MAC Glamour Daze Collection Haul!

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry the blog hasn't been seeing a lot of love lately, but the weather here has been awful and I haven't really been able to find good lighting to take photographs. Luckily though the weather let up for a little bit today and I snapped some photos of some products I picked up from one of MAC's new collections, Glamour Daze!

- Easy Manner Blush

- Evening Grey, Stolen Moment, and Round Midnight eyeshadows

- Catch My Eye Fluidline

- Talk Softly to Me and Deliciously Demure lip glasses

- Innocence and Outrageously Fun lipsticks

- All for Glamour Touch Up Kit

I am in love with the packaging for this collection! Though the items in this collection are quite expensive, especially with the face kits, I think that you can really see where your money is going in terms of packaging. Some of the other eyeshadow kits didn't interest me because even though the packaging was beautiful, the quality of the eyeshadows themselves were just not worth it, in my opinion. I'm really excited to test all these out and will definitely try to have reviews up as soon as possible!

And since we were on the topic of the weather earlier, I just want to wish all of you east-coasters good luck in the face of the hurricane. Stay safe guys! <3

I'm a Guest Poster!

Hi everyone! Today's post is really going to be a very quick one since I just wanted to let you guys know that I recently wrote a guest post over at another beauty blog, The Beauty of Louise. She writes great reviews and has a ton of new guest posts up lately, so you should definitely go check it out. If you want to read my post about my tips for oily skin, just click here! :)

Hope you guys have had a great week, and I'll see you soon. xx

Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat

It was only a few months ago that I first heard about the new base and top coats released by Revlon as part of their permanent range of nail polish. Until I saw these at Target when I was visiting LA over the summer I had never tried any of Revlon's nail range before, primarily because I hadn't heard that much about it and I didn't really know what to expect. Honestly at that point I'd come to expect less of drugstore nail polishes simply because the ones that I had tried had been total let-downs, so I wasn't in a hurry to try any others. But, I had heard so much about the base coat that I decided it might be worth giving it a shot. 

I'm so glad that I caved and bought this because it's the best base coat I've ever tried! That's a really bold claim but the truth is that my nail polish lasts infinitely longer when I use this, even when compared to my higher end base coats from China Glaze, OPI, Chanel, etc.

Though the brush is a bit more flimsy compared to the brushes of my other nail polishes I don't find that it makes application any more difficult than it would be normally. The base still goes on almost totally clear and dries down to a satin finish very quickly so I can start painting my nails almost immediately, which I love. It's also quite good at preventing yellowing - since it's fall I've been using a lot of darker colors on my nails, which can sometimes cause your nails to turn yellow, but this base coat really helps to stop that from happening at all. Granted, however, this is the case with almost all of my base coats.

What I really love about this, though, is the way it grabs on to the color and makes it last for ages. Below I've posted a picture of my nails over a week after I painted them. Usually my nail polish will last for about three days before it starts to show signs of wearing at the tips and it starts to chip/flake off, but with this my nail polish lasts with only minor tip wearing until I remove it. This is ideal for people like me who don't always have time to paint their nails every few days but don't want to go without it, either.

Needless to say, Revlon has me totally convinced of their capability when it comes to nail polishes so I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for their future releases soon.

My 5 Minute Face

A sad truth of life is that you don't always as much time to get ready in the morning as you would like. Since I'm a junior in high school, this kind of thing happens a lot, particularly if I haven't gotten much sleep the night before and I end up sleeping in a bit. On days like that, I usually follow a routine similar to this.

