July Favorites 2011

Hii hii ;)

I didn't do a monthly favorite post last month and I have been scrambling to try out a bunch of different products, but I will show you guys what I have used the most. I am not sure whether you guys like these posts but let me know :) And also about my nerdy loves, since I haven't done a Geeky Favorite in like 2 or 3 months now.

1.Zoya Remove +
~This is the only nail polish remover I have been using, and it has been really great for my nails. This does not dry out my nails or cuticles and it actually has a pleasant smell. The bottle is also great since it has a convenient push dispenser.
2.Chanel Peridot varnish
~I am love with this polish! Great formula, great color, chic packaging, what else do I need? Although I haven't had it for long, I am really happy I bought this. I see myself wearing this a lot in the months to come.

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3. Revlon ColorStay Foundation
~I have gone back to using this foundation this month and I can't believe I ever stopped using it! It a great coverage foundation that is easily sheered out by being mixed with a moisturizer. Love <3 I will say though, this color is too dark for me, even though I am at "maximum tan" capacity. I need to get a lighter shade.
4. Benefit Erase Paste
~Amazing concealer/corrector. Similar to the Bobbi Brown Corrector. I like to apply this under my foundation since it "corrects" discoloration. This is also great for under eye concealing.
5.ELF Eyelid Primer
~I have been using this the entire month!  A great primer that is also super cheap. I <333 this. I haven't even touched my UDPP.

ColorStay  /  Erase Paste  /  ELF primer

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6.LUSH Sweet Lips Lip Scrub
~Best lip scrub I have ever used. Works amazing, smells frigging delicious, and not too gritty.
7.Rosebud Salve
~Love using this as a lip balm. It is really moisturizing but it can also be used for many other things. It is a multi tasking product. I have used this right after the Sweet Lips.
8.Illamasqua Underworld lipstick
~Just look at the color! Enough said. Oh and it fades sooo pretty on the lips!

Rosebud Salve  /  Underworld lipsticks  /  Sweet Lips scrub

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9.MAC Creme Color Base 'Bat Black'

~This was from the Style Black collection. I have been using this soooo much this month, its crazy. It is not the best base ever, because it is very prone to creasing. But I love the color and  the way it looks. It has a very "wet" and "oily" look to it, and it makes a great base for punk or goth looks. 

10. MAC Mineralized eyeshadow 'Young Punk'

~This is also from the Style Black collection, and I have been using it alone or paring it with 'Bat Black'. This is my favorite MAC eyeshadow EVER. It is simply gorgeous! I am very sad that this was LE, and hopefully one day it will be re-promoted. Look at the shimmer!! Oohh~ Pretty :D

Bat Black  /  Young Punk  /  Young Punk over Bat Black

Le Metier de Beaute 'Rock n Romance' Nail Lacquer Set

Lately, my two makeup obsessions have been Illamasqua and Le Metier de Beaute. I barely started to get into Le Metier de Beaute because it is a pretty expensive brand. I currently only own three of their products, but I am very happy with them!!

As a part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, Le Metier de Beaute released a mini nail polish set. It is exclusive to Nordstrom only. I have an extra set that I will be giving away sometime soon ;)


Price and Availability
~$25.00 for 4 0.14 fl oz polishes.
It is available at select Nordstrom and on Nordstrom.com

Le Metier de Beaute 'Rock n Romance' Nail Lacquer Set includes 4 mini sized polishes. It includes:
~Chrome Passion, Heat of the Night, True Romance, and Midnight Rendevous

Chrome Passion
A semi-holo charcoal silver. Two coats. Formula was fantastic. Applied smoothly, dried fast. One coat actually looked pretty good. The only difference between one and two coats was that the base color looks lighter with one coat.
This reminds me of OPI 'My Private Jet', but a little brighter and has more variation in the holo shimmer. 

One coat.

2 coats

Closer look of the holo shimmer

Heart of the Night
A vampy, shimmering crimson. This one really amazed me. It applied opaque in one coat! And it retained most of the beautiful shimmer and a phenomenal scarlet glow. This is going to be such a great color for fall! This one is by far my favorite of the set.

