Most recent Colouropop Haul and Peek into my collection

Oh Colourpop... Where to begin? 

In the past two months I grew my CP collection a lot. Why? Coz they are freaking amazing brand and their products are worth every penny. 

In December I placed 4 different orders. Crazy right? What can I do where there was sale after a sale and I wanted it all :) Thank god for the bonus! HAHAHA

So here is the haul and also peek into my collection :)

First, the product I love the most are the eyeshadow palettes. They are so good! As you will see at the end I have them all, well almost. There is 4-5 that I still don't own but soon, trust me soon. I will not be doing any swatches in this post. Since last year I been wanting to do separate post on swatches and just over all talk more about each palette and what I like and dislike about them.

The new palettes from first order  that joined my family are:

* Chasing Rainbows ~ from the Holiday collection :) Ah its so pretty and colorful :)
* Give it to me straight ~ for some reason I thought i had this palette in my collection. The pinks and the rosy colors been calling my name ever since the palette came out,now its finally my.

* It's a Princess Thing ~ collab with Disney and guys its so magical. I will be getting the whole collection, slowly slowly.
* Oh La La ~ this palette was released on October 3rd Wednesday. Hello Mean Girls! What a prefect timing Colourpop.
* Brown Sugar ~ collab with Karrueche. Pretty palette, that I need to play more with :)
* Good Sport ~ If I am not mistaking this was a Fall palette and I live for the shades!

As of now the only palettes that I am missing in my army are: Through My Eyes Palette (collab with Iluvsarahii), Fame, Fortune, Pretty Much, Salvaje Palette. and Lit and Wet which I won't be getting as I am not a fan of the Brentman Rock or whatever his name is. Sorry but not sorry.

Here is the second order that came. The SSS shadows were buy 1 get 1 free :) So I grabbed few plus two palettes :)
* Sweet Nothing Palette ~ allt he pinky and purply shades were calling me.
* Rendezvous ~ another fun palette :)

SSS Shadows:
* Lady Bird ~ my friend wore it at Gen Beauty and I fell in love with it!Soft ivory multi dimensional glitter that looks really beautiful!
* Weenie ~ I had my eyes on this one for so long. Really pretty metallic rose gold

And I bought all the Christmas SSS - Double Rainbow eye shadow kit:
* Falling up ~ icy taupe with pink blue glitter
* Roy G. Biv ~ warm pink with gold duo-chrome shift
* IRL ~ yellow green with bronze duo-chrome shift
* Milky Way ~ pink violet with blue flip
* REM ~ periwinkle blue with lavender silver glitter
* ZZZ ~ metallic copper with rosey flip

 Twinkling Lights collection ~  I bought all the colors. Collab with Kathleen Lights :) TBH I love when she collabs with Colourpop! I Really thing she thinks through the collection and she gives us a beautiful products and I would like to see more collabs with her! Shades in this collection:
* Vela~ saddle browns with pink violet flip
* Blitzen ~ hot red coral
* Glisten ~ soft peach with gold sheen
* Lights Up ~ rose gold with gold glitter

Order number 3. Was just mix of everything.

 Highlighters:

* Over the moon ~ I saw this highlighter on my friend during Gen Beauty meet up. I adore how it looked on her! plus hell she got lots of compliments on it :) Its a lavender based highlighter with pink and lavender sparkle/glitter. It is just that sparkle in my opinion looks absolutely stunning. I have not worn my yet but ugh can't wait!
* Spellbound ~ it basically same as Over the Moon, pale lavender base with pink purple glitter. Yes this time its the glitter not a sparkle. Both swatch almost same, but I will have to see which wears better on the skin :)

* One the Cusp ~ its from Kathleen Lights Zodiac Collection. its a warm peachy shade with a metallic sheen :) Super pretty!
* Fire ~ another one from Kathleen Light Zodiac Collection. This one is a bit darker then On the Cusp. It is described as warm peachy gold with pearly sheen.

