Spend Less, Stay Gorgeous

I accidentally took a 1-hr nap after eating at Society, a trendy new restaurant participating in Dine Out Vancouver, and now I'm WIDE awake at 4:30am...but it's okay.  Since I woke up from the nap, I had a 2-hr workout, designed my business cards, filed my nails and checked out a couple of blogs!

So, today I'll be sharing some ideas on how to beautify your outer self while on a tight budget.  That's not to say that you can forget about your naturally beautiful inner self though ;) hehe

With the economy these days and HST taxes approaching, we'd all love to save some money without sacrificing our beauty. Here are some ideas on how to do so!

BE A BLOGGER
Just being a blogger could get you free products!  A lot of make-up companies out there send bloggers loads of products to test and review.  I'm lucky enough to receive something in the mail every once in awhile :)

ASK FOR SAMPLES
Not sure how many other beauty shops do this but Sephora supplies samples of make-up when you want to test one out.  I went there to pick up a couple of foundation samples because I was tossing between Lancome & MUFE, and they give a pretty decent size sample!  I've only tried each one once so far, but I'm pretty sure the amount could last for 4-5 uses.  I'm also glad I asked for samples 'cause the foundation I was originally going to buy really didn't work well w/ my skin type.

BE A MODEL
No skills necessary!  Last week, my friend asked me to attend her nail tech class for a manicure.  I got the real deal - filing, buffing, cuticles, massage, polish.  She gave me a full manicure free of charge and it was lots of fun!  I even gained some hair tips from her teacher..bonus! hehe  At the same beauty school, I've helped out a friend's friend who needed a model to do make-up application on.  Her exam required her to do a Day look and an Evening look, and I got to leave w/ the Evening look on!  Very fun.

TRUST TRAINEES
A lot of people are drawn away from new trainees at salons, but just like I trusted my friend to do my manicure, I trusted a lady at my lash place to apply lash extensions on me!  The application was free (reg $65) because she has to complete 200 hrs of training.  The lashes didn't last long and they weren't perfect, but it was still nice being pampered and at least I had the glam look for a few days :)  She also offered a free fill (reg $35) but I was going to Seattle and took them all out so that I wouldn't have to worry about them.

All of the above ideas are for FREE products & services but there are also plenty of ways to beautify yourself in an affordable fashion.  I always check on Craigslist in the Beauty section.  You can often find specials on nail or waxing services, cheap massages, students looking for models (make-up app, cut & dye, hair styling, etc) or even sales on products in store.  Another way is to keep an eye out for make-up tradeshows or other events where you can score some crazy deals on products!


Well, there you have it!  Those are my techniques :)  What do you do to stay glamorous, get pampered and continuously add to your make-up collection?

My first ever Giveaway has ended!

And the WINNER is...

SUSANNA of This That My Life!!!

Congratulations, girl!  Please email me at sheena.louie@gmail.com w/ your complete mailing address and I will ship your prize this weekend.

Thank you to all of my followers!  I've finally hit 100 followers and will continue to grow thanks to your support and great feedback.

Please stay tuned as I will be setting up a BLOG SALE for you to purchase new & used (but cleaned) makeup as well as some fun accessories!

Have a terrific week, everyone!

Quick Hello!

Hello lovely readers!

Sorry for being so MIA lately.  Last weekend I took a life course and I have been busy setting & achieving goals.  It's been a pretty insane week, I must say...but a great one!  I'm getting into a really awesome workout routine (I've already worked out 7hrs since Monday!) and I'm setting goals to help me reach my dream career of becoming an Event Planner!

Anyways, I just wanted to come by and remind you all to enter yourself in my giveaway!  Deadline is TOMORROW.  I will be drawing the name in the evening and contacting the winner on Monday.  The prize will be shipped out next weekend when I go to the States, to save on some shipping costs ;)

Well, I'm off to run some errands now but I'd like to leave you guys with a quote that I recently came across...

"A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks."

