Not Caring

I wrote about having a makeup hiatus a little bit ago. Shortly after, it kind of became an everything hiatus. More of a "I-don't-care-what-I-look-like" spree. How it turned into that is not important, what matters is that it did. I didn't wear makeup, I didn't care what clothes I wore, I didn't care who saw (for the most part).

And let me tell you, it was great.

I would wear sweaters and pajamas to school everyday. In the mornings after breakfast, I would comb my hair and brush my teeth and be out the door.

Being a ninja after class around 8-9pm on a typical day.

I wore teensy bits of makeup sometimes~

This is a bit weird to be writing on a mostly beauty blog. But I want to let anyone who cares to read this know that the time and thought I saved to not pick out clothes or think about whether or not I looked good that day, everyday, was so freeing. It was like a burden had been lifted. All throughout high school, even as being a education-driven student, school seemed to be a social-educational combination. While I didn't think it at the time, it really was, at least, compared to how I feel it is now, in college. We cared so much about how we look, and it does various things for our self-esteem. Wearing makeup in high school made me feel more confident, and if that's how you feel, too, then that's great. But for me, there came to be a time where I had no more motivation.

That time meshed with the time where I had to pay for tuition, instead of using the program that provided free college classes while I was still in high school.  And school that costs money changes things. I felt the pressure to need to get good grades, not just want them. Especially since I'm applying to a very competitive program. While I already focused on school before, I felt like my best wasn't good enough. I needed to reevaluate my study habits all over again. Among those decisions I made was saving time in the mornings and nights to not apply/remove makeup or think about outfits. To use nearly all of my time to study and prepare for classes, and the rest of the time for doing things that I truly wanted to do.

It's true, you can look good without much effort. It felt a bit like being lazy, only trying to pass as presentable. But for me, saving even that little effort for times that count seem better, not for classes. Granted, I was only in classes for a few hours at a time before going home and back to another class. But in part, it helped made all the difference. All 4.0s for the first time in my 8 quarters of college. (I changed my career path which is why I kind of needed to start over.) In all science classes too, which is the subject I detest the most.

After everything, without realizing it, I felt so much more focused on everything that I needed and wanted to do. I also had become partial to the natural look.

And even without the not caring what I looked like part, I was able to talk to more people in my classes than before. Being able to feel confident in your own skin without the aid of material things can open your eyes to how you deserve to have higher self-esteem.

Maybe make this part of your new year resolution. If you were anything like I was, try taking a day to not try so hard to look nice. It's like adding time to your day. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. It's been amazing for me. I still adore makeup and fashion, I just no longer feel the need to express myself through my appearance daily. If I choose to, I feel I can express myself enough through what I say and do.

this is been a wordheavy post
TL;DR looking like sh*t feels awesome

<3 San

Best Moisturizer Ever

So this product walked into my life when my mom and sis found it on sale at Target. From the first time I tried it, I was in love.

This is the Curel Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion for Extra Dry Skin. I believe it can be bought at most stores that sell drugstore products, Target, Walmart, etc. and retails for around $3 USD and up depending on what size you get. Talk about value! I enjoy using the 6 oz tube the most because you can better control the amount you use.

It works absolute wonders on dry skin. In the past year before I used Curel, I suffered from occasional dry skin on my face especially during winter. Trying to use concealer anywhere near those areas was a mess. But once I used this, just after one application, I really felt the difference. My skin wasn't dry anymore, and felt supple. I wish I'd discovered this sooner so I didn't have all those skin troubles before!!!

Its consistency is a bit thicker than most body lotions, but more transparent. Once applied, there may be a bit of a sheen that goes away after a while. But it's great because it's absorbed very quickly and you don't feel it being heavy at all. (I always didn't like lotions as a kid because it made me "feel like gum" because of its feeling on my skin haha.)

Here's an example. My knuckle area gets dry when I forget to use any moisturizer for a few days. See the white areas between the fingers. Applied Curel at night...

And then in the morning! No more flaky dry skin! Just in one night.

Using it as a hand cream, etc. also works wonderfully.

