Valentine's Day Weekend

♥ Hope everybody had a great weekend!!! ♥

Whether single or attached, Valentine's day has always been my 2nd favorite holiday, not so much for sentimental reasons, but more for the fact that pink heart-shaped objects begin popping up all over the place! Target in particular usually carries a tempting array of heart-shaped dishware and kitchen gadgetry - I picked up a heart-shaped pink glitter bowl this year and am contemplating whether to use if for popcorn or blush. x_x

Makeup took longer than expected due to some complications with attaching my new lashes...I was pleased with the results and have my new Sigma Synthetic face kit brushes to thank for covering up my temperamental skin!!! (Will review brushes soon!)

Diamond Lash - Glamour Eyes
MAC Holiday Smokey Eye Palette
Shiseido powder foundation
NARS blush in Amour
NYX Black Label lipstick in "Princess"

*Sneak peak of NYX Black Label Lipstick Review Part 2*

My BF took me to The Oceanaire Seafood Restaurant - it has become our go-to place for Valentine's Day it seems!

Appetizer
Red pepper Calamari with Asian Vegetables

Beverage
Fruit punch

I guess my palette isn't sophisticated enough for wine. Or champagne. Or any alcohol for that matter! I don't drink very much at all if any...I sincerely wish I did since it apparently brings cuisine to a whole new level. *sigh* Our very enthusiastic waiter did jazz things up by bringing my rated G drink in a martini glass! (upped my beverage rating to PG)

Soup/Salad
New England Clam Chowder & Blood Orange Salad with Chevre, shaved fennel, hazelnuts and Orange Vanilla Vinagrette

The soup was creamy & brimming with tasty whole clams - the salad had yummy shaved bits of radish to balance the sweetness of the dressing

Entree

"Forbidden" - Seared Hawaiian Swordfish topped with Jumbo Lump Crab and Forbidden rice in ginger butter

Mmmm....jumbo lump crab. I loved the sweetness of the meat and the flakiness - *still drooling*

Dessert
Seasonal Mango Sorbet

The night was great overall and punctuated with hilarious quips from our waiter...I guess I could consider tonight's dinner "dinner and a show!" :) Afterw, we walked off the dinner by wandering around the deserted mall...although I had an itch to shop, it was actually good that everything was closed - my wallet needs a good rest after this past month!

*BCBG Maxazria Dress & Clutch, I.N.C . shag cardigan, Betsey Johnson Necklace*

*Subtle hints for my bf* :)





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♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Bridal shower LOTD, Dolly Wink SALE, Kit Kats +

What a busy weekend...went to my first bridal shower of the year! I felt a little shy since the only person I actually knew was the bride-to-be...but the girls there were very nice as was the family so it was a pleasant all around experience! No toilet-paper dresses were constructed, but we still had a good time and a few laughs. :)

Makeup was natural - just some MAC Shroom & Moth brown (all time favorite MAC color - so sad that it was LE!!!) on eyes. Also, Darkness Kma9 lashes and a light sweeping of bronzer.

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E.L.F. Products are now being sold at KROGER (a grocery store chain in the US) - that means more access to $1 products - not too many people know about this, so I'm sure the selection will be great. :) I saw makeup palettes there and TONS of brushes - so if you have had a hard time locating a Target that sells in-stock ELF brushes, check out your local Kroger! (I'm not sure if they are at ALL Kroger stores, but it was shocking enough for me to find them there at all!) They also stock the eyelashes.

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Sasa.com is having a special promotion on Koji products - INCLUDING DOLLY WINK!!! All Dolly Wink products are 10% off - they currently have a decent stock of the products (lots of the lower lashes), the case, glue, and liquid eyeliner pen! ♥

If you really want to try Dolly Wink, this is most likely the cheapest place you will find it on the web!!!


Promotion ends April 30th so hop to it to take advantage of some savings!

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I finally was able to try the Sakura Matcha Kit Kat ♥ sent to me by the infinitely kind Sophia!

OH MY GOODNESS...this had to have been seriously the best Kit Kat I have ever tasted in my life! (Not saying much - I've had the milk & white chocolate Kit Kats of the states to date...lol!)

The WHITE chocolate is imbued with delicious & sweet matcha green tea flavor! The "sakura" part is actually a tiny hint of cherry flavoring. The wafer inside is thin, delicate, crispy and sweet. My mouth was craving more! Seriously, why can't Nestle be more creative here in the states???

*wistful sigh*

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♥ for Adeline, Eve, kmm0607, ko0ty, Crissy, & Kaylena

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Last but definitely not least, Ann from The Real Deal Reviews is having a lovely giveaway - the winner will receive 2 MAC lippies! (ANY 2!)




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Have a great week! Look out for more reviews soon! ^_^

♥ Irene

NorthPark Mall hauls, Shiseido, tokidoki, gelato +

*Very Pic Heavy Post!*

♥ *~Happy Friday!~* ♥

To celebrate a day off after and in anticipation of a busy work week, Darren and I spent some quality time together -- at the mall. :) It was actually a joint trip since we were also on the hunt for a pair of good frames for his much needed eyewear update...(unsuccessful T_T)

NorthPark is a higher-end mall in Dallas. Lots of new shops opened up in the past few years to attract a younger crowd so basically it has something for everybody now!