Close up of the smexiness ;)

True Romance
A metallic champagne with bronze undertones that has multi-colored micro shimmer.
This was the sheerest polish of the bunch, but two coats still gave decent coverage. I am wearing three.
I thought the color was going to be boring, but it really was not! The subtle multi-colored shimmer makes this polish a funner alternative to a neutral color. It goes so well with this set, and it will also be a fantastic and chic color to wear in the fall. It is totally wearable, but still trendy.
One bad thing though: visible streaks.

Close up in natural light. See the shimmer? :D

Midnight Rendevous 
A navy blue with silver shimmer and multi-colored micro shimmer. This one is okay in one coat, but two coats was best for best opacity. I love the dimension of shimmer in this. It has like two different layers of shimmer: The more obvious silver shimmer, and the more subtle micro shimmer. The formula of this is also really fantastic . Although, I felt this one took slightly longer to dry than the rest.

In natural light, the silver shimmer is the most noticeable.

Close up. You can even see the multi colored shimmer a little here.

Under different lighting, you can see the muli-colored shimmer. There is purple, blue,  andgreen!

Verdict
I am sooo glad I got this nail set. I really like all the colors, and I fell in love with Heart in the Night~ The bottle is small, but it still retains the quality and stylish look of the full size LMdB polishe bottles. The set has colors that are very complimentary to each other, and these will all be super great colors for fall.
I wish the nail polishes were a little bigger, since I am scared of finishing them off really fast.
And I wish that True Romance wasn't so streaky-looking. Other than that, this is by far the best nail polish set I have ever purchased.

Rating: 9.5/10
Do I Recommend? Yes. YEs. YES!!!
If you like these colors, I say act fast before they are gone.~

*Keep a look out for the giveaway! Once I reach 250 follower I will do a giveaway with 2 winners. The two main prizes include this polish set and a MAC Jealousy Wakes eyeshadow :D

Review: Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

I think I have been postponing this post long enough! Here is a much delayed review for the Macadamia 'Healing Oil Treatment'. I did a rave for this a while ago, and I promised a full review. I think I mistook this for Moroccan Oil though...hehe *scratches head* Woops.

Anywho, let me tell you straight out that I frigging love this stuff. I have tried my share of hair products and this is a total winner~

Price and Availability
A shit load of money, let me say.
Full Size = $36.00! That seems a lot to me. But oh well...
A mini size = $6.00
I have the small size because I wasn't sure if I would LOVE this. I have already tried this because my friend gave me a sample before I bought the small mini. But just to be sure I really LOVED it, I went for the mini.
I purchased mine at Pure Beauty. You can check out their website for more information and store locations:
http://www.macadamiahair.com/

How I Use This
I apply this every other day. I wash my hair, let it air dry and then apply a generous amount to my hair. I concentrate on the ends of my hair, where I have dry and split ends. I also apply this to the roots of my hair.

Product Review
Here are some of the properties of this oil:
~red tinted oil
~very lightweight
~Has a very pleasant smell. Nutty with some cologne-like undertones. Not overpowering at all (to me at least)

I hope you can see how lightweight this is. It is not a thick oil at all.

I love the fact that this oil is so lightweight. It does not make my hair greasy or oily. I can wash my hair every other day without a problem. I can re-apply this a couple of times without worrying about having deep fried looking hair.
This has helped to moisturize and condition my hair so much.I constantly use a flat iron on my hair, which cause many unsightly split ends. On a side note, I have not cut my hair in...I am embarrassed to say...about 7 or 8 months. I should be cutting my hair every 3 or 4 months, so I am way over due. Because of this, my split ends were really bad! That is, until I started using this. I have seen a great improvement to my split ends! Granted they have not disappeared, but they are 70% better. [I still need to cut my hair soon!]

This makes my hair soft and shiny, but it does not weigh down my hair. I can see this would be perfect for people who want to keep curls because it will not weigh curls down. 

I solemnly swear that this is my favorite hair product as of today. Keep in mind that I have never tried Argan oil, or Moroccan oil before.

Verdict
This will be one of my staple items in my beauty collection. It is pricey, but not much more than other salon branded hair oils. I love this more that the It's a 10! leave in hair conditioner, which I loved before I tried this product.
PROS
~Helps to get rid of split ends
~moisturizes hair and dry ends
~Leaves hair shiny and smooth
~pleasant smell
~Lightweight oil, won't leave hair oily or weighed down
 CONS
~Expensive

Rating: 9/10 (The price...is a little much)
Recommend? Hell Yes!!!

If you guys know any cheaper alternatives I would love to know!

Review: KKCenterhk ES A188 Bottom Lashes

Hi Dollies!

I have something very cool to show you guys today. You might have seen these already, but I am very happy to show these to you. They are the new KKCenterhk ES bottom lashes~
I have tried bottom lashes before (Dolly Wink) , but I was particularly excited to try these out!

Price and Availability
$8.80 on the KKCenterhk site~

Product Review
PROS:
~Thin, clear band
~The band is very flexible
~Very easy to cut up in smaller pieces
~Very easy to apply
~The band is unnoticeable when applied
~Great for cosplay/glam looks

CONS:
~If you do not cut them up, the lashes are very unnatural looking
~I can't really wear them full size

I really enjoyed using these. When cut up in half, they are very wearable. You can make your eyes flirty or sexy by applying these on your lower lashes.
They look great with top falsies, since they really balance out top false eyelashes.
These bottom lashes are great for the wide awake look, or the very Japanese cute look.

EOTD (Crappy Pictures Galore)
My look is much less innocent than it is smoldering. I applied the bottom lashes in the middle of my lower lash line. For a dolly look, apply them at the outer corner.

Added this in cause it felt so artsy!

Add caption

Products Used
~Accent Lashes made by cutting up some of the KKCenterhk ES A500 Lashes
~A188 bottom lashes
~rest of EOTD will be mentioned in a separate post ^_~ (A review for the Autralis Intensify Eye palette)


Verdict
Great quality lashes for an affordable price! These will last me forever! I used one lash for both of my eyes (I cut one lash in half and used one half for one eye and the other half for the other eye.Just adjusts the lengths accordingly). Dolly Wink bottom lashes are an alternative, but those are SUPER pricey for most people. I think these are much easier to apply than the Dolly Wink ones too!
Rating: 4/5 (You have to cut them, and a full band is rather unwearable)
Recommend? Definitely!!

*These were provided for review by KKCenterhk

Skincare Wednesdays: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub

Could this thing have a longer name???? I just know it as "that one green scrub from Neutrogena." So as you guys might know, I recently started a new skin care routine [See that post HERE] for acne prone skin, but I needed a new exfoliator to go along with that new routine. I have heard great things about this scrub so I ran [I lie! I didn't run at all. I biked there :) ]to my local Rite Aid and purchased this.

Price: This was $7.99~ Fair price.

I have been using this for about a week, and I have used it 3 times. I will be using this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so 3 times a week.

It is really gentle since it is a creme scrub. A creme scrub?? Sounds weird. But it is a green cream that has a light cucumber smell and it has small blue beads that gently exfoliate your skin. Of course, this is designed for acne prone skin so it has to be gentle and it also contains 2% salicylic acid.

I really enjoy the fact that this is a creme scrub because I have combo skin that has to be balanced. If I use anything that is too drying I break out, but if I use too many moisturizing products I also break out. [Story of my life...] My skin is just so demanding!! It is like one of those needy people who want everything, but then once they get it, they don't want it anymore.

How I use this:
I like using this in the shower. So at night, I use my cleanser to remove my makeup, pop into the shower, and apply this onto my face.
I spread it on my skin and I gently start to make circles on my face, starting from the center of my face and slowly moving towards the hair line. I do this for about 90 seconds and then I rinse it off.

Afterwards, my skin feels sooo smooth! And also, I get this really awesome tingly feeling~ You know that feeling you get when you chew mint gum or you eat a mint? That cool, refreshing feeling? That is how your skin feels after using this! I love it~

Any bad things? Hmm, well, let's see. I am a little apprehensive on how exfoliating this product is. I don't feel that the beads are doing much exfoliating, but I can't say too much about that just yet.
I guess people who have a problems with creme products will not life this too much. This doesn't lather at all either. I personally don't have a problem with that, but some people will!

I will update you guys in about 1 month :D

Check out 'History of the Dark Sider'

Do I still have to mention that poll on the side bar?? Lol~ You know you want to take a fuuuun poll! Do it! C'mon~ Everyone is doing it.

