Top Nail Polishes This Winter

From left to right:

OPI You Don't Know Jacques! - a dark brown-y taupe that has almost replaced metro chic as my go to taupe. 

Orly Buried Treasure - a subtle metallic golden taupe. When I first applied this, I hated it. So much so that I took it off a day later. I generally don't like the way metallic polishes look on my nails, but this one looked so pretty in the bottle, I desperately wanted it to work. Last week I decided to paint my nails with it and keep it on to see if it would grow on me. And it did, and now I love it. With these shimmery metallic colors its impossible to mess up a manicure. 

Zoya Kristen - a creamy pale blue grey. I'm so glad I got this in my birchbox because I probably would never have found it otherwise. I think it is the perfect winter blue. 

OPI Pamplona Purple - a true juicy grape. I rarely ever purchase nail polishes based on blog posts because it's something that I need to see in person to get a sense of whether I would like it on myself. But, when I saw this post on Rachel's blog, I immediately fell in love with this nail polish and had to have it. 

(My swatch is not quite as good as Rachel's)

I hope my color descriptions were not too mediocre and that you check out these nail polishes!

~Vida

Weekend Sights

Shoes at the Barney's Warehouse sale 

Hot Chocolate from City Bakery - dangerously sweet and chocolate-y

Sushi dinner with a friend at Monster Sushi

Finally got to try my first macaroon at La Maison du Macaron

The cutest alleyway by my apartment

I loved this crate of classic Coke bottles inside the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Enjoying an ice cream cone on the pier by Brooklyn Bridge

~Vida

New Purchases

I spent a lot of time on this haul. Mostly because I was carefully planning out how I was going to spend each cent of my Chinese New Year money and newly acquired Bloomingdales gift card. I ended up with this bundle of goods, which looks kind of boring as it is mostly skin and hair products, but that's what I'm into at the moment!

I finally joined the rest of the beauty community and got a Clarisonic Mia in the berry color. I never thought I would spend this much money on a face cleansing tool but it was the perfect thing to get with a gift card. I've only used it once so far and it really exfoliated my skin and made it feel and look clean and smooth. I'm looking forward to seeing what this does for me after more uses. 

My skin has been getting super dry all over my body and face and I needed something to really smooth and moisturize it. I picked up the Mario Badescu super rich olive body lotion and Origins drink up intensive overnight mask. My first impressions are that these both smell really good - the Origins one smells like Japanese candies. 

I also got a small sample packet of the macadamia oil deep repair masque to see how it works in my hair. 

Some more hair stuff - Redken's wool shake and these little rubberized hair clips. I was looking for a good hair texturizer and I heard good reviews about this one. It seems like a really weird consistency but hopefully it works well. 

I got these hair clips for a dollar at Rickys and have been using them nonstop for blow drying and just clipping my hair back at home. 

I finally got one of the Benefit creaseless cream shadows in birthday suit. I have a weakness for cream potted eye shadows and this one is so pretty!

I also picked up Neutrogena's 3-in-1 concealer for eyes, which was recommended to me by champagne cocktails, cashmere dreams. It's supposed to be a concealer, eye cream, and spf all in one. It sounds too good to be true, but I'm excited to try it out. 

Finally I ordered these flats from Aldo after I saw that they were on sale for $15! Yes, they have that annoying scrunchy back, but they are super comfortable and feel quite sturdy. They are just plain enough to wear with everything and I love them. 

I also received my February Birchbox, so stay tuned!

~Vida

Night Out

Rarely do I have an excuse to dress up and get all dolled up, but for those times that I do, there's always that little black dress to get me through the hassle of deciding what to wear. Tonight, I'm going to a formal event where I'm going to don this little black dress that I got from H&M years ago, and haven't worn yet (typical). Dressing up is always fun, and I thought I'd share a few of the things I like to do to get ready for a dressy night out. 

No LBD would be complete without accessories. My go to jewelry for a night out - an assortment of bangles, a large statement ring, and some dangly earrings. Most of my jewelry is gold which is perfect for fancier events. 

I'm going to wear these nude platform pumps from urbanog.com. I had been wanting nude platform pumps for quite some time, but could never shell out the 70-100 bucks that steve madden and aldo were charging for them because lets face it, I'm not the type of girl who walks around in 6 inch heels all the time. I got these for super cheap and they have served their purpose. 

And finally, this faux patent snake skin leather bag is always with me on any night out. 

I usually never do anything to my hair, but these rollers are a great easy way to add volume and bounce to your hair. I just put them in almost dry hair, add some volumizing spray, and get ready while they sit. 

