Teavivre's Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea*

Of all the teas, I believe Yun Nan's are the most complicated of all flavors. It seems simple at first - a simple black tea that anyone could like, but once you taste the inner flavors that make the tea - that's where it gets complicated. Yun Nan is known for it's complicated black tea taste. And Teavivre's is no different. This is definitely one of those teas that needs some experimenting, however. But once done right, it really is a beautiful tea. Depending on steeping time and temperature, it can either be light and smooth with hints of cocoa, to dark and malty with a slight bitterness captured into the mix. Of the several times I've made this tea, I prefer the lighter brew. It really brings out the subtle flavors without overwhelming it. To see how I rated Teavivre's Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea, click to read more.

Ipsy November 2013

It seems like I'm always a month late when posting up my Ipsy Reviews. There's just never enough time to post them away it seems. Anyway, I just wanna say that I am super excited about this box. Particularly because I'm really loving several items. (Enough to actually want more of them.) To read which item I've loved, just click to read more.

The Empties

Isn't it always a victorious feeling when you've finished quite a lot of products? It feels like money well spent, as well as a sense of accomplishment. Today I'm going to let you know which products I've finished up recently and briefly why. Since it's getting colder and colder, a lot of these are body products. To see a list of the products I've recently used up, click to read more.

Choice's Genmaicha Tea

There's something to be said when you're reviewing a tea you've already finished. Seriously. I couldn't even save one tea bag to show you guys. Just kidding. I snapped one shot before drinking it. I probably finished this so fast because it's such a staple tea. Something you could drink and crave almost every morning. The caffeine content is just perfect too if you're an avid tea drinker like I am. If you're new to tea, and would like to venture out to other teas, I'd say Genmaicha is a safe bet. Just don't over brew! To see how I rated Choice's Genmaicha, just click on the read more tab.

Yuzen Winter 2013 Box

So it's that time of the year again when Yuzen pops up in my mailbox! This winter theme is all about enjoying the winter holidays in a comfortable glamorous way. For those of you that don't know, Yuzen is a quarterly subscription box intended for sampling beauty and wellness products - in a toxin free way. Click Read more to read the rest of my review!

Sephora VIB Sale Wishlist

My sister once told me that I'm cheap because I like saving up my money for sales. Makeup is expensive okay? Especially the kind I like to splurge on. So every year, I usually try and save up for Sephora's VIB sales. This year is no different. While most of the items I'll be picking up will be repurchases, some are going to be first timers - and hopefully - no last minute impulse buys. But where's the fun in that? Anyway, I'd just like to show what I'll be picking up, as well as some "maybe's." Let me know what you think and what you'll be picking up at the sale! 

Ipsy October 2013 Bag

This month, Ipsy's theme is "The Art of Beauty." I have to say,  of all the other month's bags, this was probably the most packed bag I've received. It was pretty exciting opening a fat bag. Anyway, onto the goodies! Upon opening the bag, I noticed that there were some things outside the bag. Yes that's how stuffed this months bag is. To see what kind of goodies I received, continue reading.

Wantable Beauty Box September 2013

Several weeks ago, I received a request to do a review on Wantable's beauty box. After seeing some beauty reviews, I knew I couldn't say no to them. After receiving this month's box, I'm now pretty tempted to get a second. Well first off, what is Wantable? Wantable is a beauty box subscription that's been floating around the blogosphere for quite some time. They have three categories you can choose from - Beauty, Accessories or Intimates. I opted for the Beauty Box - beauty junkie that I am of course. If you want to know more about Wantable and more on what's in the box, continue reading. :)

A Night for Green Beauty

During NYFW, I attended the event, A Night for Green Beauty. I was insanely excited - like jumping up and down kind of excitement on my way there. If you could imagine almost all the high end green beauty brands - especially new and upcoming ones, all in one little boutique - well that was pretty much the night. Here, I'd like to show you some of the things I came home with.

