Brand Obsession: Giorgio Armani Cosmetics

Hello, hope everyone had an awesome weekend!  I know I did since we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US we got last Thursday and Friday off which equals 4 day weekend!!!  It definitely felt good and was a nice break from work.  If only we worked 3 days and had 4 days off, life would be extra good hehe

So today I wanted to share with you my current obsession with Giorgio Armani Cosmetics.  It all started out when I met up with Diane (orange2la) for a beauty event at Nordstrom.  Before then I have never owned or tried any products by Giorgio Armani before.  Diane came with a list of products she wanted, from there on my curiosity and low sales resistance took over.

 

For the Holidays Armani released a few Limited Edition sets.  They have one for eyes, lips, face, brush, and a skincare one.  The one I decided to pick up was the rouge d'armani lip set.  I was tempted to get the lip shimmer set that comes with 3 full size lip glosses but I decided to hold off on that since I'm more into lipsticks than glosses these days.

The rouge d'armani lip set comes with 3 full size lip sticks and an Armani make up pouch.  The set cost $59 USD which is a great deal since the lipsticks alone cost $30 USD each individually.  

Set includes: Rouge d’Armani lipstick no. 400, no. 501, no. 102
Color your lips with our exceptional 8 hour long wear formula in our bestselling nude, red, and coral.

 

I love the packaging of these lipstick, they are sleek, don't feel cheap, have a good weight on them, and has a magnetic closure.

L to R:

102 -Pinky nude color that won't wash you out and great paired with a smokey eye

400 -  The perfect red lipstick!

501 - This one is my favorite, it's a peachy pink color

The formula of these lipsticks are amazing.  Super pigmented, creamy, and moisturizing.  I have super dry lips and these don't dry out my lips are emphasize my dry spots.  I'm loving these more than my Chanel Rouge Coco.

The next thing I picked up was the sheer blush in #4 (the one on the right) and I loved it so much I went back and picked up another one in #10 (left).

 #4 is a peachy bronze color with really fine and subtle shimmers

#10 is gorgeous light pink color with hints of gold shimmers

I suck at swatching but you can view better swatches here

http://karlasugar.net/2010/04/armani-powder-blush

 

I can honestly say that these are my favorite blushes ever!  I have been using these blushes everyday for the past few weeks.  They go on sheer but you can easily build it up.  Even if you accidentally put on too much it still won't look like you over did it so it's fool proof.  The powder is super fine, lightweight, and smooth.  They just some how blend right into your skin giving you a natural ethereal glow, and they are super long lasting. If you are feeling bold and want more color these are also great to use underneath or on top of other blushes.

The color selection is not huge and all the colors are pretty basic and wearable, so if you are looking for some wild and vivid colors you won't find it here.  But for me that is one of my favorite things about these blushes, is that it's just simple but does the job wonderfully.  I am tempted to try out all the colors but at a price tag of $43USD they are definitely a splurge.

 

 I have also been on a weird eyebrow pencil kick lately.  I use to use only powder but found a new love for pencils.  I had heard good things about the Armani Brow pencil so I picked one up to try.

The pencil is double ended with pencil on one side and brush on the other.  The color I got was Brown.

I have to say I love this as well!  The formula is very smooth with the right about of pigmentation.  It doesn't feel too waxy like other brow pencils that I have tried. It is also very buildable,so you can go as natural or dramatic as you desire.

 

This is my everyday brow look.

Top (before filling in)

Bottom (after filling in)

 

So when I went back to get another blush in #10 I was curious about the Master Corrector.  I asked the SA about it and she ended up trying it on me, and of course it worked wonders so I had to get it. 

The Master Corrector comes in 4 shades:

• 1. pink: counteracts sallow, dull skin and effectively corrects yellow and olive pigmentation.
• 2. orange: targets olive or darker skin tones to conceal under-eye circles, freckles, dark spots and hyper-pigmentation.
• 3. yellow: balances pink skin tones, brightens dull skin, conceals red-marks, pinkish blemishes and under-eye circles.
• 4. green: tones down redness in skin, conceals small blemishes and blotchiness induces by rosacea or skin irritation. 

The one I got is the Orange one since my main goal is to cover dark circles and spots under my eyes.

The Corrector comes with a super thin brush for precise application.  The formula is very light and watery with just the right about of creaminess.

 The SA recommended using a foundation/concealer brush to apply it but I just dab it on to my problem areas and blend it out with my fingers then set it with a powder.  It sinks into my skin like a charm and doesn't crease or crepe.  If you look up close there are actually really fine shimmers.  I think this is to help brighten up your eye area but it's not noticeable at all unless you look closely.