(lippies L to R Lumiere, Moon Child, Alyssa, Dreamy and Lumiere Lip liner)

Lippies:
* What's your sign~ another from Kathleen Zodiac collection. I already own a Scorpio Moon and love it. Now I finally was able to get What;s your sign. It a satin formula. Shade is nude, warm peachy nude. Very wearable and can be paired with liplier and glosses :)
* Lumiere ~ My second Lumiere. I adore this lippie stick. I need it in a lipstick bullet. Lumiere was my very first product I ever purchased at CP. The perfect dusty mauve pink.
Dreamy ~ another of Kathleen collabs. I do love them tho! Kathleen never stop! Dreamy its warm coral in ultra satin liquid lip formula, which I adore. It is also a part of Dream St. Collection.

Order number 4, again mix of everything.

* Foundation is a shade Light 60 - I had high hopes for this foundation. The color shade is a really good match. Foundation applies really nice, medium to full coverage. Looks really good for the first hour or so. After it breaks apart, exaggerated pores, sinks in just looks horrible. I hear the stick foundation is better then the liquid one so next time I will try the other one. This is one is a no no.
* Calypso ~ Ultra Satin liquid lipstick. I had one before but it went bad, so here I am with my second tube. Its a rosy plum in ultra satin formula. It wear on for long hours and looks absolutely beautiful on.

* Little Tings~ Lippie Stick. I saw swatches and I feel in love. Plus the name is so cute! Little Things just like my blog - My Little Things! I had to get it :) It is a pretty creamy warm pink :)
* I'm Upset ~ another lippie stick. Warm coraly red with Matte formula. Very pretty color and cant wait to wear it.
* Party Of Five ~ SSS. Burgundy on a lighter side. I dunno I only swatched it. I need to see how will it look on the eyes tho.

* Prickly Pear ~ SSS Warm mauve with sparkle. I saw it swatched on CP IG page and I really like it. I dunno in reality looks a bit different. Again I need to play a bit more.
* Special Delivery ~ SSS. Sea foam green with sparkle. While swatching I can tell there was a  lot sparkles. I do like it but again I just got it so I need to play more.
* Constellation ~ Liquid eyeshadow from KathleenLights Zodiac Collab. Liquid rose gold. Such a pretty shade! Adore colors like this :) So yea can't wait to play with it.

And at the end Palette Collection :)
There is still more products hidden in the drawers :) Next time I do swatches and talk more of each products. Is there anything you would like to see in particular let me know :)

~ Monica :)

K-Beauty Skin Care ~ What's new in my skin care rotation feat. Neogen, Innisfree and Cala Products

*pr sample*

Ok, skin care time :) I been rotating so many products in the past few weeks. So brace yourself this post will be a quite long.

Korean skin care is really popular this day. Well all Korean stuff are like the music, drama and food. 

I do love the food tho! Haha. But the skin care is truly amazing!

In this post I will focus on three bands: Neogen, Innisfree and Cala Products.

By Neogen I only have 1 product to talk about and it is Neogen Bio Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon Pads. They retail for $27 and are available at Sephora and Soko Glam. 

This pads are amazing. Like no joke! The first time I used it I was blown away with the results. Yes first time use results! My skin was so soft and looked brighter! Its a chemical and manual exfoliator that uses natural ingredients and innovative triple pad technology. It gently removed dead skin while the AHA chemical exfoliant deeply penetrates to dissolve dirt and oil in the skin. Lemon extract delivers abundance of Vitamin C for skin brightening benefits.

The pads are locked in a bulky jar and are soaked with lemon essence. And once you open it, you can smell the freshness of lemon. I smells really yummy. What I like about this pad is that there is a sleeve that you put your fingers in and you can use both sides of the pad. I prefer the rough one as I love to exfoliate my skin. I usually use it after I cleanse my face right before toning. The pads have to be used after you double cleans your skin, and you can't use them as a makeup removers. It just don't work that way. I mainly focus on the places on face where all the dirt is. Nose (trying to get rid off those blackheads) and around my nose just clean up all the dirt that is stuck in my pores. And well my neck as well, as we can't forget about that. The exfoliation process is not as rough as I thought it would be, but it sure does scrubs away all the debris and all that dead skin. After I use the other side of the pad, which the soft fabric takes away all the left overs that were left on my face.  After that I rinse my face and voila, soft, bright, glowy skin .. welcome! :)

No wonder they are cult favorite and no wonder Korean ladies have such a beautiful skin. These are so worth the money and once I run out I will get another jar! 

