saaammage

Personal Life Post: Meet Baby Ayva (=

2012-02-11T19:08:00.010-05:00

I know I know...

This is the post a lot of you have been waiting on the edge of your seats for!

May I formally introduce.. my precious little babygirl, Ayva Snow!

Born: January 28th 2012, Saturday - 8:38AM

5lbs, 4 0z & 19inches long.

She is exactly two weeks old today :)

Currently 20 inches & 5lbs 9 oz.

Daddy's nose and chin, mommy's eyes, lips, ears & body.

Barely cries, sleeps all day.. except for 3 hours around 8AM everyday :P

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So.. labor & delivery wise.

STORY TIME!!

I was induced on the 27th (friday).. the day of my 38 week doctor appt.

Ayva was still measuring small on the ultrasounds... (around 35 week size) so my doctor believed it would be better to get her out so she can grow outside of my tummy since she was so squished. She wasn't in distress or anything, just smaller than what they'd like.

They told us to head over to the hospital right away...

but we stopped by home to fed the pets, double check bags and such.

Around 6pm, they started me on pitocin.

I was already 2cm dilated since 36 weeks, so we had to wait for the rest of the cm to happen.

I sat around watching "keeping up with the kardashians" and "say yes to the dress" on tv and entertained visitors as we anxiously awaited her arrival!

I decided to get my epidural around 10pm... I wasn't in much pain, but I started to feel the contractions enough that I stared silently at the wall during them. I'd say, a 5-6 on a 1-10 painful scale. The epidural was done quickly, and wasn't painful except for a 5 second moment after it was done when my body tensed up completely and I had to lean into my nurse arms for support.

After that, I didn't feel any of the contractions until a little after 7AM. I didn't "sleep" until about 4AM after the last visitors left and then I tried my hardest to doze off since I knew I would need a bit of energy.

At 6AM my doctor checked and I was only 3CM dilated. They tried to break my water but.. it already broke on it's own when I was sleeping.

Then at 7:30 AM I started to feel tensions that was decently painful in my lower abdomen so I asked if this was normal. My nurse checked and I was 8CM dilated so they started to slowly prep the room for me to push.

At 7:50 I was feeling more of the lower tensions and pain so I asked if I could get anything for it. The nurse decided to check my dilation again, but she didn't really have to.. the baby was coming out! Literally half of a fingernail length... from her head to the world.. and moving!! The nurse literally told me... "don't push, don't sneeze.. don't cough, don't move!!!" and started calling the doctor to come in. Problem was, doctors changed shift at 8AM.. so the other doctor was on the way out while the new doctor was in the parking lot! The nurses were running around hectically trying to finish setting up without the doctor. Doctor comes in, gets scrubbed up..

I start pushing at 8:10AM. Didn't feel a thing during pushing.. aside from the tension in my forehead from trying so hard I wouldn't have even know I was pushing lol 12 pushes (10 seconds each, all spaced out on each of my contractions that were 2-3 mins apart) later and here Ayva was! They threw her onto my tummy and cleaned her and it was literally an amazing breathtaking moment!

They took her to examine on the other side of the room and I sent Alex over (who was already taking a million pictures of her with his phone) as I was stitched up and delivered the placenta.

Within 30 mins, I was up on my feet again.. walking to the bathroom by myself.

The nurse was amazed at how fast I got my legs back LOL

Overall I was lucky and blessed to have a super easy labor & delivery.

Within minutes our families & friends where there visiting!

We had 20+ vistors the first day. And I stopped counting after that.

We left the hospital around noon on the 30th (Monday).

We stayed an extra day because Ayva had jaundice (just like me, my sis, niece and everyone in my fam) and needed 24 hours of light therapy.

Like most newborns Ayva dropped weight the first few days out of the womb. She left the hospital at 4lbs 11 oz. She has a veeeery skinny body so she is wearing preemie diapers though she isn't a preemie lol Newborn clothes are too big for her at the moment (yet preemie clothes are an inch or two too short in length for her long legs) but give her another week or two and she will be able to wear the clothes without swimming in them.

Alex had one week off of work then went back last monday so I Ayva and I spend quality time together all day everyday lol

I've been asked a lot on twitter - How does it feel to be a mom?

It's one of the most amazing indecribable feelings in the world.

I'm beyond honored to be Ayva's mother.. and she is everything I could have wished for in a daughter and more.

I'm sure my fellow mom's can agree.. it's crazy how you can love your baby so much and be willing to sacrifice the world for them almost instantly the second you lay your eyes on him/her.

Alex is over the moon in love with her. He literally says "Ayva, your soooo beautiful" to her every hour.. even if he is at work (phone calls lol).

As for how I'm doing, I'm recovering well.. I think recovering for me is much harder than delivery itself. The soreness the first week was killer. I felt slightly handicap yet kept moving.

I'm not sure of my new weight but I'm sure it's in the 90s. My stomach completely flattened back to my pre-pregnant body within 5 days of delivering.. so I was generally happy about that. It isn't rock hard abs but it's flat and has some tiny ab definition.. and no loose skin! Can't complain! In Alex's mind, since I delivered easily and snapped back easily he thinks I'll agree to 23 more kids... HAAAA! Yeah right.

Sorry for being so MIA but I wanted to fall into a comfy routine with Ayva first before taking on anything else. I also really needed a haircut before making more videos which I finally got 3 days ago. I recorded today as she napped so now I have editing to do right now!!

Enjoy her eye candy, and I'll see you all soon!

Personal Life Post #6: Anticipation can kill! LOL

2012-01-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hey Hey Everyone!

Here is another update post :)

(click to read previous post here - #1,#2,#3,#4,#5)

This update post is pretty close to my last update in comparison to my usual month gaps.

I'm finally over my cough/cold which I am beyond happy about!!!

As you know.. time is whining down on our Ayva countdown!

I'm 35.5 weeks (36 weeks on friday) and well into my 9th month!

We have 30 more days till she is "full term" and or "due" (2/10/12) but we ALL have a pretty good feeling that she will be here this week... no later than the end next week.

Mama isn't stretching or growing anymore so Ayva wants out! Hehe.

She jerks my stomach around in a million directions for hours at a time now a days creating this scary twilight vampire baby visual for anyone around me to see.

I went to the docs today due (slightly urgent appointment) and they checked "things" out.

I'm currently 1 cm dilated, supposedly very thinned out and her head is literally... RIGHT THERE.

Which I can feel throughout the day and may I say... it is a odd uncomfy feeling LOL

My doc says she is pretty sure I'll be in early labor anytime soon since my body just isn't big enough to keep her in till 40 weeks.

So now we wait!

Everything is all set up and ready for Miss Ayva's arrival.

Being the "must get things done" type of person I am.. I've been aiming to have every single thing set up and done since 30 weeks lol I just didn't see myself making it to 40 and I hate doing things last minute.

Now for some eye candy!

As said in my last personal post, Ayva will not have a "nursery" because she will be staying with us.

All of her things are nicely set up in the master bedroom as you can see!

This is her little corner.

Crib, mattress, bedding set.. all washed & ready!

And with her mama being born the year of the monkey (and it being my fav animal) & her daddy having the name "monkey" you can imagine there are waaaay too many monkeys everywhere haha.

Her diaper genie and changing stations are close by if you can see.

Again as stated before she is sharing a closet with daddy and I found the most adorable & affordable baby hangers at Marshalls yesterday so hold her "must be hung" dresses and random jackets.

And with her cousin (my niece) taylor sending so many adorable clothing items her way she is pretty well stocked without mama shopping much or at all.

Though, I am guilty of buying that grey dress... it was 75% off ($6!!!) =/ I can't resist animal print deals!

Her storage system/boxes are from Container Store. (Linked HERE)

& the random box thing on top is something I had lying around from IKEA.

All nice, labeled and organized!

I opened two drawers (one from top row one from middle) to show you how organized her stuff is compared to my stuff LOL

As you can see, onesies are broken down to short sleeve, long sleeve... bibs, furry blankets, washclothes etc etc etc.

Then I also have her hats, mittens, fuzzy socks, non fuzzy socks and all that organized on top for easy access and storage :D

And more pics of her diaper changing pad station shown at the bottom.

& last but not least!

A picture from my office/recording studio of my belly bump!

This is me.. at 9 months! So this is most likely biggest I'll be getting with almost 5lbs baby in my tum tum (docs recent scan estimate).

**Thank you to all who have complimented my bump in the past few months say it was adorably small. Really you all are too kind!

I'm pretty lucky because all of my "XS" clothes are just starting to feel snug and I'm just about done so if I just wear my "S" clothes I should be good to go!

I'm about 111lbs right now. So the 108lbs estimate at 40 weeks was a bit off but it's okay!

*sweater dress from express*

Excuse the mess on the floor.. I cleaned up right after this pic lol

Oh and you can see my diaper stock pile in the background.

With my extreme couponing sister and a bunch of gift cards/store credit I paid.. nothing out of pocket for all of those boxes! & THERE ARE MORE in the closet!

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I hope you all enjoyed all of the pics and maybe it inspired you in some way storage wise?

I figured why not share my hard work with you all hehe.

Who's excited?! :D

(all photo collages were made from my iphone's "pic stitch app")

Personal Life Post #5: The Final Stretch!

2011-12-29T15:57:00.004-05:00

Hello Loves!

So it's been about a month and a half since our last personal life "update".

I've been receiving lots of messages dying for another update so here it is!

As always here are the previous ones --- #4, #3, #2, #1

FOR WARNING:

THIS WILL BE A LONG ONE!

LOTS OF PICTURES!!

SOOO MUCH TO UPDATE ON.

Lets see, where to start?

Well the baby shower was on November 26th.

It was a lovely 6+ hours with both of our fams, 40 of Alex's friends.. and lots and lots of food.

Here are some snapshots from the event, some from iphones.. some from dslrs.

My friend Angelina & I.. with my dad in the background.

Like the decorations? I decided to pick out a bunch of girl monkey things.

As you can see, Alex typically goes by "Monkey". I'm not used to calling him Alex to be honest.

All of his family & friends call him Monkey so that's how I was introduced to him!

Thus why the banner says Monkey hehe.

I was pretty proud of how well the "do it yourself" sticker banner came out.

Cupcakes by my sister & her friends.

And we played games... a fun one was the guess how wide the mama to be is.

As you can see here. (Monkey's little brother, who isn't really that little is behind me in the red shirt)

Overall lots of gifts, love and fun.

-------------------------

Moving onto the next update.

We moved into our new apartment December 8th.

Been here for almost three weeks now.

I've always been a big fan of apartment life, no clue why.

Since it's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath... we rented out one of the rooms to Monkey's cousin Lynn (from my Dec Favs video) and her boyfriend who is also named Alex. IRONIC I KNOW.

The other bedroom is used as a office/recording studio/get ready room/closet for me.

I know a lot of you will be surprised that there isn't a nursey.

Well, honestly... I was raised without a nursury, so was Monkey... and 90% of my other friends lol

Just doesn't seem needed for us personally right now.
Regardless we'd have to get up and walk across the hall to care to Ayva.

Might as well have her crib in the master bedroom with us!

Most asian families from my knowledge don't usually have nurseries.

My crib was next to my parent's bed lol

Yes I know I miss out on all the decorations but it's a lot less stress and a lot more convenient.

She is going to share the closet in the master bedroom with daddy (dressers at the bottom) and that is why mommy gets the studio closet to herself =P same size.

I'd love to show you all how everything is once we have everything organized and such. The apartment is far from done. These things take time!

It's livable and all and decently organized but it's not internet ready! lol

Be patient about that, I promise an amazing mtv cribs-like video tour once it is at that point.

One day after move in, our precious new pet addition arrived.

(He is actually sitting next to me right now :D)

FACT: He is 100% not a puppy mill dog for those that are are even contemplating that. He is AKC certified and all that good stuff. He came from a very well known and highly recommended breeder and was in perfect health according to our vet the day after he arrived.

His name is Momo and he is my dream dog I've wanted since I was maybe... 5.

Currently he is 11 weeks old. He arrived at 8 weeks so most pictures are somewhere between there and now.

He is a purebreed cream Chow Chow puppy with the most amazing grey eyes that literally take your breathaway.

Some lovely candid baby cam (used as a puppy cam currently) screenshots of Momo lounging & sleeping.

YES HE DOES LOOK LIKE A LION/BEAR/DOG.

He's a sweetheart... learned how to sit, paw and fetch within the first few days of arriving.

Luckily chows are pretty easy to potty trained too!

Chows have bad reputations but honestly just like any other dog.. it's all about how you raise and train them.

He's 100% a mama's boy. Loves to cuddle, lay on my feet, be held like a baby.... watch me cook & clean.

Pretty much just stalk me lol but he is also really good with vistors and loves the attention.

He gets waaaay too much attention when we take him to pet stores.

People line up to play with him! Plus since he is still small he likes to ride in the small shopping carts and everyone can't resist. See?

He is gaining about a pound a week... He is around 16lbs now and he will grow to be at least 45lbs-70lbs.

Chows are big dogs! So if your wanting one.. make sure your aware of that!

I looooveeee him. And so does Monkey, Alex & Lynn.

Momo bear keeps me busy but for the most part we have a routine now a days.

P.S The bunnies & momo get along fine... they don't hang out but they don't growl or care much for each other. They co-exist perfectly fine!

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Last but not least... AYVA TIME!!

(I found this cute bib randomly at a store so I figured... I had to have it lol)

I'm currently around 34 weeks! 8.5 months down.

Technically.. one more day till 34 but regardless, final stretch!

6 weeks to go... specifically 43 more days if I make it to full term (40 weeks).

I have a feeling I'll deliver between 36-38. So it seems a lot closer! 2-3 more weeks.

CRAAAAZY how time flies!!!!

Who is excited?! Raise your hands! hehe.

Here is a recent 3d/4d pic of Ayva from yesterday.

Supposedly they can tell that she has a good amount of hair. YAY!

It was adorable/strange watching her nibble on her cord during our ultrasound session.

Looks more and more like daddy everyday!

She is in perfect health, head down like she should be.

Which was a big relief because I was told she might not turn because of my small body.

Gave her less room to play.

My belly appears almost exactly the same as my last update!

Pretty much how it looks in the baby shower pics up there ^^.

I'm weighing in at 105lbs now so I've gained a decent amount.

Under high watch from everyone around me including docs because they said I have a high chance of early labor due to size so I need to "take it easy".

Which to Monkey means... don't move at all! lol

Still having on and off back pain which is bearable. The sporadic sharp leg pains/cramps suck though... I wish it was one of the third trimester symptoms I could have skipped.

