Winter Formal 2016 Makeup

Hey guys!

It was an exciting weekend and I attended my school's annual Winter Formal on Saturday. As the Photo Club president, I had great fun taking candids and I also felt really happy seeing fellow schoolmates taking photos in front of our photo booth and posting these pictures on their own social media. However, I also had great fun myself.

I will be showing you some pictures from Winter Formal and my makeup down below.

Squad.

Joy and Annie.

Leo.

Photo Club Officers.

And a sleepover at Nicole's house to celebrate Evette's birthday.

To be honest, what made me really happy, other than the fun I had at Winter Formal and the sleepover that I had, were the compliments I got on my makeup. So, I would like to share my look with you and I will be listing the products that I used. I hope you don't mind the lower-quality photos; I didn't have my camera with me and I could only use my phone.

Face:

Moisturizer: The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream

Foundation: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF 15 in 2.5 Warm Sand

Concealer: MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer in NC30, Make Up For Ever Full Cover Waterproof Concealer in 6 Ivory

Face powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent, MAC Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

Bronzer: Milani Bronzer XL All Over Glow in 02 Fake Tan

Blush: Benefit Coralista

Highlight: theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Setting spray: MAC Prep and Prime Fix Plus

Eyes:

Eyeshadow: Maybelline Eye Studio 24HR Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in 60 Silver Strike, LORAC PRO Eyeshadow Palette, MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner in Blacktrack

Eyeliner: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black

Eyelash Curler: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Mascara: Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara (Pink packaging, but might have been reformulated since I don't see it on their website anymore)

Brows:

Maybelline Eye Studio Slim Precise Eyebrow (Can't find it on the Internet, might have been sold only in Shanghai)

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax Pencil in 01 Clear

Lips:

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Color in 908C Sugar Plum Fairy

Obviously, you do not have to own everything that I listed above. I noticed that most of the products that I used were high-end but that's just because I don't really use that many high-end products on a daily basis. Furthermore, since it's an annual and special event, I know high-end makeup would not disappoint me. I do, however, would like to give my Milani Bronzer XL a huge shoutout because everyone who complimented my makeup specifically mentioned how good my contour looked. I'm also kind of sad that the Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara might have been reformulated because it's my HOLY GRAIL mascara, which you can take a look here.

I hope you found this post useful. Thank you so much for reading! :)

Review: Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo

Hi guys!

Today I will be reviewing the Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo. This dry shampoo is really popular and I bought two bottles last summer. Now that I’ve finished an entire bottle, I have a good idea of how I like it.

Firstly, this dry shampoo is sooo inexpensive. It is only around $5 and you get a lot of product. Like I said, mine lasted me a year (even though I don’t use it every alternate day, but still fairly regularly) so I really have no complaints about the price. The packaging is also simple but striking and you can identify it on the shelves rather easily.

There is no significant smell to the dry shampoo other than a fresh scent, which I like since it makes me seem like I just got out of the shower.

I will now be talking about how I use this product. The NYM Clean Freak Dry Shampoo sprays out to a white powdery form. Since I have dark hair, it won’t look flattering if I just spray it onto my scalp and leave it there. Furthermore, if I just leave the product there, it tends to become flaky and it looks like I have dandruff, so that’s a no. I like to spray it at a good distance such that it does not come off too intense on my scalp but the product is noticeable on my scalp. Next, I like to rub the product on my scalp, allowing it to fade into my scalp. After I have done so, the dry shampoo is not noticeable anymore.

The NYM Clean Freak Dry Shampoo removes the greasy feel from my scalp very well and it feels matte to the touch. Also, I feel like it adds a little volume to my hair. I wash my hair every alternate day and I always like my second day hair after using the dry shampoo.

Overall, I think this is a very nice product that is helpful when you do not have time to wash your hair for whatever reasons. For me, I am looking forward to trying out dry shampoos for dark hair (I assume they are colored instead of powdery white) just because I like trying out different types of products. If you have not tried the Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo yet, I really recommend it! There are definitely more expensive dry shampoos that may be even better but I really think that this drugstore dry shampoo performs extremely well and it’s worth it.

I hope this short review is useful. Thank you for reading :)

Hello 2016

Hey guys!

Happy New Year :D

I know this may be a little late since it's already a few days into 2016, but I'd still like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year. 

2015 was a rather eventful year for me. Of course, there will always be ups and downs. I'll first like to share the more significant "good things" and also "the not so good things" that happened to me in 2015. 

The not so good:

• Basketball did not go particularly well.
• Lost a friend who I thought was different. 
• Was blocked by security guards when I tried to get a photo with Jeremy Lin and his autograph. 

The good:

• Made a pass to Jeremy Lin, stood beside him (it was during his game so I couldn't actually talk to him), and he made eye contact with me twice.
• Senior year and college applications went pretty smoothly.
• Had an eventful internship during the summer.
• Visited Hawaii.
• Got to swim in the infinity pool in Singapore.
• Met some old friends.
• Went to Taylor Swift's 1989 concert. 

These are just some highlights from my life last year and there are a lot of other good things and not so good things that I won't be able to list here. 

Obviously, with a new year, I have some New Year's Resolutions. 