This can be used under concealer, foundation, or alone depending on how bad your under eyes are.  So far I have just been using it alone because it provides the right amount of coverage that I want, but I can see myself using this under foundation or even dabbing a little bit of concealer on top on those days where my eyes are in bad shape.

Here's a picture where the Corrector has been blended out.

Obsession Level: HIGH

I am impressed with all the Armani products that I have gotten so far and I am curious to try more.  Anyone else love? hate? Armani, please share!

Thanksgiving Dinner:

My family usually don't do anything crazy and cook up delicious meals on Thanksgiving so I always tag along to celebrate it with my BF's family.  This year my BF attempted to make Deep Fried Turkey, and his older sister made Roasted Duck with Pear stuffing.  They were both quite yummy in my tummy.

 

Dinner Table

 

 Roasted Duck

Deep Fried Turkey

Hope everyone is having a great week!  Until next time.....toodles

Geo Circle Lens order from Prettyandcute.com

Happy weekday!  Hope everyone is having a smooth work/school week.  This is sort of an overdue post since I ordered these lenses about a month ago but it's never now than never :)

Ever since I found out about circle lenses I have always been intrigued by them.  Who doesn't want big dolly eyes?!!  Everyone always looks so cute in them.  While on twitter one day I saw a tweet about prettyandcute.com having a $17 circle lens sale so I had to take advantage.  It is unknown when this promotion started or ends so it still might even be going on right now!  If you are interested what you have to do is send an email to [email protected] and ask if they are still having their $17 lens special.  From there you will have to let them know your prescription and they will tell you what colors/brands they have in stock for your eyes.  So depending on your prescription the selection of lenses might vary.

My first pick was the Geo CK-107.  I figured getting black circle lenses would be a nice enhancement for my eyes w/out looking too obvious and unnatural.  

BC: 8.6 mm

DIA: 14.0 mm

Water content: 38%

Material: Phema

 

Sorry no original photos of the glass jars that they come in.  I was so eager to try them that I tossed them out before taking pics!

Left: w/out lens

Right: with lens on

You can see the difference that the lenses makes to my eyes.  They definitely make my eyes appear darker, rounder, and dollier!  I wore these to a birthday party and they didn't give me any problems the whole night.  The longest I have worn these are for about 6-7 hours.  They feel odd in my eyes at first because I wear regular contact lenses on a daily basis and these are obvious bigger in diameter, but after a few minutes my eyes slowly gets use to them and they feel normal from then on.

I would suggest if you have problems with dry eyes these might start feeling uncomfortable on you after maybe 4 hours so having some eye drops on hand would be ideal.

 

 I love the way these look, why can't my natural eyes look like this? lol

After my successful experience with the CK 107 I decided to try out more from the Geo Series and placed another order while the special was still going on.  Some girls on twitter suggested the FC - 725 (Fresh Gray I think?) and said they were pretty natural looking.

I love the soft, watery eyes effect this gives me!  Just like the CK 107 these are super comfortable for me and I can wear them up to 8 hours no problem.  I actually took this and wore it on my trip to NYC.

 

  

I also got the BC-101 to try which is a natural brown color.  I tried them on once and they do look really natural as well but I haven't worn them out anywhere yet so no pictures but they are fairly similar to the other two so just imagine me with some brown eyes hehe.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase and would definitely purchase again from prettyandcute.com.  The shipping was super fast, I got them in less than a week (it may vary for others but I am located in Los Angeles, California).  I am also very impressed with the Geo Series and how comfortable they feel.  I'm tempted to try other kinds so if you guys have any recommendations on other brands that are comfortable as well please let me know!

Have a good rest of the week, hope Friday comes soon!

My Sephora FF 2010 Haul

So I finally got off my lazy butt to do this Sephora FF Haul post!  I actually made 2 orders and ended up already returning a couple of things that didn't work out for me.  There's also another Sephora VIB 20% sale going on until Monday (tomorrow for me) and I'm so tempted to order but do I really  need more stuff? LOL  I feel like my want list is just never ending....sigh

Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick #40

This is my first lipstick from this line and I've been wanting to get them ever since they came out.  I decided to go with only one first to see how they are since some reviews have claimed they can be pretty drying ( and I already have crazy dry lips as it is).  I picked up #40 which is a bright orange/red color.  I'm obsessed with corals this year so I thought this would be a cute color to wear on a night out or to holiday parties.

I'm loving how pigmented this lipstick is.  I feel that it can be drying if your lips are in terrible condition, but if your lips are decent then the formula is not bad.

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

My ends feel like hay!  Hopefully this stuff will help.

Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet-Creme

Ok, how can anyone resist buying something that says quenching sorbet?  They definitely got me on this one so I had to get it to try.  I figured this might be nice for winter since my skin is always extremely dry.

