FOUNDATION | Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation

Watery texture
But less watery than the MUFE Water Blend (review here) when you apply it to the skin

Light, natural coverage - def higher coverage than the MUFE Water Blend

The coverage is pretty natural, excuse that random piece of eyelash near my nose

As you can tell my pores are pretty big, this foundation hides them a little bit even without primer

I think this is pretty moisturizing, at the end of the day there's foundations that will make my skin look really dry, but this one seems ok

Pump packaging

All in all, I do like this foundation. I thought it was amazing the first time I used it, but afterwards it was ok. I'm not a huge liquid foundation girl even though I like to try them because my skin gets so oily by the end of the day, powder foundations just work better for me. I mostly got this because it was on the Costco website for $45 but it retails for $62 for 1 oz / 30 ml

LOUIS VUITTON | Speedy Bandouliere 25

Not sure if the speedy always came like this, but I was surprised that it was so flat

Crossbody

Tiny pocket

I watched Youtube videos comparing the 25 to 30 and decided on the 25. I will say the opening is a bit small if you carry bigger items like a water bottle, but I think the size fits my taste a little more

Purse organizer, I got this after hearing the speedy doesn't hold its shape over time if you don't have stuff inside. This does add some weight, but if you use it mostly as a top handle purse. I wanted to use it as a cross body, but it only looks cute if you wear it on your shoulder

LIPSTICK | Tatcha Plum Blossom Lipstick

To be honest, the formula and color of these lipsticks are nowhere near the price. But the packaging is BEE-U-TI-FUL. The main selling point for me.

These are probably the heaviest lipsticks I own, and I gladly shelled out the $$ for the two (below)

Gotta hand it to Tatcha for their sophistication and marketing

Creamy, fragrance free, but nothing too special

$55 for 3 g

Limited edition and sold out as of 8/28/17

LIPSTICK | YSL Rouge Pur Couture

214 Wood on Fire

This is a really natural pink nude, I expected it to be more brown but I love it!

52 Rouge Rose

This color's a bit bright for me so I apply it mostly to the center and rub my lips together to distribute the color evenly

Pros

Not drying

Pigmented

Long lasting

Very smooth

Neutral

Smells really nice

Cons

"The Mats" was not matte

Expensive

Verdict

Not gonna lie, YSL may be my favorite high end lipstick. They smell amazing (some kind of floral fragrance that I can't quite place my finger on that's not overwhelming) and glides on super smoothly; it looks good even if my lips are dry looking. The packaging is not as pretty as some high end/luxury brands, but you can engrave it for gifts or for yourself, which is great. I got 214 Wood on Fire on sale during Black Friday, and subsequently bought 52 Rouge Rose a month or so after.

Throughout the day, I was pleasantly surprised that the color lasted well even after eating and blotting my lips with napkins.

I mostly got 214 so I can engrave it. But 52 Rouge Rose is more of a token of nostalgia for My Love From Another Star (a really popular Korean drama from 2014). I rewatched the drama recently and read about the lipstick on a blog. The lipstick the main actress often wears is a pinky coral so ofc I had to get my hands on it.

Price

$37 for 0.13 oz / 3.8 g

Repurchase?

Yes!

Would I recommend it?

Definitely

CUSHION BB | Dior DreamSkin Perfect Skin Cushion SPF 50

Sephora description:

What it is: 

A compact of tinted skin care that blurs imperfections and helps to minimize visible signs of aging while you're on the go, leaving skin looking flawless and luminous while protecting with SPF 50. 

Solutions for: 

- Uneven skintone 

- Dullness and uneven texture 

- Pores 

If you want to know more… 

This complexion perfector features the correcting power of Dreamskin within a portable case to activate, enhance, and protect skin. Upon application, its luxurious texture perfectly fuses with the skin to unify in transparency and improve the appearance of redness, shine, and pores. Skin is left refreshed, luminous, and beautiful. 

What else you need to know:

To create this revolutionary formula, Dior Science combined two powerful, active ingredients from the Dior Gardens: longoza and opilia. These potently natural active ingredients contain antiaging and protective properties that combat lines, dark spots, redness, and lack of glow. Cultivated in the Dior Gardens in Madagascar, longoza is an orange-red fruit encapsulating regenerative active powers that support the natural regeneration of skin cells. Opilia comes from the Dior Gardens in Burkina Faso, beautifying and perfecting the balance of the skin.

Before | After

No moisturizer applied

4 hr check in

Pros

Natural looking

SPF50

Easy to apply / blend

Doesn't make my skin oily

Neutral

Smells the same as the Laneige BB cushion (review here, see below)

Sheer coverage

Cons

Very expensive

Price

$82 for two 0.5 oz sponges

Verdict

Historically I haven't been a fan of any of my cushion BB creams (reviews here). They don't seem to set without powder, and always start looking cakey after a few hours, so naturally I prefer liquid foundations or BB creams. I purchased the Dior one after seeing Tati on Youtube talk about it, she seems to really like it saying that it firms the skin and makes the skin look more flawless.