Klorane Dry Shampoo Review

In the past, looking for dry shampoo wasn't the easiest thing - especially since it was fairly new and not readily available in your average beauty market. But now, with the plethora of hair products emerging, dry shampoo is pretty much available in every well rounded beauty boutique. Over the past few years, I've only tried one dry shampoo, and it absolutely made me hate the idea of dry shampoo. Instead of absorbing oils, it only made my hair feel greasier and heavier - only to irk me enough to wash it within half an hour. Needless to say, I stayed away from dry shampoos for quite some time. Until now. Enter Klorane's Dry Shampoo - apparently the best dry shampoo on the market. I recall a friend of mine telling me years ago, "this one's supposed to be the best one out there." It took me years to finally pick it up and I'm glad to say I did.

Sonia Kashuk Lipstick Review

With their super sleek and modern packaging, Sonia Kashuk's line always catches my eye. During the summer, I finally caved and bought one. The color I chose was a pretty safe one. It was between this, or the deep red. I decided to play it safe and chose Sunkissed - which appeared to be a warm dusky rose on the packaging. Let's see if it holds up to my standards.

TeaVivre's Organic Fragrant Keemun Tea

Have you ever tried something so delicious and tasteful and sooo similar to your favorite, but this new one just sorta tops your favorite? Well, that's my dilemma recently with this new tea I've tried. I've only had about one cup though, but I just can't stop thinking about how delicious it was. It's Teavivre's Fragrant Keemun Black Tea. If Adagio's Yunnan Noir had a hotter twin sister, it would definitely be this. I'm not really going to make this a full review, because, well, one cup really doesn't deserve a full review. But the afterthought does linger quite a lot. So here are some of my thoughts. 

The Happy List (100th Post Giveaway Ideas)

*Insert apology about super-long hiatus here*. I've been procrastinating because I wasn't sure what my 100th post should be about. I think it's quite a milestone since this is my first year blogging. I thought I'd share this really cool post over with Camie @ Wild-Spirit. I'm not sure if it's still going on, but she put together things that make people happy. You can ahead and put your link over there if you decide to add yours too! I found this to be really therapeutic after a long and busy week.

This or That?

It's been awhile since I've done tags. This one was unique and looked really fun to do! Thank you so much to these lovely ladies who tagged me. I was tagged by these lovely ladies: Tiffany @ TiffanyInMakeupLand and Jackie @ FiveTwoCertified.  

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Tourmaline Review

May I present to you, the beginning of my lipstick addiction. Looking back, I realize this is probably one of the best lipstick purchases I've ever made. Can you tell by how much I've used it? This is probably the first lipstick I'm going to finish. This is Shisiedo's Perfect Rouge in Tourmaline or PK307. The PK stands for pink.

A Minty Obsession

With the changing of weather and my ever clinging to these last summer days, I've been indulging in the soft minty colors of nail polish. Between my sister and I, I realized we have similar tastes when it comes to nail polish - hence the nail polish triplets. In this review, I'm wearing Banana Republics' nail polish in Sea Green. For more photos, click to read more.

Starting Off: Foundation for Beginners

Hello Everyone!

This is week three of #TheSoProject- an idea thought of by the lovely Steph @ StephsInsideVoice. This is a collaboration between participating beauty bloggers to show those "starting off" in the beauty world an introduction. Every week, for nine weeks, we'll be posting a new topic. This weeks topic is all about Foundation.

BH Cosmetics Blush Duo in Daisy*

Bh Cosmetics recently launched a whole new line of blushes based on flowers (and you know just how much I love flowers.) They asked me to choose one and write a review on it. (I'd like to note that while this is a sponsored review, all thoughts and writings are my own.) Anyway, on to the blush! There are five different flowers to choose from: Tulip, Lilac, Rose, Iris and Daisy. I chose BH Cosmetics Floral Blush Duo in Daisy. For the full review and photos, read more. 

