Category Archives: Beauty

I love to try different beauty products, including skin care, lipsticks, and eyeshadows.

Below are the posts for the beauty products I like or test for fun.

Nail Design Inspired by My Nieces

12/22/2021 Shirley

I got my nails done the day before my nieces visited me last month. Instead of getting my usual red color with glitters I decided to get something different. I wanted something that was perfect for the warm weather and fun. And I wanted something that I could relate to my nieces.

I asked my nail salon artist to put both of my nieces’ favorite colors on my nails. My older niece loves pink and my younger niece loves purple, so I used both colors on my fingers.

(My nail design that were inspired by my nieces’ favorite colors.)

I had the purple color on my thumbs, index and ring figures on both of my hands. And I had light pink on my middle fingers and pinkies. All fingers were covered in white glitters. With the white glitters layered on top of the pink color, the pink unexpected became a little less visible.

I kept my nails short, so I could teach my nieces how to play piano while they were visiting. For decorations, I kept the design simple, by having a star, heart and crystals on my fingers.

Overall, my nieces really liked my nails, especially when they saw I had their favorite colors on my hands. They even asked me to put nail colors on their fingers during their stay with me.

All Posts, Beauty

My Experience of Using Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm SPF 25

12/22/2021 Shirley

A while ago I tried Bobbi Brown’s Extra Eye Repair cream and the result was unexpectedly good. I decided to try Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm SPF 25 to see if it’s as good as the eye repair cream.

The Extra Eye Repair cream by Bobbie Brown provided plenty of hydration for my eyes and diminished the fine wrinkles around my eyes. I was hoping that the Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm would hydrates my face and reduces my smiling line and the lines on my forehead.

Upon opening the Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm SPF 25, I could tell that it has the same creamy and rich texture as its Extra Eye Repair cream.

A few hours after I used the Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm SPF 25 on my face and my neck, I noticed that I had bumps around my cheek and jaw areas. This most likely means that the moisturizing balm was too rich for my skin. Luckily, the bumps only appeared on my face, not on my neck.

In conclusion, when it comes to using the skin care products, there’s no guarantee that if one product from a brand works for you their other products would work too. In my case, the skin around my eyes absorbs the Bobbi Brown’s Extra Eye Repair cream well and showed the positive results, but my face can’t take the Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm SPF 25 and had unexpected negative effects.

All Posts, Beauty, Lifestyle

Skin Care Remedy: How to Diminish Wrinkles around the Eyes

06/11/2021 Shirley

Six months ago I was stressed out about work and I didn’t have time to take care of my skin. As the result of my negligence, I saw that some micro fine lines grew around my under-eye areas.

I have a combination of dry and oil skin. The skin areas under my eyes can be very dry and the Dior’s L’Or de Vie Eye Crème I was using at the time didn’t seem to help with diminishing the new fine lines. I thought that I needed to try something more moisturizing for my eye areas.

After doing some online shopping I decided to try Bobbie Brown’s Extra Eye Repair Cream. This cream costs less than one forth of the Dior’s L’Or de Vie Eye Crème I was using. If the pricy eye cream didn’t help, it couldn’t hurt to try something else.

When I received the Bobbi Brown’s Extra Eye Repair cream, I used it over my all-time favorite eye serum, Lancome’s Advanced Génifique Eye Light Pearl Eye Illuminator Youth Activating Concentrate. The result was surprisingly good.

Within a few days, I noticed that applying Bobbi Brown’s Extra Eye Repair cream keeps the skin areas under my eyes well moisturized, and it makes the new micro fine lines less visible.

If there’s anything I learned about skin care products, it’s the fact that high end products don’t always guarantee a good result. I always know that part of the price we paid for is to cover the expensive marketing costs. However, from my personal experiences, some of the lower-priced skin care products do work very well for me. (Click here to ready my skin remedy post on the time when I over-exfoliated my face.)

Everyone reacts to the same skin care products differently. Disregard what product lines you use — the most important thing is to find the items that work the best for you.

For more skin care products I recommend, visit Skin Care page.

Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – March 2021

03/25/2021 Shirley

Have you ever seen any house plants that die completely and regrow months later?

