currently testing: revitalash

ok, so i gave in.

i'm VERY happy using fakies but decided to try Revitalash out because my sister and mom have had great results. DUDE, their lashes are as long as my natural-looking fakies (which are still quite long). lol

i'm trying this product out on both my lashes and BROWS! if you remember, i was trying to grow my eyebrows to k-spec (korean popstar brows), which are nice, thick and natural-looking. i eventually gave up because one side never grew out.

first impressions: application was smooth; didn't sting like it does for some people. no side effects so far.

i'll update in 3 weeks, then in 8. i heard you're supposed to begin to see results in 3 weeks, but dramatic results in 8.

i just hope that there are no long-term side effects since this isn't an all natural product like Talika Lipocils (which didn't work for me).

blue day

those of you who know me have seen this piece before.


the other photos from this makeup session are scary so i won't put them up!

currently testing: la mer - the eye concentrate

i love la mer (the moisturizing creme) so i've decided to try out the eye concentrate.

first impressions:
- expensive! $165 (but i shouldn't complain because the creme is $230 for the mid-size)
- burns my eyes a lil when i put it on (and no, i'm not putting it IN my eyes). i think i should put it even further from my eyes. if it continues to burn, i'll discontinue and return.

i really want to like this product... but we'll see.

another MAC coupon

free shipping w/ any purchase. use code: EDNA8

not too crazy about the Edna line though.

MAC: brief hx & fun facts

bits of history:
Make-up Art Cosmetics (MAC) was founded in 1984 in Toronto, Canada by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. Toskan was a make-up artist and photographer, and Angelo was the owner of a chain of hair salons. Both recognized the need for cosmetic products that would retain their integrity under the intense lighting involved in fashion photography. The lighting conditions during fashion photoshoots often created conditions under which everyday make-up either didn’t hold up well or photographed badly. So, Toskan and Angelo set out to create a line that would hold up to these types of challenges, as well as cater to people of “all ages, all races, [and] all sexes.”

MAC first launched from a single counter in the basement of a department store in downtown Toronto. Like the staff now, the employees were professional makeup artists (dressed in all black, of course), who were eager to explain the attributes of the new line. With its wide range of colors and formulas, MAC was an immediate hit. What also attracted customers was the brand's blunt attitude and playfulness that added to the shopping experience. As fans from fashion and entertainment began sporting the brand and talking about it to the media, sales of MAC exploded.

The MAC line includes a broad range of color-oriented, professional cosmetics and professional make-up tools which appeal to makeup artists and fashion-conscious consumers. In North America, MAC products are available in various department stores (i.e., Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Nordstrom, etc.) as well as in free-standing stores. However, not all stores carry all of the same items For example, only the MAC Pro stores carry the black (not grey) eyelash glue and the Antique Gold pigment (separate from the holiday pack). They carry a lot more, but these are just the two items I’ve looked for (unsuccessfully) at the non-pro MAC stores. The only two Pro stores that I am aware of off-hand are the ones on Robertson (LA) and the MAC store inside South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa). Internationally, MAC products are available in over 60 countries (even Israel), with about 750 stores worldwide!

what you may not have known:
In December 1994, Estée Lauder acquired a majority of MAC, and then increased its ownership in March 1997. Now (or as of February 1998) Estée Lauder is the sole owner of MAC. When I first heard about this news a while back, I was quite disappointed because I associated Estée Lauder products to perfume-drenching, old women. But now, I realize that they’re just one baller company who started various decent brands (e.g., Clinique, Aramis and Lab Series, Prescriptives, Origins) and decided to buy out several really good brands (e.g., MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Bumble and Bumble). Good business move, I guess.

resources: prnewswire.com, wikipedia, maccosmetics.com, macpro.com

MAC online - FREE 2-DAY SHIPPING!

did you miss the free overnight shipping the other day? then take advantage of this!


free 2-day shipping upgrade with any purchase.
enter offer code 2DAY at checkout. expires sunday, 12/21.

and remember, the holiday sets are still 25% off!!!

quote of the day

"If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best."