Personally I'm not in love with it yet, but I do like tinted sunscreens that are not cakey looking, which this is. Unfortunately my pores may be a bit too big to take advantage of all the silicones in their formula, but at least it doesn't make my pores look worse.

I've been using this the past couple days and it really keeps my skin looking nice throughout the day. The coverage isn't great but I enjoy using it

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

If you're into luxury makeup.

If you're familiar with BB cushions, you know they originated from Korea. The Dior one is no exception since it's "made in Korea." When I took it out of the packaging I thought it strongly resembled the Laneige one I have, and ofc it's identical except for the color and print.

Considering how similar the scents are, I looked into the ingredients between Dior and Laneige out of curiosity.

Laneige:

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Arbutin, Butylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Disteardimonium Hectorite, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isostearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499, Fragrance

Dior:

I got a bit cross-eyed trying to read this, but I highlighted the few ingredients that stuck out to me. Presumably they use the same base, but the ingredients are in different orders. The Dior one is thinner, sheerer and doesn't make my skin look oily. The Dior one supposedly have the DreamSkin formula, which supposedly makes your pores look minimized and skin perfected.

LUXURY | Tom Ford Lip Color in Twist of Fate

Pros

Fragrance free

Luxe feeling packaging

Pigmented

Comfortable wear

Neutral

Not magnetic (this is really more of a personal preference but I thought for how much you're paying, shouldn't it be magnetic?)

Cons

Expensive

Packaging is very fingerprint prone

Price

$53 for 0.1 oz / 3 g

^ the standard lipstick used to be 4.2 grams, but recently brands have been decreasing the volume. Not that I use up lipsticks anyway but I'm sure it matters for people who reapply lipstick all the time.

Verdict

I didn't use this for a long time after I bought it bc I don't want to ruin the TF embossing. But lipsticks are meant to be used so I finally used it today. I really enjoy this coral color, it's a little bit more muted. The wear of the lipstick is very comfortable, it's probably not worth $53 but as a lipstick hoarder/addict/collector I may get the white packaging just to have it.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

If you're into luxury lipsticks, yes.

Louis Vuitton - My Thoughts

Louis Vuitton Eva Clutch Monogram Canvas

Retail: $775

Probably my favorite of the 3, it doesn't fit a water bottle per se, but it fits more than you think

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Louis Vuitton Key Pouch Damier Azur Canvas

Retail: $200

My most used item, this is my keychain/wallet that I carry around everyday. Now that I have a FOB key for my car, it is mostly in my pocket or purse. I have larger wallets which I try to use from time to time, but every time I try the larger wallet just seems so bulky and not pocket friendly. I definitely love the convenience of this size. I wish I had purchased it back when they had the White Multicolor canvas though, it was super cute (photo below).

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My workbag

The inside is lined with red fabric with lines, idk why the official photo has a pale fabric inside. I love that this comes with a sizeable clutch, so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth

The only thing about these Neverfull bags is they're a bit heavy for travel. Whenever I do travel, I bring my Long Champ purse (which is nylon and super lightweight) even though it's older and beat up. It is very roomy as you can tell, you can change the shape of the bag with the leather strings on the two sides, although it's not a perfect system bc it doesn't look that aesthetically pleasing.

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Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM Damier Ebene Canvas

Retail: $1,260

With my initials! I got this in Vegas and waited a couple hours for the initials

As you can tell I'm not great at taking shots over larger items, nor do I have a pretty background to make a photo look pretty, so I included photos that Louis Vuitton have on their website.

Hope all this designer stuff isn't boring you guys

After I finally graduated and got my big girl job, I am all over the place looking for things I like after working a loooot of over time my "first" tax season. ("" because I've been through one before, but it's not nearly as vigorous because that job did not pay over time, and the work was a lot simpler)

However, I purchased the Eva clutch after my internship ended last summer as a little treat for myself, and I think it's totally worth it. After purchasing two LV items, I can see why sooo many people have Louis Vuitton.

Reason 1:

It's super low maintenance, at least the canvas is. I can throw this anywhere and not worry about it being scratched. The white keychain will get a bit dirty of course, but I think it was designed to just look that way (the white blocks have a bit of faint lines imprinted on it if you look closely)

Reason 2:

They're not as expensive as Chanel or Dior or Prada or most other luxury brands. Obviously this is up for debate, but if you ever look into luxury leather goods - they range from at least $2,000 for a good sized handbag. Louis Vuitton, however, is much less than $2,000.

Verdict:

If you're looking for small leather goods that LAST, I highly recommend checking out LV. I know their canvas isn't everyone's thing because it's kind of showy saying LV all over. But in the end... I love it for the quality.

One thing I have to say though - if you go to China, there's going to be a lot of people with cheap knockoffs. But also if you're going to China there's no real reason to bring designer handbags, it might attract pocket pickers, just saying.