Shoppingholics Review - Neo Dali Extra in Green

Today I'd like to share a Shoppingholics.com review with you all~ 

Shoppingholics.com is a Malaysian-based webshop that sells tons of circle lens.  They have a cutely designed website that's super easy to navigate, with all lens categorized by color & brand.  On top of selling lens, they also have a wide selection of asian cosmetics, including Dolly Wink!

Their staff is quick to respond and very helpful.  They even have information on lens care & safety all on one handy page!  It really is the little details that count with Shoppingholics.com, as can be seen with their packaging and fast international shipping.  I was so surprised when my package arrived with such adorable wrapping!

Every lens purchase comes with a free cute animal case, how sweet!  The lovely people at Shoppingholics.com were nice enough to send me a pair of lens to review, so here they are~ 

Neo Dali Extra in Green

Color 5/5 - This olive-green is so pretty & unique!  It's vibrant but it's not totally overdone either.  I was worried that they were going to just blend in with my natural eye color, but they stand out nicely on their own without looking unnatural. 

Comfort 5/5 - These are the most comfortable lens I've worn yet!  They're super thin so I hardly feel them at all.  The best part about these lens is that they don't impair my vision, I felt totally fine driving with them.  These are probably the first lens that I would actually consider wearing out.

Enlargement 3/5 - At 14.2mm, these aren't the biggest of lens.  Still, the enlargement is pretty noticeable when compared to my natural iris!

Overall 5/5-  I'd actually never heard of the Neo brand before, but these are a real nice quality pair of lens.  I really love them!  They're so comfortable, and they're natural-looking while still giving me that extra oomph.  Definitely a keeper, and I'm excited to wear them more! 

Disclaimer:  I received a product in exchange for this review.  All opinions stated here are 100% my own. 

Sakura Nails

I was shocked when I called Marie Nails for an appointment, only to find that they were completely booked up for the entire month!  I was in desperate need of a manicure and really wanted my nails done before our Mini Sakura Meet-up this weekend, so I decided to try somewhere new~

I went to Sakura Nail & Spa on the lower east side in Manhattan.  I called them two weeks in advance and they had lots of openings, they were able to get me in with no problem at all....I wonder why?   MAYBE BECAUSE THEIR PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS.  Ugh, I'm too ashamed to even say how much I spent on this manicure.  $20 gel removal, are you kidding me???  It's not like they were that difficult to remove since they were falling off anyway, and most places do that for free!

And I'm not even that satisfied by the quality of the manicure or the salon experience either, but I'll get to that later...

Here are my sakura nails that I got done at Sakura Nail & Spa for Sakura Matsuri...that's a whole lot of sakura.

Pink glitter gradation with flower stickers - $$$

This manicure took two freaking hours.  For two hours, I expect it to be impeccable but upon close inspection it's a bit sloppy.  My nails don't feel as smooth & invincible as they usually do with the gel.

I didn't get exactly what I wanted either...I didn't feel that they had much of a wide color selection, I wanted hot pink glitter but they didn't seem to have any.  I also had to ask a few times to see their sticker selection (for some reason the lower east side location doesn't do acrylic 3D art, just stickers...the upper east side does though), and even then the lady brought me just stars.  When I asked if she had any flowers, she came back with these white ones...I would have preferred pink.  Don't get me wrong, this manicure came out pretty but it's not what I wanted and the rest of my experience doesn't make me feel any better.

The salon is also set up with two seats and two manicurists at each station.  I can see how this would be nice if you're going with a friend, but it's not so nice when the woman next to you brings her little kid that is climbing all over the place.  I don't go to a nail salon to babysit or make friends with little kids, I go to relax...

The receptionist was extremely sweet and I liked her a lot.  Most of the manicurists were pretty quiet.  For some reason, the lady who did my nails was way too amused that I picked flower stickers.  She kept talking about them and then saying something in another language & laughing.  It made me uncomfortable.  I definitely prefer the sweet & friendly atmosphere at Marie Nails.

Maybe I'm just nitpicking, but I probably won't be going back there.  When I really want something, it's hard for me to restrain myself...but the price I paid at Sakura just isn't worth it, no matter how desperate I am.

Springtime Makeup

Even though we're still experiencing some April showers at the moment, I decided to put together a spring makeup look today using some of the new cosmetics I've bought recently~ I'm also including some quickie reviews!

It's inspired by springtime pastels and some of the recent makeup trends I've seen in the newest issue of EGG magazine.

EYES
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Too Faced Eyeshadow in Pink Cheeks
Anna Sui Eye Color Duo #05
Avon Professional Kohl Eyeliner in Black
Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black
Maybelline The Turbo Volum' Express Mascara in Very Black
Shisem Lashes
NYX Flare Bottom Lashes

FACE
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream in #21
Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Translucent Pressed Powder
MAC Mineralize Blush in Giggly

LIPS
MAC Satin Lipstick in Myth
Anna Sui Lipgloss C #701


Anna Sui Eye Color Duo #05 - This is the perfect eyeshadow duo for spring & summer!  The colors are vibrant & shimmery, they remind me of mermaids~ When used with an eyeshadow primer, they're really long lasting.

Maybelline The Turbo Volum' Express Mascara - I've been extremely disappointed with Maybelline mascaras lately!!  The mascaras that I've been purchasing recently are completely different from the ones I loved and purchased three months ago...even though they have the same name!  I don't know if they've changed their brushes or their formulas, but they're just not the same anymore.  They totally suck!  Now I need to find myself a new mascara, what a bummer...

