Sephora VIB Goodies

Hiyee...I think you know by now that I don't blog in "real time," my blogs are usually about things that are from the sometimes-recent/sometimes-not-so-recent past.  =X  I hope you'll forgive me for that.  I'm actually also that way with my Facebook too.  I dunno, sometimes, or most of the time, I get so caught up in the moment, or I'm quickly moving onto the next thing, that I don't post right away.  It's just the way I am.

So anyway...about two weeks after the Sephora Friends & Family sale, there was the Sephora VIB 20% off sale, ahhhh!  I really liked the mailer they sent out though, and this time, the code was good for unlimited use within the time frame.

I was actually in SF while the sale was happening and I was luckily enough to walk to the Sephora in downtown SF/Union Square for the VIB event.  Okay...to be VIB, you have to spend quite a bit at Sephora in one calendar year, which I never thought I would be somehow I did. =X  But surprisingly (or maybe I shouldn't be surprised), apparently a lot of people spend a lot at Sephora as the VIB event was pretty poppin', and the SF Union Square Sephora is fairly big too.

I got the free black tote bag...but does anyone know why there were also white bags with gold lettering/stitching?  I saw a girl with one but didn't ask.

my skin care & body care haul

 

The Body Shop Gives Joy

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!!  Did you spend the holiday and time off with your family and loved ones?  Eat lots until you could do nothing but laze around, and then hate yourself for it when you stepped on the scale?  Shop the Black Friday sales and scour the Cyber Monday ads until you're sure you need another job just to pay for all of your spending?  Don't worry, I won't judge you! ^_^



Surprisingly, I haven't done that much shopping this weekend...yet (it's still not quite over), but I will report back to you if I do!

Sephora Friends & Family Goodies

Late like a white rabbit but here is what I ended up getting from the Sephora Friends and Family Sale with the one-time-use 20% off code.

Sephora Love/Hate

Yes, I'm feeling mixed emotions...I know I'm not the only one who's disappointed this year with Sephora's Friends & Family Sale, right?

What's up with all the fine print and limitations?

* Offer valid 10/20/11 through 11/2/11 at 11:59 pm PST/PDT with any merchandise order on sephora.com. Online promo code cannot be used in retail stores or sephora inside jcpenney. Enter your unique promotion code during checkout to receive 20% off your entire online merchandise purchase. Promo code may be only be used once, is non-transferable, is not valid on previous purchases, on Canadian online purchases, nor with the purchase of eGift certificates or gift cards. Only one promo code per email address and only five email addresses per computer. [and so forth, blah blah.]

GEO Princess Mimi Circle Lenses in Sesame Grey

Disclaimer:  This is my first time wearing circle lenses.  If you decide to wear circle lenses, please use precaution and good judgment as there is some risk with causing harm to your eyes whether due to improper usage, wearing damaged lenses, etc. (or your eyes simply may not agree with circle lenses or certain brands of circle lenses).  I am not qualified to advise you on wearing circle lenses, so if you're uncertain, please visit and consult your optometrist before trying circle lenses. 

I may have mentioned on my blog (fore sure I did on my FB page) that I won As Pink As My Juicy's circle lens giveaway sponsored by EyeCandyLens.com.  Well, here is what I won, my very first pair of circle lenses!!

Weekend Getaway in San Francisco - Day 3

Last installment of my now-long-ago weekend in SF, thanks for indulging me. =) Sunday also went by really fast but it was also nice and I really enjoyed it. Overall SF was a welcome breath of fresh air for me and I can't wait to go back again.

Weekend Getaway in San Francisco - Day 2

Waking up in SF was something like this...

Korilakkuma, my "comfort" item keke

Weekend Getaway in San Francisco - Day 1

Heylo, heylo!!

Was I really in SF (San Francisco) two weeks ago?  Feels almost like it couldn't have been that long ago already and yet also feels like another lifetime ago too. =X

I only stayed for a weekend, from Friday early afternoon until Sunday evening, which I thought would be a nice, long weekend but once I was there, I realized it wasn't long enough.  I'll definitely be back again soon.

I took a lot of pictures so I'll have to break this post into three, one for each day.

Day 1. Friday

just touched down at SFO (iPhone pic)

Summer MAC-ing

Hiyee everyone! I'm back home in the OC, had an awesome time in SF and will post about it soon, but first, I just wanted to post a mini MAC haul since they go with these summer pics (technically, summer ends September 23 because of the fall equinox, so I'm not too, too behind).

After my birthday, I wanted a new lippie and had been eying this MSF (Mineralize Skin Finish) so I gave in to this pretty little thing from the Semi Precious Collection.

