A Really, Really Red Lipstick Look

Oh, hello there!

It's me, Dao, and I'm posing with my gangster V signs around the eyes :)

It's been a while since I posted a makeup look. The last one was exactly half a year ago. Please forgive me! Yesterday, I was watching the season finale of Desperate Housewives and I thought to myself, "Why don't I do a FOTD?" It just happened that my aunt got me an awesome red lipstick and I wanted to give it a try. I have a bunch of red lipsticks but this one is incredible! I may have to do a review on it some day.

So, how do I look?

Stuff I used, minus 3 brushes
Surprisingly, I didn't use a lot of things here. The red lipstick really brought things together

Eyes:

• Primer: MAC Bare Study
• Eyelids: since both colors I used are discontinued, you need a dirty gold pigment and a bronzy gold pigment. Layer the first one on top of the later one using an eye shadow brush. Do not blend!
• Crease: with a blending brush, apply matte medium brown eye shadow on the crease, then blend it up with a light yellow brown eye shadow. I used MAC Rich Flesh and Ochre Style, both are LE and discontinued (yikes!)
• Lower lash line: line with the bronzy gold one
• Liner: MAC Blacktrack on both upper and lower lashes

Face:

• Primer: Mentholatum Acnes Oil Solution
• Foundation: Yves Rocher Couleurs Nature Comfort Cream Foundation in Rosé 400 Tent Mat
• Finishing Power: Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Silk in Nude Beige (#2)
• Concealer: MAC Studio Sculpt NW20
• Bronzer: Physician's Formula
• Blush: Neutrogena Healthy Skin blush (discontinued, I think T_T. It's a really nice blush.)
• Lips: 2B lipstick in Sweet Cherry (#12)
• Lashes: Shisem. I was too lazy to put on mascara!

Nope, I didn't photoshop myself to look pale. My skin has been so light lately, thanks to all the Japanese skincare products I have been using (Hada Labo face wash and Marie Louise moisturizer/lotion.) Seriously, they are incredible! On top of that, the Yves Rocher foundation makes my skin look nice even when I used a thin layer with a damp sponge. Believe me, I didn't look that ghostly in real life but the foundation has SPF that made my skin look about 2 shades lighter. I should have pumped myself up with more bronzer. Well, we always have next time.

Also, here is one important discovery: if you are a beauty blogger who doesn't have long, luscious lashes, wear some falsies already! Because of my own laziness, I found out not only it took less time to apply false eyelashes, my eyes also look more open this way, too! So from now on, if I post a look, Imma wear some falsies. Call me vain but having a full set of lashes make a huge difference.

Last but not least, here is my very gangster Asian pose:

Kiss kiss!

Bye y'all!
Dao xoxo


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Arm Candies

Hi everyone,

I get the arm swag trend that's been so popular lately. I get it. Yet, I can't bring myself to execute it. I'm more of a one bracelet at a time girl. While having an arm full of bracelets is cool and all, things can get heavy sometimes. But things has changed. I now can wear two chunky bracelets at the same time and feel good about them.

Perhaps the greatest finds are the ones you discovered without having any expectations. This is the case for my last bracelet that I got during my Buddhist pagoda tour I took last Sunday. We barely had time to do anything but temple hopping (it's like club hopping but without the dancing and music. You get to bow and pray a lot, though.) But during this stop at one temple, we had about 5 minutes before heading to the bus and there it was, a souvenir shop ran by monks!

I did some digging and found this treasure:

I was in need of a prayer bracelet and this one looked cool with all the carvings. On top of that, it was utterly cheap and since I already donated most of my money I brought that I earned from writing articles, I could only afford something like this.

Look at the intricate carvings! So lovely! They were supposed to be tiny pictures of the Buddha but to me, they look like little angels :)

Now, going back to the arm swag trend: I coupled it with the bracelet I bought at a church during the Christmastime. I think my luck of finding good bracelets happens when I am at religious places :)

I love this combination, especially because the bracelets look tribal chic when I wear them together. Also, they are not too heavy and weigh my arm down.

I tried to combine them with my watch but it doesn't look so good. I do have tiny wrists and these two bracelets do not leave a lot of space left for my watch. Besides with three, this looks like arm armor rather than arm swag. A little bit too para-military to me.