I don't know if this can be used as an under-foundation type moisturizer before you apply makeup, as I've never tried that. I find it best when I apply it at night, so that in the morning your skin is moisturized and ready to go! Literally changed my life because I never have to deal with unwanted dry skin since I use this.

I know that having dry skin feels so uncomfortable, and if you suffer from it, I recommend giving this a try! :)

San

Removing Eyebrow Hair Without Bumps

I've had the problem of getting blemishes when I tweeze eyebrow hair close to the middle, in the general forehead area. All the other eyebrow hair is just fine getting pulled. I don't know why this happens, whether it's ingrown hairs, oils, or what. I wish it didn't ahh. But these are the methods I've found to minimize it a bit!

1. Keep the area moisturized.
I've noticed when my skin is drier the area is more prone to blemishes. My favorite moisturizer especially for the face is Curel, works wonders. Make sure your skin is not dry much in advance before you tweeze if possible.

2. Soap and exfoliate.
Get rid of the oils and dead skin cells! Make sure to keep your face clean overall. Don't exfoliate everyday though, as your skin may get even drier, opposing number 1, lol. I like to exfoliate even right before the tweezing.

3. Rinse with warm water beforehand.
This makes it easier to pull the hairs. I like to do the exfoliating and rinsing in the shower, because the water is already pretty warm/hot.

4. Clean your tweezer very thoroughly.
If the cause is oils and bacteria, then this is very important. No matter how clean the tweezer is, I like to clean it again right before I attempt to pluck eyebrow hairs, using soap and warm water, then with rubbing alcohol. Heck maybe boiling it or using an autoclave may even work, hahaha.

5. Make sure your tweezer is good.
If your tweezer doesn't usually get hair on the first pluck, it may be worth investing in a new one. I've found the Revlon brand tweezers have a very good grip.

6. Tweeze well.
Grab the hairs as close to the root as possible to minimize the risk of ingrown hairs. This is somewhat inevitable, but also try your best not to touch the tweezer to your skin to prevent any bacteria that may have been left to transfer.

7. Clean after.
A bit after tweezing, maybe try using a cleanser or something of the sort? Something that might kill germs. But stop if it causes more irritation! I used to apply rubbing alcohol on the area, but I don't really recommend it because it's bad since it may cause more dryness, etc.

8. Moisturize right after.
Yeah, just keep the area moisturized =.=

I hope this helps someone! And please let me know if you have more tips!! We can combat the evil blemishes together rahhh.

San

Makeup Remover Comparison

No matter how tired we are at the end of the day, we always need to remove that makeup! I've used a number of different products to remove my makeup, and here's what I thought of a few of the drugstore ones on the market that I've tried so far!

Pond's Cold Cream (6.1-9.5 oz) - $4-$9 USD

This is the first makeup remover I used, just because I had it lying around from before. I used it on my eyes, and eventually on my face as I began to use concealer, for at least two years. This stuff works great on getting product off fast and without much effort - just gently rub on and remove with a tissue, then wash your face. It's pretty oily and does claim that it won't clog pores, but I have attributed to occasional breakouts due to this, because when I stopped using it, so did the random blemishes in the areas I used this. The breakouts were pretty seldom though, so if you want to try to use this for removing face makeup, it is probably one of the easiest ways.

I no longer use this for removing my face products, but I would definitely recommend this for quickly removing stubborn eye makeup, ie gels and waterproof mascara.

Maybelline Clean Express Makeup Remover: Classic Makeup Remover - $6 USD

I tried this when it was pretty new thinking it might be easier to remove waterproof mascara and gel eyeliner, and I did not find that that was the case. When I used this, it took a very long time to remove any of my eyemakeup, with a noticeable amount of tugging. There is also a waterproof version of this out that I wish I'd tried instead!

Olay Clean and Mild Makeup Remover Cloths With Aloe Vera (20 ct) - $4

Love these. They smell great and work effectively, and you can use it all over your face. These stay pretty moist. You have to work a little to get the waterproof stuff off, but after several wipes it's gone. And best of all, I don't break out from these! I see these less often at the stores, but it's my favorite go-to makeup wipe. I feel the price kind of high ish for the number of cloths you get, however.

Olay Fresh Effects Swipe Out Refreshing Makeup Removal Cloths (20 ct) - $5-6 USD

To me, these seem very similar to the above Olay remover cloths. Wonderful smell, works after a a number of wipes. I love these also, and when I can't find the other Olay one I get these. And especially since it's a little on the costly end, I reuse them to get the most use out of them. Depending on how much makeup you use, just use a different section for different days, and use both sides.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes (25 ct) - $5-7 USD

I tried these because it was a better value price-wise than the Olay ones, but I was disappointed because although this is okay at taking off makeup, I broke out after using this. They are sitting in my bathroom still mostly full :(

Equate Original Clean Wet Cleansing Towelettes (60 ct) - $4 USD

This is another pretty good makeup wipe! They are relatively inexpensive for the amount of cloths you get, and can be found at Walmart. I believe it also comes in refills. Takes off makeup including waterproof mascara after a few wipes, although it takes a bit more wipes than the wetter Olay ones. The only real downside to these is that they dry out pretty quickly.

Ponds Original Fresh Wet Cleansing Towelettes (30ct) - $5-6 USD

[just bought after I made this post, review to come]

edit [3-24-16]: A few years later, I finally get to try it. Upon opening the package, it is still very moist despite being tucked away for a while. These are very wet - almost soap-like, with the bubbles. It does feel nice using it on the face for that reason, and it seems to get my concealer off. It has a harder time with eye products, mostly mascara, but it gets the job done, although flakey and messy. These also leaves my face with a drier feeling, which I don't like. Another con is that these have so. many. holes. I feel like there's 50% less product because of how much space there is due to this design. Also, I got a blemish on my nose after a couple days of wearing this, reminiscent of my teenage Pond's cold cream days which I reviewed above. That hasn't happened in a whiiiile, so it could be a coincidence, or perhaps it is attributed to this.

+I like to reuse makeup wipes, and when doing so, I've found it's a better idea to store your currently used wipe in a ziploc bag, rather than stuffing it back into the package. This prevents the other new wipes from drying out too quickly from opening and closing the package, as well as the adhesive of the seal wearing off and allowing more air in.

That concludes all the makeup removers that I recall I've tried so far! I like the Olay ones the best, but I'm still on the search for a holy grail makeup remover. Removing the stubborn waterproof mascara and gel liner must have an easier way to be removed! If you can recommend me any, I'd love to hear!

San

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has had a good Christmas, even if you felt someone's kindness for one second, that's what counts. On this day we celebrate the love of God in giving us Jesus to be able to be happy!

My mini tree from Daiso, so pink and pretty and I fell in love with it. My sis hung a Totoro keychain-slash-ornament on it hehe. No tree up this year unfortunately, but I have this in my room!

Have a good rest of the holidays to all!

San

5-Second Korean Gradient Lips!

I've been watching the Korean drama Marry Him If You Dare (omg get with Park Se Joo already), and I love Na Mi Rae's very subtle gradient lip color. This tutorial is inspired by her. Her lips look so full and pretty!

Her lips don't take any flesh tone at all like some gradient lips do, no concealer needed! This is my easy attempted version of it! I love using this when I want a flush of color, but want take a tiny fraction of the time and effort of lipstick.

All you need is some lipbalm and a Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic! You can try using other red lip colored products, but this is what I've found works the best for this look.

Step 1: Currently I enjoy using ChapStick classic in Spearmint, perfect for Christmastime :3

Just put on your lipbalm to prep your lips!

Step 2: Apply the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain on the center of your lips, coating all the way along the inner lip line.

Apply it in a curved oblong shape, slightly with more color in the center.

Step 3: Then smudge it a bit with your finger if there's a harsh line, and you should be done!

Subtle gradient achieved! That was super easy, right? I don't know if it'll take you 5 seconds the first time, but less than a minute for sure! Quick quick makeup is my favorite to do on the daily, haha.

x San

Trimmed My Hair

I've been wanting to trim off the gross, damaged split ends of my hair for a while now. Since I haven't been able to visit a salon still, I decided to do it on my own. (A quite dangerous act, despite numerous bad self-cuts before, at least I wasn't attempting a whole new style! A lot less disastrous, imo.)

Before shots, bedhead and then straightened a bit. Probably the longest I've ever grown my hair, since I was never allowed to grow it out as a kid. See how damaged it is, especially how the ends are...

Snip, snip! (Not the correct way to cut hair, do not reference lol.) Was very tempted to use my razor tool from when I regularly trimmed my bangs, but I know they would just cause more split ends >.>

"I just came from the salon." :P

After, edges too straight... So used the flat iron to curl the ends. (More split ends to come, obv)

I'm overall happy a good deal of the damaged ends are cut off! I was quite tempted to cut it quite short again, like a long bob style, but I would probably cry lol.

Happy Christmas Eve! Candlelight service for the first time ever soon :3

San

Mascara Getting on Your Eyelids: Tip!

We've all heard of mascara guards/shields and the business card trick, and if you haven't, it's where you use a business card, keeping it against your eyelid, behind your lashes, to keep the mascara from getting on your eyelids during application, saving your precious previously-applied eyeshadow. I hate doing makeup over again after accidentally wiping a bit of it off =.=' And using a card to protect my makeup, I feel that I am able to more thoroughly coat my lashes because I'm not scared that the brush will touch my eyelid!

This is the alternative I use! It's handy if you don't have access to business cards, or feel bad about taking others' cards only to use them for your makeup, haha!

All you need are some scissors and some regular 3x5 index cards. They are so inexpensive and can be bought anywhere, even dollar stores! 

I like to divide one index card into fourths. I fold the index card length and width wise, and make fold marks on the edges to know where the half-points are. The snip away!

 

Quadruple your money!

Then keep them next to your mascara to keep your eyelids clean. If you want you can even cut them even more to shape them to match the shape of your eyelid so you don't have shift the card as you apply the mascara in sections.

Just hold it flat against your eyelid starting from your lashline, and apply your mascara away! You can also use them for your bottom lashes.

All on the little card, none on the lids! 

Remember to use all the edges.

Cutting index cards like this is also great when you need to study - originally I did this because I always ran out of flash cards (the woes of being a college student). No need to waste the whole index card if you're only going to write a word or a short phrase on them!

San

Mascara For Monolids

Having monolids, I have given up hope on having visible lashes time after time. My lashes are quite straight and any curl I try has always just been pushed down by my lids. Heavy false lashes seemed to be the only thing that could make me look like I had any lashes at all.

But!!! After much trial and error and research, I've now been able to hold a curl in my stubborn lashes! Someone on Soompi had an explanation of this kind of technique, and these are the products and variations I use to make it work for me! Take that lashes!

You'll need:

- full eyelash curler

- partial eyelash curler

- dry formula mascara

- volumizing mascara

It's double the products I thought I would originally need, but it gets the job done!
Important: Make sure the mascaras you use are waterproof and not too wet, this will all help keep your curl.


Step 1: Curl lashes with a full eyelash curler.

For this step, I think any normal eyelash curler you have would work. Personally, I've used a Lacross one and the Revlon Extra Curl Lash Curler (the red and black one). Important: always when curling (with either full or partial curlers), squeeze the eyelash curler multiple times in succession!!! No need to do the squeeze and hold for a while method with this technique. If your lashes are anything as stubborn as mine, they probably won't look all too impressive at this stage still.




Step 2: Curl lashes with a partial eyelash curler.

The full eyelash curler never does the whole trick for me. I need to really curl each section with one of these babies to get an actual curl! I got mine from Daiso. It's a bit more like bending the lashes to an upright position where they are actually visible. I curl from the outside corner of the lash, going inwards. Now once your lashes are nice and curled in the position you want them to stay...

They might look something like this at this point!

Step 3: Apply a dry mascara.
Use whatever mascara you have that you feel has the driest formula that helps hold a curl (make sure it hasn't been past 6 months when you first used it of course!). I use the Maybelline Define A Lash Lengthening mascara in the waterproof version. Coat your lashes a couple times. You want your lashes to still be relatively dry. Important: Do not put too much! Otherwise, your lashes would just get heavy and fall.




Step 4: Curl lashes with a full eyelash curler, again.
Curl your lashes with the dry mascara with your full eyelash curler. Your eyelash curlers will get mascara residue on them, so using this method you'll need to clean them regularly (hand soap and warm water works great).

Step 5: Apply a volumizing mascara.
My favorite to use is the Maybelline Falsies in the waterproof version. Coat your lashes, but again, don't ever clump it on.








And viola! Your lashes should have a curl that generally stays in place, just stay away from humidity and crying as that tends to undo all of your hardwork, haha. If you want you can once again curl with the full curler and add one more light coat of the second mascara, just to make sure.

Ta-dah! Curled lashes at last!

Did this work for you? Do you have other ways to keep a curl in place? Let me know!

San

P.S. I just got back from walking in the snow to and from a friend's house and my lashes are still visible! Hope y'all stay warm if it's cold where you live and happy holidays!

Makeup Hiatus

Although I love cosmetics and beauty-related everythings, I have taken a break from it in everyday life.

Since year ten, when I started wearing makeup daily, I became dependent on it. I gained the kind of mindset that I couldn't leave the house wearing some sort of eyeliner, because I hated my monolids and felt like I had found a way to hide them. Because this was also the year that I started talking to people and made friends, I thought that I wouldn't be confident enough and couldn't meet people unless I had my "mask" on.

This went on for about three years.

Towards the end of year twelve while I was attending community college, I was able to not wear any makeup on some days. I decided it no longer mattered.

Since the beginning of this term, I have worn full makeup a grand total of three times. And I've still been able to do great in class, been able to meet new people, be myself and confident. All without makeup.

I would occasionally wear a bit of mascara and liner, but I wouldn't do the full routine nor allow it to take more than 15 minutes. The amount of time and stress it saves me to not have to wake up so early in the morning was kind of life-changing. To be able to wake up just half an hour before leaving for class was really worth it. Not to mention giving your skin a break from concealer or foundation can let it breathe more and improve redness. Having your face so bare and natural, nothing feel heavy is just amazing, especially when you're able to go out in it.

All in all, if you've ever felt dependent on makeup like I have, try taking a break, even for just a day. It feels so much healthier, saves so much time, stress, and makes you feel more confident in who you are. The inside is what counts. Focus on doing what you love, because you're beautiful with makeup or without!

xo San

How To Manage Damaged, Bleached, Dyed, Frizzy Hair to Smooth

Having broken, frizzy locks, which, let's face it, are barely even locks anymore, from bleaching and dying your hair is no fun.

Over the course of one or two years, I bleached my hair over 10 times, and dyed it even more than that. The colors were great, the damage was devastating.

But after much trial and error, I've managed to find tools and techniques to transform my mane look not-as-damaged as it really is! :P I'm still discovering new ways to pamper my hair affordably, but here are the ones that I've found so far.

1. Conditioner is key.
We use it, but make sure that the type you use gives you maximum smoothness! I've noticed that after washing my hair, my hair would be brittle and "hard" in the times that I didn't use conditioner when I was in a hurry, or even any random conditioner I could grab. Shampoo is vital for getting rid of buildup, but conditioner is the last thing you use in hair-washing, so finding the right one is soooo important in managing damaged hair.

Here are the ones that I recommend:

TRESemme Conditioner Moisture Rich: ~$4-6 USD

This is a cheap, drugstore conditioner you can buy nearly anywhere, and that I've had great results with for years. It's only the one with the label "moisture" and the brown-beige label that I specifically use - when using another one from TRESemme, the split end repair one I believe, I found that my hair was still left brittle after drying. Because there's so much product for a lower price, I slather this conditioner on, being able to coat all my locks, feeling the smoothness even in the shower.

