HK Golden Age

Month

December 2011

22 posts

Deborah Lippmann Satin Doll Review

Deborah Lippmann’s Satin Doll nail polish is an incredibly elegant, sophisticated and natural pearl pink nail polish. This color is suitable for work and is perfect for conservative gatherings, yet still young, playful and fresh! The color complements skin colors with a yellow or olive undertone and leaves a lovely pearl finish.

This nail polish is very opaque and doesn’t streak at all. Even if you don’t paint in perfectly straight lines, the pearl finish will take care of everything and the color blends beautifully. I could have gotten away with using just one coat, but I used two out of habit. 

Dec 30, 201112 notes
#deborah #lippmann #nail #polish #pearl #pink
Play
Dec 30, 20114 notes
#makeup #tutorial #brown #cosmetics #beauty #winter
Dec 29, 20118 notes
#fashion #navy #blue #american #apparel #tights #diamond
Dec 28, 20113 notes
#urban #decay #naked #palette #cosmetics #makeup #beauty #2
Dec 28, 201115 notes
#guerlain #perles #nuit #meteorites #cosmetics #beauty #makeup
Dec 28, 201110 notes
#bobbi #brown #cosmetics #beauty #makeup #brushes #sigma
Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque, my Holy Grail hair product! Review & Photos

As most of you know, I’m currently holding a pageant title and I make appearances pretty often. Not to mention, I only really like my hair when it’s been curled with a curling iron. You can imagine the stress I put on my hair on a daily basis. However, regardless of all my teasing and heat-styling, my hair stylist always says that my hair is healthy, undamaged, and doesn’t have any signs of breakage.

My holy grail hair product is the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque. It’s a creamy product of medium consistency with a pearly cream sheen. The floral scent, while strong, is quite pleasing to me. It’s fairly inexpensive at approximately $16 off Amazon.com.

I use it twice a week when I wash my hair. Upon application, it makes my hair feel soft, silky, and incredibly smooth. I gather a two quarter-sized amount and use my fingers to evenly distribute it through my hair, starting at my ends and working my way up to my roots. I do this step right after rinsing out my shampoo so the product has about seven to nine minutes to effectively do its job before I rinse it out. 

I have to admit, after rinsing the masque off, my hair feels like heaven. I will never use a normal conditioner again since I’ve found this. It leaves my hair incredibly hydrated and soft. I’ve been using the 8.5 fluid oz size container since mid January and as you can see, I still have a quarter of the product left. 

I wouldn’t use it more than three to four times a week, but that’s just my preference. I also don’t like to wash my hair more than twice a week to keep the natural oils my scalp produces in my hair and prevent dryness. 

I highly highly recommend this to anyone who styles their hair often and wants to keep it healthy. It’s my favorite hair product to date. This masque has even kept my hair looking silky soft in the harsh winter seasons. I’ve never fallen in love with a hair product as much as this one! 

Dec 23, 201116 notes
#macadamia #oil #deep #repair #hair #beauty #review
Dec 22, 2011
#christmas #ornaments #pearl #snowflake #holiday
Dec 21, 201114 notes
#christmas #ornaments #wreath #bells #crystal #glass #festive
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Review

The Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters have taken the beauty world by storm so I hunted a couple down at my local Target. I bought them for $6.39 each and chose the colors Peach Parfait and Strawberry Shortcake. 

When I went home to test them out, the first thing I noticed, and loved about them, was the creamy texture. My lips are very dry so almost anything will make them peel. This colorburst “lipstick” didn’t feel like a traditional lipstick. Once they were on my lips, it felt very similar to the Chanel Rouge CoCo Shine or my Korres potted lip butters, which I adore. 

However, as I was applying the lip butters to my lips I noticed the actual bullet was rubbing against the metal tubing. Then when the bullet was retracting into the tubing, it scraped a good amount of the product onto the tubing! I was shocked! I’ve never had this happen to me before! After a couple uses, my Peach Parfait lip butter (the one I use most) has pretty much broken and if I want to use it, I can only raise it the minimal amount above the metal tubing otherwise, it’ll completely snap in half. You can see how the product is built up against the tubing in the photo below on the two bullets on the right versus a brand new one on the left.

