JennXOXOs beauty blog

Bridal Fashion

2011-02-10T10:19:00.003-05:00

Anthropologie is launching a new bridal line called BHLDN. It will launch on Valentine's Day! How perfect! The gowns are priced around $1,000 - $4,000. You future brides are so lucky! These dresses look stunning!

Images courtesy of Huffington Post.

Images courtesy of Wholesomefashion.

I will say, although these gowns are stunning, I will always love my Maggie Sottero.

Chanel Black Pearl

2011-02-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Out of all the Spring 2011 collections I'm most obsessed with Chanel Black Pearl. It is a stormy teal-tinged blackened base with threads of metallic silvered green running through it, topped off with green, blue, and teal micro-shimmer. It's gorgeous. I can get a full week out of this manicure with a little tip wear at the ends.

I also picked up Paradoxal which is a stunning shade of grayed plum with red and violet microshimmer. Beautiful!

Here are some images from the runway.

Amazing color!

China Glaze Tronica

2011-01-10T15:44:00.001-05:00

Happy new year lovahs!
China Glaze came out with a new collection of holographic's called the Tronica collection.

Here are the 12 colors in the collection:
- Techno Teal – Turquoise Holographic
- Virtual Violet – Violet Holographic
- Electra Magenta – Magenta Holographic
- Gamer Glam – Purple Holographic
- High Def - Blue Holographic
- Hologram - Silver Holographic
- Hyper Haute – Raspberry Holographic
- 3D Fantasy – Peachy Pink Holographic
- Digital Dawn – Dusty Rose Holographic
- Cyberspace – Taupe Holographic
- Mega Bite – Gold Holographic, and
- Laser Lime – Lime Green Holographic.

Info and pic credit: China Glaze blog.

I was able to pick up 6 colors: Virtual Violet, High Def, Hyper Haute, Electra Magenta, Hologram and Cyberspace.

Click on the pics to see why these holo's are a dream!

I've only had time to swatch Virtual Violet so far but I la la LOVE these colors so far!

I'll post more pics soon!

Sugar Skull/Day of the Dead Halloween look

2010-11-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

Hello lovers! I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post!
This is a quick post with a few pics from Halloween. I did a Sugar Skull/Day of the Dead look.

Did you dress up/do a special look for Halloween?

In The Groove

2010-07-08T19:36:00.001-04:00

MAC's In The Groove collection released in stores today and there's no other way to describe it other than a hyped-up frenzy. MAC collections always release their products on their website about two days before they're released in stores. Last Tuesday everyone was buzzing about the repromote of Mineralize Skinfinish (MSF) Stereo Rose. I believe it was up on their website at 8:00 AM EST. I was able to place an order for Stereo Rose, Jazzed lipstick (another hyped up item), In the Groove & Soften the Mood. I ordered it at 9:20 AM. I think by 9:45 Stereo Rose was listed as sold out on the website. It was madness. Everyone was tweeting about how they got it or how they didn't order it on time. It was insane.

I don't know if I'll ever receive the backordered item but I was determined to get a Stereo Rose MSF when it was released in stores today.

I ventured to the Nordstrom MAC counter first because if they didn't have it there is a MAC store right outisde Nordstrom. If the MAC store didn't have it I could go around the corner to the Macy's counter and get one.

Luckily I snagged the last Stereo Rose from the Nordstrom counter!

I ended up getting Stereo Rose, Togetherness, Calm, Cool & Collected & Jazzed.

Now here are my shitty swatches. My Samsung dual screen camera is shattered and broken so I can't adjust any settings when I take pictures. Sorry :( I'll be getting a new camera soon.

Stereo Rose is a coral with golden/bronze shimmering nuances. I think it's gorgeous and it will look great on medium skin tones.

Jazzed lipstick on the left & Stereo Rose on the right.

Calm, Cool & Collected is a cool-toned green trio featuring a grayish-white beige with satin sheen, neutral spring green, and darkened gray-green. I absolutely love this trio! I can't wait to wear it.

