Friday, June 22, 2012

Beauty on a Budget: Hello Kitty Mon Amour Pallete & Mirror & Sephora Lip Brush Haul For $21

While visiting the mall today I actually came across some beauty items that I have wanted for a while and finally brought them home today. I actually had a pretty amazing deal since the original prices of these items were $52 added together but overall I paid $21 for everything. Hummm.... that makes it almost 60% off. WOW.... If you guys are visiting the mall and is interested in these items you can pick them up at Sephora located inside JCPenny. I'm pretty sure these items are all discounted at Sephora inside JCPenny but I know for sure that it's still for full prices at the regular Sephora store and on their website. Anyways, I know that this deal is not going to last very long so if you guys are interested please check it out before they run out! 

Well, this item was always on my "I want list" after swatching it but at $21 I just didn't want to pay so much for it but when I saw it on sale at $13 I literally jumped on the deal. Common, 8 eyeshadows and 2 blushes at $13 makes them $1.3 a shade, how cheap can that be? I totally cannot wait to use it! ♥
 
I also picked up one of these double sided Hello Kitty mirror form the Mon Amour collection for myself. The best thing about this mirror is that one of the side is an enlarging mirror so it'll be perfect if you want a closer look at yourself while touching up your makeup. It's so cute right? Haha and it only cost me $5! Regular price is $17 and it's considered a hard to find item too!
  
I really needed another lip brush because one is not enough for creating the popular gradient lip effects so luckily I ran into this $3 deal instead of going to the store and buying one for $10+. I believe the original price was $12 but I really can't complain too much as I'm paid so little for it. Overall, I'm liking it so far as it picks up the color well and hasn't lost any hair even after a quick wash!

I'll probably add some swatches and demo later on when I get a chance so say tuned! Good Luck finding these products!

TIP: Call before you go and ask them to reserve so you can conserve gas and not disappoint yourself! ♥

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Beauty on a Budget: 6/17/12 - 6/23/12

Alright nothing is always free in this world so sometimes getting things for cheap is really great way to help us save money and look beautiful at the same time. I really have not been buying a lot of items lately because I have too much at home and would like to clear up the stock before venturing out again, but from now on I'll be more consistent with my beauty on a budget post so you guys could benefit from it! I actually like find ways to buy a lot of items on good deals other than beauty related so if you guys are interested then please let me know!

Item 1: Colgate Toothpaste for FREE @ Rite Aid & Walgreens or $0.24 @ CVS

RITE AID DEAL
Here's how it works:
1. Product will cost $2.99
2. Give cashier $0.75 off coupon
3. $2.50 UP bucks will be printed for next purchase
4. Total price after all discount is -$0.26 which is a money maker, hooray! (remember it's limit 3 per household)

WALGREENS DEAL
 
Here's how it works:
1. Product will cost $3
2. Give cashier $0.75 off coupon
3. $2.50 register rewards will be printed for next purchase
4. Total price after all discount is -$0.25 which is a money maker, hooray! (remember there's no limit for this item so stock as many as you need!)


CVS DEAL
Here's how it works:
1. Product will cost $2.49
2. Give cashier $0.75 off coupon
3. $1.50 extra bucks will be printed for next purchase
4. Total price after all discount is $0.24 (remember it's limit 2 per household)

Item 2: Wet n Wild Cosmetic @ 40% off then $3 off $8 (prices varies) @ Rite Aid
Here's how it works:
1. Product will cost 40% off retail value
2. Buy up to $8 value after 40% off price and earn $3 up bucks valid for next purchase (remember it's limit 2 per household)
3. Total price varies

Item 3: Reach Dental Care Floss for FREE @ Walgreens
Here's how it works:
1. Product will cost $2.99

2. Give cashier $1 off coupon found on Walgreens self display
http://images.iheartwags.com/uploaded_images/reachcoupondisplay062012.jpg
3. $2 register rewards will be printed for next purchase
4. Total price after all discount is -$0.01 (remember there's no limit so buy as many as you need)

Item 4: Tom's of Maine Naturally Dry Antiperspirant Deodorant for $0.49 @ Walgreens


Here's how it works:
1. Product will cost $2.99

2. Give cashier $2.50 off coupon
  •   cut coupon from 6/17/12 smartsource pamphlet
3. $1 register rewards will be printed for next purchase
4. Total price after all discount is $0.49 (remember there's no limit so buy as many as you need)


Hope you guys enjoy it and buy only when you know you need it! I'll see you guys next time!

