Review: Wella Color Charm Permanent liquid Hair Toner T18

I last did my hair (professionally done at a salon), and it costed me a fortune. Not gonna lie, I loved the results but it was really expensive, and I thought I could save a few bucks by toning the ombre myself. So I went out and purchased the Wella color charm permanent liquid hair toner in colour T18 (lightest ash blonde). I bought it at Sally's Beauty Supply. I bought a total of 2 toners, one 20 volume developer and a hair applicator bottle. This costed me approximately $30, which was more than what I had anticipated but I sufficed to try an alternate method to going back to the salon.

Here's my current hair colour, it's become an orangy/yellow/brassy colour. I dampened my hair in the second pic so it's easier to apply the toner

As the directions indicated, I mixed 1 part toner to 2 part developer. One toner became more than enough for my whole head. This was how it looked like, it turned to a violet colour pretty quickly after shaken:

After 15 min:

After 30 min:

As you can see, my hair started transitioning to the purple colour relatively quickly. After 30 min (as suggested), I decided to rinse it off. What I got was this colour:

Yup, in the same bathroom light, the result was pretty disappointing. However, in person it's slightly more ashy, but overall not what I wanted....

Here's it with flash:

I guess the lesson here is (as every other lesson with cheaper products is) that you pay for what you get. The results were not spectacular, yet not completely no-show. You can definitely see some ash, but it's still not as visible as I would like it to be. I will be going back to the salon for my next touch up, because DIY at home products are just not my thing. I would rate this product 7/10.

Brows for days! Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade

The trend of perfect eyebrows has been going on for a long time. I have been trying to perfect my pair of eyebrows for months! In late 2014, I bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz due to all the hype. Believe me, it was the most EASY brow applicator ever, and it created a pair of seamlessly perfect brows. However, it only lasted approximately 3 months, and for $28 CAD before tax, it seemed a bit much. After a few weeks of using my drugstore brow pencils (which were a huge downgrade by a landslide!), I decided to hop back on the higher end brow experience. Instead of purchasing the Brow Wiz, I bought the Dipbrow Pomade instead.

Yup, so it was quite expensive. $23 for the brush and $23 for the product itself. However, it's much more worth it, as the brush lasts forever theoretically, and the dip brow formula consistency is like gel liner. I got it in the shade medium brown.

I'm still learning how to draw the perfect brows, but compared to my drugstore brow pencil, this is by far a lot better. Before (I know I need to thread my eyebrows asap):

After:

Although I still cannot for the life of me, get my eyebrows to match one another, I'm working hard on it. I definitely recommend this product if you have the extra cash. Thanks for reading!

Largest purchase of my life: PRADA SAFFIANO!!!

This is actually a little throwback while I wait for my mac to upgrade its software.

I have been eyeing on the Prada saffiano bag for one, maybe two years now. I initially love love loved the orchidea one when I spontaneously walked in Holts on Bloor St. Sadly, I didn't have 2 grand to spend on a bag two summers ago. Since then, I have been wanting to save up for my very own Saffiano bag, until I learned that the Orchidea is actually a seasonal colour and it was already sold out everywhere! So, I gave up for a while, until a year later when I found out online that there's a grey coloured (marble grey) bag with silver hardware. I instantly fell in love again. When it was available in Canada just last Summer, I went to Prada at Yorkdale and bought one, I believe it was the BN1786, anyway it was the one with a single zipper in the middle. It had to be ordered in from the States, and again it failed because I got a phone call saying they couldn't ship it in, as it was their last one and it was damaged. I was so mad, I decided to give up.

Before Christmas 2014, I went on the Prada website (it changed a lot btw, it's not shipping to Canada). I saw this gorgeous patent black leather bag with silver hardware. I wanted it so badly, as it was my birthday soon. I wanted to order it online but just couldn't get myself to. The day after my birthday, I decided to go to Yorkdale with my boyfriend. We walked into the Prada store just to check the bags out and there, I saw my dream bag! It was on display. The SA said there were 3 left. Initially I didn't want to impulsively buy it, but my mind got ahead of me. The SA kept saying how beautiful it was, and that it's so rare because they only receive 3 per store in Canada, and how the interior was made of lambskin instead of the normal fabric lining, etc etc. I had to get it, and I did!

Here are some pics:

Overall, I love  the bag!!! As you can see, it's a black patent leather tote with the cross-body strap in style number BN2863. I haven't found many excuses to wear it, since I don't want to risk damaging it, but I wore it once downtown and I love it. I think it's a great everyday (ironically) bag. I love that this one is so rare, and the silver hardware sparkles. I am so glad I finally took the splurge, even though I'm working hard to save my money (haha... not really) but I try.

Just wanted to share my purchase since I am very proud of my hard work, it paid off well :)

Food experience: Momofuku!

I discovered this modern Japanese ramen restaurant located in the downtown core of Toronto last Summer when looking at restaurants I wanted to try for Summerlicious. Sadly, I didn't get a chance in the few weeks Summerlicious was on to go try Momofuku. So, on Wednesday when my boyfriend and I were downtown (near St Andrew Station), I was trying to Google what to eat nearby. Suddenly, Momofuku popped into my head, I googled it and thankfully it was roughly 3 min away. We walked there, and discovered a black box with a door on it, labelled Momofuku.

It took 2 tries to realize that was the main entrance! It's a very unique design :P

The atmosphere is very modern, and wooden, I saw their upper levels (and did end up going to the Milk bar to get a cookie, which was cold, sweet and yummy!).

I ordered the "Winter ramen" (left) and my boyfriend ordered the "Momofuku ramen." (right)

Both were good. I'd say the winter ramen is perfect for a cold snowy day, the chicken in it was AMAZING as well. His was just a regular bowl of ramen with the traditional pork belly, egg, fish cake, etc.

The only thing that will keep us from frequently coming back in the near future is the price, its approximately $15 a bowl! My boyfriend complained it wasn't quite enough to satisfy him for lunch. Well anyhow, I liked my experience there, and hopefully I'll be able to come back to try some of their other ramen!

Mini Mac & Sephora haul, new job & new lip colour obsession!

Today was quite fun, after about a month of being unemployed, I had to save as much as I could. Well today was different, I went to the mall to pick up some makeup for my new job. I now work at Guess by Marciano, and the job requires us to look pretty. I thought what better excuse could I find? :D
Monday was my first training shift, and although I thought I had too much makeup (foundation and falsies), boy was I wrong. The new girls and the current employees were wearing so much, I did not feel comfortable being one of them. In fact, my foundation pretty much faded by the end of my 4 hour training shift as we were walking around in heels and trying on a bunch of clothes. So, I went to Sephora that day after training and tried on a few powder foundations to hide my oiliness + redness, and to lock my foundation in place longer -- Seems like my Dior Nude foundation was not enough to do the job -- I really liked the Kat Von D Lock It Powder Foundation, and decided to buy it after I do some more research online a few days later. Today I went back and I couldn't seem to find the right shade, it is also fairly expensive, $42 CAD. So, I went online and found some more reviews, people said the MAC "MSF" was good. I decided to give it a try (Best of all, it is $10 cheaper than Kat Von D! - $32 CAD). The MUA at MAC told me to clean my face off because all the powder I tried on today, made my face look CAKED UP, I had to admit, it was very dry. She put on MAC's Studio Sculpt Liquid Foundation in shade NW20 first, which created a very dewy look (intended for dry skin), then applied the MAC Studio Fix Powder plus Foundation on me in NW20 as well. The result was surprising flawless, it was matte enough without being dry and hydrated enough without my blotchy. I loved the outcome. This is me at home now, roughly 4 hours later (with indoor lighting):

On my lips is the Lancome Rouge In Love in Delicate Lace; it's a soft, shimmery, nude/pink/browny/mauvy shade. I like how it's similar to the "Kylie Jenner" lip colour. I didn't buy this just from her inspiration though, I bought this about a year ago, and realized it looks quite similar. Here's a close up:

Lancome Rouge in Love "217M Delicate Lace" with flash:

Lancome Rouge in Love "217M Delicate Lace" without flash (indoor lighting):

Today I bought the Ana-sta-sia Brow Wiz in medium Ash Brown!!! So excited to finally use this, I could never get my eyebrows on point with my current brow pencil. It's a little bit on the pricier side, but I waited really long! & I also bought the Mac Studio Fix Powder plus Foundation in shade NW20, as mentioned above. Love a day when I get new stuff, I will post more pictures later :)

Review: Clinique Superprimer - Colour Corrects Redness

Hi all,

just wanted to share a new product I have been using. In late August, I was in search for a new, higher coverage foundation since my redness always seem to go through my usual BB cream. While talking to a lot of SA's at Sephora, many recommended me not only to a few high-end foundations, but also to foundation primers. I never really use primers because (knowing me), I am very lazy, and just prefer to put on my makeup the fastest way possible. Who's with me here? Well, they told me that using a primer will not only help my foundation last longer, it will also help the application and final result much more, depending on the function of the primer. I was recommended to a few, due to my stubborn combo skin, such as Laura Mercier's hydrating primer and Clinique's colour correcter primer. Both are fairly expensive, I believe Clinique retails for $23 and Laura mercer for $30+. However, I didn't want to pay so much for something that I barely use (due to my laziness, I also have a ton of brushes that I just leave sitting in my drawer because I'm too lazy to apply makeup with makeup brushes!). So I decided to go online and buy a travel sized version of a Hourglass's highly rated Veil Mineral Primer. It claims to correct redness as well. It was a pretty dumb purchase because for 10 ml amount of product, it was $20+tax, but since I had a job, it was whatever, just wanted to test it. After 3 applications, I realized it wasn't the primer for me. It's very hydrating, making my face super oily within a few hours, even with finishing powder afterward. However, a few weeks ago, I went to the Mac warehouse sale in my hometown, and found the Clinique redness colour corrector for $12! I went ahead and purchased it, full size too! By the way, love how the packaging is in a tub, since you can squeeze every last bit of product out.
 

The texture is a silicone-like texture, and provides a very soft, smooth and matte finishing. Love how the package matches with the actual colour of the product even though I always though green would counter redness. 

Here is my step by step process, and my bare naked face with a ton of redness madness:

In the picture below, I have applied primer. As you can see, softens redness only a little but gets rid of the pores for a smooth finish

Now, I have applied my foundation, and as you can see again, a tiny bit of redness is still visible, though very unnoticeable from afar. I don't have pictures of concealer or finishing powder because I was in a rush, and because sometimes I don't wear the extra makeup. However, I think it's a lot better than before!

I used this Dior Diorskin Nude Skin Glowing Makeup foundation here. It has SPF15 and provides medium and build able coverage. This is the one I have replaced my Skin79 BB Cream with. I am in love with it but decided not to review it with the primer. I may make a review of it another time. But until then, I just want to stress how important primer is as an essential step to the makeup routine, especially if you're a regular foundation applier. I found that it makes such a difference during and after application. I find that my face is still on the oily side after a few hours but that's because I have extremely oil/dry/combo skin. I have yet to find the perfect primer-foundation duo, but this one makes me happy for now. Overall, I would rate the Clinique Redness Colour Corrector Primer a 4/5 because of the price, and because it doesn't hide all the redness. However, at $12, it's a great buy, so check out the Mac and Estee Lauder warehouse sale if you can!

The above picture is me with a face full of MAKEUP! I just noticed my shirt matches the colour of the Clinique tub, haha. 

Have a great day! 

Update: job hunting, school, korean fried chicken

I was lucky enough these two summers to have a full-time job at my aunt's company, Samtack. It's not her company, but she works there. She initially brought me in for a job as a cashier in their semi annual warehouse sale in April 2013. After 3 weeks, a manager told me to stay for the summer. It wasn't a job I enjoyed necessarily, dealing with heavy inventory and all, but I was very thankful to have it. I ended up working there this summer as well, and a few warehouse sales here and there. The people generally are very nice to me. I'm known as the ah mui (like little sister/girl) of the team.

Now, it's time to job hunt again. During my past several years of job hunt experience, it is usually very bad. I either get lucky to the point where I don't even have an interview (and get the job on the spot like Aeropostale), or very unlucky that I apply to many places and not even get a phone call back.

I have been searching for a job the past several weeks. I can't say this is easy. I applied to many stores at my local mall, and even some on-campus jobs. I have gotten three interviews, but no call backs :( It really is hard nowadays even to find a part-time job in Canada (through my experience). I am so envious of the people who already have a job, or can effortlessly get one. So I am doing a whole lot volunteering this year, in hopes to enhance my skills for my resume. I have gotten an un-paid job for a school club which I really enjoy. But, I really do need to find a paying job to support my expenses living on my own....

Almost two weeks have passed by, and I am awfully tired. I've decided to pack myself with 6 courses (3.0 credits) this semester because I can't find a job yet. Luckily for me, 4/6 courses requires an exam and my program itself is generally pretty sparse. That being said, I do have three 9 am classes which are dreadful. I wake up at 7:45 am each day (Monday-Wednesday) and have found myself drinking coffee for three consecutive days! I do intend to keep all these courses and do well in them too, so I have got to put myself together for these 4 months.

After class today, my roommates and I went to eat a Korean restaurant on Dundas and Hurontario. They specialize in "korean fried chicken." At first I was surprised to see $20 for a plate! But, when the food came, I quickly understood their pricing. I can't lie, it wasn't bad, I've got to bring my bf back there to try next time! Here is the platter: