Cougar boots haul

Since the weather was changing drastically in Vancouver, I thought it would have been a good idea to get a rain boot for the upcoming horrors. And since Winners was having a boot fest, where they had tons and tons and tons of boots to choose from, I thought I would find myself the perfect pair.  Right when I got to the aisle with all the boots, my eye just shot to a pair that had the green and white lettering logo called Cougar.  I remembered when Juciytuesday on YouTube was doing a “What would you do for a pair of boots” video that spotlighted on these boots.  Cougar boots is a Canadian brand where they keep Canadian weather in mind so I thought this brand would be perfect!

The first pair I got was a pair called “Storm by Cougar”. It has the shape of a standard rain boot but it has a waterproof fabric for flexibility and then some leather on the top of the boot.  What really attracted me to these pair of boots was that it was fleece lined.  Sooo comfy and warm, it’s amazing.  It also had slight pillow happiness for my feet.  They are also guaranteed to keep you warm under -11°F (-24°C).  And they were only $50 which I happily paid for but my mom kept saying that it was ugly and the fabric part made my legs look chunky.  I thought these were finding but I really did like the other cougar boots that they had to offer, especially the pillow boots. And also the fact that these storm boots were made in China was kind of a deal breaker for me since it’s supposed to be a “Canadian brand.” I was hoping that I was actually supporting a Canadian brand.

 Before I went to school about two weeks ago,  I went and strolled around at the Downtown winners in Vancouver not really keeping in mind for the Cougar boots so it was a complete surprised when I saw the zip up pillow Cougar boots.  I didn’t really love them but I knew that I needed a really warm boot for the upcoming winter.  The boot itself is a yellowish tan color which really screamed retro to me.  It comes with a metal zipper with stud detailing all around the zipper and the interior is bright red which peeks out a little on the top when you wear it.  The inside is what the name is called, “Pillow boots; zip zip and away.” The inside,  just like the other one, is super comfy and warm and these boots are supposed to withstand the cold even under  -11°F (-24°C).  The price point for these are a bit hefty since these are made in Italy and the whole exterior of the boot Is genuine leather; $159.99 (compared to $256). I was a little hesitant about these boots but I thought to myself; I’d have these for a long time, leather boots, super warm, non-slip bottoms even walking on black ice…fine I’ll get these.  I was really excited about these boots and I wore them to school the next day.  But once I started walking in these, I noticed that the zipper near my ankles would fold in and the whole boot is kind of slanted.  It really pissed me off because it was annoying to walk in them with the fold touching my ankles like that.  And also the fact that I accidently hit the cement stairs when I was walking up back to the skytrain and a little bit of the leather already chipped off, that was a totally deal breaker for me.  I really wanted to love these boots but it was hard to for the price….It wasn’t worth it.  I returned both of those boots in the end and I’m still on the hunt for the perfect boots.  I’m still happy with my Nevada brown boots I got four years ago at Sears for only $30 but I wanted to add another pair of boots for the harsh winter season.  Guess I’m still going to have to look for one.

Has anyone tried cougar boots? These were super popular back in the 80’s.  If they are really that good, I’ll consider getting the original lace up pillow boots for fill price but what do you guys think?

Rotating earring holder from Ebay

I've been trying to find for the longest time an earring holder that rotates. Everytime I went to winners, I would check if they would have one but I'm always left disappointed. They had cute ones with little owl bracelet holder and bridie jewlery holder but never a rotating earring holder. So i just gave up and surrendered and just bought one off of ebay. The price was between $10-$20 depending on how many pairs of earrings you wanted to hold and what style. The one that was the most comment was the one I have, but only few sellers that sold ones that have 144+ holes and 200+ holes. I settled for 144 holes since i didn't have that many pairs of earrings and wanted to save a little bit of money ;). Thought to myself that i could just use my old froggie earring holder from ages ago from claires if i did really run out of holes on the rotating one. I will link the seller down below but if the link doesn't work later on, the seller is "fgatedd" on ebay.

The package did arrive in around 24 days but I already expected that since it came from China. I didn't mind since I already knew that but if that is something that bothers you, then you might want to stay away. The product is almost flawless! The finish on it is really professionally done but one complain I have is the holes are not all even. I believe it is a black enamel but don't quote me. Some are crocked but that doens't really matter since Its just holding earrings.

Do you guys have a cool earring holder? Would you like a rotating one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/144-holes-rotating-black-earrings-display-stand-rack-holder-/140874005635?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20ccbebc83

Maleficent look

 Halloween is just around the corner so I thought an evil queen look would be perfect! ELF came out with exclusive Disney villain palettes and the evil villain from sleeping beauty, Maleficent. looked like something that would have been awesome to recreate. She’s got that classic villain look, the high arch brows, tall black horns coming out of her head, strong make up and cold toned colors…it’s just perfect! Everything about her screamed scary and so does Halloween HAHA. I actually never watched sleeping beauty but I have read the books many many times. Hope you guys enjoy my recreation. I was going to do my whole face, but I didn’t have the horns and the cloak to complete the outfit, so I just did the eye look. This was an okay medium difficulty level but you just had to make sure everything was clean and crisp since this is a Cut crease look with strong eyebrows. Her eyebrows are way thinner and dark but I just wanted to keep my eyebrows like normal but filled it in with black eyeliner. Enjoy :)

 Green lid :

Color base: Make up forever flash palette, green shade from bottom right

All over the lid: Leishi pigment #60

Mid crease green highlightt: Maybelline Eye studio color explosion in Emerald Forest fury (light green to the left)

Cut crease : Maybelline eye studio color explosion in Emerald Forest fury (dark green in the V)

 Purple surroundings:

Color base : Make up forever flash palette, red shade(bottom row next to the white)

Warm reddish base: 88 color palette reddish pink color; third row to the right, bottom

Purple highlights : Leishi pigments #78 & #56 and Maybelline Eye studio color explosion in Amethyst ablaze (light pinkish purple shade)

Eyeliner : 1) Elf liquid eyeliner in black 2) ELF studio kohl eyeliner 3) Mac eye kohl in smolder

Mascara : Maybelline one by one mascara

False lashes: Daiso (Sorry I forgot the brand and the name :/)

Eyeliner : 1) Elf liquid eyeliner in black 2) ELF studio kohl eyeliner 3) Mac eye kohl in smolder

Mascara : Maybelline one by one mascara

False lashes: Daiso (Sorry I forgot the brand and the name :/)

Sears closing down sale haul

 Last week was the last week that Sears in downtown Vancouver at Pacific Center was opened for business so they were having a hugeeeeeee closing down sale. Everything was 70% off. I got three items that i really liked for dirt cheap and it is really good quality too. Its even better then Winners, price wise that is :). The selection was terrible but i had to make do. It was really hard to find my size since I'm a small girl, but i somehow scored some pieces that were actually size small! I was prepared to settle for medium but i guess i didn't have to.

 I found this really nice top from a brand called Nevada.  They make really nice basics for and for a very afforable prices and I believe this brand also makes my brown booties that i got for only $30 and it has gone through several camping trips, giant water puddles and a few winter seasons. :)  This is a good reliable brand and i loved the fact that this top was only $3 (Original price $39.99) and some change.  So dirt cheap and the material is really good.

 I love the mint green of the top and the matte marble buttons, something really different and casual.

 Right when I was at the checkout line waiting to pay for the stuff i got, my eye caught this sweater! Strips is an addiction for me.  I love strips...I don't know why but I just love it! I didn't really notice that this navy stripped sweater had strips going on the front, different sized strips on the arm and the back is a solid navy color.  This is a thin and soft sweater but i love it for that it isn't thick like other winter sweaters.  This is perfect for the fall and spring season.  This sweater is on the pricey side compared to the other ones.  Maybe because it is from a brand called Manc and jac, but it was $10 after the discount (origianly price $59.00). 

 I found this really cute thick navy winter sweater with a sideways collar detailing in a size small. I really liked the collar, which is basically the selling point.  The knit is quite heavy but for Vancouver weather in the winter, I'm going to need it. 

 I thought it was missing a button when I was in the store and when I got home, but i found that there was an extra button so i I didn't mind sewing it on myself the missing button.  But when i went home, i figured it out! There is a button on the other lip of the color so you can basically use it as a turtle neck while somewhat keeping the collar's style.  This sweater I paid only $6.89 (original price was $59.00, discount was $22.99 before the 70% off).  Oh did i mention this sweater is Liz Calborne? Not bad not bad :).

What was your favorite piece?  Mine is the stripped sweater HAHA, obviously.