Blog Hop With Her & Nicole

Hi Everyone!
This week, I'm co-hosting Rikita's Lovely Blog Hop! Blog hops are a great way to discover other bloggers! Feel free to join in!

-Lynn

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Welcome to A Lovely Blog Hop, where each Thursday we have the grand opportunity to meet and connect with lovely new bloggers, such as myself! Now you have something to do and somewhere to go on Thursdays!

 Enjoy!

August Round Up!

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Starting Off: Concealer 101

Hi everyone! 

I'd like to present to you the second week of The So Project. If you don't know what it is, it's a project to introduce beginners to the world of beauty. This week, we will all be talking about our knowledge of Concealer. Last weeks topic was Skincare, if you'd like to see that, too.

Zoya Nail Polish NOTD

While this summer is rolling to an end, we try to catch up with a few last minute summer activities before the cold wind starts to stir. This end of summer, I wanted to play with some pastel ivories. For this one, I've chosen Zoya nail polish in Jaqueline. For the more photos and the full review, please read the rest of the article!

Five Back-to-School Tips: Beauty Edition

Whether you're stepping foot in a dormitory for the first time or going back to high school, I'm sure one thing's for certain - less time for makeup. That's right - get ready for that late night cramming, studying with your date, and/or late night college parties! Here, I'll show you how to look good without spending too much time in the mirror, so you'll have more time for, well, studying (and having fun).

Korres Yoghurt Face Cream Review

I believe we all have a phase in our life when we try all the face creams when can until one finally works well with our skin. Some face creams were moisturizing enough but just too greasy and to be honest, felt too icky for me. Others were too thin and didn't really do much moisturizing my dry skin. I guess you could say I felt like Goldilocks trying out different face creams. Finally, one day, I tried a sample of Korres Yoghurt Cream and voila, it was perfection. Initially, I was skeptical that Korres Yoghurt Cream wouldn't be the fit for me because it's intentionally made for combination/oily skin. But upon a weeks worth of trying this out, I've realized that I'd finally found the one.

#TheSoProject: Skincare Tips for Dry Skin

You're probably wondering what #TheSoProject is. Let me introduce you! It's a new idea developed by Steph over at Stephsinsidevoice.blogspot.com to help introduce beginners to the world of beauty. Over the course of nine weeks, participating beauty bloggers will talk about their niche in the following topics: skincare, concealer, foundation, blusher, bronzer, lipstick, etc. This week the topic is Skincare. I've decided to talk about the topic that I know best- and that's Skincare for Dry Skin! This post will cover everything you need to know about dry skin and how to take care of it!

Ipsy August 2013 Review

Honestly, it feels like yesterday I just got the July bag. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw that the August Ipsy bag had arrived. This months Ipsy bag theme is "Glamour Academy". The bad is a purple and gold with Not bad, but not really my thing. I do enjoy the colors though! While Ipsy has been doing so well for me, I feel that this wasn't really the best bag for me.

In Other News ...

Source: Roostblog.com & TheChalkBoardMag.com

Next week is fashion week and that means a ton of events in NYC. I'm really excited for this one in particular: A Night For Green Beauty. They will be showcasing some of my favorite organic and environment friendly brands. I'm really excited to see some of my favorites like Ilia while trying out others as well. I also want to see their new lip pencils, especially Karma Chameleon. Plus, not to mention, there will be a ton of other high end organic beauty stuff there. I can imagine it's like going to a Spirit Beauty Lounge store. 

Edward Bess Lipstick in Endless Dream

Around my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to a lipstick. Lipsticks are usually the one makeup item that I cave into. Prior to this, I never really heard much about Edward Bess, but after seeing their wearable color choices and seeing their good reviews on MUA, I decided to give this one a shot. This is my review on Endless Dream. 

Yuzen Fall 2013 Review

This months Yuzen box is all about the transition from Summer into Fall. As always, it comes with an eloquent little note written from Jen and Ted. You really get a nice feeling that they definitely hand picked each item with a lot of thought. This months box came in a cute little reusable box. (I have to say, I really do love the Yuzen designs.) This is what I got in this season's box. 

