Olay, Laneige, Maybelline, Laura Mercier, Lancome, and American Apparel Nail Polish

It's been a while ;)

Okay, so after the dry-as-Thanksgiving-turkey Nutritional Sciences class over the summer, I've been obsessing with two main things: higher calcium intake to prevent osteoporosis AND... wrinkles.

Yes, wrinkles! I said it! And I tell everyone about my mission LOL. And everyone responds in the same way... very much like the look you're giving me now.

So I slap on the sunglasses to prevent squinting (which leads to crows feet due to overuse of muscles), rub on that eye cream with SPF from Shiseido's sun collection's adorable little tube, and proceed with the nightly post-shower Olay's Night of Olay Firming Cream.

For those of you who are also in the same frenzy, the cheap drug store stuff is good enough for the young-in's sitting comfortably in their twenties. Here's the deal with this firming cream. It goes on all gross and cream-like and then BAM! In seconds your face is smooth, soft, matte, and totally grease free. I think that's the best part. As for any actual skin firming... I'm not so sure since I'm not actually experiencing a lack of firmness. But like I always say... it's a precaution :). I recommend it because it's very hydrating and makes for a very cheap night cream at the price of approximately $6 at Target (lasts me for about 2-3months).
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This is my Laneige powder in translucent.

I saw this on bubz and totally loved the packaging! So I did a little perusing and read about how all the Koreans are obsessed with it since apparently makes your skin flawless like the Korean superstars. Unfortunately, the powder comes in only two shades: translucent or bright. This means if your skin is on the darker side, it's not really as effective. It comes with a cool mirror on the front, which you slide open to reveal the powder and then underneath the powder is an adorable little sponge. Come on, you MUST be impressed with the packaging right? How clever they are to put the mirror in front and then the sponge underneath so that nothing gets messy!

The best part of the powder is that it smells amazing and has an SPF of 50. For me, the powder places my face on the pale side, so then I tried it with my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and that seemed to take away a little bit of the paleness. Overall, I really like the powder because it really lasts you throughout the day and you really don't need touch-ups unless you're rubbing your face or something. As for the flawless skin look, it's about the same as other powders (except Benefit's Hello Flawless! they are true to their name!), and for $38... you can take a pass unless you're like me and just absolutely adore the packaging (those people down in marketing really know how to win a girl's heart).
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Maybelline has recently launched these cool cream eyeshadow trios. This one is #25 Neutral Liaisons.

Linae's friend Jess was telling me how there were some not-so-great reviews on these babies, but I had a coupon so I bought one anyway. I'm not actually very fond of cream shadows because they're very thick and I'm not sure how I feel about dunking my brushes in there. And so, I used my fingers instead, which makes a lot of sense if you think about it because your fingers warms the product and allows for easier application.

So I was right and I really just loved the color combo. The problem with this stuff is that your eyes tend to look a little on the creased and cakey side because you have to apply a tad on the heavier side in order for the look to be accomplished. I'll probably do an updated review after I give the lighter application a try.
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I've been using the sample size Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with SPF20 for an eternity! Why yes, the SAME tube because it's lasting me FOREVER. But I'm finally running on the low side after about 5-6months, and decided to get more. For those of you who have yet to discover this amazing tinted moisturizer, it is fabulous to say the least! It's so smooth and silky and really does the job in evening out the skin tone. Also, it acts as a pretty awesome base (I use this instead of foundation).

Anyway, at Sephora, the full-size tinted moisturizer is $42/tube (go ask for a sample before you make any decisions, they're cool about making samples for you ^-^). But they have this cool pack that has all these other awesome things for $65, and so I bought that instead.

It comes with everything you see here and this cute little pouch!

The best part is the brushes are full-size brushes! I haven't given the whole thing a try yet so you guys will have to wait on that :). But in terms of what you're getting for the price, it's totally worth it.
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As you all know, Michelle Phan is now Lancome's official video make up artist and she makes these awesome videos showcasing various Lancome products. And once again, the marketing team has won me over! Check out the awesome design of La Rose Deco blush!

Not only is the design of the blush super pretty, but the entire case itself is pretty appealing. Now as for the product, it's supposed to give you a shimmery, rosy glow and I'd say that's accomplished with this blush. As you can see, there's a side that's particularly rosy and then a paler side. The box recommends using the rosy side as blush and then the pale side for highlight. Now the blush is actually not very pigmented (which I love in a blush) so you can actually take your brush, do a little swish on the whole thing and give yourself a slightly shimmery rosy glow just like that. I tried using the colors separately and it did not produce the results that I'd like for a blush, so there's that. But as far as blushes go, I'd say to for-go this $40 baby as well, unless you're really into rosy cheeks (I guess since Winter is approaching that would be appropriate). I'm still loving my Nars blush in Luster!
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So my Lancome online purchase came with like a ton of different freebies :D. One of which is this eyeshadow quad in Kitten Heel (top left), Madame Muse (top right), Night Sky (bottom left), and Margarita Affair (bottom right).

So far, I'm loving the color combo! And the colors go on pretty nicely, I totally recommend trying their eyeshadows.
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A typical Tuesday and Thursday involves lunching with Lancy, bundled with a lack of decision about food. On a particular day, we strolled past an American Apparel and I noticed they have nail polish now! This cute blue caught my eye :).

Wow my hands are gross LOL. Sorry I'm not doing the nail polish justice :(.

Anyway, for $6, it was a little on the pricey side for nail polish. But the bottle is relatively large and it turned out to be very pigmented! That is until later I found out this might only be the case for me since my friend Betty did not experience the same results when applying the nail polish. Regardless, I totally recommend this! I think they also have a good discount if you buy two :).

Stay pretty!

Love Always,
Me