Small ELF haul of the newest products fall 2012

 Elf has been on a roll lately! Since fall is already here, they have been coming out with awesome products like the jumbo eye shadow pencils, jumbo lip pencils and an upcoming gel eye shadow which I find really interesting.  If you haven't noticed by now, I am a really big ELF cosmetics fan! It just feeds my makeup cravings and I'm completely satisfied.  I love elf for that they are super cheap and the quality for what you pay is amazing. My love :)

 ELF came out with a new line of lashes called the Studio Lash collection.  They have four different styles to choose from: Everyday, natural, dramatic and flirty (Which i got). Each of these collections are $4 which isn't that bad for two pairs of lashes and a pair of decent travel friendly tweezers.

 Natural

Everyday

 Dramatic

Flirty

Each of the collections comes with two sets of lashes (one pair full band and one pair of half band), a mini set of tweezer and some lash glue.  I already knew myself that the glue would suck and i was right.  My glue was completely leaked in the package and ws stuck! It was annoying, and by the time i got it out of the package and smelled it, UGH.  It smelled exactly like super glue and the sticking power was like super glue O_O.  Are they sure they didn't give me super glue?  That is not going ANYWHERE near my eyes!

 Everytime i order, i'd always get the same lip gloss but i don't mind since its free and the color irs neutral :). All you have to do is to refer three of your friends and you will get a free gift.  This year its a hypershine lip gloss in the shade Flirt. :/ I have about seven of these now LOL.

I was also going through a few things I was interested to try but were kind of old and i never really got around buying it since i wasn't THAT interested in it, but i just bit the bullet :). Review will come but i don't know which ones to review first! So much stuff! I can't wait to try the mascara primer, lip balm in peach and the lock & seal.  AHH~ Everything is $3 except the lip gloss which was a free gift.

 

 These three are the latesty and the newest brushes they added to their collection.  The first two from the left actually is the newest but i wanted another small stipple brush because its amazing! It has the duo fiber so you can get that airbrush effect but because this one has short white bristles, you get full control of where you want to place your product.  First first one from the left is a pointed foundation brush which is basically like using your finger but in a brush form. The middle one called the small tapered brush which i was hoping that it was more of an egg shape brush like what it looks like on the website but it is more of a smaller version of the complexion brush which is nice for highlighting, contouring and applying blush. Can't wait to use these brushes! :D. $3 each

 ELF also updated their complexion powder collection and added two new shades: warm and shimmer.  I got the warm but at that time, they didn't come out with the shimmer one. I don't know about this one since the shimmers are actually quite big. I'm going to have to see about this one.  $3 each

I have never used an actually make up remover so i thought i might try this one out.  I know that this has been in their line for a while and a lot of people love this stuff. I normally use baby wipes from Huggies and I find it works pretty good but I also use my Clarisonic pro with it too so I don't find that i really need a make up remover but this will be nice for on the go when i can't really wash my face when i'm out.  This is $3 for 20 sheets.  I hope it works.

If you guys want any reviews, remember to comment and it will be on my priority list :).

ELF studio HD blush review and swatches

I just couldn't wait for my package to come in from the mail since i was too excited to get my HD blushes from elf :D.  I mean who can! Their products are awesome and the price is awesome...what more can I say! And plus people are comparing them to Makeup forever HD blushes which run for $30 per bottle, i think these are a steal then!

Elf's description of the HD blushes:

"Rich and creamy HD Blush naturally sculpts and highlights the cheekbones for a soft-focus effect that is great for everyday use. The Vitamin E enriched formula conditions and hydrates the skin for a healthy, radiant glow. Velvety soft, lightweight and highly pigmented color creates a long-lasting result for all day wear. "

Product packaging:

 These all come in a skinny, sleek, thin cardboard box with the corresponding shade highlighting the name of the product. Simple, straightforward, I like it.

The back of the box...read away.

 These come with 0.34 fl. oz. (10 mL)...sorry I know i'm stating the obvious :/.

 To show you guys how small these are,  I have a ruler :D.  These are 7.3 cm in height.

 Compared to a Mac fix+, its like a tiny mini me.  Sho cute!

These HD blushes come in a really handy pump, but even though you can control the pump easily, it still despenses a little too much product since they are crazy pigmented as you will see down below. I believe how the pump works is by the pressure from pressing the top.  This is convient since a straw sticking down the tube doesn't always get all the product, so this is a good thing that they use pressure instead of relaying on stupid straws.

Color Pigmentation/ Payoff:

Just like what I have heard from all of the reviews I have read so far, everyone says that their first impression of the bottle is that they are small, but when they go to apply it on their skin, they understand why it is such a small bottle.  This is because you really need a tip of a tweezers amount to do both your cheeks.  Pumping it a little bit and getting a needle tip amount might be already too much! These are crazy crazy pigmented so you really have to be careful.

