An update

I am totally in love with these Parasuco jeans:


(click to view full size)


The studs are just perfect, I'm not usually even into studs but the design is just done so well!


(click to view full size)


Unfortunately I couldn't find this pair in the store, it was just the picture of the model that I saw in the store. The salesperson didn't seem to know much about it. First I asked her if they had this pair in the store and she said it was going to be in the Fall collection. However when I searched Parasuco's website, the image shows up on their S/S '09 collection lookbook, meaning it should be out now right? Maybe I'll call their other location to see if they have it.


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Here's a sneak peek at some things I swapped for with Cris @ Diamond Enigma. I'll be reviewing the Korres lipsticks once I get the chance to try them out, and the Bourjois stuff too. She was super sweet and included two samples of her HK pigments which I had requested, and not only that also included Milani Luminous, a longtime lemming of mine. Thank you Cris! :D





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MAC's new Euristocrats collection is out already in MAC stores (not counters). I picked up Costa Chic, a super bright frosty coral. My camera ran out of batteries though so I'll have to take pictures another time. Then again I'm sure most of you have already seen Temptalia's swatches :D

I've also pre-ordered the things I want from the upcoming Graphic Garden collection, apparently it is coming out July 9th @ The Bay in Canada. I chose the cool palette (Graphic Garden), because the colour payoff is much better than the warm one. The cool palette contains veluxe pearl and frost finishes mostly, while the warm palette has a couple of lustres (which have crappy payoff). Also ordered the Sweet Tease Look in a Box because it contains Shell Pearl Beauty Powder, a limited edition item repromote. I can't wait! July will make me broke as MAC Color Craft is coming out on 9th as well, and I already want 2 MSFs and 3 mineralized blushes that are coming out. Originally I had $30+ store credit that I was going to use, but I seem to have lost/misplaced it...:/

And the winners are...

As chosen by Random.org, out of the participating entries (48 in total)...



32 = Ruby! I will send you an email, please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize.


It was hard to pick the best shoe recommendation, I was down to 3-4 pairs and could hardly decide. In the end I decided on these sandals, because the style was very me, the fabric seemed unique, and finally they looked super comfy yet could be dressed up or down.




Congrats Holly :) I will send you an email, please respond within 48 hours to claim your surprise.

There will be more giveaways coming up, so stay tuned :)

Joe Fresh Beauty blush + lipstick

So I finally caved and bought some stuff from the Joe Fresh Beauty line in Canada. I just couldn't stop thinking about how creamy the lipsticks swatched so I had to go back for them :P

I got the powder blush in Pink, and cream lipstick in Strawberry. I also did get another lipstick in Coral later but don't have pictures of that yet.

Packaging as I mentioned earlier is basic, clear plastic (lucite?).





The lipstick has a unnecessarily thick base of plastic which I find annoying as it makes it chunkier than it needs to be.


Product closeups:






Swatches on skin:




The blush has a bit of shimmer in it but nothing over the top. The blush swatch looks a bit cooler than it really is. See in the FOTD below, it looks a lot warmer (though that could also be the redness in my cheeks showing through.




The lipstick is super creamy, I love the texture! The colour is extremely pigmented too, the only downside being that this colour ended up being a bit bolder than I would like in real life. I'll just have to save this for pairing with neutral eyes intead.




So are these worth the money? If you don't mind the somewhat chunky packaging of the lipstick then yes for $6 it is :D

Mmmsparkles + package from Japan!

I fell in love with Mona's Under the Sea bracelet that she made a month or 2 ago, so I had to ask her to make a mermaid themed one for me. After several emails back and forth she came up with this dazzler of a charm bracelet for me:



3 starfish, one whale tail and a seashell = sparkly love



Another view



I love it Mona, thank you! :)


Also, I was fortunate enough to receive a lovely surprise from Nicnic!



She very kindly sent me a travel size of the Sekkisho soap she loves, plus lots of samples and treats :)




Somehow she read my mind and also included Fancl samples (which I've been wanting to try since finishing my DHC products)



Cherry flavoured Kit Kats



These definitely got me "through the break" lol, I ate them for break alright :D As for the soap I've used it a few times and it definitely cleanses thoroughly. Will be testing test it out for a while to see if it works for me! Thank you so much Nicnic :D

Moto Jewelry + Chyi's contest surprise

I bought Izumi's chunky heart bracelet a while back during her Memorial weekend sale. Little did I know she was going to include lots of yummy goodies, plus a cute note :)



A look at the bracelet - blue + white beads + pink crystal rounds + heart shaped dangle. I love chunky bracelets, and particularly liked the hoop in the middle because its quite unique.





I adore the dangly heart, and of course it has to be blue!



Thank you Izumi for everything! I'm looking forward to seeing more creations from you :)


Also, I received a package from Chyi, who was sweet enough to award me with one of her prizes from her Spring contest :)



She included a sweet note on the back of the Denmark postcard and some chocolate as well :)


Closeup of the Daim chocolate bar - I haven't had one of these in ages so it was the first to go!


Gosh eyeshadow in Aqua



Gosh Lets Twist waterproof eyeliner in Grey Mink




Swatches of the eyeliner and shadow:




Two Labello lip balms (just in time, I literally just finished my last one) and Gosh nail colour in Purple Passion




Thank you Chyi! Will do a look with these products soon :D


P.S. Some people were asking me about my skin in the previous post, and to be absolutely honest its because of the H&M changeroom lighting, haha :D Seriously though, just go in there and take a look because those lights really make your skin look better than usual :P My skin lately has been quite red and sensitive, but even today when I went to H&M (yes again lol) it looked *much* better under their lights. LOL :D

Gosh 40% off + a recent shimmery look

First, thank you for all the recommendations so far! One thing though, please note I do prefer more specific recommendations so those may have a better chance of winning a surprise :) Note that for fairness's sake I won't be publishing any entries until after the deadline.

