Pop of Color: Purple Makeup Look

I just wanted to share this with you all. I dressed up a couple weekends ago to go out with a friend and this is what my make-up looked like. Enjoy!

Mitarashi Dango!

Made some Mitarashi Dango last night!

I wanted to share because I was so pleased with myself. lol

I actually used the recipe from this site for those of you who are interested:

http://www.justhungry.com/mitarashi-dango-rice-dough-dumplings-sweet-salty-sauce

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If you can't open the link, Here are the ingredients and instructions that I copied directly from the site

(I think using the site is more helpful though because there are also images included for each step, but here you go!):

For the dango (dumplings):

• 220ml joushinko( glutinous rice flour)
• 110ml shiratamako, or mochiko (sweet rice flour) plus 1 Tbs. of cornstarch or potato starch
• 265ml or so of hot tap water (water that’s hot if you put your hand in, but doesn’t burn you)
• A pot of boiling salted water

For the mitarashi sauce:

• 1/4 cup (55 ml) sugar
• 1/2 cup (105ml) water, with 1 Tbs. cornstarch or potato starch or arrowroot dissolved in it
• 1/8 cup (28 ml) soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. mirin
• 1/2 Tbs. rice vinegar

Equipment needed:

• a pot for boiling the dumplings
• a bowl for mixing the dough
• the same bowl or another one to cool the dumplings
• a grill or grill pan
• a small pan to cook the sauce
• bamboo or wooden skewers

Mix together the joushinko and the hot water. Add the shiratamako. Mix until it forms a soft dough that feels a bit dry to the touch. It’s a very pleasant dough to handle.

Divide the dough into 25 pieces (you can do this by forming a long log and cutting it, or just divide it up in the bowl and eyeball it). Make each piece into a little round ball. It doesn’t have to be perfect in shape - a little bumpiness is fine.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt, as you would for boiling pasta. Add the dumplings a few at a time to the pot. After a few minutes, the dumplings will come floating to the surface. Boil for a further 3-4 minutes, then scoop out with a slotted spoon or similar.

Immediately dump the dumplings into a bowl of cold water.

Put the dumplings on skewers, 4 or 5 per skewer. Try to pierce the dumplings in the middle.

Grill the skewered dumplings on a grill or a grill pan, turning several times, until nice burn marks form over them.

While you’re grilling the dumplings, make the mitarashi sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pan and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened. The more it cools, the more viscous it will get. You can make the sauce in advance too.

Pour the sauce over the still warm skewered dumplings. They are best eaten right away, but you can make them in advance too, as long as you bring them to room temperature before eating.

First Impression: ShiseidoPureness deep cleansing foam and Balancing Softener

I couldn't resist using these products! I was going to use them once I left but I really wanted to give it a try! 

First off, let's talk about my skin. I have very sensitive, acne prone skin and hyperpigmentation. Any product with alcohol or benzoyl peroxide or sacylic acid (basically anything with strong chemicals) makes my skin breakout. After a pimple has died, it leaves a red scar on my face that will take months to completely go away. I normally have dry skin in the winter that flakes, but lately, it  has been starting to get warmer and my skin is starting to feel less dry and more normal.

With all that being said, it is difficult for me to choose new products to use on my face. I am weary when it comes to new products because I do not want any more new breakouts. But after looking at several reviews on these products, I decided to give them a try! (Especially since I am starting to become desperate for a solution for my skin.)

I tried the foam last night in my shower. I just took a small pea size amount on my hand. With just a little bit of water it foams up quite nicely. You really don't need a lot of the product. 

Just a small amount will do!

Lathered up. 

While cleansing my face with this, my face instantly just felt so clean. I kind of have that feeling you get when you apply a product with mint in it on my face, but it was very subtle. After rinsing, my skin just felt like it could breathe and felt refreshed. It did not irritate my skin at all like cause any stinging or make my skin turn red. It is a very gentle face wash. And the smell is very lovely!

After showering and patting myself dry, I applied this softener. It is just a clear liquid. Again it smells so good! No chemical smell at all! I just put one pump (yes, it has a pump! :) ) in my palm (I did not take a picture because it just looks like water in your hand) and rub my hands together to spread the product evenly on my hands. Then I just patted/pressed the product on my face. The directions say you can use a cotton ball but I feel I get a better application by pressing it into my face with my hands and I also do not feel the need to use a cotton ball to assist with removing any makeup that did not get picked up because I washed my face in the shower and did not wear any makeup yesterday.

