semi-makeover part 2

Got my eyelash extensions for the first time ever today! Quite pleased with the results; I feel like I can go out anytime now even without make-up and I can look half decent. Here are some before and after shots (no eye makeup):

BEFORE

AFTER

So overall, I think it was money well spent! I have naturally long lashes to begin with, so the esthetician didn’t add too much length, she just focused more on the curl. With mascara and a curler on my natural lashes, I can get the same effect as the extensions, but I just hate the hassle of spending the extra 5 minutes everyday to do my lashes. And another thing I HATE about my natural lashes is that there are a few lashes in the corner of my outer eye that are so LONG, and yet so STRAIGHT that they poke me in my eye! Seriously it bugs me so much that I’ve ended up cutting them (maybe you can see the uneven lashes in the BEFORE pic haha). Extensions aren’t cheap (these are the base set, and ran me $190), but the fillers are more reasonable at $40, and you go in every 3 or so weeks to fill them in. I may consider keeping these lashes if they last a while!

The only down side is that I have to be super careful with my lashes. No scrubbing my eyes, or using oil-based make-up remover (like my fave Lancome!!) I think this will take some getting used to, but no biggie.

Other than that, I don’t feel that the lashes are “heavy” as others say, but that may be because my esthetician cut the lashes before gluing them on since I didn’t need to add too much length. I’m already so used to them, they feel like my own!

make-over…kinda?

In preparation for my wedding which is about 2.5 weeks away, I’ve decided to undergo a semi-makeover! Well not so much a makeover, as “cleaning up” a few things: teeth whitening, waxing, eyelash extensions, nails, and hair cut.

Ok, teeth whitening DONE. but holy crap does it hurt! I’d post a before and after pic here, but seriously, it’ll scare the living hell out of my readers, so I won’t.

JUST KIDDING! You think I’m that thoughtful? HAHA suckers, take a look at my teeth:

Before-

and After–

ok, so first of all,

in the BEFORE pic, the doc made me hold up a pic of this “sample” tooth that was supposed to match the color of my then-current teeth, so that we could compare the colors after. THE COLOR DOESN’T MATCH! Trying to trick me into thinking my tooth was that color! It’s not! And look at the yellow-ish tooth I’m holding in the AFTER pic, it’s not even the same tooth I’m holding in the BEFORE pic! Humbuggery!!

Take a look at my AFTER pic too… do you see that ghastly whiteness that are my gums?? So the Zoom! light has turned my gums temporarily white. Seriously, it looked a lot worse in person. I was panicking like mad! I have a wedding in less than a month, how am I going to smile?! Fortunately the whiteness has abated, but my gums are still inflamed and very soft and sensitive. Eek!

The doc even gave me prescription meds to deal with the pain from the inflamed gums and the supersensitive teeth. You wouldn’t believe the pain my teeth are in.. sharp shooting pains!! Definitely nerve pain, which in my opinion is the worst kind…

All I have to say is, I’m glad I got this procedure done 3 weeks before the wedding so I can recover. Who would’ve thought teeth whitening takes such a toll on the body?

Beauty Box swap

I love TPF!

One of the girls on the forum organized a “beauty box swap” where we would send around a box full of beauty supplies (new or lightly used goods we no longer used) and we can take out goodies that we want! It’s so much fun!

Here are some of the goods that I snatched up when the box came by :

2 L’Oreal nail polishes, Lancome eyeshadow, Clinique eyeliner, Chanel lip gloss, Burt’s Bees hand salve, cute hair clips, cucumber eye masks, Avene sunscreen sample and Benefit makeup case (not pictured).

I should’ve taken a pic of the goods I put in the box, but I didn’t! But I did put in a few full size bottles of things that I hardly used…

There are two boxes going on simultaneously, and the second beauty box should be making its way to me in about… 3 months. Haha. That’s how long it took for the first box to come! It sucks when your screenname starts with a “Y” so you’re almost last on the (alphabetical) sign-up sheet. *sigh* oh well.

