Bat an Eyelash is a lifestyle blog about jewelry, makeup, belly dance, or anything else that my catch my interest.
I am a merchandiser for Chloe + Isabel. Please check out my boutique or share it with someone who may enjoy it. www.chloeandisabel.com/boutique/loriannlv
I recently traded my Missha Perfect Cover in #23 for the Holika Holika Shimmering BB. I am ridicously in love with the Holika and had to find a steady supplier. A few bloggers have mentioned Pretty and Cute as a good source for Korean and Japanese cosmetics so I headed over to check it out.
L to R: Holika Holika Shimmering BB, Skin 79 Miniature Set, Skin 79 Mini Lip Gloss, Holika Holika mirror
I got a new tube of the Holika Holika Shimmering 30mL for $12.09. I am so in love with this BB. I will have to do a post on it. I used to think tinted moisturizers were the answer to a quick and easy face. Wrong! It's definitely Asian BBs (blemish balm). Not only does this have excellent coverage but it also offers SPF 45. Since I'm not addicted to BBs, I picked up the Skin 79 miniature set as well. I've heard good things about the Skin 79 BBs and wanted to try out a few before purchasing a full size product. This set includes the Oriental Gold, Oriental Gold Plus, and the Premier Gold.
The rose shaped miniature lip gloss is from Skin 79. I'm going to add this to my keychain. I love the black rose design. The gloss itself is very sheer and just adds a hint of color. This will definitely be useful for on the go moisturizing.
I picked up a matching black rose mirror for my purse makeup bag. This must be a popular design for re-branding in Korea. The mirror is sold by Holika Holika.
I placed my order on a Thursday morning and had a shipping notification by the afternoon. They ship out of Oregon so I had my order by Saturday. I'm super happy to have found the site and I'm sure I'll be shopping there more in the future.
This week's debate is all about decorating your blog, and if it's okay if someone has a really plain blog, or if you feel better about someone's blog if their blog is decorated!
I prefer a clean, easy to navigate blog. If you've taken the time to make custom wallpapers and buttons, that's nice but isn't necessarily a must have for me. I don't have that particular talent so I use what I can find. I would like to add some buttons for Twitter and Bloglovin'. It doesn't bother me if a blog is just using the stock Blogger backgrounds as long as they have decent content.
I don't like too many gadgets, banners, or buttons. I'm also not a fan of custom cursors. If your blog auto-plays music or video, it is an absolute deal breaker for me.
What is Sample Society? Sample Society is a monthly subscription service that is a partnership between Allure magazine and Beauty Bar. For $15 a month you get five deluxe sized samples and a one year subscription to Allure. You also receive a $15 gift code towards the purchase of any of the brands in your box. It's nice that you have some flexibility and don't have to buy the exact product. You can also use your gift code multiple times. The booklet also includes some tips on how to use the products.
Alterna Boho Waves, Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream, Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper, Oscar de la Renta Live in Love, Murad Clarifying Cleanser.
Alterna Boho Waves Texture Mist Deluxe Sample (Full size retail $22 4.2 fl oz) Combines strengthening organic bamboo extract and nourishing blue yucca root in a weightless texturizing spray that instantly gives you natural, tousled, "just-back-from-the-beach" waves. Use on damp or dry hair. My hair has a natural wave to it. I tend to wash it and let it air dry. I used this after washing and it does make the waves look more deliberate. I'm not sure how well this works on super straight hair.
Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream Small sample (Full size retail $95 .51 oz) It targets all the visible signs of aging around the eyes: wrinkles, loss of elasticity, dehydration, dark circles, puffiness, dark spots and loss of radiance. Premier Cru The Eye Cream immediately brightens and correct dark circles thanks to silvery, coppery and iridescent pearlizers. I know some people have reported near empty samples of this. This is the smallest sample I've received so far but mine was not empty. I've had enough to use twice a day for a few days. I haven't really noticed any difference though. For $95, there better be some definite results.
Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper Deluxe Sample (Full size retail $25) Make your lips full and kissable with Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper. Special peptides give moisture and visible plumping that lasts. One single sweep of this tinted cool mint and ginger lip plumper and your lips will be transformed with sheer natural color and a refreshing feeling you can't top. I love tiny lipstick samples. They're so cute. I haven't given this a try yet. Of the colors this comes in, I'm glad they sent out Tokyo. I'm not sure how flattering the other colors would be other than Milan. Lip plumping is not usually a feature I look for in a lip product.
Oscar de la Renta Live in Love Deluxe Sample (Full size retail $58 30mL) A classic scent in its richness and beauty, but with an updated more contemporary feeling. A green floral bouquet. I don't immediately hate this like I did the other Oscar de la Renta perfume in the first box. It is a more approachable floral for me but still not my favorite. I love the tiny little bottle though.
Murad Clarifying CleanserDeluxe Sample (Full size retail $26 6.75 oz) Use Murad Clarifying Cleanser that helps eliminate 99.9% of surface bacteria and clears blemishes. This cleanser prepares your skin to allow maximum penetration of ingredients and prevents new breakouts. It is especially designed for those with blemish-prone skin. I actually like this cleanser. I tend to rest my face in my hand. So there are a few spots prone to breaking out. Not sure if I would buy it though. We seem to get so many different facial cleansers in sample boxes that I don't know if I'll ever have to buy a full size again.
June marks my fourth month with Little Black Bag. I almost skipped this month but I gave in anyway and wound up with a bag I really like. I started out with the Betsey Johnson Three Row Necklace (which I kept the entire time) and I used my Klout Perk to add an extra item to my bag. My freebie item was the Melie Bianco Envelope clutch ($45) which I wasn't feeling at all. Tons of trading later this how I finished my bag.
Watch my unboxing video!
The item I started my bag with and held on to was the Betsey Johnson Three Row Necklace. Retail value $75. It seems shorter than it is pictured. I haven't measured it but I don't quite think it's 18". Ah well. I still love it.
I had this clutch in my favorites for awhile but this month I got serious about trying to snag one. I had this in purple originally but traded for the red. I think I would have been happy with either. This is the Melie Bianco Floral Foldover Clutch. It also has a chain strap. Yay. Retail value $50.
I became slightly obsessed with these Steve Madden Black Square Frame Sunglasses. Retail value $40. Someone scored a pretty generous three item trade from me. I can't decide if they are too large for my face or not. I may return them. What do you think?
My final item is the Kenneth Cole Cluster Earrings. Retail value $28. These have a nice silver AB coating. I can wear these with just about everything I own.
This is one of my more successful bags. I got some lucky trade offers this month and managed to turn them into items I really enjoy. Final retail value $193 which I think is a new high for me.
This month I indulged and bought myself some more high end items for my birthday but other than that I haven't been buying many products this month. I've actually been using a lot of things from my subscription services and from free samples with purchase.
NARS Blush in Orgasm I have to admit this is very similar to the Milani Luminoso blush which was my favorite blush in February. I like the formula of the NARS a little better for some reason I can't really describe. It just has the feeling of a higher quality product.
AmorePacific Tinted Treatment Moisturizer I got these samples with my birthday haul. Generously sized I got multiple uses out of the first little pod I tried. Fell in love with it! The lightest color works well for me. I tried out Fair today and it's just a tad too dark. Unfortunately the full size of this product is $70! So I don't see myself buying it anytime soon. I will have to admire you from afar AmorePacific. I still have the Light-Medium and Medium samples if anyone is interested.
Bond No.9 Nuits de Noho This came in my May Sample Society Box. It smells slightly exotic and indulgent. I absolutely love it. I don't wear it everyday because I'm trying to make this sample last. I wore it recently for one of my belly dance performances just to give myself that extra boost.
StriVectin SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles also from May Sample Society and the QVC Test tube. I was using this for a few weeks prior to my performance. It definitely lessened the appearance of my belly stretch marks and the scars from my recent surgery. I'm a believer.
e.l.f. Angled Blush Brush I originally bought this brush with contouring in mind but I like it for general blush application. Besides I still haven't quite figured out that whole contouring thing. The fibers are really soft and seem to pick up just the right amount of product. I just looked and didn't see these on e.l.f. Hopefully they aren't discontinued. This brush is cruelty free.
Sorry I've been neglecting my blog. I did get sucked into Diablo3 but I also really got sucked back into belly dance. I had an amazing weekend last week at a festival. I may blog about it. Would you guys be interested in a performance video?