My Peach Parfait lip butter after just two weeks of use… I’ll be tossing this one soon.

A couple weeks after my original experience with the first two lip butters, I was shopping at Target and decided to give them one more chance and purchased the Candy Apple color at the same price. This time, I was incredibly gentle when apply it. The rubbing has occurred again (it’s been 2 weeks) but it’s no where near as severe as the Peach Parfait’s tube. However, I don’t want to have to be extremely gentle when applying my lipsticks. I am not heavy-handed at all. So the fact that I have to baby these lipsticks is ridiculous in my opinion. 

AND these make my lip peel after a couple of hours. 

I wouldn’t recommend these to anyone. I’d rather save my $7 towards a Chanel Rouge CoCo Shine or another lip product that doesn’t break and doesn’t dry up my lips. 

Pros:

  • Inexpensive
  • Good color range
  • Creamy Feel

Cons:

  • They make my lips peel
  • Too delicate of a product
  • Bad packaging 
  • Break too easily
Dec 20, 20115 notes
#revlon #colorburst #lip #butter #review #negative #cosmetics #beauty
Dec 20, 20112 notes
#fashion #comfy #anthropologie #socks #photography #gray
Deborah Lippmann Superstar Glitter Polish Review & Tips

My journey with nail polish didn’t start until early 2010. Before that, I had only gotten my nails professionally done when I had a pageant to compete in or a special event. I kept my nails bare, natural and at a medium length. However, something sparked my interest and I started buying nail polish, but only neutral or pale shades. 

Deborah Lippman’s Superstar Glitter Nail Polish is my first glitter polish ever. I discovered Superstar in the Fame Nail Polish Trio on Gilt, when I was originally after the color, Satin Doll. However, upon receiving my package, I was in awe by the beauty of this glitter nail polish. Not only is it classy and elegant, but it doesn’t look too messy on my nails. You can truly see the glitter in the nail polish and you don’t need a base color! (Don’t we all need that in a glitter polish?) This nail polish was perfect in two thin coats. I believe the color is just right for the Holiday season or anytime during the fall or winter. I’ve worn it for four days so far and have had no chipping whatsoever. I highly highly recommend this color! 

Without Flash:

With Flash:

Tips:

  • I applied 2 coats of the color
  • I applied 4 (I know it seems excessive) coats of top coat to make sure the finish was smooth and wouldn’t catch on anything. The glitter can be a tad chunky so to ensure a clean finish, I used plenty of top coat. 

Dec 19, 20111 note
#deborah #lippmann #glitter #nail #polish #review
Dec 16, 2011
#fashion #JCrew #boots #peonies #color #panda
Dec 13, 20119 notes
#peony #peonies #pink #flower #love #romantic #chivalrous
Chanel Foundation Review

I have never been a big fan of using foundation everyday. I would wear moisturizer, sunscreen and BB cream at most if I wanted some type of coverage. Foundation was only something I used when I was onstage, making appearances, or at a special event. Foundation had always felt heavy on my skin and in Vietnamese culture, my Mom always taught me to let my skin breathe when I was young. However, Chanel foundation has completely changed my outlook on foundation.

VITALUMIERE AQUA FOUNDATION

I first started using Chanel foundation this summer when they launched the new Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. Not only did it feel light on my skin, it didn’t look like I had caked makeup onto my face. Once the floral-scented foundation was evenly applied to my skin with my fingers, it looked like a layer of perfect skin, not makeup-like at all. After setting it with powder, it lasted a good 5 or so hours without transferring or moving. Vitalumiere claims to be the “Ultra-Light skin perfecting makeup” and I must say it holds up to the hype. I even wore it onstage for a pageant and it held up well under all of the bright lights and didn’t look too shiny on the small stage. Vitalumiere Aqua provides a very natural glow on the face and makes you feel glamorous while still being natural. I still have some foundation left in my bottle and I’m still on my first bottle, which I bought in June! I have used it almost every day since then, so a little bit goes a LONG way!