Let move on to Innisfree. Can you believe that until Gen Beauty I had no idea they existed. Of course my sister in law knew of them coz she loves all Kbeauty and anything K related .Prior to Gen Beauty I was invited to an even held at their Lexington location (right across from Bloomingdales).I remember it was super rainy that day and I left work early just to get to this event. The store is beautiful and so inviting and all the gorgeous skin care! The best part? Everything is darn cheap! Anyways at the event Innisfree was showcasing the Hydrating Green Tea line and they showed how proper use each and every product. I got hooked! Like this line is so wonderful! BTW did you kn ow the brand was created and its own by Amore Pacific since 2000! And as you know Amore Pacific is the high end Kbeauty brand sold at Sephora. So there you go! Innisfree not only sells good skin care but also interesting makeup! I swatched a variety of eye shadows and I fell in love with few.

The products I use in my routine are:

* Hydrating Sleeping Mask with Green Tea ~ I love sleeping mask, how about you? I tried so many in the past and I really liked them all. Sleeping mask do wonders to your skin. Innisfree mask is enrich with squeezed green tea from the pure Jeju island to deliver moisture and nourishment deep into the skin. Jeju is the volcanic island in South Korea, know for its abundant plant life, natural unpolluted environment and its cleanliness . The sleeping mask contains Dual Moisture-Rising Technology TM delivered from organic green tea and green tea seed oil. Green Tea is extracted from fresh green  tea leaves that are in rich with amino acids and minerals that keep the skin moisture.The seed oi preserves moisture under the skin for extended period of time to prevent dry skin. The product contains the white capsules that dissolve once your apply and massage them in the skin. I love that feeling. These capsules are filled with organic, natural ingredients and help brighten your skin. The formula is light and absorbs really fast and it has creamy almost gel like texture. The sleeping mask can be used along with night cream (just wait a bit fr the cream to absorb before you apply the mask on, or it can be used by itself, with skipping the night cream. All up to you. I use with both. Winter cold air makes my skin super dry and I really need extra moisture in my skin. For using it minimum three times a week I notice that my skin become soft, smooth and supple. Definitely recommend this one to all my friends and family as it it really good. Plus at $19 price point anyone can afford it :)

* Intensive hydrating serum with Green Tea Seed ~ Same as with the sleeping mask the serum contains eco friendly Jeju island 100% fresh green tea and green tea seed to provide hydration.
The serum contains also citrus extract such as grapefruit, orange and tangerine which help moisture, tone and brighten the skin. The serum come in a plastic bottle that is travel friendly. The pup is covered by a cap that stays in place and keep the germs and bacteria out.  The serum texture is runny,  a bit thicker than water. And it smells of green tea mixed with floral and citrus-y notes. Once applied to the skin it absorbed quickly and leaves no trace of grease or nothing like that. Aside of boosting hydration in my skin I have not see any other benefits but this serum. I like to use it on days that my skin need extra moisture. But overall if you have better hydrating serums at home that do better keep them :) Unless you really want to try it and see what it will do for your skin, go ahead :) Get it at Innisfree website for $25

* My real squeeze masks. ~ these are so good and so affordable. I am going to get more and send to my family. LOL I actually did buy around 10 of them at the event without knowing there was a 7 day booklet with 7 masks in my goodie bag. Most of them were extras so I took to my work and gave to my co-workers :) I have not yet to try all the "flavors" of masks tho. I tested 3 so far and let me tell you a bit, with out making this post super long. Each masks comes in 3 level of hydration: water base (light and fresh), Essence base (deeply hydration) and Cream base (intensely nourishing) . They are made from 100% eucalyptus fibers. The booklet I got contained following: Green Tea (hydrates and nourishes), Pomegranate (brightness and firms), Rose (brightness and smooths), Lime (brightness and hydrates), Bamboo (moisturizes and replenishes), Manuka Honey (moisturizes and replenishes), Acai Berry (firms and smooths). And Fig (tone and brightening). Out of all I tried 3 so far:

- Rose - the first one I tried out of them all. I love any skincare with rose in it. It give brighter and smoother skin and it contains rose flower juice as a main ingredient. It has very nice rose scent to it. Reminds me of rose toners :) Which I adore! I kept mask on for about 20 min, after which I took it off and rub remaining essence into my skin and neck. Skin definitely look more hydrated and smooth. This mask is water based. How can you tell, well look at the bottom right corner you either will see a water bottle, serum bottle or cream jar, and that how will you tell which level of hydration each mask contain.