Right now, I'm oh-so-slowly inching toward accessorizing myself. I've always had a penchant for necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets but I have no idea how to put them together. I'd buy them if they look nice and believe it or not, I feel very relaxed at the craft stores. Now that I don't have too many accessories, it's refreshing that I can find new uses and ways to combine them together.

How about you? Do you enjoy the arm swag trend? How do you wear all them cute bracelets at the same time? Just tell me your secret, I need to learn!

Love,
Dao xoxo

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True to the Blood

Hi everyone!

Have you tried to take True Blood away from a teddy bear? It ain't easy, I'm tellin' ya, especially when said teddy bear whose name is Bibi is a fan of Sam Merlotte.

Although I was introduced quite recently to the True Blood series, I am now a big fan. Those who are following me on Twitter know that I tweet about the show and Alexander Skarsgard quite often. Yes, I'm on Team Eric through and through, ever since he made an appearance on the episode "Escape from the Dragon House."

Yes, I know this is a beauty blog but once in a while, I'd like to write something non-beauty related like fitness, traveling, and what not. Despite all the sex, gore, and violence, True Blood is a really good show. I've written about it extensively (read: more fan girl behaviors can be found) on my other blog. The latest one can be found here. Now it spreads over to this blog. Oh my, I think I am in some sort of trouble!

How about you? Are you a Truebie, too? What team are you on? Team Eric/Bill/or Alcide? I know, I know, Alcide doesn't have a chance but he looks so manly!

That's all for now. I hope you are having a nice week so far.

With love,
Dao xoxo

P.S: the new Disqus works! Thank you for all of your lovely comments! Now, I need to monitor it via the website instead of emails as Disqus doesn't send me any email notifications anymore. It's a nuisance that I can live with.

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My Weird Behavior

Hi everyone,

Today's post is personal. For a while, I did not realize my using pattern when it comes to clothes, makeup, and many other things. If you dig deep enough, you would probably realize where I am getting at.

I reviews and use makeup products that do not cost a lot of money to buy. However, I do have quite a few mid and high end makeup items. Yet, when it comes to buying and using makeup, I barely touch the expensive products but go for the inexpensive ones.

The same thing happens to clothes and shoes: I would wear the cheap ones to dead while treating the expensive items with reverence. Same thing with stationery: I have stacks and stacks of expensive notebooks left untouched, expensive pens left unused, and expensive sticky notes in shrink wraps just because they are too darn pretty and too darn expensive that I don't want to use them.

Sick, I know. What's sicker is this has been going on ever since I can remember. I save the pretties until I outgrow them (or they outgrow me). I would use that expensive palette maybe once or twice before putting it in a high shelf just to look. And then, one day when I needed it the most, I found out it became dust already. Perfumes faded, lipsticks melt, eye shadows dried, gel liner caked. The story of my life. I know that, yet I can't bring myself to use the pretties.

I guess this has to do with my upbringing. I was born in a communist country back when things were rationed. Once a year, I got a new dress and a new pair of shoes. They were my special occasion dress and shoes. If the dress got ripped or the shoes got scratched, tough titties. I would not get new ones. Therefore, I went a long way to preserve them (and by preserving, I mean not losing them.)

By the time I was 10, things began to look up and I got two new dresses a year: one for new year and one for my birthday. Yes, this was big for me. Can you imagine 100% increment in the number of dresses per year? Yet, I still took the pain not to ruin my dresses. I only wore old ones to school and left new ones for weddings and parties. By the time I was in 8th grade, I had a wardrobe full of dresses that I wore only two or three times. My mom gave them away to poor kids and I felt like crying. Those were really pretty dresses.

Then, I went through a phase of buying stuff on sale because they were cheap. For a couple of years pre-undergrad graduation to mid-grad school, I had a closet full of ill-fitted clothes. I really had a hard time dressing myself in formal events as I had nothing good enough to wear during those occasions. Then, some time after I graduated grad school, a light bulb went off. I tossed those ill-fitted clothes away and kept only the items I like.

Now, I am about to do the same with my current wardrobe. While I don't have a full closet anymore, I am not happy with my clothing selection, mainly because they no longer fit me. I'm very close to that 20lb weight loss mark and clothes that used to fit me no longer do anymore. Also, I am stepping into the professional work force and I need clothes that make me look like a respectable adult. Clothes cost money but this time around, I am not going to cut corners anymore.

