Zoya 3 Free Nail Polish Promo 2013

For all you avid nail polish lovers, I'm sure you all heard about the Zoya promotion last month where you could get three polishes for free. All you had to do was pay for shipping. They have this promotion every now and then, and I always participate because it's such an amazing steal. This time was no different even though I have been on a nail polish no-buy for a long time. To be honest, I have way too many polishes stored away and quite frankly, I will never get through all of it. Nevertheless, I chose 3 shades that I thought would be great for the upcoming season.

Zoya (Left To Right): Dita, Zuza, Lo

I picked two bright creme pinks, because I have been on the hunt for the perfect shade of pink for my toes. Last spring/summer, I was all about bright corals and oranges, but this year I think I want to opt for a pink shade. As for Zuza, I just couldn't pass it up when I saw it. I'm a sucker for turquoise nail polish shades, and most of the ones I have are creme finishes. This one will be a great addition to my collection.

Did you guys participate in the Zoya promotion? If you did, I would love to know what you guys got.

Sharing on Thanksgiving (Sephora Haul)

Before I start rambling on, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful hearty meal and spend precious time with all your loved ones :) I would also like to give thanks to all my readers who have supported me and made blogging so much more meaningful. I love you all, and I hope I will be able to deliver more in the future.

I apologize for the lack of posts once again. I know I say this a lot but I really have no other excuse than that I have been busy with school and life. This quarter has been hectic. I'm usually out the door for school in the morning and I don't get back until 7-8PM. When I get home, I only really have time to eat, do homework, and sleep. That doesn't leave me a lot of time to worry about blogging as much as I love sharing with you guys. Adding to that, I still have yet to figure out a lighting set up that will allow me to take good quality pictures in my room that is horribly lit. If you guys haven't already noticed, I am really big on taking good quality pictures for you guys and I just can't bring myself to deliver badly lit photos. I hope you all understand where I am coming from.

For the holidays, I am planning to perhaps do another giveaway like I did last year, but I have not figured out all the logistics of it yet. When I do, I will surely let you all know. I am also thinking about giving my blog a makeover, but I will see how time will work in my favor this coming winter break.

Now finally to the main point of this post. I wanted to share with you all my Sephora Friends&Family and V.I.B Event haul. I hope you guys aren't tired or sick of all my haul posts T^T but they are a lot easier for me to do than reviews, especially since I am so limited on time these days.

For the F&F sale I got the highly raved Laura Mercier Translucent Powder, 2 packs of the Boscia Peppermint Blotting Papers, and Sephora by OPI's 'Looks Like Rain, Dear'. Haven't tried everything yet so I can't say much, but I am going to paint my nails later with the new polish! :D

Looks so gorgeous and it just totally reminded me of Catherine from Strawberry Mochi. :D

As for the V.I.B Event, I went with one of my good friends. The Sephora I went to, I felt lacked a a little in preparation. There were so many people and they ran out of totes very quickly. I still had fun, nonetheless, with my friend. We were both on the hunt for the perfect red lipstick for the holidays. We literally scrambled through the entire store swatching every red lip product in sight. Our hard work paid off in the end :)

We both picked up the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Cruella'. It's the perfect matte scarlet red color. One of the MA's even stopped me to comment on how good it looked on my lips after I had tried it on. I was instantly sold! I also wanted a more moisturizing red lipstick that wasn't matte and the MA recommended me Givenchy's Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick in '20 Illicit Raspberry'. Totally fell in love with it so I picked that up too. I have tried it and it is definitely a great lipstick. Last but not least, I picked up my first NARS eyeshadow in the infamous Galapagos. I'm sure you all already know what that looks like so I didn't take a photo of that.

So that was pretty much my haul. Gotta love Sephora's sales! I hope you all enjoyed the post, and since I spent way too much time on it than I planned to, I really need start working on some homework now.

Nail Polish Haul & Lunch with Catherine

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you will probably have already saw that I did some nail polish hauling because I was running out of my Seche Vite Top Coat. I ordered from Transdesign and since shipping is around $10, of course it would be better to order more to make that $10 worth it! :) How could I resist?

(From left to right)
China Glaze: Preppy Pink, Re-fresh Mint, Peachykeen, High Hopes
Essie: Pop Art Pink, Van D'Go, Lilacism

I got 4 China Glaze and 3 Essie polishes. All of them are creme finishes except for one of the China Glaze. I'm usually not a creme polish kind of gal because I love my sparkle and bling, but I don't know what has gotten into me! I think it is probably because most brands are coming out with creme pastel polishes since they are really in this season. In the picture, the colors for the China Glaze polishes came out darker, and they actually look lighter and creamier in real life. The Essie polishes, on the other hand, came out pretty true to life.

I've only tried Van D'Go, Lilacism, and Preppy Pink so far. I absolutely love love love the Essie colors that I picked out. I didn't take a picture for all of them sadly, but I will when I re-wear any of the colors.

In this pic, I am wearing Essie's Lilacism. I was skeptical at first to get it because I thought it wouldn't look good on me. However, I actually really like how it looks on my nails, and it makes me just want to look at them all the time. The formula is as usual quite streaky with one coat, so I did about 2-3 coats with a minute drying time between each coat.

I really want more creme polishes now, but I really shouldn't be buying anymore since I have enough polish to last me a lifetime. What to do, what to do?!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, I met up with the lovely Catherine of StrawberryMochi on Thursday afternoon for lunch. We go to the same school but it took us awhile to meet up with each other since we are busy bees! I am glad we met though before she graduated. She is so sweet and we had such a wonderful time talking. Hopefully, we will get to meet up again soon and bond some more :) I hope you love your birthday gift girl! ^_^

I am trying hard to update as much as I can with school and my moving situation back home. For those of you who don't know, my parent's and I are moving to a different house so it's been a little stressful since I am not home to help them. Every time I go back to LA, I don't have time to do anything but pack and unpack. I am in dire need of a hair cut, but I haven't even had the time to go do that. Weekends just seem to fly back so fast! So please bare with me!

Review: Fingr's Artificial Nails

This is a way overdue review that I was suppose to do, but I was so busy with my moving situation back home and with school work, I never got around to uploading the pictures onto my computer earlier. However, I felt bad for dragging it out this long since I received these products back in January. So finally, here it is.

Fing'rs Brand Artifical Nails

Retail Price: Varies
Official Website: Fing'rs
Availability: CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid, Walmart etc.

Pros

• Cost-efficient but still looks good
  
• Fits most nail sizes
• Shorties length so they don't look tacky
• Looks pretty natural :)
• Comes with two choices of application (glue or press on tabs)
  

Cons

• Press on tabs are hard to work with

Back in January, Christine from Fing'rs contacted me and asked if I was interested in trying some of their products and I decided to give it a go. I don't usually wear artificial nails, and the only time I ever did was during my Junior year prom. I prefer painting my nails because I can change them up as often as I want. Since then, however, I've always wanted to try out some others since I loved the ones I bought to wear for prom.

Christine sent me 4 sets of their artificial nails to try. 2 sets from their California Girl line and 2 sets from the Edge line. The California Girl line has more simple and classic designs. Great for dances, formals, or just everyday wear! The Edge line is self explanatory. They have more of an edgy look to them. Great for when you are feeling something more unique!

I've only tried one set out of the 4 I received, which is the Beverly Hills Chic from their California Girl line.


This was my favorite set, and I definitely love how they look on. Don't they look like I got them done professionally :)? My nail beds are shorter than most peoples, and they fit perfectly. I am sure they fit people with longer nail beds too though, since I've seen how they fit on other girls who have also reviewed these products.

Each set comes with 24 nails, glue, and press on tabs. When I wore them, I used the press on tabs since I didn't want to keep them on too long since I was going to go bowling a few days later. The press on tabs, I have to admit are not that great. I had problems getting them off the sheet they were on, and sometimes the edges got bunched together, which made the application uneven. Therefore, I think the glue would probably be the better choice for an easier application.

As for durability, I think it really depends on the person. If you work with your hands a lot the durability will probably be not as good compared to someone who doesn't do much with their hands. For me, they lasted pretty good considering how much I picked at things when I had them on, and the fact I used the press on tabs.

Christine also sent me some nail stickers, which I was very excited about. I haven't tried them since they are in one of the moving boxes at home. However, I am sure they will add some spaz to any of my future manicures :). If they perform exceptionally, I will definitely talk about them later on.

FTC Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid for this review, and this is 100% my honest opinion.

Finally Back! & some DSK

Hello everyone! I am sooo sorry for being MIA for so long. The last few weeks of my Fall quarter was so hectic I had a hard time managing everything that was on my plate. I just didn't have time to take pictures and spend time to type up entries. However, I am finally on Winter Break for 3 weeks. I will try my best to put out every single post I promised and the giveaway (yes, I didn't forget) as soon as I go get the prizes. I took some pictures already for my upcoming posts and I will continue to take some more tomorrow. I just need to write up the entries. Thank you to everyone who's still with me and bared with my lack of updates all the time.

As for videos, I won't be making any for the next week or so since I just got my wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. My face isn't swollen (luckily) but I have a hard time talking. I will make some during this break for sure though! I am also thinking about getting a small camcorder soon so it will be easier to set up when I want to make a video.

So here's a recent nail design that I did to celebrate winter :) I am thinking about doing some nail tutorials and DIY tutorials that will be really pretty and cute. I haven't fully decided yet if I will so please leave a comment and let me know if you guys would be interested.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DSK Jewelry

http://dskjewelry.blogspot.com/

So I bought these awhile ago, but I never got around to make a post about them. They are DSK's Lil Plump Clear AB Star earrings. Aren't they just so sparkly and pretty? They look so gorgeous on and they absolutely go with everything. If you ever catch them on sale, pick up a pair! You will not regret it :)

Hope you guys are enjoying your weekend!