- Marilyn Monroe

make a bobblehead e-card @ sephora.com + receive FREE lashes or lipstick

this is old news for ppl who keep up w/ coupon codes, but i didn't know about this bobblehead thing til today! my sis doesn't know i did this to her! woohoO!


**click to preview**

you actually don't have to make your own bobblehead (or "mistletoe makeover" chick) in order to get the free lashes or lipstick. just use code: WINKORKISS during checkout to skip the whole process. i check out the free lashes -- not that great. it's like the super basic cross-hair kind.

25% off MAC holiday sets! + FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING!

25% off until supplies last.
FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING is only valid today 12/15 w/ code: TB1DAY

thanx for the heads up, amy!

when you're bored

do it up!

wig: "vanessa" by winfrey, shadow: stila & l'oreal high intensity pigments; liner: k-palette, make up for ever; lips: lorac mocktails, lashes: ?? (can't see them anyway here); mascara: givenchy - eye fly; blush: nars - orgasm

innocent & fun makeup

featured cutie: my cousin in law, candii
event: high school winter formal


ok, i totally forgot everything i used (except for the lashes, which i think were by VOV). lower lid glitter by etude.


these tinsel-striped lashes are so fun because the silver really pops when you blink. this adds a whole other level to batting your eyes.

oh, and by the way, sephora is offering FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS (no minimum) w/ promo code SHOPNOW:

offer ends 12/9!

circle lenses - warnings & recommendations

finally! time to update this topic! **warning, long post** if you don't wanna read all of it, read the last few paragraphs.



what are circle lenses?
circle lenses are cosmetic contact lenses that make the colored part of your eye (the iris) look bigger. as a result, it makes you look more alert and innocent, and quite anime-looking. (i think they make you have baby eyes... which is a good thing if you're going for the cute look.) you can get circle lenses w/ or w/o prescription.




(korean actress w/ & w/o circle lenses)

more circle lens photos *here*

circle lenses are not FDA approved in the U.S. (but they are in Korea) so you can't legally get them in the states from your optometrist. however, you can get them online thru international websites (asian sites mostly) and thru private sellers on forums.

my experience:
well, i don't know where to start. i LOVE circle lenses and how they make me look. i've been wearing contacts (regular U.S. contacts w/ prescription) for over 10 years. i've NEVER had any problems with my eyes... until i started to wear circle lenses. *sigh...

when i first found out about circle lenses, i was interested but was hesitant to buy them because i heard they were bad for your eyes. but then i thought, all the korean celebrities are wearing them... they can't be that bad, right? another reason why i was hesitant was because the only vendor i found (at the time) was some seller from singapore on some asian forum. korean contacts from singapore..? ummmm. i don't know. either way, my curiosity (and vanity) won and i purchased my first set of contacts from the seller on the forum. long story short, i ended up returning those lenses because the seller was SHADY. she gave me lenses that were not even my prescription (i got them checked by my optometrist). it was a BIG hassle to get my refund. "BIG hassle" is even an understatement. BIG mistake buying from the seller (username starts with P). BOO~

i did some research before throwing my money to another seller for circle lenses. i ended up finally making a purchase at e-circlelens.com, a company based in korea. the website looked legit and when i e-mailed them, they responded with a kind, knowledgeable response (if you ever get an e-mail response from a company or seller that doesn't sound professional = red flag). the prices on this site were a bit more (~$70/pair vs. $35-40/pair), but i thought it was worth it if it means that that the lenses are the REAL DEAL (from Korea) and that the prescription is likely to be correct.

