Initial Review: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation

UPDATE:  I just can't shake how *dry* this looks on my skin. My SO asked if I wanted water because he's never seen me looking PARCHED before! You might have more success if you apply this with a beauty blender, but I just prefer something that looks great with finger-application. This one is going back to Sephora.

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Up to this point, I've mostly focused on light coverage foundations. This month, I will be doing a pretty important rotation in Southern California, so I need something matte, that doesn't require me to think about my face at all for 12-18 hour shifts. Normally, I'd say this is near impossible, but in the temperature-controlled environment of the hospital, I don't tend to get too oily or sweaty. 

I went to Sephora to swatch a few foundations, but the color match for this Tarte foundation was far superior to the others. "Light Sand" is exactly how it is described on the package - great for light, yellow-based skintones. I'd say this is good for MAC NC20-25.

Price: $38.00 for 1.7 fl oz

Click on the images below to zoom in on the ingredients:

  

Bag Review: Rebecca Minkoff Mini 5 Zip Crossbody

Hope everyone had a fun and restful holiday season!  Did you all get to take advantage of the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping deals?

Rebecca Minkoff's bags are on-trend and fairly well-priced for the quality. The Mini 5-Zip is one of her most popular bags. I've used mine for about a year now, and feel that I can now adequately review it. Here are the bag statistics, according to the RM website and Shopbop.com:

Product details:
Retail: $195
9" wide x 1.5" deep x 6.5" tall
Adjustable chain strap can be worn cross-body (21" drop) or doubled (14" drop)
Custom light gold hardware
Leather: Cowhide.
Weight: 20oz / 0.56kg

The lining of the bag varies with the season. Unless otherwise stated, they are made in China. There is also some discussion about which lining colors correlate with which country of manufacture, but I didn't research this in detail. For a bag of this price point, I don't really care where it's made. All I can say is, the quality of my bag has been spot-on.



First and foremost, if you are looking at buying this bag, you probably don't like carrying your whole life with you when you go out. So here are the 5 things I take with me when I go anywhere, besides school and the hospital:
1. Phone
2. ID card + credit card +/- papers
3. Keys
4. Blotting powder
5. A lip product

Miss Wiggle Says Hello

Oh. My. It's been almost a year since my last post.

The 2 people who have unsubscribed to this blog since I last checked deserve praise. It is smart to abandon ship when it's been rotting for almost a year. As for the rest of my humble readers, I'm sure this blog has crept into a hole of your internet home - long forgotten, and too annoying to remove.

Recently, I gave away my new camera to my mother, so this means any future photo posts will be put on hold. "Why, Miss Wiggle, just use your iPhone!" I currently wield an ancient Blackberry that I use as a dumbphone. No judgements please. "What about your iPad??" iNope.

I still peek out into the beauty world every now and then. Many of my favorite bloggers are still chugging away, thankfully! Since last year, there has been a slight change in my makeup interests. I am no longer fascinated by Japanese products, and have concentrated lately on European beauty houses. I now focus more on tinted lip care, and stick concealers - both take less than 5 minutes to apply, and don't take up space.

One of the reasons why I have decided to somewhat resurrect 'Miss Wiggle' is so I can entertain guest bloggers. I ask that you please be kind to them when they come to visit. 

I hope my fellow bloggers are doing well.  :)

Lunasol Fall 2011 Collection - Research!

Is anyone excited about Lunasol's upcoming release? I was pretty pumped when I saw the ads for it! Each palette provides 3 different shimmer levels for the liner and highlight shade, which is awesome. I usually a prefer matte or semi-matte highlight to balance to shimmer present in most Japanese eyeshadow palettes. Obviously each section will be difficult to pick up if you're using brushes, but I'm a sponge-tip girl so this presents no problem.

Several asian bloggers have posted swatches of the collection. Originally I wanted all 5 palettes, but after looking at the swatches, I've preliminarily narrowed it down to 2 for now - 03 Mysterious Beige (purple) and 05 Deep Beige (gray). I will focus on the 05 palette in this post, as that is the one I'm most excited for. Here are the posts that helped me out:

1)  Tingjp's Lunasol post
2)  Sharon0418's Lunasol post
3)  Yuki's Lunasol post 

All photos below belong to their respective bloggers. If you are one of the 

bloggers listed above and wish to have these photos removed, please let me know.

First, I looked at Tingjp's swatches below. As you can see, everything appears to have very subtle shine. 01 looks a bit warm, and even though 04 is called "Cool Beige," the swatch of it (not shown very well here) is still quite warm and yellow-based. 05 looks the coolest by far, and 03 also appears more neutral. I love how 05 looks here!

Next, looking at Sharon0418's post, you can see more swatches and an FOTD using the 05 palette. Although the palette itself looks quite cool, the swatch and FOTD makes it seem warmer, and greener?!?!? I was a little puzzled. Sharon herself noticed the green. At first, I thought maybe the gray, once applied to the yellow-ness in asian skin will make the shadow appear like an olive-gray. But then I realized that doesn't make much sense. Lunasol just isn't the type of brand to do things accidentally.

Finally, looking at Yuki's post, I was able to discern a more plausible explanation: there seems to be green shimmers in the 05 palette! Yuki's swatches and product photos are fantastic as you can clearly see the sparkle details.  Except for the darkest liner shade and two white shades, the 05 palette has green shimmer particles throughout. This can better account for Sharon's olive-y FOTD above.

OK, that's the end of my analysis! Regardless of how detailed blog photos are, it's nothing compared to holding and using the product yourself.  So, here my personal conclusions from researching the palettes in this collection:

1) The liner and highlight shades do indeed have shimmer variation, and thus make these palettes more versatile for me.

