Beauty Mini Haul (Macy's Edition)

I started working at Macy's during my first year of community college. One of the perks is employee appreciation! As I may have mentioned before, this is the only way I'm able to afford department store beauty products! Anyways, during the last employee appreciation I went on a mini-haul and came home with some goodies from Philosophy and Benefit. Here's what I ended up with (also got a pair of high-waisted shorts, which aren't included):

  (In no particular order): Philosophy "Purify & Refresh" kit, Benefit Fine One One, Philosophy freebies

 The Freebies. (Pictured left to right): Field of Flowers shampoo shower gel & bubble bath, Kiss Me Color tinted high-gloss lip shine in pink, Miracle Worker anti-aging moisturizer, Purity 3-in-1 cleanser

I'll do a product review of Fine One One in a separate post. I haven't tried any of the skin care products yet (I believe in using up old products before opening new ones ;p), but hopefully they work out! Have you tried any of these products? If so, did they work out for you? I'd like to hear what others think!  

E.L.F. Brow Kit product review and eyebrow herstory

This is an adapted version of the review I posted on makeupalley.

For most of my short life, I've had issues with my eyebrows. As demonstrated by the following pictures, they've gone from too bushy to too thin, with far too "just right" moments in between.

2013: Finally more or less at peace with my brows, thanks to the Benefit Brow Bar and E.L.F. brow kit. (I'm on the left.)

2007: Best friend and I, back when our only makeup strategy was black pencil eyeliner. (I'm on the right.)  I had my eyebrows waxed once at the beginning of high school; this picture was taken right after our first semester/quarter of college. Clearly I didn't keep up with plucking.

Summer 2007..or 2008? Strategy to avoid dealing with caterpillar brows: wear sunglasses so oversized, they cover your brows entirely! (Still not really a good look.)

Early 2009: More of a shape, but my brows still look a little funky. Also, why am I not wearing more eyeliner? I can't believe I thought I looked cute when I went out like this! 

Summer 2009: 20th birthday. Overplucked.

Fall 2010: Another strategy to avoid brow issues: grow out your bangs so they're covered! This was more or less my go-to solution, til my bangs grew out, I couldn't afford as many trims, and I was forced to confront the situation..

Enter the e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit. With this product, they finally feel just right. (That being said, I could stand to take a trip to Benefit and get them cleaned up!) Anyways, I digress...

This is the first brow kit I've ever purchased. I usually like to start with cheapie drugstore brands before investing in the more expensive stuff, but as far as brow products go, I'm content to stick with E.L.F. This product does a good job of making my dark hairs look more polished/keeping them in line, which is more than I ever expected for $3. Because my brows are naturally on the thicker side, I feel I have to use a lot of the gel. But like I said, luckily this product is cheap! 

I've laughed at the E.L.F. Studio line for its dupe NARS packaging, especially when the product was terrible. But because the Eyebrow Kit actually works, it deserves to look luxe! 

My only issues is that the brush is TINY. But we all know that's a problem easily solved. :)

clean slate (nighttime skincare routine)

At the end of a long day, there's nothing more refreshing than taking off my makeup. Here's a short and sweet list of what I'm currently using. (However, the makeup cleansing towelettes are subject to change, as I'm still on a quest to find one I like best!)

Step 1: Cleansing towelettes. I use these to make sure I'm getting off the majority of my makeup, with the bonus of cleansing my face. At the moment, I'm using the Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes. (I'll probably do another more detailed post on this product later...based on the review I wrote on MakeupAlley.) On nights when I'm extremely tired (or let's face it, just plain lazy) I'll count this as "washing my face," but otherwise, I'll wash my face anyways, even though most towelettes claim there's no need to rinse. Which brings me to...

Step 2: Facial cleanser. I'm currently using A Perfect World Antioxidant cleanser with White Tea by Origins. This was a stocking stuffer- I'm probably gonna have to look for something new once I run out, as Origins is on the pricier side and I am but a somewhat broke college grad. After rinsing and patting my face dry, I go on to...

Step 3: Moisturizer. I was acne prone as a teen, but now that my skin's more or less calmed down (one of the few perks of getting older), I'm in love with Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant moisturizer with White Tea. Again, this was another stocking stuffer. When I was in school, my mom would buy all my skincare products, so I could "afford" higher-end products. But honestly, I love this moisturizer so much, I think I'll go beyond my budget to splurge on it.

Additional Steps:

-Spot treatment. When my skin does flare up, I'll use a spot treatment. I currently have one by Clean & Clear, but I'm planning to move on to a different brand once this one finally runs out.

-Eye makeup remover. I like to layer on my eyeliner (pencil and liquid), so cleansing towelettes don't always get the job done. I'm currently using Almay's oil-free liquid makeup remover. This isn't my favorite brand, but 1) it's formulated for sensitive skin, and 2) Almay doesn't conduct animal testing. (I know, I know, some of the other brands I use still do- I never claimed I would cut them out completely, but I'm in the process of seeking alternatives.)       

City Eats

For the past four months, I've been interning at a nonprofit in San Francisco. The office is located right between North Beach and SF Chinatown, so I'm close by some good eats! As much as I love me a good Subway sandwich, I've been trying to avoid chains and try as many new places as possible. I've written about a couple of these places on Yelp.

Here are the places I've tried so far, organized by cuisine:

American

• Hollywood Cafe/

Dimsum/Cantonese

• Great Eastern Restaurant

Italian

• Golden Boy Pizza

Japanese

• Onigilly
• Sushiritto
• Sushi Taka
• Kirimachi Ramen

Shanghainese

• Bund Shanghai Restaurant

I also tried an international food court one day, and have been wanting to go back ever since. (It's on Bush Street, for those of you who are familiar with the FiDi!) They serve Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese. I was so overwhelmed that I broke down and bought what I felt most familiar with- a bento box. Too safe! I really want to try the bibambap next time. =) Luckily, my internship got extended, so I'll have at least another month to try more places! I'm hoping my wallet and waistline are up for this, lol.  

Personal Beauty Buying Guide

This list was compiled by another beauty blogger. I'm taking this list with a grain of salt, as I know some of the companies here are questionable. But it's a good place to start!

Call me a little late, but I've finally decided collect my thoughts and put down my beauty resolutions in (virtual) writing. This year, I want to become more conscious about the products I use on my face, hair, body and nails. And if I can accomplish this while lessening my impact on the environment, that's even better.

My goal is to buy products that meet as many of the following standards as possible (if it's only meets one, that's cool, but the more it meets, the higher its chances are of becoming a product I rebuy in the future)

1) environmentally friendly* (including recyclable packaging)
2) cruelty free*
3) benefits a charity of some sort

*I know there's broaaad definitions of "environmentally friendly" and "cruelty free"- believe me, I will take more time to read up on the topic.

I know and openly acknowledge that I am not perfect- a lot of the products I still own do conduct animal testing and contain questionable sounding ingredients. But this year, I will take the time to research and support companies that do not test their products on animals/support green policies, and cut down on products that do.

While doing a Blackle search (a "green" search engine option), I came across multiple lists of beauty companies that supposedly do not test on animals. I notice that many of the brands are still questionable (see above photo), so for now, I'm going to list brands that I personally use and that I've done research on, and provide links that lead directly to their policy page. I'll be editing this post again soon- I use way more than the two I have below, but I'm too lazy to add everything right now. ;p


Burt's Bees
-e.l.f. cosmetics
LUSH Cosmetics
-Rimmel London
-Sugarpill
-tarte
-Too Faced
-Urban Decay
-Yes To