Dior Diorshow Pure Compact Makeup (#200)

Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in 'Pink'

Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Grape Vine'

Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in 'Espresso'

Urban Decay 24/7 glide On Eye Pencil in 'Zero'

Agnes b. Mascara Crescendo

If I haven't gotten much sleep my skin is usually paler than usual (which, to be frank, is already very pale) and can be red and splotchy, so I need some coverage to even out my skin tone so that I don't look unhealthy when I go out. And since I have all that coverage my natural flush doesn't show through as much so I like to enhance it with a bit of blush. For my eyes, I still want them to look defined but I don't have much time, so I'll usually just tightline my upper and lower waterlines and maybe smudge a bit into my upper lash line. This mascara also curls your lashes for you so if you don't have time to curl your lashes with an actual curler, it's fine! A tinted brow gel also means you don't have to spend a long time filling in your brows so running a bit of this through your brows defines them lightly and in a shorter amount of time. The tinted lip balm is something you can just swipe on and go, and you can toss it in your bag to take with you, too. 

How does your makeup routine change when you're pressed for time? 

Six Degrees of Separation (Playlist #3)

Hi everyone! It's been ages since I've posted anything and I'm so sorry for that, but this week has just been crazy busy and I haven't had a lot of time to focus on this. I missed a few days of school last week and have been spending hours just trying to make up all the work I missed. Anyway, the blog will be back to its normal posting schedule starting tomorrow, but I wanted to post a playlist for you guys today to apologize for being so absent!



The Script recently came out with a new album and while it's not the most amazing thing I've ever heard, this is my favorite song from it and it's incredible, I'm so obsessed! This is the clean version of it just because I don't want to have a lot of language here on the blog just in case there are any young girls (or guys) reading.



Taylor Swift also recently came out with her new album and I'm also obsessed. This is one of the first songs she released before her album officially came out and it's by far my favorite on the album. Plus, how gorgeous does she look on the cover here?



I've been really loving Andrew Belle recently, ever since I went on a Andrew Belle buying spree a few days ago and I haven't been able to stop listening to these songs. He has a very distinct sound and while it might not be for everyone, I find it really calming.



I love Benjamin Francis Leftwich and I think this might be my favorite song of his. It's constantly on repeat on my phone and I can't stop listening to it! It's one of those songs that makes me happy once I hear it and the music video is so sweet!



The same goes for this song. The music video is so adorable and makes me think of Peter Pan which is one of my favorite stories of al time! The song is just so upbeat and it's very indie, but that's very much my type of music.

That's all for this playlist! I hope you guys enjoy the songs and let me know if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them. :)

NARS Ophelia Lip Gloss

I'm not usually a big lip gloss kind of girl, and when I do wear lip gloss I prefer creamy, non-sticky ones compared to those with high shimmer and frost. NARS has been, for quite some time, the most reliable brand for me in that respect. Before I tried their lip glosses I'd always heard rave reviews about them, so today I wanted to show you the first NARS lip gloss I ever bought for myself!

 

The NARS 'Ophelia' Lip Gloss is a very pretty medium pink color that goes on sheer. It has the teeniest bit of shimmer in it but on the lips it doesn't translate so much as shimmer as it does as a high gloss. It makes my lips a bit fuller as well, so I really like that! I love to wear this alone on days when I feel like my lips are too dry for lipstick because it matches the natural shade of my lips really well so it's one of those "my lips but better" shades for me. On top of lipsticks this seems almost clear but lends the slightest hint of warmth to the color. The NARS lip glosses are so perfect for me because they're such beautiful colors but they're completely non-sticky and sheer, which is exactly how I like my glosses to be. I will say that they have a bit of an odd smell and taste to them, kind of fake and plastic-y, but that's something I can deal with.

One of my favorite things about the NARS lip glosses is the packaging. I love the small doefoot applicator because it means that the lip gloss won't smear all over my mouth and look messy, and I absolutely adore the matte finish of the tube. It's semi-opaque so it looks classy but also allows you to see the color of the gloss inside and how much of it is left.

I actually happened to be wearing this on my lips today so I thought I'd snap a quick photo of it so that you guys can see how it looks on me!

This gloss is so gorgeous and classic, it may even be - dare I say it? - my favorite lip gloss of all time. Ophelia is one of three NARS lip glosses that I own and all three of them definitely make me want to pick up more in the future.

