what's in my travel makeup bag?

i think i did okay with not bring too much makeup during this 3-4 day weekend trip. i probably could've just taken one NAKED palette, but i wanted to bring both. it was also nice to bring my Clinique foundation as i'm finally done with the pressed foundation and i needed to start using up my liquid foundation.

it's nice to have options when you go out of town because you never know what you are going to use and if bought any new clothes, you never know what will go with those new things. neutrals are always a way to go and that's why i only brought my NAKED palettes. that's what i tend to like anyway... xoxo Kathleen

OOTD/FOTD & a lipstick haul PLUS i met up with my YT girlfriends again!

yet another fun day with my new girlfriends! i met up with both Yun/beautybijouxfashion and Sandra/sandrawaltersusa today at the mall and holy moly, we talked for nearly 5 hours! we didn't close the mall this time (we came close) but we had a lot of fun catching up and getting to know each other even more. this is what makes making videos on YouTube so much fun - meeting such great ladies like Yun and Sandra. i'm so thankful that they live close enough to me so we can meet up from time to time.

we met up at noon and then chatted while walking towards a restaurant in Nordstrom for lunch. then we chatted some more and after that, we walked around the mall and hit up Sephora, MAC, and Neiman's. before today, i never went into Neiman's unless i was just walking through if i parked near by. today, we went to the Chanel counter, Dior, and Bobbi Brown. wow! i never touched any of these brands before so i was in AWE because i was actually holding these products in my hands instead of just learning about them on YouTube. i already know what i want when i'm ready to try out a new brand: Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Mirifique (black w/ shimmer) and Ebloui (burgundy w/ shimmer). OMG both Yun and Sandra bought it for themselves and i wish i did, too! but i held back because i know they're permanent and i know i can get them another time... but wow, i so wanted to bring home Mirifique. the Chanel MUA put it on the upper lashline on both Yun and Sandra and it just kicked their eyeshadow look up a big notch. it was just so pretty! i just couldn't justify paying $36 for one cream/gel eyeshadow... however, i did spend just as much on 3 items at Bare Escentuals.

at our mall, the Bare Escentuals store moved and now it's called bareMinerals. i thought that was a little weird and had no idea they were going to rename their stores. i finally bought the red lipcolor Strength in their Pretty Amazing line, another 100% natural mineral lipstick in Red Zin, and the charity eyecolor in Invincible. i also exchanged 18 more eyeshadow empties at MAC and got 3 lipsticks: See Sheer, Amorous, and Creme In Your Coffee and i'm so happy with these colors! i think See Sheer is my favorite out of the three, but i'm pleasantly pleased with my MAC lipstick collection. as i said in the video, once i have exchanged all my empties, i will not be buying anymore MAC. not because i don't like it anymore, but because i have WAY too much and i just need to use what i have. it'll probably take me years to make any kind of dent in my MAC eyeshadows.

we took a break during our shopping spree and got some frozen yogurt (me) and shakes (Yun and Sandra) and talked some more. i felt that there was just no awkward moments. i think the fact that we watch each other every single day on YouTube it helps take away those awkward silences because on YouTube you subscribe to those you like to watch because of what they say and how they say it. Sandra said she felt like she was meeting movie stars and i found that so sweet and funny. i was just happy to meet new people who i call my friends now because they can totally appreciate how enthusiastic we can get when it comes to talking about YouTube and beauty. i think i like YouTube more than Twitter or any other text-based social network because you just get that extra closeness of the person you're watching. i don't know if that makes any sense, but it make sense to me. it also helps that these girls are so nice and sweet and actually interact with you. some of the more popular YouTubers just don't have the energy or the time to respond to comments. i mean when you get that big, you can't respond to every single comment, but it's worth a try, i think.

anyway, i've rambled on enough... i'm currently watching all these QVC episodes that somehow my DVR picked up. i'll be seeing you tomorrow! xoxo Kathleen

what's in my stash? MAC face products (not foundation)

i'm really enjoying these trips down memory lane when i do these "what's in my stash" videos... i've been so engrossed in my tarte Amazonian clay blushes and Milani baked blushes that i have forgotten about my beloved MAC blushes!

i need to rotate thru my blushes a lot more... i have my tarte and Milani on my makeup table but i don't want to store them in my white cubes because i don't want to forget about them. oh, the woes of a makeup collector! sometimes i wish my collection was like 1/20th this size...

i also tried to record another video this afternoon to elaborate on my no buy 2012 plan, but it went on too long and it would not be interesting at all to watch. so i figure it would be better to just expand on it in a blog post. i just feel that if i share my plan with you, it will help me stick to it better... even though, i do have momentary lapse of reasoning (is that the correct word?) and fall off the wagon again. i want all the pretty things! LOL it'll be coming up soon... enjoy your weekend! xoxo Kathleen

what's to come to my channel!

so i basically recapped my blog post about my meetup with Yun/beautybijouxfashion in a video and i also showed the few things i picked up while we were shopping, and talked about what's to come to my channel... so while i'm going to miss making daily videos about Bare Escentuals products, i will STILL continue to make videos using BE but i will do them about once to twice a week. i just gotta! LOL i love their products SO much that i have to keep showing them in my videos. so you won't be disappointed as there will be something for everyone. yay!

then in April, i will be uploading some of my pre-recorded videos of hauls and tags while i'm going on vacation. i will also venture off to the other brands in my collection. i am excited to pull out my other favorites, too. i'm currently going through my nail polish collection and pulling out my favorite ones to wear in the spring! i still need to fulfill a request for spring/coral/peach lipsticks and blushes, too. that's going to take me a bit longer to accomplish because i like everything and i have a lot of stuff and i don't really reach for the same stuff over and over... that's why i can never make a favorites video! LOL

so i can't wait to make these videos for you! i am having way to much fun... and if i haven't said it enough, i thank you so much for watching and commenting. you guys complete me! xoxo Kathleen

OOTD & bareMinerals FOTD & meeting a beauty YTer

OMG i had the most fun i've ever had in such a long time. i finally got to meet Yun/beautybijouxfashion today and we went to the mall and met up at Sephora. we also had coffee at Starbucks and browsed clothing at LOFT and H&M and picked up some goodies at MAC (i backed to MAC 12 empties and got 2 lipsticks.). i swear we could've hung out and talked for twice the amount of time, but we both had to go home to our hubbies who were both cooking dinner for us (separately).

anyway, it's been a while since i met someone who had similar tastes as me... like makeup! i mean, i have a few girlfriends who like makeup, but they hardly wear any or they just stick to a handful of brands and so it's hard for me to talk to them about those things. so it was so nice to find someone who has the same addiction to YouTube as i do. LOL

now i didn't know that she lived near me until i watched some of her older videos... and when she mentioned it, it got me curious! i mean, i've met a lot of people in person after only knowing them from Twitter and blogs. i've made lots of great friends that way. nowadays (if you're already out of school), i think sometimes it's almost the best way to meet people because you already have some kind of common interest. when i moved here, i didn't know anyone except for my friend C that i used to work work with. when we moved into our house, i became friends with my neighbors. then i went to a WordPress WordCamp in March 2008 and met a bunch more people from Twitter who were also bloggers. then i went to a few more Twitter "tweetups" and met some more people. other than those events, it was very difficult for me to befriend anyone because i worked from home instead of working in an office.

since i restarted my YT channel, i made it a point to keep up with my comments so i can get to know the girls who watch my videos. i kind of regret not informing my subbies from my old channel from time to time so they could follow me on my new YT channel because i know i lost some frequent viewers. oh, well... this time, i'm doing better and hope to make more friends along the way... like Yun! it was just so awesome how we simply hit it off immediately. it was like talking to a long-time friend... all thanks to YouTube! it's really a fabulous community! i'm very thankful... xoxo Kathleen

MAC dark grey smokey eye using smoke & diamonds

another oldie, but goodie... i still feel like poo! so i found another tutorial that was pretty good to upload today. sorry for the quality... when i uploaded videos in the past, i used a program called iShrink (i believe) to compress the video so it could upload quicker. so the best it could be was 360p.

nowadays, depending on what the video is about, i would either upload in 720p HD (which takes HOURS to upload) or large 480p and they still take a long time to upload. HD is really taxing on the internet at home so uploading in large 480p takes about 1/2 the time, but it still takes a while depending on how long the video is.

anyway, i'm slowly getting better... my fever broke last night while i was crashed on the couch... as soon as that happened, i felt 10x better. i was able to sit up and eat dinner (we ordered pizza) and watch last Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead. i really wanted to go out today and see my friends C & R get married, but i just couldn't do it... i was still pretty weak. i've been taking OTC meds and also the hubby stayed at home today, too... at least my other friends A & M made it to the wedding. i still feel horrible that i couldn't go but i didn't want to infect them on this blessed day. they're going to have a celebration later on in the summer and most likely i'll be well enough to attend!

i'm going to try to make a new video tomorrow, but we'll see. i'll sound like crap, and i'll have to edit out all the coughing, but i have something planned for the month of March. i hope you like it. xoxo Kathleen

MAC shale & sketch / Fafinettex3 recreation

i really wanted to make a video today... specifically the bridal makeup look i'm going to do to my friend C, but i had a HUGE coughing fit last night that i had to sleep on the couch because i kept on waking up my poor husband. then i couldn't go back to sleep. i'm so stubborn when it comes to taking medicine, but i finally caved in and took some DayQuil to kick this cough in the butt.

so i uploaded an oldie, but goodie. it's a video that i made back in June 2009 that i actually liked! i hope you like it, too... maybe you remember it? LOL

i will be uploading older videos when i go out of town, around March 10th weekend... i'm not sure if i'll be able to record anything beauty-related when i'm away, but i'll try. i do not want to miss a single day! however, if i do, i'll just double up when i get back... or i'll just pre-record some videos and upload them on those days. i hope you don't mind! i actually had some good videos back then (and much better skin, too)! xoxo Kathleen

FOTD, NKOTB 2011 cruise, & Jordan Knight solo tour chitchat

i just realized that i forgot to watermark my video! WHOOPS! there's no way i'm going to delete it and edit it and reupload it because it already took so long to export and to upload. oh, well... my first oopsie since i started this channel on January 1st. can you believe that i haven't missed a day yet? that's dedication!

anyway, if you were a Blockhead back in the late 80's/90's, then you have to watch my video! i've watched it already at least a handful of times and it just cracks me up how excited i got recapping last year's cruise and summer tour. wow... i wish i could do this again! i would have to win the lottery or beg my husband that i would never buy a single piece of makeup the rest of 2012 and 2013. no, i don't think so... LOL

i really need to be thinking of what to wear tomorrow as well as what makeup look i want to convey, but i'm DVR'ing Grimm and watching Fringe. i'll do it later as i probably won't be able to go to sleep. it's going to be a very long night i can already tell. i'm just so excited to see my girlfriends and to see sexy Jordan Knight sing and dance on stage. at least after this my poor husband won't have to hear about him again for a long while. LOL xoxo Kathleen

Scentsy haul: warmer & bricks (and a quick FOTD)

i always say that i have enough fragrance stuff to last a lifetime and then i go out and buy more! LOL i am such a sucker for these types of sweet, bakery scents. so i put in an order with my friend's Scentsy store and got 4 bricks (which are being discontinued) and one more warmer. like i said in the video, my house is going to smell like a 3-story bakery.

if you notice in the video, i figured out how to zoom in a bit, while i was editing. my home address was showing on the box and i'm really scared about showing that stuff and so i zoomed in to remove it. there's still so much to iMovie that i haven't even touched yet. i am constantly learning new things about this editing program.

if you have any questions about Scentsy, i'll try my best to answer them for you. i have asked my friend to sub to my channel so she can chime in as well. if you want to place an order, you can do so here (flamefreefragrance.com). for the rest of February, you can get 10% off on most of the products! you will not be disappointed. thanks for watching! xoxo Kathleen

collective haul MAC, Target, Sally Beauty Supply, CVS

so i did a little damage yesterday and today but i still didn't go crazy with the makeup. only 2 cream eye shadows and 1 lipstick. :)

i wish we (as non-partners) can choose our own thumbnails... i can't stand the random ones they come up with.

i tried the bun maker and my hair is too layered for it to work! i might have to make my own bun maker because the one i bought at Sally Beauty is a bit too thick. i won't return it because i'm sure i can make it work when my layers grow out. but i wanted to make it work today. oh, well...

also i tried that nail polish remover pad HandsDown Ultra that i found out from Jen/OrganizedLikeJen and wow, it works! i was able to remove all my nail polish with just one pad. it also feels like felt, which is what you need to remove glitter nail polish, too. you can use the foil method, but i think felt is a lot less messier and you don't have to mess with foil and pure acetone. i have a bottle of pure acetone but oh boy, does it stink and not safe to use with my jaggedy cuticles. ouch.

i mentioned yesterday that i was going to talk more about what happened on Sunday but i think i'm going to just make a video of it showing you how i applied the makeup on my friend. it really came out so nice. i wish i took pictures! but the lighting was rather horrible and so it really wouldn't come out true to color. so i'm just going to try to recreate it on myself. she has less lid space than i and hardly a crease so i was actually happy that i was able to make a look on someone who almost has a monolid.

well, i think i'm going to start making dinner... it's just 4:00 but i'm starving and the spaghetti sauce probably won't be ready for another hour to two. see you tomorrow! xoxo Kathleen

FOTD & haircut question (featuring Coastal Scents Beijing palette)

i decided to use my MAC Craving lipstick in today's face of the day. i bought it a long time ago when Emily/EmilyNoel83 had it in a shopping list video and then she featured it as one of her favorite lipsticks in her recent Emily Awards. the lipstick is very pigmented and bold on me and i'm just not used to seeing myself wear this type of lipstick/color. i'm usually a brownie pink type of girl... but i have a lot of lipsticks and lip glosses that range all sorts of colors. i asked my husband how i looked with this lipstick and he said i looked really nice (but then again, he's probably biased... LOL). i think it looks nice on me, too, if i do say so myself.

so onto my hair... the hairstyle i like is one i found of Ashley Olsen... i know she has a different face shape than me, but i liked her hair in this picture (the seventh one with the blue background)... i'm sure her hair is way thinner than mine and she does have some soft waves... but that's the style i'm going for. i don't think my hairstylist will agree to chopping my hair in short layers closer to the crown, but i'm just sick of my hair being this lifeless. i just don't want to get rid of the length. i know it's just hair and it'll grow back but to get my hair this long, it took a very long time as i feel my hair grows very slow. we'll just have to see what i come home with next Wednesday. xoxo Kathleen

basket of the month: January (and project pan... mostly face products)

i finally succumbed to Project Pan... started by Laura/lollipop26 a few years ago, Project Pan was to select 10 products from your makeup collection and use them up exclusively (?) until they were completely empty, or "hitting pan" (where you can see the metal/glass/plastic pan at the bottom). some YTers selected more products and some selected just a few... regardless it was to use up what you already had and not buy more. then once you were able to accomplish this, you can reward yourself with buying more products!


since i put myself on a mostly no-buy project for 2012 (except for a few brands, like Bare Escentuals/bareMinerals), i have to shop my stash and use what i have. so today, i selected 7 products for my basket of the month. a couple of girls i recently subscribed to make videos about their basket of the week, which are products they are using for that week. they change up the products from week-to-week and may include some of their Project Pan items. since i don't wear makeup enough, i thought having a basket of the month would fit my routine much better. i guess i could have a basket of the week, which would include eye, lip, and cheek products, but i like to switch those things up every single day.

so my basket of the week will contain mostly face products because i know i can use those up the fastest. to make things easy for me this first time around, i chose items that are already halfway used. i've also had these products in my collection for years actually so i'll be happy to use them up. most likely i won't repurchase these items after finishing them because i have sooooo many other products to go through... but this video will help remind me what i've used up in case i want to repurchase these products in the future.


i'll make these videos monthly and so i hope you continue to stay tuned in! xoxo Kathleen