Tarte Eyeliner Review and Swatches

Several years back, my friends and I were going to the beach and one of them asked me if I had any truly waterproof eyeliners. I pulled this one out and let her use it to the beach. It was a fun time and towards the end of the night, she was surprised it was still on her. To this day, if I ever need any waterproof eyeliner, I stick to this one.

Disney's Ariel Set The Mood Compact Review

Hi everyone! I'm pretty excited to share with you this review of the Disney's Ariel Compact from Sephora. I was actually pretty lucky to get it because apparently it sold out within four hours. I only heard it was out from my daily dose of reddit. Without that, I probably would've missed this. The first time I opened it, I was pretty excited. This would be the first of the well coveted collectible disney mirrors. I am pretty sad though that I missed out on the Cinderella one, but that's another story. 

Gifts & Things (I Love Lately)

Hello everyone!

I'm pretty excited to share with you a couple gifts I received over the past few weeks. Some are birthday gifts while others are PR gifts. I guess this is my version of the July Favorites this month. So hope you enjoy!

Rishi Sencha Loose Tea

Quite some time ago, I decided to venture onto different teas. This particular adventure delved into Sencha tea. Just the name itself called for me. Back then, I had no idea what Sencha tea was. All I knew was that it sounded pretty exotic and grassy. So, the adventurous part of me said, "go for it!" Here is my experience with Sencha Tea. 

Ipsy July 2013 Bag

Ipsy is slowly becoming my favorite value beauty subscription service. For only $10, the products they send you are well worth the money. Back when Ipsy was new, I didn't subscribe because I felt like the samples they sent you were literally just that - tiny samples. But Ipsy has grown to a point where they're now sending out either full sized items or large samples. This is what I got in the month of July.

A Sister's Haul

Many of you probably don't know this, but I have younger sister who has recently gotten into makeup lipsticks. I've decided to interview her for this haul of hers. (I must note here that while my style tends to softer pinks and pastels, my sister's style tends to be more bold and adventurous - something I can admire from afar.) For example, she's trying to build up her lipstick collection so that she has "all the essential colors." What does this mean? She says, "Unlike, you, sis, I don't want the same color in every other brand." Ouch. She wants to expand her lipstick collection so that she has one distinctive color in the whole lipstick rainbow. That means one nude, one brown, one perfect red, one workable violet, one black, one blush, and one workable pink. I don't think I could ever do this. First off, I'd never wear black unless my Halloween costume needed it. 

Love and Toast Lip Balm in Prickly Pear Review

Once in a while, you see something that catches your eye and just screams for you to get a hold of it. One day, I was passing through Whole Foods and encountered this little gem. I put it in my cart and simply could not say no. And by the time I did my finalizing while waiting at the register, I still could not put this adorable tiny thing down. Here's my review of Love & Toast Lip Balm!

Ariel Compact Now Available

Photo from Sephora.com

Hi Guys!

I have some pretty good news! For those of you that have been waiting for this compact to come out, it's finally out on Sephora's website. If you've been eyeing this, now is a great time to get it because it's probably going to sell out and end up on Ebay for $300.

NOTD: Wired by Sephora OPI

Remember back when I was looking for that perfect pinky coral with the perfect formula? This was one of the things I picked up online because it was pretty much sold out everywhere. I remember hunting for this little thing like it was the last gold brick. Anyway, here's my review of Wired by Sephora! Hope you enjoy!

TBS Hemp Lip Balm Review

The search for the perfect lip balm has ended. It's a bittersweet feeling because you know you technically don't have an excuse to "trying out" other lip balms. But at the same time, it's wonderful that your dry lips can finally reply on something. This here, is my Holy Grail of lip balms: TBS Hemp Lip Treatment.