What do you think of this color? Which NARS lip gloss is your favorite?


Makeup in photo: 
Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo 'Ash Brown'
MAC Brow Set
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil 'Zero'
MAC Eyeshadow 'Semi-Precious' (LE)
Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow 'Bone'
Agnes b. Mascara Crescendo
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush 'Pink Frosting'
NARS Lip Gloss 'Ophelia'

Wishlist #1

1. Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipsticks

2. Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

3. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

4. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm

5. RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

I've wanted to try the Tarte lipsticks ever since I first heard about them. I've only heard amazing things so I have high expectations when I get my hands on some! The Urban Decay foundation is one I've been coveting since its release and I really would love to try it, though I'm not sure what to expect since I've never tried their foundations before. The Liz Earle cleanser and the Emma Hardie cleansing balm are two products I've heard endless things about since I started blogging so of course I would love to try them. Lastly, the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer is something I've been obsessed with since I heard about it on Messy Wands. I wish I knew where I could get some for myself!

Face Off: MAC vs. Make Up For Ever Translucent Finishing Powders

There are so many products in the beauty industry that there are bound to be a few products that often get compared with one another. Because of that I wanted to start this Face Off series where I'll compare two (sometimes maybe more) products that are often dubbed as dupes for one another, so you guys can see how they're similar, how they're different, and which one I prefer.

For today's (and the first Face Off!) post I wanted to compare the MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder with the Make Up For Ever Microfinish HD Powder.

Packaging wise, they're almost identical. Both come in loose form (though MAC recently launched a pressed version of theirs) and are extremely finely-milled white powders. In my opinion they both create a really flawless finish when applied over foundation though I do find that the MUFE one photographs better - as it should, considering the fact that the HD line of cosmetics is meant for photography. I don't find that one of them lasts longer than the other as they both leave my skin matte and extend the wear of my foundation. It seems almost impossible to get either one of these powders to leave your makeup feeling thick or cakey, which is something I love about both of them.

It should be noted however that while the MUFE powder is more expensive at $32USD, it also contains 0.35oz of product as compared to the MAC powder which only contains 0.28oz at $24USD. Besides that difference, I don't really see how one of these products is better than the other. That might be a bit of a lame conclusion but the truth is that I love both of these so much and would pick either one of them if I was forced to choose. I suppose, though, that the MUFE gets a little bit more of a bump since it photographs so beautifully while the MAC one can make me look a little ashy at times, depending on the lighting.

What do you think of this new series? Which products do you think I should feature in the next Face Off?

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain

I first heard about YSL's new line of lip stains/lipsticks from FleurDeForce a few months ago. Having only ever admired my mother's impressive collection of their lipsticks, I had never owned one myself. Luckily my mother shares my love for new lip products so when I told her about the release we rushed over to a YSL counter as soon as we had time and we both fell in love with these products almost instantly!

These are some of the most intensely pigmented, long-wearing lip formulas I've ever had the pleasure of testing out. They come in gorgeous packaging with the signature gold top and YSL logo as well as a heart-shaped doefoot applicator which makes using these extremely easy. My problem as I type this post up is that I'm not quite sure what to call them - their name implies a wet lip stain formula, but I find these more like liquid lipsticks in terms of color payoff and texture, though these do have the staying power of a lip stain. That's probably why I love them so much though. Intensely pigmented as they are, they glide on your lips almost effortlessly and feel slick and glossy but not sticky. They last ages as well! I wore one of these to a party a few weeks ago and it lasted the whole night, which included a meal, and still looked the same as it did when I first applied it even after the event was over.

L to R: #11, #14, #15, #19

These come in so many different colors that range from deep plummy shades to bright reds and fuchsias, and cover everything in between. Beautiful to wear and beautiful to look at, what else could you ask for? These were everything I expected them to be and more. I don't think I can say enough good things about them! If you haven't tried these out, I highly recommend checking them out at a counter next time you're near one. They are pricey, but in my opinion they're completely worth the splurge.