Togetherness is a cool-toned purple trio that includes a soft lilac with a satin sheen, blue-based violet purple with a frostier finish, and a mid-tone silver gray. The pigmentation here was even and rich throughout the trio. It's gorgeous.

I'll post pictures of In the Groove & Soften the Mood when they've been delivered. Were you able to get your hands on Stereo Rose?

Hidden Treasure & Lapis of Luxury

2010-06-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

As promised here are a few photos of Essie's Lapis of Luxury (from their 2010 Resort Collection) and one coat of Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure on top.

I think I'm more of a fan of Hidden Treasure on top of darker colors.
Happy hump day dolls!

A True Hidden Treasure

2010-05-26T19:13:00.001-04:00

I finally got my grubby mitts around Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure! This gorgeous nail varnish came out in the 2010 Spring Runway Nail Collection back in April and everyone has been tweeting and blogging about how gorgeous it is. Being the nail polish collector that I am, I had to have it. I searched everywhere. I went to CVS, ULTA, Target, super markets & Rite Aid. I finally found it at Walgreens and I snatched the last two bottles from the display.
Here I did two coats of Hidden Treasure on top of Zoya's Envy. Envy is a creamy blackened green with subtle yellow undertones.

Click to enlarge

I did my nails two nights ago so there's a little wear on the tips. Hidden Treasure has irregular shaped flakies that reflect a rainbow of colors. In some angles they cast an amber glow or a green glow. It's pretty, no? I can't wait to try it on different colors. I heard it looks amazing on dark purples & blues. I would also like to try just one coat instead of two. The flakies are harder to see on pastel light colors but I'll be sure to post photos so you can see the difference.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far!
xoxo, J

In and Out Number 3

2010-05-10T10:55:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I've only done two of these types of posts. Anyway, its been a while so I thought it would be nice to highlight a few things I've been loving at the moment.

In:

Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb: This scent is delicious. I bought a bottle in February and I've been wearing it every day since then. It has notes of tea, bergamot, sambac jasmine, orange tree, catleya orchid, freesia, rose, and amber, musk, and patchouli. It's lovely & decadent.

Orly nail varnishes: I'm normally an O.P.I & China Glaze fan but recently I started hauling Orly polishes and I love them! I've only run into a few colors where the formula was sub par but otherwise I've been very happy with them. Most of the ones I have only require 2 coats and I didn't find them to be streaky at all. LOVE!
Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo & conditioner. This is serious HG material guys, no joke! I've been on a search for a holy grail shampoo that will leave my hair super shiny, soft & luxe. I use the Tsubaki shampoo in the red bottle called Shining Camellia Oil Ex. It smells amazing too! I bought the set from Amazon and it came with a hair treatment as well. I haven't tried the hair treatment yet since everything is written in Japanese but I'm going to have my friend translate it for me. You're supposed to massage the treatment from scalp to ends and leave in for 20 min before rinsing out.

Coral & peach tone blushes: So far this spring I haven't been reaching for any pink blushers. I've been loving the coral/peachy/apricot tones with a soft sun-kissed/bronzy face. A few of my favorites have been MAC's Instant Chic (midtone muted coral), NARS Taj Mahal (burnt orange with shimmer), NARS Deep Throat (peach with shimmer) and NARS Enchanted (soft peach with gold sparkle).

OUT:

Heavy smoky eyes: This month I've been going out with simple, no-fuss makeup looks. I'll only use one nude color on the lid, very often I'd skip the eyeliner and only opt for a few generous coats of mascara. I've been concentrating on foundation, bronzahh, blush and lips. On my lips I've only been using a light coat of lipgloss. Super simple.
MAC's weekly launches. MAC has been going crazy with launching new limited edition lines almost on a weekly basis. It's ridiculous. I can't keep up and lately I don't have the desire to keep up. There might be a few items that I'll check out and purchase here and there but I don't have the urge to purchase the whole line. I've been rediscovering my hidden treasures in my stash and I quite like it.

How about you? What have you been loving/hating recently?

A Small Haul or a Smaul

2010-04-28T14:04:00.000-04:00

I have a small haul for you all! It rhymes! :D I ordered a few things from the Sephora and NARS websites. I've been obsessed with expanding my NARS blush collection. I'm drooling over a few more colors and when I have something in mind then I usually have to have it.

L to R: Illamasqua Milf (I'm not a fan of this name but it's a pretty color) vintage mint green
OPI for Sephora: Read my Palm - light jade green
OPI for Sephora: Havana Dreams - pale sky blue

The three of these are cremes and I can't wait to try them! I especially love Illamasqua's nail varnish formula. I typically only need 2 coats and they're perfectly opaque.

Then from NARS I ordered these two cream blushes.
The left is Penny Lane and the right is Enchanted from the new Summer 2010 collection.
These are the first two cream blushes I've tried from NARS and I love love love them.
Penny Lane is a gorgeous nude pink and Enchanted is a soft peachy apricot with gold sparkles. It's absolutely gorgeous!

You can click on the photo to enlarge. I hope you can see the gold sparkles. They aren't huge and chunky but it really creates the most gorgeous sheen on the skin.

That's it for my small haul! I hope you all are having a lovely week so far!
xoxo

I got a blogger award!

2010-04-01T16:32:00.000-04:00

The gorgeous Stacy from The Jerseymooners gave me these awards! She's so sweet! You have to go check out her blog. I love it!

For the "Beautiful Blogger" award you need to:
* Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.
* Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered.
* Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won.
* State 7 things about yourself.

For the "One Lovely Blog Award" you need to:
* Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.
* Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered.
* Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won.

Now I'm going to pass along the award to 15 bloggers that I absolutely adore. They aren't necessarily new finds but just a few that I enjoy reading. Warning: there will be a mix of makeup, nail, fashion & pregnancy blogs in my list.

Sandra at 15 Steps, then a beauty blog
Kellie Gonzo at Also Known As ... She has amazing NOTD's. Check her out!
Blair at Heir to Blair. This pregnancy blog is my absolute favorite! She's hilarious!
Nikki Desuasido at Hello Nikki. She is gorgeous and I love her sense of fashion.
Alexandra at HRH's Collection. Check her out. She's amazing!
Lipstick Rules is an amazing makeup blog! She's a Canadian blogger, a great writer & I love her posts.
Crystal at Makeup Before Coffee has amazing EOTD's and she's gorgeous!
MelforMakeup is a fabulous makeup blog. Check it out!
Kenny at smonk you: a story about being a dad is an amazing pregnancy blog written from the point of view from the father. His posts are touching & witty and it's interesting to see things from another perspective.
So Very Fabulous is another great makeup blog I love to read.
KarlaSugar is the BEST blog for swatches. This blog is amazing and I always turn to it when I need to see swatches of recently launched products.
Rae at The Notice is another fabulous beauty blogger. Love her posts.
Em from Too Much Blush is a talented beauty blogger from Australia. I love her FOTD's.
Katy from TwentyFourCarat has an incredible blog covering a wide variety of topics from makeup, books, fashion & exercise. Love her.
Amanda from Beauty ... and Whatever Else. Her blog is awesome. The topics she writes about is ranges from makeup to exercise. Check her out!

Now, on to the 7 facts about me ...

I'm ambidextrous but my parents taught me how to write with my right hand. I do everything else with my left from eating, opening bottles & brushing my teeth.
I can play the piano without looking at sheet music. :) This might not be a special talent but my mother in law is always impressed because she cannot play without sheet music in front of her.
For highschool I went to boarding school in Switzerland for four years.
I almost died when I was 7. I choked on a Gobstopper and since no one knew the Heimlich maneuver my brother hit me on the back until I swallowed it. Now I can't swallow pills bigger than Advil.
After I eat I become instantly cold to the point where I'm shivering and covered in goosebumps. I always say it's because all my blood is rushing to my stomach to aid in digestion. I have no idea if that's true.
My 1st trip to the Philippines was when I was 2. My family and I went back every year 'til I was 25.
I have a horrible memory and I can't even remember what I had for dinner two nights ago. :)

Hope you enjoyed this and I hope you enjoy the blogs I have tagged! :D Happy Easter!

Big news!

2010-03-11T13:06:00.000-05:00

I am with child! I'm sorry I have been MIA for a while but I've had a lot going on. I won't be buying much makeup anymore since I have a little one to worry about now but I will still be posting EOTDs & FOTDs. I will still be purchasing beauty products just not as often as I was pre-pregnancy.
So if any of you are interested, I started a pregnancy blog to document my journey into motherhood! Here's the link: Life with Loaf. Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far! Spring is almost here! I'm so happy warm sunny days are almost here!

Mannequin Hands

2010-02-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

One trend for spring 2010 will be flesh-toned neutral nails. These are my "mannequin hands".
In my first picture of mannequin hands I'm sporting OPI's My Daddy's the King in two coats. I'm not that into this color because it's too sheer. It would've looked better with three coats.

Here I'm rockin a Zoya varnish in the color "Jennifer". I love love love this color. The formulation is perfect and I only need two coats.

In the last shot you can see the subtle gold shimmer. It is such a lovely color and it's the perfect neutral for me. I'm loving the trend of mannequin hands!

China Glaze Up and Away NOTD

2010-01-23T11:35:00.000-05:00

Here is my attempt to recreate my favorite NOTD: polka dots!! I used two varnishes from the China Glaze spring 2010 collection Up and Away. I've always loved reading nail blogs and this is my attempt to recreate Steph's Closet famous polka dotted NOTDs. She is seriously the queen of polka dotted manicures. Go check out her gallery!
For the base I used Grape Pop and Light As Air for the polka dots. I haven't had a chance to go to Sally's to pick up a dotting tool so I had to use a tooth pick.

My polka dots aren't uniform in shape which bothers me. With more practice hopefully I'll become better at polka dotted mani's.

Battle of the Book of Shadows

2010-01-23T11:18:00.002-05:00

adies and gentleman: may I present to you a swatch comparison of two Urban Decay Book of Shadows!

Volume 1 vs. Alice in Wonderland

In the corner to my left we have Book of Shadows Volume 1

And in the corner to my right we have Alice in Wonderland

All swatches on the left are from Volume 1 and swatches on the right are from Alice. All swatches were done without a base. Please click on the pics to enlarge. The swatches look better this way :)

Here are the same swatches in the sunlight. You can see the gold shimmer in the greens in this shot.

These last three swatches are from Alice in Wonderland. There aren't any colors that I can compare them to in Volume 1 so I swatched these so you can see how pretty they are. I love how taupey Mushroom is and White Rabbit would be perfect as an inner corner color.

Overall I love Alice in Wonderland. The payoff is great and there are a few more original colors that were released in this book that we haven't seen before in previous palettes. I think this palette is worth the splurge if you don't own any other Urban Decay Book of Shadows. I hope these swatches helped you. xoxo

Urban Decay and China Glaze haul

2010-01-22T17:31:00.001-05:00

Hello my lovelies! I have a really exciting haul to share with you today! My Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows arrived in the mail! UD began selling it on their website last Friday, Jan 15th so I ordered mine right away. It sold out online in one day! It hasn't hit Sephora shelves yet however they are taking phone orders at 1-877-SEPHORA or (1-877-737-4672).

It comes with travel size Eyeshadow Primer Potion, 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Flipside and Zero.

The China Glaze Up and Away spring 2010 collection also became available to purchase last week so I placed an order with Head2Toebeauty.com.

From L-R: Peachy Keen, Lemon Fizz, Re-fresh Mint, Four Leaf Clover, Something Sweet, Light As Air, Grape Pop, Heli-Yum

I've been so excited for this collection to come out ever since I saw promo pics around Thanksgiving last year. These colors are perfect creamy pastel shades for spring and I can't wait for the warm weather!