This time, I need to feel like I own the clothes. I am going to wear the heck out of them tops, pants, shoes, perfumes, makeup, and jewelries. Just watch me.

Love,
Dao xoxo

P.S: I just switched to a new version of Disqus and I haven't seen any comments lately. Can someone post something, even just to say hi? I want to make sure if the new Disqus works. If it doesn't, I will revert back to the old one.

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Hada Labo Arbutin Wash Is What Dry Skin Needs

Hi everyone,

Boy, I feel so rough! A week of being under the weather drives me absolutely bonkers! I don't know what it is but this cold just refuses to leave my body. On top of that, the weather has been gloomy as if I were in London in the middle of a stormy season or something. This is rather strange for such a sunny place like Saigon.

Anyway, more than a week of being infirm has left my face in a devastating state: it dries and I have bags and lines under my eyes. Que horror! The dryness can be easily improved now that I have a new weapon under my belt: Hada Labo Arbutin Wash!

I got it as a gift with purchase from a magazine. Therefore, I have no idea how much this bottle of cleanser from Hada Labo costs. However, after consulting the ongoing at the market, it costs around $4 USD. Hada Labo is a drugstore brand here and despite being a cult favorite of so many bloggers in the U.S and Canada, it just doesn't sell that well here in Vietnam. You wanna know why? Just look at the packaging. In Vietnam as well as the rest of Asia, you want to sell something, you make sure it is housed in the most gorgeous container possible. This is a shame because I've seen the bottles (and jars) of Hada Labo sold in Japan and Singapore. They are just gorgeous! Coming to Vietnam and you got something like this. Undermine us much, Hada Labo?

Ingredient list

The one thing that puts Hada Labo and so many Japanese skincare products a touch above is hyaluronic acid. This skin plumping ingredient is everywhere in Japanese skincare nowadays. Coupled with some skin lightening ingredients and you get the perfect product for the Asian market. For Asians, skincare is very simple, really: it's all about whitening first before anti-aging. On top of that, Asians don't like harsh skincare products. Therefore, this cleanser as well as many other products from Hada Labo feels like water.

Look how creamy it is!

With all seriousness, I would not think of using a cream cleanser but a free product with the name Hada Labo pushed me over the edge. You see, Hada Labo is famous for its toning water that is choke full of hyaluronic acid. It is so revolutionary that for a while, I've seen and heard about it from a lot of my beauty blogger friends. I wanted to try Hada Labo for ages just because of its cult status but a bottle of the water from Sasa is expensive and shipping can take forever. Therefore, when I got the opportunity to try this cleanser, I jumped on it with a promise that if it doesn't work for me, I would give it to my mom who has dry skin.

Needless to say, this Arbutin Wash cleanser is still in my room and I am using it. For the first time in my life, I have experienced true moisture and comfort from a cleanser. I don't know how they did it but I absolutely feel no filmy residues after washing my face. It feels clean, soft, and comfortable like baby skin. Really amazing! On top of that, the cleanser does not smell like anything, which works for me as I do not like strong smells.

The three cleansers I put on rotation

With all that said, I'm not 100% on Hada Labo Arbutin Wash. I only use it during cold days as it helps preserving moisture on my skin. The Hazeline is the one for hot days while the black Pond's is something I use for some days in between. I guess this is my secret: you can't have a one-size-fits-all cleanser but you need to use a few different ones to cater to the reality of your skin.

About the whitening property: yes, it does even my skin out a lot. Considering it a cleanser and me using it once a day, I was surprised at how well my skin has changed every time I use it. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

Picture of me taken today. To have skin that good while being sick is unbelievable.
Thank you Hada Labo!

If you have dry skin and you want to boost moisture as well as improve your skin's clarity, Hada Labo Arbutin Wash is your answer. Unfortunately, I have no idea where you can find it outside of the Asian market. Sasa does sell Hada Labo (click here) but I just don't see this product there. I feel bad for writing this review as I know how good it is, yet unable to give you a website where you can buy it. However, if you live in New York City or Los Angeles and you can get to a Japanese market, you may have a chance to find it. And if you do, just get it. Hada Labo is truly amazing and I'm a convert now.

And btw, I hope you don't mind my goofy bang. I just got a new haircut. It's fabulous but the bang is really, really short. I can't wait for it to grow out.

That's all for now, folks! Have a nice day!

