Can you believe that 2009 is almost over? I know I can’t, but I also know that I want to be over with it. I can’t wait to be as farther away from my accident time-wise as possible, and I can’t wait to see my little baby

Anyway, as in November, this month I am letting you guys know about the products I loved the most in November. November for me was mainly makeup and cosmetics (what a big surprise, lol), but also some hair products that I enjoyed. I hope this information will be beneficial to you. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video and read my blog.

Here is a list of products I’m mentioning my the video, and links to online stores where you can find these:

* Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura limited edition Planet Cat Couture Pallette, $65

*  Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura limited edition Radiant Ribbon Couture Palette, $65

*  Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura limited edition Duo Color highlighter Golden Snow, $45

*  Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O, price varies by size

* Shu Uemura Red:Juvenus Vitalizing Retexturizing Cream, $75

*Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation,$40

* Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit, $32

* Kevin Murphy ANGEL.WASH Shampoo, price depends on retailer

* Kevin Murphy BORN.AGAIN Hair Treatment, price depends on retailer

Take care guys, and don’t play with fire!!!

xox

Nadia

I love stationery and I think that any sane person should also. As much as I would like to believe that I could get rid of any use of paper and go all electronic I cannot deny the simplicity and comfort I get from just using a pen and paper. That being said there are so many other things that just add to my stationery collection that make sure I will never stop using real life ink and paper when I work

As a student, I feel that post-its and flags have saved my life on more than one occasion. I can’t count the amount of times that I have jotted an important note or memory on a post-it that I would have otherwise forgotten. Flags are also invaluable when it comes to research for assignments and study for exams. There are even magical entities that consist of a highlighter, pen and flag dispenser that just make me all fuzzy in my swimsuit place with glee.

The awesome geek should always be armed with post-its and flags because they are endlessly handy and cool. You heard it here first.

I made my first purchase from beautyticket.com during the last sale. I spent too much on the YSL Collector Powder for the Complexion Palette from the 2008 Autumn Winter, “Tuxedo” collection. Jesus christ that is a long name! I figured on a coral blush, shimmering highlighter, and a face powder in a cute palette. Once I got it i realized I probably would have been better off spending half as much on the bronzer trio I’ve had my eye on at Victoria’s Secret. This palette is another dud in a recent string of disappointing beauty purchases.

Packaging: The worst thing about this palette is the cheap packaging. It is plastic, like it screams plastic. It’s light, a tacky gold that holds finger prints. The included half-moon brush is too small and the bristles are plastic. It comes in a velvet sleeve that the brush slips out of.

Product: I accidentally used this once before taking a picture and the YSL over-spray disappeared completely when I touched it. I could have BLOWN it away. The highlighter is nice, white with gold shimmer, but the blush and face powder are underwhelming. I didn’t even do swatches because no amount of layering got the colors to a level where my camera could pick them up. Underpowered pigment central! This palette sets my beauty-pet-peeve-detector off too because the strips of color are each too small to fit a brush on. Trying to get some blush? Have some SUPER shiny highlighter too! You’re welcome! I got the best results swirling a brush over all the colors and just applying that on my cheeks over blush. That’s fine, but call it something nebulous like a “beauty powder” then. I mean, this was the description at beautyticket!

Filled with radiance, these three skin illuminators enable the user to adjust the effects as desired: The beige powder enhances the face with velvet-smooth transparency and is ideal for touchups throughout the day. The apricot blush warms and enlivens the complexion.

Applied on the cheekbones, the eyebrow arch and the chin, the pearly pink shade highlights the features with subtle golden reflections. Used together, these three shades offer the complexion a soft veil of light.

The product seems like almost an afterthought, which leads me to think this is an item for the YSL nerd who just wants to show it off. but then why make the packaging so embarrassingly cheap?

To be fair, with the over-the-top smokey eyes that were running free in ‘08, this palette would be a fool-proof way to acheive the understated cheek needed to pull it off. It is literally impossible to make your cheeks too bold with this palette!

Step 1:  Prep skin with a lightweight foundation.  For a matte finish that will keep the focus on eyes, zap excess oil with pressed powder, says Blandino.  To try:  Almay Powder Skin Stays Clean.

Step 2:  Using a deep purple of black eyeliner (such as CG Smoothers Eyeliner in Onyx), follow the contour of upper and lower lashes.  Then sweep a shadow in a similar tone across lids.  The hottest shades are plum, eggplant and lavender—are super wearable says Strong.  Follow with a pale highlighter just above the crease.  To try:  M.A.C. Eye Shadow in Nocturnelle.  Rimmel Metallic Eye Gloss in Notting Hill.  For a range of color options, choose a multihued palette like Victoria’s Secret Eye Artistry Shadowing Pallette in pastel Plum or Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in wild Orchids.  Go for glamour with a gold shade, says Wende Zomnir, creative director of Urban Decay.  Curl lashes and apply two coats of thickening mascara, such as Dior MaximEyes Mascara in Plum.

Step 3:  Impart a natural dewiness with a translucent gel  on the apples of your cheeks.  Golden shades flatter a tawny tone, while pinks are best for fair complexions, say Zomnir.

Step 4:  Finish with a nude gloss.