So now I'm off to do my nails with Four Leaf Clover since it's a shade I sadly cannot get away with at the office. :(
Next week I think I'll rock the Re-Fresh Mint or Peachy Keen for work. I hope you all have a lovely weekend! Ciao for now XOXO

China Glaze Up & Away Collection

2010-01-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

I just placed my order for the China Glaze Up & Away Collection! I'm so stoked. It's available at Head 2 Toe Beauty and will be available at Sally's Beauty Supply soon.

These are the colors I ended up getting. (click to enlarge)

You can see beautiful swatches over at Scrangie's blog <-- click it!
I can't wait for spring and these gorgeous creamy pastels take my winter blues away. Will you get be getting anything from this collection?

MAC Give Me Liberty of London

2010-01-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

I'm so stoked about the Give Me Liberty of London Collection by MAC! The packaging is super cute. I really hope they're not just stickers. This Spring 2010 collection will be launched in the U.S. on March 11, 2010. The international launch date is April 2010.

I want it all! I'm such a sucker for cute packaging. What are you lemming from the collection?

Image & info credit: Temptalia

Daily Makeup Survey

2010-01-05T10:24:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! Happy new year! I saw this over on ChefCaffy’s blog and it looked like fun so here it goes!

1. What time did you do your makeup today?
7:00 AM

2. What's the least expensive beauty item you used?
Either the Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer or Dream Mousse blush in Rose Petal. I’m not sure which one is cheaper but they’re both under $10.

3. What was the biggest problem you needed to correct?
My eyebrows need a little attention at the mo

4. Did you apply false eyelashes?
Nope

5. Did you do anything while applying makeup?
I always listen to Elliott in the Morning on DC101 while I get ready for work.

6. Biggest makeup mishap today?
No mishap. Makeup looks good today

7. Did you have a makeup inspiration in mind?
Nothing specific I just went for something neutral and pretty.
8. What's the most time-consuming part of your makeup routine?
The application of face serum, moisturizer, eye serum, foundation & concealer takes up the most time.

9. What's part of your routine is the most fun?
Choosing the eyeshadow, blush & lippie combination.

10. What part of your makeup makes the biggest difference in the way you look? Eye makeup

11. Neutral or colorful eyeshdaow?
Neutral

12. Liquid or mineral foundation?
Liquid BB Cream

13. Do you do your hair or makeup first?
Makeup

14. Did you pack a makeup bag to take with you for the day?
Everyday! As a matter of fact I was going through both of my makeup bags when I got to work (yes, I pack two bags!) and I was appalled at how many lip glosses I take with me on a daily basis. *runs off to take inventory* Currently I have 3 lip balms, 3 lipsticks & 12 lip glosses in my makeup bag smh. TWELVE! Seriously?!

Whiskey

Tango

Foxtrot

15. When did you finish your makeup?
7:30 AM

Happy Hauliday!

2009-12-26T17:40:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a lovely holiday! There was some talk on Twitter this morning about how a few people don't like to see hauls of what they got for Christmas but I thought I'd share since I got a few beauty related items.
My mother in law got me two gift boxes from LUSH! She must have talked to my husband about what she should get me because you all know how much I love LUSH.
She gave me the Best Wishes Holiday Gift box and the Happy Christmas Holiday Gift box.

Contents of Best Wishes Holiday Gift:
Li'l Lush Pud Bath Bomb
Mr. Butterball Bath Bomb
Satsumo Santa Bath Bomb
So White Bath Bomb

Contents of Happy Christmas Holiday Gift:
Jingle Spells Bath Bomb
Snowcake Soap
Satsumo Santa Bath Bomb
Christmas Eve Bubble Bar
Cinders Bath Bomb
Karma Soap

Everything in both of these boxes smell amazing! I love it!!

My sister in law gave me a bunch of goodies too! She gave me Bare Minerals Lustworthy Lips & Lashes (mini mascara & gloss duo). The lip gloss is super cute and smells like strawberries! Yum!
She also gave me:
ULTA Shower Smoothie in Berrylicious
ULTA Smoothies Body Swirl in Berrylicious
Stila Divine Shine: Kitten Lip Glaze & all over shimmer liquid luminizer
Viva la Juicy rollerball (my fav perfume!)

