Murad's Oil Control Mattifier

It finally feels like spring here and I am in heaven. Allergies are in check and I recently started enjoying the city again. During the winter I tend to like staying at home huddled under a blanket but this warm weather brings me out of my hibernation and into the wild. Recently went to Smorgasbord and unfortunately,and didn't get any pictures. I was to busy eating myself into a food induced coma. I also have vacation plans for this year and have to get into shape. Started this shake for two weeks but have been sabotaging myself with lots of junk food. Have you seen the ranch flavored Cheese Doodles? Not good but addictive as hell.

It's also been quite a long time since my last post and although I've promised a sponge review, I haven't used it yet. My most sincerest apologies. I have this for you instead. Murad's Oil Control Mattifier is something I received as a sample and have just started using it. 

This product is lightweight, goes on invisible and feels great under my makeup. Although I haven't broken out, I can see it irritating certain skin types. No real scent to this and I've used this a handful of times. Today was 70-80 degree weather and I usually sweat and grease up like a pig. 

 This is my forehead after a wash and lightweight lotion.

After application.

and after powder that has no oil control properties of its own.

This is my forehead approximately 7hrs later with no touching or blotting. It was good at keeping oil at bay because without it, it would be much worse. I'll place a picture with nothing applied at the end of a long day as well. It makes my makeup go on smooth and leaves no white cast tinge, despite the low SPF. Tried this with both liquid and powder foundation   I really do like this product and it's not a bad deal for $40 considering the small amount and selective places you might need to apply. I am afraid that this will break me out so I've used this on my T-zone only and I haven't seen any adverse effects yet. So far so good and I'll make sure to update once I've used this more often.

I've started a potentially dangerous hobby. Due to the ill fitting and frustratingly low hemlines when shopping for clothes, I've ventured into making my own clothing. Haven't made anything but have borrowed a lot of books on that subject. What makes this hard is the lack of a sewing machine. I have to hand sew everything and to tell you the truth, I can't sew for shit. I'l put up some of my progress for show and tell but have little to no expectations. Living in NYC makes fabric shopping a bit easier, so crossing my fingers for the best.

Quick Review for a Facial Sheet Mask

I was going to write a review for a beauty blender sponge like thing from e bay but I have yet to use it. Had this whole she-bang plotted in my head but I have yet to  implement any of my ideas for the review. Instead of the well planned one, I am going to give you this shoddy half-ass review. I ain't telling you nothing and I don't think a "review" is an apt word for this. 

I can't seem to find a name to this package but it looks like this. I think the name of it is ah sa mo based on the red letter next to the characters but not sure. I'm not sure if I even translated it correctly.

Do you want to know what's so weird? This whole packaging is translated into English and that might mean that it's made for English speaking customers but I have yet to see it distributed in the big asian markets. The only reason I got this was from my sister who received this as her birthday gift from my mom. I think I told you about this little boutique of asian skincare store she goes to. If you read the back, it's all comprehensible English. So if you're left wondering what goes into these things and was left with nothing but confusing Engrish from previous asian masks, then wonder no more.

It has a herbal, medicinal smell, not unlike the review for the herbal shampoo I posted before.  Come to think of it, I think they have similar packaging styles and may be related. Anyhoo, this mask came in two pieces. One for the top and one for the bottom. It came wrapped in to pieces of plastic each and was moist but not dripping. The mask also had an odd yellow tinge to it and felt a bit gelatinous to the touch. Wow, how off putting. 

See the two separate pieces? That was annoying. After applying the first top part, I was struggling to see and pick apart the plastic that the bottom part was enclosed in. That was annoying and would be better if left whole. Also the smell is quite strong but I don't mind it. For some reason, when I smell herbal and medicinal scented things, I automatically think that it's good for me and have no qualms about it. As for the quality of this collagen infused, guaranteed to restore youth without having to suck it out of a infant face mask, it's questionable  My skin did feel nice but I don't think that it made a dent in my daily, hard and downtrodden life. Sigh. I still think that the best mask is the Nature's Republic one that I reviewed before. I don't know about it restoring you or moisturizing my face but it really did brighten up my skin. Here is the list of ingredients and the instructions.