Love,
Dao xoxo

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My P90X Progress Report

Hi everyone,

I finished P90X last Saturday. It was a bittersweet experience: while I love every single minute of it, I was sad that it was over. Well, at least this round because I want to repeat P90X again after a month. It has been a wonderful experience to me and I would like to write a little bit about it with hope to entice some of you to join me in the future.

First off, here's a video that I compiled. I didn't intend to start P90X back in March and it was until day 3 that I realized I could do it. Hence, the first clip started from there. Then, I recorded my progresses at days 30,60, and 90 like normal people would do.

Phase 1: The first 4 weeks

As I mentioned earlier, I had no intentions to start P90X in March. But after having repeating knee injuries from doing Hip Hop Abs level 2, which is a dance workout, I decided it was time to switch. I did X-Stretch, Yoga-X, and Cardio-X before and while they were difficult, I could do them. That gave me confidence to start at the first place.

I chose the Lean program as I have fat to lose. Also, since I already had knee injuries, I did not want to do any vertical plyometrics (jump training.) The lean program replaces Plyo-X with Cardio-X and has 1 less weight lifting workout. I thought I was fine. And then I did the first workout, which was Core Synergistic.

The first week of P90X was tough! Every night, I went to bed with soreness at different body parts. There were nights that I applied Deep Heat and cried, wondering why I pushed myself into this. But then, the next day came and I found myself looking forward to working out again.

When I started P90X, I could only do 2 knee push-ups and I planked for 2 minutes at a time (I think!) Lucky me, the people at Fitocracy cheered me on along the way and I recorded my progress there. That helped tremendously!

Phase 2: weeks 5-8

While phase 1 happened really fast, phase 2 felt like a drag. The only difference between these two phases was 1 workout: they replaced Back and Biceps with Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps. The rest were the same. I started developing some deep hatred toward Cardio-X and Core Synergistic and came very close to nixing Yoga-X a couple of times.

Luckily, Coach John Prause tweeted something interesting that made me realize my boredom had to do more with the lack of diversity in this phase. I took a couple of days off during the second week of this phase and finished the whole thing in stride.

Phase 3: the last 5 weeks

Of all the phases, phase 3 was the toughest. However, I had the most fun here. The workouts were switched every week and the weight-lifting ones concentrated on the upper body. If you watched the video clip closely, you probably noticed how much better-looking my arms and shoulders looked at day 90.

This phase is the one where I've heard a lot of complaints about injuries. By the end, I felt it in my knees, too. But thankfully, throughout the 90 days I did P90X, I didn't have any injuries except for a week that my shoulders hurt like mad.

While I was really happy during phase 3, I could not bring myself to work out more than 4 times a week. It was really tough and I felt like I was burning on empty sometimes. That usually happened after cardio days as I felt fine after lift days. I guess at this point, my preference of cardio exercises finally switched to weight lifting for good.

While I didn't lose a ton of weight and went from size 10 to size 2, I did gain a lot of muscles. Since I don't have access to the InBody measurer anymore, I really can't tell how high my fat percentage is. However, from pictures, my gauge is I'm in the 25 percentile. On top of that, I can do a lot more things than I could. One of them is plough. I saw this pose before but could never imagine myself doing it. Now, I can.

A few things I would like to point out:

• I didn't use the pull-up bar, although I wanted to: we live in a new house and I work out in the guess bedroom. Installing a pull-up bar there may look tacky. I used the band as a replacement for the pull-up bar and it worked just fine.
• The next time I do P90X, I am going to get me a pair of cross-training shoes: the pair I am wearing is running shoes from New Balance. While it has lots of cushions, its lateral movements were not that good and my feet tend to curl inward. Cross-training shoes are designed for a variety of gym activities from running to walking to weight lifting and cardio exercises. Therefore, you can move anywhere you want with great stability.
• Although you don't need to know how to do push-ups, at least try to do a couple of them on your knees before you begin P90X. This work out program consists of so many types of push-ups that after I finish, I do not wish to know any new variety of this exercise at all!
• Yes, you need to know some yoga basics. Tony Horton and gang will not hold your hands and guide you through the ABCs of yoga.
• Yes, you need to know some basics about weight lifting, too, although this is easier to catch up than yoga.
• Kempo is fun! In fact, this is the best DVD in the set in my opinion.

About Tony Horton as an instructor:

He is great but he's annoying sometimes. Tony talks a lot and except for Yoga-X, he doesn't do full workouts with the students. This kinda gives me a deeper level of respect to Shaun-T, who sweats with you during his workouts.

