WWW.FORMYDEAR.COM

I have a lovely treat for my wonderful readers ;] Beth, a really good friend of mine, was sweet enough to offer my first 100 readers to use the Voucher Code and get 10% off purchases from her online boutique FOR MY DEAR. Just use the Voucher Code: HEARTKRISTEL. For My Dear has low shipping cost for domestic and international customers and if you spend over $75 USD, shipping is FREE!!!

MUJI DRAWERS ARE BACK IN STOCK!!!

Hey ladies, I'm just letting you all know that all the large Muji drawers are back in stock!!! So order yours now while supplies last and I know that wouldn't be for long. Check it out here!

loveFEMME's "Favorites" Giveaway

Amazing prizes, go check it out! Just click the image below to be directed to her giveaway page.

AND THE WINNERS FOR MY E.L.F. GIVEAWAY ARE...

I'm so sorry for not posting this sooner like I said I would. I was busy helping prep for my sisters B-day BBQ/Part yesterday. But, I did email the two lucky winners for my giveaway as soon as I got up ;] And I got a reply from the both of them really quick, so that means I could send it out tomorrow! As for everyone else, I thank you all for participating!!! Stick around, I should have more giveaways coming your way. I am very generous around this time of the year, especially since the holidays are around the corner ;]

The two lucky winners of this givaway are:

First Prize Winner:

Jacqueline of Life in the Golden State

Second Prize Winner:

Valerie of luverie.com

So ladies, expect one of these packages at your door ;]

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!

Today is my sister Roxanne's Birthday and also the last day for my E.L.F. giveaways ;] So if you haven't entered yet, don't miss this opportunity! I'll be announcing the winner either after 11:59pm HST or first thing in the morning when I wake up, depending on what we're doing tonight. Don't know what's the plan yet for my sisters dinner. I'm really excited though to find out who the winners will be ^__^

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, click on the banner below ;]
Good luck!

3 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE END OF MY GIVEAWAY!

Technically, 2 days and some hours. But anyways, the days went by so fast! I didn't realize it was in a few days. I can't wait to pick the two lucky winners. So if you haven't entered yet, please do ;]

The 23rd is also my sisters birthday and I still haven't picked out a gift for her. Any suggestions? She's pretty picky when it comes to clothes, so that's out of the question. Hmm...IDK. I was thinking of getting her a gift card at a spa, we'll see. I'm really bad a picking out things for people. It's looking like another busy week. Oh! Look what I've been into...getting back into my crafty self.

Good luck!

BFTE COSMETICS MINERAL EYESHADOW SWATCHES (PART 1)

I'm not a big fan of mineral eyeshadows, mainly because it's really messy to work with. I usually press my pigments so it doesn't get all over the place. It's been years since I've used mineral eyeshdaows, but I decided to give it another chance. This time I decided to try out some mineral eyeshadows from Beauty From the Earth since I saw some gorgeous colors on their website.

At the time I bought the mineral eyeshadows, BFTE had their back to school sale. You get 6 sample size jars of any mineral products of your choice for $8. So I went ahead and purchased 24 mineral eyeshadows. All of these are from the Shimmer category. I haven't had much time to play around with these, so I'll just do swatches for now. I'll start off with the first 6 alphabetically.

***Urban Decay Primer Potion was used as a base***

The ones marked with a * are my favorites <3

 (Left - Right) 

Appletini, Bliss, Canyon, Caribbean, Chenille, & Cocoa

*Appletini

 *Bliss

 Canyon

 Caribbean

 *Chenille

*Cocoa

After a few minutes, I realized my arm started to itch and sting a little. Then I looked down and saw this:

I have really sensitive skin and I'm allergic to many things, so I'm not sure if the irritation is from the mineral eyeshadow Chenille or something else. But I'll be checking again to see if it is from the eyeshadow so I could toss it out if it is from it. This is why we always need to test out products before we use them, especially on products we put on our face. And if it is from the eyeshadow, thank God I didn't use it or else I would have had some bump on my eyelid.

I'll be back with more swatches, I've got all these to do ;]

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, click on the banner below ;]
Good luck!

e.l.f. Studio Makeup Artist Brush Belt

I've had the e.l.f. brush belt for awhile now, but I felt that it was necessary to blog about it since it's in my giveaway. I decided to give this brush belt a try since it was very inexpensive and I was in need of one earlier this year. I wasn't expecting much from it since it was only $15, but when I got it, I was really surprised at how durable it was. I was expecting some flimsy type of material.

This brush belt is very convenient to have around when I have more than one client. I usually load it up with all the brushes I have, so I don't need to worry about having to use a dirty brush on the next client. And I usually load it up with extra disposable applicators since it has 4 large pockets (2 front, 2 between brush rows on each side). And I love that it's very easy to clean. Click here to see more details on their website.

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, click on the banner below ;]
Good luck!

09-10-11 WEDDING

Took my first A&PII exam today, so I've been pretty busy studying and catching up with 2 weeks of hw, which explains the lack of post. And this past weekend, I went to a wedding with my sister in Haiku at the couples home, a 2 acre land. Never been around that area for all the years that I've lived on Maui. It was nice and simple, although the weather was a little bipolar. It would be sunny one moment and then sprinkling. So onto my look for the wedding!

Before we left for the wedding before noon taken with phone camera.

Taken after we got home from the wedding.

*All M·A·C products used unless otherwise stated*

Face:

Oil Control Lotion

Studio Fix Fluid "NC40"

MSF Natural "Medium Plus"

Blush in "Harmony" (contour)

Blush in "Coygirl"
Eyes:

UD Primer Potion

All That Glitters (lid)

Hepcat (crease)

Swiss Chocolate (crease)

Carbon (cut the crease & lower lashline)

Ricepaper (highlight)

Vex (inner corner of eyes)

Fluidline "Blacktrack"

UD 24/7 Eye Pencil "Zero"

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Volume Macara "Very Black"

Lips:

Lipstick "Fabby"

Lipglass "Nymphette"


If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, click on the banner below ;]
Good luck!

HANA Professional 1.5" Flat Iron Review

A couple of weeks ago, Brian of Misikko.com contacted me to see if I was interested in doing a test and review of a flat iron they carry on their website. Since my Corioliss flat iron (which was my most favorite flat iron I ever owned) gave up on me, I've been in search for another just like it. So, I was more than happy to try out this flat iron.
  

HANA Professional 1.5" Flat Iron 

You can read the full features when you visit their website.

Price: $214.99

Misikko Sale Price: $129.99

Ajustable Temp: 140-450° F

Materials: Ceramic, Tourmaline

Damp to Dry: Safe Damp Styling
Floating Plates: Self Adjust to Hair Texture
Warranty: 2 year

 This is exactly how it looked like when I opened my package. I love love love their product presentation!
I was really surprised when I got my package, because it came with more goodies than I expected.

INCLUDED IN MY PACKAGE:

 HANA Professional 1.5" Flat Iron

 Special Edition Tin case, Luxe Heat Proof Storage Pouch, Heat Proof Silicone Mat

 Heat Proof Pouch, Hana Shine Shield, Hand Sanitizer, Nail Files, L.A. Colors Concealer, L.A. Colors Lash Building Mascara

 Drawstring bag, Thank You Card, Sleep Mask, and some pretty potpourri flowers

CAN IT DO THE JOB?

When I was asked if I was interested in doing this test and review, I already had my sister in mind as a hair model (thanks sister for allowing me to make you my guinea pig!). My sister and I have different hair texture, you'll see what I mean in a bit. Her hair is wavy to curly and thick. To see if this flat iron can do what it says it could do, we decided to put it through the ultimate test: taming my sisters crazy hair.

Hair Model: My sister Roxanne

Now my hair on the other hand is straight to wavy and my hairstylist usually thins it out to give it texture. Although my hair gets a little frizzy, it  could easily be tamed with a flat iron since it's thinned out. But, I wanted to see what this flat iron could do for my hair.

**I was so excited to take some photos for my review that I totally forgot to put some heat protectant spray, which I totally recommend if you're using any hot tools**

  Before: 

Straight out of the shower, no product and air dried.

After: 

Used the Hana flat Iron and still no products used in hair.

See how straight and shiny it looks ^__^ even without some type of serum!

**And I also forgot to take a closeup shot of my hair before I straightened it lols. But don't worry, those photos are only days apart. My hair is really that dry when I don't do anything to it. **

CURL, FLIP, & STRAIGHTEN?!

Yes, yes, & yes!

DO I LOVE IT?

I love love love this flat iron! My sister loves it as well. My sister and I have gone through so many flat irons like the Corioliss, Chi, Ceramika, and some other drugstore ones and out of those, the Corioliss flat iron had been my favorie. But I think I might have found my new favorite. Here's why:

• My hair glides in between the plates very smoothly. This is a very important quality a straightener should have, especially when you use it to curl your hair.
• Did I mention it could curl? I really thought it wouldn't be able to curl hair since it's a 1.5" plate, but it definitely proved me wrong. It gives really nice loose curls.
• It makes my damaged hair look beautiful! It's not like one of those flat irons where it leaves it so dry that it's straight and very stiff. This flat iron makes my hair feel so soft and flexible.
• I also love the fact that it's  a 1.5" plate, which makes it so much faster to straighten hair, especially when you have long hair like mines.
• My hair stays straight, even after I had slept overnight on them, which amazed me. It usually goes back to it's natural form.
• And last but not least, I love how there is a on/off switch and a indicator for when it's ready to use.
• I haven't found anything that I dislike about it yet, so that must be a good sign ;]

Overall, I really do think this flat iron is a great investment and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. They also offer a 2 year warranty on all Hana appliances, which is a plus since most would only offer 1 year warranty. So visit Misikko and try it out for yourself ;] By the way, I love companies that goes above and beyond for their customers. I really love their product presentation. I was definitely surprised when I opened my package.

Check out these other products:

Best Flat Iron 

Moroccan Oil

Curling Iron

HANA

 If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, click on the banner below ;]
Good luck!

MY E.L.F. COLLECTION GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)

Hey loves, I am back with a giveaway for all of my wonderful followers. I've been putting this together for about a month now, simply because I didn't know what I should include in this giveaway. Since most of my items were E.L.F. products, I decided do put together a collection of E.L.F. products from their Studio line that I have tried. This time, I will have 2 lovely winners ;] So, if you haven't tried any of the E.L.F. products, want to start your own makeup collection, or want to add to your collection, please enter! End date for this giveaway will be on my sisters birthday, September 23, 2011 (approx. 3 weeks from today).

First Prize

85-piece Complete The Look Palette - Limited Edition

Makeup Artist Brush Belt
10 - Single Eyeshadow
10 - Blush
Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
Mineral Face Primer
Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
2 - Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15
Mineral Infused Mascara
Eyeliner & Shadow Stick
Pout Perfecter
Cream Liner

Second Prize

85-piece Complete The Look Palette - Limited Edition
Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
2 - Hello Kitty Flavored Lip Balm

**Please read Requirements carefully**

Open to ANYONE and EVERYONE ;]

REQUIREMENTS:

- ONE ENTRY PER PERSON ONLY
(If you are younger than 18, please have parental consent)
- Follow my blog publicly via GFC
- Post my giveaway banner on your blog:

- Post my giveaway banner on your sidebar along with a link to my blog (add a link to my blog or make my banner as a link):

- Leave a comment below with:

• GFC Name:
• First Name:
• Email Address:
• Link to post of my banner on your blog:
• Link to my banner on your sidebar:

- If the winner of any of the prizes does not have all the requirements and does not respond to my email to notify them of their winning within 3 days, a new winner will be chosen. 

**Once items are shipped to the winners, I will not be held responsible for lost or damaged products. Sorry ;(**

The winner will be chosen via www.random.org.
Giveaway will end Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:58 PM HST

and will be announced on Saturday, September 24, 2011

Good luck ladies!!!

I'M DEFINITELY A HAPPY CAMPER

The first time I ever been to Stillwells Bakery and Cafe, I tried their Florentine Cup and it was heaven in my mouth. I haven't been there in a while and I've been craving their Florentine Cup lately. So today, I decided to go get me some after class since it's only up the street from my school. I love any pastries with fruits, so I decided to get the other ones along with some cream horns;] They're all so delicious!

 

 Strawberry Florentine Cup

 Fresh Fruit Tart

 Fruit Cheesecake

BFTE COSMETICS HAUL

A little over a week ago, Beauty From the Earth Cosmetics had a back to school sale on their mineral makeup. I was very fortunate to have caught the sale on the last day since I've been wanting to try out their mineral eyeshadow for some time now. The sale was 6 sample size mineral makeup for $8, it's usually $2 each. You could pick from any mineral eyeshadow, blush, or foundation.

I love how the website is organized into colors and finishes, so it was very easy for me to shop. I didn't plan on getting 24 samples, but the colors in the shimmer finish were so gorgeous, I couldn't help it. I was surprised that they also upgraded one of the eyeshadow to a full size jar ;] I haven't had time to play around with them, but hopefully I'll get to do some swatches soon. And if they turn out great, I think I'll go get a few more from the velvet frost finish next time.

ROSS HAUL

I went to Ross a few days ago to see if they have any cute tops I could use for school, instead I came out with these:

• Simple Pleasures Nail Polish Assortments $4.99 - I saw this while standing in line and I just had to get it. Really great for nail polish and cupcake lovers or it would make a really cute gift.
• e.l.f. Mini Eyelash Curler $1.99 - I don't own a mini eyelash curler and it was the last one on the shelf, so why not buy it right? I have really short eyelashes at the corner of my eyes, which doesn't get curled with a eyelash culer, so I'm hoping this can do the job.
• Hello Kitty Cosmetic Pouch $3.00 - It was a set, but I guess someone stole the lip jelly, nail polish, press-on nails and hair clips that was suppose to come with it. Oh wells, I thought this would make a cute pouch for coins, makeup, etc...

AN ADDITION TO MY NEXT GIVEAWAY ;]

e.l.f. Studio 85-Piece Complete the Look Palette - Limited Edition

This took forever to ship! I ordered it on July 27 and didn't get it until August 12. I guess it was because of the heavy orders from their anniversary sales. One of the two palettes that I ordered was damaged during shipment. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on giving a broken palette away. I emailed E.L.F. the next day and they sent me a replacement right away. It took about 3 days for the replacement to be shipped and it was in one piece ;] I think the best way to contact E.L.F. is through email.

 The broken blush got everywhere! It was easy to dust it off from the eyeshadows, but I didn't even want to bother with the lipgloss.

The top part, near the numbers, of the swatch I used Urban Decay  Primer Potion as base and no base towards the bottom. There's a slight difference.

 The broken blush, it's such a pretty color too!

They're in the same order as the palette.

I know, I know...I've mention about my next giveaway, but honestly I don't even know when it's going to begin. I'm hoping within the next week though ;] I've ordered a few things and it still has not come in. I just want everything in my possession before I begin my giveaway so I could send it off to the winner right away.