Chanel Perfection vs. Vitalumiere

I'm running out of foundation and I've been researching which foundation I should explore next. I have tried Mac, Sephora, Makeup Forever, Bare Escentuals, a couple Korean and Japanese brands, and Bobbi Brown. But I haven't tried Chanel and I have read some pretty good things about them. 

I went to Nordstrom and a kind sales associate let me try the Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation and the Chanel Vitalumiere. I posted some pictures of the two swatches on the back of my sadly dry hands below. 

Chanel Perfection Lumiere

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

Can you see the difference? I felt that the Lumiere was more creamy compared to the Vitalumiere which was more watery hence the name. It applied like a dream, the foundation didn't sink into any lines and gave me medium coverage. It's also supposed to last about 15 hours without primer. It lasted on my hand for about 8 hours and that was with me trying to swipe it off with a napkin. I'm quite impressed. 

The Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua however didn't make me sing. It dried out my skin instead and enhanced everything I didn't want it to. It also gave me no coverage whatsoever. I'm pretty bummed out about that since I know other people love this foundation. 

What I loved about Chanel's foundations were their wide range of color matches and their sleek designs. I always prefer a pump than a tube or a compact any day of the week. Oh and both foundations have SPF!

I'm probably going to purchase the Chanel Perfection Lumiere once I run out of my samples but I'm also looking into Le Metier de Beaute Classic Flawless Finish Foundation. 

What's your favorite foundation? Any recommendations?

Pixi Sale!

I was at Target yesterday and was browsing around when I spotted the Pixi by Petra line. The whimsical packaging caught my eye but when I looked inside, my jaw dropped. I picked up this Lumi Lux Radiance powder which is a highlighter. 

Here's a picture from their online store. The rest are all mine :]

was $26 now $13

 Isn't the box so cute?

I love the rich color and sweet rose design but I was nervous if it would work well with my fair skin. Surprise! It actually goes on pretty sheer and it's easily build-able. The orange makes me glow but doesn't overpower my face. I think this will be my new favorite spring highlighter.

It's selling for $26 online but Target is clearing off their shelves for the new line so I got this highlighter for $13. I'm planning to head back there and buy more. I really want to try their shadow eye primer and concealer.

Have you tired Pixi and are you heading to Target to get some on sale?

Pastels

I'm already obsessing over pastel colors for spring and I'm still coveting feather earrings. Combine them together and it's perfection. 

Do you still like the feather trend? 

Oh happy days!

I'm so excited for the weekend! It's my little brother's birthday on Sunday so we'll be eating out at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. And it's also our favorite and only dog Hiro's birthday tomorrow so we're surprising him with a huge dinosaur chew toy. Hopefully it can stop him from trying to eat all are shoes. 

Love my glitter Toms :]

What are your weekend plans?

Isa Knox

Isa Knox is a Korean skin care brand and I had the chance to try out their cleansing foam and cream. To be honest I have high standards when it comes to skincare so I was expecting this stuff to be spectacular. 

I've been trying to use the whole trial bottle but it's actually a pretty decent size and I find myself shying away from it. The foam doesn't take off all my make up and I have to use a toner at least twice afterwards. It doesn't even wipe off all my BB cream, which is a tinted moisturizer/primer and very lightweight.  

After using it for two in a half weeks I noticed pimples were sprouting which is a no-go in my book. 

Verdict: I wouldn't recommend this. Have you tried anything from this brand and how did it work for you?

Baby it's Cold Outside

 It's a little chilly outside lately but I'm not complaining. I get to wear my boots and to snuggle in my favorite wool scarf.

I love turtles. Don't you?

All my accessories: Charming Charlie

Bomber jacket: Windsor

Hair Miracle

This is a very personal and embarrassing topic for me but I really wanted to share this with you. Maybe someone you know or yourself has had this happen. Back in high school I started to lose my hair. Not a few strands here and there. No I mean chunks of it fell off which was pretty gross and I had a bald spot on the back of my head. I was mortified and didn't understand what happened. I had to see a specialist who told me it was all due to stress. Stress? That's it? Yep, that's it.

So I did everything I could to help me relax. Quit my second job, drop a couple of my clubs, do some yoga but by that time I barely had any hair left and what little I did have was limp and fine. I used to use drugstore shampoo and conditioner but they made it worse. I used the high end brands like Paul Mitchell and they didn't do anything for me. 

Last year my mother bought me a set of the Ovation Cell Therapy that she kept hearing over the radio. It came in a nice baby blue box with the shampoo, conditioner, hair treatment, body scrub, and a sponge. 

I used this around April 2011 and at first I thought this stuff was decent but over priced. It smelled like coconut and kind of strong. I didn't care for the scrub and the reviews online were all mixed up, some say they lost more hair while others say it's a miracle worker. 

Pictures say a thousands words.

This is me when I first started using this last year. The lighting is horrible so it looks like I colored my hair but I didn't. 

This is me today January 2012. In less than a year I have a lot more hair. 

I don't use Ovation anymore as much as I would love to because I think I'm allergic to it. I started having small red bumps on my scalp and my hair dresser said it was the shampoo I was using. I still kept using it because it was expensive and I wanted to finish the bottle. 

It didn't magically make my hair grow over night and my hair is still fine but I think it made a huge difference. Keep in mind that each product we use works differently for each person. I once tried Suave shampoo and started shedding like crazy while I have heard other people say it's perfect for them. 

Currently I'm trying out Regis Design Line Get it Pumped shampoo and conditioner. I'll review it once I'm done. 