1. Exercise more:

I think it's very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I don't aim to be as fast as Usain Bolt or anything, but I just want to exercise more regularly. I know that I will be busy at college, but I would like to make sure that I don't get Freshman 15.

2. Make new friends, but keep certain old ones close:

After a recent fallout with a "best friend" back home, I was again made aware of how friendship is a two-way relationship and how difficult it is to find a true friend. I hope that as I enter college in 2016, I would find a small group of friends I can always depend on and trust one another wholeheartedly. However, that doesn't mean that I will forget my dearest and closest friends in Shanghai American School. I've made great memories with them and I look forward to making even more memories in 2016 with them and even after we graduate. 

3. Spend more time with my family:

Since I was really busy with school this year, I would like to spend more time with my family. I will also set a day and time to Skype my family after I have gone to college. 

4. Try something new:

2016 is the year I graduate from high school and enter a new phrase in my life - college. I want to take different classes to learn about things I have never thought about before and I also want to take part in new activities. From taking up a new sport or joining a new club, I think being more adventurous will help me develop new interests and meet new people. 

5. Read more:

Last year was really such a busy year for me that I couldn't spend as much time as I would like with books. This year, I'm determined that I would spend more time with books. I think reading is very therapeutic at times and reading just lets me gain a new perspective. 

So those my New Year's Resolutions! I'm leaving the negative in 2015 behind, and I'm really looking forward to 2016. Once again, I always believe that one has to put in some sort of effort to make great memories in a new year. Sitting around won't help, but doing something will.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post! Once again, to all my readers, thank you for reading my blog and I truly appreciate your support :)

Review: Shu Uemura The Lightbulb Foundation

Hi guys!

I have been using the Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation with SPF30 for quite some time and I am ready to write a thorough review! 

I had to mix a darker foundation with this because it is slightly lighter than my skin tone. However, recently, it matches my skin perfectly because it's winter and my skin just gets super light during winter.

Firstly, it comes with a sponge, which, like the name suggests, is shaped like a lightbulb. You can use the wider surface area to apply all over the face or use the tip to get a more precise application. I like to use the sponge damp, but I have read somewhere that you do not need to use this sponge damp. Nowadays, I tend not to use the Lightbulb sponge just because it seems to take a much longer time for me to clean it using my sponge detergent as compared to using a normal sponge I got from drugstores. On the other hand, when I use sponges that are not round and have edges, it does take a longer time to blend the foundation out because it tends to be a little streaky. I have not had this experience with other foundations though.

As for the foundation shade range, there is a wide variety of cool tone and warm tone shades, and I use yellow-based foundations. The shade I have is 764 Medium Light Beige but it is still lighter than my skin tone during the summer, and so I like to mix it in with a small amount of my darker foundation, which is the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Foundation in Beige. But as I am writing this in the winter, it matches my skin tone perfectly.

Photo from http://evonnz.com/2013/09/shu-uemura-the-lightbulb-fluid-foundation/

I got my Lightbulb Foundation at the Narita Duty Free Store, and the lady there was extremely helpful and she helped me find my closest shade. When my skin wasn't extremely fair, I was slightly too dark for the shade that I am using, but also slightly too light for the next shade.

Now to the texture and finish of the foundation. I feel that this foundation is a medium coverage foundation but you can build it up easily. In my opinion, the Lightbulb Foundation has AMAZING coverage even though it has a thinner consistency. I only use one layer and then go in with a concealer to cover up darker blemishes.

I'm not sure why, but I feel like the foundation looks different on my skin when I had to mix in a darker foundation and when I didn't have to. When this foundation was too dark and when I mixed in my darker foundation, it was extremely lightweight and it looked really like skin! I have gotten away with this foundation with people thinking that I have nice, flawless skin (even when I don’t). This foundation also gave a really nice glow to your skin, and it made me look healthy.

However, during the winter and when my skin tone is perfect for this foundation, I felt that it didn't look as "skin-like". Another thing I have noticed is that the foundation does tend to start breaking down when I've worn it for around 8 hours, especially around and on my nose. Also, since I have dry skin, this foundation seems to cling onto any dry spots I may have.

Overall, I'm not sure if it's just because my skin isn't as hydrated during winter, or it's because the formula of my darker foundation changed the way this foundation looked. This is just something for you to keep in mind.

I will now talk about the wear of the foundation. I don’t know what it is, but with some foundations, I almost always get a foundation crease in my smile lines and it makes me look so old when I’m only a young adult. With the Lightbulb Foundation, I still see some creasing. I have also tried applying this on my dark circles and I am sad to say that it almost instantly starts creasing.

Onto the packaging and price. The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pump and it looks really sleek, so there’s nothing much I can complain about. For the price, it is a higher end foundation and it costs around $50USD. It may be slightly cheaper in Japan, but I don’t know for sure.

So would I repurchase this? I must say that this foundation is pretty nice and it’s one of the best foundations I have used, but I am just ambivalent on how the foundation looks different during summer and winter. I will continue searching for similar foundations that match my skin tone perfectly when my skin isn't unnaturally light during the winter. However, if you find a shade that matches you, I do encourage you to try it out. I’ve heard great things about it, tried it myself, and overall, I think it is worth the price you pay. 

I hope that my review was helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments! Thank you for reading :)