Source:  Fitness

Sometimes, there are mornings when I wake up and wish I was a celebrity, just so I could have a makeup artist make me look stunning before I walk out the door. I’ll never have that luxury, but I can come close with the new BeneFit Celebutante kit ($34). It stocks everything a woman needs for a full face of glamour.

Some of BeneFit’s most classic products are housed within this kit, including High Beam, the brand’s amazing highlighter, and BeneTint, the classic rose lip and cheek stain. Also included is Dallas bronzing powder, lipstick in Lady’s Choice and No Competition, Velvet Eyeshadow in Dandy Brandy and Leggy, and lipgloss in I’m With the Band, a shimmering pink. As if that weren’t enough, BeneFit also included a double-ended eyeshadow brush, a bronzer brush, and a booklet of tutorials and looks for applying all your new makeup.

It’s like your own personal makeup artist in a box. What more could a girl want?

LORAC Cosmetics was created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw to deliver healthy cosmetics that wear flawlessly. Her products are used by celebrity’s on the red carpet as well as normal ladies such as myself! 

I have recently tried a few products by LORAC and I have to say that I love the quality and feel of these products. My favorites (so far) are:

Double Feature Paraben-Free Concealer Highlighter ($24.00) - This clever face perfector includes a concealer, a highlighter and hygienic blender ball all in one slim stick. The LORAC website suggests, “Cover under eye circles and hide blemishes with the Full-Coverage, Long-Wearing Concealer Stick and then finish the look with the Blender Ball for a hygienic, natural picture-perfect finish. Use the Moisture-Rich liquid Highlighter to lighten and brighten under eyes, highlight cheekbones and help diffuse fine lines.”

I agree. The concealer stick is very creamy and I like to dot it under eyes, around my nose, over blemishes and then take the roller ball and seamlessly blend the lines. I then use the subtle but shimmery highlighter in the inner corner of my eyes, under my browbone and on the top of my cheek bones to make me seem awake and youthful. I think this product is well worth the price for the variety that you get.

I also love the Natural Performance Foundation ($35.00) – This gentle foundation is oil-free, paraben-free and fragrance-free formula and it contains three soothing natural ingredients for sensitive skin – Xyleine, Premier Olive Leaf Extract, and Vitamin A. The website explains that ”Xyleine, the active ingredient that contains Papaya Fruit Extract, Lemon Fruit Extract and Olive Leaf Extract, is loaded with vitamins, flavonoids, soothing polyphenols and natural cell regenerating properties. The Premiere Olive Leaf Extract is rich in Oleanolic Acid, an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant that helps your skin stay healthy and protect itself. It’s also infused with Vitamin A, another antioxidant that helps rejuvenate and improve your skin.” 

I love the top of the bottle. You twist the cap and the pump pops up. This keeps the bottle clean, plus it is really cool. The foundation is light and gives skin a lovely glow. I am a liquid foundation girl, haven’t got used to the powder foundations, and this has a light and beautiful formula.   

Breakthrough Performance Lipstick SPF 15 ($22.00) is a crazy-good lipstick. Not many lipsticks have an SPF, so it gets my endorsement right there – SPF is everyone’s friend! It is also paraben-free, long wearing, and VERY moisturizing and creamy. it is infused with nourishing and moisturizing antioxidants such as Vitamin E and Olive Fruit Oil. My only suggestion is that LORAC introduces more colors in the collection. Right now, there are seven beautiful colors. I like Premiere, a soft neutral pink for everyday and Vanity, a medium red-pink for going out. Beautiful!

Visit www.loraccosmetics.com to purchase these FABULOUS products!

Experience a timeless treasure / masterpiece with the NEW Clé de Peau Beauté Limited Edition Holiday Palette Vintage. Inspired by the eternal allure of vintage jewelry, Clé de Peau Beauté Color Creator, Lucia Pieroni, designed this powder with an elegant, lustrous color scheme intended to provide a gorgeous luminosity to the skin.

This lit-from-within warmth comes to life through the powder’s combination of three high intensity pearl pigments ( larger, brilliant diamond shine pearl; finer, lustre, golden shine pearl ) which accentuate facial contours with festive radiance.

In addition, the powder combines four neutral shades  ( sparkling champagne, golden sand, mocha bronze, pink coral ) which harmonize effortlessly with pearl pigments to provide an unparalleled brilliance to skin.

This exceptional powder is presented in a stunning gold, diamond-cut ( Princess ), custom designed compact which recalls the elegant jewels of an earlier time.

As multi-faceted as the vintage jewelry which inspired it, this perfectly balanced powder blends effortlessly to offer an exquisite glow and sophisticated nuance to the complexion.

Simply dust on the face, cheekbones and décolletage for an immediate glow.

I adore Halloween. It’s one of the best creative outlets that exists. It’s all about the DIY, the creative, the interesting, at least for me. I made our costumes, as usual (Sally and Jack from the Nightmare before Christmas) and I decorated quite a bit for our party. A lot of the ‘decorations’ we end up liking so much we keep them year round. Here are a couple of my favorites from this year.

