My Winter Base: Skin79 Super + VIP Gold BB Cream

Ah the wintertime foundation debacle. Every year I try to find a base that a) is moisturizing b) has just enough (light to medium) coverage and c) actually matches my skin at its lightest. Fortunately last year, I found something that ticked all 3 needs.

I would categorize 2012 as the year of the BB cream in the US; they exploded over American markets. The only "American" BB cream I have tried is the Garnier one...and I hated it. It was greasy and made my skin look orange. I realized that if I wanted to try this BB cream craze, I'd have to get the real deal.

After some extensive research, I decided to try out the Skin 79 line. They are hugely popular in Asia, as well as in the States with some bloggers/vloggers. This VIP Gold variety is supposed to for drier, 

mature (hate that term) skin types. I have dry, combination acne-prone sensitive skin for reference.

 

As you can tell, this BB cream does a good job at covering redness and evening skin tone. I still need concealer to cover blemishes. Currently I am about a NW/NC 20 in MAC terms, and this matches me quite well. Like most Asian BB creams, it comes out grey tinted, but don't be afraid - it oxidizes on your skin after about 5 minutes to match. Unfortunately I don't think anyone NW/NC 30 or darker could make this BB cream work. It leaves a satin/dewy finish, which I love however it could not work for oily skin types (in this case, I know Skin 79 does another version in a pink container better suited for that). I love this base for low key days, which are most of mine as I am a student. It contains SPF 25 and has flashback, so I would not recommend it for photography. I usually wear a higher coverage foundation for those occasions anyway so this doesn't bother me. SPF in makeup is great, but not a vital component to me as SPF wears off after a few hours and must be reapplied (which I never do with makeup). In regards to longevity, I find it pretty long lasting at ~8 hours. After that point, it begins to look patchy. As my skin is drier in winter, I do not set it with powder however I have tried and it looks fine but has little effect on its longevity.

Pros

+ build able coverage (light to medium)

+ satin/dewy finish

+ is moisturizing

+ good match for paler skin tones

+ blends in easily

+ SPF 25

+ lasts ~8 hours

Cons

+ only one shade/won't work for medium to dark skin tones

+ may not work for oiler skin types

Final Verdict

Overall, I really love this BB cream. It works really well for my skin in the winter, and is perfect for lower coverage days. I bought mine for $15 USD from a reputable Amazon seller, Pink Gelee. Fast & free shipping plus free samples...I read a lot of reviews before buying and am happy to say I echo the great service. However you can find Asian BB creams like Skin79's offerings at Pretty & Cute as well.

Do you own any BB creams? I want to try the Dr. Jart ones next I think.I feel myself transforming from  a foundation junkie turned BB cream addict...

The Liebster Award

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by the lovely Sophie Teresa so that is what I am doing today. I really enjoy tags, so this was right up my street. Be sure to check out Sophie's blog...she recently started doing cooking posts if you're into food like moi.

The Liebster Award Rules:

The nominee must link back to the blogger who nominated them.

The nominee must state 11 facts about themselves, and then answer the 11 question provided for them by the person who nominated them. They will then nominate bloggers with less than 200 followers who they think deserve the recognition and pose 11 questions for them to answer. They must then drop by all the blogs of the bloggers they have nominated and let them know they have been nominated.

11 Facts About Myself:

1. I am currently pursuing 2 degrees and a minor at university (no life basically).

2. Dark chocolate, almonds, and Ryan Gosling are some of my favorite things.

3. I am fluent en francais after living in Toulouse for 10 months in high school.

4. I love Indian and Mexican food; the spicier, the better!

5. I used to be obsessed with cooking shows, especially the Food Network. Now I just enjoy cooking in general!

6. ... < online shopping

7. Addicted to coffee, but trying to break that habit.

8. I can't do hair. Zero patience when it comes to styling my mop.

9. I love to read. Some of my favorite authors are Chuck Palahniuk, Albert Camus, and Malcolm Gladwell...and a million more.

10. I used to play lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and run track back in the day. Nowadays I have to drag myself to the gym. Fail.

11. I unfortunately am a night owl and curse myself every morning for it!

The 11 Questions I Was Given:

Side note to Sophie: Great but TOUGH questions! :)

1. Where would you most like to visit in the world?

Hmm. I have always been intrigued by Indian culture so Mumbai.