This did not sting or cause my skin to turn red as well. It smells lovely and again, made my skin feel refreshed. This was also very gentle on my skin.

Please Note:
Cleansing Foam: I have only used this product once (last night) and have not noticed any new breakouts on my skin. Also, it does not leave my skin dry after use!
Softener: I have used this product for the second time last night before bed.

Results so far:
I have two large red pimples on the right side of my face. And I had a large one the left cheek. I have noticed after using the products that the pimple on my left cheek is completely gone (flat)! The other two pimples have reduced in size and I feel that after a day or two they will be completely gone as well! I have also noticed that my skin isn't as red anymore! My skin looks more calmed down.
When I woke up this morning, I also noticed that my skin does not feel dry and isn't flakey. It looks quite normal (ph balance wise)

I wish I took some before and after pictures, but I will show you images of my skin as of today! And then in  a couple weeks I will take another picture to show you all the results! :)



So I do plan on continuing to use these products because my skin does agree with them and I am seeing results!

What skincare products do you use and would recommend? What about what are your thoughts on these products?

L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Review

I have been using the L'Oreal Face Primer for about a month now and thought it would be a good time to do a review on it! 

I happen to come across this in the clearance section in Wal'Mart one day and bought this for $5.00. Regular price is $7.99. Quite expensive in my opinion for the amount that you get.

Here's what it looks like. It's a little thick and creamy consistency. I use this on my eyelids and under my eyes. It feels like a silicone primer (I don't have the original package so I can't say for sure that it is silicone) I notice that when I apply it, it does mattify the skin and it feels very smooth.

I use this more often than any eyeshadow primer because it prevents my concealer and powder and eyeshadow from creasing and also prevents my eyelids from getting oily (on days when I'm not wearing any eyeshadow).

I would recommend this primer but as an eyeshadow primer because of the amount you get (and the price). It wouldn't last you very long if you tried using it all over your face. I feel like they should've labeled this as an eye primer instead if this was the amount they were giving you. It lasts me the entire day (I work eight hours a day so it's great!) without creasing or leaving my eyelids oily. And this primer also smooths out the skin and makes my eyeshadow and concealer look great!

Do any of you use this primer? What are your thoughts on it?

New Skincare! Shiseido & Elizabeth Arden

So, I decided that since I will be moving into a new environment soon that I should pick up some new skincare products! I currently live in Utah which is very dry. My skin since I have been living here has been so dry and flaky and I also have sensitive skin. I will be moving into more humid and hot weather and possibly polluted, SOO! I KNOW for a fact that my skin will go crazy!!

What I mean by crazy is, that my skin will become oily and I will breakout A LOT. I have lived in humidity and hot places my entire life and my skin always broke out and never got better. When I moved to Northern California a few years ago, my skin instantly just calmed down because it is more dry over there. Moving to Utah was not a big issue for my skin either. So I have come to know my skin so much better since I have lived in different environments and I just know that my skin will freak out soon! ugh!

Since I have been paranoid about that for the past couple weeks, I have been thinking about what I should buy to get myself prepared. I decided to pick these up!

From the Shiseido Pureness Line:

• The Deep Cleansing Foam
• Foaming Cleansing Fluid
• Balancing Softner alcohol-free
• Matifying Moisturizer

I can't wait to try these! :)

I also picked up two Elizabeth Arden Products:

Elizabeth Arden Good Morning Skin Serum. I have tested this on the back of my hand. I am not too fond of the scent, but it is very light. It feels like a silicone and on the box it states that it is good as a base/primer for makeup. I don't know if I will be using this in the morning because I am not fond of the texture, but I guess I should give it a go! I do like how it felt on the back of my hand. I rubbed it in and it made my hand very smooth and soft.

And then I have the Overnight Success Skin Renewal Serum (I am not playing games when it comes to my skin. LOL) I do like how this one smells. It has a light scent similar to the Shiseido scent. The serum is not silicone, but it is a little thick and it is not sticky but it just feels like it does a good job moisturizing the skin.

Yay! So that was all I wanted to talk about! I am excited to try these products! But I will not be using the products until I move. I still have a little bit of my current skincare products left and I don't want those to go to waste. They do work for me here in the dry environment but I know I will need some help once I move. LOL My poor skin!

Revlon Age Defying Makeup Foundation Review and Routine

So I'm here to so a review on the Revlon Age Defying Makeup Foundation! I am in the shade 20 Tender Beige. (I don't know how they came up with the name of this shade, btw. How is it tender? lol Just a thought.)

Pictures were taken after about four hours of wear. I did not take any more pictures either because I washed my face after this.

Here is a swatch. It is definitely not a perfect match for me, but it was the closest shade I could get without venturing into the more pink shades. And honestly, it does not look bad on my face! It actually looks pretty good! I did blend it down to my neck and when I looked at my neck in natural lighting, I could not tell where the foundation ended and my bare skin started. So it seems to adjust well into my skintone.

Here are some other items that I wore with the foundation and I think this is the biggest reason why my makeup looked so well yesterday!

 I moisturized my face first with this MAC Studio Moisture Cream. I sat there and just worked the cream into my skin making sure it absorbed into my skin really well so that I wouldn't have any issues with dry flakes/dry skin throughout the day.

Afterwards, I put a light coat of this MAC Face Prep and Prime lotion on my face. After that was done, I sprayed my face with Urban Decay Vitamin B6 spray and let that dry and then continued with the application of the foundation!

I should've taken a picture of it, but I will just explain. I put three pumps of the foundation on the top of my H20 Moisturizer lid and put a small dab of the Lorac I'm So Sensitive Primer in the foundation and mix the two together until smooth. And then I wet my Beauty Blender Sponge and use that to apply my foundation. I took a picture of my sponge after I just completed putting on all my makeup (I also contoured my face so that is why it is so dark.) I wanted to show you guys how abused my poor beauty blender is. LOL I am still searching for a new one! I bought this one in TJ Maxx a long time ago and it is starting to get tears. Poor little guy. When I wash it, it actually looks bright yellow and much better. hahaha!

I used this CoverGirl Advanced Radiance Powder under my eyes, in the middle of my forehead and a little bit on my chin. Basically, I apply this on the areas that I highlight with a light shaded concealer. I just bought this on Thursday and am LOVING IT! ;) Maybe I should do a mini review on this later...

Here it is! I think this is in the color ivory.

That is what I used this part weekend to get my face looking so lovely! I was really enjoying my makeup yesterday!

I really enjoy the Revlon Age Defying Makeup Foundation because it does not dry out my skin and it has a very nice satin finish. I did not have any oily areas on my face, although my chin was a little bit shiny after application, but I just dabbed a little big of powder on my chin. I try not to dab my face with too much powder because I want to avoid any dry skin/flakes on my face!
Anyways, as far as coverage goes, I do like the coverage. I would say it is a light to medium coverage. It is build-able but you can not go up to full coverage with this foundation. I can still see my acne scars underneath the foundation but they aren't red, they just slightly show up but as dark spots. Not so bad though and I am not a full coverage person to begin with.
The foundation did end up making my skin look so flawless! What I mean is I did not see my pores getting accentuated and it smoothed out my skin. (I think part of the reason it looked so good would be because of the other products I used underneath, but I think this foundation works much better with the other skin products I used than the Revlon Photoready foundation. I say that because the Photoready foundation did not do a good job at preventing my skin from drying and getting dry flakes.)

I will have to update this review later once I have worn the foundation for a much longer time! I will be wearing the foundation for the rest of the week and will give my thoughts later!

But for now, Overall, I am loving this foundation! I like that it is dry skin friendly and I can not say how it is for oily skin but I do feel like people with oily skin may have to blot their face a couple times throughout the day with this foundation. I do like the color and the healthy glow that it gives my skin!

Please let me know if you have tried this foundation! What are your thoughts? Let me know if there is anything I may have missed mentioning and I will gladly answer any of your questions! :)

Update!

Helloo! It has been a while! Life just keeps getting busier and busier for me! x__x I haven't been doing anything but working, so my hobbies have been pushed to the side! I have bought quite a few things since my last post though! My next blog will be about this:

I know it has been out for a while now, but I wanted to talk about this! I have been so loyal sticking to the Revon Photoready foundation, but I am starting to get tired of it! It's just not looking good on me. I don't mind the color so much. I mean to me, I can tell there is a bit pink tone to the foundation so it does not match me perfect, but how often are you going to find a perfect match? And it just hasn't been looking good on me! I don't think it has been anyways.

That's it as far as an update goes. It's not much of an update. I've just been so busy, haha! I have other items that I want to share when I have the time!