The first, and my newest pursuit involves black lights and highlighters. Most of us know (and if you don’t you’ll probably want to run out and try it) that highlighter fluid is one of the best things to glow under a black light. I also love that on many surfaces you don’t readily notice highlighter under normal light conditions, like glass, non white paper and of course skin (even better if you rinse your skin after, then you don’t see it at all btu it still glows). So, the idea I had initially was to get a picture or a window, draw a scary face on it and get a flickering black light that woudl only occassionally show off the picture. Well, I couldn’t get a flickering black light but we found a mini adjustable timing black light that I could set to fairly slow. I set this up on a small table where I had placed a magazine I had drawn on with highlighter and several small glass spice bottles I’d written on and drawn faces on. It worked fairly well. You don’t notice at first but once you do, it’s quite intriguing. Faces appear on bottles and on the magazine when the black light is on and disapear when it is off. It’s quite simple but rather cool. I hope to expand the concept next year.

Here’s a quick shot,  hopefully I’ll figureo ut who has the video and post that too…

The second, is our front hall display. This one stays up in some fashion for most of the year. It’s a collection of Venetian Style Masquerade Masks I collected primarily with our wedding planning (masquerade wedding) and some other I’d made or gotten. I tried to make it creepier for the party and the electric tealights make for nice lighting.

Above this was a very large ( like 4 foot) spider web with a spider and several masks stuck in it. (picture won’t load right)

Beyond this I had up our typical window covering (white net lights with sheer fabric with black velvet flowers over it). Need a picture… And then had a cauldron of squid monsters:

skeleton hands and dead flowers:

O wordpress why do you keep flipping my pictures sideways? On the computer they are verticle, in wordpress they becom ehorizontal, flip it in the editor, corp it in editor, save it and it insert it’s own silly version anyway. So I guess turn your head to see that one. Not worth editing in Photoshop atm.

And here are some soda bottle with home made and dollarstore store labels and our punchbowl with a small electronic fog machine with floating coffins.

And there’s more but pictures are not cooperating today. Hopefully next year I’ll do more with some fancier efects and things. I missed our ‘drop in neighbor’, a body that hangs partially through the ceiling of the bathroom like someone fell in. I might bring that one back next time.

A collection so fine that I demand Santa to put this under my Christmas tree!

Chanel Makeup Studio takes a flight of fantasy this holiday season, inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s fascination with the brilliant plumage of exotic birds. Their lush beauty is captured in an enchanting holiday collection with shades of flamingo pink and peacock blue — accented with shimmering tones of green-gold, copper, and teal.

I am mesmerised by this wonderful collection, while the rest of the industry are delivering deeper /darker/ mysterious shades, Chanel comes out with such playful shades!

I like the idea of wearing bright colours during these gloomy months, this could be the orthodox solution for seasonal affective disorder.

Bird of Paradise Eyeshadow Quad - Aqua, yellow, green-gold, copper ( Limited Edition ), enough said!

This highlighter is impeccably chic!

Shimmering Tweed Highlighter – 3 delicately ‘woven’ shades of shimmering colour for cheeks and décolleté. Gold, bronze and copper tones cast a natural luminous glow on skin. Remarkably CHANEL: imprinted surface inspired by the iconic tweed.

Professional Eyeliner Duo in Celadon-Lame; irresistible green-black pigments.

I will be in beauty paradise if I could get my hands on these limited edition pieces.

Background
When you perform a search at Google or Bing, you enter your search terms, click a search button, and your search results appear. Each search result displays the title, the URL, and a text fragment containing your search terms in bold.

Consider what happens when you search for ‘Apache’ at Google. Your results would include the Apache server, the Apache Software Foundation, the Apache Helicopter, and Apache County. The contextual fragments displayed with each search result helps you judge if a search result is an appropriate match and if you need to add additional search terms to narrow the search result space. Search would not be as user friendly as it is today without these fragments.

This post covers version 2.4.1 of Apache Lucene, the popular open source search engine library written in Java. It may not be widely known, but Lucene provides a way to generate these contextual fragments so your system can display them with each search result. The functionality is not found in lucene-core-2.4.1.jar but in the contrib library lucene-highlighter-2.4.1.jar. The contrib libraries are included with the Lucene download and are located in the contrib folder once the download is unzipped.

If you are not familiar with Lucene, you can think of it as a library which provides

• a way to create a search index from multiple text items
• a way to quickly search the index and return the best matches.

A more thorough explanation of Lucene can be found at the Apache Lucene FAQ.

As an example of what the Lucene Highlighter can do, here is what appears when I search for ‘queue’ in an index of PDF documents.

e14510.pdf
Oracle Coherence Getting Started Guide
of the ways that Coherence can eliminate bottlenecks is to queue up transactions that have occurred…
duration of an item within the queue is configurable, and is referred to as the Write-Behind Delay. When data changes, it is added to the write-behind queue (if it is not already in the queue), and the queue entry is set to ripen after the configured Write-Behind Delay has passed…

The Steps
First, before you can display highlighted fragments with each search result, the text to highlight must be available. Shown below is a snippet of indexing code. We are storing the text that will be used to generate the fragment in the contents field.