CoverGirl 'Tapestry Taupe' Eyeshadow

It was only a few months ago that I first tried drugstore makeup from the States. I know, I know, it seems a little ridiculous, but truth be told before February I hadn't been back to the US in years and the last time I was there I had no interest in makeup whatsoever. I visited DC for an Model United Nations conference that I was participating in and of course the first thing I did when I had a little spare time was run to the drugstore! The first thing I purchased was a CoverGirl eyeshadow called Tapestry Taupe, which may just be one of the most talked-about drugstore products ever.

 

I knew straightaway that I would love this product. After all, I figured there must be a reason everyone loved this eyeshadow. It's a gorgeous shimmery taupe color that leans more gray on me than anything else, though there is a slight tinge of purple in it that really makes it bring out my dark brown eyes. It's a very cool color which is another reason I think it looks really great on my also cool skin tone. I love the way this looks as an all-over lid color and it's very easy to use as well. It's surprisingly smooth for a drugstore product and very pigmented, much more so than I initially expected it to be. This also pairs extremely well with another drugstore product, the Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe. I love to use Tough as Taupe as a base with this shadow on top - the base really helps to make this color pop and enhances the gray in the color. It can also be used over a purple cream base to bring out those undertones. 

 

For the price, I think this is a fantastic product, especially when you consider that you get 0.09oz of product as compared to MAC's eyeshadows which are 0.05oz each. If you don't already have this in your arsenal of drugstore products, I highly suggest you pick it up. It's a great fall color to use as a wash of color on the lids or even as a liner for the upper and lower lashlines - it gives such a gorgeous effect! This has made me a fan of CoverGirl eyeshadows and I will definitely be trying (and reviewing!) more in the future.

Perfume Haul!

On my way back from Japan, I was perusing the aisles of the airport shopping mall and found some things that I really liked! Having bought so much makeup already in department stores and small Japanese boutiques, I wasn't really looking for more makeup. However, I found three perfumes that I really loved and have been wanting to try.

Ralph Lauren Polo for Women #2 is one that I've been wanting to buy for a while. I first tried it out about a year ago and have loved it ever since. I was debating between getting this one and #1 but when I found the Ralph by Ralph Lauren perfume I decided on the one that I bought because Ralph and #1 smelled somewhat similar to me. Both have a very fresh fruity scent while #2 is much sweeter.

I also bought Fame by Lady Gaga. I fell in love with the packaging on sight and was really intrigued by the black fluid in the bottle. While the scent is not one I would have expected from Gaga (it's surprisingly subdued), I love it! It's fruity and sweet and fades into a really comfortable scent on my skin after a few hours. I haven't opened my box yet but I did try it at the airport. I can't wait to open my box!

The last perfume that I bought is Jo Malone's new fragrance, Blackberry and Bay. This smells so yummy, I can't get enough of it! My mom pre-ordered this for me a couple weeks ago and it arrived yesterday, so I haven't used it yet either. Still, I've sampled it at the store and it is incredible. Such a great fall scent!

Reviews to come soon, guys! Hope you're all doing well :)

Dot by Marc Jacobs

Being familiar with my love of perfume, my friend gifted me this new fragrance by Marc Jacobs on my birthday in August. The only other perfume I'd tried from the line was the Daisy Eau So Fresh one, which I absolutely love, but I've always adored the packaging of his perfumes. I initially thought that this perfume was inspired by ladybugs, especially given the packaging, but supposedly it was inspired by Jacobs' love  of polka dots.

The top notes of this perfume are red berries, dragon fruit, and sweet honeysuckle, followed by jasmine, coconut water, and orange blossom. It's rounded out with base notes of vanilla, driftwood, and a sensual musk. On me this scent tends towards the fruity and sweet notes, and I don't really get much of the floral even after this has been on my skin for a few hours. I love that, though, because floral scents are not usually my cup of tea but floral/sweet ones are right up my alley. The thing that I love most about the fragrance is that it lasts ages on me. Usually my problem with perfumes is that none of them stay on my skin for very long so I have to bring around a sample size to touch it up throughout the day, but with this one I don't have to.

I'm also in love with the packaging. It's not for everyone and I can understand that, but to me it's fun and girly. It can be a little bulky and it's definitely not portable, but I don't usually bring perfumes around with me when I travel, and if I do they're sample sizes, so that doesn't matter much to me. It looks pretty on my shelf and that's all I need to know!

Have you tried Dot? What do you think about it?

Sigma Sigmax Brushes

I'll admit, I had never heard of Sigma brushes until I started watching YouTube videos two-three years ago. Growing up in a city like Hong Kong, most of the brands I had been exposed to were high end and very expensive, so the idea of affordable brushes was almost inconceivable to me. Dramatic, I know, but it's true. When I started watching YouTube I heard everyone raving about these Sigma brushes so I decided to look them up and have been wanting to try them ever since. 

A few months ago I finally bit the bullet and ordered two brushes from their then-new Sigmax line of brushes which are made with synthetic bristles and are supposed to be used especially with cream products. First of all I have to say that I was very pleased with their service - they offer shipping worldwide so I didn't have to go through multiple channels of family friends to get them here. I remember there was also a problem with my order that necessitated talking to one of the Sigma employees and the woman I spoke to was very friendly and informative. After all that was sorted out, my brushes arrived surprisingly quickly considering the international shipping, so I'm very happy with their customer service.

The first brush I ordered was the F86 Tapered Kabuki brush which I thought would be nice to use with cream highlighters. When it came, though, I saw how big it really was and realized it wouldn't work for highlighters. I found that this works pretty well with liquid and cream foundations. The tapered brush really allows you to work the foundation in around your nose and under your eyes, though it was a little awkward to get used to at first since I wanted to use it like a buffing brush and couldn't, really. I did try this with a cream blush and bronzer and I have to admit that its best used with foundation, as it can cause your blush and bronzer to apply a little streakily and is more difficult to blend that than foundation. 

The second brush I ordered was the P82 Precision Round brush which I wanted to use with my concealer and I have to say I absolutely love this brush for applying my concealer! It honestly makes it so easy to apply and blend, and because it's so small it really allows you to be precise with your concealer application. It can be a little hard to use for undereye concealers but I still found it okay. I did try this with a cream highlighter and I really liked to use it for that purpose as well, especially if you have a smaller face and thin cheekbones. This is really nice for sparingly applying foundation as well if you don't need as much coverage over your entire face. 

As you can see there's a pretty big difference in the size of these two brushes which is why you can't really use them interchangeably, you need to have distinct purposes for each brush. The bristles of both these brushes are very soft, much more so than I initially expected, though they are very densely packed which is why they're made to use with cream products rather than powder products. Another thing I really liked about these brushes is that they were really easy to clean, whether with my MAC Brush Cleanser or with baby shampoo. They take a while to try though if you deep clean them since they are so dense, but as long as you leave them overnight it should be fine. 

Overall I was really happy with my Sigmax experience and would definitely repurchase brushes from this line, though because I have oily skin I prefer to use powder products and don't need to buy the whole range. 

Have you tried the Sigmax brushes? What did you think of them? 

September 2012 Favorites!

bareMinerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer

Make Up For Ever HD Primer

MAC Briar Rose Beauty Powder (limited edition - sorry guys!)

EOS Lemon Drop Lip Balm

The Body Shop Brow and Lash Gel

Tarana Tarantino Broken Doll Eye Dream Highlight Hyperliner

Clinique Shy Honey Almost Lipstick

Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path Eau de Toilette

Some of the products here are quite old, such as the BBW Moonlight Path and the brow gel from TBS. Rest assured, they haven't gone bad and are still working as well as ever. I love Moonlight Path for fall/winter because it's one of the few muskier scents that I really enjoy, especially because it's quite light which makes it perfect for day or night. I used to hate the brow gel from the Body Shop because I thought it didn't really help to keep my brows in place at all but I realized at the beginning of the month that that was because I wasn't using it right (whoops). 

