curiouslycarmen, Author at Curiously Carmen

Stila fall 2015 Media Preview Event

August 13, 2015

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Stila Fall/Winter 2015 media preview event at the beautiful Rosewood Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver. I also got to meet Sarah Lucero, Stila’s Global Executive Director of Creative Artistry, as she led us through the beautiful array of products.

Sarah, pictured above, went through all of Stila’s new releases in great detail. We were left in awe and excited with all the new products to come.

Also, can we please take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous the lettering is on the fireplace mantle?! I have a separate picture that I posted on my Instagram, I loved the lettering so much!
Starting off with the ‘perfectly poreless’ collection, Stila’s new putty protector is a bouncy, gel-based foundation and available in 5 shades. It combines a pressed powder and cream foundation into one product that you are able to bring on the go. I like how lightweight this foundation feels upon putting it on your skin.

In the middle, is the new Stila brush that is also compact and easy to carry around. Sarah told us that this brush is best used for buffing or blending, and I definitely see why as the brush felt very sturdy and concentrated (I hope that makes sense?!) but still very soft!

The product on the left is the Stila bronzer, from their Stay All Day line (I have a review on their Stay All Day felt liner here). It is a perfect bronzer to use to achieve that tan, healthy glow! I also adore the details and printing on the bronzer itself.

The next line we were introduced to was the ‘Got Inked’, and quite possibly my favourite new product from them! This is a calligraphy ink cushion eyeliner – I’ve never seen a cushion eyeliner before!

You can see on the bottom picture that it is a sponge-y material. Dipping your liner brush into this pot will reveal strikingly rich, deep, and long-lasting colour. I played with this product for a bit and really liked the concept!

The Got Inked cushion eyeliner comes in four beautiful metallic shades, and two matte shades.
Next, Sarah talked to us about Stila’s new Extreme Lash line. It includes a light brown primer, which Sarah explained that it makes it easy to apply than your normal white primer.

I’ve used white lash primer before, only to have to put on many extra coats of regular mascara to hide the white. You do not need to use as much regular mascara by having a darker colour primer!

Last but not least, Sarah guided us throughout the new holiday gift set collection! There are four different gift sets available from Stila this holiday season, all pictured above.

I had a lovely time learning about all of Stila’s different products, and am very excited to try the products out for myself! Keep your eyes posted for reviews in the upcoming months =)

Which product are you most excited for?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press samples featured, opinions are my own.

Bliss Fabulous Makeup Melt- Gel to Oil Cleanser

August 11, 2015

Once in awhile, you come across certain beauty products that you just can’t stop thinking about.

Enter Bliss’s Fabulous Makeup Melt!

We had a bit of a rocky start and I initially didn’t like it. However, after giving this product a second try and carefully reading the fine print on the packaging, I was blown away at the effectiveness of this cleanser.
As the package states, the Bliss fabulous makeup melt is a gel to oil cleanser. Initially, the cleanser comes out of the tube in a clear, gel form. As you massage this into your pores, the gel slowly turns slightly thicker and into an oil.

From wearing a full face of makeup, this cleanser easily melted away even my toughest foundation & primer regime (Hello, Urban Decay!). The result was moisturized, fresh, and soft skin that lasted until the next day.

In fact, while studying for my final, I was subconsciously touching my face and wondering why it was so soft that afternoon. Could it be the study gods, rewarding me for studying? It wasn’t until a few hours later when it hit me. The only difference in my skin care that day was introducing this amazing cleanser!
Initially, I had applied this cleanser on wet skin as I usually do. What resulted was a cleanser that did not bind and pull off my makeup, but instead smeared my eyeliner in a slightly horrific manner.

I’m really glad that I gave this product a second chance and that I read the instructions properly. Apply this on dry skin, everyone!

A disappointing start with a happy ending. I can definitely see myself incorporating this cleanser into my routine, especially if I have a full makeup face on.

This product effortlessly lifts my makeup off, revealing skin so soft I didn’t even recognize it as my own!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Anna Sui Nail Colour Review

August 9, 2015

Hi readers!

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a media preview event for ACI Cosmetics, one of Canada’s biggest beauty distributors. I was able to learn about many of the different brands they work with and brought home some gifts to try out! One of these products was Anna Sui’s nail polish in N800 – lemon yellow.

At the event, we were told that Anna Sui had completely redesigned and repacked her nail polish bottles, replacing the original design for a beautiful, delicate bird and an elegant ballgown-esque bottle.

This nail polish sells for $15 CA at The Bay. I think it is a good price for the detailing and quality of the product, as I will mention below. It would also make a great gift as the packaging and design is so beautiful! I would want to display this nail polish instead of putting it in my nail polish box – that’s how in love I am with the packaging! 😉

Here is a picture from 2011 I found on prettybeautiful.net with the old packaging. Some bloggers that attended the event with me actually preferred the old design, but I think both designs are very intricate and unique.

Since I have been cooped up writing final papers and studying for finals, I thought that this keyboard background would be very suitable for my current situation. I’ve probably seen my laptop more than I’ve seen people this week, sigh!

The colour goes on pretty light, I used three coats of this polish to achieve the look above. The polish was quick drying and gives off a healthy, strong shine when it is dried. I love how smooth this polish feels as well!

My favourite part of this polish would be the scent. While I was applying this, I thought I smelled some sort of lemon scent but thought maybe someone used an air freshener?

Nope, it was actually the polish and my nails still smell wonderful twelve hours later! The N800 has a nice, soft lemon scent to it but I’ve heard her other polishes smell like rose and lychee! Again, their attention to the minor details do not cease to amaze me.

Before I end this post, here is a picture of all the new Anna Sui nail polishes from the event. There are so many new shades, I see my N800 on the bottom tray near the back!

The ACI media preview event was my first introduction to Anna Sui products, although I have seen them in stores before. I’m really glad that I was able to learn a lot about the products that day, and it has quickly become a brand that is reputable for me.

Stay tuned for a post on the ACI media preview event! I’m really excited to write that post, but it is longer to write, so I’ll be doing that once my exams are over.

Have you tried Anna Sui nail polishes before? What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Cattle Cafe (Metrotown) – DIY Soup Noodle Combo!

August 4, 2015

Hi everyone!

I don’t know about you… but I find the restaurants inside Metrotown to not be appealing or delicious. Which is why whenever we go to Metrotown and want to have dinner nearby, we like to eat across the street at Cattle Cafe.

I was quite sad when Cattle Cafe closed down for awhile, but I’m really glad they re-opened two stores down from their original location. Whenever I’m craving the Asian style DIY noodle combo, Cattle Cafe is one of my go-to places as I’ve said in my previous post on the super stingy/cheap Duotian Fish Soup Noodles restaurant.

I almost always order the DIY soup noodle combo, which comes with a drink. You can get a cold drink for an extra .50 cents. That day, I ordered the hot almond milk as usual. The almond milk here comes pretty sweet, you can definitely tasted the condensed milk. I love the familiarity and comfort of Chinese style almond milk.

The boyfriend ordered an iced milk tea. It had a strong and authentic milk tea flavour, definitely one of the better places to order a milk tea!

I absolutely love their french toast and even though I know I will feel horribly and uncomfortably stuffed because of over-ordering, I will still eat this because of how good it is.

I love how they cut it up into small sections for you already. Not only does it make it easier to eat, but I find that you get to taste more of the outer, crispy filling as opposed to the middle piece that tastes just like bread and custard.

It came with a generous amount of custard inside, unlike Duotian (I’m still a bit bitter about how cheap and stingy they are!) and just enough syrup.

I always order the same soup no matter where I go! Century egg and parsely soup, with vermicelli noodles and beef/fish balls.

The broth is deliciously creamy and flavourful, meanwhile there is an abundance of ingredients on top.