- Acai Berry - it have a cream base hydration. Acai Berry is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-aging properties. This mask is a a lot thicker then rose one as it is cream based. It is really moisturizing. If you skin feels dry, this one would be the best choice. Again I massaged renaming essence into my skin :)

-Green Tea - the essence is so hydrating and moisturizing in this mask. Again this the water based mask and the essence stays on the mask. I love how my skin felt after it. Hydrated and my pores looked smaller. It have a light scent ot it nothing crazy. This one on par with rose are my favorite.
Now I will make an effort and try the reaming ones.
The real squeeze mask retails at $1.80/

Now let's move on to CALA Products are these are the most newest in my routine and the main focus on why I decided to write this post.
I got three products: Cleanser, Toner and Sheet Mask pack.

So first thing is the cleanser, actually Deep Cleansing Foam. The cleanser contains aloe vera extract filled with antioxidants and vitamins to purify the skin.  It helps to remove all dirt, impurities from the skin.

 I am trying to like this product but I can't. I didn't like the way it made my face feel.
 So greasy and sticky. Ugh I had to go over with more cleanser and scrubs to get rid of it. I really don't think its normal and I don't like the feeling. I had really high hopes for it. ($8.75)

 The toner on the other hand is really nice. Ultra Hydra Toner - moisturizing and soothing hyaluronic acid deeply hydrates as rich botanicals calm and replenish, ultra hydrating hyaluronic acid and shea butter protect moisture from within the skin, enhancing it natural moisture barrier for refreshed, nourish skin. I really do like the toner. I been using it for a week now and we are a good friends. Especially for this time of year my skin really need that extra hydration. So mostly I been reaching for hydrating skin care. I love that this toner contains hyaluronic acid that have so many great benefits for the skin. It have a slight flowery scent. Plus can we talk about the ombre bottle?!? I adore it! ($23.75)

The last product I have from CALA is the sheet mask - Skin Smoothies Daily Boost Sheet mask - I got pack of 5. contain real tomato, apple, strawberry, cherry and pomegranate juice. They also have a green version available, that at some point would really love to try. I was a bit scared to use this one as it has a tomato juice. Don't get me wrong I love tomatoes and ketchup (LOL) but I notice that at some point tomato tends to break me out. So I was hoping this mask will be good, and that good it was.  I used it once so far and really like it.

It gave my skin extra boost and my skin feel and looked better. Much more awakened and brighter. Just felt good. I used it night time but I feel like this would be such a good mask to use in the morning before applying your makeup. (box of 5 $7.50)

Have you heard of any of the mention products?
Have you tired any?

Introducing HELLO FAB Bendy Avocado Concealer and HELLO FAB Kona Eye Stick by First Aid Beauty aka The best concealer I tried in 2018

*pr sample*

There is nothing better then a good concealer :) don't you agree?

I like trying new concealers. Right now I been loving Colourpop Cosmetics Filter Concealer, and I have on my wish list Born This Way and Shape tape :)

First Aid Beauty was kind enough to send over this awesome PR package full with their new launch! Hello Fab Bendy Avocado Concealer and Hello Fab Kona Eye Stick. Back in the summer. 

Quickly I give you my two cents on both products, although I didn't wear much makeup in the summer. It is just so hot and humid in NYC, I just can't. As soonest I got out I have a sweat /water dripping all over.  I only put on a tinted moisturizer and SPF. But I did find time to try these two new products. And I continued to use them through out Fall time until now.
This is the best concealer that I had tried past year. It is so good! no creasing no caking, Blends so good!