This is an incredibly long post and if you read all of it you get a big virtual cookie from me. Chocolate chip if you don't make fun of my ugly picture. 

Huge Deal: Milani

Again I've never tried this brand before until now and I'm so surprised. Milani is marked down 75% off at CVS and I had to run out there last night just to check it out. I didn't want to go too crazy so I bought two HD Advance Concealers in light and medium honey and  the Mineral Compact in Nude Buff. 

So let me start off with the Mineral Compact which I am absolutely loving. It says that you can use this as a foundation for light to medium coverage or as a powder to set your make up. I used this after putting on my Bobbi Brown natural finish foundation and by the end of the day I didn't see any oil on my face. Amazing.

This isn't heavy, in fact it's very light weight and breathable for my skin. However I wouldn't use this as a full coverage foundation because it doesn't cover up all my imperfections which I'm okay with. I wanted to use it to keep my face from looking oily and it did just that.

As for the HD Advanced Concealer I'm iffy about it. I like the sleek design and yes it does resemble the YSL Touche Eclat but it doesn't do much concealing. It's more of a highlighter for me.

It says you have to click the button thing at the bottom and the concealer comes out but to be honest it took at least 5 minutes for me clicking for it to finally work. I used it under my eyes and it did make it look brighter but that's about it. I felt that the light was perfect but the medium honey did not like me. At all. 

Verdict: I am extremely pleased with the mineral compact and might have to stock up on more. I like the HD concealer as a highlighter but it doesn't wow me. Not sure if I would buy it again.

Milani mineral compact was $8.49 now $2.12

Milani HD concealer was $8.99 now $2.25

Color me purple

There is something about the color purple that makes me giddy. Especially the deep, rich, dark purple. I love pairing large statement rings with a classy watch. 

NYX sale

I've recently stumbled into NYX and I'm wondering why I didn't earlier. They are a make up company that are cruelty free and very affordable. I've only tried the tinted lip spa but I'm already hooked. 

I'ts not a gloss so it doesn't leave your lips sticky or dry. It's just a tinted moisturizer as it's stated which makes my poor chapped lips very happy. I bought the color "sake" and I just love this light pink color.

This stuff takes care of any rough lips but at the same time it doesn't last long. I say it lasts for about 2 hours at most and then you have to reapply but I don't mind. Much.

As you can see in the picture this is tiny, like super mini tiny. But it makes it easy for me to carry it around. Shrugs

Now are you ready for the deal? It's normally $5.50 but is 50% off at Cherry Culture bringing the price to $2.75. In fact they are having a semi-annual mega sale until January 24 with free shipping for orders $40 and more. 

I'm picking up more of the lips spa in different colors, the NYX soft matte lip cream, and the NYX loose face powder. 

 

I did the review on the NYX tinted lip spa only because that's the one thing I've tried from that brand.

Have you had any experience with NYX? Did you like it?

Pop of coral

I've been eyeing this bracelet for quite awhile and decided to just take the plunge and buy it. I don't own a lot of bold colors for some reason but I'm changing that. I think coral might be my new favorite color. What do you think?

Casual pearls

Most of the time customers looking for jewelry for a special occasion ask for pearls, rhinestones, or both. But they almost always complain to me that they are only going to wear it once. Really?

The assumption is you can't wear pearls with your jeans and a casual tee. It's formal jewelry so you need more formal clothes. I don't think you should limit yourself and if you already own them, wear them. 

This is an over sized leopard sweater from Old Navy and I paired it with some skinny jeans and boots. And yes I added pearls and you know what, it didn't look too bad. Remember you don't always have to match every accessory you have. Play with it.

Drugstore beauty raid part 2

There's a lot of hype over the new products coming out from drugstore brands and I was curious when the L'Oreal Infallible eye shadows were compared to the Armani Eyes to Kill. I've never tried Armani eye shadows but that's beside the case. 

These cost $8.29 each but after using my extra bucks and a $1 coupon, I pretty much got them for free. I love the packaging which is clear and simple, nothing too bulky.

As you can see inside there is a grey plastic twist lid thingy which you keep. It presses the powder and makes sure it doesn't dry out. At first I was surprised it was a powder because they are so creamy. They glide over the skin so smoothly and the pigmentation is amazing. After it settles they don't budge. At all. 

I swiped the two colors here so you can see how beautiful and vivid the pigmentation are

(Amber Rush is at the bottom, Iced Latte on top) 

As much as I love these, I can't really use a brush with them. My brushes don't seem to pick up any color compared to using my fingers. I can blend it with a brush I just can't pick up anything.

Verdict: I'm definitely buying more. These are quickly becoming my go-to shadows and they lived up to my 14 hour days.

Did you buy any and what do you think of them?

Drugstore beauty raid part 1

Okay so I had to type this pretty quickly because these sales are going really fast! I happened to purchase two new Wet n Wild Megashield lip colors and I have to say I did not like these.

I picked these up because they are 40% off at Rite Aid and have an additional $1 off coupon which brings the price to .79 each. They swatch beautifully on my skin but on the lips, not so much. I have really dry lips especially in the winter so these dried my lips out even more. Really sad that these didn't work but maybe they would for you.

The whole Wet n Wild collection at Rite Aid seems to be on sale so I also picked up some nail polish. This ended up costing me $1.19 which isn't too bad.

Sage in the City

It dries pretty fast but it needs more then 2 coats to apply. I do however love this particular color. The picture is darker that what it looks like in real life. Overall I'm keeping this one.