the missha samples came. i’m not impressed with missha’s customer service and will not be ordering anymore from there website. i placed an order for the samples on 11/6. I sent an email on 11/14 to cancel since they have not been shipped. i got a reply on 11/19 that they could not cancelled because the order had already shipped. the order had to have shipped after my email because i just got it today. anyway, that’s that.

it came with 3 bb cream samples (#23, #31 and signature bb cream), a brightening moisturizer, and a cleansing oil. i bought a sheet mask on the side to test out. #23 was too light, #31 too orange, and the signature was too grey. *sigh* i’m done with bb creams. for real. i have not try the other two yet.

in additional to the missha samples, my mini haul from cosme-de.com (hong kong) came two days ago (i ordered it on the 13th. yeah, compare that to missha, which is here in the states). i bought two shiseido senka spf 50 sunscreens and a trial kit of the elixir white which is not available here in the states. i stopped using the ddf and am using this so i’ll see if this’ll help with my brown spots. it came with a toner, emulsion (both 1 oz) and a whitening essence (6g).

overall i’m pleased with cosme-de and their fast delivery. the prices are reasonable too with free shipping on all orders. the sunscreens cost me $12 and are 40ml. the elixir set was $15.

i recently came across bb creams a few weeks ago. i really like the thought of something between a tinted moisturizer and a full on liquid foundation. i do not use foundation as i feel like they are too thick for me.

skin79 vip gold bb cream

skin79 hot pink bb cream

missha perfect cover bb cream

i bought skin79′s hot pink bb cream, the VIP gold bb cream, and missha’s perfect cover bb cream in #23. both the skin79 only come in one shade and the missha have several shades. unfortunately, i am medium-tone so both the skin79 were too light and there is a definite grey cast. the missha #23 is also too light for me but i love the feel of this bb cream more than skin79′s. with the right shade, i may really like this one.

the coverage is good and the cream can be a bit of a hassle to spread (must be because i’m so use to liquidy creams including tinted moisturizers).

frankly, i’m afraid to try anymore (except missha in #27) since they are all so light in shades. i have an order of a few samples from missha coming so i’ll test those out and then no more random bb creams.

i’m glad for the weekends…i am always. i can sleep later (usually until alex wakes up), laze around in my jammies and enjoy my time with the kids and hubby. my kids can bask in the knowledge that their mommy will be home for two full days. my younger daughter still asks me sometime if i’m going to go to work. i always tell her “No, i’ll rather stay home with you.” that always makes her happy.

this particular morning, i woke up at 5:30am and got some quite time before the kids woke up. i was able to organized all my digital scrapbooking supplies, browse and read some blogs, made breakfast, and think about what i’m going to do later in the morning. so far, this weekend will be a lazy weekend for me. i love those.

i can proudly said that my folders are much neater than before and i can find what i need for the most part. so, between chasing my kids and spending time with them, i was able to scrap a few layouts.

credits: dunia – an easy way template, Honey Designs’ SweetCake kit

credits: Darcy Baldwin Scrapping with Shannon template, Danos Pookie Designs’ Spooked kit

credits: tracie stroud building blocks 3 template and customize me alphas & crystal’s creations’ loves & xoxos kit

credits: scrapping with liz strip template, one little bird abide kit

NOW you see why i simply love love templates???!!! they make my life easier SO much easier and leaves me more time with the kids. i’m positive that my kids love templates almost as much as i do. LOL

on a side note, since i bought my laptop i haven’t really done any backing up. my two external hard drives are hooked up to my desktop and it’s too much of a hassle to uplug it and use it for the laptop. i sorta kept my eyes open for a great deal on a portable drive but nothing really. i mean, there was black friday but i wasn’t keen on being up at 4am, being out in the super cold weather and fight a bunch of people for one.

i did managed to score a WD 640GB portable drive 2.0 USB the other day from dell for about $53 (without coupon including taxes and shipping. it sounds like a great deal and that’s plenty for me right now. this will be my first portable drive so i’m quite excited. not to mention that it’s smaller and usb powered so i don’t have to drag around a power cord.

It’s been so long since I bought myself a phone. I was just not into the iPhone and the ones I want are too expensive. I had my eyes on the Nokia n95, then the n97, and now on the n900.

I was using James’s old Sony Ericsson and went online to see what Att have. I browsed passed pretty much all the phones when the Captivate captivated my attention. I sort knew what I was liking for, like the minimums that I required etc. The captivate seems to have them. 5 MP camera, 3.5+ screen, video camera, small, thin and just pretty much what the Nokias have.
I did some research and this phones seems to performed quite well. Coming from a regular phone, this thing is just feature-rich all around.

This does all the basic features plus a whole lot more. Android really does…hahaha. Originally I was liking for a physical QWERTY keyboard and that would make the phone thicker. This doesn’t have one but it turns out that I prefer that. The touchscreen is so responsive and coming from someone who doesn’t text at all, I’m pretty good if I do say so myself.

The Android Market have so many applications to download for free too.

I am still discovering my new phone but it has been fun so far and I expect it to be so for some time.

