Tuesday, August 6, 2013

My July 2013 Favorites!

July has ended and school is right around the corner! Which means Fall is almost upon us, but in California it'll be another month before I can experience the cool crisp air. (:

In my last favorites I had mentioned that I was on the fence about Covergirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation because of the dryness it brings in my skin at times, especially when I wear it as a full coverage foundation. However I wanted to make the foundation work so I decided to try out Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse that has been raved about. The color I picked up is much, much too dark for my skin tone & I purposely chose that so that I can mix the two foundations together to get the perfect shade! I do a light layer of the Covergirl foundation and a layer of the Maybelline foundation on top with a stippling brush. I love mixing foundations, and by mixing a long wearing foundation with a dewier one on top,  I get the perfect formula. I use #842 (CG) & Medium 2.5 (Maybelline). This is also a perfect contouring color for me.


With Summer comes an obsession with summer themed jewelry! I have been obsessed with Summer themed studs, and Betsey Johnson makes fabulous ones. My 3 favorites by Betsey are her Sea Jewels Starfish Studs (on sale right now), Gold-Tone Turtle Studs, & her Hawaiian Luau Butterfly Studs (no longer available)


 


It's hard for me to find a perfume I love enough to purchase and wear all the time! I am not much of a perfume wearer as I don't want my son to inhale too much of it when I carry him. Now that he'll be 2 soon, he is much more independant and doesn't like to be carried, so I've been wearing perfumes a little more often. The perfume I have been reaching for the past few months have been Marc Jacob's Oh, Lola! I am horrible at describing scents, but here are the notes. Top Notes: Pear, Effervescent Raspberry, Mid Notes: Peony, Magnolia, Cyclamen & Base Notes: Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla.

Quinoa should have its post of its own! Health & fitness is important to me & being that I am Asian, rice has always been a staple of my everyday meals. However rice isn't healthy and is so high in carbs. My substitute is Quinoa, which is a type of grain and is high in fiber, Omegas & protein. I cook my quinoa in a rice cooker, but with quite a bit more water than I would with traditional rice.
 


Be sure to watch my video to see my other favorites & why I like them.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

My Experience as a Dior Makeup Artist!

Being a makeup artist for Christian Dior, or any makeup line isn't always easy and fun. Today's blog post & accompanying video will talk about my experience as a makeup artist for Dior.

One of my favorite experiences was beauty school! There are two different types of schooling, one was training and the other was seasonal school. Seasonal school was twice a year and revealed what will be launching in the next two seasons & what was new. It was great because it gave me a chance to be excited for what was to come and I was able to physically see and able to have first impressions. Training school is only a one time course for those who are new Dior artists. This course is 2 days, very extensive & goes through every single permanent product in Dior's makeup & skincare line. Skincare took a whole day as there are multiple lines, and important ingredients that make each product unique to Christian Dior.

My most favorite part of being a makeup artist was gratis & discounted items! Gratis is just a fancy way of saying free makeup ;) & who doesn't love free makeup? After each seasonal & training course we were awarded with free makeup from both the permanent line to the limited edition lines. It was a great way for me to try out new products and to build my collection of Dior makeup & skincare. Discounts on ALL cosmetics & fragrances from both Dior & other lines were 20% off and can sometimes be 30-40% during special events.

 I loved that Dior had a wide range of products for both light-dark skin girls, neutral & bright colors for the face and a wide range of skincare for different types and maturity. It was great for me because I was able to have experience with different skin tones, type & maturity. Not everything was perfect for me as a makeup artist. At times I would have no one in my chair & would spend hours trying to pull customers, cleaning or brushing up on my products. I had trouble trying to memorize the ingredients in the skincare line and what each ingredient did in the beginning and proved difficult when I was with a client and he/she wanted to know more. The dress code was really strict as well and at times were monotonous for me.

******ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO***********
Hours: As a new mom I was able to give a general availability & I was lucky to have exactly what I wanted as a part time artist  
Pay: I was paid hourly plus a 3% commission on what I sold.



STAY TUNED FOR THE VIDEO ACCOMPANYING THIS POST & if you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Wearable Blue Eyeshadow Tutorial!

Hello loves! I know that blue eyeshadow is so gorgeous to look at, but may be daunting to wear. Whenever Spring & Summer come around I'm obsessed about wearing bright colors on both my eyes and lips. This tutorial is one of my favorites & a go to when it comes to wearing an everyday bright blue eyeshadow color.




Products used:
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tenacious Teal: here
MAC Electric Eel Eyeshadow: here
Wet N Wild Trio in Walking on Eggshells: here
MAC Fluidline Eyeliner in Waveline: here
Ardell Lashes
Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara: here
MAC Melba Blush: here
NARS lipstick in Pago Pago: here

ON ME:
Earrings by Forever 21 (old)
Studded Express Tank Top: here (on CLEARANCE!)



xoxo Tree

Monday, May 27, 2013

My Favorite Drugstore Lipsticks for Spring/Summer

If you watch enough of my videos then you would have realized how much I love lipsticks! My collection ranges from drugstore lipsticks to designer brands. In this blog post I want to share with you my top favorite lipsticks from the drugstore!

  

From Left to right:
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Stormy Pink (011)
Maybelline Color Whisper in Faint for Fuschia (70)
Wet N Wild Don't Blink Pink (966)
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fuchsia Fusion (657)
Maybelline Color Sensational in Vibrant Mandarin (885)
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple (035)

 In direct Sunlight



Tuesday, April 30, 2013

What's in my Everyday Makeup Bag

When I was looking back at my videos trying to figure out when I last did a video on my everyday makeup bag, I was shocked to see that I have never filmed one! It was crazy to think that I have two 'What's in my Travel Makeup Bag' videos, but none featuring my everyday makeup! Well here it is now. (:

My makeup bag I am using is by Dior, I don't believe it is available. I found cute and inexpensive makeup cases here and here.

