laneige shining natural gloss

i prefer to wear lip gloss rather than lipstick. in my opinion, it is better to look as naturally beatiful as possible so i cannot image that any set of lips can just naturally look like 'fire engine-red' or a red of any sort. more importantly, i think lipsticks ages a women. AND really, i can wait for that...that time will come soon enough.

currently i use this laneige shining natural gloss in a pink mauve shade. i found it while shopping in korea town. the shade is perfect for light to medium tone skin. there is not much color but if you are looking for the naturally-beautiful-korean-actress look, here is your gloss. :-)

bb cream

bb cream is a skincare/make up item like liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer. there are a variety of brands that also range in price. Currently, I am using two types of bb cream: l'egere (USD $30) and laneige. in terms of color, the l'egere is lighter than the leneige (USD $27). if you have fairly light skin tone then you are better off with the l'egere. if you are fair to medium toned skin then the leneige is better. also, the l'egere has a grayish cool undertone while the leneige has a slight pink undertone. finally, the leneige bb cream feels a bit more drying with usage.



I prefer the l'egere bb cream. It goes on smoother, more translucent, and looks more subtle. i promise to post more on bb creams as i learn more. within the next couple of months, i will be trying various brands from south korea: missha, skin food, skin 79, etc...

e.l.f. cosmetics

Last month, a very good friend (and fellow make up addict) told me she heard about a make up line which had to get rid of their entire stock because they were being bought out by Macy's. Everything was $1! I was so excited, I almost had a nosebleed. The make up line was e.l.f.

I did only a bit of preliminary research on the Net and found OK reviews. I quickly purchased $150 worth. I received the products in record time--about four days. I was so excited! I tore my package open and quickly tried the products: bronzer, blush, eye shadow then plumping lip gloss...Wowsers! I was blown away! But not in a good way--I developed a rash wherever the make up touched. Also, I looked like a stand-in for a community theatre actor! The colors were harsh and there was no irredecent look which I've come to expect in quality make up.



Lessons learned: 1) stick to high end make up if that is your practice, 2) e.l.f. is NOT a brand which is being bought out by Macy's, BUT 3) the e.l.f. company has the most fantastic customer service. Barb from their sales department offered me a FULL refund because of my allergic reaction. Props to their customer service--better than any I have ever experienced at any retail store.





photo credit to google images.

products i have used...

I enjoy trying different brands of skincare and make up products. Currently, I use the following brands: laura mercier, bobbi brown, shu uemera, l'egere, leneige, revive, la mer, philosophy, dhc, shesiedo, nars, pout, korres, kiehl's, aveda, dr brant, murad, mac, chanel, caudalie, l'occitane, and kristine ko-kool.I use a variety of brands. However, I do try to stick to higher end lines. This is not to be snobbish but it is from years of learning and using skincare products. I will do my best to provide informative and useful critques of the brands as well.

makeup looks

generally, i like the soft iridescent looks that are seen on asian celebrities. i really like the well-lined eyes with neutral eye and cheeks then a nice pink lip color. if there is one look that was a make up sin, it has to be the connie chung-look for asian women. i think that look has had me running in fright from over-the-counter makeup lines for the past twenty years.

the looks i aim toward (but have yet to get right) are the following: all photo credit goes to google images.





Vicki Zhao Wei




Vicki Zhao Wei




Angela Zhang