Tiny Mitsuwa Haul + China Glaze

I only have 2 more weeks left of my first year of college! One more week of instruction and one week of finals, and I get to stay at home for the summer. I am so excited to hang out with my friends again, and get to spend more quality time with my boyfriend. I hope I do good on my finals. I am crossing my fingers for decent grades this quarter.

I was back home for Memorial day weekend, and I didn't do much. I stopped by my local Mitsuwa to see if there were any new products I wanted to try. Sadly, there wasn't much of a selection as my Mitsuwa is pretty tiny. I only got 2 things, one beauty related and one is not.

I picked up the Morning Hair Fix Water from Mandom. It supposedly helps with fly aways and weird kinks in your hair after you wake up. I've only tried it 2 times, and it's an alright product. I also picked up a box of my favorite japanese candy Meltyblend in Strawberry. They are so yummy!

I've been recently in an Asian cosmetics & skincare phase. I made quite a big haul at iMomoko two days ago which should be arriving next week. I am very excited, and I'll be sure to make a post for that package.

In other news, I also received my Transdesign package on Monday. The China Glaze polishes I ordered are absolutely gorgeous. I've only gotten to try one color so far, but it is truly amazing.

This color is 'Strawberry Fields'. The gold shimmer really adds such a pretty sparkle to it.

Last but not least before I end this post, I've been contemplating for quite a long time now whether to start doing Youtube videos. I want to do them, but I am not quite sure what videos to make or what not. But anyhow, if any of you guys have an opinion on this please leave a comment. If I decide to do videos, I will start working on some as soon as finals are over.

NYX Mini Haul/ China Glaza Summer Collection

So I decided to get off my shopping ban because I wanted to get a few things mailed to my dorm before school ends. Mailing it home is just too much of a hassle. There are a few things I want to pick up for summer. One of these things is nail polish! I have a lot of dark polishes, and I really wanted some fun light colors to wear during the summer. Therefore, I ordered the entire China Glaze Summer Collection from transdesign.com. I had seen swatches, and I fell in love! I can't wait until I get them.

I am especially excited for the pink, purple, and teal colored ones. I will do a separate post on them when I get them.

Also for fun, I just redid my nails a few days ago with the same OPI polish for the base polish that I used from 2 posts ago, but with a different Konad design. I added a glitter gradient on the tips.

I had a bit of trouble for this design as the stamper didn't seem to want to pick up the whole design a lot of the times. It took a quite a few tries to get it to look decent.

In other news, I got my very very small haul of NYX items from the 50% off sale at Cherry Culture. I got very little because I tried to restrain myself from getting things I didn't really need. Therefore, I only got 2 blushes and a sharpener for my jumbo pencils.

The blush on the left is called 'Angel' and the one on the right is called 'Natural'. 'Angel' is a plumy color with a sheen to it, while 'Natural' is just a matte light pink. The texture of these blushes are very soft and velvety. I have yet to try them on my face, but hopefully they will look just as good on the face.

That's pretty much it all the beauty related news I have. Personal news wise, I had a great weekend last week spending it with my boyfriend. My best friend is also coming to visit me this Thursday since she is done with school. I am excited to end the school year, and I can't wait for the next school year to start since I know what I want to do and what I don't want to do.

Well, that wraps it up. I must go clean and read for class.

Mother's Day, CHI, & Nails

Updates! The shopping ban is going great. I haven't really bought anything except for necessities, which I made exceptions for. I don't need to feel bad about those, because I know they aren't impulse buys. However, I think I am going to go haul a little bit before I head back to LA for the summer because it's a hassle receiving packages at home. There is usually no one home to open the door for the poor mail man :(.

In other news, I went home last weekend for Mother's Day! I took my mom out for Japanese food on Friday since Sunday night I would have head back to San Diego. We had a lot of sushi and tempura. They also gave us free honey dew ice cream, which is absolutely yummy! I hoped my mom and my dad enjoyed the meal as much as I did.

Even though it was Mother's Day, my mom gave me a wonderful treat this weekend. My current straightening iron is a Revlon one that I bought 3 years ago. At the time, I didn't really want to invest in anything expensive as I really don't straighten my hair unless I'm having a bad hair day. My hair is naturally pretty straight unless I sleep with my hair damp. However, my Revlon one is pretty getting old and it does not heat up as good as it use to. I had been lemming for a Pink CHI for the longest time, but I always end up passing it up for something else. Finally, this weekend my mom had told me she thought it was about time I got a new straightening iron, and she would get me one when there was a sale. To my luck, there was a 15% promo code going on for Beautychoice.com, so I told her and she told me to order it right away. I can't wait to receive it in the mail.I got the bundle ($139.49) because I figured it was a better deal since I was going to purchase the two extra CHI products they provide anyways. So thanks mom!

Last but not least, I've been using my Konad Nail System lately and these are my most recent nails.

Excuse my stubby fingers, but I really like how it turned out. I took this picture a few days after I had painted them so it doesn't look as good as it did at first. The base color is OPI 'Don't Melbourne The Toast', which I absolutely love! It's the perfect rose pink with gold shimmer.