ONE DAY ONLY 20% off everything at Beauty Ticket!

Beauty Ticket is a site that sells high end makeup for up to 85% off the retail price! Right now, and for today only, they're having a 20% off sale already ridiculously discounted products! Coupon code is CITY20. Happy shopping!

Smashbox Friends & Family Sale! 20% off your total purchase

Hey guys! Smashbox is having a friends and family sale of 20% off your total purchase! Sale ends May 28 at 11:59 PST. Coupon code is FF2010. Happy shopping!

Shop here!

Up to 50% off Bare Escentuals at Sephora!

There is some AWESOME stuff on sale right now! Gosh I want the eyeshadow collections and brushes so bad but I'm so broke! After I take out rent money I'll have $50 left in my bank account. LOL.

It's limited a time only (according to Sephora). So go go go!

Shop here!

Mini Stila Haul!

Hello hello! Just wanted to share some items that I got in the mail today (I purchased them at the beginning of the month). Stila had a 20% off + free shipping sale a little while ago so I snagged that opportunity to grab the pair of kittens (full sized kitten eyeshadow and lipglaze for $16) and kajal eyeliner in topaz. Absolutely loved the eyeshadow and kajal liner but the lipglaze really doesn't do it for me. It looks absolutely gorgeous in the tube, but shows up as a clear gloss with fine glitter in it. Rawr.

The pair of kittens


Kajal Eyeliner in Topaz

Swatches! From left to right: topaz kajal liner, kitten lipglaze, kitten eyeshadow


Kitten lipglaze on my lips. As you can see, this is my natural lip color with some bling on it.

I want Sleek Palettes

Through the Youtube beauty community, I've heard some amazing things about Sleek Palettes. If you don't know already Sleek is a drugstore brand makeup, and the palettes are very decently priced while containing gorgeous pigments. I believe they cost around £8/$10. The thing is, they're only sold in the UK, and not yet in the United States. Being the makeup obsessed person I am, I really want these palettes. There are about 6 of these palettes out right now, and I just think it'd be a great item to collect and use. As you can see, I'm not the most sensible when it comes to buying makeup. I've always liked to collect things and makeup is no obsession. Yarghhhhh....

Back on track, I decided to google the palettes, to see if I can perhaps by them online. And whaddayaknow, www.sleekmakeup.com sells the palettes and ships internationally (outside of Europe) for only $13.50. That's not bad at all considering it's across a freaking ocean and then some to California. I absolutely love the website; it shows a variety of gorgeous models wearing the most beautiful, colorful, artistic makeup. Love it love it love it! I'm totally going to use them for inspiration when I play my makeup. The pigments look gorgeous too...and the lipsticks....and the blushes. Gahhh! What happened to just the Sleep Palettes? LOL. Well, I'll make the most of that $13.50 shipping. That will have to be the most expensive I've ever paid for shipping, but it'll be worth it if I'm buying a crapload of stuff. Good thing I don't have money and even with my summer job I'd be barely getting by xD Being short on money really makes me more picky with my makeup purchases. Because no matter how hard I try, I CAN'T stop buying makeup, but I can curb my purchases to only buy things I really want. Or at least I think I really want at the time.

Dude, I need to get back to work. I'm freaking screwed this weekend with finals and final papers. *cries*

20% off YSL @ Beautyticket.com!

Hey you guys! Have you ever heard of beautyticket.com? It's a site that sells name brand beauty products for a fraction of the cost! This one is trustworthy, and holds a lot of fantastic products. Currently, you can purchase all YSL (Yvs Saint Laurent) products for 20% off with the coupon code! Coupon code is YSL20. Happy shopping!

Click here to shop!

Face of the Day 5/21/2010

I still get nervous before I make videos, and it takes me a few tries to get the videos to be ok quality. I'm also quite self conscious, and I know better than to go on camera without makeup, at least for now. So here is the look I did right before filming my Luuux video:





Ok, don't mind the crappy pictures and untamed brows. I was trying to get this done as soon as possible.





Products used:
-UDPP
-NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil in Cottage Cheese
-L'Oreal Hip Duo in Showy
-Inglot Dark bronze-y color (sorry I don't know the name ><)
-L'Oreal Collagen Mascara
-L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Liner
-UD Eyeliner in Zero
-Sugar Baby Fresh lipgloss

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.

Recreating MortemDomine's Wearable Blue Eyeliner Look (created to make brown eyes pop)

I have a thing for blue and green when I buy anything colorful, such as eyeshadows and eyeliners. Sadly, I only know so many ways to pull off the blue liner look while still making it wearable. Imagine my delight when I came across MortemDomine's latest tutorial. It's a neutral look with a twist: lovely blue liner. Well, technically it's not blue eyeliner, but the eyes are lined with blue. Does that make sense? Anyways, here is the tutorial for the look:



And here is my rendition of it:






Not nearly as sexy, but I love it :] I imagine this look would also look fantastic with a purple or green liner. Oh the possibilities....

Anyways, here are the products that I used to recreate the look (eyes only):

-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Too Faced Natural Eye Shadow Collection: Silk Teddy on the lid, Cocoa Puff in the crease, Sexspresso to deepen the crease
-Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Zero, slightly thicker liner than usual around the lashline, and for tightlining
-MicaBella Pigment in Freeze (104)
-CoverGirl LashBlast Luxe Mascara

This is definitely one of my new favorite looks. Yay!

20% off BFTE on order of $50+!

Ahoy lovelies! Just wanted to let you all know that Beauty From the Earth Cosmetics (www.bftecosmetics.com) has a coupon code for 20% off your entire purchase of $50 or more for this week only! The coupon code is SAVE20, and is one time use only. While you're shopping, make sure you check out their color of the week as well, which is a full sized jar of pigment that is available for only $2! Color changes every week. Happy shopping!

"Look What I Bought (Got for free)": A closer look at beauty gurus on Youtube

Hey ladies. I came across this article just few moments ago. This is a must-read if you're like me and check YouTube daily and watch an endless stream of beauty related videos. It features a handful of beauty gurus including Fafinettex3, MakeupbyMel, DulceCandy87, and JuicyTuesday. It's also very eye opening in that questions the truth behind the gurus and how it affects us as impressionable consumers. Click here for the article. Now where do I begin.....

I guess I'll begin with why I go on YouTube. Like many girls, I like to watch videos for tips, tutorials, product information, and also for comedy and music videos. Makeup in itself has really changed my life. I've found something I am passionate about, and I feel so much more confident wearing it, but I've also learned to appreciate who I am , and that I wear the makeup, not the other way around. Many YouTube gurus inspire me to get in touch with my creativity, and not give up on my dream. Makeup is amazing.

There seem to be a few .... I guess "costs" of relying on YouTube for my education. Making videos, doing product reviews, and so forth has become a business, and as mentioned in the article by Lauren Luke, "Money changes everything." As most of you guys are already aware of, YouTube partners receive a portion of the profit earned through ads, and beauty companies sponsor these partners by sending them free products, paying them to review their products, paying them to do tutorials on their products, or all of the aforementioned methods. This is a great way to get their products known, but it also challenges the honesty behind words. I've always known that Elle and Blair Fowler were ridiculously wealthy and have many many products sent to them. But I had no idea that they were represented by somebody else on the other side of the country. It makes sense though, huh? How else would they have had a chance to do fashion shows and the like? Don't quote me on this. It's just making me think. Personally, I don't think the pair are very talented when it comes to makeup and hair, but I have always commended them for being so hardworking and dedicated towards their YouTube channels. I guess now I know why. Am I saying it is wrong to be compensated for their time and efforts? Absolutely not. We live in a capitalist society where time is money. But with money, one's motivations change. The viewers may no longer be in the gurus' best interest. As consumers, we have to judge the honesty of people who are paid to make these videos.