2) The shimmer level as compared to previous Lunasol releases is difficult to discern, but seems to be on the more subtle side.

3) The green shimmer in the 05 palette worries me, since green isn't that flattering on me IMO.  I don't mind that 01 and 04 are a tiny bit warm, I just have too many warm-neutrals. The 02 pink doesn't excite me much, but I may change my mind. So far, 03 is still on my list. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I already have reading due, even though school has not started yet. How silly is that?

Chip Review: OISHI Ribbed Cracklings Salt and Vinegar

I love chips! I have no qualms about opening up a bag of chips at a friend's house, even when said friend is not there to give express permission. That is how I came across this little bag of delight. How can I resist when salt and vinegar are my two favorite ingredients?! This thing had my name written all over it.


There are 2 major points of excellence about this bag of Cracklings:

1) The flavor complexity is just right. As you take a bite, spurts of salty and sour hit your senses independently. As the chip disintegrates, the flavors mix into a tangy brilliance and right before you swallow, a surprising and refreshing spice builds and remains.
2) The delivery is fantastic. The chip is thicker than most, and thus gives a satisfying "CRUNCH!" when you bite into it. This properly distributes the flavor everywhere. Each chip also takes a few more chews so it feels more substantial than your average LAY'S. This is true to their claim on the bag: "Beer Match series of snacks are cut in big, big bite-size pieces. Flavors were selected specifically for a beer drinkers enjoyment!" Amen! (Although I don't drink, and you certainly don't have to in order to enjoy this.)  Credit: The photo below was taken from Cindy's (theasianaisle.com) review. Check it out here! She's obviously more experienced than I am, so if you are a chip connoisseur, you may find her review more helpful.

Next I'll point out some less crucial and yet not-so-trivial details about this bag:

1) The packaging is very good. The plastic feels smooth and weighty - not as heavy as Kettle, but good enough. I also like how it's matte instead of shiny.
2) The size is perfect. The 1.67oz/50g bag isn't so big that you'll look like a monster eating out of it, but isn't so tiny that you wish you had some leftovers. If you feel overzealous and want more than usual, eat the whole thing. Or, you can finish it over 2 or 3 sittings.
3) Price and Availability.  I haven't tried looking for this in stores yet, but here's an online store that sells it for a good price. This is a product of the Philippines.

Overall, I give this a  4.5/5. The flavor, texture, and crunch factor are all excellent. -0.5 for availability. Ok ok, so an entire post about chips and not a peep about nutrition? What kind of doctor will I be, you ask? So here I'll state the obvious: chips and other processed foods are not good for you. (But is it good for my S-O-U-L? You betcha.) Please eat at your own discretion.

Life Ramble - Episode 29823

7 DAYS since my last update! How is everyone doing?

First, since I'm low on time, I'll respond to your comments from my last post here:

Popcorn:  I'm so glad you like the TM!! I was crossing my fingers. He he.

Shop N' Chomp:  Yeah, I think you should give DL1961's a try. I have similar issues as you do but I have thicker thighs.  :P

LittoMokaa:  So far I don't like the dimethicone one either. Haha.

Cushy:  Yep, I'll do mini-reviews on the sunscreens.

Rainy Days and Lattes:  Sure, I'll review the night jelly.  :)

So, there have been a lot changes in my life which I won't go into the details of. Life is so unpredictable! It seems like I say this every year, but it's just as true this year, if not more so. Life is like this for me right now:

Last week was pretty dreary, and there was lots of thunder and lightening. I quite like though, don't you? Thunder is the click of God's camera, and lightening is the flash! So I always smile.

I'm in the process of obtaining my Visa so I can go to Asia this summer.  Don't be fooled by the easy paperwork - the tricky part is turning in your application to the office: 

After my number is called (3 hours later), I went up to the counter. A lady with circle lenses and weird inner corner highlight (abbreviation: Lady with CL and WICH) took a look at my Visa application:

Lady with CL and WICH:   You're not born here?

Me:   Nope.

Lady with CL and WICH:   You need your old Visa papers.

Me:  Oh. OK...

Lady with CL and WICH:   Those are the regulations.

Me:   Is there a reason why it's needed?

Lady with CL and WICH:   Those are the regulations.

Me:   Oh.

Lady with CL and WICH:   ....*SIGH!* They want to see what kind of person you were before you became a US citizen!

Me:  ...

*****

Anyway. Peace out gang!! Be back next time with a real beauty post!

New Skincare Stuff + DL1961 Jeans Rave

My order from Sasa.com came in a few days ago (it took 2+ weeks because I was silly and ordered during Easter weekend). I got a few sheet masks - Silk Whitia had a BOGOF deal, so it was a good time to stock up.  I also got a sleeping mask for days when I'm too lazy to wait for sheet masks. And lastly a couple of sunscreens. Since I'm going to be in Asia this summer, I thought I'd try a higher SPF.

This is everything.

Hisamitsu Lifecella Ceramide Essence Mask and Hyaluronic Acid Mask

 Silk Whitia Whitening and Moisturizing Mask x 2

Ingredients ~

Sponsored Review: Misikko HANA Air Premiere Hair Dryer

When John D. from Misikko.com contacted me about doing a review for a hairdryer, I was excited! I've only ever used 2 hairdryers in my life: 1) a cheapie mini dryer from who knows where and 2) Panasonic National foldable dryer.  Obviously, I wanted to know what I'm missing out on in the dryer world.  I was sent the HANAair Premiere dryer a couple weeks back, and feel that I'm now able to comment on it.

An unexpectedly big box.

Ta-da... lots of stuff! Including a really nice note from John, cases, a stuffed monkey, sanitizers, nail files, and Paul Mitchell shampoo and conditioner.

But anyway, the main event is the hairdryer.

The dryer itself is not that big...