I painted my nails in essie's Bordeaux, a deep red wine color, for a classic polished look.

As for makeup, I don't really know what I'm going to be doing yet, but I am toying with the idea of rocking a deep glossy red lip with maybelline's continuous cranberry and viva glam gaga II lipglass. Or more likely, I will play it safe with neutral pinky lips. My favorite natural nude combo of the moment is the body shop's lip liner in pink brown and clarins instant lip perfector 02. 

And now I'm off to get ready. What do you guys like to do for a night out? 

~Vida

Out With the Old

These past couple of months have been light in terms of the makeup spending, and makeup lusting for that matter. I've been quite content with digging up products that I already have and using them up. These things fit nicely into one makeup bag and have made my morning routine so much quicker. I'm on a steady mission to finish up these products, to get rid of the clutter and make way for new things =I.

The L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base used to be a staple in my collection for smoothing out my skin near the t-zone and priming for foundation. To me it feels very similar to other more high end primers, like Benefit's porefessional. I stopped using it for no particular reason, but I've whipped it out again and I love using this even on its own without foundation on top. 

When I first got NARS Sheer Glow, I treasured it and used it sparingly, but after having it for a while I should just finish up what's left. This is a great foundation and I love the finish it gives, but I've come to realize that I'm not really a foundation girl. I'd rather spend my efforts on skincare, because no matter what I do with my foundation, I don't think it can ever look completely natural or flawless on my skin or maybe I just haven't found the right foundation yet. I love tinted moisturizers and BB creams though!

I received a sample size of the MUFE HD powder from Sephora, and although it looks like a tiny pot, I have yet to come close to finishing it. This is really good for mattifying and I like how smooth it feels. But, if you put this on dry skin, your skin will look dried up and old. I want to finish it up so I can make way for the bare minerals touch up veil or MAC's select sheer loose.

 I had been so in love with using my Becca shimmering skin perfector that I neglected to use my cream colour base in hush. This is a really great highlighter and is so easy to dab on with fingers. Hopefully I can use this up soon so I can back to MAC it and start using my Becca highlighter full time. 

Ok, let's be honest, I will probably never finish a blush in my lifetime, but I've recently started using my Michael Todd powder blush in Lilia again. The color is a little washed out here, but it is a really pretty springtime peachy pink. I love it for everyday wear and it would be especially great for spring. 

This is probably the most boring, plain eye shadow, but it is one that gives me a subtle sultry look that I can wear everyday. It is the nude beige color from the storm palette that is just slightly darker than my natural skin color. I haven't hit pan on a single eye shadow yet, but I am definitely close with this one. 

I no longer find it necessary to have 5 mascaras rotating at once, so I've been trying to go through as many as I can. The one I've been using is L'oreal's extra-volume collagen black. It has a nice chunky brush which I love and gives a similar effect to L'oreal voluminous, but slightly clumpier which may or may not be a good thing, depending on what mood I'm in. 

Although MAC paint pots are the only eye shadow bases I think I will ever need, I wanted to use up the Michael Todd eye shadow base. It works fine and I like the doe-foot applicator and fluid consistency, but it's staying power doesn't beat the paint pots. 

I've eyeing up the Milani liquif'eye pencils, but can't bring myself to get it until I finish some of the pencils I already have. The two I am using up are the sephora nano eyeliner in chocolate, and the smashbox limitless eye liner in black. Both are fine pencils, but nothing to write home about. 

So there's a few things that I've "shopped my stash" for. It's about time that I've finished up some of the half-used things sitting around in my drawers =)

~Vida

Odds and Ends

A DIY lip scrub made with petroleum jelly (mine is coconut scented, which gives it a nice touch), olive oil, and sugar. Just add ingredients until you are satisfied with the texture. Mine is extra grainy for added exfoliation. 

I've been wearing this nail combo for three straight manicures: Essie Topless and Barefoot & OPI Don't be Eggnogious

I received these David Smallcombe cuff bracelets for Christmas and I haven't taken them off since. 

I discovered this candle after Christmas in the sale. They only had the smallest size left, so I have been burning it sparingly to savor it. Hope they have more of this next season! 

I finally found a pair of simple black heeled chelsea boots from ASOS. I mentioned before how upset I was that I missed out on the chance to get the topshop ones, but I managed to find a pair that fit what I was looking for, although I'm still iffy about the wooden block heel. 

I usually try to avoid Times Square at all costs, but last weekend I went to see the show Chinglish in its last days on Broadway. I love any excuse to explore the city =).

Hope you enjoyed that random post, have a great day!

~Vida