2015 Year in Review & Favorites

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and wish you all an even better 2016!

2015 was definitely a new milestone year for me with the engagement and wedding planning.  This year also marked many new tried and true products that I definitely have on my holy grail repurchase list.

2015 Beauty Faves - Lorac Skinny Eye Palette in Black, Dior DiorSnow White Reveal Sunscreen, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation, Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil, Laura Mercier Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalms

• Lorac Skinny Eye Palette in Black - this was a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Exclusive and I didn't expect it to be so perfect! Not only is it the perfect warm nudes palette, but it has both the shimmer and matte shadows that I use daily. The shadows are so buttery soft AND they don't crease despite all day wear. I found myself reaching for it almost every day in the last 4 months so it definitely had to be a fave for this year. I'm looking forward to getting more.
• Dior DiorSnow White Reveal UVB Protection Sunscreen in Translucent -  I was reluctant to use it in the beginning since it's pure sunscreen. I always have to mix it in with a moisturizer every morning so it was a little cumbersome but after finding the right one (Clinique's Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief), it works so wonderfully. Never greasy feeling and doesn't crease any base makeup.
• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra Light Skin Perfecting Sunscreen Makeup Foundation in 20 Beige - super lightweight foundation that has a light to medium coverage. My skin stays dewy all day without getting oily. Super love and already restocked.
• Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil - if I had to choose the #1 beauty product of the year, I'm most amazed by the Luna Sleeping Night Oil's results. No, I didn't see overnight results like most people claimed, but I did see noticeable differences to my pores within a week.  I also saw improvement to acne scars around my chin area. Maybe a full review to come soon?
• Laura Mercier Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalms - I already own 5 of these! They go on smooth and doesn't accentuate any lines. Leaves lips looking glossy and rich. Laura Mercier already added more colors in this line, I guess I'll be stocking them up again.

That's it for my top 5 beauty favorites of 2015! There were many wonderful products this year but these are definitely hands down the best I've tried and used this year. Do you have a list to share?

Once again, thank you for stopping by and making it possible for me to get chances like sponsored posts. I wish you all a wonderful 2016!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Additional info can be found here.

Review: GlassesShop Warner Robin Rimless Prescription Glasses

Here's a fun review today. I've converted to a contacts wearer for over 2 years now, but I'm still not 100% comfortable wearing contacts for work on a daily basis. For work, I'll still resort to wearing prescription glasses. Just when I decided to leave a pair handy at work, the reps at GlassesShop reached out to me to try out a pair of their glasses.

The GlassesShop website is pretty easy to navigate through.  There's definitely many options on their website to choose from. Everything from prescription glasses to sunglasses. Many of their frames are very affordable in the $30 price range.

I was all set to try something different than my norm (narrow rectangle frames). I like how they also show you try-on pictures for each frame. So I decided to go with these rimless frames ($35) in a fun red metallic frame.

Warby Robin Rimless Frames

Swatches: BareMinerals Modern Pop Marvelous Moxie Lipstick Collection

Wanted to put this up since Bare Escentuals is currently running a 20% off everything with free shipping promotion. Use code ELEVEN.

This Bare Minerals Modern Pop collection came out in the beginning of this year and is currently on sale for $7.6 a piece ( I got mine a little cheaper at a 30% off coupon earlier.)

Bare Minerals Modern Pop Marvelous Moxie Lipsticks

Try It Thursday: GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment

Try it Tuesday got a little pushed back since I posted earlier in the week. This week, I whipped out a deluxe sample of the GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment.

I'm not sure if I got a bad sample, but there were lots of clumpy pieces in the mask. You can kind of see it on the cap in the picture, except the pieces goes up to 3x that size.

GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment

But that definitely didn't stop me from lusting on this mask!  The results were truly amazing! Just like any mud mask, I just leave it on my face for approximately 15 minutes or until it completely dries. I never would have expected such immediate results. After washing off the mask, I could easily clear out clogged pores by lightly squeezing.

So far it looks like this deluxe sample size will last me 3 uses. I've already used it twice and the results were pretty consistent. I'm trying to persuade my fiance to give it a try, clogged pores seems to be a constant problem for him.

Anybody else tried this? I'm curious about the other GLAMGLOW products now.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Additional info can be found here.

Deal: Barney's Love Yourself Beauty Gift Bag Event September 2015

It's back! A few months back I talked about the last beauty gift with purchase that Barney's offered and now it's back for the fall.  Like last time, this bag is yours with a $200 beauty purchase.

Without going through too much details in the actual samples, just looking at the Tatcha Enzyme Powder and the Ritual Shower gel, that's already $30 worth of products. (Samples sometimes due vary, but it should still be very comparable to this.)

There's also a long laundry list of all the individual brand gifts with purchases. Instead of sharing what I received, I think Lola's Secret Blog has the best details.

What I have the hardest time with right now is to come up with my picks and what to buy! I'm trying to go on a no-buy in beauty (especially after Macy's one day sale and Sephora's recent VIB sales). But here's my initial list:

• Tatcha Dewy Luminous Mist - $48 (didn't get it last time)
• Tatcha Camelia Cleansing Oil - $48
• Tatcha Pore Perfecting Sunscreen - $68
• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in B20 - $47

Are you shopping this event? What would you be getting? I need ideas~! =D

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Additional info can be found here.

Deal: Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Powder Duo for 20% Off!

Yup you read the title right, I just checked out with this Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Powder Duo for 20% off!  And yes it is LEGIT! Ebates currently have a coupon code for 10% off at SaksFifthAvenue.com plus they have 10% cashback from Saks during the Labor Day Sale! Coupon code EBATES15 and expires on Sept 7.




Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Additional info can be found here.

Try It Tuesday: Kate Somerville Line Release Under Eye Repair Cream

I decided to create a new series of posts, my version of Try It Tuesdays! I have hoarded so many samples and products that I never get to use. These hardly ever show up on my empties and by the time that they do, they sometimes end up going bad. So hopefully this along with my empties, I keep track of a list of my favorite products that work for me.

(image from katesomerville.com)

This past weekend while away on my road trip, instead of bringing a full size eye cream, I brought along with me this Kate Somerville Line Release Under Eye Repair Cream sample packet. The full size comes with a hefty price tag at $125. The packet lasted 2 days and nights with a total of 4 applications. Don't think the whole dark circles and anti aging worked in those 4 times I used it, but I do love the creamy texture. It feels very luxurious and not greasy on my eyes. Most importantly, it didn't crease my under eye concealer. Adding this to my to buy list for the future.

I see this has 4 stars on Sephora. Anybody try it before? I'm still in search of my perfect eye cream.


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Additional info can be found here.

OOTD: Cool Summer Blue

Hi everyone, I just came home from a nice long weekend away in the Hamptons celebrating my birthday with my fiance. This weekend was all about doing what I love - shopping!

Today was much cooler but you'll still feel that summer heat if you are under the sun too long. So I opted for something nice and breezy.

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• Top - Lush Rolled Tab Tunic  $42 & also reviewed here
• Bottom - AE Twill Shorties Shorts  $19.99
• Shoes - Vans X ASPCA Puppies Slip On Sneakers $55 (on sale in stores)
• Bag - Louis Vuitton Eva Clutch in Damier Ebene 

Vans X ASPCA and Converse 'Jack Purcell' from Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Here's a close up of the sneakers. These Vans Slip Ons are so cute! I rushed to stores once I saw Hollyannaree posted about these. They were on sale in stores for $29.99. These are my first Vans so I wasn't sure what to expect. The soles definitely feel comfy enough, but the canvas upper actually scraped the top of my toes, bad enough to leave a blister. =(   So in the outfit, you can see my wearing Puma no-show socks (the irony I know) that I had to buy and put on right away.

Sadly back to work for me tomorrow, hopefully it'll be a good week! 

Review: Lush 'Perfect' Roll Tab Sleeve Tunic (Nordstrom Anniversary Sale)

Today's the last day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! So it's time to snatch up as many goodies as you can before prices go up. Aside from the lovely purses that I shared in my last post, this Lush 'Perfect' Roll Tab Sleeve Tunic (on sale for just under $28) was definitely another favorite of so many. There are sooooo sooooo many posts on IG if you look for #nsale of this tunic.

Lush Perfect Tunic from Nordstrom

I immediately ordered this top in 3 different colors when I saw that the classic ivory and olive colors were being backordered. This blue was still available in my size and shipped out to me immediately. When I took it out of the plastic bag, I was so excited. It is exactly how I imagined it to be, soft and drapey in all the right places.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on the other 2 colors!

Lush Perfect Roll Tab Sleeve Tunics from Nordstrom

And here they are, all side by side, definitely beautiful tops and material, but guess what? I'm RETURNING the olive and ivory!

Review: Rebecca Minkoff Love Chevron Quilted Crossbody & Clutch (Nordstrom Exclusive)

Hi everyone, today I wanted to share with you my very first video! I shared a picture on Instagram recently of my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale haul and I wanted to give a review on both the Rebecca Minkoff Love Chevron Quilted Crossbody and Clutch (still available here) as a side by side comparison. 

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Haul

The crossbody is on sale for $196 from $295, but unfortunately it's already sold out online.  The clutch is on sale for $169 from $265 and both colors are still available online.  Even though I planned to return one of them, in the end I think I'm going to keep both! 

Let me know in the comments if you liked the video and also if you're interested in seeing the rest of my haul goodies.  Thanks for stopping by!

Review: L'Oréal Ultimate Straight Haircare Line

L'oreal Ultimate Straight Haircare Line from Influenster

I recently received this haircare package courtesy of Influenster. The L'oreal Ultimate Straight Haircare line is definitely not a stranger to me. I've only finished the shampoo/conditioner set back in April. I was drawn to the shampoo because it contains keratin (a popular protein for hair in high end haircare). So I bought the shampoo and conditioner on my own at my local CVS. =)  Given that I haven't repurchased, I was a little disappointed that I received this package from Influenster. But the other 2 products were new to me and I'm glad I did give them a try.

Just a quick summary of my hair, I have your typical Asian straight hair. I've never dyed my hair and it's naturally straight. Not pin straight, but it bends around my ears and towards the ends. And thankfully no split ends! My normal hair wash routine is to shampoo from roots to ends and only condition from my ear down to ends. I never condition the roots.

This L'oreal Ultimate Straight Haircare line consists of 4 steps:

My Wishlist: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2015

Today I wanted to share with you all my picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary 2015 Catalog. Every year the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is the big event for all fashionistas and the ability to shop their sale early before the general public definitely was the reason why I signed up for the Nordstrom Rewards credit card.

The anniversary sale will start with Early Access from July 9-16 and will be open to the public from July 17 on. Here are my picks and things on my wishlist! (I'll update with links once all these items become available.)  Let me know what you're getting!

My Picks for Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

• Laura Mercier "The Art of Colour" Palette $79 - LM always has a similar holiday palette every year. Definitely a staple for those who don't own one of her palettes.
• Movado "Bold" Round Patent Leather Strap Watch $300.90 - a classic Movado face in pretty new colors, I love the gold band
• Mackage Wool Blend Coat with Leather Sleeves $459.90 - I love how chic this coat looks with the leather sleeves. The leather sleeves make it a little edgey but the wrap front is definitely all feminine.
• YSL 'Rock Attitude' Glossy Stain Set $72 - I haven't tried this cult favorite yet and I missed it when Sephora had a similar set, so definitely want to grab it this time.
• Hunter 'Tall' Back Zip Rain Boot $169.90 - Another cult favorite, I already own a pair, but this one is a little more fun (and probably A LOT easier to get into) with the back zip
• Rebecca Minkoff Chevron Quilted Love Crossbody $196.90 - I might have many RM bags already but this one that is so Chanel Boy Bag-esc is just too hard to pass over
• NARS 'Blame it on NARS' Cheek Palette - this is always a cult favorite (probably with the exception of last year's holiday palette) and always sells out fast! Though the shades in the picture look like they're from the current line, the names indicate they're brand new colors. Plus it includes a little cheek brush this time.

What's on your #nsale wishlist?

Review: Elizabeth and James Cynnie Sling Backpack

When planning for my Milan trip, I knew I needed to get a new backpack. I needed something that I can use to carry my mini DSLR camera and travel guides. But I was skeptical of getting any backpack because I knew I wouldn't be putting it to use on a daily basis. So my search started with looking for my holy grail backpack and I was soo happy when I found the Elizabeth and James Cynnie Sling Backpack with tassels.

Elizabeth and James Cynnie Sling Backpack in Moss 

This purse was just perfect, not only is it a backpack, it converts into a trendy bucket bag that can be worn on one shoulder. Definitely combining both the backpack and bucket bag trend in one!

Nail Art: Spring Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms Nails with Rebecca Minkoff Hudson Moto Mini

Sharing today a little nail art that I featured in a recent Instagram post. This day I was planning on going to check out cherry blossoms, so I decided to match my nails to the outing.

Cherry Blossoms with Essie's Muchi Muchi and L'oreal a la meringue

I used this Sephora Nail Art Set  to create the little fluffy cherry blossom petals using L'oreal's a la meringue. The base color is 2 coats of my favorite pastel pink featured in this previous post. I think nail art with neutral colors is still suitable for a professional work environment.

Thanks for reading. Have a nice weekend!

Review: Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Spot Corrector

Not sure how to describe Clinique's Even Better Eyes Dark Spot Corrector.  Is it skincare or is it makeup? If you say it's skincare, it has color. If you want to call it makeup, it's really used as an eye cream. I first tried it in one of those small packet samples and loved the texture so much that I decided to buy the full size.

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector with metal applicator

Let's start with my usual bullet points.

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Spot Corrector Facts

Monthly Empties: February, March & April 2015 & A Personal Update

Somehow I managed to turn it into quarterly empties again, but work and personal life has definitely taken a toll on my time! I just got engaged! ^_^  Even though it's only been a month, so much has already happened. We've taken the plunge and already made an offer for our new home! Hopefully everything will work out so we can move forward and onto home decor. So exciting!

With a new home in the horizon, I really need to start downsizing on everything I own, not only on makeup/skincare but also on clothing and bags and shoes. I'll be posting a lot of items on my Poshmark (@mellie_closet) and on Ebay. Check it out if you're interested, mention my blog and I'll offer 10% discount!

Now I'm really on a mission to empty out more products, there should be more products going into these posts.

February 2015 Monthly Empties 

February we have mostly skincare and samples used up!

Swatches: Tom Ford Lips & Boys - Patrick, Flynn and Leonardo

Tom Ford lipsticks are always all the rage, but I just couldn't get myself to spend $50 on a lipstick. Luckily his limited edition Lips & Boys collection came out with a huge selection of mini sizes at $32 for each lipstick. After doing some research, I finally decided to pick up 3 shades: Patrick, Flynn, and Leonardo.

Tom Ford Lips & Boys Lipstick - (from left to right Patrick, Flynn and Leonardo

I purposely chose distinct color categories - shades that don't look too similar. As much as I love my neutrals pinks and MLBB (my lips but better) shades, I figured I'll venture out and try some fun colors.  Patrick is a bright coral, Flynn a muted pink and Leonardo a bold vampy red. More on the shades later.

Barney's Beauty Bag Event for March 10-14 2015

Barneys Beauty Bag March 2015 Gift Bag

My Barneys New York sales associate just shared this with me. The Barney's Beauty Bag event will start on March 10 to 14 and with $200 beauty purchase you can bring the gift bag pictured home! Samples might vary but I spot the Ritual Yogi Flow shower foam which was featured in the February GlossyBox.

They're actually accepting pre-orders now too. These are the things that I plan to pick up:

• CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE POWDER BLUSH IN CRESCENDO $45
• Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist $48
• Tatcha Polished: Classic Rice Enzyme Powder $65

Need something else to qualify for the gift any ideas? Trying to spend strategically haha.

Monthly Empties: January 2015

We're off to a very good start for 2015! January called for an end to a lot of products including very rarely seen makeup items! Brace yourself, this is going to be a long ride (on in our case - post =D ).

January 2015 Empties - this Glossybox was definitely overflowing this month

Let's go through the makeup/color items first since I barely ever show any.

Swatches: Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick in Riviera

Happy Lunar New Year to those that celebrate! May the Year of the Ram bring you happiness and prosperity and most importantly health!

Chinese New Year is all about the bright reds so I decided to step out of my comfort zone and sport a bold red lip today.  This Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick in Riviera came in my first LMdB Beauty Vault VIP box, sadly I never even tried it since I always shy away from bright colors.

Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick in Riviera

Monthly Empties: November & December 2014

Alright, trying not to be too tardy with my monthly empties post this month. November and December wasn't too exciting in terms of products. But I see how much I'm piling for January already, so need to get these 2 months up fast!

November was spent with a week at Turks & Caicos so I ended up using many samples instead.

November 2014 Empties- qiora Face wrap spa mask, Silk Whitia Collagen Moisturizing & Nourishing Eye Mask (review), Korres Body Butter in Guava, Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion, DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew, fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy

OOTD: A Comfy New Year's Eve Outfit

Happy New Year to all! May the new year bring you happiness and health.

Sharing today my New Year's Eve (NYE) outfit. Didn't really make any plans this year so decided to just hang out with my family and boyfriend - going on a BONES binge watch marathon and sipping kalimotxo. Oh no worries, 10 mins before midnight we switched off of Netflix and watched the ball drop. =)

Apologize in advance since I seem to be having trouble posing properly. I think I have to figure out a better outfit/camera setup.

Anyway, I still had to work during the daytime, so my outfit had to be more work appropriate. (Judging by the amount of people that actually showed up at work, I probably should have just opt for jeans.)

Mandee's Chunky Sweater Dress (old), Hollister V neck Tee (old), Yesstyle Skirt (here), Gap knit tights, Chinese Laundry Nitro Over The Knee Grey Suede Boots (old, similar styles here), Jewelmint Necklace (old)