TOPSHOP Sales

Top Shop never goes on sales, but they do now!

Select merchandise is on sale at Topshop and on Topshop.com.
The flirt sequin dress is $60 (originally $135)
the leather jersey mix jacket is $120 (originally $260)
 Kate Moss satin pencil skirt is $50 (originally $100).

Address: 478 Broadway, nr. Broome St.
Tel: (212-966-9455)
Time: M–F (10–9), S–Su (10–8)

Skin Care products up to 90% sales this week!

Thanks to Diana, there is a great sales going on for your favor skin care lines:


L'Oreal Friends and Family
Wednesday, Dec. 16 to Sunday, Dec. 20
10am to 8pm
125 West 18th St, 5th Floor

How to dramatically enlarged your eyes and get rid of your sleepy look?

The secret is.... eye liner! LOL It's probably not a well kept secret .. everyone knows!

but, how do you use eyeliner to achieve the look you want and not over or under do it? What are some of the good liner products out on the market? What type of liner is good for what look? QB will break it down by looks and products for you!

All in all, there are 4 types of liners: pencil, powder/ powder gel (I will explain what this is later), gel and liquid:

Some examples for each from top down on the picture above

Lancome Le Crayon khol
Makeup Forever kohl pencil
Urban Decay Shadow/Liner

Urban Decay eyeliner

Bobbi Brown liner gel

Clinique liquid eyeliner

Tricks on how to use each type of liner mentioned above:

1. For beginner, I recommend using eyeliner pencil.

• You can begin with the middle of eyelid and draw to either direction. 
• Make sure your pencil is sharp and you draw as close to the roots of the lashes as possible

Lancome Le Crayon khol (bottom left) is smooth and rich, so it's easy to apply. Good for beginner and any level trying to achieve an effortless look. Recommend using it with light make-up.

Makeup Forever Kohl is darker and richer in color, it's better for a more dramatic look. (bottom right)

2. When you are out or on a trip, you want to pack as less as possible, you can choose to use Shadow/Powder type liner. You can use it for smoky eyes look and as liner if you wish.

• You need a good brush for powder liner, like this below (This is a retractable one, you don't necessary need this, but this type of angled brush is best for applying powder type liner)

• Start from the outer most point of your eyelid, begin drawing inward at the root of the lashes toward the inner point of the eyelid. 
• Other than the Urban Decay product I showed above. You can try the Bare Mineral products below. Use the liner seal on the left side on top of the powder liner to ensure it last longer. 

3.  Eyeliner gel is a liner product that got very popular in the past few years.

The #1 product in eyeliner gel is Bobbie Brown. I recommend people with more experience in using liner to try the liner gel. It really define the eyes very well, but it does require a set of steady hands.
The picture below is the bobbie brown eyeliner gel set. Good purchase for experienced QBs. You can get it at Duty free for 20% less than retail price. I always pick up a set when I travel aboard.

• You need to make sure your liner brush is clean. Please do not use your liner brush without washing it. The gel from last time will get dried and completely change the texture of the brush. You have to wash it to get the brush back to where it was.
• Don't get too much gel on the brush as once, and make sure it is even on the brush.
• Start with inner point of the eyelid, and draw toward outer point of the eyelid. Do it in one shot (one stroke), otherwise, it will look too thick, too dark or uneven.

4. Last and the most famous one - liquid liner. It is slowly fading in the popularity contest as eyeliner gel becoming more popular. But in liquid liner's defense, it can create a type mysterious and sexy look that other type of liner can't.

• Like eyeliner gel, you need to start with inner point of the eyelid. 
• Feel free to draw it upward at the outer most point of your eyelid and extend your liner out a bit more to get a sexier look. 

I also looked up some tutorials on how to apply eyeliner on the video bar~
Enjoy~

Sample Sales in NYC!!!!

12/8–12/11 Merchandise from Diane Von Furstenberg is up to 75 percent off at the sample sale. New merchandise will be arriving throughout the week. 260 Fifth Ave., nr. 28th St.; T (9–6:30, W (10–8), Th (10–7), F (9–3).