Document doc = new Document();
doc.add(new Field("contents", contents, Field.Store.COMPRESS,
    Field.Index.ANALYZED, Field.TermVector.WITH_POSITIONS_OFFSETS));
doc.add(new Field("title", bookTitle, Field.Store.YES,
    Field.Index.NOT_ANALYZED));
doc.add(new Field("filepath", f.getCanonicalPath(), Field.Store.YES,
    Field.Index.NOT_ANALYZED));
doc.add(new Field("filename", f.getName(), Field.Store.YES,
    Field.Index.NOT_ANALYZED));
writer.addDocument(doc);

The values Field.Store.COMPRESS or Field.Store.Yes tell Lucene to store the the field in the index for later retrieval with a doc.get() invocation.

Field.Store.COMPRESS causes Lucene to store the contents field in a compressed form in the index. Lucene automatically uncompresses it when it is retrieved.

Field.Index.ANALYZED indicates the field is searchable and an Analyzer will be applied to its contents. An example of an Analyzer is StandardAnalyzer. One of the things done by StandardAnalyzer is to remove stopwords (a, as, it, the, to, …) from the text being indexed.

Note: You should use the same analyzer type (like StandardAnalyzer) for your indexing and searching operations otherwise you will not get the results you are seeking.

Last part of the indexing side is the TermVectors. From the Lucene Javadocs:
“A term vector is a list of the document’s terms and their number of occurrences in that document.”

For the Highlighter, TermVectors need to be available and you have a choice of either computing and storing them with the index at index time or computing them as you need them when the search is performed. Above, Field.TermVector.WITH_POSITIONS_OFFSETS indicates were are computing and storing them in the index at index time.

With the index ready for presenting contextual fragments, lets move on to generating them while processing a search request. Below is a typical “Hello World” type search block.

QueryParser qp = new QueryParser(“contents”, analyzer);
Query query = qp.parse(searchInput);
TopDocs hits = searcher.search(query, 10);

for (int i = 0; i < hits.scoreDocs.length; i++) {
	int docId = hits.scoreDocs[i].doc;
	Document doc = searcher.doc(docId);
	String filename = doc.get("filename");
	String contents =  doc.get(“contents”);

	String[] fragments = hlu.getFragmentsWithHighlightedTerms(analyzer,
                   query, “contents”, contents, 5, 100);
}

Starting at the top, we create a query based on the user supplied search string, searchInput, using the QueryParser. Lucene supports a sophisticated query language and QueryParser simplifies transforming the supplied string to a query object. Next, we get the top 10 results matching the query. This is pretty standard so far, but now in the loop we come to the getFragmentsWithHighlightedTerms call.

Here is the code to generate the fragments:

TokenStream stream = TokenSources.getTokenStream(fieldName, fieldContents,
                      analyzer);
SpanScorer scorer = new SpanScorer(query, fieldName,
				new CachingTokenFilter(stream));
Fragmenter fragmenter = new SimpleSpanFragmenter(scorer, 100);

Highlighter highlighter = new Highlighter(scorer);
highlighter.setTextFragmenter(fragmenter);
String[] fragments = highlighter.getBestFragments(stream, fieldContents, 5);

First we obtain the TokenStream. The call shown above assumes term vectors were not stored in the index at index time.

Next is the SpanScorer and SimpleSpanFragmenter. These work to break the contents into 100 character fragments and rank them by relevancy. You can use SpanScorer and SimpleSpanFragmenter or QueryScorer and SimpleFragmenter. The full details can be found in the Javadocs.

Note: when indexing large files, like the full contents of PDF manuals, you might need to tell the Highlighter object to look at the full text by calling the setMaxDocCharsToAnalyze method with Integer.MAX_VALUE or a more appropriate value. In my case, the default value specified by Lucene was too small, thus Highlighter did not look at the full text to generate the fragments. This was not good because the match I was seeking was near the end of the contents.

Finally, we tell the Highlighter to return the best 5 fragments.

The full code for this example can be downloaded from my Google Code project. The source file that makes use of the Highlighter is HighligherUtil.java

You can also find examples of using Highlighter in the Lucene SVN Repository, specifically HighlighterTest.java

As you can see, returning search results with contextual fragments containing your search terms is very easy with the Lucene Highlighter contrib library once you know the steps to follow.

Sometimes I doodle things, sometimes I make Marathons.

This is a collaboration of the two…

I bring to you…. manly doodles!

♫lauren

BRTC Glossy BB Cream

From www.skinami.co.kr:

Feature:
This dual functioning BB cream delivers the natural plant substances effectively to the skin and improves the uneven skin tone while firming generally with the functions of whitening and wrinkle decline.

The soft and smooth BB cream presents a naturally glossy look with sparkling pearl as if the skin is filled with moisture.

Main Ingredients:
Centella Asiatica Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Platycodon Grandiflorum Root Extract, Polygala Tenuifolia Root Extract, green tea extract, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate

Directions for Use:
At the last stage of basic skincare, apply a proper amount of the Gold Caviar BB Cream to the whole face or the desired part evenly.

Size:
40ml

Order of use:
Perfect Protect 46 or UV White Sun Protection Balm-> One of the Perfect Protect System’s Balm’s -> Glossy BB Cream -> UV White Sun Protection Pact or BB Sun Pact

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

My Skin Tone:
Some said I have very fair, Casper-ish complexion. Frankly speaking, that’s what you see in my FOTDs, but I personally think I look (much) darker in person than in those photos. Still, yes, I’m quite fair.

