What's Up Series #8 - Update

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to J's Mind Palace, thank you so very much for stopping by today.

Today's post is going to be just a short and general update about life, and what changes may occur in the upcoming months.

 I was only recently accepted into my Masters' Degree programme, and with classes starting as early as Monday, this may impact my ability to post every Friday like I promised for this year. I am in the process of brainstorming ideas for blog post and keeping notes on them to help ease the burden of figuring out what to post about. I am essentially, making a blog schedule, so I hopefully would not have to go without posting while doing my first semester of postgraduate studies.
What this also means is that I won't be able to allocate as much funds for purchasing products (makeup, games, skin care) as I would usually, because I will have books and other supplies to purchase, so there may not be as many makeup reviews as there has been for the past couple of months.

I am planning on doing a series of looks with my M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette. I was going to do it this week, however, I've been having some serious sinus issues this week, so I decided to put that off until a later date, and I will try to toss in some looks done with a couple of Makeup Geek Pigments I've purchased a couple months ago.I also have a hair care routine post coming in October.

If you would like to keep updated on the blog, and whether or not I would be able to post on any particular day, you can check out my Facebook page; facebook.com/jsmindpalace where I will keep you updated.

I do believe that is all for now, thank you again for stopping by, and I hope you have a lovely weekend.
I shall see you all again very soon, until then stay happy, healthy and positive!

Bye guys!
(^_^)/

M.A.C Cosmetics Warm Neutral Palette Thoughts and Swatches

Hello everyone! Welcome back! Today, I'm doing a short post about the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette, along with some swatches. I bought this palette last Tuesday at my local M.A.C store, and to be honest, I've been wanting this palette since it released last year, but I only just recently caved and decided to splurge. These are the first eye products I have ever bought from M.A.C because M.A.C is quite pricey here in Trinidad; this palette costs TT$840 = US$85 (on the M.A.C Cosmetic website).

Quick Look - M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

Packaging: 
Hard plastic casing, with a see-through plastic lid. It's very sleek, and lightweight. I do wish that instead of a see-through lid, there was a mirror, that would make it perfect for travel.
There is a label on the back that contains the name of each shadow and its finish.

The Shadows
This palette contains all warm neutral tones, with various finishes from Frost to Matte.
I will break down the palette according to rows, and having the corresponding name and finish of the shadows.

Closer look at the shadows in the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette.

First Row 

Top row of Warm Neutral Palette

 From left to right

• Hey (Veluxe Pearl)
• Warm Breeze (Satin)
• GingerSnap (Frost)
• Dark Brew (Velvet)
• Dance in the Dark (Matte)  

Swatches

Swatches of the First Row in the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

All of the colours in this row with the exception of Dance in the Dark, swatched and applied smoothly with good pigmentation. Dance in the Dark is extremely patchy, and powdery, it is quite a pain to work with.

Second Row
 

Second Row - M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

From left to right

• Brulé (Satin)
• Vanilla Extract (Frost) 
• Honey Lust (Luster)
• Amber Lights (Frost)
• Saddle (Matte) 

Swatches 

Swatches from 2nd Row

 All the shadows in this row applied and swatched beautifully. Saddle unlike its fellow Matte brother Dance in the Dark, applied like butter, it did not skip, it just glided on in one swipe.

Third Row

Third Row - MAC Warm Neutral Palette

 From left to right

•  Lemon Tart (Veluxe Pearl)
• Creative Copper (Luster)
• Butterfudge (Satin)
• Divine Decadence (Velvet)
• Unwind (Veluxe Pearl)

Swatches 
 

Final Row Swatches

All the colours in this row, swatched and applied just as beautifully as the previos one. Lemon Tart and Unwind are definitely going to be shades I play around with. The swatches don't do either of those shades much justice, with Lemon Tart being a gorgeous light yellow gold pearl, and Unwind is the definition of smokey/dirty olive.

Final Thoughts
Despite the high price point, I'm quite impressed by the quality of the eye shadows in this palette. Like I mentioned earlier, this is my first time trying M.A.C eyeshadows, so for a newbie, this give quite a good first impression. With only one shade I can truly call a flop (Dance in the Dark), 14 out of 15 are good quality, very pigmented and soft, without them being crumbly. This is a permanent item in M.A.C's collection, so if you are interested, I recommend going to your local M.A.C store, and giving this guy a swatch. Although I do love this palette, because of the high price point, I can't say run and buy it, unless you want to splurge and spoil yourself like I did. 

Thank you all so much for coming by today, I hope you enjoyed today's post. Before I say goodbye, I just wanted to announce that today, I have finally launched a Facebook page for J's Mind Palace! I decided to finally get over my fear of opening a Facebook page, dedicated strictly to my blog. I will leave a link to the end of this post. Thank you all for all the support for the past year, and I can't wait to post more content here.

Remember to have a safe and fun weekend, stay happy, healthy and positive and I shall see you all next Friday!
Bye-bye (^_^)/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jsmindpalace

Game Corner: The App Edition (Part 1) - Summoners War and Marvel Contest of Champions

Hello Hello everyone!!

How are you all today?

Game Corner is back, and today I am going to talk about two (2) mobile games that I have been playing non-stop for the past month or so. However, before I get started on this post, I just wanted to thank everyone who read my Skincare Routine post. That post surpassed 100 views, which was totally unexpected, and I am grateful to each and everyone one of you who took time out of your day to read and visit my blog. Thank you so much!

All the pictures in this post, are screenshots from my phone (Asus Zenfone 2)
This post like all of my other posts are NOT SPONSORED!
Now, let's get into these games!

Summoners War

Screenshot from my Asus Zenfone 2

Summoners War is a fantasy-based RPG (Roleplaying Game), where you summon a large variety of monsters, that you collect, train and battle with.
Hands down, this is one of the most graphically beautiful games I have ever played on a mobile. The characters, and environment are all in gorgeous 3D, and I've never had any issues running it on my ASUS Zenfone 2.
There are five (5) elements that the monsters are classified into:

1. Fire
2. Wind
3. Water
4. Light 
5. Dark 

Screenshot from my Zenfone 2

Now like most mobile games, there are in-app purchases available, I personally don't make in-app purchases, so I struggle to get through levels from time to time, because the enemies, are really tough.....I'm looking at you Chimera! >.<
However, I approach this the way I approached old school Pokémon games, I grind until my arms hurt, then I grind some more. I love that this game allows you to use lower level monsters that you summon to power up your higher level and higher starred monsters, it helps with the grind life. I thoroughly enjoy this game, and I have been recommending it to my fellow smartphone owning RPG playing friends, and I would recommend it to you also.



Marvel Contest of Champions

Screenshot from my Zenfone 2

 I am a Marvel fangirl!!!
I will never in my life deny it. I love Marvel, She-Hulk is forever my favourite, and I'm still questioning why she hasn't been in an Avengers movie, nor why she hasn't had her own stand alone movie?!! What's up with that Marvel?!

I've gone totally off topic, so back to Contest of Champions, I was introduced to this game by one of my very best friends who told me he was hooked on this game, so of course I went ahead and downloaded it, and now I am hooked also.
This is a free to play fighting game, where you are summoned by 'The Collector' to fight in an epic battle against both villains and hereoes, in the ultimate "Contest of Champions".

This game is in full 3D, and it is very pretty, and the character models are awesome! For example, Gamora (pictured below):

Screenshot of Gamora - Zenfone 2

You collect champions through the use of crystals, which you can find throughout the game or you can purchase them through...you guessed it, in-app purchases ( I don't purchase anything in-app). Thus far I've obtained Hulk and Gamora, while Spiderman and Hawkeye I believe everyone starts off with.
This is one of those games I have found myself completely engrossed in, and I cannot remember when last a mobile fighting game has kept me coming back to it continuously. I'm very grateful that my friend recommended this to me, and I happily recommend it to you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This marks the end of this week's post, and I will like to thank you all for coming by and I hope you all have a very lovely weekend.
Like I mentioned last week, I won't be doing an August Favourites on my blog, but you can keep an eye out on my Instagram (@ladyjpsych) for my August Favourites over there.
I'm still considering starting a Facebook page for J's Mind Palace, but I haven't fully convinced myself to do that just yet.  
Until next Friday, I hope you all stay happy, healthy and positive!
Bye (^_^)/

My Current Skin Care Routine

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to my blog. Today, as promised I bring to you the products that are in my current skin care regime.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and let's jump straight in!

Cleanser: Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser

I have always been a fan of Bioré face washes and cleansers, so I was really hoping to enjoy using this one also. Verdict: I really like this stuff. It cleans the face without stripping it, so essentially, after washing your face, it doesn't feel tight or uncomfortable. My face feels a lot smoother after using this wash, and looks brighter and more alive. I've recently repurchased this product, because I am almost out, and it cost TT$56 at SuperPharm.

Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser *new bottle*

 

Exfoliators: Frutique Papaya Enzyme Exfoliating Gel & Freeman Pink Grapefruit Exfoliating Scrub

Frutique Papaya Enzyme Exfoliating Gel

Frutique is a fairly new brand I've seen in SuperPharm, and I decided, why not give this a shot to see how it works. This exfoliating gel is considered to be a resurfacing gel that detaches dead skin cells and removes impurities. How it works, is you pump product onto your finger tips, massage into the face for 30-60 seconds, until you start to see your dead skin cells "appear in flakes". Those flakes for me a just big balls of gunk, that initially freaked me out! You do get used to it though, and after you rise with warm water (it has to be warm water, or else the flakes and product won't wash off properly), it's like your skin has just been revived. After using this, my skin looks brighter, my skin feels softer, and appears more even in terms of my skin tone. I really like this stuff, but if I do recall correctly, it is bit pricey between TT$75-TT$120, but to me it was worth it. Since purchasing, I actually had a week when I chose not to use this product, and my skin was not happy. I didn't realise that my skin needed something like this to truly remove dead skin and impurities.

N.B. It is recommended that you use this product twice a week, and I only use it at night!

Frutique Papay Enzyme Exfoliating Gel

Freeman Pink Grapefruit Exfoliating Scrub

This scrub is on the gentler end of exfoliating scrubs, it's not abrasive, it does not contain microbeads, and it smells heavenly.   

I probably use this once or twice a week, depending on whether I've been wearing more makeup than I normally do, but I don't use it on the same day as my Frutique Exfoliating Gel. It does the same job as the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, but with a better scent and price (roughly TT$30), and not to mention it is very gentle on the skin, I would highly recommend this for sensitive skin guys and girls out there! 

Freeman Pink Grapefruit Exfoliating Scrub

Toner: Witch Hazel

Serum: L'Oreal Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector Serum

I enjoy changing my skin care products every 3-4 months, so it is rare that I have one product that sticks around for an extended period of time. This product has been in my regime for approximately 2 years, maybe more, and I genuinely love it! It has been in past empties posts I've done, but this stuff just works for my skin and for getting rid of hyperpigmentation. It does cost TT$180, but it works!

L'Oreal Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector Serum

Day Cream: L'Oreal Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector Day Cream with SPF 30.
 I figured if I love the serum, why not give the day cream a try. So far it's been working pretty well. It isn't super greasy, or too heavy for my skin, but it is a thick consistency creamy, so you only need to use a small amount to cover the surface of the face. I don't have any major complaints, but I am not 100% sure if I absolutely love it.

L'Oreal Youth Code Day Cream

Night Cream: Garnier Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream
Now I honestly don't think miracle is the correct word to describe this. This cream is marketed as an anti-age and anti-fatigue night cream, and claims that after the first use, the first morning, 93% of users said skin felt smoother & hydrated, while 77% said their skin looked well rested.
Well, after my first use I woke up with oily skin, but it did look brighter. After continued use, I still found that my skin would look bright, but not feel hydrated, it just looked oily.
The consistency of this product is very weird, it feels like pizza dough, and even smells that way also. It hasn't broken me out so I'll use it until I finish it but I don't see it becoming a necessity...and yes I know this is targeted towards older adults, but hey it's never too early for a near 24 year old to start thinking about anti-aging products.

Garnier Ultra Lift Miracle Sleeping Cream

Optional: Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream & Bio- Oil
These two products I rotate in and out of my routine, as moisturising options after having used my Frutique Exfoliating Gel. They both absorb into the skin quickly, and leave the skin feeling hydrated. The Bio-Oil has the added benefits of evening skin tone, reducing the appearance of scars. The Bio-Oil is roughly priced around TT$99, while the Garnier price, I cannot recall.

Bio-Oil and Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel Cream

This is my current skin care routine, and it will definitely be changing towards the end of the 2015, but I do hope you enjoyed. As always, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to visit J's Mind Palace, and I hope you will stop by again very soon. I won't be doing a dedicated favourites post this month, because I haven't really bought much new products that I haven't already spoken about, but I may post something over on my Instagram (@ladyjpsych).

Thanks again for dropping by, stay happy, healthy and positive, and I shall see you next Friday!
Bye (^_^)/