Anyway, thanks to Rasilla, I found out that there is a 40% off Gosh sale at Shoppers Drug Mart today, and tomorrow (May 7 to 8). I think this is the first time I've seen them discounted so much so hurry! If you manage to get to a location by midnight tonight, they are having their Spend $50 and get a $10 store credit until the end of today.

If you can't make it until after May 8 they are still discounted 20% for the rest of the week. I believe this sale is on most of their products, but check with the cashier before you pay. The flyer says the discount is on "selected products", but even the store associates couldn't tell me which were the specific products. Today I bought the Velvet Touch liners and the Multicoloured blush, and those did turn out to be 40% off. Check out the lovely Rae's review of the Velvet Touch eyeliner here. I had to get some to try, since she said it stayed on better than MUFE for her.

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Here is a closer look at a palette I acquired recently, thanks to Yumeko :)




The colours are shimmery to the point that they look almost wet.




I used it last weekend when I went to H&M:






Products used:

Cargo blu-ray concealer
Dior Hydraction tinted moisturizer
Cargo blu-ray powder
MAC Lovejoy blush

Yumeko's palette
Lorac Visual Effects mascara

NYC Rose Gold lipstick
Dior Ultra-reflect gloss in Raffia Orange


Me in the H&M changeroom with one of their Fashion against Aids tees:

Summer giveaway! *updated*

No, I did not forget! I realise I haven't been the most diligent blogger of late (quite an understatement, ha). I'm going to be doing a few giveaways to thank you readers who continue to visit despite that :)

Since the colour trend appears to be blue this season, I thought a blue themed summer giveaway would be appropriate for the first one.

Prizes:



Majolica Majorca eyeshadow palette in BL763
Benefit Badgal Blue mascara
Gosh Tropical eye pencil in 102 Lemongrass
Annabelle Le Gloss lipstick in Figgy (Canadian dupe of MAC Slimshines)
My Beauty Diary Sake Yeast Mask
MD Perricone moisturizer sample


To qualify:

1. Must be a follower of my blog
2. Leave a comment indicating you are a follower, and your email add if it isn't already in your profile/blog.
3. In your comment, suggest a pair of flats/sandals for me this summer. You can include links or email me pictures separately. Must not be high heels, as I need something I can walk around all day in. You can recommend more than one if you wish!

I seem to be in a shoe rut, and only own boots, flip flops, and sneakers these days, so besides flip flops I really have nothing girly to wear with skirts/dresses in summer. Nothing in the stores I've been to appeals to me, or maybe I'm too picky, so I need ideas! Anything you can recommend would be lovely, even if it isn't available in Canada your recommendations may at least help encourage me to look at styles I don't normally go for.

Giveaway ends Thursday June 18, 2009. Giveaway winner will be picked via Random.org, however whoever gives my favourite shoe recommendation will also win a surprise :) This is open internationally so all are welcome!

*Update* I think I will hold off publishing any of the entries until the giveaway has ended. Don't worry I have been checking out all of the recommendations, thanks so much! :)

Cargo blu_ray concealer

As requested by Cheryl here is a review on Cargo's blu_ray concealer.



It dispenses via a sponge tip applicator - different from most other pen-style concealers which have a brush.



Once you twist up the product it looks like this




The shade I bought was 01, and it matches my skintone NC20-ish quite well. The problem I have with most concealers is they are too light or dark, but this Cargo concealer has been the best colour match so far, better than Armani's #2 concealer, or Dior Skinflash 002.

Left eye

Before:


After:



Right eye

Before:


After:



I know the lighting is slightly different in the after pictures, however you can still see the difference it makes if you compare the undereye area with the rest of the eye area. The coverage is more natural / sheer, so it is only for those with mild to moderate dark circles. This would not cover up eyebags for sure.

I like the coverage, but unfortunately it still does crease for me with my right eye, as there is a line there that is more prominent :/

In terms of covering blemishes, this concealer is again too sheer for major blemishes, however it covers most minor redness and spots. I'm quite surprised that the colour also works for my face, as usually undereye concealers are too light for me to use for the other face areas.

Price: US$28 / CDN$ 28

Pros
- lightweight
- easy to apply / pick up product from the pen format
- shade matches my skin perfectly enough to use for both undereyes and blemishes
- no price mark-up for Canadians! Lol :)

Cons
- creases slightly after a few hours
- coverage is sheer
- sponge tip not as sanitary as brush pens (as those can be cleaned still)

Overall, I would repurchase simply because I haven't found anything that matches my skintone and doesn't crease that much yet. However this is still not quite HG status.

H&M lemmings

Stopped by H&M yesterday, and they had their Fashion against Aids collection out! I picked up a couple of things from the collection:









I am considering going back for this piece below...I was in a rush so I didn't have time to try this one but seeing it again on the site makes me want it...





Also, I really wanted to get the dress featured in the ads for Matthew Williamson H&M collection, but did not see it in the store. This is the one:



I'll have to go back next week and see if there are any stores that still have it....but I doubt it. Usually designer collaborations sell out quickly :(


This is another piece from the collection I'm eyeing:



For some reason over the past year I keep going for black and white when it comes to tops! I can't seem to like any other colours at the moment.


By the way, Mayaari is having her second giveaway! You get to pick one of the two prize packs for which you wish to be entered. Its open to anywhere in the world, and the deadline is this Thursday, so hurry! :)