YSL Touche Eclat review

Newest beauty buy:

YSL Touche Eclat

So I purchased the infamous Touche Eclat after reading rave after rave on every beauty forum. It also intrigued me that there is a woman, somewhere in the world, who purchases a Touche Eclat pen every 30 seconds. Beauty gurus and stylists everywhere call this a HG. I mean, I had to try it!!

Unfortunately, I had my expectations too high. I have pretty fair, Asian skin, but with dark circles. I mean, DARK circles. Not just any concealer works for me. I’ve been looking long and hard for solutions (skin care and make-up) to correct it, but to no avail =(

I hate how one click of the pen releases SO much liquid. I mean, I have dark circles, but too much of the liquid just makes it look so fake, KWIM? So I end up spreading it on my eyelids, around my lips, etc, as suggested by YSLBeauty. I really like the way it accentuates my lips. I think it has something to do with the light reflecting off the concealer or so. But as a concealer, it doesn’t do much. This may be a HG if you don’t have dark circles, or circles that aren’t as dark, but I personally need something that’s more FULL coverage.

The other thing I disliked was that you have to rub it in with your fingers… that’s okay… except when I do it, the liquid kind of rolls up and starts flaking?! This only happens when your face is sticky though (ie, after other products like eye creams, moisturizers, etc). So I feel like if I wanted to use this, I can’t wear anything underneath.

Overall, I don’t think this product is worth the price tag ($40 for 0.1 oz!!). As much as I love love LOVE YSL, I am not impressed with this pen. Sorry.

more of some REAL women, please

Nude plus size model Lizzie Miller in Glamour magazine! I love it.

Glamour magazine states that they will include more “plus size models” in future issues. She’s not even really “plus size” being a size 12 (the average U.S. woman is a size 14), but it’s great to see “models” with real bodies.

I still think she’s smokin hot!!

Jin Soon M.A.C. nail polish

Famed celeb manicurist Jin Soon Choi has collaborated with M.A.C. to create six new delicious nail polish colors:

Colors (from top left): Cool Reserve, Rich, Dark, Delicious, and Beyond Jealous

colors (bottom from left): Dance All Night, Dry Martini, and For Fun

My faves are Dance All Night and For Fun. Such pretty colors!

free salon treatment May 20th

AMAZING DEAL!!! May 20 – FREE $100 KERASTASE In Salon Treatment + Blow Dry!!!

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May 20th ONLY, Kerastase is offering a FREE in salon treatment and blowdry at participating salons!

There are 7 different treatments to choose from:
http://www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us…available.aspx

Find a participating salon at the following site.
http://www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us…our-treat.aspx

Call to schedule an appointment mentioning this Kerastase special offer on May 20th.

Be sure to print out the invitation from this link and bring that to your appointment as well or else you will not get the discount.
http://www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us…eat-print.aspx

Make your appointment ASAP, because this offer is good ONLY ON MAY 20, so I am sure appointments will go fast!

Go Smile B1 Tooth Whitener

I’ve been looking for an effective home teeth whitener for a while now. I used to use the Crest Whitestrips, but I quickly realized that my teeth are way too sensitive to use them on a daily basis. I would use four or five strips and my teeth/gums would hurt so much that I had to let my teeth “rest” before I could continue. It’s weird though, because I used to use Whitestrips in college and I could go through the entire 28 day program without any issues (yes it used to be 28 days back then!!)

I heard that Go Smile works great and has lesser sensitivity issues, so I’ve been trying this for a couple of days now. It seems to be working great! I *think* my teeth are getting whiter, and my teeth/gums are not irritated at all!

The application is easy, but I still think it’s kind of messy because once you put the gel on your teeth, it could brush away from saliva or your inner lips. Anyway, so far so good, and this will probably be my go-to teeth whitener. More expensive compared to other home whiteners, but still worth it if you ask me.

Go Smile B1 Premier Tooth Whitener– $89 for 10 day supply