Love it!!  So don't forget to smile, ladies! :)

Me in Three's

Lovely Jenny, who's blog is named "the skinnies" tagged me for this "Me in Three's" type game.  Well, I'm not so sure if you call it a game but it's one of those things you fill out and pass out to people...you probably received tons of emails like these back in the day!  I'm not going to tag anyone, but I'm going to fill this out for fun and so you, my readers, can get to know me a little more :)

Three names I go by:

• Sheenie
• Sheenster
• Slouie

Three jobs I have had:

• Executive Assistant @ HSBC Canada
• Server @ Cactus Club Cafe
• Mail Coordinator @ ING Insurance

Three places I have lived:

• Lexington, Kentucky
• Vancouver, British Columbia
• Coquitlam, British Columbia

Three favourite drinks:

• Lychee Green Tea Bubble Tea w/ Pearls
• Non-fat No-whip White Chocolate Mocha
• As of tonight, POMx Antioxidant Super Tea in Pomegranate Lychee Green Tea

Three TV shows I watch:

• How I Met Your Mother
• The Office
• Ugly Betty

Three places I have been:

• Mexico
• Toronto
• Dominican Republic

Three places I would like to visit:

• Asia
• Europe
• Australia

Three people who text me regularly:

• Kenny (boyfriend)
• Jon (bf's best friend)
• Steph (one of my girlfriends)

Three favourite old TV shows:

• Power Rangers
• Full House
• Family Matters

Three favourite dishes:

• Pasta/Noodles
• "Ham Sui Gok", a dim sum dish
• Chicken Wings

Three makeup products I cannot live without:

• Rimmel 16-hr Oil-Free Foundation
• L'oreal Mascara Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara
• Kat Von D's True Romance Eyeshadow Palette

Three things I am looking forward to:

• Walk on the beach w/ my friends tmw
• Getting a job and making income (had an interview today!)
• Third lvl of life courses called "The Advancement of Excellence" this wkend

THE END! :)

April's Tips & Tricks

A couple weeks ago, my boyfriend & I decided to finally rent books from our local library...and man, I've been missing out!  While he was looking for construction & home building books, I was 2 meters to his left discovering a whole section of beauty/skin/fitness/fashion books!  Above, is one of the three books I brought home to read this month.  It has loads of tips and awesome facts.  It's a little old, as it was published in 2001, but there's no doubt that it still holds it's credibility to what's true today.

In this month's "Tips & Tricks" blog, I am going to share some material I learned about skin!  Skin is a huge part of my beauty routine, mainly because I've always always always had troubled skin.  I was born with thin skin so without makeup, it's quite easy to see the veins on my face.  Around the age of 10, I developed eczema on my arms, inside my elbows.  At age 13, my eczema spread to my cheeks and it was very severe...and traumatizing as a kid.  Many treatments later, a doctor finally prescribed me Elocom which miraculously cleared my eczema in 2 days!  Three days later, I started developing acne which got the best of me until I was 20 and then went on a birth control, which stopped the breakouts by controlling the oil glands...my skin doc prescribed Diane35 specifically because it's best for acne.  Currently, at age 23, my skin is clear!  I just have a little dryness during the colder seasons, a few acne scars and eczema breakouts on the cheeks every once in awhile...all of which I can deal with and cover up!

Now that I finally have good skin, I want to keep it that way and continuously improve my skin.  What I really want is "glowing" skin like Kate Hudson's or Jennifer Aniston's - btw, did you guys hear that she's pregnant?!  I saw it on OK! magazine today and bought the issue, just haven't had the time to read it yet.

Anyways, let's get on with my tips & tricks for this month! :)

How to preserve your skin:

• stay out of the sun & always wear sunscreen
• don't smoke
• avoid heavy drinking (1 glass of wine a day is okay)
• give yourself between 7-9 hrs sleep a night and avoid "bed wrinkles" from your pillow or sheets
• avoid stress
• watch your diet, don't eat junk food
• avoid rough skin treatments
• picking pimples
• using overly hot water
• using harsh skin products

Eye Creams:

• I never used to believe in eye creams until I started selling Usana products and learned more about them.  Although I don't have bags under my eyes, dark circles or crows feet, I learned that it's still great to use it now for prevention!  It also helps moisturize the skin around my eyes properly instead of using face lotions that are too harsh.  Eye creams are lighter in texture so that they don't harm your eye's delicate tissue.  Many of them also help with specific things like tightening the skin and treating puffiness.  The author of the above book, Stephanie Pedersen, says she no longer uses eye cream because as long as your face cream doesn't contain harsh ingredients that can irritate, it's okay...but in her case, she only used eye cream to moisturize around the eyes.  Overall, it's up to you and your needs!  If your eyes tend to get puffy, develop dark circles or show crows feet, I'd recommend finding an eye cream suitable to treat that.  If you just need something to moisturize around the eye, your daily face lotion could be gentle enough to do the trick!

Recipes for home blemish treatments:

• Mix 1/2 teaspoons of yeast with a few drops of warm water to make a paste.  Smooth over pimple and rinse off after 20-60min.  Use once a day.
• Mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a few drops of warm water to form a paste.  Smooth over pimple and rinse off after 20-60min.  Use once a day.
• Dab a drop of tea-tree oil on pimples up to 2x a day.  Test a tiny patch on your forearm 48 hrs prior to ensure it doesn't irritate skin.

Ways to improve complexion:

• Oranges (vitamin C) are a good source of citric acid, which promotes clear & healthy complexion
• Green tea extra may shrink precancerous skin lesions
• Grape-seed extract (procyanidolic oligomers) strengthens capillary walls, reduce inflammation, and act as antioxidants on skin
• Use masks regularly

Types of masks:

• Clay & Mud masks (Recommend Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask)
• Oily & Normal skin types
• Use 1-2x weekly
• Contains special type of purified mud or clay
• Peel-off masks (probably too harsh for my super sensitive skin)
• Oily, Normal & Dry skin types
• Use 1-2x weekly
• Gel formula
• Can severely irritate sensitive/thin skin
• Epidermal treatment masks (want to try the Sephora brand ones)
• All skin types
• Use 1-3x weekly
• Face-shaped sheets infused w/ active ingredients such as antioxidants, moisturizers or alpha hydroxy acids
• Modeled after epidermal patches, such as the ones used to deliver nicotine to smokers
• Non-hardening masks (Recommend Usana's Nutritious Creme Masque)
• Creamy formula for Normal & Dry skins
• Gel formula for Sensitive & Irritated skins
• Can be used daily
• Tip: In the shower, cleanse skin and apply mask before regular shower routine.  This allows steam to open up pores.  Rinse masks off after 5 minutes.

Well, I hope I've provided you with some tips & tricks that you plan on trying out!  Half of the above material has improved my skin, and the other half are things that I want to try out :)

What are some skin-related tips & tricks that you swear by?  I'm looking for ways to solve my dry, flaky skin issue.  I exfoliate w/ St Ives microdermabrasion scrub and use really great day & night moisturizers.  I suppose I could start drinking more water...but what else??

Be sure to enter my Lashes & Lips giveaway before you leave my page!  Btw, if you haven't already noticed, I decided to change my giveaway deadline to Sunday, April 25th.  I figured that I might as well because the entries have slowed down and I will be going to the States on the following weekend, which gives me a perfect opportunity to ship from the States (so much cheaper).  Smart, right? ;) haha  Anyways, be sure to spread the word about my giveaway because it's almost over!

Alright, I'm off to work out for an hour (in a fitness competition w/ my friends & family) and then wrap up my day with a nice mask treatment.  Ciao for now!

Review: L'oreal True Match Super-Blendable Compact Makeup

My apologies for being so MIA lately!  The week just flew by for me...but mainly because I've been sleeping in too much which throws off the rest of my day. I'll go to the gym or run some errands and then have to come home and nap because the oversleeping made me tired! haha Vicious cycle.  But recently, my boyfriend's family & mine have combined to do a Fitness Competition where we have to eat well and workout to reach our fitness goals.  Mine is to lose 2-4lbs, gain a lot of muscle strength, improve my cardio & get super toned for the summer!  So, I'm trying to wake up early to workout w/ my boyfriend and that'll help me get a lot more things done in my day...such as job hunting, blogging, starting my scrapbook and cleaning house.