Pros:

  • Makes skin look perfect 
  • Buildable coverage
  • Easy to blend 
  • Hard to break packaging, which is great for travel
  • Luminous finish

Cons:

  • No pump - have to squeeze
  • Doesn’t last all day 
  • Can be shiny on oily skin

MAT LUMIERE FOUNDATION

After trying Vitalumiere, I wanted to give Mat Lumiere a try since it’s more “photo-appropriate.” The first thing I noticed about Mat Lumiere is the scent. While it is still a floral scent, I find it a lot stronger than Vitalumiere, but still bearable. Mat Lumiere also feels thicker in consistency, however, I still apply it with my fingers. The finish I get with Mat Lumiere is exactly what you’d expect: mat, but not too cakey. It doesn’t look as natural as Vitalumiere, but it doesn’t look like you have foundation on per se. As with Vitalumiere, it comes with an SPF of 15, which is great if you forget to put sunscreen on. I wore Mat Lumiere for a photoshoot and it lasted a fantastic 7 hours! I was extremely impressed. There isn’t one foundation I prefer over the other and I was repurchase both. I do prefer Vitalumiere for everyday use and Mat Lumiere for photos.

Pros:

  • Sanitary pump
  • Long-lasting
  • Matte finish - great for oily skin

Cons:

  • Frosted glass container, which can great, but feels nice and weighty 
  • Stronger scent 
  • Can be a little thick 

I wear Vitalumiere in B40 - Beige Desert & Mat Lumiere in 30 Cendre

Dec 12, 20117 notes
#chanel #foundation #review #cosmetics #makeup #beauty
Dec 9, 201123 notes
#sherri #hill #fashion #photography #rustic #glamour
Dec 8, 20117 notes
#beauty #chanel #cosmetics #lumiere #makeup
Study tips for surviving finals!

With finals in full swing here at UT, I thought I would share some of my study tips!

TIP 1: TAKE OUT YOUR CONTACTS & PUT ON YOUR GLASSES

  • Contacts prevent oxygen from getting into your eye, which puts causes strain. Chances are, your glasses also have anti-glare built in and will protect your eyes from the computer screen you’re looking at. Glasses let your eyes breathe and will make it easier to study. 

TIP 2: LIGHT AN INVIGORATING CANDLE

  • Scents like orange, ginger, lemon, and eucalyptus are uplifting, release tension, and sharpen the senses. When trying to cram in those last minute notes, we all need every extra bit of sharpness we can get. 
  • Not only is the flicker of an orange flame pretty to look at, but it’ll keep you awake.
  • P.S. I’ve had an orange ginger candle from Bath & Body Works burning for the past 6 hours and I have yet to feel sleepy! 

TIP 3: DRINK LOTS OF WATER

  • Stay hydrated is extremely crucial when studying late into the night. You’re already pushing your body and trying to force information into your head.
  • Drinking cold water can jolt you awake when you feel tired 
  • It’s better than drinking coffee, which comes with an inevitable crash 

TIP 4: STAY OFF FACEBOOK

  • Unless your class has a facebook group and you are actually quizzing each other, stay off facebook. 
  • You’ll focus better and get more done in a shorter amount of time. 
Dec 8, 20119 notes
#burberry #candle #college #finals #ipad #lifestyle #studying #tips #water
TEXAS-SIZED CHANGES!

Things are changing here on MyGoldenAge! First of all, MyGoldenAge is NOW HKGoldenAge!!! I have been working really hard and starting my own YouTube channel just like many of my followers have been saying I should. It will launch either this weekend or early next week and I will post the link here! 

Also, now that it’s now HKGoldenAge, things are looking a little more… golden, to match the theme. I’ve had a couple followers ask me, “Why GoldenAge?” My name, Hoang-Kim means Golden Age in Vietnamese. The GoldenAge doesn’t refer to a time of riches and jewels, but a time or peace and harmony, where the streets are made of gold and no one has to lock their doors since no one would steal from each other. I’ve decided to incorporate this into my username and I hope you guys like it!

PLEASE send me your feedback and comments, negative or positive, I love reading them and it helps me improve!

I hope you enjoy the new look and best of luck studying for finals! 

Hoang-Kim

Dec 7, 2011
Dec 7, 20112 notes
#holidays #red #fashion #jcrew #kate #spade #wolford #shoes #bow
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