Tom Ford Lipstick in Indian Rose Review and Swatches

Tom Ford Lipsticks have been very highly reviewed around the blogosphere. This month, I've finally got my hands on one of them through one of my really good friends, BluChiffon. I'm so excited to be trying this lipstick because I've always wanted to get my hands on one. Anyway, here's the review.

Tarte Blush in Exposed Review and Swatches

So this is a little late, but better late than never right? Anyway, I'd like to present you guys with the Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed. It's been reviewed pretty highly and I'd just like to add my take on it.

Yunnan Noir by Adagio Teas

Hi Guys!

I feel like I haven't done a tea review for quite some. That's because lately I've only been drinking one kind of tea. And that's this tea. After tasting it for the first time at the BF's house, I just knew that I had to have it. One week later and I have my own 4oz bag at my place. I decided to save you guys my last cup of this tea and do a review. Let me tell you why I'm so addicted to this tea.

Birthday Gifts & Haul

Hi Guys!

Hope you had an awesome 4th of July! I just wanted to share with you some recent gifts & a small birthday haul I had recently. It's been a little while since I let myself buy some things. (Okay, well it felt like a while.) I've decided to post only makeup/ beauty products I've received. Anyway here are some of the things I got.

Introducing Efoxcity

Hi Guys!

Recently, I was contacted by Efoxcity to introduce you guys to them. At first I was suspicious that it may have been spam or even a scam. But through online reviews, they appear to be a pretty legit site. So I'm happy to introduce you guys to them. Efoxcity is an online shopping mall featuring celebrity dresses and discount homecoming dresses. I've taken a look at their website and have to say that it looks very tempting. Their style is definitely appealing to the girly side of me. And their prices are similar to those of Forever 21. 

Liebster Award Part II

Very recently, I've received quite a few Liebster Awards from several bloggers. I'd like to kindly accept this award and give many thanks to Charlotte @ The Beauty Bucket, Ashleigh @ Ashleigh Small & Her Wild Adventures, Becca @ Bec Does Beauty and Sierra @ Stylishly Sierra.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler Review

Several months ago, I was in desperate need of a new eyelash curler after my previous ones had tore out some of my eyelashes - not a pretty site. After that, I threw them out right away so I'd never be tempted to try and use them again, even if they were the only ones I had. So there I was, eyelash curler-less for a couple months. (I know, first world problems.) But finally, my shipment from Shu Uemura arrived. And just in time too because they just had their friends and family sale! So I was pretty excited to try out the internet-acclaimed "best eyelash curler."

Best of the Balms

Of the many beauty products out there, my absolute addiction stems mainly from lip balms. What else is more moisturizing and heavenly to the lips than a lip balm? Now add some tint to that lip balm, and you have the perfect casual lip product. Over the years I've collected quite a few lip balms. This list is a compilation of my favorite lip balms of all time.

It's The Little Things

Once in awhile, when life takes you through a whirlwind of craziness, it's important to just take a moment and pause. These past few months, I've been busy with almost every aspect of my life. But, it's a great kind of busy. The kind that of busy that keeps me up late at night because I'm so busy typing up the next post. Either that or I'm working or spending time with people.

With the start of my blog, the days seem shorter, the hours fewer. That's why it's so important to just take a step back and examine everything. Every tiny detail. That's where all the goodies in life are. It's the little things that me smile. To be honest, it's been hard taking a step back lately. This year is almost half way over. And, well tomorrow, I'll be turning a whole year older.

Latest Beauty Haul

Over the past few months, I've accumulated quite a few new stuff. I've been venturing with different brush brands, trying to see which ones are better than others before I buy an entire set from a brand. Here I've decided to get some Too Faced Brushes. I needed some high quality brushes that I could take traveling with me and this one seems like the best option so far. The bristles are oh so soft. Can't wait to do a review on this one as well. The other brush is Japonesque Flat Eye Brush is 219. I honestly wasn't really liking the Mac one that I had. So I decided to give this one a go. I'm pretty excited because I've never tried Japonesque before but I've heard good things.