God, what a buzzkill was this review? I know father time waits for no one but come on! With my upcoming birthday month, I am in no mood to celebrate myself lately. This  lady complemented me and told me I looked 19 and I almost hugged her in gratitude. I was told that after turning 30, age becomes insignificant but I don't believe them. What a bunch of liars. I'm looking at that age and I just can't seem to stop hyperventilating. I always told my parents that I was turning old starting from age 11 and now I'm here deluding myself that I'm perfect and in the prime of my youth. But between you and me, that's a bunch of crock. Tell me the truth, does it get any easier? Is it because I'm unmarried and without kids? Because according to my mother, that's exactly why I'm panicking. The whole by the time I was your age nonsense. Screw that, I have an active imagination and will continue to reside in fantasy land until I can act in a mature and adult manner. Commencing thumbs in ears and humming elevator music.

Givenchy's Hydra Sparkling Velvet Luminescence Moisturizing Cream

Please excuse me for writing nothing about makeup and writing all about skincare. I just haven't purchased anything in a while. This is going to be a quick general review on the Givenchy's Hydra Sparkling Velvet Luminescence Moisturizing Cream for extra dry skin. I've used this once myself but the main prerogative comes from my sister. When I ask her about it, she just tells me that it's good and to stop bothering her. If she though that I was bothering her then, she has no idea what I'm truly capable of. 

This costs around $54 dollars at Sephora and is meant for dry skin. The packaging comes in a sturdy plastic jar and looks luxurious. It's a 50ml jar and only a pea sized amount is needed.

It's a strong scented, thick but lightweight on the skin, kind of cream that does a fairly decent job moisturizing.

Just mentioning the scent again because it is so strong and doesn't really fade. I put some around my dry nose and it was the only thing that I could smell. I tried applying it on the face and it was moisturizing but it broke me out on the chin. It settles in nicely and dries pretty quickly. Remember the Dior review when I stated that Dior left a nice sheen on the face? This doesn't do that. Once it dries, it dries. Look at my dry hands.

Application

Now, this is the final result. It takes care of the dry flakes but it still didn't feel refreshing and moisturizing.  It just didn't feel dry anymore.

I don't think that it was worth the price and honestly, I would spend my money on something else. My sister would defect back to Dior and wouldn't repurchase. I should also mention that the Christmas gift was a hit and now she's stuck between buying their essence or the Lancome's genifique.

It's been a while since I've written a review and I'll try to be diligent about it. I just wasn't interested in this product and didn't care for it. I would also write something witty or anger-filled but no. It's pretty dull here so far. I already have the idea for the next post and it's just a matter of testing and writing it. Lol. That's the whole thing.

Vacation Memories No Makeup

This is going to be a quick recap of what my vacation in Oahu, Hawaii was like. The weather was a bit temperamental and was quick bursts of strong wind and rain mixed with sunshine. I felt like such a tourist there because the locals were wearing long sleeved shirts and jeans while I was wearing everything short. Tried to blend in but it was too humid and hot to even try. I also couldn't zip up my fat pants by the end of the trip and had my jeans unbuckled during the flight back home. Why did I insist on wearing skinny jeans? 

Just to let you know, most of my time was spent with my aunt who lives in Honolulu and we really didn't do much. We went hiking and exploring the scenery more than anything else. I also didn't take many pictures, so bear with my quick recap.

There was a Japanese festival during my stay and since I knew that the Japaneses population is large in Hawaii, I decided to have a look. 

 These older ladies were dancing to choreographed music. I don't know much but they were so adorable. Do you know what's better?

Children playing drums to traditional music. The tiny child at the mid-end was so damn cute. 

Walked around Waikiki beach and saw the tail end of a hula show.

Saw a Nature's Republic and bought some face masks. I regret not getting anything else but honestly,  my skin was horrible and skincare and makeup were the last things on my mind.

Climbed up the horrible vertical steps to the endpoint of Diamond Head.

Also went driving and went past Hanauma Bay for some great sightseeing and pictures.

This was taken near the same spot and look at the difference in the color of the water.

I was planning to hike up to that lighthouse and we got lost. Instead, we ended up in some tiny beach that had a lot of people coming to surf. The water looked a bit too dangerous for us, the non swimmers, so we opted out and looked to hike up the lighthouse trail.

Finally made it to the top and saw some dude para-sailing  I'd be too scared because it seemed that there was no mechanism to help him get down. Imagine him being still stuck up there. 

We also went to the North Shore and drove around but instead of worrying about the pictures, I wanted to enjoy myself. Hopefully the brain won't putter out too early and I'll remember this in my old age. by the way, Look!

Tasted nothing like Spam. Lies and overpriced at the Dole Plantation. Will be back to more reviews later and until then, peace out everybody.

Quick Updates on posts

I hope everyone is starting off the new year with some great things. It hasn't felt so different for me yet. More like, more of the same. One thing that has changed drastically is the amount of waffles I've been eating.