Bottomline: my skintone range is lighter than MAC NC/NW15 to NC/NW20.

I have neutral cool undertone.

Packaging:
Portable silvery plastic tube with small opening. Hygienic, portable, and easy to dispense the right amount of product.

Color Selection:
Like most BB cream, it’s only available in 1 color, which is rather medium/dark. I think this will suit NC/NW30 and above.

I’m not sure about the undertone. It seems to me that the undertone is neutral/pink though.

Texture:
Slightly thick, but there is some slip.

Coverage:
Sheer!

Blendability:
I have no problem applying this on top of sunscreen/primer. It’s not thin, but it goes pretty smoothly

Finish:
Truly illuminating. It’s glowy, but not too much for me. And I’m quite shimmer-phobe.

Oil Control/Lasting Power:
At the moment I don’t have problem with excessive oilies, so it stays well.

My General Review:
The name made me run in the opposite direction. Glossy? Who would want a glossy, disco ball complexion for daily wear? Thankfully, what Korean refer to ‘Glossy’ does translate to the word ‘highlighting’ and ‘illuminating’. And yes, the finish is very similar to my highly raved Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer!

Putting the color match aside, while I love Stila better in terms of texture (seems thinner and have more slip) and its built in SPF15 as an extra, BRTC Glossy campaigned that it got some skincare ingredients. I see some antioxidants like Grapefruit, Green Tea, and Vitamin E in the ad. Skin calmer too, like Allantoin. Centella asiatica for antibacterial and wound healing purposes. I don’t have the complete ingredient list to make sure they’re really in there at potential concentration, but usually BRTC BB creams do sport some impressive ingredients. Usually after use of BRTC BB creams, my skin will look brighter and more even toned. Softer to the touch too.

The main problem for me is the color match It’s not as fair as some of BRTC BB creams (like the old BRTC Soothing BB Cream or BRTC Jasmin Water BB Cream).  So it’s clearly much too dark for me I think it may be more suitable for ladies with NC/NW30 and above.

What Else You Need To Know:
From the usage direction given in BRTC’s official website, I see that they intended this stuff as a highlighter on top of other BB Cream.

It won’t work for me because of the dark color; but hey, a highlighter with some skincare properties? It does sound rather impressive to me

Application:
I use this like a tinted moisturizer. After moisturizer and sunscreen, I’ll just pat it in using fingers and blend with a cosmetic sponge.

Price:
KRW39,000 for 40ml. Sounds quite expensive! Even higher price point than the BRTC Jasmin Water BB Cream.

Availability:
Not available directly in Indonesia. I usually order directly to Korea, but some selection of BRTC product is available at Watsons Singapore.

Ingredients:
No full ingredient list written in the box At least one in English.

Overall Rating:
4 out of 5. This has the potential, but the color match is all wrong for me. Personally, I prefer Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 for this kind of effect, but if you have medium/deep skin tone and love glowy look, I recommend this product!

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

Here’s the next installment of the on-going packaging duplicate hunt. From now on, I think I’ll call it ‘Twins’.

Physician’s Formula has come out with an obvious duplicate of Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Bricks, called Shimmer Strips, but they’re a duplicate from mirror-world. Instead of Bobbi Brown’s black lacquer case, PF’s shimmer strips glitter and sing through a clear plastic cube. The clear case is just as sleek and glamorous as Bobbi’s but with more attributes of high-tech  and from-space. The lack-of-mirror is its only real drawback. The Shimmer Strips come in six color combos, with names like Vegas Strip and Miami Strip, that go from a light color that can be used to highlight brows or cheeks, to darker colors that can be used for bronzing, contouring, or as extremely subtle eyeshadow. While these initially seem like a go-to summer item, the high shine they provide would actually work better in winter when you’re less likely to get shiny without any cosmetic help. Also, the key to application is to use a large, sparse brush to avoid applying too much product and looking like a shiny, dirty mess. Subtle and slightly underdone is its forte. Unfortunately, they do contain talc, which can cause breakouts and discomfort. They retail for about $13.

Also super-cute but probably never worthy of purchase are PF’s Leopard and Tiger patterned bronzing powders. I somehow just noticed these now, which is probably just as well because those patterns likely disappear after a few uses. Still, so cute!

I started noticing recently that in photographs, my skin looked rather dull now that my summer tan has mostly faded. I wanted the dewy skin look, and I wanted it with minimal effort. I’d never tried to give myself an allover glow (just on cheeks), but I needed a boost of radiance in a big way.

I had read a lot of reviews about Smashbox Artificial Light ($24), a luminizing lotion that reflects light and imparts a gorgeous glow to the entire face. I’d only ever used highlighter on my cheekbones and occasionally on my browbones, so I wasn’t sure how to use it. I pumped a bit of product out on the back of my hand, and right next to that, I squeezed out a dollop of Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer. The ratio should be about 1 part Artificial Light to 2 parts tinted moisturizer. (You can blend the luminizer into any foundation using these approximate measurements.) I dotted this mixture on my cheeks, the bridge of my nose, and across my forehead. I blended with a foundation brush and was left with the most beautiful, ethereal glow.

Poof! Dull skin gone in an instant. All that remained was a beautiful, lit-from-within glow.

For extra oomph and more shine, you can use Artificial Light alone, applying it in the same manner (just keep in mind that a little goes a long way). It will impart the same glow as above, just amplified. If you accidentally apply too much, blend a light layer of foundation over it to diffuse the shimmery effect.

It seems that the only yellow highlighters available any more are the chisel tip highlighters.  Do they sell the broad (flat) tip highlighters any more? I much prefer them to the chisel tip. Do you know where they sell the broad (flat) tip highlighters?

We’ve all been where I am this morning. I’ve been generally dragging and yawning uncontrollably all week. I was out late last night, ate lots of salty edamame, and had a couple too many champagne cocktails that instantly left me tipsy and bloated. This morning, I was hurting; getting out of bed was an epic struggle.

When I looked in the mirror, I was really hurting. My face was puffy (too much salt & alcohol) and my skin looked sallow and dreadful. I was so tired when I got home last night, that I slept in my makeup (major beauty sin), and this morning, my lashes were a sticky mess. I had major work to do, and little time to do it, seeing as I’d already overslept.

First, I started with my eye makeup. Tip: If you use an eyelash primer under your mascara and then sleep in your makeup, your lashes will generally retain their definition without smearing too much under the eyes. You can extend the life of your mascara to a second day in a pinch (because, really, it’s gross) by dipping a Q-tip in eye makeup remover and swiping it under the eyes to clean up any smeared mess. Then recurl your lashes gently and apply a quick coat of mascara, and you’ll be all set. A warning: if you already have mascara on your lashes and you don’t curl them carefully, they will break. Note that I am not advocating this because it’s really not good for your eyes, your lashes, or anything, but if you’re in a pinch, it does help to know some shortcuts that can be reserved for use once a year.

Next, I had to do something about my sorry skin. I looked helplessly at my makeup bag, and pulled out the only thing I could think of: BeneFit High Beam ($24). I needed an all-over glow — or really, just something to make me not look dead — and I thought this would give me a discoball effect, but I was desperate. I dabbed a tiny bit onto my cheekbones, the bridge of my nosehead, center of my chin, and 3 dots across my forehead, then went to town blending. I used my fingertips at first, then blended further using a big fluffy face brush. Surprisingly, the effect was pretty and subtle: I was glowing and luminous without looking glittery and club-ready.

A few products that will also work in this situation when applied in the same manner are:

BeneFit Moon Beam ($24): same as High Beam, but for more olive- and dark-complected ladies

BeneFit That Gal! primer ($28)

Lorac Oil-Free Luminizer ($28)

MAC Strobe Cream or Strobe Liquid ($29.50 each)

Article 7. A law student supports the Post-it and highlighter industry.

a highlighter for that space beneath your eyebrow. yes, specifically there, because i haven’t tried it anywhere else. you see, i’m typing this directly from my touch-up before leaving work—yup, person of habit.

i brought a bigger make-up kit since i’m going out, but forgot (oh i remember where i put it) my regular cream highlighter. so grabbed my L’Oreal True Match Super Blendable Concealer in N4-5 to use a base [ to make your make-up last, consider using a cream first then a powder—yes even for lipstick, supposedly setting powder on your lips will make it last longer. though i would trust more the lip pencil then gloss method more] then patted the champagne-y shadow i’m using as highlight.

now who’s got bright eyes? hahahaha. oh you want a song/music video to make you cry? click me

non sequiturs rule.

like my obsession with  NARS mekong, i’ve found three products that i seem to incorporate into each and every one of my looks.

the first product is palladio liquid eyeliner. and it’s taken me weeks to get the hang of it, days of veering towards elvira and other monstrosities. but wow the surprise of ANIME eyes when i got close enough to my lash line! i was shocked.

turns out it’s not only about a steady hand (which really means, stroke like you mean it), but it’s making sure that the fine fine felt tip is not glooped with eyeliner to make it work. remember it’s basically like a pen, so treat it like one. though i must say, a q-tip with celeteque gentle toner (or any other oil-free make-up remover) on it is your best friend. always use the side with the toner on to erase the too too thick line and the dry side to clean up the residue. i’ve never been the delicate drawer, so really the q-tip is a big help!

the second is mac shroom which is a mostly white with gold flecks eyeshadow best for highlighting. i always pop it beneath my eyebrow and it instantly wakes me up.  it’s not glittery, it glows. lovely lovely. so try it below the eyebrows, on the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones and cupid’s bow (right above your top lip). i’ve stopped with the smokey eye for a bit, and this makes my eyeliner-only pa-tweetums face look luminous.

talk about the tricks of light! with a  matte dark crease color, a good highlight and eyeliner, you can have dewey eyes. and now the morena can finally blush with my following favorite…
the third is NARS dolce vita. yes yes yes i know. and am glad i did. it’s really really easy pretty. and it’s great on tisays too. the key is light pats, and BLEND BLEND BLEND. i actually really like how it (i was thinking dry down, which is a perfume term) softens into a tan-like glow.
i work it with a red lip c/o NARS gypsy, a berry lip with BeneFit’s Benetint or a my close to yonic lip with NARS Talitha—which is best achieved with one massive swipe that is pat pat patted into the rest of my big lips. and when i can’t help myself, with NARS blonde venus when i go the full-on dramatic eye.

with how things have been going, this has been a little boost. definitely. gapaaaaang with your game face on!

what have you been wearing lately?