* Hello FAB Bendy Avocado Concealer ~ Flexible. skin nourishing. Super food infused looks and acts like a second skin, providing weightless full coverage, that moves with a complexion without cracking, creasing or caking. The concealer is formulated specifically for the delicate eye area and are perfect for anywhere on the skin for touch ups. The concealer is packed with nourishing, clean ingredients including avocado oil, vitamin E and mushroom extract., to help hydrate, condition and soothe, plus caffeine to help diminish under eye puffiness and dark circles. The build-able makeup meets skincare formulation covers blemishes, blurs imperfections and combats the dark circles. 

I really really enjoy this concealer. It is really good and it did survive in this humid city hahah . I agree that it hydrates and that work with the skin like one. Great coverage, great price, but the shade selection not so great. We live in the world that we need a shade for every one of us.  There is total of 7 shades, two dark and 5 light... I would think that you don't want WOC wear your products?  Some companies  can afford to launch 40 shades of foundations and concealers and I am pretty sure you can too. So please take that for consideration. I really like the concealer and I work with dark skin ladies and I would love to recommend it to them :) Since they always ask me whats good in makeup :)

Concealer available at Sephora and Sephora.com, Prcie $22

* Hello FAB Kona Eye Stick ~ Hydrate, de-puff and prime. Give tired eyes a instant pick-me up. The cooling, invigorating three in one stick hydrates and de-puffs the under eye area while simultaneously working as a makeup gripping primer, to perfect and prep the skin for smooth concealer and shadow application.  Infused with super food Kona coffee to diminish the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, along with aloe water and cucumber to deliver cooling aqua-burst sensation. The radiance boosting balm effortless melts into the skin for wide eyed, well rested look. 

This stick is so good and works so well with the concealer. Love the cooling effect and love the way it brightness the under eye area.  Definitely it gives life to my eyes and brings radiance. 

Available at Sephora and Sephora.com , Price $24

. I do recommend both and when your at Sephora, go check them out. But please First Aid Beauty try to come up with more shades coz it truly is an amazing concealer and everyone should have a chance to try it. 

Mac Cosmetics Lucky Red Collection for Lunar New Year + Hauling MAC Shiny Pretty Things and MAC x Aalyiah

  I have not bought MAC in forever. Right now I tend to wait, coz everything goes on sale sooner or later. 

I have waited with Christmas Collection and Aalyiah Collection, and just now I picked up few products along the new collection launched for Chinese New Year.
So let's get started with that one as it is the main focus of this post.

The collection launched January 3rd, and I was at Macy's at this time and spotted something eye catching. The collection includes MAC best selling red lippies Ruby Woo, Russian Red and Lady Danger and new limited edition shades Lotus Life and Lucky in Love, as well as duo blush (Melba and Lovecloud)  and  powder blush brush.

 All dressed up red metallic packaging with matte floral print. The floral print is actually a peony flower, flower of richness and honor symbolize royalty and virtue in Chinese culture.
I only grabbed two limited shades and I am wanting to go back and see if Ruby Woo if still available.

Lucky in Love it matte mauve shade which I feel in love.
Lotus Life is intense pinky red in amplified formula.

Here is the display at my Macy's

Along with this collection I placed an online order for few Holiday products and I also grabbed Aalyiah lipstick as I didn't get anything from that collection when it first launched.
The lipstick I bought is More Than a Woman, which is cool deep red and well really gorgeous.
And the Holiday collection right after Holidays went on sale -40% off and I was able to get the lipstick that was on my wish list "Straight Fire" and the Oh darling highlighter. I also put one single shadow but unfortunately it went out of stock and I got my $ refunded .

"Straight Fire" is metallic matte red lipstick that is so stunning! and you cant never have enough reds trust me. In which case I will be getting Ruby Woo in that LE packaging hahah. "Oh Darling!" highlighter I own before, as I purchased few years back also from Holiday Magic of the Night collection. Yes now I have two, but come on I couldn't resist how beautiful this one look! And for $21 it really worth it. Yes you can't beat the sale prices.

 Never the less I am really pleased with my purchases. Cant wait to see what else Mac have in store for us.