~ Food court has a nice airy feel ~

♥ I don't understand why they have CACTUS Gardens everywhere. Seems so dangerous!!! Darren thinks they are real. :( ♥




♥ I actually like this cactus - pretty & pink! ♥



♥ GELATO!!! ♥

♥ I like Fruity flavors more than milky flavors ♥

♥ Flavors: Papaya (Creamy & Smooth), Pineapple (Refreshing & Tart), Orange Grand Marnier (YUM) ♥

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Onto MAJOR HAULAGE

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Shiseido

I started off my journey at the Shiseido counter at Macy's they were advertising for their bi-annual gift with purchase (GWP)! With the purchase of 2 items (one being a skin care treatment product) you get a free bag with 5 additional skincare samples tailored to your specific skin type!

The lady at the counter, Yujin, was super sweet - unlike many other sales ladies, she WASN'T pushy and was attentive & super thorough. She even took out this crazy machine to test my "skin-type" -- which surprisingly was healthy and not super dehydrated as I had suspected it to be -- I just have some redness in my cheeks that has been present since I was young:

Here she is with the skin-scanner pretending to Kareoke lol!

After talking about skincare for awhile, she mentioned that she had worked for SK-II for a a few years, but has worked for Shiseido for more than 14 years - she really trusts their products as the line has been around since it was started by a Japanese Pharmacist in 1872! :D

Total haul: 2 items + Free Gift with Purchase

• White Lucent Brightening & Moisturizing gel (for nighttime use)
• My STAPLE - 34 Sun Compact Protection Foundation refill
  

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LUSH



I wanted the Strawberry Feels Forever massage bar, but decided against it last minute. I'm going to try to use up some of my regular lotions before trying out the solid type. Also, I was disappointed in being able to select things in person while inside of the store -- if you're ever trying to decide on products here based on smell, GOOD LUCK as the store is overwhelmingly saturated in one big scent! (they need more coffee beans)



Still went with the two other purchases, but was able to get one as a free sample!



Total haul: 1 item + Free Sample

• T for Toes - Dusting powder
  
• Free sample of Fresh Farmacy Cleanser
  

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Sephora

tokidoki

I remember tokidoki did a special collaboration with Smashbox awhile ago...didn't know they came back recently with a NEW LINE altogether until I heard a few other blogettes raving about it!

♥ Everything comes in a dizzying array of colors & of course, *adorable* packaging ♥

I especially ♥ the design of the lipglosses. Very unique, sturdy & CUTE. This one is called "Strawberry Latte" and smells of strawberry syrup.



The top of each lipgloss comes with a cute character topper suspended in liquid and showered in sparkly cutout confetti



The applicator wand is unconventional - a flexible silicone paddle-wand replaces the standard brush or sponge applicator



The packaging was so darn cute but all the gloss colors are designed to be sheer - since I'm not a gloss person to begin with, it can go on hold for awhile. :) I regret not at least testing it out, but I already was making a big enough dent in my wallet...

Instead, I opted for something I would use more often. The Tokidoki Luminosa Powder in "Kabuki" was calling my name! Kabuki is a pretty, buildable, subtle highlighter. It was very much an impulse buy and probably a product that is easily 'dupable' - but alas, it was on sale!


Anybody notice that the design in stores is slightly different than one featured on the website?

Sephora Brand

One thing I wasn't expecting to purchase was the Sephora Collection Color Play 5-in-1 palette - a large sign caught my eye in the front of the store and the display looked so pretty - the color selection was ginormous!

Image from http://www.honeymag.com

What got me though was the POP OUT PALETTE design...unlike the Coastal Scents 88 palette (which I own but would never dream of traveling with) - the individual 'sets' of shadows/blush/liner pop out of the case and fit snuggly in a travel-sized case with mirror:

I love the fact that each set of 10 eyeshadows, blush & 2 lippies has a "story"

- Dinner in Paris: Grays and blacks
-Coffee in New York: Browns
-Shopping in Milan: Purples and pinks
-Tango in Buenos Aires: Blues and greens
-Clubbing in Tokyo: Baby blues, pinks, and yellows

Novelty aside, when the MUA applied some of the shadows to my skin, the results were actually impressive! The trick to these shadows is using a good primer - we used Urban Decay Primer Potion! The shadows she applied were pigmented, buttery smooth, and all around gorgeous! I know people have complained about the quality of the Sephora palettes in the past - but I was thoroughly impressed with the eyeshadow quality! (The blushes are more sheer and kind of hit-or-miss)

Total haul: 4 items @ 15% off

• Urban Decay Primer Potion (I know it's 30% off F&F, but instant gratification + no shipping)
  
• Korres Lip Saver - 3 for the price of 2! (Guava, Mango, Pomegranate)
• Tokidoki Luminosa Powder in Kabuki
• Sephora Color Play 5-in-1
  

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I am officially putting a hold on any further self-indulgent purchases (on behalf of myself and my super selfless boyfriend) until May!!! XD

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More ♥ to Lisa Cristina & Wendycakes! ♥ ♥ ♥

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For some reason I am craving gummy bears. :P Have a great Friday! :)