So, today I'll be reviewing L'oreal's True Match Super-Blendable Compact Makeup.  It has SPF 17 Sunscreen, is oil-free and comes w/ a sponge applicator & mirror.  I purchased this from Target for only $2.68 USD!  It sells for much more in Canadian drugstores (I'm guessing over $10) but I lucked out at Target because they had a ton of random items on clearance.  Not all the colours of this compact where on sale but the one that matched my skin was!

Pros:

• Great packaging
• I like the size of the compact and that it comes w/ a sponge & mirror
• Wide range of colour choices to match every skintone
• Easy to apply, I use this makeup whenever I'm in a rush
• Blends smoothly
• Velvety feel, non-greasy & non-oily
• Lightweight

Cons:

• Sponge applicator needs to be replaced every 5-8 uses otherwise it doesn't blend well
• Staying power isn't very strong

Overall, I love having this compact makeup as a backup for days when I'm in a rush.  I don't even need setting powder because it leaves my skin velvety rather than sticky.  Also, the thing about having to replace the sponge applicator pretty often is no biggy because they're so dirt cheap and I could probably even try using my foundation brush to apply the product!  I'm so happy I bought this and will be keeping it in my makeup collection.

On a side note - did you guys hear that Sephora now has a Tokidoki line?!  Okay, most of you in the States have probably heard (because you lucky bums get all the good stuff first) but it only came out in Canadian stores last Wednesday.  I visited Sephora earlier this week to ask for foundation samples and saw the gorgeous display.  I loooooove the artwork, the vinyl toys & I have a bunch of the tshirts.  You can imagine how excited I got when I saw their makeup!  I will be purchasing the liquid eyeliner, an eyeshadow and maybe their shimmery bronzer in the near future.

Also, if you're wondering about which foundation samples I'm going to be trying out, I asked for two - Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra 14-hr Retouch-free Oil-free & Make Up For Ever Matte Velvet and Matifying Foundation.  Both received amazing reviews for their staying power and quality so we'll see which one works best w/ my skin :)

Alright, that's all for now!  Don't forget to enter yourself in my Lashes & Lips Giveaway!  Deadline is April 30th.

Skin Rev-er Upper

Never again will I take a nap!  No, I probably will again...but it's 4:57am and I'm WIDE awake because I napped from 4:30-6:30pm.  I was lying in bed playing games on my iTouch (Monkey Flight - I just installed it and it's super addictive, but silly) until I figured, I might as well just get up and do something since I won't be falling asleep anytime soon....so here I am, blogging! :)  I might as well stay up for another hour too because my boyfriend & I set our alarms for 6:00am to change my Facebook status to "no longer in a relationship" as an April Fools joke for those who go crazy over that shiet...muahahaha

Anyways, this morning, I will be reviewing the Bare Escentuals i.d. bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper.  It is absolutely amazing!!  How I found it?  I was cruising Sephora's website for foundation, was reading up on the BE powder foundations and then saw this lotion as a recommendation!  I checked out its reviews and there was a lot of positive feedback, plus it was only about $21 CDN and that doesn't seem that expensive when you're shopping at Sephora...haha

What this Rev-er Upper is supposed to do is even out your skin tone when it's dry/oily and give you a nice, smooth surface to work on when applying makeup.  Many reviewers used it without makeup as it improves the health of your skin and gives you a glow with continuous use.

I bought it and I absolutely love it!  Over the Winter season, I had an issue with flaky cheeks and an oily t-zone.  The first day I applied this, that problem disappeared!  It literally smoothed out my skin and gave me a nice canvas to work with.  It also spreads really well so all you need is one pump of the Rev-er Upper and you're good.

The instructions say to use it under face lotion or alone.  I've been using it under my regular face lotion and because it's so lightweight, there isn't even any difference in how my regular lotion feels!  The Rev-er Upper also helps my regular lotion spread smoothly so I end up applying less, which saves on lotion there AND I gt all the added benefits listed above!

I can't say enough how great this product is, and that's why I'm not even going to bother listing out Pros & Cons...because I have no Cons!  I love the bottle, I love the pump, and I LOVE the product!