Empties #1 2013

My first empties! I definitely did not finish all of this in one month. I have a weird thing where I like to put all my empty in a box. Looking at all those empty bottles makes me happy to know that I have finished them. Yes, I have issues. 

Lancome La Base Primer: I got this when I was a tester for L'oreal. When you are a cosmetics at L'oreal, you get a little gift bag of makeup cosmetics as a thank you: It ranges from Maybelline to Lancome products. Le Base Primer didn't do anything special that any other silicone primers would do. It has very little product and ran out pretty fast. I was done with it less than 3 months. It is also really expensive for what it is ($50). I would never have gotten it if it wasn't complimentary.

Vichy Thermale 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Solution: This is probably the closest dupe to Bioderma. I do like Bioderma, but I personally prefer cleansing oils to any other makeup removers. I just find it easier and less wasteful. Vichy Thermale 3 in 1 Calming Cleansing Solution is not exactly cheaper since it comes in a smaller bottle than Bioderma, but it is easier to find it in the States. It's sold in some drugstore and Ulta. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Cream Compact: I love this stuff! I would say it's merging HG. It exactly what the regular Vitalumiere Aqua does but it has more coverage and lasts a big longer on me. You don't need much at all. I use you duo fiber brush tap it in lightly and buff it in. It leaves a beautiful glow to your skin that is like the heavens calling from up above. God, I miss it. I need to buy another one. 

Chanel Double Perfection Powder: This is really Chanel's version of MAC 'Studio Fix.' It has great lasting power; however, if not careful, it does cake up. I liked that it has medium to full coverage, but during the day I had some issues with caking around my nose. It's probably not a fair assessment because I did use a the sponge that it came with a stamped it on my face.  

Eucerin Daily Protection SPF 15: I didn't like this. It had a powdery feel and it left my skin sticky. I was so glad to be done with this.

Touch in Sol Feel Like Honey Moon Skin Base:I got this in a Glossy Box. I couldn't use to this as a primer. It is suppose to be a primer right? It says skin base? Well, when I did use to as a primer then followed with my regular foundation, it balls up and made it look icky. Instead, I used it as a nigh time moisturizer, which turned out great. It was really moisturizing and made my skin look brighter and plumper. 

Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo : It does exactly what it says it does. It's a really good clarifying shampoo, but I couldn't get pass the smell. It smelled like Baby Powder. Because of that, I could not wait to get rid of it. 

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner: This stuff is great!!! It makes your hair SO silky soft. All those ten things it says it does, it does do it. 

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray: I rely on this during the summer. It doesn't make a huge difference for me. I would say about the lasting power is an hour or two extra than normal. However, I don't mind that it makes little difference because it beats slapping out powder every 10 minutes. 

Kiss Me Heroine Lengthening and Curving Mascara: Practically HG. I'm on my 3 tube of this stuff. It's the only thing that holds my curl. It's worth the $10 shipping...(crying on the inside).

Kiss Me Heroine Mascara Remover: Total HG. Japanese mascara is the worst thing to get rid of. It is practically impossible. Seriously. This is the only thing that works. It looks exactly like mascara but without the brush on the wand. I swipe it on, wait for a few minutes and it slides off like a dream. 

Blinc Liquid Eyeliner: I got this in a Birchbox years ago, and I was surprised that I like this. It has a really thin brush tip. It was easy to draw it on. I hear a lot of good things about Blinc as a brand. I want to try more of their stuff. 

24 Hour Eyebrow Pencil: I got this as a Japanese market. One side was a brow pencil and the other side was a brow market.  A lot of brow products for black hair is too dark or too brown for me.This is the perfect color for me. This was lingering towards grey. I loved the marker side more than the pencil side because it looked so natural. A few flicks of the pen made the my brows look really natural. 

WHEW!!!!!!! Did anyone actually read that whole thing?!!? Thank you whoever did. That was A LOT OF stuff. I hope it was helpful.

Benefit 'Hello Flawless!'

Man, I go through so much powder. I used up my Chanel Double Perfection last summer. Since summer is coming up, I thought I'd buy another one. Well... that's the excuse I told myself, at least.

Benefit Hello Flawless

First the packaging: It has packaging plastic packaging with a magnetic closure. The magnetic closes well. I have no complaints. They packaged it to look like a vanity mirror. It has the Benefit logo on the side of the compact. It's so cute! It comes with a powder puff and brush, which is pretty nice. It usually comes one or the other, but I don't use either one. 

This powder is exactly what Benefit said it does.  Man,  this powder packs quite a punch! It definitely gives a medium to full coverage. I was quite pleased that it covered all my acne pigmentation. I like this way more than Chanel Perfection and MAC Studio finish. Both other powders has caked on me and make my pores humongous. The powder is also really find and silky. It feels as light as loose powder. It's amazing how such a fine powder have so much coverage. I use Real Techniques powder blush and just tap it on the skin and HELLO FLAWLESS SKIN!

There is a few things I hate about this powder.. It's SO powdery! I barely tap my brush in the compact and the powder goes everywhere!! I can see why other people say that this powder runs out really fast. I never seen a powder that is that powdery! Also, this powder does not last long. It lasts at most 3-4 hours. This is really disappointing but I love the coverage. But lasting power is really important to me. 

Would I buy this again? No. Even thought I love everything about this powder, but it doesn't last enough. :( 

Rite Aid Haul

Rite Aid is having 40% off on Revlon & Physicians Formula! 

I knew this haul was happening when I found out Rite Aid is having this sale. I told myself that if I ran 2 miles that day then I get to go shop, and I did! :) 

Left to Right: Revlon Colorstay in Nude, Physicians Formula Glowing Boosting Airbrushing Bronzing Veil , Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Precious

I was thinking about getting Revlon Naked too, but I didn't know if it's going to last long on me or not. I was thinking because of all the rave reviews about Revlon Colorstay Whip's lasting power that I'd try this one firs.t If this doesn't work then... nothing will? Or at least in the Revlon range. 

Physicians Formula Bronzer was totally an impulse buy. The pretty sun got to me.. 

Was there anything else that I should have gotten? 

How to Get Foundation Out of a Broken Foundation Pump Tutorial

What you need: 

Hammar or Scissors

Empty Jar

Your stupid foundation that doesn't give you your damn foundation

Step 1: 

Take your hammar or whatever you can bang with and take the top off.

It should look like this. 

Step 2: 

Turn it upside down and start pressing down against the jar. The foundation should start coming out. 

Warning: It'll get really messy. 

Ta-dah!!!!!!! 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

While Bourjois Healthy Mix is in a coma, I am using Chanel VitaLumiere Aqua. This is a light formula. It is one of those foundations if you want your skin to look like skin. If you have acne scarring of hyper-pigmentation, you would need to use concealer.  I wore this all the time last summer. It doesn't last long, but the finish is so pretty! It has a dewey finish but not obvious dewey. It is really similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix but Bourjois Healthy Mix has more of a matte finish. I would wear this with primer and power my t-zone during the summer. It does have a really strong smell. Grandma floral smell.Thankfully, the smell is gone after application. Whew.

 It has a little nozzle that I like. It controls how much you want as opposed to a foundation with a cap. Even pumps can be a pain (See my Bourjois review). When you use this, you are suppose to shake it up a lot. If you dont, you'll an oil and foundation poop all over your face. So shake shake shake it up, baby! I do what goddess Lisa Eldridge does when she applies it, just with fingers. I find that with fingers gives more coverage than when I use the Real Techniques Buffing brush (love!) I would highly recommend this. 

"You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there’s no free lunch. Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but ­essentially you’re on your own. ­Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine"

-Margaret Atwood