A waffle maker! I've been eating waffles nonstop for the past couple of days and the frenzy has just worn off. This is't good for my diet. I've been topping these with everything from straight up sugar, honey, ice cream, bacon, nutella and whipped cream. Learned to make pretty bad compared to the pros but decent enough amateur liege waffles and started branching out into hash brown territory with these. I'm just so happy. People may think that it's a bit weird to get household electronics but I love to cook and love getting gadgets and things like this for the home.

Another product that I've been trying out is this Isa Knox skin care set that I've received from my mom. She once again haggled her way into my heart with this set. I've been using it for seven days, but it's been good so far.

I'll be doing a review after more thorough testing and just to let you know, I haven't forgotten about the Givenchy lotion. My sister's been using it but still needs more testing time before the review comes out. 

Happy Holidays (Quick Non- Makeup Post)

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday or if you don't practice a religion or just don't care, a good week. The year is almost over and I honestly haven't achieved any of my resolutions. However, I just don't care. The latter half of this year has been just terrible and I really am looking forward to some good things next year to overshadow all the crap from this year. I have this personal way of celebrating and I give myself a gift every year. When I was tight on cash, it would just be a candy bar or something that I really wanted, not needed. This is just to commemorate how I managed to get through another year without landing in jail or not having gone ape shit; although that really shouldn't be an accomplishment. Either way it helps me feel better and makes me appreciate myself as an individual and wish you could do the same. Even if no one else loves you, love and respect yourself. 

This year, I treated my self to some face and eye masks as well as a cute hand lotion. Excuse the poor quality since I took this with my itouch.

Look at this cute kitty pot. I absolutely love cats and couldn't resist. I'm one step away from naming this jar but resisted since going crazy seems to be settling in early. Could you believe this all cost $22? What a damn rip off. Last year these masks were a dollar and now they're $2-3. I wrap everything up and place open it up on Christmas and I now just can't wait. Alright, enough of this nonsense and see you in the new year!

Baking Soda Exfoliant

I've been nothing but busy and haven't had time for anything else lately. I've also stopped buying makeup and don't think that I'll reach the VIB status this year from Sephora. Going to miss the email and deals but I just have too much to justify spending $300 and over for makeup. Just wanted to show you the Dior set that I've gotten for my sister. BTW, SOLD OUT! Called it!

I got this and just snapped a picture before wrapping it. My sister doesn't know and I've been encouraging her to use all of her eye cream and lotion by mentioning non existent dry spots and crow's feet on her face. I think it's backfired on me because we got a $20 off a $50 purchase and she got a face lotion. Damn you Sephora and your perfect timing.

Dammit. I'll ask her how she likes and review it for you.While I was wrapping her gift, I noticed my extravagant purchase for myself. It's $3.

It's a face scrubber. It reminds me of a toilet scrubber. Ironically, I lost my previous one when it decided to take a dive into the toilet. Fishing it out was... vomit. I usually exfoliate my face before I apply my Tea Tree Oil mask and since my mouth and chin area decided to go dry, I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I started to use this.

I have this in my bathroom because I use this as a tooth polisher. Apply a sprinkle on my toothbrush and I'm convinced it helps my teeth stay a yellow tinge rather than a full on canary yellow. I do drink a lot of black tea, black coffee, and other varieties of teeth staining food, so I try here and there. It's a well known idea that I've heard in the bowels of the internet, that people use this as an exfoliant. I gave it a go and it was pretty good.

About yay amount. I have a layer of soap on my face or make a paste like this...

 and just start rubbing. It can be a bit too abrasive and I've rubbed my face raw a couple of times before. It also left a weird film of something on the face and I've had to wash my face with soap again. However, this really does the job and I haven't had any allergic reactions yet. It's also pretty cheap and handy to just have around. So one thumb an an extra bit if thumb shy of perfect. That's why my face scrubber is still in its packaging.

I got an email that my blog had problems loading. I haven't had any problems but I also am a computer noob so I don't know what's wrong. But thanks for reading, I appreciate that. I had the emails going to my spam folder but I've hopefully fixed that. Like I've mentioned, computer noob.

I plan to get  a Uniqlo jacket for my parents because my mother has been subtly putting out hints for it. That lady is something else. I also want a Belgian waffle maker for myself but no one thinks that it's a good idea. Those fools! A warm, crisp  and yet fluffy waffle with vanilla ice cream on top and a side of bacon, just for the salty goodness, is perfect. Fools!