This leads into another one of my concerns: consumption. If it weren't for YouTube, my makeup collection would be considerably smaller and I still would have been washing my face with just water. The crazy (actually it's perfectly logical) thing is that the more we see what we don't have, the more we want. In the words of Teresa of JuicyTuesday, "When are we going to have enough?" And that's when you realize that we are all pawns in the beauty industry. We are all consumers who are being manipulated into buying more and more things that we don't necessarily need. This is insane. Now I know how Karl Marx feels. Capitalism is some powerful stuff. I, for one, am always looking out for makeup sales, wanting to try new things, but mostly I want the makeup simply for owning it. I have always liked to collect things, and makeup is now my very expensive hobby. I can honestly say that I am addicted to it. This is ridiculous considering I wear makeup like 2-4x/week, and sometimes even less. I don't use that many products, but I always want more and more and more and more. Why? Maybe it's because there is so much out there, and I want to try it all. But when I stop and think about it, do I really NEED all this? No. Then why? With beauty and cosmetics, I guess we are always striving towards an ideal self. We're surrounded by ads, particularly ones targeted towards women, that tell us that we're not good enough, and that we need this or we need that. Sad, but true. Sounds difficult, but I think the best way to fight this is to accept the fact that we will be imperfect no matter what we do to ourselves, and then access what we really need for our bodies and our image. I've seen so many documentaries in my Sociology classes about boys and girls who live for other people. That is, they dress, shop, eat, whatever to reflect an image that other people will find pleasing. It's absolutely ridiculous to me that you forget your identity by blending into the mainstream culture, but I know that we all do this to some degree. So at this point, when will we have enough? Right now, I don't think we ever will.

Here I am, criticizing the integrity of beauty gurus and how we are all trapped within a world of capitalism--but I have my own beauty channel on YouTube. Then I'm just one big fat hypocrite right? I hope not. Before you judge, let me list my reasons for starting my channel. They are in no particular order.

1.) Money. I'm not going to lie. I'd love to be a YouTube partner, and make money off something I love to do. As a struggling college student, the idea of doing something I'm passionate about, having flexible hours, and being able to do it from the comfort of my own home/apartment sounds amazing. But I'm not nearly skilled enough as is so this goal is probably not going to be fulfilled anytime soon. At the same time, many huge gurus on YouTube are not very skilled. Oh well.

2) Outlet. My mom doesn't wear makeup. My sister doesn't wear makeup. My friends don't wear makeup. So who do I share my passion with? A guy friend. But as a straight male, he is not particularly interested in the products themselves, but he probably knows more than all of my girl friends. Sad. Still, it's not always the same. I turned to the online beauty community to be able to talk about products, things I love, etc. while getting feedback. YouTube is one of my outlets for doing so.

3) I love to teach. Especially if it's something I know a lot about and something I am passionate about. I'm studying to be a grade school teacher, and I'm hoping to be able to freelance at the same time. We'll see. But yeah, whenever I get compliments on my makeup by one of my friends, I get really excited and I talk about how I did it and how it is very easy for them to achieve the same look....and they just smile and nod politely. Seriously man. NONE of my friends wear makeup. I'm kind of alone in my passion.


I guess the main points that I really wanted to cover were that we should question the honesty behind guru videos, FTC disclaimer or no, and that we truly won't ever have enough. I'm definitely not saying that YouTube is a huge evil git that we should all avoid, but just like with everything else, approach with caution and make your own decisions. I love YouTube in that it is a great database for me. Now, I always do research on products before buying, but I also end up buying a lot more stuff that I didn't know about before. Haha.

Okay, this blog is long enough. I'm running on 3.5 hours of sleep and it's time for a nap. Good night.

BOGO 25% off at Bakers!

Bakers is having a sale where it's buy one pair of shoes and get another pair of equal of lesser value for 25% off. Click here to shop!

Free Shipping + 20% off Entire Order @StilaCosmetics!

Hey you lovely ladies! This is a real treat because Stila's got some amazing deals on the site right now, including full sized kitten eyeshadow and lip glaze for $16 TOTAL! Retail value for the eyeshadow itself is $18 so that's a steal!

Purchase $25 worth of products from stilacosmetics.com to get FREE shipping and 20% off your order! Coupon code is STILASHOPPER. This is one time use only and expires May 9th at midnight. Happy shopping!

Free Clinque 7-Piece Gift with $21.50 Purchase!

Create your own 7-piece bonus–FREE with any $21.50 clinique.com purchase! While supplies last. Plus, FREE standard shipping with any $50 purchase.

I love me some Clinique, and there are a few things I need to get for my sister. It's too bad the Clinique counter at my school doesn't feature this =(

Free Eve Pearl Lipstick!

Hey you guys! I have another promo code here. Buy any product from 5 time Emmy Award winning Eve Pearl's line at http://www.evepearl.com and enter promo code EPMD9 for a free full sized lipstick! Choose your shade color and enter the name of the lipstick in the comment box. Offer is valid from May 3 till May 10!