Another Shopping Spree

M A C 

Bought some MAC thangs online and in store:
1. Orpheous eyekohl 2. Raven eyekohl 3. Easy Manner Blush
4. Impassioned lipstick 5. Beauty lipstick 6. Please Me lipstick
7. Long Love Love Prolong Lipglass 8. Half-lash curler

Impassioned (bright fuchsia pink... this picture doesn't show how bright this lipstick really is)
Beauty (pale cool pink)
Please Me (midtone pink with yellow undertones)

Long Love Love Prolong Lipglass (cool-toned light pink)
I paired this with Beauty lipstick from the Glamour Daze Collection
and I really like how they both looked. Perfect combination with
a dark, sultry smokey eye! I really like these Pro Longwear Lipglasses
because they really do last forever!

Easy Manner Blush (light, dirty pink with a hint of peach)
This is the perfect blush for a barely-there blush look, great for everyday

Raven (intense black with red pearl)
Orpheous (intense black with gold pearl)
I really love these formula for eyeliners. I have used Raven before
and I like that it has a drier formula. It lasts longer on my eyes as opposed to
creamier formulas, so I figured I would try Orpheous too. Raven comes on like
a dark burgundy shade and Orpheous comes on like a dark gold.

Raven & Orpheous

Finally trying out MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer
NC30 & NC 35

Half-lash curler... I was on the search for MAC's metal lash curler
before they replaced them all with the Carine Roitfeld black-coated ones...
I don't really like the black ones as I find that the cushion pad always falls out!
No luck though. But the MAC artist at the MAC store on Oak & Rush
recommended I get the half-lash curler. Went home and tried it right away
and I am so in love! It really gives me the control to curl my lashes in sections
and, therefore, I am able to get every single lash from the tiniest ones in the
inner corner to the teeny ones on the outer corner! I even curled my bottom lashes
which I could never do with a full-length curler!

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CHANEL & LANCÔME

367 Intrigue Glossimer & 307 L'Impatiente Rouge Allure Velvet
L'Imapatiente is the first shade I have tried in Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet formula...
It comes on very uneven and patchy! And it accentuates every single line
on your lips. In order to make it work, I rub the lipstick in with my finger and top
it with Chanel's Intrigue Glossimer. The combination is a dark, chic lip.
The lipstick is a little difficult, but I don't mind doing a little work to make it pretty.

Chanel Rouge Allure in 89 Gracile
I am so in love with this formula and color! It's a great rose shade
that suits an everyday look. The lipstick goes on very smooth and
gives really good color payoff. I'm so tempted to buy more shades!

Chanel's Harmonie Du Soir Eye Shadow Quad
This quad came out with Chanel's 2012 Holiday Collection and it was
definitely love at first sight. The colors can be worn year-round,
but it definitely reminds me of the fall and winter. I was also a sucker for
the packaging, love the quilting and the logo! I kind of don't even want to
use it because I don't want to ruin the imprint! The only thing
I HATE about this palette is the hefty price tag! You get less product
than other quads, yet it's more expensive. UGH! 

Chanel Malice Nail Lacquer
This is my very first Chanel nail polish. Anyone who knows
me will know that I'm not huge on nail polish; however. when
I find nail polish colors that I love, I really really love them!
I also don't usually like reds on my nails, but this shade
was too gorgeous to pass on!

Lancome Visionnaire
I have heard great things about Visonnaire. It claims to help shrink pores
and even out skin tone. I have some stubborn acne scarring that won't go
away and I'm hoping that this is the miracle I've been looking for.
I'm also hoping that my skin doesn't react negatively to this product. I'll
keep you guys posted on the progress of my skin in a few weeks after using this. 

I love free things I will actually make use of!
The Chanel associate gave me free samples of their new mascara:
Le Volume de Chanel. I actually have the full size of this mascara
and it is my absolutely favorite mascara! Gives me length, volume
but doesn't clump whatsoever! This mascara also doesn't smudge
on me at all! It's very similar to Chanel's Inimitable, but with more volume.
The associate also gave me some Rouge Allure notebooks; so cute!

Now I can take notes in style! <3

Hope you guys enjoyed my little shopping spree and mini review for some of the things I picked up.

Kim Tran

Makeup Shopping Spree

Bought some new things to try. So excited! 

1. Chanel Rose Initiale Blush 2. Notorious Sculpting Powder
3. Bare Minerals The Dream Sequence Quad 4. Bare Minerals  Skinny Dip Bronzer
5. MAC Feminine Edge Fluidline 6. MAC Catch My Eye Fluidline
7. MAC Everything that Glitters Nail Lacquer 8. MAC Girl Trouble Nail Lacquer
9. Pink Fade Lipglass 10. Talk Softly To Me Lipglass
11. MAC Legendary Blush (Marilyn Monroe Collection)
12.  MAC I'm the One Blush 13. MAC Ready to Party Eye Shadow
14. MAC Stolen Moment Eye Shadow

Today I went to Nordstrom and was very surprised when I saw a bunch of Too Faced Cosmetics on a table marked "Reduced." I picked up an eye shadow palette and it said "$17.98"!!! Original price is $36.00! OMG, they were all 50-60% marked down! So I went a little crazy...

1. 2 Primed and Poreless Face Primer 2. Glitter Glue 3. Naked Eye Palette
4. Eyeshadow Primer 5. Matte Eye Palette
The sales girl helping me also gave me three
free samples of pink leopard bronzer (more of a highlighter IMO)

Just wanted to show you guys all my new goodies! Hope you guys enjoyed. I'll be back to write about how I like these products.