Right before last Christmas holiday I bought a fresh catnip plant for my cat, Inca. The catnip plant died a few days after I bought it. I’ve bought numerous catnip plants in the past years, but none of them died on me that quickly.

After the catnip plant died, it was forgotten and left in the corner by the window. Fast forward two months later, and I noticed a tiny green catnip leaf sprouted out of the the dirt in the small pot of the dead catnip plant.

I decided to do a little experiment and feed it with water every few days. And guess what? The catnip plant actual grew from a tiny leave to an actual plant. (See the cover picture of this post, taken two weeks after it came back.)

For someone who doesn’t know how to take care of plants, it sure was an unexpected miracle. I was given a second chance to take care of this catnip plant who died under my watch.

In life, we don’t always get the second chance, but when we do, we definitely should hold on to it and try our best.

Below are the five things I am trying on this month. For sure, it won’t involve ruining my new catnip plant.

Nails

I could never get tired of red nail color. If I could come up with 365 designs for red nails, I’d have red nail colors all year long. For this month, I have red sequins over the red glitter nails,

(My red glitter nails with red sequins.)

Coffee

I drink coffee or Caffè Americano everyday, but I usually only add some milk without any sugar. I saw Nespresso’s Irish coffee recipe for March and it inspired me to make my own version of sweet latte drinks.

Below is a picture of my new afternoon pick-me-up drink, made with Nespresso’s Peppermint flavored coffee, Double Espresso Scuro and hot frothed milk, then garnished with whipped cream and peppermint chocolate. This is the best afternoon pick-me-up drink to get me through my work meetings.

(My afternoon pick-me-up drink.)

Accessories

It has been a while since I bought any high heels, because I’ve been staying home to avoid the pandemic and there’s no immediate opportunity to wear any fancy shoes. However, when I saw these red platform sandals “Dania” by Rene Caovilla (covered with red crystals) online, I couldn’t resist the temptation to add it to my own collection.

I don’t know when I will be able to wear them, but I definitely enjoy trying them on at home and admiring my new addition.

(My new red Rene Caovilla shoes covered with red crystals.)

Piano

A new song I am learning this month is Chopin’s Op. 28, No. 15 Prelude in D-flat Major, also known as “Raindrop”. I love the first section of this song. The melody give me a sense of calmness and reminds me of why I like the classical music. In my opinion, the second section of this song is a bit challenging to master, because it takes some practice to play it well enough to convey the beauty of this song.

Entertainment

I’ve seen some great reviews about the show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I finally start to watch it. I was hooked after the first episode.

The show is about a sunny, energetic and well-off Jewish housewife who lived in a perfect life, but it all changed overnight. She was a supportive wife to her comedian wannabe husband (who failed miserably on this), but he walked out on her. She had to regroup her life and eventually became a successful stand-up comedian herself. Of course, there were plenty of challenges she had to overcome to get to where she wanted to go.

Another thing I really like about this show is the fashion, the silhouette. I love many of Mr. Maisel’s dresses and her lipstick colors.

(The show I am finally have time to watch and can’t stop.)

The Cover Image: This is the catnip plant that regrew in the small pot from the catnip plant that died last during the last holiday season.

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – February 2021

02/15/2021 Shirley

When I think of February, I usually immediately associate it with birthdays for my brother, friends, colleagues and myself.

However, this year when I think of February, I think about traveling. In fact, I think about Las Vegas, the last place I traveled to in February 2020, exactly 12 months ago. And I miss traveling; I miss the time when I could go anywhere without worrying about the pandemic.

Although I can’t go anywhere just yet, I can still fill my staying home with things I enjoy. Below are the things I am doing this month.

Nail

Instead of my usual red nails, I decide to go with orange color for a change.

(The nails for this month.)

Painting

I had so much fun working on my first paint-by-number art project last month. I am going to work on my 2nd one, Venice by Night, in February. Below is what I draw so far. I am looking forward to see my final product.

(This is the second paint-by-number painting I am working on. This will keep me busy for a while.)

Piano

The new song I am learning this month is Frédéric Chopin’s Etude, Op. 10: No. 3 in E Major. This song is also known as “Tristesse” or “Farewell”. Some sources claim that Chopin believed that this song is the most beautiful song he ever composed. I think this is a beautiful song, but I found it to be challenging to learn (especially the middle section of the song).