See more details on DVF sales here

12/8 Erica Weiner Jewelry and TG170 are hosting a holiday sample sale, offering discounted clothing and $10 vintage earrings and bracelets. 170 Ludlow St., nr. Stanton St. (212-995-8660); 6–9.

12/8–12/11 Alice + Olivia is hosting a sample sale. Party dresses are $179 (originally $440), fall pants are $99 (originally $297), and tops are $89 (originally $242). 80 W. 40th St., at Sixth Ave. (212-840-0887); T–F (8–8).

12/12 Bridal and bridesmaid dresses are 25 to 75 percent off at the Vera Wang sample sale. The New Yorker Hotel, 481 Eighth Ave., at 34th St. (212-575-6400); 9–5.

Now Through 12/21 In honor of the brand's 25th anniversary, Uniqlo will feature different shopping promotions every day for 25 days, beginning Black Friday. 546 Broadway, nr. Spring St. (917-237-8800); M–S (10–9), Su (11–7).

see more sample sales info, click here  (information from nymag.com)

Back to Basics

After introducing, reviewing so many new and modern cosmetics, we shouldn't forget there are some basic timeless products that exist since our grandnie time with amazing effect.

#1. Baby Oil

Natrual, good for sensitive skin, and the best oil base moisturizer...

Other than the obvious of using it as body oil for dry skin, what else is this classic product good for?

1. After using body scrubs, baby oil is a great product as the first thing you put on the newly exploited skin

2. For extremely dry and heel damaged skin, you can use baby oil as a healing product. Put it on before you go to bed and put a pair of socks on if you like. The next morning when you shower, you will notice your feet are much softer.

3. In case you run out of make-up remover or on the trip and don't have make-up remover handy, you can use baby oil to remove make-up... I know I know.... typically, we don't like oil base make-up remover, but it is really good on taking off any make-up you have on, even the toughest thing like glitter. Make sure you use soap base facial wash to wash your face afterwards to get rid of the oiliness.

#2. Vaseline

Ahhh ..... the good old vaseline!! Is it a medical product or skin care product? It's hard to say I think. But, this magical cream is such good healing agent many doctors recommend it for even medical uses.

1. Heal wounds, reduce scars and erase the sign of skin damage.

2. Heal extremely dry skin such as around elbows, knees and feet.

3. Some of you may have very dry lips like mine. I found a trick to help the dry lips look juicy in the winter too. Put a little toner on your lips then put vaseline all over it avoid inner lips, just outer lips. Basically where you usually put lip gloss on... It heals dry lips like no others!!
(haha i know... i fully utilize my sleeping time!) Enjoy~~

holiday make up videos

new videos posted on the video bar. key word this time is holiday make-up.

I will rotate with other more specific keyword for holiday make up throughout this month. Stay tune.

ps. I like video # 1,3& 4

Origins sales - use code TENOFF09 to get $10 off on your purchase online

Video Bar - this month's topic : Smoky eye

Hello QBs,

Check out the video bar on the right hand panel for video make-up lessons I found online.

If you like someone to take you step by step through how to create a smoky eye look for this holiday season, I will be updating the video links every 2-3 days to show you some ideas.

Enjoy~

Body Scrub

In the winter, many QBs suffer dry and rough skin. Well, other than find the best body butter, find a good scrub to make sure you get rid of the dead skin before applying moisturizer is also very important.

A few things to keep in mind before we start "scrubbing":

1. Don't use body scrub too frequently. It actually hurts than helps. Scrub too much will get rid of the oil on the surface of our skin that actually protects the skin. So, once a week is more than enough.

2. Using sauna or steam room to heat up the body before using scrub can help soften the dead skin and give better result on the scrub.

3. Must use thick cream or even oil afterwards, especially in the winter. I highly recommend baby oil after using scrub instead of regular body lotion or cream. Baby oil is the best body oil on the market; it's good for sensitive skins, and has no chemical.

