Happy NYE!! Nails, Outfit and my New Years Resolution.

Happy New Year/New Year’s Eve Beauties!!!

I know some of you are already in 2012 and some of you (like me) are still counting down.

Just wanted to show you my outfit for tonight and my NYE nails :)



I’m wearing this gorgeous little black dress that I got in Australia somewhere… I don’t remember exactly where, but the brand is ‘Aqua’.

My statement piece is this beautiful necklace that was a gift from my mama. I’ll probably just wear small silver studs with it, so as not to detract from the focus on the necklace.

The grey platform pumps are from Wet Seal.

Since my outfit is simple, I decided to go a little more festive with the mani!

The base is Zoya Kimmy, except the ring finger which is Zoya Jules. Over Kimmy I layered China Glaze Fairy Dust except the ring finger, where I layered with Milani Gems.

My nails are so short at the moment!! I was stressed for a couple of days and ended up biting one of my nails off, so I had to cut the other to even them out :(

I’m still not 100% sure what we’re doing, but I’m sure we’ll find something fun.

This past year has gone so quickly! There have been a lot of good times,some #foreveralone times and so many exciting things have happened. I found myself feeling restless and a little unsatisfied with life at times, but as the year wraps up I know I have so much to be grateful for.

That’s why my New Year’s Resolution will be to fully appreciate what I have; my amazing family and friends, my health, a roof over my head, food to eat and the little luxuries like makeup & clothes…. and of course, the lovely people who take the time to read my blog!

I'll be taking a lot of pictures tonight and will soon be posting another Photo Diary entry, with my Xmas and NYE makeup, as well as a LOT more :)

I hope you all have/had a wonderful New Year’s!! What is your resolution?

Ishah xx

Ombre/Gradient 'Velvet Glimmer' Lips

I wanted to try a simple, yet extra special look for a special occasion and I am stuck on a look I saw in a video by Michelle Phan. It’s called ‘Velvet Glimmer’ lips and it just looks SOOOO pretty I had to try it myself. It's an ombre/gradient look, using lipstick and a gold eyeshadow. It's SUPER easy to do, you basically just apply your lipstick, then gently pat gold eyeshadow in the center of your lips, working it slightly outwards to give it a gradient look.

I decided if I’m going to do a bold lip, I’ll tone it down with the eyes and just use a couple of lighter gold shades.

For the eyes:
Firstly, lined my lower lashline with NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Velvet
Then I put a little Urban Decay Loose Pigment in Yeyo on the inner corners
I used Urban Decay Eyeshadow Chopper on the outer half of the lid
I then used Urban Decay Eyeshadow Maui Wowie on the inner half of the lid and blended it into Chopper
Lastly, I used a matte nude shadow from my Hello Kitty palette to blend into my crease and browbone and topped it off with two coats of Dolly Wink Long Mascara.
I'm also wearing my Geo BerryHolic Turquoise circle lenses! :)

For the lips:
I applied Eyeko Liptastik Glossy Lip Pen in Lip Lover all over my lips as a rich, velvety base
I then lightly patted Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Maui Wowie in the centre of my lips with an eyeshadow brush. You could just as easily use your finger, though.

The lips look best matte in my opinion, but if you wanted to, you could dab some gloss over them too. It's a subtle look, but gives you an extra pop and makes your lips look fuller.


I am totally loving this look, it’s bright and vibrant without being too over the top. Now I have to find an outfit to go with it!

Do you like this Ombre/Gradient look? Or do you prefer something more traditional/crazier?

Last minute gifts: my faves at Forever 21.

Hey Beauties! It’s almost Christmas!

I usually get all the big ticket items a month early, but 2 days before Christmas I always end up frantically looking for small last minute gifts. If you're like me and need some inspiration, here's a few things I picked up from Forever 21 for small gifts/stocking stuffers/hostess gifts that are easy and much nicer than boring bath sets.

Forever 21 has so many cute and inexpensive accessories that would be perfect for gifts. I picked up these furry earmuffs for $3 each.

Aren’t they gorgeous??


This lovely necklace was $3.80

These super cute earrings were only $1.50 each!

 

I don't remember exactly how much this necklace was... but it was under $5. It's on their website anyway.

Bow hair clips, $1.50 wtf.

You could mix and match with these and come up with an awesome little fashion gift basket.



They also have a lot of really cute beauty products, like these pretty nail polishes (you might have seen them in my header!) and bronzer

 

I haven't bought any yet, but their facial masks look really good and like they would smell fabulous. A few of those with some nail polish and a mini manicure set could make a great spa basket for a hostess gift.
 
I love Forever 21, because they have such a huge selection of accessories and cosmetics that are under $5. Getting gifts there is a definite Christmas Moneysaver and we all know we could stand to cut down a little on our holiday spending. And let’s face it… I’m cheap. I have of a lot of people I want to buy gifts for and I’m not rich :’( the less money I spend the better.

Have you done all your Christmas shopping yet? I think I’m done… actually I think I bought too much stuff for myself =_=

Ishah xx

For Days Mousa Sheet Mask - not super attractive, but super effective.

I actually picked up this mask as a sample at a Japanese festival in Torrance. They were giving out other things like key rings and stationary, but you know I had to grab the sheet mask!

I had never heard of the brand For Days before, apparently they just recently launched in the US and they specialise in nucleic acid nutrition. I'm not sure if they are currently in any stores or where they are selling the products, but you can contact them on their website.

[Serum Mask]
8 sheets, 0.85fl.oz/sheet
Member's price...$135 without tax
Retail price...$160 without tax

This serum-soaked mask enhances skin tone and elasticity. With a double-layered eye flap, it gives advanced care for the most delicate eye area. Use 2-3 times a week for special care.


DAMN that is one pricey sheet mask. I don't think I could afford to buy this on a regular basis.




Be prepared for some really super ugly pictures of me with the sheet mask on……………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Photo Diary I: My birthday and some new purchases!

 
So 8 days ago it was my 26th birthday! Gosh, time flies... I can't believe I'm already in the downward slide towards 30.... Ok, so 30 is nowhere near old, but sometimes I wish I'd just stay 21 forever.

I celebrated on the Saturday and decided to play into the Asian stereotype and do Karaoke! I looooove karaoke, I could go with one other person, stone cold sober and sing for hours. We went to Plush Karaoke Lounge in Irvine, which doesn't have an ultra huge selection and is a little pricey but the rooms are very nice and it's close. We were there for 3 hours and honestly, it wasn't enough time. I could've sang for 5 hours straight. I should probably mention that it was my husband’s birthday as well… yes, we have the same birthday albeit he is 5 years older. He never wants to do it big and celebrate much though, so I have to just make about MEEEEEE! Yes, that is my excuse :p


Here is the past week's photo diary, including some bday pics and some new purchases!

Eyeko Liptastik Glossy Lip Pen & FOTD

Hello my Beauties!

I've heard a lot about Eyeko from numerous beauty bloggers, but as they're a UK brand it's very hard to find in the US. I decided to follow them on Facebook in hopes of them posting a good promotion that would justify me paying the $7 shipping fee (yes, I'm cheap). My cheapness paid off when they did a 50% off promo, and I indulged a bit and bought some products I'd had my eye on.
 
One of those was the Liptastik Glossy Lip Pen that, (fortunately for me), was on special 3 for 2 ^_^ UNfortunately, they are discontinued since I guess Eyeko decided to focus on eye products only. I'm not sure if they plan to reintroduce other products, but I hope they do because I love their lip and nail products especially. The shipping was relatively fast for international, about a week and a half, and it came as registered post.






The three shades are:

 Hot Lips                         Lip Lover                         Loudmouth

The flash gives it a bit of an orange tinge on the edge of the swatch, but that’s definitely not evident in real life. Hot Lips is a bright pinkish/violet, Lip Lover is a warm flame red, almost bordering on orange, and Loudmouth is a gorgeous hot pink.



 

The lipstick itself looks quite well made and is a twist tube so there is no wasting product by having to sharpen it. Liptastik glides onto the lips very smoothly and is VERY richly pigmented. For being a 'glossy' lip pen, I found it actually had a velvety matte finish which I LOVE. It's very creamy and moisturising though and if I want it glossy I just put a similar shade of lipgloss over it. It lasts a long time and stains your lips somewhat, so I usually just top up the gloss over it to refresh the colour. I actually wiped the swatches with a makeup wipe and it took a lot of rubbing to get them off.. even then there was a light, but visible stain.

I really love all the shades, they are all gorgeously bright and vivid. My favourite is probably Loudmouth.

 

FOTD:
Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream #31
Avon Smooth Minerals Blush Duo in Warm Beauty
Dolly Wink Long Mascara
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Jet Black
ELF Treat & Tame eyebrow gel in Medium
Eyeko Liptastik in Loudmouth
 
 
A few #vanity phone pics…
 

Loudmouth

Hot Lips

Although the Liptastik lip pens are no longer being sold on the Eyeko website, you can still purchase all three shades from Cherry Culture along with quite a few of the other discontinued Eyeko products. Have you tried any Eyeko products? Do you have any faves? I want to try their Big Eyes mascara!

Ishah xx