Oh yeah! I just remembered that when both of our noodles came, mine had a lot less soup. I asked the server if I could have a bit extra since I like my noodles with a lot of soup, and she was really nice about it. I was a bit scared to ask at first because y’all know that a lot of Asian restaurants are notorious for being stingy and unwilling to compromise with customers…. LOL
The boyfriend ordered the peanut chili soup with Japanese BBQ pork and beef balls. Compared to the broth at Deer Garden, he said that the peanut taste here was a lot lighter and he was disappointed. Keep in mind though, he loves peanut butter to death and always spreads 4X the regular amount on his toast LOL.

I don’t like peanut butter as much as he does, so I liked the taste of it his broth. Any more peanut flavour and it would have been overwhelming for people who aren’t die-hard peanut butter lovers =P

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A big bowl of warm, filling noodles and some fresh french toast after, we were both very stuffed and satisfied with our meal. I always have a hard time walking out of here because I get so full after LOL! Cattle Cafe is always consistent, and I can always rely on this place to curb my soup noodle craving. It’s a great place to go for soup noodles, and I love how they have friendly service as well.

What is your ‘go-to’ noodle combo?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

July 2015 Favourites

July 30, 2015

Hi everyone!

I can’t believe July has passed by with the blink of an eye (Hehe, I rhyme)! I haven’t compiled a list of some of my favourite products for awhile, so figured I would do that. I’ve been pretty busy this month and haven’t been posting as much as I would like, but am trying to get more content up for all of you wonderful readers to read!

I’m always raving about my favourite eyeliner, the Kat Von D tattoo liner ever since I’ve started this blog. Unfortunately, I misplaced my KVD liner a few weeks ago amidst bringing it in different purses, applying makeup in the car, etc.

I’m certain that it will reappear one of these days although I have checked the most common places I misplace my items! Instead of spending another $25 on it, I decided to try L’oreal’s lineur intense felt tip liquid eyeliner in the meantime as a cheaper alternative.

This is the first drugstore liquid liner I’ve used for a few years now, but I am quite impressed with it. I bought it in the shade carbon black, and I love how dark the shade is. I prefer felt tip instead of brush tip, and I find this felt tip really easy to work with!

Because of the felt tip and shade, it’s very versatile and you can wear it every occasion. You can tightline for a natural look, or you can choose to wing it out for a more noticeable look!

My mom had purchased Softsoap‘s body wash in sweet honeysuckle & orange peel,and I decided to give it a try one day!

I love this soap because it lathers very well, a little does go a long way! However, the reason why this product is on my favourites list is because I am absolutely in LOVE with the scent! I’ve never tried a honeysuckle and orange peel scent before, and let me tell you… it smells wonderful!

While we are on the topic of soap, I was also introduced to Caprina’s goat milk soap. The boyfriend was suffering from really dry skin from the harsh winter climate. He said that goat’s milk soap improve their skin greatly, so I decided to give it a try too!

I noticed that compared to regular bar soap, this soap is a lot more milkier and creamier. It definitely feels a lot more moisturizing than regular bar soap! Since I don’t have dry skin, I can’t tell you if it made my skin less dry… but I do enjoy using this soap, it cleans well and smells wonderful too!

I also purchased a new pair of glasses since my old ones were getting a bit scratched up and Clearly Contacts has having a promotion. Out of the two pairs, I really liked the Derek Cardigan glasses in 7037 olive.

They are very lightweight, comfortable, and stylish! I really like the design of these and have been wearing them quite often since I got them!
Veering off beauty products now, this is really random but I just have to share it with you as this is an absolute lifesaver! Mopiko ointment is normally used in Asian households for mosquito bites. I’ve been using this ever since I was a child! I am prone to getting nasty, swollen mosquito bites, I am probably allergic to something in those annoying mosquitoes.

Whenever my bites begin to itch, I apply Mopiko and the itch literally goes away in 5 seconds. A cooling, breezy, minty feeling takes over the itch and it feels really relieving. I’ve tried many bug ointments in my life, but I always end up going back to Mopiko because it works the best for me!
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That’s it to my July 2015 favourites!

What are some of your current favourites? Doesn’t have to be beauty related!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen