Archive for June, 2011

After being a fashion/beauty blogger for so many years, I’ve finally decided to do what I’ve always wanted to do- create a personal style blog.  So I decided to go for it yesterday and created THE HSU CLOSET (hehe, get it??) where I feature my (good) daily outfits and other trinkets from the closet.

I’ll still be here at TDO covering fashion, beauty and travel but come find me over in my personal corner of the web too!

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How much do I love LUSH?  It would be hard to count the ways…  I’m like a moth to a flame when it comes to their stores.  I cannot stop myself from going in and I’m powerless when it comes to spending money there.  Which is why it’s such a good thing that I love their products so much and they so rarely disappoint.

Mask of Magnaminty is a face and body mask that has been in their stores for awhile, but it’s a recent discovery for me.  It’s a thick green paste that feels cool when you put it on, which makes it perfect for hot summer nights or post workout (which is when I’ve been using it).  It smells amazing, like freshly cut mint leaves, so it’s totally invigorating and stress relieving.  The mask is great for acne-prone skin since it soaks up oil, and it has china clay and bentonite gel in it that pull the dirt from your pores, plus ground aduki beans and evening primrose seeds for exfoliation.  I just adore the way my skin feels after I use the mask.  I know it’s partly the minty smell (which comes from peppermint oil) but it just totally relaxes me.  If you’re a LUSH fan and haven’t tried it yet, what are you waiting for?

Can you believe we’re already talking about fall makeup?  It’s June!  Discussing it seriously makes me feel like my life is flying by because I haven’t even been to a pool party yet and I’m already writing about colors for autumn.  Crazy!

Then again, when the makeup is as gorgeous as this, I kind of don’t mind…  Available exclusively online at www.stilacosmetics for now, Stila’s new Natural Eye Shadow Palette is definitely going to be one of this fall’s must haves.  The palette has ten different shadows, plus an exclusive shade of their Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel, a matte chocolate brown.  I love these kinds of palettes because they’re so versatile.  The shades range from Bare, a matte ivory, to Ebony, a dark black, and in between there are golds, pinks, even a shimmery dark blue.  You can create all sorts of looks with this in your bag.  I’ve been playing around with it all weekend and I’ve done neutral, work appropriate eyes, as well as a dark, smoky look that would be perfect for dinner and dancing.  It even comes complete with a little instruction manual that shows you how to create six different looks with the included shades.  (I love when companies do that.  I can always use helpful suggestions).  I’m really impressed with the first fall makeup offering I’ve gotten my hands on.  Now let’s hope all the rest of the products live up to this one!

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My skin is usually pasty white, but while I hate tanning, I also hate looking like I haven’t been outdoors this century.  Enter Fusion Beauty’s GlowFusion Micro-Tech Intuitive Active Bronzer.  (I know, it’s a mouthful).  It’s available in three shades – Golden (for a rich, golden glow), Luminous (for a soft, sun-kissed glow), and Sunshine (for a warm bronze glow).

I tried out Luminous, which is slightly darker than my usual bronzers, but I wanted to try getting a deeper color and see if I could still pull it off.  This is my first time trying a Fusion Beauty bronzer and I’m glad I did.  The formula is great.  I was able to make myself (faux) tanner without turning myself orange (always a possibility with my fair skin), plus the powder didn’t irritate my skin or make me break out at all.  It just makes my skin sort of… glowy and naturally pretty, and I like that it has little to no shimmer in it.  I love shimmer, but not when it’s all over my face.  On me, it just doesn’t look as pretty as the matte bronzers, so I’m really happy this one is sparkle-free.  Maybe I can fool people into thinking I’ve actually set foot on a beach!

As usual, when it comes to summer, Urban Decay has tons of new goodies for us.  (As bad as it is for my wallet, I kinda love when brands come out with a ton of new products at the same time.  It just makes walking past their display at Sephora or ULTA so much fun).  Here are some of the Urban Decay products you’ll find yourself wanting this summer:

I’m a big fan of tinted moisturizer in the warmer weather, so I love their Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20.  It’s light and not oily at all, but it has good coverage for a tinted moisturizer.  (It covered everything but the one big pimple that refuses to leave my chin).  You can wear it alone or with powder over it, and the coverage is buildable.  I love that it has an SPF 20 built in, plus it has light-diffusing pigments in it that help diffuse lines and wrinkles for a more youthful look.  It’s such a great replacement for a heavier foundation in the summer.  (more…)

I’ve said it before here recently, but I am super into nail polish lately.  I don’t know what it is – whether it’s a phase or just my new beauty obsession, but I’ve been collecting new colors at an alarmingly quick rate.  (Alarming only because there is literally no place in my closet to put them anymore.  The new ones are seriously in a bag under my kitchen table.  It’s terrible!) Zoya has two new collections for the summer – Sunshine and Summertime – and if you’re a fan of bold, bright shades for the warmer weather, you’re definitely going to want to check these out.  (more…)