The Lipstick Compendium: MAC 'Purple Rite' and 'Flaunting it'

Salutations, friends!
What the heck is "The Lipstick Compendium" you ask? Well it is a new series I want to do :D I want to show you my inventory and collection of lipsticks (sometimes lipglosses as well). This way I can review lip products and also show you some lip swatches of them. Some items I will show are limited edition, and I apologize for that. But, many other people also have the same items as me. And who knows, LE items are often re-promoted or you can always find a similar color or a dupe.  :D

My first item on the list is MAC 'Purple Rite' lipstick. I know, this was limited edition :( But some of you out there might have this and this can show you how you could use it.I like to use this lipstick with MAC 'Flaunt it' Kissable Lip Color on top~

Purple Rite is a sheer red toned, purple with a slight gold sheen. It is a frost finish. I really like this lipstick because it is a purple color that is sheer enough to be very wearable. The gold sheen makes this very glam as well.

Flaunt It is a medium toned mauve liquid lipstick.It is really pigmented, smooth, and not sticky. These Kissable Lip colors were really great, and I really hope they re-promote them!

Swatches

Purple Rite  / Flaunt It

See the nice golden sheen and shimmers? That is from the lipstick!

Trends?
My inspiration for this look was moving from Summer to Fall trends. Fall lips are darker, and darker purples are often seen during the fall. For the upcoming Fall 2011 trends, one thing that has been seen on the runway is strong eyebrows, dark lips, but a very minimal eye. In fact, you will see many no eye makeup looks. I have very little mascara on on my eye lashes, and that is all I have on. I have a little bit of MAC Stark Naked blush as well ;)

I went from using Illamasqua 'Obey'(seperate post on this coming soon), which is a very opaque pinky coral...

A very dreamy coral~

...to the purple lip!~

You won't like me when I'm angry!~

I'm sorry I started off with LE lip products, but I promise you that I will be doing mostly permanent colors and also show both drugstore and high end products.
I hope you guys enjoyed this :) Give me some feedback below!

Also, please take the poll on the upper right hand side of my blog if you haven't already!
And check out my BLOG SALE.

History Of the Dark Sider

I have tons of pictures of myself when I was in high school and of my first two years in college. I was looking through them and I noticed how different my makeup has looked. I never really noticed that I started to change the way I did my makeup. And not only my makeup, but my style as well. I thought it would be fun to show you guys some profile pictures I have that will show you just what I mean.
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This first picture was of when I was in 8th grade, and I didn't wear any makeup. I am with  a friend of mine, and no she is not related to me. People always thought she was my sister, but I do not have any sisters. :)
I am wearing no makeup and my hair is...so normal!

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Then, in 9th grade my style changed a lot.
I cut my hair short, and I dyed it black. At this stage, I started using mascara and lip glosses.

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Then in 10th grade, I started to use blush

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11th grade is when things start to get weird. I was really into rock music since I was  in elementary school, but this was the time when I wanted to dress how I wanted to. I "rebelled" slightly by dressing a little weird. I had really short hair here; the shortest I have ever had my hair. And makeup wise, I had started to wear eyeliner. This picture is so scary! It looks like I want to eat your soul.

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Then my hair grew out a little, and I really liked to have pigtails in my hair. I was influenced a lot by Jrock fashion, and Japanese anime during this time. That explains the pigtails, and very Japanese-like poses. I am still wearing mostly eyeliner, but I started using a bit of eyshadow as well.

And course, black nail polish. During high school, I only wore black nail polish,but that is where my nail polish obsession began.

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In 12th grade, I toned down my weirdness a little bit, and my makeup also looked a little more natural. This happened towards the end, possible because I wanted to be a little more "mature" for when I went to college.

Nightmare before Christmas shirt FTW!

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As a freshmen in college, I changed a lot. Although at this point I started to use eyeshadows like crazy, I still did very natural looks.

 

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Then I cut my hair again....I am actually contemplating cutting it like this again.But I'm not sure yet.

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Of course, my weirdness isn't over yet. My hair is longer now than what it was in the picture above. Of course, once in a while a like to go back to my pigtails and anime-like appearance!

Hm. I wonder if I should cut my hair, or let it grow. What do you guys think?

It is crazy how much a person can change on the outside. I don't feel like my personality has changed though! I have always been a geeky rocker girl with a huge obsession with anything Japanese. I hope you guys liked this, and I enjoy telling you guys about myself a little. :D