I've reached 500 points perk on Sephora and they had this Recharge Your Skin Set which comes with all these deluxe sample sizes of skincare products.

Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiaging & Antiwrinkle Oil-Control Treatment

Murad Clarifying Mask

Strivectin SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks and Wrinkles

DDF Restoring Night Serum

Shiseido Bio-performance Advanced Super Revitalizer Cream

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Anti-aging Matifying Lotion

Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Kit

This mascara has been on my wishlist forever!  

Josie Maran Bare Naked Wipes 

I used my 100 points perk for this, I'm not sure it was worth it.  Not saying the wipes are bad, it's just that you don't really get that much and I don't think it's worth your hard earn 100 points :/

Boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens

Smells like minty bubblegum hehe

Marc Jacobs Splash in Biscotti

freesia, bergamot, orange blossom, pistachio blossom, and vanilla

This was my most wanted item!  I couldn't decide between Apple and Biscotti but then I went to the store and sampled it on my skin and Biscotti seemed to smell better on me.  The bottle is extremely huge! 10 FL OZ!  

That's all for my Sephora FF haul!  Can't wait to see what everyone else got :)

I also updated my Blog Sale again!  Please check it out if you get the chance.

Click Here

Dolce Vita for Target Haul and My Weekend Trip

Dolce Vita has always been one of my favorite brands for shoes and when I found out that they were doing a line for Target I had to check them out!  I was already on the hunt for some boots for fall/winter so I ended up picking up a pair of these babies.

These retail for $34.99 and I absolutely adore the buckle details.

I tried them on with skinny jeans but I think these look the best with a skirt/dress and tights/leggings.

 

Wanted!

 

I had a tough time deciding between the boots that I got and these ones.  I'm loving the combat style and the slanted side zip but my BF convinced me the other ones were cuter so I went with those, but I still have my eyes on these!

 

I don't own any oxfords but I've been obsessing over them lately.  I think they really look chic and cool paired with some skinny jeans and dress shirt.  Definitely a good everyday work look.

I am usually a flats kind of girl but for some reason the flats were the least intriguing to me from this line.  They are super cute but the boots and oxfords definitely stood out more.

Anyone else getting or gotten anything from this Collection?

NOTW! 

 

 Revlon Teak Rose

This color is so gorgeous and very shabby chic.  The formula is also really nice, goes on smoothly.  The color reminds me of Chanel's Rouge Coco Mademoiselle lipstick.   Pictured above is only 1 coat!

My weekend trip to Conn - NYC

So my BF had to go on a business trip to Connecticut for about 10 days, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to travel and visit him for the weekend since I would have a free hotel to stay at.

Since Connecticut is not too far from New York we also planned a little 1 day trip to visit NYC as well.  At first we were planning to do 1 day NYC and 1 day Boston but we ended up getting lazy one of the days and just hung out locally instead.

It was definitely screaming out Fall in Connecticut.  All the trees and beautiful colors were gorgeous!  I definitely don't see much of that in LA.

My friend insisted I have a cup of Dunkin's Donut coffee for her!  It was delicious.

 Had brunch at this restaurant that was in a park.  I ordered a Duck Pate sandwich.   It was super creamy and delicious.

 BF ordered a crab patty Eggs Benedict. 

 The water glasses were so cute, I couldn't help but snap a picture.

 Also ordered a bloody mary, it was super spicy!

The salt and pepper shaker were adorable as well.

So our anniversary was nearing so me and the BF decided to celebrate it a little early in Connecticut.

He surprised me with this cute little Coach bag!  I definitely wasn't prepared so I came gift-less.

We went out to dinner that night at an Italian Restaurant.

Everything was delicious!

So next day we decided to take our trip to NYC, New York.  It was an hour drive to the train station and then another hour ride to Grand Central Station.

 This was my first time ever in NYC so it was definitely an exciting experience.

 We visited Central Park, it was huge!  We probably only covered a small portion of it.

  

Since we were in New York it was obvious we had to try a New York Pizza!  We ended up finding a place that was highly rated on Yelp.

It's definitely one of the best Pizza's I have tried!  There's just a unique crispness to the dough and a sweetness to the sauce and everything just tasted so fresh!

Made a quick stop at an Irish Pub for some beers and fish n chips!

There was so much to see and do but we had so little time since we had to catch the train back and I had an early flight back to LA the next morning.  I barely even had a chance to shop or get anything.  I'm planning to go back to NYC again some time soon and hopefully get to spend more time there.

My flight had a connection in Chicago so I had to try an authentic Chicago dog!

Also updated my blog sale and everything is on clearance! Click here

That's all for today lovelies, hope everyone is having a great week :)