I love the Tarana Tarantino liner for my lower waterline because it really helps to open up my eyes and as a high school junior I need all the help I can get to look more awake! The Clinique lipstick is really more like a tinted lip balm, it has less color than the Revlon Lip Butters but is more moisturizing and wears really comfortably. When I'm not wearing that I've been just using my EOS lip balm, an old favorite of mine, to keep my lips hydrated as we move into the colder months. 

I bought the Prime Time eyelid primer a few months ago when bareMinerals first opened a counter here in Hong Kong and I didn't really use it much until last month, but since then I've loved it! It goes on colorless and feels very smooth and velvety on my lids in addition to keeping my shadows in place all day. I don't think it helps as much as other primers in the way of making the shadows pop, though. I've been using my HD primer recently as it gets colder because it gives my skin a little boost of hydration which is much needed in the fall/winter months. I've photographed just a small sample bottle I got when I purchased my Aqua Rouges (reviewed here). Finally, my Briar Rose beauty powder is one of my favorite blushers for fall because it's a bit of a deeper rose color but isn't too dark for my skin tone, so it's a great transition color into the cooler months. 

What were some of your favorite products in September?

September 2012 Empties

I've decided to make this type of post a regular monthly feature on my blog. So every month, in addition to my favorite products of the month, I'll also show you guys what I've used up as a way for you guys to know that I really do use my makeup and also for my own personal record.

I used up more products than I expected to during the month of September, which was a really pleasant surprise for me. I feel like I buy so much, my products just kind of accumulate and then it becomes difficult for me to use things up. This month, however, I managed to use up:

Philip B Scent of Sante Fe Balancing Shampoo

LUSH Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Cream Wash

Dr. Wu AcneCur Pore Refining Serum with Evermat

Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

Jill Stuart Sugar Lip Scrub

Agnes b. Volum'Up Curl Mascara

Crazylibellule and the Poppies Vanilla Fruit Sorbet & Shanghaijava Ananas Imperial Perfume Sticks

The reason I was able to use up two shampoos is that I've been using them in conjunction with one another for a while. I use them alternatively, the Moroccanoil shampoo helps my hair feel less dry and I think also prevents it from getting split ends, especially when used with the accompanying conditioner from the same line. The Philip B shampoo gives my hair a lot of volume, on the other hand, and flat hair does not suit me, so this really helps me maintain volume without having to use like twenty products on my hair. 

As for the serum, I don't think it really did much for me. I did notice my pores were less noticeable after using it but it didn't do much to help my acne. I suppose it helped fade some of the hyperpigmentation, actually, but since I break out so much the hyperpigmentation isn't as much of an issue for me right now because more pimples pop up in their space. The LUSH body wash was used up extremely quickly because I feel like I needed so much to wash my entire body, so I kind of regret buying this. I've loved the Neutrogena towelettes for a while, I first tried them over the summer when I was at summer school and they were a much more convenient option than using my cleansing oil. 

The lip scrub wasn't very effective, the sugar granules were very large but dissolved really quickly, so the scrub didn't really have time to do anything for me. The mascara was a sample I received with my purchases of Agnes b. items (which I have reviewed) and I'm glad I didn't buy the full size because it was really clumpy on me, but I used it up anyway so it wouldn't be wasted. The perfume sticks are ones I've had for a while and finally used up this month! While I like the conveniency of these sticks (they're so portable and easy to use for touching up) I don't like the way they apply because I feel like they leave a sticky residue and don't last that long on me because they rub off. They smelled really yummy and I got so many compliments when I wore them, but I wish they were in a different type of packaging because I didn't really enjoy them in stick form. 

