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Sunday Reads

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sundayreads

Hey ho, just some beauty reads I wanted to share with you. Because they are gems is why. I tried to do this every week, but then I felt pressured and it fell out of my radar. I think I just have to make these posts when I feel like there are things I absolutely must share and today is one such time.

NEW BLOG ALERT
OK, first up is a new favorite beauty blog by my friend, Sasha. She is pretty known in the book blog world as Sasha Silverfysh (the woman can easily read 20 odd books in a single month, ha), but she has recently dabbled in makeup musings and let me tell you—it has been funny and great. While the reviews have been thoroughly entertaining, everything in the Navel-gazing category is worth a read. (OK, I particularly like Don’t Hide.)

THOUGHTFUL PIECES ON CONSUMPTION
In line with my thoughts on consumerism and makeup spring cleaning, the post that inspired the “outing” of myself (that I took back, lol), Spring Cleaning and New Makeup Strategies by Liz of Beauty Reductionista. Again, in line with consumerism, I have Reflections on the Rana Plaza Collapse by Joy of Fried Rice Connoisseur, which made me think even more about my consumptive habits.

STYLE AND FASHION
Ellie of Ellalogy wrote about Defining your style, which in turn led me to be more curious about the 5 Piece Wardrobe, which led me to this post on basics and getting the 5 Piece Wardrobe started by Sabrina of AFTERDRK.

Sabrina’s 5 Piece French Wardrobe Exploits + more closet cut-down stories, tips and help from Lean Closet Movement by Cuyana.

I am in the process of streamlining my wardrobe, I guess. Of course, I write this after buying a super basic black dress from Old Navy of all places, but you know, baby steps.

ON BLOGGING AND BEAUTY AND HUMAN INTERACTION AND ALL THE FEELINGS
Belly of Wondegondigo reflects on beauty and consumerist habits, too. Even the whole premise behind blogging. Ah, it’s a great read, I promise.

ON CUTE BEAUTY STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR MOTHERS
I also have to note that I have been enjoying these Mother’s Day features up on xoVain. We all had to learn about beauty somewhere. 🙂

HELPFUL BLOG/PHOTO TIPS
And, finally, something tangibly useful if you are forced to take photographs indoors: Lighting Tips & Tricks for Bloggers and Photographers by Mandi of Making Nice in the Midwest.

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On Consumerism & Spring Cleaning

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I’ve been going back and forth on this topic for quite a while now, and have been sitting on this particular blog post for about a month. I don’t really know what to say about “it,” but I do know that I want to take part in the conversation.

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on the matter of consumerism and over-consumption, all of which, at least in part, echo what I feel as a person and as a… how do I say it? Mindless drone? Sheep? Just kidding. I’m not here to berate myself for liking material things, but I do want to examine my personal habits as someone who does enjoy, in some measure, shopping, acquisitions, and beautiful things.

First off: I hate to admit it, but I think this blog is a big indicator that I am a hoarder.

When I was drafting this post, I felt like I wanted to “out” myself as a terrible person who collects useless things only to abandon them later. Then I backtracked and thought about my consumptive habits. And, well, honestly? There’s nothing really wrong with that. I feel like my biggest crime is probably contributing to useless waste, and I get that and I want to be a better person, the kind that is super aware and conscientious and environmentally responsible. But, I also can’t do anything about my previous hoarding habits anymore. That’s done… If anything, they are a reflection of my interests at some point in my life.

I think the most I can do is to be more aware of stuff accumulation from this point on. Right now, my life feels very stuffed with stuff. And I don’t know what I am going to do with all this stuff or why I hold on to them. I was going to include an actual inventory of makeup items here, but I figured—what’s the point?

You don’t need scrutiny from other people to start getting your life on track. You just need to be honest with yourself.

My super big goal within the next two years is to get into grad school. I would like to live somewhere else in the world, as it has always been a dream of mine to build a life that feels truly mine. I feel like my habits of spending and acquisition, in some ways, get in the way of my “ultimate goal.”

I’ve been meaning to cut down on purchases, since I can’t study without money for tuition. I’ve been yo-yo-ing between frugality and passionate burning of da dollahz (though not so much the latter anymore), but I think that along with that, I have a surplus of stuff right now. Cue: blog sale, which I will post about at a later date. I am working on letting go of stuff I don’t really need anymore, so I can save up for something I’ve always dreamed about doing.

Aside from that, I think I would like to impose some general guidelines for me to follow. I don’t think no-buys work as well as low-buys, in which you direct your efforts into a more educated purchase instead of cutting yourself off and driving yourself crazy at the mere thought of deprivation… It happens.