Rose Quartz (Limited Edition)

Base: Rosy Pink. Innercircle: Silver, Lime, White pink, Copper

SF, I've Missed You

Hiyee!! Just wanted to post quickly to say hello 'cause I haven't blogged in a bit. I'm actually in SF for the weekend, woot woot! Here's a little collage of pics I took on my iPhone yesterday. Will post more and then do a longer update once I'm back home. <3 xoxo!!

P.S. I got bangs again (just on Tuesday), keke.

Late Summer Lusts at Victoria's Secret

Ahhhhh!! This always happens to me, hehe, I want something too late. =( A friend showed me her Victoria's Secret body mist the other weekend, and although I didn't love it I did like it but turns out it's all sold out in stores around me. Sadface.

Victoria's Secret Limited Edition Bombshell Summer Scent

My First YesStyle.com Haul - Handbags

I've been wanting to shop from Asian fashion sites probably for the past year, and finally, after many, many hours of browsing online, I took the plunge and placed my first order on YesStyle.com back in July.

Nillie Shop
Twist-Lock Shoulder Bag

A Little Inglot Indulgence

I went to Inglot this past Sunday and got a little buy happy, hehe. The first and last time I'd been there was wayyyy back in February, and for some reason, I just don't go very often even though it's not that far from me. Originally I was just planning to get a 5-pan eye shadow palette and gel eyeliner...and maybe a lipstick...and maybe a blush...but here's what I walked out with.

Happy Birthday to ME!! ;)

Hiyee everyone! I know, I know...once again, long time no blog. :( At first I was relaxing and enjoying not having class on top of working full time, and catching up with friends I hadn't seen in a while...then suddenly summer just became tons of fun yet super busy.

Anyways I'll start with this little post about my birthday, which was last weekend (July 23rd). Later I will be back to update about my recent goodies from Inglot, MAC, YesStyle.com, etc.

I usually don't make a big fuss over my birthday, but I just figured we had so much fun the weekend before, why not keep it going? Plus my actual birthday was on a Saturday, so why not?

True to my semi spontaneous style, I planned my birthday festivities almost at the last minute, meaning the Sunday before, hehe, and it turned out to be an AMAZING weekend!! I started with a birthday pre-party by bar hopping in downtown Fullerton last Friday with friends.

We started at Palapa Grill where they have these huge, tasty fish bowl drinks.

The Body Shop Body Butter Sale

This is a boring post, secretly (or not so secretly) I could call it the "I skipped dinner even though I'm hungry to blog" post, or the "No, I didn't go to IMATS even though everyone else did" post...but I won't. ;)

About a month or so ago I missed the Groupon $40 for $20 Body Shop deal (*kicks self*), but luckily I was able to catch the Memorial Day online sale and now there's another sale.

Buy 3 Get 2 Or Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Sale, annnnnnd $10 Select Body Butter or Body Scrub Sale

H2O+ Green Tea Products Sale and Reviews

Hi...remember me? *sheepish grin* I've been away for a while, doing other things...but like always, I come back.

I wanted to do this review since H20+ currently has a clearance sale with all of their green tea products marked at 40% off. So, if you've ever been interested in trying them, now's a great time! Also, they usually have a code for free shipping (I think on orders over $50, I see their ads a lot on other blogs and websites), but I can't seem to find the code. =\

I'd bought these products the last time they were on sale for 40% off, back around late November/December.

H2o+ Urban Defense Facial Cleansing Milk, Green Tea Antioxidant Face Complex, Green Tea Reviving Eye Cream, and Green Tea Antioxidant Serum

Beautylish Spring Trends Preview Event & Swag Bag

*Extremely long and pic heavy post!!

I know you've prob read a lot of blogs about this already, and although I really wanted to post this sooner I didn't have time until now, so please forgive me as I've been busy and hardly home these days.

I had the pleasure of attending Beautylish's LA event last Tuesday at the W Hotel in Westwood (West LA).

I'd met the Beautylish team last summer at IMATS but unfortunately was not able to make it to their first LA event back in October, so there was no way I was going to miss it this time around!

Since it was on a weeknight I went straight after work and braved good ol' 405 traffic for about an hour and a half, joy. But you want to know the truth? I actually kind of missed going to LA...I used to commute and go for fun a lot also, and didn't realize that it'd definitely been a while.

pic from my iPhone and transformed on Instagram

Secret Valentine

I love a good surprise, don't you?

This was my second year doing Secret Valentine...wow it's a little trippy knowing that most of us have known each other for that long or longer and that we're doing things a second time around. Not everyone was able to participate but it's all good. I really don't think of SV being a big deal, but just a way to send some love on V Day. Of course we could easily buy ourselves $15+ gifts, but I think it's more fun to surprise someone else and be surprised, don't you agree?