Those are all the products I used up during the month of September! Have you done a similar post to this? If so, leave the link below! If not, I'd still love to hear in a comment what you've used up this month!

Take a Bite: New York Grill (Tokyo)

Given my supreme love of food and basically anything edible, I thought this Take a Bite series would be a nice one to feature on my blog. For my first feature (sorry for having so many photos!) I decided to talk about the New York Grill, which is a restaurant in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. It's pretty pricey though, so I would save this one for special occasions when you really want to go all out for your meal.

The food is absolutely incredible and they're known for their amazing selection of steaks. The one I ordered is the Yonezawa Sirloin steak which is very thin and has a higher fat content than most steaks but I think personally it's really delicious and has a lot of flavor. My brother ordered the Omi Tenderloin which he also really enjoyed as it doesn't have much fat and is a very thick piece of meat. My mom doesn't take beef so she ordered something else, and luckily this restaurant also offers an extensive selection of seafood and other grilled meats. It's also common to order a few side dishes to share with the whole table. I highly recommend the duck fat french fries because they're a much classier take on what might otherwise be a fast food meal. The mashed potatoes were also really creamy and had a lot of flavor, and they go really well with the steaks.

Dessert is also such a treat, my mom and I ordered the chocolate pudding to share and it was so delicious and rich. Servings here are quite large so I recommend sharing dishes with the people at your table as it makes it much easier to finish the food and doesn't waste money. The service here is great, I felt like all of the employees really knew the menu well and could recommend good dishes based on your preference. The chef is also very willing to come out and talk to you about the food, so I felt really welcomed and assured that I would enjoy my food.

What are some of your favorite restaurants?

Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge

Make Up For Ever recently added the Aqua Rouge line of liquid lipsticks to their well-loved waterproof makeup line, and the other day I picked up two colors to test out. I'm a huge fan of their Aqua Cream eyeshadows and their Aqua Liners, so this purchase was pretty much a no brainer for me.

I loved the packaging from the get go, it's very classy but simple at the same time. It's functional as well which is what I look for the most in products. On one end there's a liquid lipstick and on the other there's a clear gloss. The lipstick end has a medium sized doefoot applicator while the lip gloss has a brush applicator. Personally I'm not a fan of the brush applicator on the gloss end since it's a bit hard, especially when it's new, and it will scratch off some of the lipstick if you apply it before the lipstick has dried and set. The gloss itself, however, is very shiny and nonsticky, which I love, though it's not very long lasting. I don't really mind though because I bought the product mainly for the lipstick, not the gloss.

As you can see it's very pigmented, just one swipe and your lips will be totally coated in color. I love the two colors I picked because they're so appropriate for the upcoming seasons, though because I did pick darker colors I can't speak to the pigmentation of the Aqua Rouge line as a whole. These two colors, however, are absolutely fantastic. They're so long lasting and feel very comfortable on the lips. Though they're not hydrating, I don't find them drying either, and the lip gloss on the other end helps to keep the lips from feeling dehydrated and uncomfortable. They're shiny at first but dry down to a semi-matte finish, unless you add the gloss on top.

Adding the gloss helps the color to look more smooth and prevent it from seeming like it's sinking into your lip lines. Even after the gloss wears off though the color will still be there and it will stay for a very long time. When I was testing these out they lasted through most of the day, including a meal! These swatches on my hand also took a long time to come off, even though I was scrubbing at my hand with soap and water. Even though these are a bit more pricey I say that they're definitely worth it for the color and for the wear time. I haven't tried too many other liquid lipsticks besides the Yves Saint Laurent one, though I do have the Guerlain ones set aside to be reviewed at a later date, but I think that fans of the YSL Rouge Pur Couture lip products will really enjoy these (for a cheaper price).

What do you think of the MUFE Aqua Rouges? Were you a fan? What other liquid lipsticks do you like?