Here is a list of body scrub for your consideration:

1. Bodyshop - Spa Wisdom Africa Spa Salt Scrub (bottom left)

I have used this scrub for at least 8 years. Every time I cheated on it with other scrub... I always ended up going back to it. The salt in this product dissolves in water quickly, so you don't feel much "scrubbing" on your skin. It actually feels smooth and creamy once it touches water. But it really gets does the job done.  There will be no dead skin after using it. As I said, it has been part of my body skin care routine for the past 8+ years.

2.  L'Occitane Honey and Lemon Sugar scrub (top right) - 

Honey, Lemon and brown sugar, what a wonderful combination of ingredients!!!! My 2nd love. It's got a great smell. You don't need to use much, and try to use it when the shower is off. Rub it all over your body then wash it off to get better result.

3. Giovanni Hot Chocolate Sugar Scrub

A sensational treat for the body. It amazingly moisturizes the skin while it exploits. You can use it more often than the other scrub.

It also nicely scented... It smells like chocolate cake. LOL...

The smell doesn't stay on your skin for long after you wash it off. Well, I think it's for the better. I don't think I can resist satisfying my sweet tooth if the smell stays on for too long!

 4. Borghese Tuscan Sugar Glow -

Living up to the Borghese masks reputation, this scrub brings out the skin glow like no others! For QBs love the tanned darker skin, this scrub is perfect to give your skin the sun kissed glow.  For fair skin QBs, it is still a fantastic one to show a brighter skin tone. Rub on a little bit of baby oil afterwards will really show off the result~

5. Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub for a New Skin -

Good for dry and sensitive skin as it is as gentle as the body shop Africa Spa Salt scrub. Clarins body products are better than their facial skin products in my opinion. It is among the pricier scrub on this list. However, it is quite price value is not bad considering you don't need much to get the job done. It lasts a while in other words.

Once you have a chance to read through these products and my comments. Feel free to share yours by posting your comment. I would love to hear from you too on what you use and what else is good!

Sales before holidays! Why wait until black Friday? (This weekend only)

11/17–11/21

Fall merchandise from Vivienne Westwood, Iodice, Bliss Lau, and Ilaria Nistri is up to 75 percent off. Prices range from $50 to $300.
Place: Scatola Showroom, 544 W. 27th St., nr. Eleventh Ave., sixth fl.
Time: Tu–F (10–7).

Mara Hoffman coats, dresses, tunics, and tops are up to 75 percent off at the Savvy & Co. sample sale.
Place: 42 Greene St., nr. Grand St., second fl.
Time: Th–F (10–7), S (10–7).

Men's and women's clothing and accessories are up to 80 percent off at the Armani warehouse sale. New items will be added daily.
Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18th St., nr. Sixth Ave., fourth fl.
Th (3–8), F (10–8), S (10–6).

Fashion for Action - Public Sample Sales
The annual three-day designer sample sale features more than a million dollars in fashionable apparel and beauty merchandise at the charitable cost of 50-70% off retail value. Designer includes: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Brooklyn Industries, Apple Bottoms, Diane Von Furstenburg (2 signs) , Diesel, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Donald J. Pliner , Donna Karan International, Hugo Boss , Ideeli, Jimmy Choo , Joan Rivers Worldwide, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, L.A.M.B., L’Atelier , Louis Vuitton, Lucky Brand Jeans, Yumi Kim, Yves Saint Laurent, Zegna Sport, Zero Maria Cornejo...etc

Place: Chelsea Thrift Shop
143 West 17th St., New York, NY 10011 :: 718-838-5050
Time: Fri, 9-8pm Sat, 9-6pm, Sun, 10-6pm



Read more: New York Sales & Bargains - This Week's Best Sales in New York City - New York Magazine http://nymag.com/shopping/articles/sb/#ixzz0XKW0pmOM

Origins Sales

25% OFF* + FREE STANDARD SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS** ENDS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 Shop Online Now > Use offer code novff*

come get muddy and pretty~

Yes to Carrot C the difference Mud Mask: 

Yes to carrot is an increasingly popular organic cosmetic brand. You can get them in pharmacy at a very reasonable price. With my colleague's, Peggy, recommendation, I picked up a free sample (a full/regular size bottle) and gave it a try.   I've used 2-3 times so far. It's not bad. It's a bit irritating at the beginning, I suppose that is because the mask is killing the germs and digging out the dirt in the pores.. LOL..
As the mask started to dry, I started feeling the mask tightening my face. After the mask is completely dry, I washed off my mask, then I noticed my skin is brighter, tighter and much cleaner. Plus the price is reasonable for this product, you can totally use it often and not break the bank.

