Sunday Shout-Outs: Cult Beauty Brands, Curating a Gorgeous Instagram Feed & More!

I unfortunately spent this entire week suffering from a sinus headache that refuses to go away. I think it's because of the bipolar weather that's been frequenting the city. One day it's freezing and raining then the next it's warm and sunny. It also doesn't help that I've been overexerting myself and staying out late majority of the week. Hopefully I feel better next week! Now onto the stories:
FASHION Is it time for you to replace your bras? In case you're thinking about renting your wedding dress
BEAUTY 7 common mistakes that cause breakouts The essential hairbrushes you need to have in your bathroom Learn to maintain your nails like a hand model A breakdown of the different acne treatments New cult beauty brands you'll soon become obsessed with
Everything you ever needed to know about concealers How to deal with hormonal acne
LIFESTYLE What does your recurring dream say about you? The morning routines of successful people EXACTLY when to book for the cheapest flights 5 steps for a gorgeous Instagram feed
xoxo, Elle
Follow

Review: Glossier Balm Dotcom

The Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve ($12) is what put Glossier on the map in the beauty community. This do-it-all skin salve lives up to all its claims, making it worth every penny.

Soko Glam Haul

One of my favorite websites to order Korean skincare products from is Soko Glam. Founded by Charlotte Cho and her husband in 2012, every product is tested and hand-selected by Charlotte and her team so you know all the products are good. In my most recent order from Soko Glam, I purchased the Klairs Gentle Black Seed Deep Cleansing Oil ($23) to test and a full sized version of Son & Park's Beauty Water ($30) to replace the one I received at The Little Book of Skin Care launch party.

Sunday Shout-Outs: The Best Times to Post on Instagram, Red Carpet Looks & More!

(Source: We Heart It)

I'm going to skip the typical formalities of a quick blurb and go straight into the interesting articles I found this week. Enjoy!

FASHION A recap of all the red carpet looks from the Grammy Awards 2016 What everyone was talking about during NYFW The best swimsuits for under $50
BEAUTY Where to sell your new and lightly-used beauty products online for cash or store credit The Korean beauty subscription service for product junkies One of these face masks sells every 8 seconds in Korea Things you must know before buying Asian Beauty base makeup Are probiotics really good for your skin? Spring nail trends to try now
LIFESTYLE Find out the best time to post on Instagram What does your wine choice say about you? Tips on how to save money at Target Things you should know about managing your money in your 20's
xoxo, Elle
Follow

How To Depot a Cardboard Palette

I've had this Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Palette for years and it's always taken up way too much space in my makeup collection. I'm not sure why it took me this long to finally decide to depot it into a Z Palette but I figured I'd do a quick walkthrough on how to do it. So here's what you'll need: a cardboard palette, a Z palette (or another empty magnetic palette) and a box cutter.

Review: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

This is my second bottle of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence ($31+) so that's a solid testament to its performance. I've been using it as part of my skincare routine for almost a year now and I've noticed a significant improvement in the look and texture of my skin. There are plenty of good reasons as to why this essence one Soko Glam's 2014 Best of Beauty Award.

Photoshoot: Impromptu Shoot with JLiu

Early last month I had the amazing opportunity to work with photographer Jeff Liu in his studio. Jeff's a friend of mine so this photoshoot was pretty spontaneous. I literally hit him up on Facebook one morning and by the afternoon we were having brunch with Danny and went off to Jeff's studio. I'm really happy with how these photos turned out given neither of us planned anything! Check it out:

Review: Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

The Milky Jelly Cleanser ($18) is Glossier's most talked about product since Balm Dotcom, both of which I purchased in my latest Glossier Haul. It was created after Into the Gloss creator, Emily Weiss, asked her readers to describe their fantasy face wash. As a result, this daily cleanser was born.

Sunday Shout-Outs: MAC's Rewards Program, Fashion Job Salaries & More!

Happy Chinese New Year's eve! If you didn't know, tomorrow is the start of the Lunar New Year and we'll be ushering in the year of the Monkey. What that means for me as a member of a Lion Dance team is a busy schedule packed with performances, banquets and lots of excitement. If you're interested please follow my team's Twitter for upcoming shows, our Instagram for photos and follow me on Snapchat (@wcmelle) for behind the scenes.
Also, if you're a regular here you'll notice that I changed this series from "Sunday Link Love" to "Sunday Shout-Outs." It's the same concept of sharing my favorite stories from the week, I just thought this title sounded better with the alliteration. Now onto the reads:

Review: Son & Park Beauty Water

Don't let the unassuming packaging of this award winning Son & Park Beauty Water ($30) fool you, this clear plastic bottle contains a multi-tasking miracle toner/cleansing water. I received this deluxe sized sample when I attended Charlotte Cho's The Little Book of Skin Care launch party. At first I didn't think much of it because it looks like packaged water to me, but after using it for almost a month I'm totally convinced of its magic.

Glossier Haul

I can't imagine a single person in the beauty community who hasn't heard of Glossier, but in case you haven't, it's a beauty brand started by Emily Weiss of Into the Gloss. Glossier's mantra is "Skin First. Makeup Second. Smile Always" and they believe in creating a highly edited collection of staple skincare and makeup products that are appropriate for all skin types. All their products are dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic, non-irritating, paraben free, alcohol free and best of all, they're not tested on animals!