Something I would like to note is that these do somewhat stain. When I went to swatch these on my hand and wipe it off, it left a giant stain and my hand now looks like either I'm having a allergic reaction or I'm in an abusive relationship HAHA. Even with MAC make up remover (the pink one which takes off eyeliner easy) can't get rid of the color. So I'm left with this red stain on my own left arm. So word of advice, make sure you either use a primer and/or a foundation before you use these because they WILL STAIN!

A problem that I had with a few of these blushes was that when i went to pump it out, oil came squirting out.  I think either that the blush is splitting, blush has been sitting too long in the factory, or it just wasn't mixed properly to begin with.  Even after shaking it vigorously, it didn't really help.

The studio HD blush collection comes in 5 shades as for now and I did buy all five, its only $3 each so what not! The five shades are headliner, encore, superstar, diva and showstopper.

 

Most of these shades are really out there and I'm a pale asian girl.  I got these already so I'm going to have to make it work somehow.  I thought even if you did get these and you don't like it on your cheeks, you could use these as a lip color too! So Here are swatches on my skin and my lips :).  Enjoy!

Headliner- light pale pink color with fine light pink shimmer (shimmers don't really show unless you take a magnifying glass to look at your cheeks; finish is quite matte). This color is perrrfect for those pale girls out there since it is the most wearable and more safe color since its a pale pink color.

On the lips, this is a gorgeous pale pinky nude color and it works for my NC 20-25 skin! So pretty!

Superstar-  wearable pinky coral color (matte finish with minimal fine shimmers...little to none).  This color is the second color I'd reccomend for pale girls too but this would be quite strong on the cheeks if you don't use this one right.  Be careful!

Even though in the picture it doesn't seem so orangy undertone, in real life this does have that mandarine orange tone.  This color on the lips just screams summer to me :), and it is really wearable and pretty!

Encore- This color is crazy, lets just start off with that.  I don't even know how I'm going to be able to pull this one off, even with a duo fiber brush! That swatch on the right is just a tiny bit and if i have that color on my cheeks, I'd look like a sunburnt santa claus (that is if santa even goes anywhere else other then North Pole LOL. Maybe for vacation he went to haiwaii :), just to treat himself.) This is a relaly cool red tone fuschia color and its completely matte finish.

I've always wanted a crazy fushia lip color and now i have it :D.  So happy since i wouldn't get myself a crazy lipstick because I'm not really a lipstick person, but this i can do.

Diva- Gorgeous hot pink color with a warm red undertone.  This can easily make you look like you got a sunburn if you aren't careful with these.  Completely matte finish like most of these.

Stunning barbie pink color :). Do I look like barbie :D.

Showstopper-

If you look really carefully, this blush does have really really fine purple and blue shimmers but you really can't tell on the skin after being applied.  This color is straight up wine, purple grapes color.  Stunning but I think this would work well with really dark chocolate girls out there.  I myself don't think I can pull this off even with the slightest pin tip sized amount but this would be super cool for photos as a contour!

 This is a perfect color for the fall time since its so vampy on the lips! Gorgeous but I think i still need to build up my confidence to rock a bold lip!

All the swatches side by side.

Texture:


These are really easy to blend but they are really pigmented so I don't recommend you use your fingers to blend these out on the cheeks. These would be best used with a duo fiber brush. Elf's small stipple brush or their regular stipple brush is perfect for the job but any stipple brush will do. Just make sure; PLEASE make sure you have this over your foundation or primer because THESE DO STAIN! I can’t stress that enough~~ The texture of these are somewhat watery but creamy at the same time.

Smell:
These do not have any smell to it which is a good thing: D.

Lasting power:
These have such good lasting power that it stains your cheeks LOL. I'd say that these would last for about 5-7 hours but it really depends on what are you doing during the day, skin type and if you are using primer/ foundation with these.

Price:
These only go for $3 each which is crazy to me since the make up forever (which everyone is saying these are dupes of) goes for $30 each. For the quality, packaging, color pigmentation, these can easily go for way more than $3 so I think these are a steal. Instead of just thinking of these only as a cheek color, I really think these are basically face paint. Super pigmented and you can mix it into your lip glosses and use it as a lip color. I don't know yet about eye shadows yet but I will have to experiment.

Are you interested in these? Have you tried them?

Hope this review is helpful to you. Arm is so irritated from swatching and rubbing LOL but I love blogging too much.