IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS ONLY PERTINENT TO THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERING MY SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTING SERVICES. HOUSEOFTHERISINGSUN SMC (SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTING) WILL NOT BE TAKING ON ANY NEW CLIENTS FROM 05/16/16- 07/22/16 DUE TO BUSINESS CHANGES. IF YOU ARE A CURRENT CLIENT THIS WILL NOT AFFECT YOU. YOUR PROJECTS WILL ALL BE COMPLETED WITHIN OUR SET DEADLINE.

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN SEARCH OF SERVICES BETWEEN NOW AND MAY 16TH, I AM STILL TAKING ON NEW CLIENTS. 

FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTACT ME BEFORE MAY 16TH PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I WILL PUT YOU ON A WAITING LIST. 

I WILL RESUME TAKING ON NEW CLIENTS JULY 23, 2016.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SOON! 

XOXO

SI

NEW!!! Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft Matte Hydrating Foundation

Dream Velvet Soft Matte Hydrating Foundation

(My color: 50 Creamy Natural)

Packaging:

-Comes in a small plastic tube

-Contains 1 FL OZ of product

-Available at most nationwide drugstores, Wal-Marts, Targets, ULTA and some Bed, Bath & Beyond

Retails for around $8-$10

Formulation:

With most Maybelline foundations I either really love them or I really dislike them. With this particular one though I have developed a love/hate relationship. 

The consistency reminds me of a thick version of Yoplait's Whipped Yogurt. It is very airy and smooth. The foundation gives a medium coverage and looks flawless on the skin. It gives a matte finish that doesn't make you look flat. And surprisingly very hydrating, which is not something you see in a lot of matte finish foundations. I myself have super dry and sensitive skin and haven't had any issues so far (about a month of use).

 However even with all the good things I found that this foundation not to blend as well as others I have tried from Maybelline. No matter if I use a brush or beauty blender it always streaks on me and takes a bit of an effort to fully blend it in. This may just be me, I have friends who use this foundation with no problems whatsoever. Another issue I had with this product was the coloring. Being Asian I have a yellow undertone and this foundation tends to make me look more yellow to even orange gradually throughout the day, I have tried a couple of different colors to try to rule it out but no luck. It could be an oxidation problem, but it is hard to tell because the color change doesn't happen right away. 

But overall I still love the coverage and the way it looks and the lightness it feels on my skin. 

OVERALL 3.8/5

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UPDATE and Weekly Playlist 4/18/16

Hey guys long time no "see". Once again I apologize for being so M.I.A lately on here. If you have been following me for awhile you guys know that I am currently working part time as a social media consultant as well as going to school full time to get my masters in rehabilitation and mental health counseling. And trust me when I say that I am not trying to make any excuses here, my schedule right now is just all over the place but bear with me as I will try to get better especially with summer rapidly approaching. I want to thank those who have stuck around and continue to give me your love and support. There are no words to express how much I appreciate and love you all. If you guys want to keep updated on my life please follow me on Instagram (szhao91) and Twitter (@TheRisingSunxo). I post on both pretty often. 

Now here is a little weekly playlist for you guys! I hope you enjoy! 
xoxo Si 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

All of these songs are also available through Spotify

I like to make my playlists on YouTube so everyone can have access to them. 

1.) Heart Attack (Snakehips remix)

Flight Facilities Owl Eyes

2.) Be Great-Intro

Kevin Ross Chaz French

3.) Gangsta

Kat Dahlia

4.) Habits of My Heart

Jaymes Young

5.) Unwell (Matchbox 20 cover)

Leo Mancini

6.) Never Forget You

Zara Larsson MNEK

7.) Super Hero

Lunafly

8.) Your Love is a Song

Switchfoot

9.) Untitled 08

Kendrick Lamar

10.) One Dance

Drake, Wizkid, Kyla 

Review Time! It's A 10: 5 Minute Hair Repair

It's a 10: Five Minute Hair Repair for Blondes

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a medium size yellow squeeze tube

-Contains 5 FL OZ of product

-Retail $19.96 at ULTA (Also available at selected drugstores, Wal-Marts & Targets) 

FORMULATION:

I recently got my hair lightened to a dark brownish blonde. This is my first time ever having any sort of blonde hair and surprisingly I'm loving it! However for those of you who have blonde hair or are familiar you probably know that blonde hair is a b**ch to take care off especially if its dyed. Dyed blonde hair can get super dry and brassy overtime even with the use of color treated shampoo and conditioner. For blonde hair it is essential to use a purple toned shampoo and conditioner to counteract the brassiness. Over the last couple of weeks I have tried a variety of products and unfortunately all of them have made my hair cracked dry. And as much as I wanted to make an appointment with my colorist, to me it just wasn't worth the money after already spending so much on the coloring itself. So I went to ULTA in search of more products and came across this one. I have been a fan of It's a 10 products since high school (I currently use the leave in spray). 