(This is the new classic piano song I am learning this month.)

Accessories

I haven’t had any chance to dress up or wear any stylish boots since the pandemic started last year. But when I came across Stuart Weitzman’s red tall boots with skinny heels I knew I wanted to add it to my “to be worn” collection. I love the red color and the sexy skinny heels. I can’t wait to break into this pair of boots when we can resume normal social life again.

(My new sexy red tall boots to go into my boots collection.)

Beauty

I am about to finish the Bobbie Brown eye cream I use. I want to try something new. After doing some research I decided to try BeautyBio’s “The Quench Eye Reviving Eye Balm”. It has nutrient-rich lipids to minimize the appearance of lines and improve hydration retention.

(This is the new eye cream I am trying this month.)

The Cover Image: This picture was taken last week; the first time I seeing a few of my close friends in over a year since the pandemic started.

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – December 2020

12/28/2020 Shirley

It’s hard to imagine that we are already in the last month of 2020. I used to travel to somewhere else every other month in the past, but I have gotten used to staying home for social distancing since March of this year. The downside of “caving” at home is that I can hardly feel any holiday vibes at all.

My solution to the lack of holiday vibes is turning on a lot of Christmas lights at home, enjoying Eggnog liqueur and Ginger Bread liqueur with my coffee, and playing piano to make this holiday season memorable.

Below are five of the things I am doing this month to keep up my holiday spirit.

New Nails

No holiday is complete without red nails. For this month I have my nails done in red color covered with gold glitters on the thumbs, middle and pinky fingers. I used the pink glitters on my ring fingers and I also used the pink glitters on my index fingers.

(Red nails with gold and pink glitters for December 2020.)

Coffee

Nespresso released a new Chocolate Fudge coffee at the end of November. I am so glad I received it just in time for my holiday season treats. Below is one of the ways I drink the Chocolate Fudge coffee – pour the Eggnog milk in the glass first, brew the coffee over it, add whipped cream, and top it with a honeycomb cube.

To my surprise, the honeycomb cube was too dense; it sank to the bottom of the glass instantly and created the middle special layer. I guess in exchange for the perfect holiday drink picture, I got an unexpected “special effect” view.

(Nespresso’s new Chocolate Fudge coffee with Eggnog, whipped cream and honeycomb, which sank to the bottom of the glass.)

Piano Practice

For this month, I am learning the song, Rhapsodie on a Theme of Paganini, by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The first time I heard this song was in the movie Somewhere in Time. I think Somewhere in Time is a great love story and the Rhapsodie on a Theme of Paganini is a beautiful song that complements the movie well.

(This is the cover picture from one of the song tracks for the Somewhere in Time movie.)

Drink

I love to drink Ginger Bread latte during the holiday season. I got this Ginger Bread liqueur from the Trader Joe’s yesterday. I’ve had it straight over ice; it’s a bit too sweet, but I love its Ginger Bread flavor. I’ve also tried the Ginger Bread liqueur with my Nespresso Vanilla Custer Pie coffee, which was delicious. It’s even better with whipped cream on the top.

(My must-have drink ingredient for this holiday season – Ginger Bread liqueur.)

Beauty

No holiday season is complete without some new holiday beauty products. One of my favorite makeup artist, Pat McGrath, released her holiday collection, including the eyeshadow palette – Mothership Mega: Celestial Divinity. Playing with the colors in this eyeshadow palette will be a great fun activity for this month.

(The new Pat McGrath’s holiday eyeshadow – Celestial Divinity.)

All Posts, Beauty

Skin Care Remedy: What To Do When You Over-Exfoliated Your Skin

10/10/2020 Shirley

Have you ever over-exfoliated your skin and experienced a unpleasant redness, stinging, and burning sensation on your face?

If you did, I know just the right skin care remedy to resolve your over-exfoliating issue in a few days.

A few weeks ago, I mistakenly over-exfoliated my face by using products with salicylic acid, fruit acid, and lactic acid all in a one night regimen. My skin immediately turned red, and I felt stinging and burning on both cheeks and forehead. (Lesson Learned: using too many skin care acid products at once is a really bad idea!)

