rant: Don't you just hate...

limited edition products?

I don't like reading up on new products only to find out at the end that they are limited edition... The last time I got suckered into buying something limited edition, I still have not used it yet which are the lipsticks and eyeshadow trio from the Paul and Joe 2012 Spring Creation collection (post here) sigh~! And this past weekend because of the Dior's Cherie Bow Spring 2013 collection and some SDM bonuses I  gave in and bought these...

Dior Addict 437 Charmant (LE) and DiorSkin Shimmer powder 001 Rose Diamond (permanent collection, though there were rumors last year that it might be discontinued... clearly, some marketing tactic...)

haul with the freebies

I'm determined not to repeat the mistake I made last year and started using the lipstick this weekend :) Here's some swatches~

left is without lipstick, right is with 437 Charmant

This is a sheer coral, but for some reason looks a lot more girly pink in picture. This lipstick is moisturizing and I like the fact that it gives my lips just a hint more colour.

pretending to be cute~ at this angle my eyes look kinda big...

The purchase with tax was $85.88. I received a 10$ gift card for Tim Hortons and 10$ from Shoppers which deducted the total to $65.88 putting me $2.17 over my MU budget this month :( boooo... I start February with a $97.83 budget~

On a brighter note, I got me some awesome girlfriend. She cheered me up with this love package XD

I really enjoy Bath and Body Works body lotion in Berry Vanilla, however, it is now discontinued, so I was literally quite surprised that she found it for me as well as the Katy Perry Sweetie Pie lashes which I also had rotten luck looking for... I am very lucky to have a great friend in Moose :) 

and... to further distract my reader (you) from the fact that I overspent this month... here's a picture of Aries that I took over the weekend :)

Thanks for reading and have an meowwww day :)

Ipsy January 2013

I received two monthly beauty boxes yesterday one is Topbox and the other one is Ipsy :) This is my first bag, and I have to say I am quite impressed. Here's what I got!

I received a nude colour (Frappe)... not sure if I'd wear it.. but it looks pretty :)

merp~ hair stuff~~ merp~~ 

kakaka!!~ A product I wanted to try but didn't want to spend the money to  find out... so instead, it came as a surprise in my Ipsy bag :)

I enjoy the scent of this fruity-scented lotion! Haven't actually used it yet since I still have so many other samples to use. This is a very generous travel size :)

I'm glad to get a concealer brush :D One can never have too many brushes`~

I really liked the little detail on the bag, I love the stars on the inside and liked it so much that I immediately changed makeup bags after taking these pictures :)

tacky saying... but cute, I'm hanging this card on my curtain~

Derp~ pictures up now... content later? :)

Topbox January 2013

This month's topbox was Clinique themed. I was quite surprised at how much I liked this month's box. I guess I can't really unsubscribe now~ after all, my affair with makeup did start with Clinique, it can't possibly end here... :) In any case, onto the products!

• Clinique Clarifying Lotion in 3 for Combination Oily skin
• Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent
• Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Strawberry Fudge
• Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector

I thought this was a quite nice box. I was very happy to receive a product specific for my skintone, it gave it a more personal touch.

I guess I am sticking with Topbox for another month :) What do you think about this month's box?

New Year Resolution 2013

It's unrealistic, but I'm going to try out this new year resolution thing again.

Last year, I tried to limit my makeup spending budget to $500 for the entire year, it was clearly way too unrealistic for a makeup addict. So here I am again, trying to limit myself and set a more realistic makeup budget for 2013. Every month I will limit myself to spending only $100. If I don't use up the quota, the left over amount will carry forward to the following month. So if there is something BIG I want to get, I'd have to save. Let's see how long I can keep this up. Some rules/exceptions different from last year...

1. All skincare purchases are included except for when I am replenishing depleted supplies.
2. Monthly subscriptions are included in my makeup budget.
3.Warehouse sales are not included in the monthly budget but are capped at $100, any excess amount is deducted off the month limit.
4. Taxes is included in the total, and so is S&H.

No cheating this time. Really gotta save up for that condo mortgage next month :| Will try to report by the end of each month what my makeup spending is... *fingers crossed*

So far, my spending in January is:

Ipsy $15.29
Glossybox $21.00

Left to spend: $63.71

With the makeup resolution out of the way, here's the remainder of my new year resolution

• Finish a book each month
• Get a good grade on my course
• Take more pictures
• Learn to cook a Chinese dish from scratch

Ending off post with a picture of Cali~ :) Happy 2013~~

What are your resolutions? Are you good at keeping them?

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Update: This MU resolution thing just isn't working. No point in trying... I see sale, and I make purchase~ BAH~~ Maybe I should learn self control first~ BLAH~ 01.02.13

Dry lipsticks might mean allergies...

I have always been healthy growing up, however in recent years I've gotten sick more often and I've had bad skin issues and even allergies... I just want to throw in a caution to everyone about lipbalms. I've always loved them however, since last December I've had really really dry lips as shown in the pictures below:

So sorry for the disturbing pictures...

I've used EOS lipbalm for over a year when the condition above started developing. At first there was just dryness around the mouth area then progressively getting more and more dry and finally painful and itchy skin. I had a permanent red ring around my lips that was worst than the pictures... I suspect that I may be allergic to beeswax and so I checked the ingredients on my lip products religiously. The occasional time I am seduced by a lip product that contains it, I always regret... in any case, I just wanted to put this out there because I've noticed that some people have had bad reactions to EOS lipbalms and this could be a reason why.

One other thing I want to warn people: DO NOT over-apply your lipbalms, it can make things worst. I find that when I overdid it, even if the product does not contain beeswax, it can upset my lips and cause peeling or dryness. The skin on your lips should be allow to breath once in a while.

Currently, a few lipbalms my lips are happy with are: Vaseline lip therapy, Laura Mercier Lip Silk and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy.

There are also quite a few lipsticks and lip glosses that I can use, as shown in some of my lippies post. Let me know if you are interested in the list of products that I'm okay with.

Note:  I don't actually have any problems with beeswax in any other beauty products except for blushes... The human body works in such mysterious ways...