Hi cuties,

So I've had this top coat for a while now and I wanted to do a review for you guys in case any of you were planning on getting it.  It's the Sally Hansen Big Matte top coat.

There are plenty of brands that have come out with matte top coats over the years.  I wanted to get one for myself but I didn't want to shed the money for an expensive one if I was only going to use it occasionally.  Sally Hansen came out with a "Big" line which includes this matte one and a shiny one, I believe. 


The instructions tell you to shake gentle and apply 1 coat over your dry nail colour.  They top coat goes on pretty clear but you can start to see it turn matte just seconds after applying.  It's pretty cool to watch.  It also dries fairly quickly, which was nice to find out.


(Sorry for the gross chipping nail polish)  I tested it on my thumb so you can compare the difference between the regular shiny nail and the matte thumb nail.  The finish is indeed matte both to the touch and visually.  However, I found that after a day or two of wear, it starts to fade off and become less matte the longer you keep it on your nails.  It starts to wear off into a sort of satin-finish, and then finally you can start to see it completely gone in patches on your nails.  So I would not say this is a long-wearing top coat at all.

Rating: ★★★☆☆  3/5

Overall, I'd say this isn't the best matte top coat you can find.  It's a cheaper alternative to say an OPI or Essie matte top coat, but it's also lesser in quality and doesn't stay on the nail as well, I'd assume.  However, if you don't mind painting on a fresh coat every 2-3 days or so, then I'd say go for it.

Labels: cosmetics, matte, nail polish, review, sally hansen

Hi there, cuties!

Long time no post.  Between balancing my projects and spending quality time with my boyfriend, I find myself show on blogging time.  My semester ends in about two weeks so I'll have plenty of time after that to focus on my blog!  Of course, I'm always active on social media so you know I'm not actually dead :)

So something exciting that happened last month was that I got to have Thanksgiving dinner with my boyfriend's family! It's my first time having an actual Thanksgiving with turkey and all that jazz.  I have to say, the food was amazingly delicious.  It was also my first time meeting the whole family.  They were all very nice and welcoming.



There was also a guest speaker at school that did a whole 2 hour presentation about paper...  To be honest, I was falling asleep through the whole thing (that class is from 5-9pm, okay?!)  At least we got a bunch of freebees at the end.  The thing I was most excited about was the issue of Applied Arts.  I love this magazine but it's $15 a pop!  It's definitely not one that I can afford to buy every issue of so it's always exciting when I get a free copy.


 Katsu's birthday happened and my cousin had a small gathering.  The dress code was "all black everything". Clearly I forgot my black scarf.




Something makeup related- I was running low on eyeshadow primer so I went and bought my old friend Urban Decay Primer Potion.  Ah yes, a cult favourite.  I was using Too Faced Shadow Insurance before this for a very good while, and before that, I had the old version of UDPP (you know, the one in the potion bottle with the wand).  The reason I strayed away from UDPP was because upon the first week of using it, I developed an allergic reaction to it.  My eyelids got all red and swollen, and towards the end of the week, the skin started peeling.  I was pretty sure its the primer that was doing it but being the silly girl I am, I trucked on and continued to use it because hello, this stuff is pricey (even though Sephora has a pretty darn good return policy which I wasn't aware of back then).  So after a month of using it, I guess my eyes got use to it and I no longer got reactions.

After finishing that bottle, I attempted to try TFSI because those two are the top primers in the makeup world.  I liked it.  It did it's job and it's a little more oily than UDPP which didn't help or bother me.  Now that I've finished TFSI, I repurchased UDPP to see if I would go through the whole process again.  To my surprise, no reaction!  And I have to say, after using TFSI and UDPP, it seems to me like UDPP actually makes my eyeshadows slightly more vibrant.  I noticed it with my purple shadows when I applied it all over my lid.  Maybe that's just me but I'm very happy to be back with UDPP.  And can I just say, I'm soooooo glad they changed the packaging to a squeeze tube.


Here's my Halloween costume.  I was Alice three-four years ago and I thought I'd bring it back.  Although I do wish I had kept my blonde until Halloween was over just to complete the look.