Lipstick Week - Collection

So, my beauty goals:

  1. No more face bases, give away the ones you don’t use. Exception: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, maybe
  2. No more purchasing of primers, eye primers, moisturizers, eyebrow products, eyeliners, highlighters, illuminators, finishing powders, mascara, lipstick, lip balm, concealer. Basically, implement the the one in, one out rule.
  3. ONE IN, ONE OUT RULE: You can only buy any of the above when you use up a corresponding item currently in your stash.
  4. Hit pan on a SINGLE EYESHADOW SHADE by August. Seriously, just one. You can do it.
  5. Allowance for purchases: eyeshadow (3 singles, 2 duos or 1 palette), blush (1). Re-evaluate in August.
  6. Use up free and indie samples.
  7. Absolutely no lip gloss purchases. You never use them. Exception: Le Métier de Beauté or NYX Butter Glosses. But again, 1 in, 1 out rule.
  8. Brushes: only allowed to get a Yachiyo brush, a concealer brush, a retractable lip brush, and eye brushes (tapered blending, synthetic domed for cream products, and small pencil brush only)

DO I SEEM LIKE A MONSTER YET? In the last month and a half, I only bought a gel liner, a lip product, a blush, and a brush. That seems like a lot, but that’s really toned down for me. Funnily enough, I have been accumulating a lot of empties, and it feels so great.

So, to recap:

  • No more buying, except for some, er… exceptions (i.e. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, replacements for finished-up stuff, things I “can’t” not get but fit within my goals)
  • I am a stupid head hoarder person
  • Blog sale on here up soon

I think I will post a recap in two months… Maybe August so there’s time for a real difference. I don’t want you to feel bad if stuff makes you happy. I think, at the end of the day, we should just do what we are comfortable with. As for me, I’ve found that accumulation takes my focus away from the big picture, so I want to “fix” that personal problem.

Do you have any beauty goals? 🙂 What’s your relationship with beauty products like? TELL MEH!

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Nosy Beauty Vol. 28: Erin

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Nosy Beauty is back! After an unexpected hiatus, sorry guys. This week, I’ve got Erin, who I first met online because of a shared love for film photography. Ooo~

Erin

Ha-ro! My name is Erin, a catwoman already in her late 20s who likes writing for fun & money and taking pictures in black & white. I run my own webzine – Parallel Planets. I’m currently in Tokyo, Japan and I’m loving every day that I’m here.

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My make-up bag is very basic that if it were a real girl, you wouldn’t bother dating it. Haha. Seriously, though, my make-up process is not very scientific. As much as possible, I try to appear “comely” in 5 steps or less.

DSCN0713

STEP 1: So, before applying any make-up, I always put on Nivea Soft Cream just to moisturize my face before applying some liquid foundation – I currently use Kanebo, which is readily available here in Tokyo.

STEP 2: I love wearing eyeliner. It was the first make-up which I learned how to use and I’ve been using one since time immemorial. However, I only stick with pencils because I never learned how to use the liquid type. I’m using Maybelline’s Crayon Liner in charcoal black right now.

STEP 5:Sometimes – or whenever I feel extra girly, which is rare – I also use cheek tint, eyebrow liner (I always have bangs so this doesn’t really matter haha), lip liner, and black/silver eye shadow (also shown on the right photo above).

I also use Naive’s make-up cleanser (not in photos) to wash off all the stuff I put on my face.

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STEP 3: I have short, sad eyelashes (my sisters’ fault because they believed the urban legend that cutting eyelashes while one’s still a baby would make them grow longer but NO). So I like using mascara as well. I like using Maybelline’s The Hypercurl Volum’ Express and just recently, I’ve been using their The Magnum Volum’ Express (Cat Eyes). I prefer the former.

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STEP 4: The only “visible” color on my face is the lipstick, that’s why I like using matte and dark ones. I like MAC’s Ruby Woo (extreme red) and Flat Out Fabulous (bright fuchsia). I’m not into glossy lipsticks but recently, I also use Revlon’s Colorburst – Smitten balm stain. It’s chic and more casual.

Erin 1
Erin wearing MAC Flat Out Fabulous

To me, beauty is innate and natural but also, if you don’t know how to “wear” your skin, you’d still end up looking like a losyang (an old hag haha), and this is why I think that girls should use make-up fairly and decently.

Erin 2
Erin wearing MAC Ruby Woo

I don’t use too much make-up, though. My look/style is very monotonous: I usually wear black-white-grey ensembles and I like to keep my make-up really simple, too. I like how I look the same most of the time, with my long black hair and coffee brown skin, but it doesn’t mean that I should look boring and unattractive.

But most people, especially strangers, think that I’m younger than my actual age; maybe it’s because of my small built and eyeglasses, which I intentionally took off for this feature. This is another reason why I like wearing make-up, so I could buy beer at convenience stores without being questioned if I’m still in high school. True story! Haha.

And that’s it! Thank you, Carina, for inviting me here on Softly Sometimes’ Nosy Beauty. I had fun reading the previous posts and I’m excited for the new ones as well. “Stay beauty~!”

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YAY! Thanks Erin for gracing da blog with your presence. 😀 To back-read the rest of Nosy Beauty, click here.

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Bedside Matters

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Night Routine

LOL the title is just a “play on words” thing for night routine. After cleansing, this is what I typically use. The heat has been so unforgiving lately, that my skin started to really freak out. I figured it was the heavy moisturizers I’d been using so I switched to a few lighter alternatives.

After thoroughly taking my makeup off and sometimes toning, sometimes not, I used to use the Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Complexion Serum and Dark Spot Corrector, but as it is out of my price range right now (I mean, $125 for 0.5 oz?!), I turned to the forgotten serums and anti-aging potions in my stash right now.

Sidenote: You know what’s funny? It never occurred to me to research just what peau vierge meant, and it turns out it’s French for VIRGIN SKIN. Almost spit out my drink there. Ha.

My usual sequence goes like this:
— A generous pump of the bareMinerals Multi-Wrinkle Repair, which I purchased quite a while ago. I like it because it’s like and smells just like my Aesop serum. This is what I’ve been using in place of my LMdB liquid gold.
— I moisturize with the Aesop Parsley Seed Antioxidant Serum when I want heavier moisture. If I want a lighter feel on the skin, I use the Verikos Collagen Tightening Cream* which sinks into the skin really well and provides just the right amount of moisture I need.
— If I use the Verikos cream, I follow up with the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream for extra attention to my uh, baggage. It’s great, but I think too heavy for day use. I got it as a 100-point perk at Sephora a long time ago.
— Last, but not the least, I use Sara Happ The Lip Slip as my nightly lip treatment. It’s so thick and moisturizing and so far, it has worked the best for me. I know it’s made of “cheap” ingredients, but I can’t help what my skin reacts well with!

I’ll be honest, because of my moisturizationing at night, I have noticed a decrease in my fine lines and general wrinkliness. (The origins of the wrinkliness of my behavior and overall demeanor, however, is still under investigation.) Sometimes I get too lazy to go through the whole thing and just sleep with a clean face. I think, if anything, that’s better than sleeping with makeup on.

What’s your night routine like?

* PR Sample

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Happy Skin Summer Picks: Peppermint & The Morning After

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Happy Skin Summer Picks- Peppermint & The Morning After - Box

Here are two of the makeup things that I just couldn’t resist from Happy Skin’s summer collection. I did manage to curb my cravings for a while (I saw these a few weeks ago) but I caved after a whole month of no new makeup purchases. These are really great purchases, though, and I honestly really held back! Read More

Recent Loves

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Recent Loves

I feel like it’s a bit too late to talk about “monthly favorites,” but I always have little products I want to talk a bit about. Here are the things I’ve been loving lately. Not exactly for an entire month, but just the ones I’ve been reaching for a lot these days.

For my eyeshadow fave as of late, I’ve got a palette by NARS that I’m sure you are all familiar with, And God Created the Woman. This is such a great little palette. Recently, I’ve used this for eyebrows, eyeshadow and liner all at once.

Other makeup favorites: I got the & Other Stories Eyebrow Pencil in Bouclé Greige from Laala and I’ve been using it a lot. I posted about my brow routine not long ago, and I sometimes have been using this in place of the K-Palette eyebrow marker. Another frequent easy lipstick I’ve been using a lot of lately is the THREE Velvet Lust Lipstick in 05 Love Like Heaven. The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger is steadily becoming a staple in my routine. A surprise favorite is the Pixy Volumizing Waterproof Mascara* which I got from a BDJ Box. It actually holds my curl!

For skin care, I’ve got the Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque, which is a glorious rediscovery! The Verikos Deep Cleansing Oil Balm* is a cleansing balm that takes off every trace of makeup on my face. It’s gentle and effective and doesn’t leave a greasy feel.

And that’s it for my current items in rotation. I tend to switch out products a lot, but here are the mainstays.

* PR Samples

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Mascara Backlog

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Mascara Queued

I might have a problem.

I have 5 kinds of mascara open right now (3 full-size, 2 samples), but these are the ones that I have yet to even try. I can’t seem to curb my mascara enthusiasm and buy more than I can use up in one time. Actually, no, that’s not true. I have been holding back. Imagine my “to-test” pile if I didn’t give a crap.

We beauty lovers tend to over-buy stuff and hoard things we don’t need, but mascara seems to be a bit trickier since it expires fast (and it is unhygienic to ignore the expiration durations here) and you can only use it so much. I don’t know how to get the most “bang for my buck,” so to speak.

What is your “problem area” when it comes to makeup? Mine is actually eyeshadow, but I’m so overwhelmed by the fact that I have so much unopened mascara! I’m so curious to see how these will fare with my lashes, but I’m also scared of germs so I’m putting off opening them, until I can dispose of other older mascara.

For now, I shall yearn.

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