NYX Flare Bottom Lashes - I've finally gotten around to using these after purchasing them a year ago.  I've been noticing a lighter & more subtle look in some of the gal mags lately, so I tried to recreate it using these little flare lashes.  I'm not really sure how successful I was but I kinda like them!  I have a major gripe about the packaging of these lashes though...not only is the packaging itself just horrible, but they're hardcore glued in so it's impossible to get them out!  I must've ruined about 10 of them just trying to get them out.

Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Translucent Pressed Powder -  I'm really liking this!  Just like it claims, it's absolutely invisible.  It doesn't cake up, and I really think it does a good job at keeping my skin from getting oily throughout the day.

 MAC Mineralize Blush in Giggly - This is a limited edition from MAC's new "Quite Cute" collection.  It's a sheer, happy light pink.  The perfect pink for my skin & for spring!  I might buy a second one~ 

MAC Satin Lipstick in Myth - What a perfect, peachy nude!  I'm in love with this lipstick, it's my favorite at the moment.  It's definitely not the longest-wearing lipstick, but I don't mind reapplying a few times during the day.  It's not drying at all either, which is really great!  It's vanilla scented too~ 

I'm totally ready for spring! 

Rainy Days

Today was a horrible rainy day but I got to spend some much needed girl time with my friends~

Ain, Eden, Jean, and I spent the day in Manhattan...cold & wet!  We went to Kinokuniya to look at gal magazines & snack at the upstairs Zaiya Cafe, and then we did some touristy shopping around Times Square.

Sephora, Forever 21, The Disney Store...the Times Square locations are crowded & huge!  Forever 21 has freaking five floors!  It even has a fun little photobooth, which of course we took advantage of~

Most of the time, rainy days make me want to stay in.  But this was the best kind of rainy day, spending it out shopping with my friends!

Probably spent a little more than I should have today, but I think I got some good buys~

I recently lost one of my keychains and my car keys were looking a bit bare, so when I saw this adorable Stitch keychain at The Disney Store I just couldn't resist! 

Haven't been happy with my usual finishing powder, so I wanted to give this one by Too Faced a try.  I haven't fully tested it yet, but I'll be sure to let you know what I think!

The reason we got together in the first place was to check out MAC's new "Quite Cute" collection, but I ended up just going to the MAC location back in Flushing.  This new collection is full of bright pastels, just in time for spring!

My MAC haul~

My first MAC lipstick, Myth!  Highly recommended by Eden, it's the perfect nude shade.

I grabbed two of the new mineralize blushes from the "Quite Cute" collection, Giggly and Sakura.  I've been dying to find a lavender blush, so when I saw this it was a must-have!  These are such great blushes for spring, I can't wait to put them to use.

Happy to be at home now, cozy & dry in my pajamas.  I'm ready for April showers to bring May flowers~

NYC ✿ Mini Sakura Meet-up

Some of you may have already heard about this, but it's coming up soon & I want to spread the word~

We're having a mini gyaru meet-up here in NY on Saturday, April 30th!  All gals are welcome~

We'll be meeting up at the annual Sakura Matsuri in Brooklyn where we'll be having a little picnic.  Then we'll head over to Flushing for some shopping & purikura, and we'll end the night with food, drinks, & karaoke at Zebra Lounge!  It's going to be a lot of fun.

If you're interested, don't be shy!  For more information and to RSVP, check out our Facebook event page.

I'm getting really excited for this meet-up, I can't wait!  Hope to see some of you there~

Gals Gone Wild

Yesterday Ain & I were in a film shoot out on Long Island at some fancy schmancy house with Mike's advanced cinematography group from Brooklyn College.

Here's what I wore~

 

I've been on some of Mike's other film shoots before, but this was the best by far!  It was fun to be able to act along with a friend...we wore our own clothes and did our own hair & makeup, we pretty much just got to be ourselves.

I still can't believe how much work goes into getting just a few minutes of film...we were working all night, until 4AM!

These production stills are all I can show you for now, hopefully I can share the final film when it's all finished~

I wanted to get really bloody, but that wasn't in the script...

I hope the film comes out good!

Skin Food's Whitening Sleeping Mask

Hey guys!  I have another Skin Food review to share with you~  I just keep trying more & more of their products and I'm impressed every time.

Skin Food's Fermented Pomegranate Whitening Sleeping Mask

I've actually been using this for about six months now.  I thought I'd write the review once I used it all up, but I haven't run out yet!  There's no way to look inside and see how much is left so who knows...it could run out tomorrow, or it could last another month *shrug*

I'm always looking for products to fade my acne scars, so that's why I bought this in the first place.  But since I've been using it for so long, I have no idea if it actually worked or if my scars have just faded a little with time.  I didn't notice any difference in the first 1-2 months of use, so I'd have to say that it didn't do too much.

It's still a really nice product though!  I'd actually never heard of a sleeping mask before, but it's not really any different from a regular night cream.  It's nice & lightweight, and doesn't clog my pores.  By the time my head hits the pillow at night it's fully absorbed into my skin, and there's no sticky residue when I wake up in the morning.

It also works really well on dry patches of skin.  Sometimes I even use it during the day, when I need a little bit of extra moisturizing.

While I can't say that the whitening worked, I definitely feel like it makes my skin look brighter.  It also has a pleasant, sweet scent!

Overall:  4/5

I will definitely continue to try some of Skin Food's other whitening products!  I'm determined to make my acne scars go away~