Mini Haul: Macy's

I can't wait for cooler weather! Jewel tones, tights, fluffy socks, cozy knitted sweaters, hot cocoa... all those lovely, quintessential fall/winter staples. That's why, when my mom had to go to Macy's, I tagged along, determined to do at least a little damage to my wallet in the pursuit of something autumn-y. I was not disappointed.

Knee socks (particularly in argyle) look so British. I no longer despise England, of course, after researching my family tree and discovering that I am, in fact, part English, but sometimes it's difficult to reconcile former contempt with present acceptance. I love the luxurious color of the deep burgundy/eggplant socks, and the argyle socks look preppy and crisp.
I also picked up a Shiseido concealer. I would normally never even consider buying such expensive cosmetics, but my sister wanted to use up the balance on her Macy's card and thus I justified the purchase to myself. It is divinely creamy and blends like a dream! High-end products are so different from drugstore brands (with an exception in the case of mascara).

Anyways, thank you for reading~
xoxo
Sunny

Review: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush + Swatches

I just realized, that with my purchase of the Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam, I now own all three products in that mini line. D: I guess it's just all the awesome textures! I mean, how can you resist something called 'Airfoam'? It sounds like that foamy bubble solution I played with as a kid! And this blush is just... Oh my gosh.
So, I got the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 05 Fresh Pink. And, let me tell you, this stuff is amazing. It's squishy, and bouncy... sort of like Play Doh, really. I've actually had this blush since April, so please forgive the messiness of the pan.

Price: I got this at Target for around $6, I believe.

Description: The Dream Bouncy Blush is available in 10 shades. According to the website:

• Revolutionary gel formula provides a new bouncy texture
• Lightweight like a powder, yet melts seamlessly into skin like a cream
• Natural sheer wash of color that is buildable for greater color intensity
• Dermatologist tested, allergy tested
• Non comedogenic

05 Fresh Pink is a really pretty color- it's like a super dolly, bubblegum pink, but it becomes a lot warmer when it's blended out. The texture is certainly fun! If you gently tap it, it does bounce back (though it won't if you press hard). It is an odd fusion of cream/gel/powder, and it's definitely unique. I really like it!

Packaging: Just a simple snap compact with a clear lid. Due to the nature of the blush, it does get messy, but it's hard to think of a type of packaging that wouldn't. It's sturdy enough that I"m not afraid of dropping it.

I had to swipe this like four times

Blended out

 This is pretty much the only blush I wear now, since it's so fun to play with an adorable color and really does melt into your skin.

Would I buy this again? Yes! I'm already eyeing 30 Candy Coral and 70 Hot Tamale.

Also, my iPod is officially adorable. I put my little Donutella charm on, to match the delicious pink Daiso... Goodness, what do you call them? Headphones? Earphones?

Thank you for reading! xoxo
--Sunny

Gems: San Francisco

San Francisco is full of surprises. Moraga Steps is certainly my favorite so far- happening across these beautifully mosaiced steps was delightful. That was years ago, but I always forget they're there, and am always surprised anew by the artistic brilliance behind them. The bright colors and mirrored portions were impossible to capture in the overly bright and dull light, but be assured that these steps are singularly splendid.

Be warned, however, that the wind will certainly take liberties with your hair.

After walking all over and running wild on the sand dunes at the beach, we visited Golden Era. Pricey, and not quite as good as Garden Fresh, but nonetheless delicious. I am particularly fond of the Vietnamise halo halo, made with coconut ice, green vermicelli, strips of jackfruit, and sweetened azuki beans, topped with chopped peanuts. Another standout was the young coconut drink- essentially coconut water with silky soft squares of sweet coconut flesh. The "drumsticks" were delightful as well, and even included a strip of bamboo in place of a bone to make them more authentic. The veggie "beef" with broccoli was quite tasty, and though I didn't try any spring rolls I have been assured that they were divine. I have such a weakness for Asian cuisine, and it's often quite difficult to find it 'clean' vegetarian or vegan. Golden Era and Garden Fresh have really stood out in that regard, and even devoted meat-eaters grudgingly admit that their food is delicious. 

Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day.
--Sunny

Haul: Target + Daiso and FOTD

Hello! Terribly sorry, I haven't blogged in forever. My life has been quite uneventful lately, and thus today's post will just be a quick haul. I rarely go to Target, but when I do I always pick up something nice! As for Daiso... I don't think it's possible to go there and not buy anything! ^ ^"

Absolutely adorable earbuds from Daiso

Peach green tea from Daiso (it's really good!)

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam foundation in 200 Creamy Natural

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette moisturizing shampoo

 I've been eyeing both the shampoo and the foundation for a very long time, so I finally caved and bought them. Expect reviews soon!

And here's a little FOTD I did with my 88 palette. You can see why hooded eyelids are annoying! Anyone with hooded eyelids has to shade all the way up to the browbone for any shadow to be visible once their eyes are open. -_- Forget all that gorgeous crease work- it's totally useless! (Yes, I do have a very odd bone structure).

Thank you for reading~
xoxo Sunny

Review: Tokidoki Love From London Palette + Swatches

As with the Airways Palette, the Love From London palette was marked down from $42. However, this retailed at $25 rather than $19, I suppose because the Olympics give people more incentive to purchase English-y sorts of things. This is also Sephora exclusive and limited edition, I believe.

Aww! You can see the characters on the lid from the front and the back!

Packaging: Needless to say, ADORABLE. All the flags, the red telephone box, the iconic Tokidoki personages, and the bright colors just give this so much character. It's made out of the typical thick, stiff cardboard, so it's reasonably sturdy, and although not becoming of a $42 palette, it's fine for a $25 palette. The little Mozarella keychain with the hat and rifle is just too cuteeee!

Sloane Square (matte soft pink)
Baker Street (matte nude)
King’s Road (shimmery nude)
Park Lane (matte pale yellow)
Berwick Street (iridescent brown)
The Strand (shimmery blue sky)
Savile Row (pearlized brown)
Carnaby Street (shimmery royal blue)
Parliament Square (supposedly a bronzer, but waaay too pink. Definitely a blush)

Shadows: Silky, minimal fallout, and they just glide on. There's a variety of shimmery and matte, colorful and neutral shadows, but they all work together, which makes it a great palette. Again, the shimmery ones are shimmery and not gritty or glittery. The sole glittery one (Berwick Street) has little to no fallout. They are all just gorgeous! Park Lane and Sloane Square are a little disappointing in terms of pigmentation, but Carnaby Street is so ridiculous it more than makes up for that.

~~~

Swatches! No primer- just bare skin and two swipes of shadow, applied with fingers. My camera loathes swatches, as you can probably tell.

Left to right: Sloane Square, Baker Street, King's Road, Park Lane, Berwick Street, The Strand, Saville Row, Carnaby Street, Parliament Square

My favorite of the lot is definitely Berwick Street (although I love Carnaby Street too!). The photos don't do it any justice- it's a warm brown with a vague green duochrome and blue glitter. It looks fantastic and really quite unique in actuality. Parliament Square makes a lovely blush as well (what were they thinking when they called it a bronzer?).

Verdict: Definitely a hit. I love almost all of the colors!
---Sunny

Anyone Can Be A Baker and Icing Roses

Shockingly enough, I'm not bad at baking. Thus, I am of the firm opinion that anyone can be a good cook (in my mind, baking = cooking). There are far too many people who are too lazy to learn how to cook, and try to hide that laziness by saying, 'Oh, I'm so bad at it. I really can't cook'.

Proof: I am way too impatient in the kitchen. I hate measuring. I sight-measure just about everything, and I toss in random things that the recipe might or might not call for (unless my little sister is there to stop me). The other day, I was too lazy to find a recipe for apple pie. So I made it up as I went along. That sounds dangerous, but it's actually quite easy and turned out well. I tossed sliced apples in a pot with water, arrowroot powder, lemon juice and sugar (of course, not measuring a thing -_-), and boiled the mixture until it was quite thick. Then I poured it into a vegan pie shell and baked it for 20 minutes. After it was chilled, it was super tasty, and the jello-y texture was very nice with the apple flavor.
Et voila! Oh, and it was vegan too. I also can't stand people who say that it's impossible to make some things vegan. AHFKGDSDJ DEAR GOD. The ridiculousness of that accusation is just... ugh. There are vegan souffles and vegan 'meat'. Jeez. ="=
Aaanyways. Here's some cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread I made a while ago (vegan! And is it falling apart or burned or anything? NO).

Also, my dad's coworkers commissioned an almond cake from my sister and I, so we spent half the day baking, icing and decorating.

Forgive the uneven lettering- my hands were super shaky at that point! It's a double layered cake filled with almond buttercream and sliced almonds. It was a pain to set every single almond slice on the sides, but we managed, somehow. Also- FROSTING IS EVIL. We had to wash everything with shampoo to get it out.