The lovely ladies

♥ Amy
♥ Betty
♥ Diana C.
♥ Edna
♥ Iyah
♥ Jamilla
♥ Jillian
♥ Lulu
♥ May
♥ Melissa
♥ Mona
♥ Sarah
♥ Tammy

The Reveal

Amy's love to Edna

No Witty Title...Just My Handwriting Meme

I got tagged to do this meme by my dear Kay!! I don't have a nice intro like hers or Diana C.'s...but like them, I also enjoy seeing what people's handwriting looks like. I think it's just that much more personal and these days, it's pretty rare considering we pretty much communicate electronically via text, email, fb, gchat, etc. And yes, I am sentimental enough to keep all cards and notes, including notes all the way back from middle school.

About my handwriting...oh boy, where to start? I never had nice penmanship, I wrote chicken scratch as a kid and always thought it was the context and not the presentation of my writing, hahaha, what an idealist! Obviously that changed over the years and I basically adapted my handwriting to that of a friend whose penmanship I thought looked nice. So now I have sloppy Asian girl handwriting, kekekeke.

Belated Winter Gear and Rainy Weekend

This might seem silly to post as it's almost spring and Cali winters are pretty bipolar (sometimes it's in the 80+ degrees, haha), but I love winter clothing. Luckily it rained and has been somewhat cloudy and chilly and breezy lately, yay! But...major dislike for being sick and stuck inside for the entire weekend. =(

Anyway this post is pretty random as I'm still waiting for a few gals to send me pics of their Secret Valentine packages until I can post that, so please forgive me.

My fav thing about January is hitting up all the sales, especially if you go right around New Year's. I picked up this coat at Express for 40% off. (I want to say it was originally about $200 so I got it for about $120.)

OPI Katy Perry and China Glaze Crackle

Yes yes, like everyone else, I got my grubby little hands on polishes from the OPI Katy Perry collection and also the China Glaze Crackle collection! Thanks to Giang for being the best nail polish enabler and keeping us junkies up-t0-date with releases at Imperial Beauty! =)

(L to R) Black Shatter, Teenage Dream, Not Like The Movies

Valentine Survival...With Love

Happy belated Valentine's Day!! Hope your day was either special, fun, sweet, bearable, or no worse than ordinary, haha. At the least, I hope no one made you cry or broke your heart. Or made you feel bleh. Otherwise...I've got the quick cure for your lovesick blues! ;)

Inglot Goodies

So I kind of rushed over Inglot Cosmetics in my previous post...I meant to say that they only have a few flagship stores in the US (5 to be exact), although you can order online I believe as well as catch them at trade shows. However, I highly recommend checking them out in person if you can. Why? Keep reading, kekekeke.

My cute little Inglot bag

Happy Lunar New Year!!

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!! Lucky year of the wabbit...or cat if you're Vietnamese! Did you celebrate? To tell you the truth, I didn't really. haha Fail for one of my New Year's Resolutions, right? Well, I did take Friday off, I saw my family last week and will probably see them again later this week, and I went to eat in Little Saigon because I was craving Vietnamese food.

By the way, I am hooked on the Instagram app! Instant filters...so dope! I only wish for more filters hehe. The pics below are from Friday, shared on my Instagram.

I was craving for bánh bèo...freshly steamed rice cakes with shrimp and mung bean paste, a childhood fav of mine...

Sunday Fun Day and Inglot Cosmetics

Rainy Sunday this week but last Sunday was such a beautiful day, I had to take advantage of it and go with the flow. I met up with a friend at The Camp in Costa Mesa for lunch at Native Foods, a vegan cafe (yup, my vegetarian days are going so well I'm actually doing twice a week now).

2010 Beauty Favorites

I know we're nearing the end of January but I still wanted to do this. =) In my post for last year's favorites, I said I'd "focus more on skincare products and less on makeup," and I'm happy to say I did. As such, I don't have a lot of new makeup favs, but here are some products that I loved using and relied on in 2010.

SKINCARE
H2O Plus Urban Defense Green Tea Cleansing Milk
I love this! I have Iyah to thank for introducing me to it when she let all us girls try it at our HK sleepover. Immediately after using it, my face feels so soft and also looks brighter!

2010 Blogger Favorite Times

Happy 2011!!

Yes, I know, I've been completely MIA, I pretty much fell off the blogging wagon. But...in fairness, I did tell you I was taking a break, and now...it's a new year!! And I'm back. =)

I want to start by sharing some of my favorite blogging moments in 2010.

Winter/Spring
Secret Valentine!! Kay and I did a Secret Valentine gift exchange since we had so much fun doing her Secret Santa. The big surprise for me was finding out Kay was my Secret Valentine!