Happy Thanksgiving + Sephora Haul

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's been so long since I've last posted, I've been very occupied with schoolwork, college applications and work!

I've hauled a little bit a long time ago but I haven't posted it -- it's my Sephora F&F Haul. Haha so long ago right?

I bought the Urban Decay 24/7 Super Stash eyeliner set and a Diorshine lipstick.

Urban Decay 24/7 Super Stash

So colorful!

It comes with nine pencils and all of the colors are so vibrant, creamy and pigmented.

Currently I obsessed with using the black and brown one but I also love the navy and aubergine ones too. The sizes are a bit small: each one measures about 3 inches (including the cap). But that doesn't really matter since I'm don't use makeup every single day. If I love it enough, I'll buy the full size. I was thinking of getting the MUFE 4 eyeliner set but thought there were more colors in this set... Oh well! Maybe next time :)

Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick in Pink Couture

Lovely packaging right? It glows...

I love this color! So natural. I was compelled to buy it after seeing Fuz's swatch on Beauty Swatch. The formula is really smooth, buttery, and moist. It makes my lips watery which I love.

Do you see that strange picture in the background? That's the new Barney's catalogue.. hehehe

My Thanksgiving Dish!

My family doesn't really like turkey so we made a roast pork loin! Last year we made a roast beef dish but this year we tried something a little different... Despite the little chars on the top, doesn't it look mouthwatering?

It is seasoned with a little sea salt, rosemary and slathered in peppercorn mustard. Then you wrap it with strips of bacon and tie it up so everything stays together. Place some apples and onions on the side and roast for 90 or so minutes while checking to see if it's roasting nicely.

Mario Badescu Skincare

Mario Badescu Skincare is now available on Gilt Groupe until 11/16 Noon EST.

I recently requested samples directly from the website (recomended by Stacieeee) and the products that I will be sent are:

Enzyme Cleansing Gel $20.00
Buffering Lotion $17.00
Special Cucumber Lotion (only on Mario Badescu site)
Cucumber Tonic Mask (only on Mario Badescu site)
Collagen Moisturizer (SPF 15)$22
Hyaluronic Eye Cream $18.00
Kiwi Face Scrub $15.00

To receive free samples from Mario Badescu catered to your skin type: go HERE.

Hopefully I receive these samples soon! I'm excited. Check out Stacieee's post on her free samples HERE.

On Gilt most of these products are available, compare the the prices with the discount:
Enzyme Cleansing Gel $16.00
Buffering Lotion $14.00
Collagen Moisturizer (SPF 15) $17
Hyaluronic Eye Cream $14.00
Kiwi Face Scrub $12.00

More products are available at Gilt -- there are special value sets as well. Go check it out!

If you are new to Gilt, click HERE .

*This is not a company affiliated post, only my personal suggestion for you all!

Review: Kose Clear Turn Hyaluronic Acid Mask

Today I will be reviewing a product! It's another mask... Yeah I know I've been only reviewing masks these days but I haven't been applying makeup lately due to stress induced acne (so sad right?)

Also I've been having some ear piercing infection problems since last week. I first got my earlobe pierced in August so my piercing is not that old yet. I wear all 14-18k gold/white gold earrings so not a problem with the metal allergy. Last week I had some yellowish puss, redness and swelling but I did a hot water sea salt bath for my ear everyday for 1 wk. I shouldn't have stopped but this week my ear seemed to be normal so I stopped. However now it's getting itchy again and my earlobe is still swollen (no redness though). I don't think it's really necessary to go to the doctor since there's no puss or bleeding. Right now I'm doing the salt bath again and using the solution from the piercing place. What do you all do when you get piercing infections?

Anyway on to the review!

Kose Clear Turn White Hyaluronic Acid Mask

This mask is sometimes available in Mitsuwa but I would recommend checking Sasa out

Instructions and some details about how hyaluronic acid works. Read more about Hyaluronic Acid in my review for the Hada Labo Facewash.

When you open the package

On my face

Pros:

- Very, very moisturizing! A+

- Mask fabric is thin but liquid solution is gel-like and very concentrated

- Mask fabric reminds me of a paper towel, sticks so well to my face and fits my face well

- After I pat residue on my face, my face is very smooth

- No scent, no irritation

Cons:

- Leaves a slight stickiness but goes away immediately after patting in residue

Overall Rating:

5/5 :)

For my Japanese class I had to make a Kyaraben or Character Bento. Bento is a very big cultural aspect of Japanese life, bento is basically a lunch box or box food. There are varieties of bento from cheap convenience store bento to very deluxe and high quality bento with gourmet food (some cost 100 dollars or more...).

A kyaraben was originally a creation made by mothers for their children to make food appealing to eat. Also the kyaraben was made to combat picky eaters or other problems that some children have such as the dislike for vegetables. In general, the kyaraben is just so fun to look at and eat!

So this is my kyaraben...

Isn't it kind of scary and cute at the same time?

It's actually supposed to be Totoro but I'm not very good at making kyaraben to look exactly like the character so this is my best.. Haha. I'm going to try to make bento for myself at least once a week and maybe improve my cooking skills. Most kyaraben use cute cutters to make shapes and various accessories like decoration toothpicks. I have these little rice shaping molds that make rice into cute animals like rabbits, frogs, and bears but I don't know where those molds went!

Hauling: Sasa and Shu Uemura

Happy Belated Halloween! I didn't go out yesterday for any halloween celebration, I celebrated on Friday.

I also finished the early app that was due for November 1st :) Thank you to all of those who left very nice and comforting comments!

Here's my Halloween costume:

Do you know who I am? Take a guess. I'm a popular 60's cartoon character--which one? :)

I was in a group with a bunch of people doing all of the characters from this particular cartoon.

So I've made some hauls during the month of October that I haven't shared with you guys. I decided to take advantage of the sale at Sasa and go for the Silk Whitia buy one get one free deal. I picked three types of masks and and got 6 boxes in total... I'm not really sure if I love the Silk Whitia masks as some others do. I've used two kinds so far: the Anti Oxidation Whitening Mask and the Whitening and Moisturizing Mask. I also got the free little cookie mirror that came with the special free shipping deal but I found out I have the SAME exact one--my friend gave one to me last year.

My Initial Thoughts:

- After leaving it on for 25-30 minutes (maybe that's too long?), I felt the mask creating some filmy substance that peeled from my skin if I rubbed it

- No sticky residue but again, the strange peeling layer after drying on the skin

- Whitening action was moderate, moisture was good

- High quality fabric and very gel-like consistency

- Scent is a bit like baby wipes--not really appealing but not a bad scent

Can somebody tell me if this peeling thing happened to you too? It's like I put on a peeling mask and rubbed my face to remove the mask... Haha. Maybe it's because I left the mask on for too long...

Second haul was from Shu Uemura. I bought some items from the new Holiday '09 collection that features Tsumori Chisato. I bought only two items and none of them were makeup items. For some reason, the eyeshadow palettes didn't really appeal to me at all, most colors were not so special so I didn't buy them. I wanted the lipstick but I was afraid of the brownish color (however now that I see swatches.. I want it LOL). So I decided to get the two items that would really show the cute pattern and design of Tsumori Chisato.

The Cosmetic Pouch

Cute box!

Haha this pic reminds me of a black animal opening its mouth.

Isn't the star zipper adorable?

The puffiness of the pouch makes it look a little large... but it's cute!

2nd item: The Mirror

The box is not as cute but it's nice and simple.

It comes with a little pouch which is like this strange fleece like fabric... Reminds me of Old Navy pajamas that had the label: don't leave near fire/flame. I wish it came in a satin or velvet pouch!

Cute pattern right? I'm comparing it to my freebie Minnie Mouse mirror I got from the MORE magazine for September. It's very similar... -_-; The angle is a bit different though. I prefer the Tsumori Chisato/Shu Uemura mirror angle better.

Size is overall about the same. The pattern is adorable though! Maybe the cat mirror is a teeny bit studier than the Minnie mouse one.

Hehe, silly pic of my shooting myself in the mirror. Do you like my orange nails? They complemented my Halloween costume (the sweater especially). The shade is from Zoya.