Sigma's brushes are known for being sturdy, perhaps I got a bad one, I don't know, but it is no big deal. When I washed it, there was no fall-out at all O_O. 

Other than that, this brush is fantastic. It picks up a significant amount of product.

I would tap a little powder out, swirl the brush, and see that it would pick up everything. After application on my face, I noticed the brush does a nice job transferring product as well.

I should have taken more pictures but I was getting ready for work and that means no time hehe.

As for how it feels on my face...super soft!! I just wanted to swirl it around my face for fun lol 

Overall, I like this brush a lot. I'm not in love but I do reach for it a lot. I think powder users will be very happy with this buffer brush. =)

Get 10% off your purchase this month with the code DEC2012 !

Welcome to my new beauty blog!

I've finally decided to create a new blog JUST for beauty & health! That's how much I love the subject =)
I've been blogging for over 5 years now.
Here, I will be doing reviews, tips & tricks on beauty, health facts, motivational posts, swatches, nail photos, and just ANYTHING related to beauty. My goal is to enlighten as many people as possible about things that  sometimes are overlooked or never known about. I want to motivate people who need a little push as well as keep myself motivated. Every girl should always feel beautiful & happy. Where do I get all of my info from? Personal experience and reading TONS and TONS of articles.
Writing is my passion.
Makeup&health is my favorite hobby.
I will combine the 2 and hope for amazing opportunities.
I'm super excited to launch this blog!
To get it rolling, I will be posting as many reviews & health posts as I can from my personal blog [link is on the left sidebar] for you to see what this blog will be about.
Happy Reading & thank you for your support!