If you ever experience anything like I did, you’d understand the pain and agony in dealing with damaged skin. At that moment, nothing seems to help ease the pain.

Skin Remedy

Luckily, I have my favorite La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream on hand. The La Mer cream is known for its renewal and replenishing ingredients (nutrient-rich Miracle Broth) for the skin. Eight years ago I got a deep cut on my face which left a small scar. After using the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream for years, I noticed that the scar has faded away.

This time, when I realized I damaged my skin from over-exfoliating, I used the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream immediately.

For the following week, instead of mixing products from different beauty lines (which I do often), I used La Mer Treatment Lotion, La Mer Regenerating Serum, and La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream, day and night. The La Mer products helped to hydrate and sooth my skin, and reduced the burning pain.

Throughout the day, when I feel any discomfort and dryness on my cheeks, I’d put on Elizabeth-Arden’s Eight Hour Cream Fragrance-Free Skin Protectant. This cream also worked well when my skin turned flaky during the healing process.

(The Elizabeth-Arden’s Eight Hour Cream is one of the must-have products I keep on hand for any skin problem.)

Conclusion

To summarize, based on my personal painful experience, if you ever damage your skin (i.e. over-exfoliating, minor scaring, or sunburn), consider using the La Mer Treatment Lotion, La Mer Regenerating Serum, La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream, and Elizabeth-Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. These products have renewal, hydrating, and protecting ingredients that help your skin to recover soon!

P.S. The La Mer products can be pricey, but they are totally worth it!

For more skin care products I recommend, visit Skin Care page.

All Posts, Beauty

Skin Care Remedy: The Must-Have Magic Cream

04/14/2020 Shirley

What product do you use to prepare your skin for makeup?

When it comes to putting makeup foundation on my face, I love to use Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream to hydrate my skin first. After applying the Magic Cream to my face, my skin instantly looks awake and glowing. And the Magic Cream keeps my makeup looking smooth and refresh.

The Magic Cream by Charlotte Tilbury is a facial moisturizer, which can be used for either day or night. It has a mix of anti-aging and collagen stimulating ingredients. It’s also the product Charlotte uses to prepare celebrities’ red carpet look.

I use the Magic Cream mainly to prepare my skin before I apply the makeup. Once in a while, I will use the Magic Cream as my day moisturizer.

How did I hear about the Magic Cream? A few years ago, I attended a Charlotte Tilbury’s hands-on makeup event, led by one of their product line’s international makeup artists. I learned many great things about Charlotte Tilbury’s skin care products and makeup items. Since then, I started to use the Magic Cream as part of my makeup routine.

In my opinion, the Magic Cream not only hydrates my skin it also serves as a skin protector. I’ve accidentally fallen asleep with my makeup on a couple of times. When I woke up in the morning, my skin still felt hydrated, because I used the Magic Cream prior to applying the foundation. Before I started using the Magic Cream, leaving makeup on overnight would irritate my skin the next morning.

To summarize, Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream is a great skin care product that serves as a daily moisturizer and makeup preparation product. The wonder of this cream lives exactly up to its name, “Magic Cream”. If you haven’t tried the Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream, I’d highly recommend that you get one and experience the magic yourself.

For more skin care products I recommend you to try, visit Skin Care page.

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – April 2020

04/09/2020 Shirley

April marks the beginning of the second month of pandemic social distancing. I am very grateful that most of my friends and I are home safely with our loved ones. But my heart goes out to the people who are being affected by this unfortunate event, especially to those who lost a family member or friend.

While I am sheltered safely at home with my elderly parents, a couple of my friends have family members working on the front lines, such as hospitals and essential businesses. They are risking their health and lives to save people and provide the services that keep us going. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for anyone seeing their loved ones go out for work and face uncertainty every day.

I really hope this pandemic transmission will slow down and be under control soon, so people can feel safe to resume their regular lives again.

Below are some of the things I will be doing this month at home. Most of them are related to what I can do while I am staying home.

Baking

I am so glad I bought a new bread maker machine during the past holiday. We eat a lot of bread at home every day, so I’ve been making a new loaf of bread every two days. My recent favorite bread to make is oatmeal with raisin.

(This is the oatmeal bread with raisin, my latest favorite.)

