Thursday, January 24, 2013

ZOYA Nail Polish Swatch

My order arrived today from ZOYA. They had this promotion where you get 3 nail polishes for FREE (Just pay shipping and handling ~$10). 
I think it's a great deal since their products start from $8 each. :)


I love majority of the colors so I really had a hard time choosing which ones I like the best. Hehe

Finally, I chose these colors:
Left to Right: Bevin, Zara and Piper
Bevin
Zara
Piper
This is actually the first time I've purchased from their main website. 
I've received some ZOYA Nail Polishes from my beauty boxes before. I love how their nail polishes don't chip easily. :)

I like how the nail polishes are Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate) and Camphor Free. Also, they have a huge selection of shades to choose from.

Now, these colors will be added in my current nail polish collection!

Have you tried ZOYA Nail Polish before? What are your favorite shades? :)

Sunday, January 20, 2013

NEW! Physicians Formula: Happy Booster & Sexy Booster

Left to Right: Happy Booster Illuminating Bronzing Veil in Bronzer, Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush in Rose
We all know how expensive Physicians Formula can get for a drugstore brand right? Well, I'm in luck today! ;) These new products came with an instant $3 OFF each item. On top of that, it's 40% OFF at my local CVS Pharmacy. I believe I've gotten myself a great deal! :) The Happy Booster one is originally $14.49 and the Sexy Booster Blush is $11.99
I PAID $5.69 for the Happy Booster and $4.19 for the Sexy Booster Blush! Ahh! I'm sooo happy! :D And I also used my $5 gift card from CVS, so this totally saved me even more money. Hehe

Happy Booster Illuminating Bronzing Veil in Bronzer

What it says on the box:

~ Ultra-lightweight loose powder hearts feature bronze and gold micropearls for a warm luminosity with the smooth look of a loose powder veil, without the mess.
~Includes a soft, fan-shaped bronzer brush for all-over face application and a luxurious puff, perfect for dusting bronzer on decollete. 
~Infused with our Happy Boost Blend featuring Happy Skin and Euphoryl, natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress.
~The sweet scent of Violet provides a feeling of joy each time you apply.

Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush in Rose

What it says on the box:

~ Wear this blush like lingerie for your face for an instant sexy boost with an alluring blushing glow.
~The perfect blend of shimmery blushing tones delivers a sultry after-glow illumination that lasts all day.
~Infused with the scent of warm vanilla, "afterglow" illumination and pheromone-mimicking ingredients including clinically tested Androstadienone. Cocoa Extract (aka "The Love Chemical") and ancient aphrodisiac Horny Goatweed to enhance your sexy side.

 
I cannot wait to use these! Both of them smell sooooo gorgeous and sweet! :) I'm loving the colors too and the cute hearts. ;) I'm always drawn to cute things like these. 

I hope you can find these in your local drugstore. :)


Friday, January 11, 2013

Cooking: Penne Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes



 I noticed I haven't posted anything about cooking/recipes here yet. :) 
I've been in a cooking mood lately so earlier I pulled up this recipe online. I've been oggling at this pasta for months now on Pinterest. I looked for the recipe on Google and voila I was off to the market to get the ingredients. 

I got the recipe from here. Thanks to this website for the recipe. ;)


PENNE PASTA with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES RECIPE:
  • 2 cups (8 oz) dry penne pasta
  • 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 (12 fl oz) can Nestle Carnation Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
  • 2 cups shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend ( I used the five-cheese blend instead..)
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
♥ DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. (I like mine al dente ;) )
  2. Add sun-dried tomatoes to boiling pasta water for the last two minutes of cooking time. Drain.
  3. Combine evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder and ground pepper in a medium saucepan.
  4. Cook over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. ( I overcooked mine so it looked clumpy on the picture. Haha!)
  5. Remove from heat and add the pasta and sun-dried tomatoes the the sauce.
  6. Stir and enjoy! :P

That was our lovely lunch earlier. Overall, I love how it turned out. It was so creamy and delicious! 

PS: Currently, I am trying to organize my posts. I wonder if you have noticed that there are tabs now located at the top of this page. ;) It's a lot of organizing to do! :P



Monday, January 7, 2013

Review: Firmoo Sunglasses

I was contacted to do a collaboration with Firmoo months ago but there was a glitch on my end. USPS lost my package and was sent a new pair of sunglasses right away. I'm supposed to do a review about a month ago, however, I've experienced some technical difficulties with my blog. 


 Firmoo is an online optical store and also the world's most popular online eyeglasses store. They offer over 300 styles of affordable and stylish frames for you to choose from. They also offer a Virtual Try-On system where you can upload a photo of your own and try their glasses/sunglasses virtually.

Firmoo has launched a program offering free eye wear for first-time buyers. It's an excellent way to try their products and to check its quality. This offer is open to almost all countries in the world including the U.S., Canada, Australia, etc. You can read more about this offer here.


Here's my unbiased review:


Overall:
I give it a 3.95 star rating.  

 The sunglasses that was sent to me (for which I chose) is the #OTO2581 model. ($40) Now, currently unavailable.

PROS:
~ Customer Service is superb! USPS lost the first pair of sunglasses that Firmoo sent me and I notified them immediately of the situation and they shipped a new pair right away.
~They do indeed offer a variety of different styles for eyeglasses.
~Delivery was fast.
~I love the quality of the pouch that's included.
~ I love how they offer free eye-wear for first-time buyers.
~ They also included extra screws and a mini screwdriver for the sunglasses that was sent to me.
~The Virtual Try-On System helped a lot for the type of sunglasses that fits me.



CONS:
~ I was limited to a number of sunglasses to choose from (the second time). The first sunglasses that I picked was the one USPS lost. I picked this one because there were only 3 available styles to choose from. I didn't like the other two, so I finally chose this one. There used to have more than 8 styles to choose from, however, it was unavailable at that time.
~ The sunglasses I received has a dent. How unlucky of me! (refer to picture) I wouldn't pay $40 for it to be honest.

~The website is a little confusing to navigate to find their sunglasses. It seems like it only really caters for eyeglasses but not enough variety for fashion sunglasses. 
~ This particular sunglasses that I chose is being phased out by the manufacturer/designer. See here. So I guess there is no way for the others to get a hold of this product.



I am glad that I get to have a collaboration with Firmoo to review their product. This was a great opportunity for me to work with them. 




I strongly suggest to try their free eyewear for first-time buyers program to try their products before purchasing.