This product is an intense 5 minute repair mask designed to treat blonde colored hair. It repairs damaged hair, adds radiance to blonde tones, prevents brassiness, adds shine, stops hair breakage, deeply moisturizes, UV protection, improves elasticity, creates softness and silkiness, and last but not least a thermal protector (10 things just like the name). Unlike other products, It's a 10 stays true to all its claims. Just after one use my hair already felt so much smoother and less brassy. It has a nice thick texture but doesn't weigh your hair down and smells amazing. After shampooing, massage the product into your hair and leave for 5 minutes (you can leave it on a little longer but don't exceed 10 minutes).I recommend using this at least twice a week. If you have severely dry hair, you can replace your normal conditioner with this. It is a pricey product but a little goes a long weigh and if you are using it as a repair mask like I am, it will last you for awhile. 

OVERALL 

5/5

First Weekly Playlist of 2016

Back at it again! Here are some tunes I have been jamming to! 

LISTEN WITH ME

Sorry

Rick Ross & Chris Brown

Without You 

Parachute

One Grain of Sand

Ron Pope

Gimme What I Want

Keri Hilson

Everglow

Coldplay

Anything for You

Ginette Claudette

Middle

DJ Snake & Bipolar Sunshine

Whisky

Marian Hill

Freedom

Akon

Big Pimpin'

Jay-Z

Tony Moly Banana Cream Foam Cleanser: Review

Packaging:

Comes in a yellow plastic squeeze bottle

Contains 150 ml of product

Retails for $10-$15 (depending on where purchased)

ULTA currently has them for $11.60 

Formulation:

Banana cleansers are very popular in Asian skincare and has only begun to touch the surface here in the states. Banana extract has properties that help eliminate dirt and other wastes from the skin's surface. Think of it as a natural exfoliate without the harsh beads that most exfoliates have these days. This cleanser also contains honey which not only moisturizes your skin but also contains anti-bacteria properties to keep your skin nice and clean. While this cleanser does contain natural ingredients such as banana and honey, it is not 100% natural. It has your typical skin cleanser ingredients that you would see almost everywhere these days.

The texture is a cross between a cream and a gel like consistency. It feels very smooth on the skin and foams up pretty nicely. I was surprised at how much I liked this stuff. It cleanses the skin very well even on days where I am wearing heavy makeup. It does feel a little drying right afterwards but not to the point where I feel my skin is cracking. It works well with steam in the shower, opening up any pores and also works with cold water in the morning to help wake you up. 

I have very sensitive acne prone skin and after using this for about 2 weeks, not only my skin has cleared up I haven't had any breakouts. I would say that this cleanser would work on a lot of different types of skin. Remember everyone's skin is different, what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. When it comes to skincare it is all about trial and error.

The cleanser has a very potent scent which reminded me of banana popsicles I used to eat as a child. It also has an acetone scent to it when applied on the skin. I personally didn't mind the scent but for those of you out there who hate or can't handle strong scents I don't recommend this cleanser for you.

Overall

4.8/5

  

Health Tips for the New Year

Happy New Year y'all! I realize that I am posting this pretty late but if you have been following me for awhile you know that outside of blogging I am a full time graduate student and I have a full time job as a social media consultant. Although one of my new year resolutions is to get a set schedule one where I can post more on here! But anyways with that aside I wanted to share some health tips to kick off the new year. These tips are not only easy but also very achievable. The main issue when it comes to setting resolutions every year (especially ones that have to do with health) is that we tend to make them non achievable and just plain unrealistic. When making resolutions/goals make sure you tailor them to your lifestyle. 

1.) Walk More

Rather than telling yourself to go to the gym constantly start out small. Walking is a great first step and we pretty much do it everyday whether we are walking to and around school/work, grabbing food or even just walking back and forth from the parking lot. A great motivation I found is to get yourself a Fit Bit or anyone of those exercise watches. You can keep track of your steps per day and also connect with your friends and family and compete to see who walks more per day, When it comes to exercise keep it fun (unless you are training to be a body builder), the more you stress about it the more likely you just will avoid it all together. 

2.) Warm Lemon Water

Every morning right after you wake up before you eat breakfast grab yourself a warm cup of lemon water. Lemon water has been known and proven to help boost your metabolism and detoxify your body. It is also great for skin. I found that drinking lemon water has also curbed my appetite. On days where I don't drink it I find myself eating more. This is a great refreshing way to start your day not too mention super easy, there really isn't any excuse.

3.) De-clutter

  In with the new and out with the old! Donate, sell, throw away anything you have no need for. Having too much stuff around you creates more chaos and chaos as we all know leads to stress. I know personally how hard it is to get rid of things, I admit I am a hoarder myself but over years I started to get rid of a few things at a time and honestly I don't miss them at all. This doesn't just pertain to materialistic crap but also the people in your life. Anybody giving you stress or just isn't a good person to begin with kick them out of your life. Why put yourself in that position to get hurt over and over again? Trust me it is not worth it. So I challenge you guys to purge through your life and get rid of at least one thing a week! 

and last but not least BE HAPPY!!!! Making yourself happy is one of the best things you can do to keep your healthy. If you are happy on the inside it will show on the outside. Life is very short so do what you love and love what you do! 

Happy New Year guys!!! xoxo

Si