Bodyshop 3 in 1 Blue Corn Deep Cleaning Mask

It's got stronger cleaning effect than Yes To Carrot's c the difference. The irritation feeling is a bit stronger at the beginning too. But you can really see your face get brighter with a healthier glow afterwards.  It's not too pricy either. It's good to have it around and use it when you want to give you face a deep cleaning.  Using it once a week is more than enough in my opinion.

Jurlique Intense Recovery Mask:

My dear friend, Joan, recommended this mask. The price is at the higher end. However, this mask is AMAZING. It doesn't irritate at all and it's like getting a mini face lift. You have to let it completely dry before washing it off to get the most out of the mask.
The mask itself is really smooth and fine, and it feels more like a cream. But it's in muddy green color. After you wash the mask off, you will notice the person in the mirror looks like you in your last year book. haha... ok.. I am exaggerating a bit here. But, you definitely can see the visibly "youthified"  you! (Yea.. I made that word up)

If you have a slightly bigger budget for mask, you should pick this one up. It will save you some $ that you would normally spend in spa.

The followings are Borghese masks. Borghese masks are probably the MOST famous mud masks in the world~ I used it once before when my mom used to have it in her vanity. ( Yea, I stole some from her jar!) But, I haven't used it for a while. If anyone is using it right now, please share your experience. I would love to know if I should get it too.

Borghese fango Active and Brillante brightening mud mask

bebe: Share the surprise with 25% off for your friends & family!

What's good for winter?

If you are looking to stock up your vanity for the winter, a few recommendations on the basic products you can keep in mind:

1. Face Wash: Origins Check and Balance face wash

highest rated origin base product. Many of my friends use this one. So far everyone loves it. Good for winter.

2. Toner: Avene Gentle Toner

I have recommended this one in my "all about toner" posting. Before using this, remember to shake it up a bit. Always use the spray!!

For those budget QBs, you can get it in drug store at a very reasonable price.

3. Moisturizer: Clinique Skin Moisture Surge Extended

Save your super duper dry skin, use this one as base moisturizer.

4. Make up primer: Guerlain Meteorites Perlectrices Base

Recommended by a close friend, Joan. I picked one up on my trip to China. It is fantastic! It's the most moisturizing primer that I have used so far.

5. Lip Care - Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment

Also recommended by 5 different beauty magazines this Fall. It was back ordered for a few weeks.

It is by far the longest lasting lip care I have come across. You should have one in your purse this winter.

false eye lashes

How to wear false eye lashes?

More and more people use fake eye lashes nowadays, so if you haven't caught up the trend and are still struggling with wearing fake eye lashes, you have to continue to read this blog post. I will show some simple ways/ tricks on how to properly wear fake lashes.

Prep work:

1. You want to put on false lashes as the last step of your make up application.

2. For beginner, choose a more natural looking lashes and softer lashes, such as Model 21 No. 16A. Or any lashes look more like the picture below: not too full and too long

3. pick a good glue. I recommend DUO, they have both clear and black glue. For beginner, you can choose the dark glue to cover some tracks. :)

4. use lash curler and curl your own lashes first before putting on the false lashes, so that when you put your lashes on, the real lashes and fake lashes inter-locks each other.

How to put your lashes on:

1. trim your lashes to fit the length of your eyes. Make sure you trim both ends.

2. bend a little bit to fit the shape of your eyes.

3. apply lashes glue on the lashes, either squeeze a black bean size on your hand and run your fake lashes through it or squeeze a little out and apply it directly on the lashes. Whichever way works better for you, but I find these 2 are the easiest way to apply right amount of lash glue on the lash. After putting the glue on, you don't have to put the lashes on right away, give a few seconds (3-5) before putting the lashes on. The few seconds will allow the glue to get sticky and it will glue right on to your eye lid.

4. hold the middle of the lash and place it directly on the root of your lashes where you will normally draw your eye liner on.

5. after the lashes is glued on your lashes, in order to make sure the real lashes and fake lashes are close together and look more real, use the big fake lashes curler to close them up.

For a more dramatic look, for example a club night out, you can choose a more dramatic lashes, such as fuller and longer lashes like below:

Fuller one: (Don't pick those that are really full, it will look very fake)

Longer lashes:

Application steps are the same. enjoy~~

Eyelashes

Sorry QBs, I was away in China and didn't realize I do not have access on gmail blogger because it is blocked in China...... yeah.... wtf.. i know. Anyways, I am back~~ Now let's continue :)

While I was away, I got messages inbox from a friend asking about how to create long and curly eyelashes. Looking at how the cartoon distinguish male and female are always by adding the long and curly lashes... So, I suppose, lashes symbolize femininity.

Therefore creating beautiful lashes becomes an important thing to learn in make-up application. And there are tricks on using products like eyelash curler and mascara to create natural and curly lashes. Following points and tricks are key to create full and beautiful lashes:

1. Pick a good curler - the first thing is to have a good tool. :) Go figure.... LOL ...

I recommend 2 brand: Shu Uemura and Shiseido. Why? It's because they are design to have good shape to fit the shape of eyelid. Plus the rubber(filler) last a long time. it can give your lashes a good squeeze into a pretty curly shape. I highly recommend them~~

2. Heat the lash curler up before using it - My secret weapon is blow dryer！ Yes! Blow dryer! You heard me right. What does it have to do with curling your lashes? Use blow dryer heat up the lash curler before curling the lashes can make the curl last longer. Also, blow dryer can heat up the curler quickly. It usually takes 4-5 second. Don't heat it up too much. You don't want to burn your eye lids either. :) Squeeze it a few times to make the curl last a whole day.

3. Pick the right Mascara for your lashes - There are way too many mascara out on the market. In general, there are a few different types of mascara: for length, volume or shape holding.

For QBs who have natural curly lashes but like more volume, use Dior Iconic Mascara or L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara

For QBs who have shorter lashes, use Almay pure blend volumizing mascara or Clinique high definition Lashes Brush then comb to extend the length of the lashes to get longer and sexier look.

For QBs with less curly lashes, use mascara that holds the shape of the curled lashes after using lash curler is important, try Majolica Majorca Masacara , Makeup Forever Waterproof Mascara. They can hold the curly shape, so the curls can last longer and lashes are more dramatic.

4. One more trick: After the mascara dry, use the lash curler to re-enforce the shape again. It will give you a even more dramatic and longer lasting look I promise. :)

Next time, I will show you how to wear false lashes and lash grower products. Stay tune my lovely QBs!!

My Beauty Diary Week 4 - 我的美丽日记 （第四周）

My Beauty Diary Week 4 - 我的美丽日记 （第四周）

1 普羅旺斯薰衣草面膜 Provence Lavender Mask

It's not bad. It's mild but nourishing. If you are looking for something to add into your skin care routine, it's not a bad one. However, if you are looking for instantaneous and significant result, then this might not be the one.

I only got to use one from My Beauty Diary this week. But, I did also use other masks, will write another series on them :)

National Fall spa week started today!!!

Spa week: Oct 12 - Oct 18.

Take advantage of the discounted packages offered during Spa week! Time to relax and enjoy some professional treatments before the holidays!

see details:
http://www.spaweek.com/

My new black hair look!

Since high school I've always colored my hair chocolate brown, ash brown....etc.

For quite some times I really wanted to color my hair black again...

My college roommate, Victoria, had tried to get me color my hair back since.... I can remember..... (Vix.. i know you will be proud of me!)

So, I am sharing my proud black hair pictures with my QBs. Hope you guys like it as much as I do!

Under natural sunlight, you can see the real color of the hair... It's black!

I know it's a big blurry .. but I actually kinda like this picture. you can see more hair. :)

Here is a funny one... my vanity is really messy... hope you take that as a sign that I work hard on my cosmetic research!