Totally recommended! On a side note, I blogged this post from, you guessed it, the Captivate!

i’m still loving tarte’s tinted moisturizer and sephora’s pressed powder. i have to say the pressed powder packaging is not very sturdy and i broke it opening it one day. i didn’t even pull hard. i also went through a jar and 1/2 of the zia’s moisturizer. i knew i should have bought more. >:<

i did bought some awesome new stuff…

first off, the nyx jumbo eye and lip pencils are super creamy and moisturizing! i haven’t actually wore any of the eye pencils but the lip pencils are just fabulous and very pigmented! ulta had them for $3.99 and on sale for b1g1 half off. these are my favorites now!

i am almost out of my jk lipstick, which is the most moisturizing lipstick i ever own. i usually do not buy them because they are drying. i was getting worried because i got the jk one on sale and didn’t want to shell out $16 for a tube. well, my answer came in the form of palladio’s herbal tinted lip balms!! they are so moisturizing that 1 application lasts me hours! like the nyx pencils, they are very pigmented for a lip balm but so pretty! a light coat is all you need. it seems like these lip balms are made for me. i currently own champagne, bronzy pink, and golden pink. i am planning to pick up the rest of the colors on my next ulta stop since i have a couple of the $5 off $10 coupons. at $3.99 a piece, these are a definite steal! i am hooked!

i bought a cargo blu ray pressed powder and their medium matte bronzer to replace the sephora because i can no longer carry it in my purse. the ulta rep tried shade 20 (medium) on me and say that was my shade. for the record the pressed powder comes in 4 colors – 10 (light), 20 (medium), 30 (med-dark) and 40 (dark). i was afraid the 20 might be too light and got a second opinion. the 2nd lady said the 30 but it seems i can wear both??? i decided to keep the 20 for now (as fall is here) and get the 30 during the summer. this is a very matte and fine pressed powder that doesn’t look cakey. i’m assuming if you apply a lot it’s a different matter but i’m liking it alot! the bronzer is also a very pretty brownish pink matte finish. my cheeks are usually rosy and i don’t want a regular blush for fear of looking a bit feverish. hahahaha

i saw the soap & glory products in a few magazines but never really try anything. i was at target recently and they were clearancing out Soap & Glory. The shelf was mostly bare but I saw Night in Shining Armour and Catch a Wrinkle in Time that interested me. Since I was almost out of the Olay Age Defying night cream I thought I’ll give this a try. The jar is a very pretty peachy-pink color and the cream is just luxurious! It’s got a bit more fragrance than I’m used to but I do not mind! So far so good. I do know that I like this way more than the Olay and will definitely repurchase unless I find something else. LOL I also purchased the Catch a Wrinkle in Time to try and I’m loving this too! Like the night cream, it’s got a nice fragrance and creamy texture. It does make my skin feel so nice and supple. I think it’s never too early to start prevention measures, right?

once a upon a time, I received Zia’s Deep Moisture Repair Serum in a swap and loved it. I used it to the very last drop. Unfortunately, it was too expensive for me to buy as it costs $36.95 for a .5 oz jar. I waited and waited but never saw another one up for swap. i started tracking it on ebay and managed to score 2! within the last week for about $7 each BNIB including shipping! awesome huh? a pump in the morning and at night is all you need for added moisture. simply love it! definitely a stapled item for me. i will keep scouring ebay as long as i’m able and stock up on these babies.

to support breast cancer awareness month, sonia kashuk have some limited time beauty products for sale at target. with my $25 acuvue rebate, i bought a pink “circle of hope” kabuki brush and the “circle around a cause” set of 6 brushes. these are some very pretty and functional brushes. i do not have any eye brushes so i’m very happy i got these.

until next time…:)

okay, so i haven’t really been frugal in the last few months.

hubby and i went to maui in june for our 7th year anniversary and my birthday. maui is just gorgeous!!

this month, i bought myself a refurbished laptop from costco. it’s been ages since i owned my last laptop. it will be arriving as we speak. i can’t wait!

then today, i bought the nikon 35mm f/1.8g AF-S lense for my nikon d40. this is the first lense addition since i bought my camera back in 2007. i think it’s time, don’t you? i really only take photos of my kids and my other lenses just doesn’t cut it in low light. this one looks fabulous at an even more fabulous price from amazon…this is arriving saturday and i can’t wait to play with it too!

more later!

noah’s naturals cleanser and moisturizer with spf 15

i’m back after a long haitus with some new products to try. things have just been busy (kids and all).

i was at walgreens almost a week ago to pick up a few things and this new line on the shelf – Noah’s Naturals, with it’s sophisticated colors and packaging caught my eyes. it looks like these new repackage products just debuted this February (it’s not even on their website yet!). the anti-aging cream cleanser tempted me. i have been using Zia‘s lotion cleanser but thought i could use a change. it retails for $8.99 for a 3.4 oz squeeze tube.

i’ve been using it everyday (morning and night) and hasn’t broke me out yet. in fact, i like it so much better than zia’s. it seems to clean better yet doesn’t dry out my skin and that’s what i want. my skin feels very nice after too. the smell isn’t too strong for me but may bother some people who can’t stand fragrances. the first time i used a nickel size dollop and it was too much. after that, i use just a dime size and that was much better.

today, i picked up the  moisturizer with spf 15 and can’t wait to try that since i do not have a dedicated day cream. i have just been making due with cetaphil’s moisturzing cream and i want something with a little bit more anti-aging prevention or so i hope.

the moisturizer retails for $15.29 for a 2.5 oz squeeze tube.