Don't use these on the internet.

I’ve recently started using Diigo to manage my bookmarks online.  It’s a lot like Delicious, which I’ve blogged about before, but has more features.  Both sites are cloud-based applications that allow you to manage your bookmarks online instead of in the browser of one computer.  So, instead of bookmarking something at the office and then not having it at home, or vice versa, bookmarks are saved to one central location.  And when I add bookmarks to Diigo, they are automatically added to Delicious, which means neither list becomes out of date.

The way I discovered Diigo was because of one of the features I like: highlighting.  Using Diigo, you can highlight sections of a web document and then forward a link to that page with the highlights (and even comments!) included.  For example, I could share this blog post.  This can be particularly useful with ESL students.  A long article may be intimidating, but a couple of paragraphs might be more manageable.

A simpler approach is a site called citebite.com.  You don’t sign up for an account, but instead copy and paste a URL and the section of text you want highlighted.  The site then gives you a URL for the result.  I could highlight this paragraph in this blog post, for example.  Comments are not available, and only one passage can be highlighted, but Citebite is a good, simple solution.

Awesomehighlighter.com falls somewhere in the middle of the other two applications.  When you enter a URL, you see the page and can then click on text you want highlighted.  Comments, in the form of sticky notes are also available.  Awesome Highlighter then provides a URL to your result page.  So, for example, I could add notes and highlighted passages to this blog post.  Unfortunately, Awurl.com, which Awesome Highlighter uses to provide URLs to the results pages, is blocked on the Ohio State network because it is a proxy / anonymizer.  Even though this is a localized problem, you might want to check that it won’t be blocked where you are before using this tool extensively.

The comment feature in applications like Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, or other document editors has been used to facilitate collaboration between multiple authors and editors for a while now.  As we move closer and closer to the promises made by cloud computing, more and more of these tools are migrating to web-based applications that are becoming easier and easier to use.

My family is ashamed to be seen in public with me, but I am prepared for most situations that thinkers encounter away from home, because I always have my custom gear in my shirt-pocket:

Here’s the exploded view with specs below:

From left to right:

1. Spiral-bound note pad, 3″ x 4″, blank (not lined!) paper — I get these custom-made cheap at the print shop of any big-box office-supply store like Staples. They can be made from an off-the-shelf package of note pads.

2. Four-color ballpoint pen — The only one I’ve been able to find is the one made by Bic. Includes colors blue, black, red, and green.

3. Pen-size highlighter — The one shown is a Sharpie.

4. Three-way pen — includes ballpoint (blue or black), mechanical pencil, and PDA stylus — This one is the PhD Multi by Papermate, the most dependable of its type and price range.

5. .005/.20 mm fine-line marker for very fine notations and interlinear notes — The one shown is the Micron pen, but Prismacolor also makes a pen of this type.

AB — 23 August 2009

Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF15

From www.stilacosmetics.com:
Skin instantly looks softer and younger with this handy multi-tasker. It delivers a hint of sheer coverage, subtle shimmer, SPF 15 and added moisture in one effortless application. Perfect for everyday use, the silky formula blends beautifully for a pretty, luminous look.

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

My Skin Tone:
Some said I have very fair, Casper-ish complexion. Frankly speaking, that’s what you see in my FOTDs, but I personally think I look (much) darker in person than in those photos. Still, yes, I’m quite fair.

Bottomline: my skintone range is lighter than MAC NC/NW15 to NC/NW20.

I have neutral cool undertone.

Packaging:
Plastic tube with Stila logo and star illustration Easy to dispense right amount of product, portable too.

Color Selection:
Only 2 colors available. Since it’s so sheer, it shouldn’t be a major problem. My sample is #1; the lighter one.

Texture:
Kinda similar to Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 in its slight thickness, but it’s not as slick/oily as Sheer Color TM.

Coverage:
Contrary to Sheer Color TM, this one is very sheer on me. It helps even out my skin tone a bit, but not much.

Some people can get major benefit from its illuminating effect though, so I think you’ll have to try it for yourself.

Blendability:
Good! Even though the texture is not as oily as the Sheer Color TM, it’s very easy to get even finish from this one.

Finish:
Since I usually set my makeup with loose powder (NARS, often times), the initial finish is semi-matte. But over the time, it will give very luminous, lit-from-within look.

Sheer Color TM is less glowy than this ITM.

Oil Control:
Good! I don’t know why a lot of people said this is heavy and very oily. I used this from I was normal/dry to the days when my face is considerably oily,  and it stands up well. Kinda hold back the oil production a bit, even.

Sun Protection:
This product uses Octinoxate and Avobenzone, just like Stila’s other TM. But! Illuminating TM is even better as the Avobenzone concentration is 3%, higher than the Sheer Color TM.

Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer Protection Spectrum

Broad spectrum, as you can see. Nice! And Avobenzone 3% is the highest concentration allowed for a sunscreen product in US, so I know the UVA protection is there.