i received the lenses and eventually started wearing them every day (or almost every day). after 4 months of frequent wear, my vision began to worsen. (i have minor astigmatism but since it's so minor, i can wear regular non-toric lenses.) even my regular american lenses became blurry for me. i eventually went to my optometrist and got my vision checked, and it was confirmed that my vision had worsened... including my astigmatism! she told me that i can no longer wear normal lenses, but NEED toric (astigmatism-correction) lenses. i was SO bummed because all the cool lenses do not come in toric. she also advised that i stop wearing contacts for a while. i was sooo sad but i complied (for the most part). after a week of looking dorky in my old glasses, my eyes began to get better. i then continued to wear my contacts again (circles and regular).

a couple of months later, my eyes began to reject even regular contact lenses. every time i had contacts on, my eyes would get red. since i've never had any eye issues before i started to wear circle lenses, i discontinued use of the circle lenses and just wore regular ones... BUT my eyes were rejecting those as well. just a year ago, i was able to sleep in my lenses (occasionally, that is) without any problems. but during this time, my eyes got bloodshot even after a 1-hour nap with my lenses. WTH?! this persisted for months. i was horrified because i thought i could never wear contacts again. i had my eyes checked by 2 optometrists and 1 ophthalmologist, and they all found no infection or abrasions. so what was it? 2/3 of the professionals told me that i had dry eye, which was probably causing the redness. BUT i've known that i had dry eye for a LONG time, so why would it cause my eyes to suddenly get super sensitive to contacts now?! that's why it was difficult to accept the diagnoses from the professionals (or maybe i just didn't want to face that i had another problem).

7 depressing months later (after giving circle lenses a rest), my eyes finally began to get better. during the 7 months, i pretty much laid off of my normal circle lenses and wore U.S. lenses and a 'safer' circle lens (1-day acuvue define). now, my eyes look and feel like they did before, and they do not get red very often. *happy sigh* it could still be due to dry eyes (or my dry eyes could have contributed to the previous conditions), BUT i am almost certain that frequent wear of my original circle lenses was the bigger culprit to my eye problems.

advice & warnings:
1) if you want to wear circle lenses, LOOK at the water content of them before you buy. most of the year-long circle lenses have approx 38% of water content (vs. 55-58% of normal lenses). less water = less oxygen to eyes = BAD!!!

2) BE WARY of sellers on forums. everyone is nice when you're throwing money at them. most of them are young kids who are filling a demand and making some pocket change. WHERE ARE THEY GETTING THEIR CONTACTS FROM? remember, there are such things as fake (copied) circle lenses, which can be even more dangerous!

3) if you want a safer alternative, buy 1-day acuvue define (circle lenses) -- they now come in 2-week disposables but you can't find the 2-week ones online. these lenses have a higher water content, and are thinner (allows your eyes to breathe more). it's also produced by ACUVUE, so you know they're safe. the down side is that they are more subtle (they do not enhance your iris as much as others, so less doll-like) and they don't come in the cool colors like the others do.


(acuvue define in black & brown.. i like the black better)

BOTTOM LINE: if you HAVE to have the cool-looking circle lenses, PLEASE wear them only occasionally. i seriously didn't see the 7 months of looking like a stoner coming until it was too late.

** note: my thoughts on circle lenses and what they did to my eyes are only my opinions. no doctor confirmed my theory. they all told me i had 'dry eye.' either way, my experience has taught me to be more careful. **

sebastian mousse forte

okay... so i'm a sucker for cute, modern packaging. i also trust sebastian products because i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE potion 9 (their wearable hair treatment). however, this product has to be one of the worst mousses out on the high-end hair product market. or maybe, since i don't use too many high-end hair products, i just expected more...? i don't know.

instructions: "Apply to damp hair. Blow dry for extra body, air dry to enhance waves and curls."

i've tried this product twice already - once with dry hair and the second time with wet hair. both times it failed to impress. unless i'm doing something totally wrong, mousse "forte" isn't so forte.

bottom line: don't waste your money ($11-$14). you may get the same (if not better) peformance out of a drug store brand. **but do try potion 9!**