Blogging and Youtube Hiatus

I have been procrastinating all quarter long and finals + final papers are just around the corner. Somehow, I have to set myself on crunch mode, and stop with making videos at the very least because those take a lot of time (editing, rerecording, etc.) In case you're curious, my to do list includes

-Catching up on reading in two classes
-5 to 6 page paper
-15 to 20 page research paper
-3 in class finals, 1 take home final

Short list, but very juicy tasks. Gahhhhhh........

HUGE CVS Sale + Haul

Hellooooo thar! =D

CVS is having another one of those humongo sales where select items are 50% or 75% off. These are generally items that will be discontinued, so not only will it be a good chance to try new stuff for cheap cheap cheap, but also grab some stuff before they're gone forever! And ever! AHHHH!!!!

So items on sale include (but are not limited to):

Sally Hansen (lipsticks, nail polish, etc)
L'oreal (Liquid foundation, pigments, etc)
24.7 Minerals (ENTIRE LINE)
Milani (Lipgloss, liquid foundation)
Rimmel (Mascaras, liquid foundation, lipgloss)
NYC (Mosaic eyeshadows, blushes, and bronzers)

Here are a swatches of some of the items I purchased:

Sally Hansens' Soft Orchid on the left and Perfect Pink on the right. I do NOT like these so far. Beautiful swatches but they don't apply evenly to the lips. Still doesn't look right after blotting with a piece of tissue. Hopefully I can still make these work for me.

L'oreal HIP pigment in 228 Striving on the left, 244 Beckoning on the right. Color has been washed out by flash, and appear much brighter in person. You can see how gritty and uneven they apply with one swipe though.

Again, these are first impressions, not thorough reviews.

Give Your Toilet Seat Covers Some Love: Cheap Blotting Sheets

Hellooooo ladies! Well, hello to my 6 followers. Haha, kinda lame. Oh well. I just wanted to tell you guys about a money saving trick for those of you who use blotting sheets on a regular basis. I know I for one like to keep my face oil free, and blotting sheets does wonders for doing that without removing my makeup. Am I willing to pay $10 for a tiny packet of sheets? No, not really. So whenever I feel like I need to freshen up, I run into the a toilet stall. Sexy, I know. Toilet seat covers are free, easily accessible, and are made of the same exact material as blotting sheets you would buy in your beauty supply stores. Not only that, but they are free of fragrances or any other funky things that may break you out if you have sensitive skin like me.

Obviously, it's impractical to keep sheets of toilet seat covers in your purse. You can do one of two things:

1) You can run into a bathroom stall and grab some toilet seat covers whenever you need to freshen up a bit.

2) Cut toilet seat covers into small rectangles, and put inside a an Altoid tin, or any sort of small case that you can easily throw in and out of your purse.

If you absolutely do insist on buying blotting sheets cause you think I'm weird, allow me to suggest ELF Shine Erasers. They're a packet of 50 blotting sheets for just $1. The catch is, shipping is a pain in the buttocks: $6.95 for U.S. Shipping and $14.95 to Canada. I don't believe they ship anywhere else. Just grab some toilet seat covers lol. It's not like you need to run off with a whole stack of them. Just one or two sheets will probably last you a week if you blot 10x a day.

Easy peasey, and best of all, FREE. Yay!

Review: Evian Facial Spray

First and foremost, I will be reviewing this product mainly as a makeup setting spray, even though its uses extend beyond that. So before reading ahead, this is not an exhaustive review on the product. If you would rather watch a video review, keep scrolling down :]

So I've been wanting a makeup setting spray for the longest time, but I didn't want to pay a hefty amount for the MAC Fix+ or for the Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray. After doing some research, I came across this little doodad, which is available for a very affordable price. Prices may vary but generally, two 1.7 oz cans will cost you $12, a 5 oz can will cost you $10, and a 10oz can will cost you $15. Just google "Evian Facial Spray" and you'll be directed to many different places where you can buy the product. I bought mine at a Sephora store, which only carried the small sizes. I guess that was fine since I've read both excellent and not so excellent reviews on the product. May as well try the smaller size first before getting a ginormous one.

To summarize my thoughts in one sentence: I like this product a LOT. Again, I can't compare this to MAC Fix+ or UD, but heck, why would I need to when this works perfectly fine for me? As a makeup spray, I use this shortly after applying all my face makeup. I spritz this all over my face about 10 inches away until I'm covered with a fine mist of the product. Spraying too close to your face may result in making your powder makeup run. While my foundation (without a primer) generally lasts about 5-6 hours before it gets yucky looking, the spray helps my makeup last all day. It will still look perfect when I'm ready to take off my makeup at the end of the day, which is probably about 10 hours after application.

The product also claims to hydrate your skin up to 14% with regular use, and remove perspiration, chlorine, and harmful salts from your skin. It also claims to moisturize, refresh, tone, and cool sun burned or wind chapped skin. I can't vouch for any of these (besides being refreshing), because again, I've been using this as a makeup spray. I do find this really nice to keep in my purse or in the fridge, to spritz when it gets too hot, or bring with me on hot days when I need to be refreshed.

Stila Friday Sale! Free Shipping + Full Sized Kajal Liner with $30+ Purchase

I've heard so many good thing about their kajal liners, i'm waiting for mine to come in the mail! And shipping to California costs $8 which definitely more than I like to pay. I very rarely pay shipping when I order things haha. Anyways, the offer ends at midnight PST/GMT -8, and the coupon code is HAPPYFRIDAY. Happy shopping you guys!

3-Days Online Exclusive Only: 30% off your entire order at The Body Shop

For 3 days only, get 30% off your entire order at www.thebodyshop-usa.com with coupon code STAFFPICKS. Visit the site for more in-store deals.

20% Tarte Sun Safety Collection

Right now Tarte is having a 20% off sale on their Sun Safety Collection, which includes a variety of face and lip products containing SPF. As you all know, unless you're allergic to SPF, you should use products with sun production everyday, even cloudy days. This continuous protection will slow down the aging process of your skin. For myself, it takes some getting used to but I'm working on it.

Anyways, the sale goes on from May 13th to May 30th. Coupon code is SPFMAY. Click here to shop.