New Beauty

I could never resist the temptation of the new lipsticks, especially when it comes to glitters. Dior recently launched new Addict Stellar Halo Shine lipsticks and lip glosses. These new lip products have extra shimmering and shine. The must-get signature color in these collections is “Be Dior”, which was first released last year for the Addict Stellar Shine lipsticks.

(New Dior Addict Stellar Halo Shine lipsticks and lip glosses.)

Concert

Last October I bough tickets for my mom, aunts, and I to go watch Celine Dion’s concert at the Tacoma Dome (in Tacoma, Washington) scheduled for April 15. Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the show has been rescheduled. I am so glad that I went to watch Celine Dion’s show in Las Vegas two different times last year and recorded most part of her show on my phone. Although I can’t watch her in person this year, I have the ability to watch her fantastic show at my fingertips.

(The picture of Celine Dion I took during her concert in Las Vegas. I was standing right in front of the stage at that time.)

Reading Material

There’s no better time for self improvement than now. For this month I am reading the book, “A Mind for Numbers”. The author of this book explains how our mind works, and emphasizes the most effective and efficient techniques for learning. The techniques can be applied to anything you want to learn, not limited to math or science only.

(The book I am reading this month.)

New Beauty

As I age, it’s impossible to avoid getting facial wrinkles. However, there are skin care products we can use to make wrinkles less visible. For example, BeautyBio’s “R45 The Reversal” three-phase serum. The product is intended for nighttime use. Each phase of the serum lasts about two weeks. Once you finish the phase 1, you move on to phase 2, then phase 3. I am currently using this serum. It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference after I finish using this product.

(The BeautyBio Serum I am currently using.)

The Cover Image: I am wearing Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte lipstick in color “347 Camelia Fuchsia”. I love this fuchsia/bright pink lipstick as well as its camellia motif embossed on the bottom. For the day time look, this lipstick color goes well with this See by Chloe jean dress.

All Posts, Beauty, Travel

The Must-have Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm

12/23/2019 Shirley

(DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the product links and make a purchase, we may or may not receive a commission for the referral.)

When I travel, I like to bring skin care products that have plenty of hydrating elements, which is especially important when I travel or stay in hotels with air conditioning blasting on all the time.

For years, I’ve been using some of the Sisley’s skin care products (see my blog post for more detail) when I travel. Recently, I added another beauty product to my travel essentials. This beauty product is called Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask, and Balm for Baby Soft Skin by Charlotte Tilbury. (The product is packed with vitamins, floral extracts and antioxidant ingredients.)

As the Charlotte Tilbury’s Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm for Baby Soft Skin product name indicates, this cream-based skin care product is for multiple purposes. You can use it to clean your skin by massaging it on your face and rinsing it out. You can also use it as a facial mask by massaging it on your face, leaving it on to let the product penetrate into your skin, then rinsing it off after 10 minutes. Or you can simply leave it on your skin overnight as a skin balm.

What’s even better about this Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product is that it can also be applied to your body to moisturize your skin and add some healthy glow. (I use it on my arms and legs when I go out.)

The Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm comes in a 3.4 oz. container. When I travel, I like to transfer some of this product into a small jar. I’d use it as the second cleaner after I wash my face with Shu Uemura cleaning oil. When my face gets really dry, I’d also use the Multi-Miracle Glow product as a mask and balm for overnight. The floral smell of the product is so pleasant; I found it very soothing. I also use this product on any area of my skin that feels dry.

Of course, I use the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product whenever I want to at home; it’s not only limited to traveling. But if I was stranded on a island and ould only have one skin care product, the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product would definitely be my choice!

For more skin care products I recommend you to try, visit Skin Care page.

Shirley Style

Category Archives: Beauty

Nail Design Inspired by My Nieces

My Experience of Using Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm SPF 25

Skin Care Remedy: How to Diminish Wrinkles around the Eyes

5 Things to Try This Month – March 2021

5 Things to Try This Month – February 2021

5 Things to Try This Month – December 2020

Skin Care Remedy: What To Do When You Over-Exfoliated Your Skin

Skin Care Remedy: The Must-Have Magic Cream

5 Things to Try This Month – April 2020

The Must-have Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm

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