I would love to feature a picture of your make up bag contents in my beauty blog. Please email me a picture of your make up bag & contents. Pick out your favorite product and tell me why its your favorite! alaine83@gmail.com

My favorite item from my professional make up kit is my airbrush machine!
I love it because it creates the flawless beautiful skin that we all dream of without the cakey feeling of regular make up. I use the Kett Cosmetics and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics for my airbrush.

Fashion's Night Out 2011

After last year's craziness with Fashion's Night Out, I picked a few stores to head to this year. It just so happens that I picked Beauty stores b/c as you know, I'm pretty much a product junkie when it comes to make up and skincare. I love to find out what is new and what brands are break through finds.
The break through product I found this evening that is special to Fashion's Night Out is Nars silver eye liner "Via Crispi". I had it on my hand and it is a bright silver. Amazing pigment! This would be a product that is perfect to brighten up the eyes for the holidays, date night, party, special event, etc. Place this eyeliner in the inner corner of your eye for a subtle pop that is not overpowering or too dramatic for day time.

I also stopped in Fresh and VMV Hypoallergenics to check out their products.
Fresh came out with a new lip balm in their Sugar line, appropriately titled Passion. It is a beautiful subtle red that is flattering on most skin tones because it gives just enough flush. How can you not love an addicting lip balm like Sugar and add that with a subtle color. I'm a big fan of tinted lip balms because it is moisturizing and not sticky at all. They have Rose, Plum, and Honey as their Sugar lip balms. You also cannot deny the fact that the packaging of Fresh products is absolutely gorgeous. If you looked in my bathroom, you would see the soap dishes I purchased from Fresh on sale, a bottle of Sugar Lychee fragrance, Sake bath, Sugar Lychee sugarbath cubes...
VMV Hypoallergenics is a fairly new brand for me. I tried the hypoallergenic spray deodrant and it didn't sting my underarms! My underarms are fairly sensitive when it comes to deodrants and the skin gets irritated but this one didn't seem to irritate me so I'm going to try it. I was also curious about the mascara because it smells like pie! The brush looks non-clumpy, I always have my eye out for an awesome mascara that doesn't require me to take a plane trip/train/bus to Canada/Europe/Asia for my beloved Shu Uemura mascaras. So far, I've only found the Origins brand mascara works for me that is available locally in the US. I received the mascara as a free gift last night as part of Fashion's Night Out and can't wait to try it!

Think girly: Pink Lipstick makes a comeback

Its been a while since my last post... I haven't really been excited about too many things in the beauty world.
I've been a subscriber to Allure Magazine for 5 years now and I was reading the Feb. issue. There was a highlight on pink becoming the new red. I was skeptical at best b/c pink lipstick was what I wore as a kid. (I loved a bright fuschia lipstick in my mother's make up drawer and wore it around the house very often!)
Pink lipstick also conjures up memories of the bright cosmetics that were so "in" during the 80s. But then again, the 80s have been making a comeback the past few years so its not surprising that pink lipstick will be back. I scoured the aisles of Sephora looking for the perfect pink and I found two lipsticks. No. 38 by Make Up Forever and Schiap by NARS.
The Sephora store I visited didn't have No. 38 anymore so I purchased Schiap. Love the bright color against my pale skin tone (I'm pale w/ very pink undertones but I'm Chinese and supposed to have some yellow undertones too but its not very dominant). I love how it just brightens up the face. Just like a beautiful red lipstick, pink lipstick can also brighten up the face.
Pair pink lipstick with beautiful dewy skin, black mascara, and highlighter on the cheek bones & brow bone. Add more drama by adding a black eyeliner in the cat-eye fashion or to add more fun, use a navy or deep purple liner!

I don't like itchy dry skin in the fall/winter

I started skiing two winters ago and can't wait to go skiing again this winter but I don't like getting sunburnt on the mountain and getting itchy dry patches of skin. I was introduced to Skin MD's Shielding Lotion a month ago but haven't really been able to properly test it out. The weather has been kind of crazy lately with cold blasts of wind to rainy to warm and humid (gotta love East Coast fall weather!). This lotion smells a little like baby powder mixed with sunscreen, absorbs really fast, and doesn't leave a sticky residue. The idea behind this Shielding lotion is to shield the skin of irritants thus preventing moisture-loss.

According to their website:

Shampoos, antibacterial soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, colorants and other irritants bombard and penetrate the skin. These harsh chemicals and irritants can break down the skin's natural protective ability. Some strip away moisture, while others lodge in the pores where they cause irritation and other negative reactions.

This lotion is dermatologist tested, made in 100% solar powered facility, eco friendly, paraben free, free of animal products and animal testing (read: vegan friendly). I think this is the perfect lotion to take with me when I hit the slopes or ice rink this winter. I just wish they had a smaller travel-sized bottle so I can put it in my pocket.



Products in this review were given to the blogger by Skin MD Natural. All opinions belong to the blogger.

Tips for a Brighter Smile

Its no secret that we want soft, kissable, bright white teeth.
I love Go Smile for a fresh minty breath, a whiter smile, easy application, and those little mini ampoules are super cute! I've been using Go Smile whitening system and maintenance since 2006 and there's quite nothing like it in the market. I also love the fact that you can easily stash one in your gym bag, make up bag, evening clutch, pencil case (does anyone still carry one these days beyond grade school?). Its a no mess application and the maintenance system doubles as a way to freshen your breath after a delicious flavorful meal.
Go Smile just came out with their new speed whitening system which comes with a pre-whitening gel. This will speed up the whitening process from 14 days to 4 days! Perfect for pre-wedding whitening!

Fashion's Night Out 2010

I spent last night in the midst of a Soho chaotic mess that is Fashion's Night Out event. There were tons of people! I started the evening with friends coming over for a couple drinks then we walked over (in heels) to the Ace Hotel's Opening Ceremony store - there was already a small crowd inside. Upon exiting, the food trucks from the Breslin (restaurant for the Ace Hotel), Van Leeuwen ice cream truck, Baohaus, and another food truck which I can't remember the name of... A line formed (while chowing down a delicious bao) to enter into the Ace Hotel for Opening Ceremony that wrapped around the building (a forecast for the rest of the evening).
We headed down towards the flatiron bldg (still in heels) for Argo Tea's event with MS Apothecary to get our fake lashes & make up touched up by Mary Schook who is super personable. Mary and I talked shop for a little bit.
Hopped on the train to Soho.
Upon exiting the station it was PURE CHAOS! I've never seen Soho this packed in the evening. (ok, maybe after the Halloween parade)
We made it to the Ben Sherman store where they checked IDs and free beers abound (how very frat-boy-esque). Not after passing by the pop-up Piperlime store where Rachel Zoe, the celeb stylist, was anchoring herself down for the evening. There were so many people there, I thought a riot was going to break out. (more on that later)
My gal pal and I went to the Kate Spade store after parting w/ part of our group (which included men so I can understand why this was so not their scene). Tim Gunn was signing autographs for his book. I took a picture of Tim Gunn but I think its a bit blurry. His book sold out by the time we got there. We hung around for a bit at Kate Spade b/c the drinks and appetizers kept flowing. Plus there were comfy plush couches for us to sit on.
A quick trip inside Uggs, Molton Brown, Illori before seeing Karl Lagerfeld and then a stampede broke out in front of Chanel. My friend grabbed me and we ended up following Karl's posse before getting shoved around, but we made it to the front of the line. (lots of crazed ladies out) Chanel was madness, I stood in another line to get a free manicure and it took FOREVER. My feet were killing me in the heels. (why did I decide to wear heels? I should invest and really hot flats so I don't end up in my sparkly fit flops which is not exactly appropriate for events like these). By the time I got my manicure FNO was almost done, and I wanted to purchase the green khaki color but the manicurist said it was SOLD OUT (FML!).
On a random note: My friend also got her iPhone stolen in Chanel while getting her make up retouched (WTF!)


Overall, my fave experiences were getting my lashes, hanging out at Kate Spade, drinking free champagne. Next year, I'm going to do more of the spa-like activities like the free hair blowouts, make up touch ups, and manicures. I ended up not purchasing anything the entire evening b/c the lines for everything was INSANE!

Smooth Skin for your mama

This weekend I had the pleasure of doing make up for 3 generations. For mama of the bride, I prepped her skin with Sleek Skin's skin solution Enhance. The results was fabulous smooth skin! She was instantly 10 years younger even before the airbrushed make up. This solution is geared towards mature sensitive skin and it makes the skin feel soft and smooth. I didn't have to cover up much. Amazing results!