Flower cosmetics finally came to Canada.  I picked up the stick foundation in a darker shade for a on-the-go contour and the cream shadow in Orchid-ing Around.  Both products are just okay.  I wish the stick foundation came in a more cool-toned shade, and I wish the cream shadow didn't sheer out so much.  The texture is so bizarre and not what I was expecting.  I wish both products were more long lasting, even with primer and powder.


Red cups are back at Starbucks!  It's so exciting, isn't it?  Winter drinks are back which means my favourite Peppermint Mocha is back (although I'm a rebel and have been ordering it before red cups came back).  Starbucks also came out with their new holiday collection of cups and tumblers and I must say that I'm liking the designs.  I really want to pick one up but I already have one that works just fine :\  Not sure if I can justify being a new one.



The Mabelline Matte lipsticks are finally making their way to Canadian shelves!  I've been checking the drugstores every single week and it looks like Walmart are the first to carry them.  We don't have a really large selection of colours so I'm waiting it out a little longer to see if they'll restock.


Other than that, I haven't been up to much.  It's mostly just school and spending time with my boyfriend.  I seem to disappear from social media when I'm around him because I put all my focus and attention on him :) 

Oh, and I'm working on two wishlists: a makeup one and a fashion one, so look out for those coming in a couple of days!

Labels: cat, coke, cosmetics, dog, food, life, lipstick, makeup, matte, maybelline, personal, primer, starbucks

First, can we just talk about the packaging?  I've always adored the Rimmel Kate lipsticks because of their sleek and simple packaging.  Something about the simpleness of it makes it look so modern.  Especially with that slanted top.  This is something that I wouldn't mind sitting on my table top for display or in the background of a picture or something.  It's so pretty to look at.  Personally, I like the black version better, but unfortunately, the black ones aren't matte!



So, Kiss of Life is a bright red.  It leans more towards a blue-red.  It's definitely one of those colours that you put on your lips when you want to feel empowered and bold.  When I put this one, I feel like I could take on the world.  I definitely got more looks while wearing this, but that's because it's such a bright red.  It will catch anyone's eyes!

Although this is a marketed as a matte lipstick, I find that it is not completely matte at all.  There's a little bit of a sheen to it when you swatch it on your hand under some lighting.  It's more of a satin than a true matte.  With that being said, I also noticed that it's not as drying on the lips than I expected.  I have very dry lips but this held up pretty well throughout the day and I only had to reapply once after I ate a sandwich.  Of course, I conditioned my lips a couple of minutes before applying this.  To make this a true matte, and to increase the lasting power, I powdered over this with a tissue twice.  After doing so, it became a true matte red lipstick.  I don't mind this because I would've done it anyway to increase the lasting power.

The formula is pretty good because it doesn't seem to settle into or accentuate the cracks on the lips.  However, you might want to pair this with a lip liner to prevent feathering.  There's really no way around this problem with such a bright and bold colour such as this one.  I find that with any bold lip colour, lip liners are a must.

I love bold colours but one problem I have with them is that they tend to get everywhere when you're not careful.  Some might end up on your chin or magically appear on your nose halfway through the day.  When you powder over this once or twice, it locks the lipstick in place and I didn't have any problems with it transferring onto any other parts of my face.

Overall, I do enjoy this lipstick a lot and I'm tempted to try other colours from the same line.  I really love the packaging, but the one downfall is that it's not a complete matte formula.  Although, like I said, that's easily fixed with powder. 

Rating: ★★★★☆  4/5

Labels: cosmetics, lipstick, makeup, matte, review, rimmel

Hi cuties,

So I've had this top coat for a while now and I wanted to do a review for you guys in case any of you were planning on getting it.  It's the Sally Hansen Big Matte top coat.

There are plenty of brands that have come out with matte top coats over the years.  I wanted to get one for myself but I didn't want to shed the money for an expensive one if I was only going to use it occasionally.  Sally Hansen came out with a "Big" line which includes this matte one and a shiny one, I believe. 