My makeup case has a detachable mesh section where I keep my ZPalette, Dior Airflash Foundation in 300 and all of my makeup brushes. As far as makeup brushes go, I carry a large blending brush, an E.L.F powder brush, a Laura Mercier dual end brush that has the ponytail brush on one side and the other side is an all over eye colour brush. In my makeup case, I have a Dior Kabuki Brush and multiple MAC brushes (129, 109, 138, 219, 163, 226).

Now, when it comes to organizing the rest of my makeup, I can't say there is any rhyme or reason because it honestly ends up a big mess.
Starting with my face products:
Guerlain Face Primer
Dior Forever Foundation in 21
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach
NARS stick concealer in Medium 1 Custard
KatVonD Tattoo Concealer in Medium
Guerlain Rejuvenating Illuminator in 1
Guerlain Meteorites illuminating powder in 01
Dior Forever Powder in 30
Benefit High Beam
NARS bronzer in Casion
Benefit Hula Bronzer

Eyes are next:
MAC Paintpot in Chilled on Ice
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Caramel
Dior Brow Styler
Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in Zero
Dior Style Liner
Diorshow Maximizer
Diorshow Extase mascara
Lancome Hypnose Star mascara
Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash curler
Pencil Sharpener
DUO Eyelash Adhesive in Dark

For Lips:
LUSH Mint Julips Lip Scrub
YSL Glossy Stains in 14 & 17
MAC Betty Bright Lipstick (limited edition)
MAC Kiss & Don't Tell Lipglass (limited edition)
Dior Lip Maximizer
MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in More to Love

Be sure to check out the video as well. (:

Thursday, March 28, 2013

What I've Been Loving | March 2013

If you haven't watched my latest video on my channel, I'll leave it embedded in this post at the end! I wanted to do a detailed review of each product I talk about in my video and answer any questions you may have. (:
The first I talk about is the New MAC Double Sided Palette that is customizable to hold different inserts. I opted for a 15 pan eyeshadow + 6 pan blush inserts. The colors I have been loving out of my new MAC Palette are:

-Nylon (yellow-white frost as an inner corner highlight and all over lid color)
-Brule (matte nude used as a under brow highlight)
-Wedge (matte light brown for the crease)
-Espresso (matte medium brown for the deep crease)
-Twinks (medium dark golden brown with bronzed shimmer for the deep crease)
-Mocha Blush (soft plum pink)
-Fleet Fast Blush (pinky golden coral) (limited edition)

Even though these MAC lipstick colors are limited edition, I would like to include them as they are what I've been using for the past month and you can find dupes of them.
-Daddy's Little Girl from the Archie's Girl collection (pink-violet) MAC Candy Yum-Yum is similar, but a touch more neon
-Love Goddess from the Marily Monroe collection (pink-red)

Ever since I have dyed my hair to a lighter brown color, I have been needing a more warm and lighter eyebrow powder. I raided my makeup collection and found an E.L.F eyebrow kit in Medium which I've been using for the past month. The duo comes with a medium warm brown and a dark brown gel, which I completely skip the latter part. I don't find the need for eyebrow gel, but I did have to hunt for a darker color to fill in the tails of my eyebrows. To get my eyebrows looking natural and to match my hair color, I use the brown shadow all over my brows and go over the tails with Dior's Brow Styler. I do have a blog post on How I Fill in my Eyebrows, click here if you'd like to read it.
Smith's Rosebud Salve is a musthave for every bag! This bad boy can be used just about anywhere, cuticles, dry patches, lips,and anything that would need moisture! I love this stuff and I use it on my son too!
Over the years I've tried so many different concealers, so many do work but they are meant for different areas of the face. Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach is one I can't get enough of. The formula is just the right amount of creaminess that you can use it for both under the eyes and for the face. The slight salmon color combats the blue color of under eye circles, and the beige undertones match the color of my skin perfectly to conceal blemishes. Must have and a must try!

That is everything I have been loving in the month of March, makeup wise that is. If you would like to see what body products, app & food I've been enjoying, don't forget to watch my video as well. Thank you for watching and if you have comments on how to improve my blog and what you would like to read, let me know! x's and o's, Tree





Saturday, March 16, 2013

The Basics: Black Button Down Blouse

I have never done a full fashion video on my channel before and I'm sorry for the lack of posts both on my blog and channel. I promise to post more, but I always seem to say that and never follow through... Well let's see if that will happen, but promise me that you'll hound me to post more as well. ;)



This is my main avatar for my video, and let's break it down to what I'm wearing and each outfit.

Casual: 

Jacket: Guess
Blouse : Express
Jeans : Levi's 524 Dark Wash from Macy's
Boots: American Rag
Cross body bag: Target 
Pink Bow Bracelet: BCBGeneration
Scarf: H&M
Work:
 Blazer: Express (similiar click here)
Blouse : Express
Skirt: Express
Belt: Forever 21
Necklace: Armani Exchange
Shoes: Calvin Klein

A Night Out With Friends:

  
Blouse : Express
Skirt: Express
Clutch: Louis Vuitton
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Necklace: Macys

Here is my first fashion video to accompany this post. Please leave me any feedback you have!