Ion Smooth Solutions: Keratin Smoothing Masque (Conditioner): ~$10-14 USD

This higher end conditioner can be bought at Sally's, but the price is definitely worth it! I saw a prominent difference in the smoothness of my hair after the first time using this, and every time after. I wish I could use this all the time, but I usually just mix it in with the other conditioner to keep from buying too much, but I'll definitely buy this over and over again once I run out.


2. Leaving your conditioner in!
How you condition your hair can make a difference too! On hair washing days, shampoo and condition your hair at the beginning of your shower before anything else, so that after you get your hair covered (not much on the roots of course) you can leave the conditioner in for the whole duration of your shower. I like to also comb my fingers in them to ensure all tangles are gone because it's easiest to do this while your hair coated with conditioner. The backs of conditioner bottles usually say to leave it in for 3 minutes, but do more than that. You can even just stand there and enjoy the warm water if you want extra time haha.

And when you're done, just quickly rinse it. You don't have to get all of the conditioner out - leave your hair feeling like there's still a teensy bit of conditioner moisture in your hair after the shower, but of course not too much. Rinse the roots well though! You might not want to do this if your hair is really oily, however.

I also like giving my hair a quick burst of cold water after that rinse, not sure if it makes that big of a difference, but I've heard it helps retain moisture.


3. Dry your hair without drying it!
After washing your hair, just squeeze out the water with your hands. Ringing my hair instead of towel drying it, even lightly as I did before, makes my hair less frizzy upon drying.

Blow drying also adds heat and damages hair, and blow drying broken hair oftentimes makes it look more frizzy anyway, so I would avoid doing this.

It takes longer, but drying your hair naturally is best!


4. Use a comb, not a brush.
Brushes are good for untangling hair, however, if your hair is damaged and fragile this will likely just break it off. Combs are better for gently untangling. Work in small sections instead of large portions of hair.


5. Comb the tips first.
Whether when your hair is wet or dry, comb/brush the tips first to prevent further breakage. Bleached hair easily gets tugged off, and we don't want any more of that. Comb your hair in sections. After doing the tips, comb the middle section, then you can comb from the roots.


6. Use minimal heat.
I love straightening my hair. It gives that illusion of smoothness, especially by making those broken hairs lay low, but it is of course very damaging. And more breakage equals more frizz. My solution to this is to only straighten it once after every hair-washing instead of every morning. Results may vary, but my hair will stay straight after that as long as I don't wet it. In the mornings it might have a few waves from sleeping in it, but at least I'm not damaging my hair daily anymore!

I use a wet/dry straightener, but I recommend just straightening your hair once it's dry, or at least 90% dry. Straightening wet hair can end in it looking not-so-straight for my damaged hair at least :P


7. Conditioner masques.
After a heavy bleaching or dying session, this is a nice way to pamper your mane.

I do this by wearing an old T-shirt, dampening my hair enough, and slathering on some conditioner (my favorite to use for this would be the Ion Keratin one I mentioned above.) Take care of business around the house for at least an hour or two or more, then rinse off in the shower. I've heard that you could even put on a shower cap over the hair and sleep in it, then just rinse in the morning. Waking up to smooth hair sounds great! :3


8. Trim damaged ends.
I wanted long hair so I did this infrequently, and found the tips of my hair looked very unpleasant due to the accumulation and spread of split ends. Trimming them off regularly keeps your hair looking healthier!


9. Perms or rebonding.
Perms aren't just to make your hair curly. You can get a straight perm too!

Rebonding also does heavy smoothing to your hair with chemicals. My mom came back with her hair rebonded once and it was very smooth, flat, and shiny.

If you're going to do them at home, however, make sure you get all the facts! You could end up with even more damaged-looking hair. While I've never tried these methods before, they're worth checking out.


That's all the knowledge about having damaged bleached hair I have acquired thus far, and I hope what I've shared with you is helpful in some way!

If you have any more tips, let me know! I'd love to hear 'em!
<3 Sannnnn