My Biweekly Facial Mask Routine

Hi guys! sorry that I have not updated my blog for quite some time! I actually took the pictures weeks ago but never got a chance to sit down and write the description for these pictures along with editing my pictures. I guess today's the perfect day for me to catch up and now that I have most of my personal matter taken care of I would have more time to dedicate to my blog and my fellow readers. (Oh yes, you guys must be happy).
Here's a little bonus for your guys...... a cute picture of my cat! His name is fluffy (aka fat cat). Isn't he just adorable........

Today I wanted to show you guys what I usually do every other week to keep my skin looking smooth and youthful. Yes, I am quite confident about my skin that I can go out without foundation or powder and feel like I'm worth a million bucks. Haha, I'm not that cocky it's just that I don't like the feeling of a weighed down face so I try harder on not having to conceal my face. Honestly, good skin don't blossom overnight, you have to maintain it on a daily base and I've been doing it for the past 12 years! Of course, I'm not perfect and I do have some slightly larger pores and freckles but it's really not that obvious unless you stare really close to my face. (whoops just spilled my secret...)
 Here's a head shot of me taken and all I have on my face is sunblock and moisturizer. Eyes and lips do not count because off course I couldn't keep them bare. Sorry couldn't find a better picture but this was taken with my sony 10mp camera.

Step 1: Clean face with cleanser
free origins cleanser

I wrote a review about my current favorite cleanser by Origins so if you guys would like to check it out please take a look at http://trouvailly.blogspot.com/2012/05/origins-checks-and-balances-face-wash.html
You guys do not have to use the exact one. You could always use your favorite cleanser.


Step 2: Remove old & dead skin cell on face.
This is product works kind of like a scrub except it's much more gentle and removes more dead skin cell. Basically this product is like a gel with many micro beads in it and you are suppose to rub it all over on damp or dry skin until the gel turns into little dry pieces of particle and then you could wash off. The exfoliating enzyme (beads) helps to gently remove dead cells buried deeply in the skin to create smoother and clearer skin.
Here's a picture of how the product looks like. It smells really nice too exactly like strawberry!

There's actually a lot of similar products out in the Asian cosmetic market but this is one of my favorite because it works really well and the bottle has a lot more product then companies with similar product. This whole bottle only cost me $20! You can also use it on your body!


Step 3: Open up your pores
You can always use warm water to open up your pore but I usually like to use a self heating mask like this one from The Body Shop for $17 to help open pores and using ginger, cinnamon oil, and kaolin clan to help clean out my pores at the same time.

The texture of the mask is very creamy and the instant you squeeze it out of the tube you will feel it warming up. Don't worry you will never burn yourself with this mask as after 5 minutes of a warm temperature it will start cooling down. Very cool right?

Here's a link to the product in case you guys want to check it out:
http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/skin-care/facial-masks/warming-mineral-mask.aspx
There's actually a buy one get one 50% off promo going out so if you guys are interested then you can check it out.


Step 4: Cleaning out blackheads!
This is one my favorite product to clean out blackhead from pores. (I bought mine for $20) For this process I would only use step 1 and 2 and save step 3 for the very end when we finish our whole mask treatment process. I wrote a review on this before and you could check it out at:
http://trouvailly.blogspot.com/2011/08/woot-savior-for-my-clogged-pores.html

Consistency of this product is very thick and you have to quickly apply on face before it dries!


Step 5: Manually remove stubborn blackhead

Alright no product is ever going to be 100% perfect so if you guys find one please let me know. Since the product only cleaned out 80 % of my pores I would have to go right in and remove the remaining ones with my pore extractor. Although this products works really well but it also does a lot of damage to the skin as you have to press your skin and drag it so try to use it as little as possible.


Step 6: Shrink your pores!
 
This is one of my all time favorite mask product that works really well to help shrink pore while giving you a clean, smooth, and refresh face all for $6-$7. Since I have just opened up my pore I would need something to help minimize them so this is the perfect product to get the work done. I usually take a little break in between this step and the previous one because I like to let my skin relax before putting stuff on it. 
 This make is very cooling when you put it on your face and the texture is very clay like so you would need to use a cloth to remove this product. Remember to wash your face with cold water afterwards!

Alright now! I am finally done with my biweekly mask routine. Hope you guys find it helpful and you should give it a try as it has done miracles for my skin. Good luck!