I guess that's all I have to say for P90X. Starting at the beginning of July, I am going to do it again but with the Classic program. If you have any questions about P90X, please let me know. I will do my best to answer them. Also, if you want an invitation to Fitocracy, I have a few. Just email me and I'll send it to you.

Take care and bring it,
Dao xoxo

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I Made the Front Page!!!

Hi everyone,

I just browsed the web and saw this on the front page of Elle.vn:

"Beauty blogger Tuong Dao", yup, that's me! As you may know, I am a contributor for both Elle.vn and the Vietnamese edition of Elle magazine. It has been a lot of fun but I have never imagined having my article displayed in the prime real estate area! This is like mother of wow, you know?

Anyways, the article is here and in case you don't know Vietnamese, just use Google Translate for it. My week has been crazy so far but this definitely sweetens things up a lot.

That's all for now. I'm so happy that I have to share before they shift my article away from the prime real estate slider.

Love,
Dao xoxo

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A Beauty Blender Dupe, Maybe?

Hi everybody,

Recently, I went to my favorite nail place to look for an oyster white nail polish. Although I could not find one, I ended up getting a makeup sponge that looks like a Beauty Blender and a glass nail file. Since I was low on cash, they were the only things I got but happiness can come in small dosage, right?

The beauty blender dupe I found cost me around $2.25 USD

 For a while, I have been curious of the Beauty Blender. It's one of those egg shape sponges that you can use instead of makeup brushes to apply foundation on your face. The only thing that stopped me from getting it was the price: the Beauty Blender costs around $20 and for that price, I can get a decent foundation, stippling brush, and powder brush from E.L.F with some change dangling in my hand.

But I was curious of how well it would work. Since I have been using brushes for so long, applying anything on my face with a sponge has become a novel concept to me. So I bought the Beauty Blender dupe, fully knowing it is not the real deal. It is made of latex and shaped like a gourd but for an all-in-one face applicator, I had to give it a try.

In the pictures below, I applied mineral foundation, concealer, face powder, blush, bronzer, and highlighter with only one tool: the Beauty Blender dupe.

Me with the BB dupe in incandescent light without flash

Same condition but with flash

So what do you think? It works, yeah? The whole application process was fast. I used the pointy part to apply foundation, then used the flat end to pound it on my face to ensure adherence. Then, I used the same pointy end to apply concealer under my eyes, then contour my face and nose before applying blush and highlight. Afterwards, I used the flat end to apply powder. The whole process took me less than 10 minutes and I'm glad I did not have to switch tools in between steps.

However, the biggest pain was how much mineral foundation it ate up. The amount that I used to get a thin and naturally looking layer in those pictures could be used to apply two layers for a full coverage if I used my ELF powder brush. Since I don't use liquid foundation, I don't know how much it will eat up but I suspect it is not a small amount, either. Therefore, I suggest to dampen the sponge before using foundation with it.

Overall, I enjoy this Beauty Blender dupe very much. I know it is not a real deal but it works well for me. Also, the curve in the middle gives me a better grip. I guess it is a nice tool to bring in case I go on vacation. Instead of bringing 3 or 4 face brushes, I only need this one. However, it takes a whole day to dry so I may end up buying another one just in case.

On the other note...

The Laptop Strikes Again!

My laptop was being a pain and it has been cutting me off right when I needed it most. Since I'm making a living from writing, this has been particularly hard as I know I need a replacement laptop instead of a quick fix on this one. Nevertheless, the day is coming soon and I have an eye on Asus (the regular one, not Zen book which I want but costs as much as a MacBook Air!)

I'm a P90X Grad!!!

Yup, last Saturday was the last day I did P90X. I felt exhilarate and sad at the same time. In one hand, I finally completed one of the toughest workouts ever produced. But on the other side, I was sad that it was over. P90X is a lot of fun and I am going to do another round starting in July.

Right now, I am doing Brazil Butt Lift and it has been kicking my behind! During the last 10 minutes of yesterday's work out, my legs were quivering under me. I had to stop the DVD several times in order to catch some breathes. I thought P90X was tough but this one is even tougher! I'm glad I chose to do BBL as I know my lower body is not that strong.

That's all for now. I hope you are having a good day!

Love,
Dao xoxo

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