The instructions tell you to shake gentle and apply 1 coat over your dry nail colour.  They top coat goes on pretty clear but you can start to see it turn matte just seconds after applying.  It's pretty cool to watch.  It also dries fairly quickly, which was nice to find out.


(Sorry for the gross chipping nail polish)  I tested it on my thumb so you can compare the difference between the regular shiny nail and the matte thumb nail.  The finish is indeed matte both to the touch and visually.  However, I found that after a day or two of wear, it starts to fade off and become less matte the longer you keep it on your nails.  It starts to wear off into a sort of satin-finish, and then finally you can start to see it completely gone in patches on your nails.  So I would not say this is a long-wearing top coat at all.

Rating: ★★★☆☆  3/5

Overall, I'd say this isn't the best matte top coat you can find.  It's a cheaper alternative to say an OPI or Essie matte top coat, but it's also lesser in quality and doesn't stay on the nail as well, I'd assume.  However, if you don't mind painting on a fresh coat every 2-3 days or so, then I'd say go for it.

Labels: cosmetics, matte, nail polish, review, sally hansen

Hi there, cuties!

Long time no post.  Between balancing my projects and spending quality time with my boyfriend, I find myself show on blogging time.  My semester ends in about two weeks so I'll have plenty of time after that to focus on my blog!  Of course, I'm always active on social media so you know I'm not actually dead :)

So something exciting that happened last month was that I got to have Thanksgiving dinner with my boyfriend's family! It's my first time having an actual Thanksgiving with turkey and all that jazz.  I have to say, the food was amazingly delicious.  It was also my first time meeting the whole family.  They were all very nice and welcoming.



There was also a guest speaker at school that did a whole 2 hour presentation about paper...  To be honest, I was falling asleep through the whole thing (that class is from 5-9pm, okay?!)  At least we got a bunch of freebees at the end.  The thing I was most excited about was the issue of Applied Arts.  I love this magazine but it's $15 a pop!  It's definitely not one that I can afford to buy every issue of so it's always exciting when I get a free copy.


 Katsu's birthday happened and my cousin had a small gathering.  The dress code was "all black everything". Clearly I forgot my black scarf.




Something makeup related- I was running low on eyeshadow primer so I went and bought my old friend Urban Decay Primer Potion.  Ah yes, a cult favourite.  I was using Too Faced Shadow Insurance before this for a very good while, and before that, I had the old version of UDPP (you know, the one in the potion bottle with the wand).  The reason I strayed away from UDPP was because upon the first week of using it, I developed an allergic reaction to it.  My eyelids got all red and swollen, and towards the end of the week, the skin started peeling.  I was pretty sure its the primer that was doing it but being the silly girl I am, I trucked on and continued to use it because hello, this stuff is pricey (even though Sephora has a pretty darn good return policy which I wasn't aware of back then).  So after a month of using it, I guess my eyes got use to it and I no longer got reactions.

After finishing that bottle, I attempted to try TFSI because those two are the top primers in the makeup world.  I liked it.  It did it's job and it's a little more oily than UDPP which didn't help or bother me.  Now that I've finished TFSI, I repurchased UDPP to see if I would go through the whole process again.  To my surprise, no reaction!  And I have to say, after using TFSI and UDPP, it seems to me like UDPP actually makes my eyeshadows slightly more vibrant.  I noticed it with my purple shadows when I applied it all over my lid.  Maybe that's just me but I'm very happy to be back with UDPP.  And can I just say, I'm soooooo glad they changed the packaging to a squeeze tube.


Here's my Halloween costume.  I was Alice three-four years ago and I thought I'd bring it back.  Although I do wish I had kept my blonde until Halloween was over just to complete the look.


Flower cosmetics finally came to Canada.  I picked up the stick foundation in a darker shade for a on-the-go contour and the cream shadow in Orchid-ing Around.  Both products are just okay.  I wish the stick foundation came in a more cool-toned shade, and I wish the cream shadow didn't sheer out so much.  The texture is so bizarre and not what I was expecting.  I wish both products were more long lasting, even with primer and powder.


Red cups are back at Starbucks!  It's so exciting, isn't it?  Winter drinks are back which means my favourite Peppermint Mocha is back (although I'm a rebel and have been ordering it before red cups came back).  Starbucks also came out with their new holiday collection of cups and tumblers and I must say that I'm liking the designs.  I really want to pick one up but I already have one that works just fine :\  Not sure if I can justify being a new one.



The Mabelline Matte lipsticks are finally making their way to Canadian shelves!  I've been checking the drugstores every single week and it looks like Walmart are the first to carry them.  We don't have a really large selection of colours so I'm waiting it out a little longer to see if they'll restock.


Other than that, I haven't been up to much.  It's mostly just school and spending time with my boyfriend.  I seem to disappear from social media when I'm around him because I put all my focus and attention on him :) 

Oh, and I'm working on two wishlists: a makeup one and a fashion one, so look out for those coming in a couple of days!

Labels: cat, coke, cosmetics, dog, food, life, lipstick, makeup, matte, maybelline, personal, primer, starbucks

First, can we just talk about the packaging?  I've always adored the Rimmel Kate lipsticks because of their sleek and simple packaging.  Something about the simpleness of it makes it look so modern.  Especially with that slanted top.  This is something that I wouldn't mind sitting on my table top for display or in the background of a picture or something.  It's so pretty to look at.  Personally, I like the black version better, but unfortunately, the black ones aren't matte!



So, Kiss of Life is a bright red.  It leans more towards a blue-red.  It's definitely one of those colours that you put on your lips when you want to feel empowered and bold.  When I put this one, I feel like I could take on the world.  I definitely got more looks while wearing this, but that's because it's such a bright red.  It will catch anyone's eyes!

Although this is a marketed as a matte lipstick, I find that it is not completely matte at all.  There's a little bit of a sheen to it when you swatch it on your hand under some lighting.  It's more of a satin than a true matte.  With that being said, I also noticed that it's not as drying on the lips than I expected.  I have very dry lips but this held up pretty well throughout the day and I only had to reapply once after I ate a sandwich.  Of course, I conditioned my lips a couple of minutes before applying this.  To make this a true matte, and to increase the lasting power, I powdered over this with a tissue twice.  After doing so, it became a true matte red lipstick.  I don't mind this because I would've done it anyway to increase the lasting power.

The formula is pretty good because it doesn't seem to settle into or accentuate the cracks on the lips.  However, you might want to pair this with a lip liner to prevent feathering.  There's really no way around this problem with such a bright and bold colour such as this one.  I find that with any bold lip colour, lip liners are a must.

I love bold colours but one problem I have with them is that they tend to get everywhere when you're not careful.  Some might end up on your chin or magically appear on your nose halfway through the day.  When you powder over this once or twice, it locks the lipstick in place and I didn't have any problems with it transferring onto any other parts of my face.

Overall, I do enjoy this lipstick a lot and I'm tempted to try other colours from the same line.  I really love the packaging, but the one downfall is that it's not a complete matte formula.  Although, like I said, that's easily fixed with powder. 

Rating: ★★★★☆  4/5

Labels: cosmetics, lipstick, makeup, matte, review, rimmel

UserName: Hyokii
Age: 23
Birthday: January 22
Location: Toronto, Canada.
Sign: Aquarius Sun, Gemini Moon, Aries Rising

Who are you?
I'm just an average girl studying graphic design in my hometown Toronto. I'm nothing special but I like to blog and document my findings :) I'm really into astrology so come and tell me your sign!

What do you blog about?
Mostly just about my life and occasional beauty hauls and product reviews.

What does 'babo gongju' mean?
It's Korean for 'stupid princess'.

Boyfriend?
Yes! He does Muay Thai and he's a Virgo.

Tell me about your skin type!
I have extremely dry dehydrated skin and really dry/flaky lips. Light; yellow with neutral leaning cool undertone. Currently wearing NARS Sheer Glow in Gobi.

Reviews:
Tonymoly Cats Wink Smooth Primer
Etude House Goodbye Pore Ever Primer
Skin Food Choco Smoky Eye Palette
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Shine Deep Treatment
Real Techniques Core Collection Brush Set
Etude House Golden Ratio Contour Maker
Skin Food Coffee Creamy Sheer Lipstick (PP701 Plum Wine)
Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil (Moisture)
Skin Food Bath Salt (Peppermint)
Etude House Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Blusher
Skin Food Red Orange Makeup Finish (Matte Type)
Tonymoly Cat Chu Wink Tony Tint (Cherry Pink)
Etude House Etoinette Crystal Shine Lip Lipstick (PPK001 & PPK003)
Etude House Etoinette Brush Collection
The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Special Set
The Face Shop Cotton Pads
The Face Shop Face It 07 Quick Top Coat
The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Design My Eyebrow (01 Gray Brown)
The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Style My Eyebrow (01 Gray Brown)
The Face Shop Face It Designing Cake Eyebrow (01 Khaki Grey)
Etude House Dear My Blooming Eyes (OR203 Mesmerizing Orange)
Nicole by O.P.I. Nail Polish (Iceberg Lotus)
The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Aloe Vera
The Face Shop Face It Styling Auto Gel Liner (01 Edgy Black)
The Face Shop Floral Water Mist
The Face Shop Mild Papaya Peeling Gel
Kat Von D Spellbinding Eyeshadow Book
Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick By Kate Moss (111 Kiss Of Life)
Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick By Kate Moss (102)
Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat
Witchcraft Mini+Cures Set
Maybelline Volum’ Express The Colossal Smoky Eyes Mascara
Nicole by O.P.I. Quick Dry Top Coat
Essence Kalinka Beauty 01 Babushka Me Lip Brush
Maybelline Volum’Express The Rocket Waterproof Mascara
Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama Eyeliner in Midnight Master
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light
Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory

Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer (sample)
Etude House Mal;Gem All In One Emulsion (sample)
Etude House Mal;Gem Smoother Toner (sample)
Etude House Sun Prise Super Aqua SPF45/PA+++ (sample)
Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream SPF30/PA++ (sample)
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Firming Eye Cream (sample)
Skin Food Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream SPF45/PA+++ (sample)
Skin Food Agave Cactus Emulsion (sample)
The Face Shop Chia Seed Moisture-Holding Seed Cream(sample)
The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Toner(sample)
The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Lotion(sample)
Updated The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Toner & Lotion (full size)
The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Facial Butter(sample fullsize)
The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Black Head Aloe Nose Strip(sample)
The Face Shop Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam Acerola (sample)
The Face Shop White Secret Whitening Body Essence (sample)


Tutorials & Tips:
How I Contour My Face
Tips On How To Drink More Water
2013 Summer/Fall Wish List
My Current Everyday Makeup Tutorial

Most Common:
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Personal
Food
Tips & Tutorials
Fashion
Haul

Brands:
★ Etude House
★ EOS
★ Forever21
★ Garage
★ Guess
★ Hada Labo
★ H&M
★ My Beauty Diary
★ Nicole by O.P.I.
★ Skin Food
★ Smashbook
★ Starbucks
★ The Face Shop
★ Tony Moly

Jin

. Put a lock on Seoul’s Namsan Tower's fence
. Visit the beach; any beach (063011)
. Party hard
. Starbucks date (072310)
. Learn to drive
. Star gaze (062812)
. Road trip (Summer`09)
. Be loved
. Visit South Korea
. Wedding; anyone's wedding (10.13.13)
. Be happy
. Bake cupcakes from scratch (04.06.10)
. Ride a motorcycle (08.21.14)
. Get my first tattoo
. Kiss in the rain
. Pull an all nighter
. Belly button piercing (02.19.14)
. Disney world/land
. Anime North
. Cosplay Rin
. Cosplay X-23
. Princess Cafe date (12.10.12)
. VVIP album(02.20.11)
. Visit Hong Kong again
. Graduate university
. Paris

to be continued...

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