No stretch marks (battle scars) to report yet!

I'm excited to see her. Monkey is very impatient!

I also can't wait to get my hand of a dozen raw oysters and a plate of salmon sashimi after I give birth. *tummy growl*

Her clothes are all washed, folded and ready...(bibs and wash clothes too).

We have enough diappers and wipes stocked up to last us... at least 6 months lol

& enough gift cards to babiesrus to buy even more afterwards.

All and all.. good to go!

I really wanted to showcase some amazing gifts that a lovely subbie named Kim (@xoSTYLISTICkiss on twitter) sent to me as a surprise for the holidays. Literally just came a day ago and the thought and care that she put in this package made me almost speechless. Almost being the keyword, I kept screaming.. "AWWWW".

Everything is so cute and seems to be custom or handmade!

I can't thank Kim enough for her kindness and I must say... it's amazing how she knows me so well!

I remember saying how badly I wanted but couldn't find a Domo Bib!

Now my search is over :D

THE CUTEST SOFTEST KNITTED SHOES EVER!!!

I LOVE THESE!!

Custom made burp clothes & onsie.

A cute shea butter cinnamon bun with Ayva's name :)

An awesome stylish Domo Purse & Tokidoki Palette. (My first tokidoki thing.. ever!)

Thank you again Kim! You really know how to brighten a sick girl's day up.

& thank you all for the check up messages, support and concern :)

We've been doing well!

I have a feeling Ayva will be here by the end of January though she is due 2/10.

Any specific predications?

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Aside from all of the excitement...

I've been sick as a dog for the past week.

Actually the whole apartment is... All four of us sound horrible!!!

I am the only one who can't take meds =/

So I sound 3x as bad. Tea, honey & lemon... 24/7!!

I can't shake this cough at all.... grrrr.

Send healthy vibes my way!!

Until next time!

Thoughts & Experiences: As Seen On TV Products

2011-11-17T17:25:00.004-05:00

So we've all seen them....

Those darn infomercials that show us an awesome time saving products & leave us wondering if they work/dying to buy them.

You usually can find these products scattered around at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond.. or at your local As Seen on TV store (website here.).

Now certain things are a little ridiculous and I never really consider buying them.

Like the Pocket Chair. Really? I have a feeling it would collapse and break.

I wanted to quickly share with you all my experiences with some of the products out there.

*All Images Credited to Google*

Let's start with Eggies.

These claim to create the perfect boiled egg every single use.

Did they work?

NOOOOOOO. Which I was so disappointed about.

From my experience I would say that the design causes the egg to cook unevenly because it floats in the water and it isn't tightly sealed so some egg white leaks out.

Now for the Magic Bullet & Adorable - Baby Bullet.

I own the magic bullet & my older sister owns the baby bullet.

Did they work?

YES THEY DID! At least for what they claim to create... mushy foods & sauces.

(Smoothies, baby food... salsa.. etc)

It doesn't finely chop onions though, more so creates an onion smoothie. (Gross)

But overall we are satisfied with our purchases. Makes lovely smoothies for myself and nice organic baby food for my niece Taylor.

Now to the Slap Chop.

I was dying for a slap chop after hearing the highly addictive remix of the infomercial called "Rap Chop" (click here) which I have on my ipod. *Nerd Alert*

Eventually I gave in and got one.

Does it work?

Ehhhh tiny bit, doesn't chop things as easily as shown in the infomercial for sure.

Takes a lot more smacking, force and effort.

Overall I'm not satisfied with this purchase.

Now today I decided to get a box of "Space Bags".

(Using a coupon for bed bath & beyond)

In attempts to store my summer clothes and make moving clothes easier.

Haven't used them yet but I did read a lot of reviews prior to buying that had the occasional complaint that the buyer's bag came with a tiny rip which causes the air to come back quicker thus making the bags useless. Makes me very nervous about opening my box.

I'm still fiending for a... Slice - o - matic.

But I don't see amazing reviews =/ And with my experience with the slap chop I'm not sure if I'll ever get this.

So those are my experience with these products.

I know I know, I shouldn't expect much from "as seen on tv" products but hey.. curious minds wanna know if they work so I figured I'd share.

Now I wanna here any of your experiences with any as seen on tv products?

DO SHARE!!

Personal Life Post: Ayva's Precious Face. + Updates

2011-11-14T14:41:00.002-05:00

Hello Hello.

Here we are once again!

I'm sure some of you are dying to here another blog exclusive personal life update!

I've received a lot of messages about ask for more & more blog updates lately.

(click for previous updates - #1, #2, #3)

I was holding off on this update until now to let time roll by and to have new pictures to show you! Plus there wasn't much to talk about, all and all things are still progressing smoothly!

I am now finishing off my 7th month, currently 27.5 weeks.

I start my third trimester in 4 days.

(It's kind of weird how docs count. Technically we are due at the end of the 9th month/beginning of 10th. (Since 4 weeks in a month & 40 weeks is full term, i.e 4x10=40)

12.5 more weeks till I'm officially "due to pop".

(88 more days to go - woooohooo!!! everyone is very anxious)

But of course it could happen as early as 37 or even now.

Time is flyinggggg. I have a feeling she will be early.

Predictions anyone? I'm thinking 38.5 weeks.

First and foremost her official full name is...

Ayva Snow Q.

(last name of course won't be posted, this is the internet now!)

Ayva being the first name and pronounced the same way as Ava. (AY-VA)

You know from other updates alex has a thing for the letter "y".

But I am actually liking her spelling a bit more than the traditional Ava.

Now I'm sure your wondering.. why "Snow" as the middle name?

For three reasons.

#1 I wanted her middle name to start with an S.

Since as mentioned before, my only sibling and Alex's siblings all have "A" first names.

And because my sister and I both have "S" middle names. (Initials being - ASC & SSC)

#2 She will be a "winter" baby so it does fit.. more than "summer".

Though I wasn't a fan of using a middle name longer than her first name anyway.

#3 It does have a deeper meaning. Rather than being super random.

Her middle name is my "beloved" older sister's middle name.

She will have "the honor" (cough cough lol) of technically being named partially after my sister who I do honestly adore more than words can describe. My sis reacted with a smile "alright alright, I'll share" haha.

It fits much better than using my middle name which is "Star".

& well the Q last name is obviously Alex's =D

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I scheduled a "3d/4d" Ultrasound Appointment because I reaaally wanted nice shots of her to have for albums and just to stare at for a while because I am dying to see her and my regular 2D shots really do suck. My doc office gave me the worst ones ever!! My sister had amazing pictures 2D&3D of Taylor from the same kasier office. So unfair for me, but that is in the past.

Wait till her big cousin Taylor (my niece) gets a hold of her.... they are going to be a devious pair. Partners in crime & classmates for sure. Taylor being 9 months now is so adorable. She can't really talk or stand by herself too long but she is super sweet when she puts her hands on my tummy where Ayva is. Typically Taylor squeezes, scratches, grabs and headbutts things cause she's violent but she lightly rubs her future cousin who in return taps back. Always brings a big smile to Taylor face :) then she cries soon after when I move wondering why Ayva doesn't come out yet.

Gotta "let her cook" more as my sister says.

Though this "bun in the oven" metaphor can go wrong sometimes.

Without further ado

Here she is....

She has mama's face shape (pointy jaw gives it away) & eye area shape.

100% positive on that :D

Daddy's nose for sure, and I want to say daddy's lips too but we both have big lips so it's hard to tell.

Ahhh my pretty little angel!

& Here is an updated belly bump picture taken today:

I'm definitely round now! Excuse my pj pants LOL

( for finishing off my 7th month - not bad ehh?)

If I'm wearing a jacket (open) a lot of people still can't tell I'm expecting.

I always thank them for being too kind haha.

Weight Update: For those who are curious..

I have gained 11ish-lbs total currently.

Weighing in at 100.4lbs.

The 108lbs prediction as my delivery weight from past post is still possibly true.

I'm not so worried about the weight total in general (thanks for the kind words fellow mamas from my last post) it's more the back pain that I can't stand. My body isn't used to the additional weight. I've never been this heavy!!

Currently no stretch marks to report though they mostly are genetic and barely preventable (thank you tummy rub butter - works well for moisture).

Lower back pain (from the added weight) started up about four weeks ago.

It's on and off and a little heating pad, angled pillow and massage helps a lot so Alex is always on call hehe.

He reads baby books at work now (for fun O__O) since he works in an high level security gov building they take away his cell and their comps have no internet, so you can imagine his boredom!

He has finished two of the day -to - day books already...

-__- now he is a know it all about pregnancy.

OY OY OY. But all in all it's wonderful to see him so excited though he tries to hide it.

He suggested that we go to an indoor pool once a week to relieve my body of any aches.

We shall see if we go and what the results are.

I've recently purchased some jeggings & leggings (Target $10)to get me through the winter because though I can fit into my old pants.. they aren't comfy eating pants (never were LOL even prior to being pregnant, and you know thanksgivings is coming up in 10 days) and why wear jeans when you can wear long sweater tops and leggings!

All in all everything is going very well as always.

We did a engagement/maternity shoot with fellow youtuber/blogger & friend Mel (LaBelleMel) yesterday.
I'm excited to see those pics! It was fun!

We move into our new (3 Bed, 2 Bath) apartment December 8th.

You know I'm having a ball shopping for stuff hehehe.

I'll do an update showing some of the stuff I've already hoarded.

Here is a little ikea collage of the new stuff we have purchased and are hanging in storage.

I signed the lease for the apartment about 3 weeks ago. YES - I felt super old LOL

We also have a new addition to our pet family arriving December 9th (a little puppy named "Momo"! so stay tuned for more about that)

The new car is already home and pretty darn comfy. Heated seats ftw! (Shown in this vlog)

Our baby shower is coming up on November 26th!

*GAHHHH - 12 days!! What am I going to wear?!?!*

The food line up for that day is crazy! Both families are going all out of course

Expect an update the following few days after that :)

It's always a fun challenge trying to stuff Alex's closest 70 friends -_- in his house LOL

I have like.. 5 real real friends max so it's much easier to fit them. (LONER ALERT haha)

I have a feeling it's going to be around 100 peps after the parental friends are added in.

*Thank you to all who have sent me well wishes and sweet messages. Big special thanks and shout outs to those who have taken the time out of their lives to generously send surprise gifts for Ayva & I. Too too sweet of you all...Honestly, your so amazing! --- Lucy if you see this I'm going to get a lot of use out of my new "Mom's Busy Year" planner. I literally live on a strict organized schedule so planners are perfect! *

Hope all is well with all of you out there...

Lots of love!

Quick Thoughts: Scentsy Wax Warmers

2011-11-05T14:32:00.005-04:00

One of my lovely subs Kathy, K contacted me (roughly around two months ago) and asked if I would be interested in trying out Scentsy!

I was just getting into my "candle" mode so I graciously accepted and I just wanted to give my quick opinion on the things I tried.

Quick Info on Scentsy for those who are in the dark.

What is Scentsy? How is it different from regular candles?

Scentsy sells wick free scented wax bars and warmers that contain no flame just light bulbs.

It's a good alternative to those who are sensitive to smoke, soot or lead that are in typical wick candles. It is also better for those who are accident prone or not a fan of having fire lit candles in their house but enjoy the feel of having a "candle lit" room.

Check out their FAQ page for more information.

Now for some photo collage eye candy.

As you can see I picked out the "La Paz" Mid Size Warmer.

I also placed it next to my tresseme spray to show the size comparison.

According to the site the full size warmers are only 1 inch taller and .5 an inch wider for reference.

I love the tarnish red clay look of the warmer.

As you can see, the fire free, wick free only bulb set up.

The warmers do become ver veryy hot to the touch due to being heated by the bulb of course so handle them carefully (especially around children).

Very very easy to set up.

You just plug in, throw in the scent & amount of scentsy wax that you desire and turn it on!

I usually throw two cubes at a time. Fits comfortably.

**The really cool and affordable thing is that the wax is reusable.

After your all said and done with your wax warming needs for the day you can CAREFULLY pour the wax back into it's cube packaging and let it sit out for a few minutes.

Once it cools back down to room temp the bars look almost brand new and are good to go again another day.

Here are the three scents I tried out.

Just Breathe, Skinny Dippin & Ocean.

Just Breathe is my super duper favorite. Being a "spa/clean" fragrance fan it's perfect for me.

Ocean is also pretty nice. Skinny Dippin is ehhh for me but one of the best selling scents.

Just Breathe just has my heart out of these three lol

OVERALL: Great concept, great scents.. great products. I wish the scents lingered a lot more personally but overall I know a lot of people do love Scentsy and I appreciate having the chance to try it out.

I personally am now in full candle addict mode, wicks and all so I haven't been using my scentsy too often but I can see how it is more affordable in the long run since I'm burning through candles like no other LOL

Check out Scentsy if your interested HERE!!

SWATCH ME: Redder - Revlon Colorburst Lipsticks (With NYX Dupes)

2011-10-13T22:35:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post these picture for the past two weeks.

My couponing big sister offered to picked me up some revlon colorburst lipsticks for free.

I'm in my fall deeper shades faze so I went for the deeper reds/berry colors.

As always I'm a fan of the quality of these lipsticks & the packaging is gorgeous.

From Left to Right:

- #095 Crimson

- #045 Raspberry

- #090 True Red

Then I realized I had some NYX Round Lipsticks that seemed to be VERY SIMILAR when swatched to Crimson & True Red. Of course reds are pretty easy to dupe but regardless I thought I'd show these snapshots.

Please ignore the middle swatch of "Raspberry".

LEFT: Revlon Crimson Dupe - NYX Round Lipstick in "Eros"

RIGHT: Revlon True Red Dupe - NYX Round Lipstick in "Electra".

Love them all!

Hope you enjoyed these quick swatches :)

*photos from iphone 4*

Nail Swatch: Butter London - "All Hail The Queen" + My Opinion on their "Nail Foundation"

2011-10-03T22:09:00.006-04:00

It's been a while since my last "nail swatch" blog post.

I usually stick to tweeting or posting whatever nail color I'm wearing/loving on my fb page but this brand deserves a blog post!

I recently picked up some Butter London Polishes from Ulta.

I've been hearing good things about this brand from Carly Cristman & Michelle Phan so I figured I'd look up some swatches online and commit to trying a shade or two.

These polishes are what I'd called... "high end" polishes just due to the price being $14 a bottle.

(yeah, I said it... fourteen)

Personally, I believe anything over $10 a bottle should be categorized as high end because there are other brands such as sinful colors that are only $2 and pretty darn good quality.

If I am paying $14 a bottle I expect a shade that is unique in some way, and amazing quality all around to justify it's cost.

I picked up two shades.

"Chancer" & "All Hail The Queen"

I'm sure you can see which one I am wearing :)

All Hail The Queen is a light taupe with very fine gold shimmers.

It comes off a bit lighter in direct light which I find very gorgeous.

It's a great neutral shade for anytime of the year but especially for fall.

It is much much lighter in person than "Sephora's Metro Chic" or "Essie's Chinchilly"

and the gold shimmer just makes it perfect for any holiday dinners or a glamour event.

The shimmer might look chunky in the picture but in person it is anything but chunky.

I can't wait to try out "Chancer" and post a swatch for you all.
It might be one of the most gorgeous ruby red polishes I've ever seen.

We shall see!!

Quality Wise: The polish applied smooth as silk. Not a streak in sight. One coat was perfectly fine for a nice natural look but I always prefer two for any polish for long lasting power and better color payoff. I'm sure you could do a third layer and it would still feel light and silky. It dried pretty quickly and I had no issues at all. No complaints!

Does it justify the price? Ehhhh... yes. As much as I do not want to say that.

Has butter london become my new favorite polish brand? No not quite.

Essie still has that spot. Cheaper and a larger selection of colors.

But butter london is worth trying in my book.

Moving on to their "Nail Foundation (Flawless Basecoat)".

As you can see their bottles for their non... "color" shades are a bit bigger. It should be!

Because it cost $18 rather than $14. If I didn't get more bang for my buck I'd be a bit turned off.

Though you do not get a lot more... you get something. I can live with that.

And when you remove the square tops the color shades have birds and the other polishes have a 'juicy couture" type of crown.

This is the most expensive base coat I have ever purchased and used.

I'm a big base coat fan...

I can't paint my nails without a base coat because I get super frustrated if a polish doesn't apply evenly (darn streaks)... or if it doesn't glide smoothly and last a long time.

Base coats are exactly like primers! And they are supposed to make your polish application easier, and have your polish last a lot longer while looking a bit better. Just like UDPP and eyeshadows.

I've tried Essie's base coat, and I hated it.. didn't do a darn thing for me.

I've tried OPI's, and I didn't care for it.

Sinful Colors's base coat was okay for the price... but I wasn't in love.

China Glaze's "Strong Adhesion" BC was my favorite for a while because it actually dried to a tacky finish and I really felt like it helped my polish adhere well during application.

But the bottle leaks so easily (3 bottles have leaked on me) and then your stuck with tacky things everywhere. One of those bottles ruined one of my purses. I close the bottles super tight... and I have no clue how it slips. The tacky formula also causes the bottle to become stuck to itself.

Thus why I was using the SC base coat. I was sick of making the trip to Sally's to get the China Glaze one just to watch it ruin itself.

THIS "Nail Foundation" is my NEW FAVORITE BASE COAT.

I had to try it after Carly's rave about it.

And it's... amazing.

Dries quickly... to a perfect... nude milky smooth finish.

It makes my nails look flawless on it's own.

Almost like I've been buffing them for 24hours straight... in less than 10 seconds.

It definitely fills in any uneven spots you may have and I can imagine this being a must have for french manicure lovers and general polish addicts everywhere.

If it last me as long as I think it will? 3 months at least? It's worth it.

Sorry for raving, but it's really that good.

If your passing by an ulta... try this out in the store if they have tester.

DO IT!

----------------------------

ULTA is currently having a "BUY 2 GET 1 FREE" deal.

If your eyeing any of their polishes, now is the time to try it!

Of course the deal starts the day after I buy my polishes -____-

What's new about my bad timing.

I really wanted the "Wallis" shade Michelle recommended...

but it was sold out =/ next time? *sigh* maybe...

Have you been curious about Butter London?

Eyeing any of the shades? If so, which?

FOR SALE: T3 Tourmaline Narrow 1 Inch Flat Iron

2011-09-24T22:44:00.006-04:00

Hey Everyone!

I decided to buy a new flat iron because I recently fell in love with Alex's sister's straightener.

(GHD Iron) and I saw that they have an all red set... so you know I had to have it!

There is no reason for me to hang on to my current straightner because I probably won't use it so I decided to post it up here for sale.

If you all remember I purchased this in March 2011 from Misikko.com for $130.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MISKKO PAGE.

(here are the screenshots from my haul video)

Of course it has been used.

I rarely use a straightener lately so maybe 2x a week now a days?

It is still in PERFECT condition. No scratches, no stains...

Plates are still perfectly white, all the rhinestones are still there and it still works perfectly.

I'm just moving onto a new love :D

PRICE: SOOOOOOOLLLLDDDDD.

(Paypal or money orders accepted)

Contact me at blogsale@saaammage.com.

P.S Check out the left over items that are still available from my last blog sale!

I had a lot of flakers for the skin 79 BB and it is still up for grabs!

Paypal & Money orders are fine for those items as well.

RAMBLES: --- Hautelook & Bomber Jacket Addict

2011-09-21T21:54:00.000-04:00

I was sitting on campus during a two hour break between my first and last class of the day and I felt like blogging a bit.

Thus this ramble was born.

For those who are newer followers or for those who don't remember from last fall,

I love biker & bomber style pleather jackets.

100000% MY STYLE.

I can wear them with just about anything and feel comfortable.

I recently purchased a new one from Garage almost two weeks ago.

And it is my current favorite because it is sooo comfortable!

The fit is just perfect. Arm length is great & the torso area fit is the perfect balance between fitted enough to look good yet not too snug.

I choose brown because I already own a grey, a red, and two black jackets in similar styles so a deep chocolate color was a nice addition.

It's the priciest one I've purchased though at $55.

Worth it? I'd say so. Anything over $65 might make me cringe a bit at checkout.

If the fit and quality wasn't so amazing I'd say screw it and buy another F21 jacket lol

I have a couple of F21's jacket's and the fit just isn't as comfy but for the price it does the job.

I tweeted earlier mentioning that I have extra swag the days I wear one of my beloved jackets (and how I'm fiending for more).

I think we all have one type of clothing item that gives us a boost in confidence + a happy feeling when worn.

For some it's a purse, or stiletto... a denim jacket or a specific pair of earrings.

Superman has his cape...I have bomber jackets.

--------------------------------------

On another odd note.

Hautelook is so addicting.

I'm constantly browsing on my phone everyday to see the latest deals.

I've been addicted this entire year so it really isn't new news but lately I've been browsing almost every event!

Literally, cosmetics... clothing, shoes... jewelry and home furniture/appliances.

Since we will soon have a condo to decorate I'm slowly but surely collecting things to fill the place.

Even weird little things like this oil dispenser.

If your going to drizzle EVOO... you might as well use a penguin drizzler right?

LOL

They also have awesome deals on paintings and rugs.

I'm waiting on another bedding sale because I want a duvet cover badly and those darn things are pricey just for a fluffy cloud like pillow.I'll probably do a collective haulage video with all my little time to time cosmetics purchases with my little random house purchases once they arrive.I have an old stila order to share and I recently placed one for jane cosmetics since they were so cheap!

Are you also addicted to hautelook?

If so what do you browse for most often?

Personal Life Post: GENDER ANNOUNCEMENT!!! + First Official Baby Bump Pictures

2011-09-15T13:00:00.005-04:00

I know your all dying to know....

Today was the big day!!

After an early morning doctors appt...

I'm here to annonce that the little baby bundle of joy is

A GIRL!!!!

She has her knees to her face in this shot. Flexible much?

My head literally turned a sharp 180 to face Alex when they said "girl" and he had the biggest "full mouth of teeth showing" smile going on. And he isn't typically a smiler LOL He got his wish!

They literally took 120 pictures of her today... to check her kidneys, spine.. etc etc and make sure everything checks out as A - OK. Luckily everything is fine!

I'm kind of bummed that they gave us the worst shots of her to take home ever. They took a couple amazing ones but the ones they printed were ehhhh. We have a shot of her opening her mouth to yawn but it is kind of scary to be honest. She was punching and kickings and flipping the whole time and the woman running the ultrasound was like.. whoa whoa wait stop hold on lol. I'm personally used to her moving a lot.. especially at 7:30pm. She really tends to do Zumba workouts at that time from what I feel.

NAME WISE:

We had a name specifically picked for a boy (Rayden) but we left the girl's name semi up in the air since there are so many pronunciations and spellings.

It is currently still up for debate but the front runner name is Ava and second place is Vanessa.

We both like Ava and since Alex's siblings are Allen & Angelynn while my sister is named Anastasia it definitely goes with the flow. (I'm obviously not cool since I'm not an A... but whatever... S rocks too. I have so many a's inside of my full name regardless.) Because it is so short I'm confused if it should be the first or middle name.

We shall see.. I'll announce the finalized name whenever that happens.

-------------------------------

Okay, here it is... I was wearing a decently form showing white tee yesterday so I figured it would do. So finally... time to display

THE BABY BUMP! (Currently. Pictures taken yesterday)

Impressed? LOL Not sure if I met your expectations!

Still the same clothing sizes from my last update.

I tried to use my finger as a guide to show where... it should start.

That's where the baby kicks and where my abdomen has stiffened.

I was actually told by a couple friends on campus yesterday that I don't look pregnant.

That is EXACTLY what every pregnant person wants to hear hahaha.

I don't care too much about "glowing"... just say I look the same :D (in denial of getting fat)

Weight Update: (That rhymes!)

At week 18 I have gained... another pound!

Sadly I'm not the type to get excited when I put on weight LOL

Though this is healthy temporary weight, I'm happy for the baby.. but not directly happy to see the numbers go up. I worry about gaining too much or too fast more than worrying about not gaining enough since I have plenty of time left (currently 4.5 months done) and usually month 7 is when you really start packing it on.

Alex on the other hand loves every ounce/pound I gain... I guess the "more to love" saying is appropriate. He is just too excited for the baby for his own good.

Just to make sure I'm on track and doing well I found this helpful pregnancy weight gain calendar online and entered my own info for it to calculate.

My results:

Pretty accurate because I am weighting in at - 91.4 lbs this week.

More results.

This chart shows what I (under the "your" column") mostly likely will weight at the end of each week from what the generator calculated.

Sooo.... I should be about.. 108? When the baby pops out?

Hmmm we shall see how accurate it is as time goes on!!!

I can deal with being 108-110... it's roughly a 20 pound weight gain.

Better than the 40 pounds the doctors were saying. That just sounds a bit excessive and scary.

30? I'd be okay with but have this face O_O but to me.. as long as the little one is healthy why the big estimate LOL

The baby should be 6-7lbs in the end! We don't want a 10lbs baby now do we?

I know I don't haha, imagine pushing that!!

-------------------------------

THE BABY BAG:

My future mother in law used her 50%off coach discount (she gets crazy discounts for so many different stores and different brands... so lucky) last night and brought me home the baby bag I picked out & wanted to use :) My sister has two coach babybags (she likes to deck out my mom & I with coach as well) so I had to join the club. Love the long lasting quality and size.

I wanted a standard black with the washable easy clean fabric.

The inside is teal/aquamarine hehe.

Thank you everyone who sends well wishes and support to me on a daily/weekly basis :)

Aside from having a overactive tumbler and kicker on my hands (or shall I say in my belly) everything is going well!

Lots of sleep, lots of food... and this school semester is still going very well.

The negativity is still annoying but not important! And I'm still very happy.

Until the next update...

(CLICK FOR THE PREVIOUS UPDATES)

Mini Hauling: "My Scheming" Skincare Goodies from SaSa. (20% SALE)

2011-09-06T18:15:00.011-04:00

If you haven't heard of Sasa.com then you probably aren't super curious about asian beauty products.

But if you are and you just haven't heard of the site.. check them out!

Everything beauty related isn't overpriced like some other sites (yesstyle, I'm talking to you), it has a HUGE selection and the shipping time is... getting better.

My Take on SASA's Shipping:

The products are shipped from Hong Kong so you can imagine it would take... at least a week.

For standard shipping (which is a bit pricey already at $18) it takes 14-21 days. Two to three weeks. I remember my first purchase with them over a year and a half ago and took three weeks minimum so it is getting a bit better.

Unless you live in China.. you'll have to spend at least $100 to get free shipping.

International buyers like myself also have the option to upgrade to expedited shipping for $25 which is only a $7 increase and get your products within 5-7 business days.

Depending on your wallet and patient level, you decided!

I placed this order on August 22nd... paid for standard shipping and received it today September 6th. Not bad for Hong Kong to the east coast of the U.S.

I typically try to avoid shopping on sasa too much because I get a bit out of hand when I am loading my cart up since I want to make the shipping/wait time worth it.

I usually purchase skincare items such as face mask or asian cosmetics I can't find cheaper on amazon or other sites like imomoko.

This mini haul was focused only on the brand - My Scheming.

I was recently introduced to this brand by a follower on twitter who told me that her favorite sheet mask was the "milk mask" from My Scheming!

As soon as I heard milk (I just love to try anything milk and honey when it comes to skin care) I went to work, googling the brand and I noticed some good reviews plus very adorable packaging.

Aren't we all suckers for adorable asian packaging? Yeah admit it! You too.

I controlled myself and decided to try only two types of face mask.

Though I could have bought multiple single mask on a different site rather than full boxes I prefer to try only a type or two at a time so I can really get a feel for the mask and let my skin enjoy one type of serum for a bit before trying out others.

I decided to go with the Deep Ocean Water Mask & Milk Extract Brightening Mask :)

Each box includes 10 individually wrapped sheet mask for $12.70 a box.

The exact same price on sasa for a box of the popular and my current favorite brand of sheet mask - My Beauty Diary (MBD)

Don't they sound cooling, hydrating and partially yummy?

Though a lot of sheet mask claim to brighten, whiten and fill lines... I don't focus too much on those things unless they become visually noticeable for more than an night lol

I'm really into sheet mask for the extra pick me up in moisture and softness.

Happy Skin, Happy Sam.

And because my HG eye mask by Catena have been... discontinued -_-

I'm always open to trying new eye mask just for the hydration and de-puffing to possibly find a new love.

I also snagged their "Crystal Whitening Brightening Eye Mask"

also for $12.70 (10 pairs included).

I literally used one less than a half an hour before this post and I can say from first impression that I'm not in love with them yet but my eyes do look happy. And by happy I mean, hydrated and a bit less puffy.

I will definitely let you all know how I like the face mask after I test them out for a week or two.

Aside from wanting to share my newly arrived goodies with you all I noticed on sasa that they are having a 20% off sale on the My Scheming brand.

(yeah I know... just my luck they go on sale after I receive mine lol)

The promotion is running from Sept 1st - Sept 30th.

No code needed!

So if you are looking for a new brand to try that happens to be on sale.. give them a go!

They have 131381984 types of mask and yes I am tempted to place another order.

Depending on my first impression of these mask there is a good chance that I will be making a order before the promotion ends... if there don't sell out of everything -_-

---------------------------------

P.S Just for fun I purchased a $2 face massager/roller because after seeing bubz actually use one a couple months ago in a favorites video I figured I'd give one a chance.

Reasoning:

I had my four wisdom teeth removed in July 2009 and we all know our cheeks puff up like chipmunks. Only 95% of the puffiness went away so I figured trying to massage the remaining 5% off wouldn't hurt. Since it improves blood circulation it is also very good for the skin. And I love the weird faces Alex & his family give me when I'm sitting around using it LOL

Hope you all enjoyed. Happy shopping!!

Personal Life Post: First Movements & Body/Weight Changes

2011-09-02T18:41:00.010-04:00

Hello Hello Everyone.

If you haven't read this post (--click) yet...

Please read that prior to reading this otherwise, you'll be completely confused.

I mentioned in my previous post that I will ONLY be updating my blog about the exciting things going on in my personal private life...

With that being said I also would prefer to keep any of the questions or lovely comments addressing my personal life here, or in an email... or even a private inbox message.

I really do appreciate all the positive and loving comments you all have but I am begging you to keep my beauty videos focused on beauty only.

As you can imagine, off topic comments on a tutorial or haul video can cause a commotion.

And of course don't we all get sick of the negative ones?

Thus why all video comments are on approval lately ;)

------------------

Now for the update!

I know a lot of you are curious and generally concerned on how I've been.

A lot of my fellow expecting mama's or just mama's who are viewers/readers have been bonding with me through messages and it's lovely to hear from you all.

My last "update" was about a month ago.. give or take a week.

Time does fly doesn't it?

I am finishing up my 16 week of my pregnancy.

In 5 days I'll be exactly 4 months finished with this whole journey!

Almost half way there which is.. surreal of course.

I know the remaining 5 months will fly by so I'm trying to enjoy each moment.

At this time I STILL am unaware of the gender of my little one.

Sad, I know... but do not frown. I will know in less than two weeks from today!

Expect a mini update on September 15th :)

If your wondering what Alex & I are hoping for... we both want a girl :)

And 95% of our friends & families feel the same way.

With that being said, I think my little bundle is a boy LOL!

Alex & I are trying to keep the boy mind set so if it is a girl.. we can be surprised and excited

and if it is a boy then we can say... "I KNEW IT!" hahaha.

There are a million superstitions about determining the gender such as how the baby sits... and how the expecting mom feels the first trimester but none of them are 100% accurate.

And none of them are proven with scientific reasoning either so...

Only time will tell =P

I wish time would tell my impatient butt sooner but grrr... 13 more days.

First Movements:

Being 16 weeks I am approaching the time where I can start feeling the little one move.

The baby is around the size of a single piece of a kit kat bar so he/she is a little thing.

I officially felt the first kick last night!

September 1st - 11:42pm. Record that hehehe.

I was watching tv in bed and then I felt a kick against my hand.

(that was ironicaly in a good spot)

Imagine the... whoa face!

It brought back memories of when my niece would kick my face when my sister was pregnant.

I received one more little baby kick for Alex to feel and then no more!

The baby was soooo over it haha.

He being a guy who wants 24 kids back to back enjoys little moments like this more than you can imagine.

He begs the doctors to tell him there are triplets. I beg him to stop hahaha.

Body/Weight Changes Updates:

I know some of you are similar to my size and you want an idea of how you'll be when you are expecting.

Pregnancy is very different for everyone!

But I have no problem sharing my changes with you all.

For Reference: I'm naturally "underweight" on charts.. and I am 5'6 tall.

Prior to being pregnant I was roughly 88 - 88.5 lbs (pounds).

Yes I know, I'm "such a little thing"... I get that all of the time in public :D

Because I am underweight my doctors have a higher target weight gain goal for me than a usual person.

Usually 25-30lbs total is very normal. My doctor wants me to gain 40lbs at least.

Sorry doc... I don't think it's going to happen! I think I'll top off at 25lbs but we shall see.

I do eat the required amounts a day.. and then some!

But my body isn't a huge fan of.. holding on to weight =/

As long as the baby is healthy and happy that is all that matters.

The nation's average for the first trimester weight gain wise is usually 4-6 pounds.

I actually didn't gain any weight at all my first three months.

Now finishing up my fourth month I have now gain a pound.

So I am currently 89.5-90lbs depending on time of day.

And because of that.. I do not have an amazingly round baby bump to show you all :(

I know... booooooooo.

BUT I will take a picture on the 15th to show you all during the gender announcement.

Since I have only gain a pound a lot of people give me a O____O face when they hear that I am 4 months pregnant!

It's hilarious!!!! LOL They think it's a joke or something.

I'm lucky though... no facial chub from what I can tell!

To the person who said I look fat in the face online a month ago... you were just hyping things :P I literally have gained 1 pound THIS WEEK. More specifically in the past three days.

Clothes wise: I still fit my clothes perfectly fine...

I can still fit my size 0 (24/25 waist skinny jeans) but I prefer to wear size 1 just so I can eat with no worries about comfort.

I do not plan on buying any expensive maternity skinny jeans..

I'd rather wear a belly band or borrow my sister's skinnies when needed which are a size 3.

I prefer to wear sweats to school anyways (no needed to impress) so all is good!

Shirt size is still "Small".

I try not to buy any new X-Small because the boobs are a little snug though everything else fits.

My boobs (I can't believe we are talking about boobs) are usually right between an full A-Cup & small B-Cup.

They are currently getting a bit bigger... so now I am much closer to a full B-cup.

I don't mind because I am planning to breastfeed and... having boobs for a bit isn't horrible haha.

School Updates:

I have just finished up my first week of my second year.

Classes are going well.

I'm taking, organic chemistry lab.. microeconomics, college level physics & a tech class :)

I have class 4/5 days a week and I've been having a great time snacking like a pig between classes.

I sleep around 10-11 hours every day which is perfectly fine because I'm already super happy with 6 lol

I've cut down my commute time from 30-45 mins to 5-7 mins because Alex's house is literally 6-7 lights away from my college.

Very convient.. it allows me to sleep in more (to get that.. "needed" rest for the baby to develop) and have easy access to the house if I forget or need something.

Then on weekends I go back to the Maryland house because I miss my niece, sister and my rents and well.. we are just that close. Plus you can't beat my mom's homecooking :D

Other Changes:

I'm not sure if I mentioned before but I am also in the process of moving into a new condo that is even closer to my college. Literally 2-3 lights away. So my drive would be.. 3 minutes haha.

Still close enough to Alex's current house where his gmama is.

His grandmother babysits a few kids during the daytime (as a job) and she is also our future babysitter when I go back to class full time next May.

(Alex works full time for the government.. 9-5 Mon through Fri)

Very convient ehh? Gotta love asian families.. there is always someone who wants to steal your kids from you. Literally, steal.

I've witnessed my own mother yank my niece from my sister hands multiple times to feed, change or bathe her. For no reason but her love of being a grandmama.

My mom is pushing 60 too... so it's that time ya know?

The last big change is... a car change!

If you are a viewer of my vlog channel, you've probably seen clips of me riding in Alex's car.

Though he loves his car, it is a modified Subaru and if you have no clue what that means... it means, it's loud & shaky enough to damage your ears. Especially if your a baby.

My car? Being a 2010 Toyota Camry.. is super smooth and quiet so I figured we'd use my car for most of the baby's transporting.

But Alex being the car lover he is... is bored of his car now that it has been around for a little over two years.

And he is trading in his car this month for the mommy mobile I've always wanted!

So let's all say bye bye to his 2008 Subaru STI which he named.. Victoria.

(this is actually his car in this pic)

And hello to a very gently used (he refuses to buy any car new)

Supercharged Range Rover Sport.

Which he is naming Vanessa.

Black on Black Leather! :D

It's gorgeous, we test drove it the other day and he is beyond excited to take it home.

Down right giddy!!

It is actually faster than his STI so you can imagine how happy he is.

It is pushing 400 Horsepower because it is a supercharger... -_- lovely family car LOL

& That is about it for this update!

No new wedding info because it just isn't as fun without showing you all the pictures of cakes, flowers, jewelry, and my dress... which I can't do yet just in case Alex accidentally comes across the pictures of my dress!

I hope you all enjoyed this update!

Talk to you all again about these topics soon :)

P.S --------Place your gender guesses right now!

Since the next update will be the big reveal!!!!!!

BLOG SALE #9 (MAC, Covergirl, NYX, MUFE &MORE)

2011-08-13T18:00:00.008-04:00

Here we go again with another blog sale!

Getting rid of things I don't grab for or don't plan to use anytime soon.

Reasoning this time - My College raised the price on my already overpriced parking pass.

Read everything.

Makes life easier for everyone!

RULES FOR THIS SALE:

- First come first serve.

- Email quickly if you are seriously interested.

PAYMENT METHOD ACCEPTED:

For this sale I am taking PAYPAL ONLY!!

(yes usually I take everything but this time around I'm trying to do this fast!)

- All "PRICES" shown include USPS First Class Mail shipping cost.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS:

- There will be an additional shipping cost calculated and added once you tell me your location. Varies usually from + $3-7

EMAIL ME ONLY AT :

blogsale@saaammage.com

Be sure to include in your email:

- What you want to purchase

- If you are international or US

- Your paypal email

I will send invoice to your paypal with all paypal fees (+6%) included.

P.S Please make sure your paypal accounts have your shipping address shown

otherwise include it in the email

------------------------

Skin 79 Super BB Triple Function Cream

Used 4x

SOLD

The Balm Shady Lady #2 Palette

Used 1x

Retail: $39.50

PRICE: $28 shipped

Cargo Activating Face Primer

Used 2x

Retail: $32

PRICE: $18 shipped

Coastal Scents "Bionic Wide Buffer" Brush

SOLD

Coty Airspun Powder in "Muted Beige"

BRAND NEW (Too Light, I need transparent)

Retail: $5-9

PRICE: $4.50 shipped

Covergirl & Olay Cream Blush in Plush Peach

Used 2x

Retail: $9-11

PRICE: $6 shipped

Jemma Kidd "Strike A Pose" Swivel Palette

BRAND NEW

Retail:$26

PRICE: $17 shipped

L'Oreal Infallible Lip Color in "Beyonce"

SOLD

L'Oreal Infallible Lip Color in "Geranium"

SOLD

NYX Blush in Pinched

SOLDDDD

MAC Mini Holiday Set Size Pigment in

ALL SOLD

MAC Lipstick in "Jazzed" (Discontinued, LE)

SOLD

MAC Lipstick in "Honeylove"

SOLD

MAC Lipstick in "Blankety" (Super Popular Baby Pink)

SOLD

MUFE Duo Matt Powder in #202

SOLD

Physician Formula Happy Booster Blush in "Rose"

SOLD!

Physician Formula Baked Trios in

"Baked Oatmeal" & "Baked Sugar"

Oatmeal - Used 4x

Sugar - SOLD

Retail: $8-9

PRICE: $6.50 shipped each

-------------------------

CLICK HERE to check out older blog sale post.

REAL TALK: Appreciate what is shared, Respect what isn't.

2011-08-11T12:50:00.015-04:00

Well well well.. where to start with this post.

So we are going to address these "rumors" (gag! the words rumor & gossip are so gross).

Let's backtrack a bit shall we?

I felt like a blog post was more appropriate in every shape and form because well I'm hot headed and once you get me off speaking my mind on a video, it's gonna get ugly!

PLUS, I keep my "saaammage" (main channel) focused only on all things beauty.

Nothing personal, and it's been that way for a loooong time.

In regards to my vlog channel, there I let viewers into my personal life a bit.

Yes mostly all you see me do is eat and do nothing but hey if you enjoy it feel free!

If you noticed, and I'm sure you have... I do not show my boyfriend ever.

Does he get caught in vlog channel footage from time to time?

Oh yes! Do I edit it out? Double yes!

Why?

Of course a lot of people automatically assume it's for some dark evil nasty reason.

*dramatic music*

Whatever those accusations may be, it's just a personal decision.

From the BOTH of us. Ultimately it is my channel and the bf would respect my decisions to keep our relationship out of the public eye even if we didn't agree. Luckily we do.

He doesn't enjoy being filmed anyway so enjoying each others company off camera is what we prefer to do.

For those wondering, he is a huge support of my channels and actually is the one who handles all my tech stuff and purchased me my HD camera last august.

Now onto the deeper issues.

So these pregnancy "rumors" are all based off a tweet. Yes admittedly a tweet I did post (for five minutes) in a conversation with a very nice follower who is a mom and 19 (her username was tagged and everything). I did insinuate that I am expecting and due in FEB 2012.

Guru Gossip (a ugly little forum that obviously focuses on attacking the lives, videos, and appearances of "gurus" kinda like hobby) does enjoy stalking the twitters and such of youtubers and screenshoting things to make their lives more entertaining.

They screenshotted the tweet that was up for 5 minutes for all of their readers.

Lovely right? Eh yeah I knew when I was typing the tweet it could happen but I thought...

Why let them ruin a conversation with a nice follower? I hesitated to post, but I did anyways.

(good job sam... -_-)

Regardless if it was up for 5 mins or 5 days everyone claims to have read it.

I reaaaally doubt everyone was on my main twitter page during those minutes.

Come on, face it.. you read guru gossip (tsk tsk tsk).

Anyways...

Is it true?!?! YES. It is true.

I am currently 13 weeks (3 months + 1 week) pregnant.

DUN DUN DUN.

Why haven't I said.. anything?!?

Lets be honest, I wasn't & still am not super excited about sharing this news.

Yes the news is wonderful, beautiful and exciting.

Youtube? Isn't any of those things...haha.

Don't get me wrong, I love my subscribers... 95% of them.

The 5% that watch to leave dirty comments or make hypocritical judgements?

I could do with out.

The majority of my viewers especially my long time ones are super sweet, supportive, non judgmental and people I'd love to meet in real life if I had the chance.

I agree with these lovely tweets.

I wasn't in a huge rush to share the news the second I found out (in June).

I actually didn't plan to announce any sooner than september.

WHY? -- because I wanted to make it through my first trimester (just in case I didn't want to get too many hopes up) which thank buddha I have. I also wanted to know the gender of the baby prior to the "big announcement". Which isn't till september.

Call me crazy but I preferred to tell everyone when I felt comfortable and felt the time was right.

Not to be pestered into "explaining myself" when I really don't have to.

But instead of living through another month of crazy comments.. here is the info your digging for.

-------

Now lets address some of these comments that I have received

without me announcing anything, or confirming anything.

I know as people, we all see things differently.

We were raised different, have different views... morals.. etc.

Do I expect everyone to see things the way I see them? No way.

Do I hope most people have a decent level of respect for everyone and know when they are saying uncalled for things? I wish, doesn't happen.

So viewing what I have to read.

Let me clarify things from my personal point of view.

I think the first comment should be taken very seriously.

I keep my beauty channel focus on beauty.

I have never recommend anything harmful to any young viewers or viewers in general.

Am I preaching for my viewers to have kids at the same age as I will? NOPE.

To say this?

I never even mentioned my pregnancy to youtube.

And I don't plan on talking about it on my beauty channel either.

I also have never stated that I am an angel and the best role model for anyone.

I talk about beauty products, and the rare high school advice tip video...

I don't preach anything, and I don't think any of my videos up make me a bad role model.

Now to the second comment.

Something I never appreciated much was the "only 18" thing.

I've goten something before like "she young and stupid she's only 18".

Yes I am 18, yes I'll be 19 for literally 6 months of my child's life.

Then I won't be a "teen" anymore when I turn 20.

Will I suddenly know more about not being a stupid "teen" the hour I turn 20?

NO. Will it automatically make me super mom? NO.

ALSO - the only reason we all know my age is because I have recently reminded you of my age.

Everyone thought I was at least 20! I get the 23-25 assumption A LOT.

It's hypocritical for those who say that I am assumed earlier because I seem "mature, grown up and wise" for my age to then turn around and say I'm going to be a horrible mom because I'm a "stupid immature teen". It's VERY HYPOCRITICAL.

It is true I am not married currently. I will be legally married on paper before the year is over.

I am engaged (and have been for a while.. though I don't flash the rock around), the wedding ceremony is planned for May 12, 2012.
I have found and worn my dream dress and such but do you guys know that?

Nooooo because I haven't shared it with you yet!

It just ruins all the joy to have it come out like this.

But everything going on is very exciting and joyful and I'm happy.

That should be all that matters.

To the other comments shown, I appreciate your support and non judgmental viewers.

---------------

I don't ever talk about my career/job, or my boyfriend/fiance's life (he is not a teen or barely 20 for those wondering).. career.. age or anything.

It's personal!

We aren't anything like the cast of 16 and pregnant. TRUST ME.

(They are rich now, btw though they pretend they aren't... with new cars and ipads LOL)

Our families are supportive and I'm not struggling to graduate or anything.

Remember I graduated a while ago?

We are adults! Regardless of my 18/19 age title.

I will still be doing what I am doing now throughout my pregnancy.

Full time student, part time working.. and youtubing!

Still going to school this fall, taking a short break in spring (the baby will be born in the beginning of the spring semester).. and back to the books next summer.

Yes it will be tough, and straining on my body but luckily our house is veeeery close to my school and I do not doubt I can do it. If everything was easy, it all wouldn't be worth it in the end. I'm motivated.

I don't appreciate being told I'm going to be a bad mom.

Motherhood is stressful and tiring for everyone! It wouldn't be motherhood if it wasn't.

Yes I'll be a young mom, but I wouldn't even call myself a "teen mom".

That has too many negative assumptions. Just because I'll be nine-teen doesn't automatically put me in the same place as some who is sixteen.

Luckily we are very financially stable, have good stable careers, a good place to raise the baby and have everything well planned out.

I am not sitting around freaking out so I don't need any accusations that everything will be so horrible.

The baby will be very loved, very cared for and we will be a happy family.

I am very blessed to be so stable in my life to have the support that I do.

I do not plan on getting into deeper detail on anything else.

Thank you to those who respect my privacy and decisions...

and are excited for us.

I will probably do a monthly blog update about how things are going but I do not plan on ever ever ever talking about my pregnancy on my channel.

To those who are so filled with disgust and hatred.. I'm sorry you feel that way.

I hope you... see the light!

See you in a few months my little darling.

Taken TODAY.. at my 3 month appointment =D

P.S No baby bump to show yet! I still have a flat tummy with some definition left in my abs hehe. I went through lots of vomiting for the past 7 weeks. I haven't ever been good at gaining weight so it's not surprising I'm still at 88lbs... but the baby is perfectly healthy according to the doctors. No worries!

Review: Sproos Headbands + A GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-08-05T19:18:00.008-04:00

Hello Loves.

So this post is all about those oh so addicting headbands.

I was approached a month ago by Melissa M. of Sproos Shop and asked if I was willing to review some of their pieces. Melissa caught me at the perfect time where I was back in addicted to wearing headbands full force. I saw my friend Catalina (cl2425) do a review of sproos so I got a bit excited to receive the pieces Melissa picked out for me.

Now lets run through these pieces.

L.Erickson Hot Safari Headband

Now this piece is creative yet wearable. At least to me!

The bf actually just said..."that looks pretty cool" literally a second ago.

It is very soft fabric wise, and has a satin finish.

I really like the mixture of colors yet the cream base makes it easier to wear.

The bow isn't too big which I like because some headbands have scary bows.

Comfort Wise (for me) - 4/5

It hurts a tiny bit where it sits behind the ears but nothing unbearable... just a reminder that the headband isn't slipping I guess.

Crown Jewel Headband

This headband was my biggest let down of the bunch.

I really like the simple look to it and how it blends into my hair a bit.

Good for just a wearable look on a lazy day.

When I cross reference this piece to the picture on the site I would say it looks slightly different.

The netting isn't as big in person.

Comfort Wise (for me) - 0/5

The comfort level was horrible. It hurt badly almost instantly when I put it on.

I wish I could wear it but the tension around the shape of my head makes it unbearable.

Double the Fun White Headband

This headband is the simple one out of the bunch.

Not much to say about the appearance since the pictures basically say it all.

Comfort Wise (for me) - 2.5/5

I had slightly the same issue as the crown jewel headband.

If you look in the second picture, I am pointing to the areas that don't sit well or even touch my head. It hurt a bit behind the ears also.

Where in the World Headband

For this band, if you look at the picture on the site you won't notice the color change at all!

A bit misleading but not an issue for me.

It's a bit thick for my head shape since it covers a little too much but overall it's okay.

Comfort Wise (for me) - 3.5/5

The linning on the inside makes it comfy and easy to wear. The shape isn't as forgiving as it could be. When I was removing the band my hair got stuck to the piece of the linning that is peeling off. The adhesive underneath stuck to my hair.. can you say ouch!!

Leopard Scarf

This headband appears as if it is a scarf which I find pretty cool.

It has a hair tie loop to keep the ends secure and insures easy application and wear.

Slips on and feels pretty comfy. I through one of the ends behind me so you can imagine having both sides out.. or them tucked behind.

Comfort Wise (for me) - 5/5

No issues, I could wear this all day. Comfy, cozy and stylish.

--------------------

PRICE WISE:

Not a big fan of the prices at all.

The pieces I reviews range from $9-$48 O___O

Yeah I said $48! Click the name links to see the prices.

I'm used to paying $1.50-$5 at forever 21 so I can't say I'd personally pay most of these prices.

The quality is better for the most part than a F21 headband but still, the prices don't settle well with my wallet on a 100% honest note.

If it helps.. use code "SAM10" for 10% off!

------------------------

GIVEAWAY:

Melissa and I are giving away a headband of YOUR CHOICE to three lucky winners.

All you need to do is...

check out sproos

comment below with which headband you'd like along with your email!

ANYONE CAN ENTER!! THIS IS INTERNATIONAL!!!!

GIVEAWAY ENDS in a week! August 13th, 2011 --- 12AM EST

Happy Entering :)

Thank you Melissa for giving me the chance to review your products and for being so sweet.

Upcoming Trip: IMATS LA 2011 ---- Plus Meet And Greet!

2011-06-13T15:23:00.003-04:00

Hello My Dears.

I've been on a crave to blog lately because currently I have more time to blog than film & edit.

Though of course I will have videos produced as soon as possible.

Aside from summer classes that I have to study and go to, graduations to attend, and so much more...

I have been babysitting my precious little 4 month old niece Taylor frequently

and this little ball of laughs kills her auntie's energy.

She actually just woke up so I'm blogging while feeding her :D

As you can see by the following picture which I just took using my macbook.

Oh yes, no makeup galore. But we all know I don't care LOL

This is what I look like. I prefer to smoosh my face against my niece and not leave makeup all over that baby soft (so jelly) skin.

So the topic of this post and ramble is.. dun dun dun.

IMATS!

Which is the International Make Up Artist Trade Show :)

Open to the general public, tickets are sold at the door and pre-orders online!

If you recall I attend the first NY show in history this past April (read about it here)

which was much smaller being the first year than the annual Pasadena (LA) California Show.

I remember looking at blog post and videos from so many youtubers last year and I died in jealousy. Though it looks like hectic madness with hundreds and hundreds of people and booths everyone having presentations and sales on all cosmetics it does look fun!

And of course overwhelming.

Especially for someone who hasn't ever had the time and or money (me and my lack of saving/travel) to go to california. I'm always in school. I actually have a final on the 24th (the friday before IMATS) O_O yes cutting it way too close! I have to take it a couple days early by myself :( just to get there in time for IMATS saturday morning :D

I'LL ONLY BE AT IMATS SATURDAY JUNE 25th. Not sunday!

I assume for a couple hours... it starts at 8:30 so I hope to be there at least till noon to 1.

Check my twitter for updates on my locations :D

I hope to see all my cali babes there for those who can make it.

I know a lot of people are going only sunday as well... like Kandee Johnson! :D

I'm very sad I won't be there to see her and her stage class but I won't be in cali super long so I'm trying to make the most of it. Who knows when the next time I'll be there!

Definitely don't be scared to say hello, come snag a hug.. a picture and some convo with me if you see me at IMATS or around cali in general.

I had a blast taking pictures & meeting some lovely subbies in NY as seen below.

If we take a picture you have to send me a copy somewhere!

FB, Twitter, YT.. make it happen my loves :)

-------------------------------

ALSO I WILL BE HOLDING A MEET & GREET IN CALI.

I'm only there from Friday Afternoon to Monday Night. (24th-28th) and I'm back on the east coast by 5AM tuesday =X

I'll be in the Pasadena Area and whatever areas that surround it :D

I've been asking on twitter where are good places to eat, shop.. places I need to see etc etc.

Please please please leave any suggestions in a comment!

I heard I need to go to "In & Out", Green Street, King Taco, Boiling Crab. WILL DO hahaha.

I will be doing a video about the meet and greet...

but I figured it doesn't hurt to ask questions on blogger since I've asked on twitter as well.

For the CA babes interested in come to hang out with me for a bit please answer these questions.

Would you prefer the meet & greet to be...

Sunday Afternoon/night or Monday morning into Early Afternoon

& where would be a good location in your opinion?

I want somewhere that is fun to be.. food.. shopping or just nice a place to hang!

A few suggestions on twitter have been..

- Old Town Pasadena x 3

- Ontario Mills

- Santa Anita Mall

Can't wait to hear back from you all :D

& I hope your doing well!

P.S I'm sitting around trying to make a list to pack and figure out what to wear!!

EEEEEEK. Last minute shopping & packing is inevitable.

Latest Find & Addiction: Edge of Urge Feather Earrings

2011-06-07T20:53:00.007-04:00

As I was browsing through my latest issue of Seventeen Magazine.. I couldn't help but fall in love with the style of earring Lucy Hale was rockin' on the cover.

So I of course browsed through to see what brand her earring was by and it landed me on a site called Edge of Urge. My odd brain read it the other way and thought I have a urge for edgy earrings. Most of you know I have a edgy glam side of me that needs to be fed when I'm not bummy my way through the day. We all know that feather earrings are hottttt right now. I'm not a fan of the extensions or the extension earrings. For me I'm a bit picky on the type of earring I wear, I like it to make a statement... yet not look like I fought big bird and decided to wear him as a prize of my victory. I've also stated in my videos that I prefer to wear, only one side. For my face and my hair cut I believe one side flatters me much more and makes the statement I want without being overly dramatic and or.. wack. I do believe girls with lovely long locks can rock two sided feather earrings but I still prefer them asymmetrical on everyone. Ehhh what can I say I like dimension.

As I browsed the website I found the section I was searching for which would be the earring section made by Jesse Williams.

Now if your interested in these earrings you have a lot of options. There are pre made designs.. some with hoops, some long... some short... or you can customize what you would like. For warning most of the long pre made designs range from $70+. A little crazy compared to forever 21 earrings.. I know. I was on search for either a asymmetrical pair or a short one side earring. Most of the feathers are either 4 or (6/5 inches) to 14 so of course.. 4 was what I needed. I wasn't really ready to throw out some cash on a pair of earrings that would only get love on one side so I customized my own. Which in the end saved me some $$$.

Now for some lovely iphone 4 pictures of what arrived at my door.

I received a coupon code for free shipping in june. "JUNEBLOOM"

Care instructions and a oddly hilarious temporary shark tattoo.

Oh lets not forget the earring itself was in the lovely envelope nicely sealed.

TA-DAAAA!! My creation.

I kept it neutral and simple. Black, Grey, White and Shades of Brown.

Easily Matchable to anything which is what I wanted. Trust me, not throwing in some red was hard.

One side, hoop earring. I really loved the hoop concept because you can find regular hook feather earrings everywhere so I prefer the hoop regardless. The hoop does require you to have pierced ears but the hoop is the lightest material ever.. no saggy ears here.

I tried to toss it around a bit so you could see the nice flashes of color rather than the big black feather that seems to be a camera hog in the front. All of the feathers were the same length except the chain piece (pictured below)

This is the "Cluster Chain" Piece that hangs a little lower at 6.5 inches.

I think it gives more length rather than just a cluster of volume but I didn't wanna overdue it so I only put one in my order.

On the back of the card has care instructions with checks next to any materials you have in your order.

A snapshot of me wearing it at a bbq.

Trust me, it looks soooo great in real life. No picture could do it justice.

And a snapshot of my receipt so you all can see what pieces I used and colors for reference if needed.

The shipping was a killer but if you use the coupon code I mentioned (above) you'd have no worries!

Now to post my two favorite pictures from their site.

A custom asymmetrical piece that is too gorgeous with some fun fruit colors.

AS you can see the long "unicorn hair" piece makes it very asymmetrical.

And I love love love this premade... "bridal" earring set which is actually on the low end of pre-set prices at $78 but still more than I'm currently will to fork over.

Though it is breath taking.

If your a bold custom earring feather rocking lover like myself..

Check out the site, I try not to look too much otherwise I'd end up placing another order :P

The pictures in the custom area just kill me... not softly either.

Just wanted to share with you all my latest love!

Hope you all enjoyed!

*This post was not sponsored, I paid for the shown item myself. All photo are either from my phone or screenshots from edge of urge's site. *

Memorial Day Sales 2011

2011-05-27T21:31:00.004-04:00

Hello hello everyone!

So Memorial Day is coming up... very very soon!

And we all know lots of sites have great timed deals.

This post is completely dedicated to displaying all of the deals for this weekend/monday that I know off!

I think I have a million newsletters linked to one of my emails and I figured... not everyone is as crazy as me so hopefully this post will be good reference for my fellow shopaholic and deal searchers this upcoming Monday!

I will be updating this post and updating the post time as I add more deals when they come to my attention :)

BH COSMETICS

30% off prices are on the site already!

Can't combine the two.

BOTH End 5/30/11 11:59pm

--------------------------------------------------

CHERRY CULTURE

CODE: MDS20

Ends - May 31st 11:59PM

Sales are final, no returns or exchanges.

Processing time = up to 14 days

If you order over $40 with or without the code you'll have free shipping within the US.

--------------------------------------------------

COASTAL SCENTS

ENDS - Midnight 12:00 AM EST May 30th

--------------------------------------------------

EVE PEARL

Use Code: BP52911 for 40-50% off of full priced products.

72 Hour Sale.

STARTS - May 29th Sunday Morning 12:01 AM EST

END - May 31st Tuesday Night 11:59 PM EST

--------------------------------------------------

Enjoy & Control Yourselves! LOL

Haulage: A Sunday Trip to Ulta

2011-05-08T13:45:00.006-04:00

Hello My Lovely Blog Readers!

I'm back with a small Ulta haul for your enjoyment :)

I just stopped by my neighborhood store a couple hours ago...

Literally to pick up one thing.

But of course anytime you have one thing in mind, you come out with 5.

Or in my case today, 9 in total =X

The 20% one item coupon led me to Ulta... and luckily was applied on the one item I really wanted.

Since Tim (one of my friends/photographers) was over editing pictures, I asked him to take two group snapshots of what a grabbed.

Nothing fancy or too detailed!

Just overall impressions or since I haven't any of the new stuff yet :)

#1 - Garnier Fructis Color Shield Conditoner: I picked this up because ULTA was having a deal where is you buy a garnier hair color you get 50% off a garnier hair care product and I've been eyeing this conditioner. I'm a BIG fan of the triple nourishing oil conditioner that comes in my hair dye box (for after hair dying) so I'm hoping this is almost as good. It is the recommended conditioner to use after garnier hair dyes.

#2 - Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Intense Red For Darker Hair in "R2 Medium Intense Auburn": Just another back up of my current hair dye color. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Works so well and leaves my hair softer and shinier than usual. My hair looks exactly like the box in light or photography which kicks butt. I only can find this specific shade at Target & Ulta so I usually pick up a box whenever I'm there so I can at least have one box at home on stand by whenever I need to touch up my roots. (Which I use to just re do my whole head). There were two on the shelves but I only grabbed one for now :)

#3 - Formula 10.0.6 Best Face Forward Daily Foaming Cleanser: I haven't tried this yet but I love the packaging! I'm trying out the brand because I am oh so curious about them...Their prices are nice and affordable. Everything is either $5.99 or $6.99. Not expecting too much out of the cleanser but I leaned towards this foaming one rather than their other oily liquid textured ones. I like lather LOL

#4 - Formula 10.0.6 Seriously Shine Free Mattifiying Oil Free Moisturizer: I hope for good things when it comes to this product though I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't match up to my HG mattifiyer from the body shop ;) I was skeptical because it has no spf or anything and I'm trying to find one just as good as my TBS one but with spf..... *sigh* I had to grab it because it was affordable, in a squeeze tube and a SELF magazine award winner. GOTTA TRY!

#5 - Jergens Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer: I have this lotion in the regular gradual tan formula. My legs are natural paler than my arms and such so I like to try and even them out but I don't like to apply lotion everyday because I forget! So hopefully this one day express lotion will work out better for my lazy self. It states it suitable for medium to tan skin tones.

#6 - NYX Grow Brow Serum: (Yes Lash is shown here but I picked up the wrong one and exchanged an hour later :D) The inner parts of my brows ran into an accident with a oversized brow razor a couple weeks ago and there are taking a while to grow back. I figured they need some assistance. Plus I would love thicker brows... density wise not width just so they would show up better in pictures without being filled.

#7 OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Mini Polish Set: I was in love with the two odd grey shades at first sight so I figured the purple and pink aren't bad, might as well get all four for the price of 1 & 1/2 :D

#8 - LA Splash Mineral Eyeshadow in Platinum Sand: I know you can't see the shadow but it's a pretty odd tarnish shimmery taupe color. First LA Splash product I've ever owned, we shall see how it goes!

#9 - Urban Decay Cannonball Waterproof Mascara: I'm not a fan of mascaras with a price tag over $15 but I couldn't help but get this mascara. At $20 it's not... that bad, compared to some but again more than I like to spend so I really want this to work out. Supposedly it is amazingly waterproof with claims that say "Unflinchingly Waterproof. Surf & Swim tested. Get long full lashes that won't flake or smudge. Ever" It supposedly a non budging japanese formula so I am excited to see how amazing this is. And with it being waterproof? You know me... I expect a curl that last!

---------------------------------------------------

And that was my little haulage!

I hope you all enjoyed.

Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you lovelies soon!

♥♥ Sam

RAMBLES: Hidden Asian Beauty Stores in NY & VLOG

2011-04-14T16:40:00.005-04:00

Hello Lovers!

First post back from NYC.

I didn't bring a DSLR because welp, I couldn't fit one in the luggage LOL

So I snagged some nifty (yes nifty) iphone pictures in the random beauty stores I wondered into.

Seriously, my method of... oh lets wander in chinatown and get buldozed by screaming people until you see a beauty product in the window ACTUALLY WORKED!

I don't have address of all of the places but I showed the store front in my vlog of the weekend.

I was wandering around my hotel area.. down a street towards a ramen place then I saw this lovely store.

One of the many..

Everyday Beauty

Address of the one I went to:

163 Hester Street, Store B

New York, NY 10013

*The other addresses are shown on a business card in the vlog*

BB Creams Galore!! At least 18+ different types.

Ranging from $20-$65.

Turn around and wham! Your smacked in the face with Lioele!

I grabbed a blooming gloss for $15 because.. well Jen makes them look great.

I suggest grabbing these for $12 at Kose Beauty (shown in vlog)... I sadly went there afterwards.

A plethora of nose strips, face slimmers.. hair dyes.. and sadly not shown but there are toright are millions of face mask!

Kan Man 2nd Floor

200 Canal St

Manhattan NY

LOTS OF DOLLY WINK.

Other stores had some dolly wink as well.. but the largest amount goes to kan man.

Liners, Lashes, Shadows..

Sooo much skincare and hair care.

Fun fact: The tweezers there were crazy expensive.

I saw some girl looking at special "eye lash holding" (NOT SPECIAL) tweezers for $15!

Shoooot my tweezers can hold lashes too. Bageezus.

It was nice to see the dolly wink set up of polishes.

Sadly they only had white, purple, hot pink, glitter silver and shimmer orange.

I wanted the teal from the ad O_O LOL but there were slightly pricey for the size... I think $13?

-------------------------------------------------------

*I've been playing around with my instagram photo app on my phone lately*

My "Look" for IMATS broken down :D

I kept it comfy and casual like I usual would.

Very me, rocker edgy but simple chic.

White V Neck - Walmart Miley By Maxazria $12

Black Pleather Biker Jacket - HotMiamiStyles

(An oldie but goodie! Never goes out of style for me.)

My favorite jeans, for fit.. look and edgy appeal.

YMI - Extreme Skinny Jeans Size 0

(not sure if they are the darks or regulars... )

These fit TIGHT.. but are comfy.

I saw these in seventeen magazine a year ago and loved them since.

The vertical wash design is supposed to flatter skinnier legs.. thus why my chicken legs have them on!

My favorite new scarf by Tarjay (Target).

Gorgeous blend of black, grey and purple on leopard print.

Clearance: $8.09 from $12

I do have a complaint!

It is much shorter when you try and wear it like an infinity scarf.

O__O much shorter.

EOTD:

- Wet n' Wild Lust Palette (first time using it that day!)

- All of the purples and the shimmering white on inner tear duct.

- MAC Rice-paper as highlight

- Wet n' Wild Gel Liner in Black

- Ardell #131 Lashes

Watch the vlog if you haven't! :D

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!

2011-04-04T23:24:00.003-04:00

Thank you to all who entered!

Let's keep this short and simple.. I'm exhausted LOL

PACKAGE #1

Winner is...

"Hongiie"!!

PACKAGE #2

Winner is....

"aminotransferase"!

Congrats to you both!!

Thank you to everyone who left such kind words.. they all really made me smile!

---------------

P.S If you haven't checked out my latest blog sale look at the post before this :)

Goodnight world!

BLOG SALE #8 (Mini Clean Out)

2011-04-02T19:10:00.004-04:00

Rules:

First come first serve!

Email QUICKLY if you are seriously interested.

Payment Options Accepted:

- Personal Checks

- Money Orders

- Concealed Cash (At Your Own Risk)

- Paypal which cost a 6% fee.

If you are mailing payment it must be received within a week of you telling me it is sent.

Any emails from buyers must be returned within 3 days/ invoiced must be paid within 3 days of it being received unless we have agreed otherwise, OR the item will be back up for sale.

Shipping: I will be shipping out USPS first class for everything! If you want a different shipping method there will be an additional cost. All prices posted include shipping to the US.

International Orders: I WILL SHIP INTERNATIONAL for an additional add on cost to the prices posted. You must tell me where you are located when you email me and I will let you know the additional cost. It usually ranged between $4-7 depending on where you are.

-------------------------------

If you would like to SERIOUSLY purchase something:

EMAIL ME ASAP AT: blogsale@saaammage.com

Put the item names you want in the subject.

Make sure to include your payment method in the body

& where you are located if not I assume USA.

Remember first come first serve and things go quick!

-------------------

MAC Solar Riche Bronzer (LE from Style Warrior Collection)

Brand New

One for $32 shipped

Both for $60 shipped

MAC Blush of Youth Beauty Powder (LE from Rose Romance Collection)

Brand New

$30 shipped

Maybelline FIT ME Foundation in #210 (NC30)

Used Once

$4 shipped

Laniege Snow Crystal Dual Foundation & Concealer in #23 Sand Beige

Bottom Used Once, Top Never Used.

$20 Shipped

(Usually priced $40+ without shipping online =X)

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation SPF50

Translucent Medium

Swatched Once

$8 shipped

Canmake Brown Eyes Quad

SOLD

Coastal Scents Camo Quad in Color Correcter

Brand New with slight smudge.

$6.50 shipped

Maybelline Quads in Charcoal Smokes & Mocha Motion

Both Used

$3.50 shipped each or $6 shipped for both

SOLD

L'Oreal Quad in Autumn Leaves

Used

$4.50 shipped

----------------------

Check out my other blog sale post by clicking the blog sale tag on the right side.

♥ Sam

HUGE NYX COSMETICS HAUL: Swatch Me & Review

2011-03-29T21:06:00.001-04:00

HELLO BEAUTY LOVERS!

So this post is extremely picture heavy.

This post is all about NYX Cosmetics.

Now if you haven't heard of nyx and your a beauty lover.. then your a beauty lover under a rock.

I say that in the politest way possible, if it is possible.

NYX Cosmetics is an extremely popular brand throughout the beauty community.

Why? Because it has developed a reputation for having beautiful pigmented products at some reasonably affordable prices.

Some consider it to be "drugstore" and some others do not because it's a bit harder to find in certain areas.

I did a quick video review on NYX's New HD Grinding Blush in shade Georgia Peach (which you can find HERE) and it amazingly caught NYX's eye.

A representative from the company offered to send me some items of my choice for consideration for use and review.

I love reviewing things especially on here because I can get multiple products done in one post!

So I'm gong to run through the groups of products and give you a summary of my opinion/first impression in general. (Which will include, performance, price, shade etc etc.)

Let's get started, shall we?

Rouge Cream Blushes

Swatches of the shades from L to R.

Top Row: #2 Natural - #7 Red Cheeks

Bottom Row: #5 Glow - #3 Tea Rose

What I think... These blushes definitely do live up to their hype. I am now one of the many lovers of these. I typically don't like many cream blushes because they don't blend well. These are soooo pigmented and creamy. The swatches speak for themselves. They are from one circular swipe of the shades each. They blend extremely well and with the right amount they all could be very natural and worn on any occasion. I wore the shade "Natural" (baby almost medium pink with a tint of brown) of in my March 2011 Favorites video and also did a live swatch. "Red Cheeks" is a nice warm red. Great for those who want that rosey red cheek tint. "Glow" is a darker pink than "Natural". More of a a pure medium pink than brown. "Tea Rose" is a wearable warm brown shade. Packaging is simple, and sturdy.. no complaints. You can snag these for around $6-7 at different locations and sites.

Would I repurchase? HECK YES!

Concealer in a Jar

Shades: Medium & Beige

Swatches on NC30 Skin.

Packed on decently heavy so they didn't melt into my skin.

What I think... These are very creamy and blend well. Coverage? Medium. I'm very happy with my shade picks. Medium is more on the salmon side so that works great for undereyes. Beige is more yellow which is great for any face coverage especially for a yellow undertoner person like myself. These jars come in 13 shades which include color correctors which is a pretty good selection. Much better than other "drugstore" concealers that come in 3-4 shades -__- Price wise, you can snag these for $5-6 each. Some complain that the amount is a bit pricey for 7 gram jar but in my opinion it's not that bad. This will definitely last you a while. Packaging wise I hate it. The tub or jar itself is too tiny to use your fingers. I tried to force my finger into the concealer for the swatches and turn the jar and ended up with a papercut. So with that said, not so travel friendly or hand friendly. You'll need a scooper spatula or brush.. unless you want to use your nails.. I wouldn't recommend that. Not sanitary babes!

Would I repurchase? Maybe/Probably because I like the quality but the packaging isn't so convenient.

Fabulous Lashes

#126 Guilty Pleasure

#119 Gorgeous

What I think... I've worn NYX lashes before.. I didn't remember how tough the bands were. I always have an issue with my inner corner with lashes that have bands that aren't forgiving. Regardless of how much I bend and work with them they won't mold to my eye shape. I thought I'd love the "Gorgeous" lashes but I ended up getting frustrated and ripping them off! I had to wipe off all of my eye makeup and reapply previous to recording my March 2011 Favorites video. Aside from the bands, they are both gorgeous lashes. I just can't wear them =/ I wouldn't say they are worth $4.50 either since they are so difficult. If your the type who never has to adjust the lashes and can just plop them on.. go for it! Otherwise my oddly shaped or small eyed girls out there.. stay away.

Would I repurchase? Nope.

Round Lipsticks

From L to R:

Eros - Indian Pink - Walnut - Tea Rose - Electra

What I think... I've been a fan of nyx round lipsticks already. When I first started off with youtube in 2009 I hauled four of these. They are really well priced, for beginners and for the veteran lippie lover. You can find them for $2.50-4 each. I prefer to buy them from cherry culture especially during their 20% off sales. They are creamy and pigmented and depending on the shade either shimmery and slightly sheer or matte and opaque. The quality is good through but some shades will occasionally sink into your lines or be a bit streaky. Typically the shimmers, watch out for those bad boys. "Eros" is a very popular warm creamy matte red. "Indian Pink" is a gorgeous lighter pink with golden sheen. "Walnut" was a fail pick by me because I assumed from a previous swatch I had seen that it was much lighter.. though it obviously is a very scary dark matte brown. "Tea Rose" is another popular shade, it holds the same name as one of the cream blushes but is more of a medium creamy pink. Very similar to Rimmel's Spotlight Beige. Last but not least "Electra" is more of a deeper true matte creamy red which is also a popular one for the red lip rockers. The packaging isn't all that fancy but the shade on the bottom is true to the lipstick so it comes in handy storage wise. There is a HUGE selection of colors for these so there has to be something for everyone.

Would I repurchase? Yes! Except Walnut -_-

Black Label Lipsticks

Shades: India & Natural

Excuse the light in the next photo.. colors are lighter than they appear.

What I think... These are the fancier lipsticks in comparison to the round lipsticks. They are starting to get a lot more love on youtube despise being more expensive that their rounder counterparts. These retail for around $6-7.50 depending on where your looking. Creamy, glides on smooth.. secure cute packaging. If you own one of the round lipsticks you'll realize these are a bit more forgiving when it comes to drier lips or lines. To get the full opaqueness you'll have to run over your lips 2-3 times but the finish is well worth it. "India" is a beautiful baby pink. "Natural" is a reddish brown of some sorts. I was expecting something a bit lighter. The shade selection is much smaller than the round lipsticks as well =/

Would I repurchase? Possibly, if I fall in love with a certain shade, otherwise I'll stick to the round lipsticks.

Soft Matte Lip Creams

Antwrep

Tokyo

What I think... These are advertised not as a gloss (though they are found in that section of all sites) but as a lipstick that applies as simple and cream as a gloss. They do dry to be slightly matte but decently moisturizing. Slightly forgiving line wise but I highly suggest exfoliating before applying if you tend to have flakey lips. The color selection is small and the shades are all decently bold. Due to it drying matte for the most part the result is nice, and natural. I've worn one of these I purchased in a tutorial on my channel in shade "Stockholm" which is my favorite. It matches my lips almost perfectly but a bit nicer. "Tokyo" would satisfy any baby barbie pink lip wearers while "Antwrep" is a light coral red. All of the names are based on cites around the world. Packaging wise it's a typical doe foot applicator. You can find these around for $6 each. I think they are worth maybe $4 each but if you like a shade I say go for it. If you want a long lasting matte appearance go for it. Otherwise, you can pass if you plan on throwing anything but a clear balm or lip gloss over it.

Would I repurchase? Not really because I have the shades I am curious in and don't find the others appealing. Otherwise I would if there were other shades.

HD Studio Primer & Foundation

What I think...

- Primer: I'm not really liking it. Other claim for it to do miracles with pores and lasting power of your foundation. For me? Not so much. Nothing at all has changed aside from the huge white cast it gives my face prior to my foundation. It does not blend to a transparent finish nor does it blend easily. The texture is a liquid until you try to blend it and it thickens up. I personally have no pros to say aside from the sanitary packaging. You can find this for a hefty $14.

- Foundation: Luckily I guessed the correct shade! There are 8 shades to pick from a range from the fairer side of the spectrum to the medium tan. No shades for my deeper toned ladies out there. It has a nice smooth liquid texture and blends well. The coverage is no more than medium leaning towards light. So any ladies who have any imperfections like scaring or blemishes would need some concealing to achieve that flawless look. Overall I like the slightly dewy finish for a foundation that is lacking coverage. The lasting power is average. 6 hours would average it's time. Nice controllable sanitary pump packaging. The price tag is $15 which is a big turn off. Oil wise, it is typical. If you tend to be oily, you will get some shine.

Would I repurchase? Nope for either. If the foundation was cheaper in cost I'd consider once my scaring lightens.

Super Skinny Eye Marker

What I think... Not a bad liquid liner. Felt tip pen. As shown it gives a nice averagely thin line easily (top swatch) and if needed you can push the liner down against your lid with some pressure and achieve a thicker liner. (bottom swatch). It has great control, and it is opaque. Didn't flake on me at all. It did however bleed after a decent amount of wear which I highly dislike about some liquid liners. Staying power is lacking which is a huge thumbs down. You can snag one for $9. One shade only.

Would I repurchase? If it was $4-5 I would consider if my Dolly Wink Liner was discontinued but I'd rather pay a buck or two more for Dolly Wink's staying power than this though it has great control.

Lastly..

The Caribbean Collection 5 Color Eye Shadow Palettes

I leaned towards these because I like how they look like extended sleek versions of their trio's.

Almost resembling MUFE's concealer palette.

They sent over four lovely palettes and I'll talk about them as a whole then a bit separately.

What I think... These are nice, thin and sleek. Secure closed packaging nice wide but thin mirror. Good for travel, for the most part. Easy to slip into any bag for touch ups or switch ups. Overall they are all equally as pigmented as most nyx shadows are. I am a little picky about how some palettes are all shimmers. I believe at least one slightly matte is needed in every palette. There are no pure mattes either, the closest shadows have a slightly satin finish. Kinda bugs me because I'm an avid outer corner matte wearer. All of the shadows appear more opaque over a primer so I'd suggest that, also to avoid any fading or creasing. Priced at $8-8.75 which if you consider the trio's being $6-8 isn't that bad. More for your money and a better mirror. All the names end with a city in the caribbean which I found cute.

Would I repurchase? Maybe. Probably no more than one or two.

If your into bright colors, St. Lucia is for you.

All satin or shimmer. The orange tends to be the most matte.

St. John is PERFECT for a classic smokey eye.

Only problem I have with this is the almost matte blacks are almost identical.

I'd take a matte or satin cream highlight color any day.

The first off white beige shade is very shimmery.

Barbados's shades are wearable colors with a bit of smokey added in.

Aruba is very autumn appropriate and bronzey.

The first shade is gorgeous and the only one I am interested in.

The browns can be founded easily in other neutrals palettes.

THIS specific palette had a tough travel because the mirror popped out.

Badly glued =/ Luckily with a hot glue gun session it's as good as new.

My favorite of the bunch? St. John

------------------------------------------

And there you have it!

My massive NYX Haul & Review.

For reference all swatches were made on my NC30 skin tone.

My favorite products were no doubt the cream blushes, and the round lipsticks come in second.

I would like to thank NYX Cosmetics for allowing me to do this review and sending over these products.

As stated before, I prefer to purchase NYX's products from cherry culture when they have their monthly 20% off sales :) You can also find them at Ulta and some beauty marts.

I am not affiliated in anyway or being paid for this review.
Everything is as always 100% honest.

♥ Sam

P.S ENTER MY 1,000 + FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY IF YOU HAVEN'T YET!

CLICK HERE :D

GIVEAWAY TIME: 1,000 Followers (Well now 1,100+ :D)

2011-03-28T22:12:00.008-04:00

Why hello beautiful ;)

As usual I'm late.

No no not late.. late... haha that sounded gross.

Late for this overdue giveaway!

I planned on throwing this giveaway to celebrate my 1,000 follower milestone...

BUTTT I completely missed that day.

SORRY =X

"Better late than never!"

As a hundred million people say when they are late for something.

As usual I either feel creative or simple.

Hmmmmm....

Let's keep things simple.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

RULES & REGULATIONS:

- If you are under 18, you must have parental permission to receive your prizes!

- You must be a follower of this blog!

- You can only comment ONCE! Let's keep this fair & easy.

If you make a mistake on your original comment, you can re-comment but you must say "Delete my previous comment please :D"

So I know that your not trying to pull a fast one!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

TO ENTER:

Comment This Post.

Anything in the world you feel like saying to me!

Make sure you leave your email for me to contact you

or if you prefer.. twitter!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I won't be saying you can have extra entries if you follow blah blah blah..

That's just not my style.

I celebrate each of my social networking sites (YT, FB, Twitter...) separately.

So I believe it is fairer that way.

If you do follow other pages then you naturally have other chances to win!

TWO WINNERS! Two Prize Packages.

Just a little something something to say I appreciate you (=

Package #1 Clean Your Skin Like Me!

Includes some of my personal favorites that I use all of the time.

- Neutrogena Hydrating Remover Wipes (my favorite wipes of the moment, so nice!)

- Boots Botanic Clay Mask (sooo fun to use)

- Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover (my HG remover of all time)

Package #2 Makeup to Play with & Quick/Easy Soft Hair

Includes two of my favorites and two goodies for you to try for yourself!

- ELF Studio Cream Liner in Midnight (I heard good things about this liner)

- Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara in Black/Waterproof

- Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

- ELF Studio Blush in Candid Coral

ENDS April 4th, 2011 12:00 AM EST

One week to Enter!

I want to have time ship out things before I head up for IMATS NY.

♥ Sam

All About ANGLES: Screenshots of My Haircut + A Throwback

2011-03-26T20:48:00.002-04:00

Though these aren't actual pictures, they do.. decent justice!

Keep in mine these shots are from a moving video so.. they aren't perfect.

& they are from different days LOL

And like everyone else I have lazy hair days so sometimes I style the back a bit funky.

100% Guarantee the cut & style looks sooo much better IN PERSON.

This is also between trims.

So my angles aren't as clean or fresh as they would be between cuts!

Hair does grow! and it grows so fast in the back for me :(

After cuts they are shaaaarp. But I sorta like them when they are messy as well since I can be a bit lazy :D

Short Side (left)

- Sits approximately around 1 inch under my ear.

Making out way around to the back...

You can see the angle getting longer/ sweeping towards the right.

AND

my lazy styling.

If you style it properly and straighten it directly down, it's cleeeaaan.

& finally the longer side (right)

The angle from the left ear all the way to the longest point is a major part of the cut.

Linh (my stylist) is so OCD about it.. he literally spins me around 50x during my trim because he wants it to be perfection.

Though he knows hair growth ruins his work =X

The angle back up the my jaw is sharper than shown but.. yeaaah I was moving LOL

BANG WISE: Just your simple thinned out swept to the right bangs that I blend into my hair.

They lay just below my eye, about an inch under at max.

THERE YOU GO! My asymmetrical a line bob!

Now for the throwback picture from 2008 that I found on my comp.

It was titled "I'm so addicted.."

LOL my coca cola love captured!

Still extremely accurate but yes people I drink water (as much as I personally can) now.

I really want to revamp this picture so look forward to that!

♥

DUPE ME: Inglot M3 Trio vs. MAC Naked Pigment

2011-03-18T18:43:00.003-04:00

This post is long overdue.

Forgive me for swarming myself in making videos.

I want to start another little "type of post" on my blog where I show products that I believe are similar!

To determine is they are actually dupes or not.

Hope these post end up being informative and fun to read!

On the left: Inglot Eye Shadow Trio in "M3" (from a swap with a viewer!)

On the right: MAC Naked Pigment (placed in a different stacking container)

Nooo the Inglot Trio is not dirty, they all have a gold sheen!

My poor attempt at capturing the gorgeousness of one of my favorite shadows/pigments ever.

I will forever love Naked Pigment.

Only loose shadow I can't live without.

On to the swatches!

The products are flipped accidently!

MAC NAKED ON LEFT VS. INGLOT M3 ON RIGHT

One swipe each :D Oh you gotta love the pigmentation!

Verdict: CLOSE BUT NOT DUPES!

My eyes did fool me for the most part.

MAC's Naked Pigment is much more pinky than the Inglot shadow.

You have to admit they both look like very similar champagne shadows when they aren't swatched :P

When they aren't side by side they could fool me any day.

Naked comes off more Satin while Inglot has it's signature gold specks.

Both are gorgeous in the end! Just not twins!

More like cousin :)

Hope you enjoyed!

BLOG SALE #7 (Coastal Scents, MAC, KQC Flat Iron & More!)

2011-03-06T22:41:00.011-05:00

Attempting to clean out neglected items and save the money for IMATS trips!

Plane Tickets & Hotels are pricey! This is why I don't travel.. ever LOL

(next photo: quick behind the scene iphone shot -___-)

[*For Curious Minds: Majority of the pictures were taken using a Canon 60D

Don't get too used to the quality though, your still stuck with me and my canon rebel :D

Thank you to my friend Tim (one of the photographers for sofitted.com) for being bored and coming over to take these pictures! *]

Please read this post completely.

Check out my previous blog post for items that are still up for grabs.

OLD POST #1

OLD POST #2

RULES!

__________________________________________________

First come first serve!

Email me quickly if you are seriously interested.

Simple instructions/rules!

Payment Options Accepted:

- Personal Checks
- Money Orders
- Concealed Cash (At Your Own Risk)
- Paypal which cost a fee of +6%.

If you are mailing payment it must be received within a week of you telling me it is sent.

Any emails from buyers must be returned within three days/invoice must be paid within three day(unless you tell me otherwise)

or items will go back on sale

Shipping: I'll be shipping out USPS First Class for everything! If you want any different shipping you must pay extra. All prices posted include shipping.

International Orders: I WILL ship international for an additional add on shipping fee which will be determined by your location and order total. It's usually $4-7 depending on how far you are.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SERIOUSLY PURCHASE ANYTHING
EMAIL ME ASAP AT: blogsale@saaammage.com

Remember first come first serve!
Put the item names in your subject & also tell me payment method in the message.

If you are paying by paypal please include which email you'd like an invoice sent to.

Faster Payment = Faster Shipment!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush

Barely Used

$12 shipped SOLD!!!

MAC Mineralized Blush in Hand-Finish

(pinky peach gold)

Used 3-5 times.

$ 17 shipped SOLD!!!

Sigma E05 Eyeliner Brush (Pink Edition)

Brand New

(Retail $9 without shipping)

~~$5 shipped~~ SOLD!!

The Face Shop Blackhead EX Clay Mask (50g Full Size)

Used 3x - 90% left

$10 shipped

SOLD!!

Sana Soy Milk Moisturizer Cream

BRAND NEW from SASA.com

(old picture, plastic box not included)

SOLD!!!

KQC 1" Flat Iron

USED (never dropped or damaged, still very clean)

I sadly forgot to bring it to the place where the pictures were taken.

Additional images can be sent on request through email for serious buyers only.

*screenshot for proof of iron*

(image credit to flatironexperts)

$50 shipped SOLD!!!

Still Glamorous "Smokey Glam Couture" Collection

Brand New

(my backups)

~~$9 shipped~~

SOLD!!!!!!!!

Maybelline Quads

All used 1-2x.

(Retail: $5 each)

$3.50 shipped each or $8.50 shipped for all three.

ALL THREE ARE SOLD!!

(Time for Wine, Sunlit Bronze, Sapphire Ice)

Maybelline Colorsensational Lip Stain - "In The Buff"

SOLD!!

NYX Mosaic Powder in Highlighter

Used 1x (backup)

$4.75 shipped

SOLD!!

Coastal Scents Creative Me #2 Palette

Only 2 Colors Used - 2x.

(Retail: $21.95 without shipping)

$17 shipped SOLD!!!

Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette

Used 7-10x, only a few colors.

(Retail: $18.95 without shipping)

$14 shipped SOLDDD!!

Lioele Beyond The Solution BB Cream - 50mL

Used 1X, too light for me! Suitable for NC20-25.

$16 shipped

SOLD!!

Urban Decay "Brightening" Complexion Primer Potion

SOLD!!!

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector (Full Size 3.3 fl oz)

Used 4x

$11 shipped

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer

Brand New - Shade: Light to Medium

(Retail: $15)

$8 shipped

Mini Travel Sized MUFE "Sens' Eyes" Makeup Remover

Brand New

$4 shipped

SOLD!!

Anastasia Eye Lights Matte in Camille

Used 2x

(Retail: $21)

$13 shipped

$17 Target Dress + What I Returned At Sephora

2011-02-18T23:26:00.005-05:00

Iphone4 photo alert!

I sincerely apologize for the especially crappy quality in this post.

My computer is dead and out in the car so I could not change the pictures from jpeg to png on the comp I'm using. The quality was actually amazing for a cell phone (woot iphone :D) but thanks to the non png... it's kinda grainy.

Hopefully it will do!

I promise I'll be busting out my DSLR for the super detailed post coming up.

So starting off, I should not go to Target without my bf.

It's just not smart...

We usually go weekly due to his family's addiction to drinking Silk...

& he usually buys me a mountain of coke and beauty goodies (since he's a sweetie)

but 90% of the time I don't even enter the clothing section.

Why? Because it's not good.. lol everything is so affordable and cute you just grab stuff because well, it's target.

I went the other day with only his sister and..

I slammed dunked 4 clothing piece totaling up at least $60 into the cart within 3 minutes.

LUCKILY. I didn't end up buying 2 of the items because... they looked horrid on me.

The two items I did buy are by the brand xhilaration.

When in doubt, use the fitting room.

I grabbed a silk racerback tank in white & red for $17

(LINK) and I was pretty surprised that it was silk.. I was expecting cotton.

I didn't take pictures because I think it didn't look good with my sweats LOL more of a jeans and blazer shirt.

Now for some fitting room awkward shots.

The dress was also $17 and surprisingly the longest dress I have ever purchased.

O_O that sounded odd but oh well.

I grabbed a XS and it's a form fitting dress.

It is definitely going to shrink, which is what I'm looking forward to.

It's one of those "has potential" pieces. I need it to hug under the armpits and bellow the hips a bit more then I'm happy.

The front view isn't as pleasant on my petite toothpick figure due to the way it is cut.

The armpit space bugs me... I have that problem with tanks from time to time.

The back, looks so much better. Again it's a little loose on the top so after it shrinks it should hug and hide straps well.

And contrary to popular belief, just because I'm boob challenged doesn't mean I am butt challenged!

The dress does flatter my.. assets... ;) but I still prefer a little more hug towards the knee.

Overall not an amazing dress but it was so comfy that it was worth a chance.

I thought I'd just share :)

---------------------------------------------------

Now onto sephora.

I love their "no questions asked" return policy.

It's amazing helpful.

I'd rather have store credit than products I will never touch.

I figure I should share my exchanges and returns with you guys so you can reference what hasn't worked out well for me.

This return bundle includes:

- Laura Mercier's Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige $42

(this the 2nd shade I tried and still no where near a match for me.. the shades in this line are just odd. I'm not in love with the formula as well so it's definitely not worth the price tag for me if it looks like I have a light mask on)

- Benefit Bella Bamba 3D Blush $28

(too sparkly, not that pretty.. doesn't smell like roses =/)

- MUFE Aqua Liner in Black $17 (nothing special, I prefer UD 24/7 over this)

- NARS Blush in Amour $27

(Not the color I was looking for, pretty rose color but not something I'd grab for often so it's not worth the price tag)

All purchased on different occasions but now totaling up to $114 in store credit.

& just to show the blushes a little better...

Amour looks so different inside sephora and in pictures but I found it a bit.. streaky O_O surprisingly and I just overall didn't like or love it.

Bella Bamba was a disappointment.

The glitters were chunky and a bit over done.

I feel like a disco ball.

Swatch of Bella Bamba.

It's okay though, I picked up other goodies at sephora and stuff for the giveaway I'm throwing on here after I hit 1,000 followers. Soon!

Any products disappoint you lately?

RAMBLES: Spring Semester & My Experience with Sally Hansen Salon Effects

2011-02-10T20:11:00.004-05:00

Why hello there!

(a not so lovely shot of frozen cold me at 10AM)

I'm still alive!!! :D After three weeks in to my spring semester.. I'm doing pretty well.

I hope I'm not jynxing myself but I'm handling the load of classes a lot better than last semester.

I'm once again taking classes 5 days a week.

17 credits instead of 16 this time.

Subjects for this Semester:

Communications (COMM101)

Western Civilization (HIST101)

Chemistry (CHEM 212, the continuation of CHEM 211 from last semester UGH)

Biology Cell Structure & Function (213, sounds easy but it's a 200 level.. I'd rather take 100s -_-)

Information Technology (IT 103, my least favorite of the semester)

All of these are required in some way or another. All for qualifying into pharmacy school and for any science bachelor degree at my college.

Pretty wack I must say.

IT is the worst because it's so stupidly easy but they made it hard.

The first day they discussed the difference between 3G & wifi and what the "www" means online.

But they make it so confusing when it's so simple.

I literally wanna shoot myself throughout the class, so I bring a smoothie with me to calm my nerves.

My favorite is ironically communications. Though I hate public speaking (go figure..) My teacher is great and she makes everything fun. Tomorrow is bring a giant teddy bear day. WHY? Who knows.. I'll soon find out.

I start my Mon, Wed, & Fridays at 9:30 SHARP.

Tuesday & Thursday at 10:30.

I actually have been 5-10 mins late to all of my 1st classes since the 2nd day of class.

So sad, even if I get up earlier.. traffic decides to hold me back.

It's like karma wants me late!

Wed. I'm out really early - 11:20!

All the other days I'm out between 1:15-3:30.

Not too bad compared to last semester with classes ending at 10PM hahaha.

I try and get up once a week really early to film but I definitely film on weekends.

Then edit & upload my butt off so you all won't forget me.

I usually get up at 7:20 (MWF) and 8:20 (T&T) without filming so with filming subtract an extra 30-40 minutes.

Thus why I sound tired in the videos.

FORGIVE ME!

Oh how I wish I could just stay home and film youtube videos rather than go to college..

*dreams*

Welp, that was my ramble for the week..

How's school for all of you?

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(excuse iphone bad lighting photos... I wasn't planning on putting this on the blog but.. ehh)

I was bored the other day and felt like trying out the Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Laced Up.

Something about Lace is sexy right? It's always the shade sold out at stores. I purchased "Wild Child" (Zebra Print) a few weeks before I grabbed and tried laced up.

Check out Tina Marie's Application of nail effects similar to these if you wanna know how they are applied.

FOR WARNING:

I broke my left point finger nail =/ It usually the one nail that ever breaks and it breaks.. every two months. Like clock work. It always chips really high up and.. BLAH.

All my other nails were trimmed down (my two week trim habit) before the break.

So please excuse my shorter than usual nails.

These bad boys grow like wild fire so I have no choice but to cut every two weeks and file down weekly.

Anyways back to the salon effects..

I guess my fingers are just oddly long and weirdly shapped because it was pretty hard for me to find strips that fit out of the 16 strips provided. The width of the strips were more of an issue than anything else. Some too wide, some too skinny, some just oddly rounded in comparison to my long pointy fingers.

If you have fingers like me, these might not be for you.

If you have more average rounder nail beds, you'll probably love these on occasions.

But for $10? I personally probably wouldn't repurchase just because of the fit.

Because the designs are made with real nail polish the snap a bit oddly.

The whole file down technicque wasn't as easy as I imagined.

I found it easier to fold over the longer end.. press down.. tear then file.

I wish I figured that out before the middle finger was messed up.

Depending on the design or color you choose they do look fake but who cares right?

From the side view you can see how they are either too big or too small thus making it look like it's lifting off.

I ran out of sizes to choose from that didn't look horrible so I ended up doing my left hand and 1/2 of my right then removing them after these pictures.

It was fun while it lasted!

To end the post with one of my favorite twit pics from last week.

My latest polish addiction - OPI's Not Like the Movies.

It's gorgeous in every light. It shows a purple green or blue reflection over silver.

So odd but so pretty!

I also played around with my Konad Nail Design Plates (from amazon) that I haven't touched in a year LOL

RAMBLES: New Room - Almost Done?

2011-01-25T22:37:00.004-05:00

Who has to much time on their hands? *raises hand and fist pumps* ha!

Another rambles post!

I thought I'd keep you guys updated with the new room.

Still incomplete!

Waiting for my pay check to come in (don't you hate waiting?).

I swear a pay check is no where to be found when you really need/want it!

Join me on this post it list journey.

(YES I made thing myself via photoshop hehe..)

So I get asked sometimes on youtube, how I afford to get all the cameras, phones.. just in general electronics I have and still say I'm broke. (this sounds horrible.. really no brags)

THEY ARE ALLLLLL GIFTS! LOL!

SERIOUSLY.

I did not buy either of my iphones.. (3g = birthday gift from sister, 4 = gift from bf)

Canon Rebel XSI? Christmas Gift from my sister & cousins.

Canon Vixia Camcorder? Birthday Gift from bf.

VLOG Camera? Bf's friend just gave it to me, used and all.

Macbook? GIFT from my parents because my toshiba's motherboard BROKE.

I needed it for school =X

Literally all my game systems, and electronics now that I think about were gifts.

Hmmm shows how predictable yet great the holidays are!

I'm very luck and blessed to have such amazing gift givers/loved ones.

I purchased an ipod for myself but my mom decided to pay for it after the EXACT same ipod was stolen out of my pocket at my ghetto stupid high school.

(OH I WAS SOOO PISSED, my cousin gave that to me for my birthday before he moved back to thailand)

SO the point of that ramble was I am about to make my first real electronic purchase as an adult (WOOT WOOT 18 year old's have empty wallets huh?)

I think I'm going to hug the TV and take a picture to commemorate the moment.

I can't wait to see my parents face drop!

I saved for a while for this bad boy, so again.. I'm still broke haha.

Not a "snotty rich" type of person.

I work really hard for my money so I do not think it's wrong to treat myself to a tv.

PLUS I have no TV in my room and have been staring at a wall for weeks.

IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

So used to sleeping with a sleep timer on a tv.

OFF the tv note...

I went to the container store and picked up more organizers yesterday..

a lot of little things for my desk, grabbed a mirror at Ulta.

(My account currently has $21 -___-)

I've been managing all the room purchases, paint... desk chair, bedding... and my pay checks decently well. *pats self on back*

After everything is said and done and the tv goes up on the wall, and pictures are printed out and framed... etc etc.

THERE WILL BE A ROOM TOUR!!!

I'm pretty excited for it, it's honoring my hard work since christmas.

If you wanna see little glimpses of my room check out my newest vlog :)

Look for the red walls :D

He Qi Handmade Crystal Designs - Custom Cuff Pictures & Herrohachi's Neeeeeja Tank

2011-01-22T22:53:00.003-05:00

This quick post is just some lovely eye candy for you all!

My love - Lisa from He Qi Crystal Designs sent me a few goodies for the holidays out of the kindness of her baking little heart.

We discussed a custom cuff earring that I was going to purchase that was sadly out of stock and the time and Lisa actually decided to just send me over one!

Sweetheart? YES!

I'm so proud to be one of her He Qi Models hehe.

I featured it in my newest tutorial, check that out if you want to see it live!

I loved the black and grey packaging, sooo my style.

I love love love this cuff.

Everything is grey per my request but you can customize it to any color you'd like!

Lisa also made the studs hearts which made them extra cute.

Far shot of how it looks.

A close up :) What a cute butterfly!

The opposite side.

GAH I love asymmetrical things!

I think it gives such a great dimension to the world.

SO MY STYLE (as I'm sure you guys can tell).

I really think I'm going to go through a cuff collection phase.

I want to order different styles :D

Definitely check out the shop and email Lisa for any custom orders!

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I also wore my favorite herrohachi shirt I own..

The NEEEEJA Sweatshirt!

Shoulder cleavage? ALL DAY BABY!

Made by the lovely Kym of herrohachi :)

One of my long time online friends.

I'm a huge supporter of her handmade items as well and you should be too!

P.S GAH BACK TO SCHOOL THIS MONDAY! O_O