So much love,

Kim

Christina Martinez Wedding

My dear friend Christina asked me to do her makeup for her bridal shower and wedding. I was so excited she asked me! We didn't have time to meet previous to the bridal shower to do a proper trial so that day's makeup was the trial! Everything turned out great though. I also did her hair for the shower, but not her wedding day. Here are some photos: 

The Bridal Shower // Hair & Makeup by Me

Wedding Day Makeup!

Makeup Looks featuring ME!

Hello hello! I hope everyone's doing fantastic! I just wanted to write a little update on what I've been up to and also post pictures of how I've been doing my makeup. So for the past month, I actually have been trying to avoid wearing too much makeup because my face was breaking out a lot... I had run out of almost all of my skincare products (makeup wipes & benzoyl peroxide gel) so I bought some random products to try from the drugstore. Boy, was my skin mad at me! I am currently back on my regular regimen and my skin's recovering, but it's taking some time. Other than that, I've just been busy with work and bridal stuff, but I'm truly grateful that I'm doing something that I truly love! Anywhoo, here are some makeup looks that I've been rocking:

 

Brown smokey eye & lots of bronzer;
I wore this look at my friend's bridal shower

Neutral/Gold eyes & red hot lips!
I wore this to my friend's wedding

Same look as above, but with pink lips

I did a very dramatic blue smokey eye for my friend's birthday.

Here's another picture to show how dark the eyeshadow was...
It was a candid photo obviously haha

I was a bridesmaid for my friend's wedding  & opted to do my
own makeup. I kept it really clean and simple..

After my hair was done :)

I always tell people that makeup should be fun. You can always take it off if you don't like it so go ahead, play with different colors, play up your eyes, play up your lips... that's really the only way you're going to find what looks good and works for Y O U. People always compliment me on changing up my look and being bold enough to wear bright, intense color or not being afraid to wear very smokey eyes, but in all honesty, I have been there-- where my makeup looked like a hot mess! I remember looking like I had black eyes when I first tried to do smokey looks. But I didn't stop trying to make it work for me. Another funny thing is that when I first started getting into makeup, I would always gravitate toward bright colors... neon pinks especially! I used to think browns were boring, but now I have truly come to appreciate neutral shades! And ladies, remember, practice makes perfect! <3

<3, kimtran

BTW, hope everyone has a great Independence Day!

Corina

My friend Corina asked me to do her makeup for a photoshoot and I couldn't say no to her! She's seriously one of the sweetest girls I know! She asked for a smokey eye so we went for a Kim Kardashian makeup look. Tell me she's not channeling Kim K in this photo:

I absolutely love this shot of her.  She oozes fabulous-ness!

Review: Blinc Mascara

Hello beauties!

This review is going to be on the Blinc Mascara I have been trying it out for the past week and I wanted to share with you guys what I thought!

First, let me begin by telling you guys what I look for in a mascara. I want something that is going to give me volume and length. My lashes are a bit sparse, but unlike other Asian eye lashes that I have seen, they are not stick straight and they hold a curl pretty well. I do not like watery, goopey mascara formulas because that will take the curl right out of my lashes. I like a drier formula to make the curl last; that also helps so that my mascara does not run or flake.

Now let's take a look at what Blinc claims this mascara will and will not do:

What it does:
Blinc Mascara is the original tube-technology mascara. It's invented to form tiny water-resistant "tubes" around your lashes for maximum amplification and hold, rather than painting them like conventional mascaras. Once applied, the tubes bind to your lashes and cannot run, smudge, clump, or flake, even if you cry or rub your eyes.

What else you need to know:
This mascara adds both volume and length, to give you a radiant natural look that lasts all day. Neither water nor pressure alone will remove Blinc Mascara. Only the combination of lots of warm water and gentle pressure (no need for harsh makeup removers) will slide the tiny tubes effortlessly off your lashes into your hand. Upon removal, you will actually see the tiny tubes slide into your hand.

Source: Sephora

Okay, so, on to the review. I like this mascara, but I was hoping to fall in love with it considering all the hype it's getting. Even some of my girlfriends have told me how much they love this mascara. I find that the Blinc Mascara is nice if you want natural-looking lashes. It adds a little length and a little volume. I also noticed that it dries very fast. When I went in to put on a second coat, it felt like there was a lot of tension created between the brush and my lashes- it didn't run through my lashes smoothly, so I would recommend going in with a second coat BEFORE the first coat fully dries. The mascara did not smudge on me at all, no matter how long I had it on for. Really, the only way to get this mascara off is with warm water and a little pressure from your fingers. It's actually pretty cool seeing the little tubes coming off your lashes. I also noticed I did not have any lash fallout, which is great!

Overall, I like this product for daytime use and would recommend it to anyone looking for a mascara that will give natural-looking lashes. I probably will not be repurchasing this mascara, however, because I know there are mascaras out there that will give me natural lashes with one coat and I can get more dramatic results if I put more coats of it on. This is for natural-looking lashes, period.

the mascara come in this tube

natural lashes

natural lashes

my lashes after I curled it 

first coat of the Blinc mascara

second coat of the mascara

warm water and some pressure and the tubes of mascara
comes right off

St. Patty's Day Makeup

I didn't have anything green to wear for St. Patty's Day so I improvised and used makeup! :)

FACE:

makeup forever mat velvet foundation
mac prep and prime loose translucent powder
smashbox suntan matte bronzer
mac peaches blush

EYES:
mac brow in strut
mac teal pigment
mac sassy grass eyeshadow (limited edition)
mac penultimate liner

LIPS:
mac way to love lipstick (limited edition)
mac nymphette lipglass