Discount Makeup and Cosmetics

This is rather time sensitive. I happened to visit Harmon Face Value yesterday because I wanted to pick up Revlon ColorStay foundation. Before I even reach the Revlon section, I quickly spotted some great discounts on NYX products they are having this week in the store. I also brought my SECRET WEAPON, Bed Bath and Beyond COUPONS. I used to think Buy One Get 2nd 50% off is big at those drugstores (CVS or Walgreen, their original prices are generally higher than Walmart and Harmon), until I discovered the power of BBB coupons. I always carry them in my purse. You can't go wrong with these coupons, you can use them at Harmon and in multiples as well (they even take expired ones, this is in Jersey and I am not sure about other states). I had 10 of the 20% off per item coupons and 1 of the $5 off from $15 purchase. As far as I know, Harmon has the lowest prices on makeup and cosmetics. Although Walmart should have somewhat close prices, but you can't beat the coupon value (unless they are having clearancs or super sale at other stores). Most importantly, I think Harmon is the only local store that sells NYX products and I am able to sample some. After all, the saving could be bigger than buying from NYX site with pro discount. I certainly took the advantage of it. The only drawback is that Harmon does not carry all the colors, nor the Round Lipstick (only BLL).

Here are the fabulous purchases I made with these marvelous coupons.

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NYX Products (Jumbo pencil is on sale also, but I already have good amount of them)

Black Label Lipsticks
$7.29 (on sale for $4.74 with 35% off + my 20% off coupon)
Final cost $3.79

BLL105 Cherry
BLL106 Peachy
BLL108 Dusty Rose
BLL114 Diva
BLL117 Earthy

Lipliner Pencil
$3.50 each and I bought 5 of them (used $5 off BBB coupon)
Final cost $12.50 for 5 and $2.5 each

803 Burgundy
809 Mahogany
810 Natural
813 Plush Red
817 Hot Red
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Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad
$4.69 (used 20% off coupon)
Final cost $3.75

04Q Charcoal Smokes
06Q Amethyst Smokes

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Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter
$5.79 (used 20% off coupon)
Final cost $4.63

025 Peach Parfait

I immediately wanted to try this color, when I saw the ad in Glamour magazine. It just look so springy and lovely on Emma Stone.

Emma Stone with Peach Parfait

Me with Peach Parfait

The color is a warm peach almost coral shade with a bit of golden shimmer. I love it on Emma Stone, but still had doubts in my mind if it will look good on me (I usually don't go for the color that has orange tone in it). Surprisingly, it looks very flattering on me but nothing like how Emma looks in the ad. My lips tend to be pigmented sometimes (depends on the weather and mood lol), I think that is why the redness of my lips tone down the orangy color. I think this is going to be my everyday lipstick for now on, but I still want to try something more peachy like the ad shows. Maybe Tutti Frutti?

PS. I do have a small complaint about the packaging. Color coordinated casing is GREAT, but the bottom part of lipstick is rather tiny for me to have a better grip when pulling out the lipstick. I don't know if it's just me, but I do not have enormous hands.

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Revlon ColorStay Foundation
$9.79 (used 20% off coupon)
Final cost $7.83

200 Nude
240 Medium Beige

I have read a lot of great reviews about this product, people claim that it is the perfect dupe for Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation. I was certainly happy with my MUFE (my best choice for a flawless look so far), but thinking it doesn't hurt to try the another product and not to mention the price is only less than a 1/4 of what MUFE cost.

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Enjoy shopping, but don't break your bank!!

Making your own Swarovski Crystal Shoes

Women scream over shoes and never have enough shoes. There is always that extra pair of shoes you want to own. But, have you ever thought about owning a pair of shoes that is made just for you? I started searching for ideas from Youtube since I decided to pimp up my wedding shoes (didn't want to go with the ordinary ivory/white bridal shoes). First, I ordered the authentic Swarovski crystals. I bought them in the bulk package (1440pcs/pack). I think it cost me around $55-70 a pack, depends on the sizes. You will need the smaller size one to fill in some weird spot. I ordered total 2 packs of SS16 and 2 packs of SS12 in Light Amethyst (my wedding theme color is purple). It's easier to go with bigger crystals and you would need less, but the surface would be more flawless with smaller sizes one and of course you will need more crystals. I ended up using around 3500-4000pcs crystal in mixed of two sizes.

Authentic Swarovski Flat Back Crystal (bulk pack)

Loose Swarovski crystal from the bulk pack
(Light Amethyst)

I also ordered all the necessary tools to make this whole thing happen. There are craft glue, tweezers, crystals holder, tacky stick, syringe and of course, a pair of shoes (I would prefer a pair of new one since you are going to spend a good amount of $$ to "strass" them. I got mine for $49, 2 3/4" heels and super comfortable.). Unless you got a pair of old Christian Louboutin, that is a different story.

Getting ready with all the necessary tools

I started from the top and glue the crystals one by one along the rim. Once you start it, you really don't want to stop until you finish the glue from syringe (the tip will dry up if you don't use it in a day). It took me around 4 hours to go through one syringe filled with glue. You will need A LOT OF patience for this project, but trust me, you will LOVE LOVE the result.

Sometimes you will find that it's hard to fill the tiny space (unless you have all different sizes of crystal). It's okay to overlap the crystals a little or even just leave it as it is. When I just started, I was all about getting it perfect and it took extra time. In reality, people will not able to see the minor flaws from above (even up close sometimes because of the BLING that blinds them :D). You will get a hang of it after couple hours of gluing, so the 2nd shoe usually comes out better. Again, you really can't see the differences. This pair took me around total of 25 hours to finish.

Finished

**Bling**

 I wore them for my engagement photo shoot, as well as the wedding day.

Engagement photo with Swarovski
 Crystal Shoes

Wedding day with Swarovski Crystal Shoes

I received tons of compliments from the guests on my wedding day. They sparkle like diamonds at night, on the dance floor. Most of people asked where I bought my pretty shoes and their jaws just drop when you say "you can't buy them, it's handmade by myself". I have to say I got enough patience for this is all because it's for my wedding day. Maybe I will make another pair just for fun one day.

Happy crafting~

Kardashian Kolors Spring Collection

The famous Kardashian Kolors Holiday Collection launched on November 25th, 2011. I have been busy with my wedding preparation and couldn't have time to get my hands on them. Not to mention, all the good colors were sold out most of time. If I wanted them badly, I could have ordered them online from like Amazon, for over 10 bucks. I didn't think it was all that necessary. I recently just spotted the colors I want at Walmart and of course, they have the best prices on cosmetics (comparable to Harmons). I quickly grabbed Kim-Pletely in Love and Wear Something Spar-Kylie. In terms of other colors, I already have something similar, so I gently gave them the "passed" for NOW.

Kardashian family certainly knows their business strategy and quickly launched their Spring 2012 Collection in store February 2012 to keep the good momentum. Nicole by OPI announces seven new Kardashian Kolor shades this time to be exclusively sold at CVS.



Kardashian Kolors Spring 2012 Collection

I recently just purchased One Big Happy Fame-ily (I love purple nail polish). Although I do like other colors from the collection as well, but I don't plan to own every single one of them. It's still on the pricey side for me to spend on a nail polish, I would prefer to stay under $5 range . As for the seasonal colors, I would be even happier to spend under $3.

I am always the fan of shiny and glittery color nail polish. It looks like a cream based purple color from the bottle, but it's actually a shimmery lavender (just enough shine). It goes on smoothly and sheerly, so you do need 3 thin coats from this color to have your nails completely covered (I think some of other colors need only 2 coats)



One Big Happy Fame-ily

with two coats



with three coats

Overall, this color looks really nice on fair skin color (which is what I have). It stays on nicely for a good week (with base and top coat). I also picked up couple other Revlon spring colors that I will do swatch and review soon.

Happy reading!!

Spinach Penne with Lobster, Shrimp and Bacon

This is probably one of my favorite pasta dish. Who doesn't love it? It has BACON in it. The recipe is originally from the Food Network courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (my favorite celebrity chef), but I tweaked it to fit our tastes. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Total Time: 50 min (this is not gonna happen the first time you are cooking this)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• One 4-ounce lobster tails
• 1 pound spinach penne pasta
• Half pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• One 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes (you can utilize the one that already has basil, garlic and oregano to give more flavor)
• 3/4 cup clam juice (I sometimes skip it if I don't have it in my pantry, no biggie, just use vegetable stock)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (can be substituted by low fat milk, but the sauce will be less creamy)
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil (I used the dried herb since my herb garden is not alive during the winter time here on east coast)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobster tail and cook until they begin to curl, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, remove the lobster tail and set aside until cool enough to handle. Add the pasta to the boiling water (I used the water from cooking that lobster tail) and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and place in a large serving bowl.

Using kitchen scissors or a heavy knife, cut along the underside of the lobster tails and remove the meat. Chop the meat into 3/4-inch chunks. Set aside. (please don't cut yourself)

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.

In the same skillet, add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes (and juices), clam juice, cream, 1/2 cup basil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the lobster and bacon. Simmer until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour the tomato mixture over the cooked pasta and toss until coated. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup basil and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy cooking!!

The new beginning

Welcome to Beautiful Living, where I share my passion for living a beautiful life.

About me
As my wedding planning winds down, I just realized how much I have learned through the process. It all started with my fiance's unique taste and high standard (well, I am sorta a perfectionist myself). We looked all over the web to find that perfect wedding invitation, but nothing suits our taste (bilingual + Asian flair). I did find couple sites that offer bilingual printing and it's super pricey, not to mention the design is not even what I was looking for. After all my searches have failed, I decided to become crafty and make it myself. One thing leads to another, I started making pretty much EVERYTHING for my upcoming wedding (except the reception food, gowns and suits). I couldn't stop myself from taking new and beautiful ideas  I came across online or something I saw on the street randomly that ignited my creativity. I certainly enjoyed of making those beautiful things. I even got into the makeup field, simply because I couldn't find a good and available MUA in my area for my wedding day. I have realized how many beautiful things can be created by my two hands if I am willing to learn. I want to continue to explore. 

About my blog
I share my love of beauty/fashion, cooking (food and wine) and crafting on this blog. Hopefully, people can be inspired by my personal experiences and find the way to create their own beautiful living. The projects are not that difficult as you think but they truly can become the beautiful touches to your life. Perhaps I can learn something from you as well. Let's share the secrets of Beautiful Living.

Happy reading!!