2. Favourite lipstick, brand and colour?

Favorite brand is MAC due to  the variety of finishes and colors. One of my all time favorite shades is Viva Glam Cyndi, partly because I went on an all out manhunt to find it haha.

3. Coffee or tea?

Love both coffee and green tea. Oh and chai of course!

4. What did you want to be when you were little and has it changed?

I wanted to be a traveling comedian...yes, thankfully that has changed.

5. What is your favourite meal?

You're killing me! Pad thai I could eat everyday if allowed.

6. Heels or flats?

Flats only because a) I'm already pretty tall b) Heels are not kind to my feet. Wedges are better.

7. What item would you take to a desert island?

8. If you could have dinner with four famous people who would you choose?

Dead or alive? 

9. Handbags or shoes?

Bags all the way.

10. What is your must-have perfume?

Stella by Stella McCartney.

11. Who inspires you the most?

Honestly? The hundreds of random people I meet every year. Bloggers, colleagues, acquaintances...everyone has a story to tell. I love learning about others' lives. x

Ok, my turn to nominate!

MACKENZIE

ANNA

SOPHIE

EMILY JANE

RACHEL

Quite a few British gals nominated...you Brits are taking over the Internet, I kid you not.

My 11 Questions:

1. What was your favorite music group/band when you were growing up?

2. If you could have any super power, what would you choose? (an oldie but a goodie question)

3. Favorite makeup to wear when you're feeling nostalgic?

4. Are you a pants or dress/skirt person?

5. What is your dream job?

6. Favorite film of all time?

7. If you had a random $100 (or your currency equivalent) to blow, what would you purchase?

8. Are you the party type or prefer to stay in at night?

9. Do/did you carry a backpack or handbag to school?

10. Any style crushes?

11. What do you like best about blogging?

Thanks again to Sophie for nominating/tagging me. It's a cool way to interact with bloggers you may not have met otherwise. I look forward to reading everyone's responses! x

-Lindsay

L'un de mes favorites: L'Oreal Owl's Night

As I sit here sifting through La Declaration des Droits de la Femme et de la Citoyen, I decided that I'd share one of my favorite nail polish shades, Owl's Night from L'Oreal.

The complexity of this shade is hard to capture in photos; in some lights it looks like a forest green with gold shimmer shot throughout, however upon careful inspection, red and green shimmer are subtly noticeable. It is without a doubt amongst the favorites in my collection. My first L'Oreal polish as well.

Sadly I believe this shade was limited edition, however if you can find it, I urge you to pick it up. Between the application, color, and price point, it is definitely a gem.

What nail shades are you wearing this week? I am tempted to dive into spring shades already despite the snow outside! x

Blogging Resolutions for 2013

Ah, another 2013 resolutions post. Mine is clearly overdue, and it's more for my own utility than others, however feel free to pull some inspiration or offer some of your own tips.

When paring down my list of resolutions, I realized that a lot of residual goals from the previous year carry over into the new year, such as eating healthier, drinking more water, etc. For this post, I want to focus more on the blogging front, as I have not applied myself as well as I had envisioned in 2012. Excuses like not having enough time and schoolwork become redundant, and I hope this year brings newfound accountability for myself.

A few goals in no particular order...

1. Post at least 3 times per week

This one won't be easy, but I have a lot of post ideas floating around in my head, and they should be executed. I truly enjoy writing/blogging, and mental health is just as important as its physical counterpoint. In other words, making time for something you enjoy should rank high on your list.

2. Acquire a sharper blog focus

If there's anything anyone should know about me, it's that my interests stretch across a vast gamut. I want to represent this in the blog, and not limit myself to beauty/fashion posts. Variety is the spice of life, n'est-ce pas?

3. New blog template

While I currently enjoy the simplicity of my layout, I am contemplating a different template. My small knowledge of html (circa Xanga years) likely won't be sufficient enough, so I hope to learn more about web design in 2013.

So those are my 2013 blogging goals! I usually shy away from resolutions, but I found myself gravitating towards others' posts this year. I hope you enjoyed reading; let me know some of your goals for this year, I'd love to know x

Making MAC Woodwinked Work in Winter

Happy 2013 blogging world! With school and the holidays, I've gone on a blogging hiatus however I decided that one of my New Years resolutions (sick and tired of that 3 word phrase yet?) will be to write, write, write. I need to not get so caught up in schoolwork and expend some creative energy here. But that is another post in it of itself...

Today, I wanted to share a tip I have regarding brassy, gold eye eyeshadow. The quintessential example in my book is MAC's Woodwinked.

Woodwinked bottom front

When I first bought Woodwinked, I anticipated what I saw in the pan/swatch. A lovely, highly pigmented gold with bronze undertones. However, I soon realized that it has a tendency to veer orange on my eyes, especially now in winter when I am quite pale (NW/NC 20). With the holidays and gold eye makeup on trend, I wanted to join the party. I have always loved wearing gold on my eyes, but this brassy, orange look was not flattering. The stubbornness in me decided that I must make this shade work.

My solution? Mixing Woodwinked with Patina (one of my favorite eyeshadows of all time, if you're curious). It is pictured above Woodwinked in the palette shot, and it is a more of an antique, lighter gold color with some taupe mixed in. It is complex, flattering, and I love it on its own. Now I adore it mixed with Woodwinked to give me a nice and noticeably gold eye.

Wearing Woodwinked + Patina with some brown in outer corner

This is pretty much the look I did for New Years Eve as well. The only difference is I added a little glitter on top to jazz it up...a rarity for boring, neutral me!

So there is my little tip for dealing with beautiful shades like Woodwinked that don't seem to mesh well with paler skin in the wintertime. You can apply this to any shadow you may have that has this problem - just try mixing it with its lighter, more non-offensive cousin shade like Patina in this gold shadow case study.

I hope you had a nice holiday and New Years! I hope to comply my 2013 goals/resolutions sometime tomorrow. They will not be strictly beauty-related I think. Thanks for reading x

Update + Nars Sheer Glow first impressions

Hello there blog, long time no talk!

I am a full-time student, so I tend to get wrapped up in studying and work to blog regularly...I've been neglecting my little corner of the internet! I do feel bad about that, but I am a self proclaimed "lurker"...I've still been reading my favorite blogs to stay in the loop. I hope those on Thanksgiving break like myself are enjoying it! I finally have a chunk of time to devote to blogging :)

With my extra time, aside from reading, eating, and sleeping, I finally got the opportunity to go to Sephora. Then this happened...

 

In my defense, I have a gift card (burning a hole in my pocket). I've long been interested in trying out Nars Sheer Glow (left) and the makeup artist decided I should try the Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + (right) too, despite my explanation that I have dry skin and prefer dewy foundations in winter. I was told that Circe de Soleil performers use it as it is water/sweat proof. My fun fact of the day...she was persistent, I will give her that.

Wearing the Nars. Excuse my wet hair

Face:

Nars Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc

NYC Sunny bronzer

Nars blush in Sin

I purposely didn't use any concealer to really test it out. It has a nice finish, and feels weightless on my skin. I would say it is medium coverage at best, but slightly buildable. I wouldn't build it up to full coverage however; I think it would creep into cakey territory there. All in all, I really love it but will continue to test so long as my sample lasts. A bonus is you don't need much foundation for a full face's worth. It has a very liquidy texture (aka gets messy though!).

So there is my first impression of my first truly high end foundation! I've only ever tried Clinique foundations before and of course drugstore. I am a little wary as the Nars retails for $42USD so it's an investment, but having a great base makes everything else look better in my humble opinion!

If you noticed Sin in the lineup, I will be doing a post soon on it as well as a shadow. Those were birthday treats from October. This post looks like such a Nars binge...which doesn't sound that bad?

xx Lindsay

Matte Eyes

What with the several (I mean everyday...) exams I've had over the past week and half, I haven't been wearing much shadow. No time and no point really. However, now that the weekend is upon us and the last test is done, I was allotted some time to do something. Decided to show some love to matte shades today.

Please excuse my scary brows; been neglecting them too. (big no no)

Eyes: MAC Quarry all over lid, MAC Copperplate in the crease/outer corner

Physician's Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner in black (my HG, no contest)

Maybelline The Falsies mascara in black, waterproof

Quarry and Copperplate are some of my favorite shades from MAC. Copperplate is a Matte 2 formula, which are my favorites; they are pigmented and so smooth aka easy to work with. I never used to gravitate towards matte shadows before except for the crease but I liked how this look came out. It looked interesting but professional; I think if you work in a conservative office, matte shadows would be a great thing to invest in. It's not a ton of color going on, however I think the purple undertones of Quarry make it more fun than say a wash of medium brown (but I still love my browns!).

Do you rock matte eyes or prefer shimmer/satin finishes? I'd love links to some of your matte EOTDs!