Technically, you can wear this on its own to provide sun protection; but you’ll need to use at least 1/3 teaspoon for your face only. It’s impossible for me to use such amount, so I always wear sunscreen underneath. With SPF in our cosmetic product, it helps to prevent the sunscreen from being diluted when we apply our makeup.

My General Review:
Anya kindly gave me a sample tube of this product since she knows that I’m a Stila junkie Very kind of her, and very timely if I may add! Because at that time I was very curious about this TM yet the reviews are not that favorable. I thought I’ll burn a few bucks on ebay for the 30ml mini size of this item to try it out myself. After all Stila products usually works on me. Right?

Right!

First, let me give you summary of reviews from MakeupAlley.  Many think this item is much too heavy as it moisturizes (overly) well, much too oily, and much too shiny. Zero in the coverage department. Who wouldn’t be discouraged by such reviews?

The good news is: try to google some review of this product, and you’ll see that a lot of bloggers love this product. Weird, eh? But I’m happy to report that this post will be joining them

Despite the ‘zero coverage’ claims here and there, I insisted to use this the way Stila intended it: as a TM. As usual I apply this all over my face after sunscreen. The first day I only use it *very* sparingly. It blended very easily, and gives immediate, apparent glow. It’s sheer indeed, only evens out my skintone slightly. Right now I have tons of visible red acne marks, so this will not cover them in the slightest, but it gives a my-skin-but-better look. My skin looks more polished.

Then I set it with my NARS loose powder to mattify it and boost the coverage. Okay…so semi-matte finish now. But I looked bright! Like I’ve put on highlighter on the high planes on my face, while looking totally natural everywhere else. Genius! So I tossed my highlighter back to the drawer. I won’t need it with Stila ITM underneath.

As the day goes on, I love it even more. It didn’t give oily look at all. It’s glowy, yes, but not oily. As usual, nearing lunch time, my nose has a bit of slick but I restrain from blotting and touching up and after past noon my colleagues still said that I didn’t look oily. And I really love the glow it provides! It’s sort of glowing from within, healthy look that no other product able to give me.

After I blotted, I saw that my oil is not as much as usual; even on my oily days. So I don’t really know why people say this is heavy and oily For me, pairing this with UNT UV Ultra SPF50/PA+++ gives good oil control

So…seeing all the good things, I continued to use this daily, increasing the amount I use until I reached the normal TM dosage for my face (a pea-sized amount; so not that much anyway). Same result: sheer coverage, glowy finish, good oil control.

Bottomline: another great product from Stila!

What Else You Need To Know:
I don’t know why Stila doesn’t market this; I guess it’s not a big selling point. But to my knowledge, almost all Stila makeup are fragrance free!

Application:
I usually apply this after my sunscreen.

I dispense a little less than pea-sized amount to my fingers, warm it up, and use my fingers to smooth it to my face. I let it absorb, and give a once-over with a cosmetic sponge to ensure smooth surface for my powder.

Price:
It’s Stila, so it’s not that cheap. USD32 for 50ml is not bad at all though. A bottle will last me a long time.

Availability:
Stila is not available in Indonesia I usually CPed Stila from all over the world. US mainly, then Singapore, Malaysia, or France.

Ingredients:

active ingredients:
octinoxate 7%, avobenzone 3%

inactive ingredients:
water\aqua, diethylhexyl carbonate, ethylhexyl stearate, diisostearoyl polyglyceryl-3 dimer dilinoleate, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, cyclohexasiloxane, cyclopentasiloxane, alumina, magnesium sulfate, microcrystalline wax\cera microcristallina, cetyl dimethicone, glycerin, butylene glycol, hydrogenated castor oil, tin oxide, sorbic acid, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin, benzoic acid, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, may contain (+/-) mica, titanium dioxide (ci 77891), iron oxides (ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499), bismuth oxychloride (ci 77163), chromium oxide greens (ci 77288) <iln31482>

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. Sheer, but truly illuminating. Like glow from within, healthy glow. Love it!

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

Sorry for the little lapse, ladies… I’ve been off celebrating my birthday

I’m happy to report that each year I get better at revealing my true colors.  And still I must tell you, I may always prefer showing off those of others.

Namely MAC, Nars, Shiseido, Bare Escentuals….

This year, I decided to rock true (cosmetic) colors for my nighttime bday festivities.

Friday into Saturday was Party Purple at neighborhood bar 108 in NYC’s Soho followed by a little Griffin action in the Meatpacking.

Saturday into Sunday was Birthday Blue down the shore at Avenue in Long Branch.

Sunday into Monday was Going-Out Green at Stanton Social and then Goldbar back in downtown NYC.

My makeup kit may as well be my adult carton of Crayola, and this weekend I pulled out the fun shades only.

I was coloring outside the lines and loving every second of it.

I cared less for precision and more for pigmentation and pop.

I spent lots of time on the eye and conversely, hardly any on the lip.

And of course, I whipped out my highlighter like any studious schoolkid with a backpack full of supplies.

I had a good time.

And I think the makeup both provided it and communicated it.

Let me know if this is the kind of look you’d like to see on video…