She also got me this super cute jewelry holder mannequin type thing. Isn't that cute?! Love it!

The in laws know me so well. :) They're the best.
Has anyone tried the Stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer? Do you put it on your cheeks as a highlight? The brush applicator is pretty big so I assume it's to cover a large area of your body like maybe your arms & décolletage. Please let me know if anyone has tried this. Thanks!

So I'm saving the best for last. Are you ready??

Huz got me a new camera!! I'm so freaking excited. It has a dual LCD screen so I can take better FOTD's for you guys! It's the Samsung TL220 that has 12.2 mega pixels and I can record videos in HD now. I've been playing with it non stop.

I decided to play around with my Make Up For Ever shadows and I came up with a bright magenta pink/purple smokey eye. This could be a New Years look maybe? I took a few pics of the look with just the matte shadows by itself then I added MAC's bright pink glitter to the outer corner. You can't really tell from the pictures but it was super glittery IRL.

Finally, I was playing around with a few settings with the new cam. Here are a few pics of me with Mochi & Chache. I'm not wearing any makeup dun dun dun!

How about you? Did you receive any beauty related products for Christmas? If you hauled anything I'd love to check it out!

What's new in my closet?

2009-12-23T20:27:00.001-05:00

Come check it out here <--- click me! It's my other blog.

I hope you lovelies have a safe & happy holiday with your family! xoxo

Weekend EOTD's

2009-12-13T18:47:00.000-05:00

Hello my lovelies! Here are a few EOTD pics I took from this weekend.
I did a pink/purple look on Saturday. Purples are great for us brown eyed girls. They really bring out the browns in your peepers.

For this look I used: (all MAC unless otherwise noted)

Fresco Rose Paint Pot

Pink Venus - lid

Sushi Flower - crease

Shadowy Lady - outer V

Yogurt - browbone highlight

Loreal HIP cream eyeliner in black

Covergirl Lash Blast

Benefit Thrrrob - cheeks

Porcelain Pink - highlight

Urban Decay Lovechild - lips

Then I did a neutral look on Sunday.

I used the following:

Christian Siriano Sahara - lid

Victoria's Secret Pose - crease

NARS Mekong - outer V

MAC Woodwinked - lower lashline

MAC Vanilla - browbone highlight

Loreal HIP Cream Eyeliner in black

Cover Girl Lash Blast

NYX Peach blush - cheeks

MAC Perfect Topping - highlight cheeks

MAC Pleasureseeker (Neo Sci Fi collection) - lips

Victoria's Secret Pout ligloss in Peaches

Victoria's Secret makeup haul & EOTD

2009-12-05T14:45:00.001-05:00

I received an email promotion from Victoria’s Secret about a 20% discount on your entire online order so I took this opportunity to experiment with their makeup line. Yay for promo's right?! I’ve only tried their lipglosses before but I was particularly interested in trying products from the Christian Siriano & Heidi Klum lines. I’ve also had the VS Lipstick in Satin Sheets on my to buy list for months now so I also picked that up.

I bought the Heidi Klum eye shadow palette in Hidden Palace, a VS eye shadow in Pose, Christian Siriano eye shadow in Sahara & Perfect Lipstick in Satin Sheets.

I haven’t had a chance to try any of the products yet (except for the lipstick - which is really sheer btw) so I couldn’t tell you how well they blend but I was able to swatch them and that’s what I wanted to share with you. I haven’t seen any blog posts or videos about the Heidi Klum line so I wanted to put the swatches out there in case anyone was interested in seeing them. The packaging is gorgeous btw!

Off the bat I can tell you all of the shadows are pigmented and silky. I particularly love the Christian Siriano color Sahara. In the Hidden Palace palette I really like the gold/champagne & the plum/wine color. I don’t have anything like it.

Satin Sheets is a pretty pink nude but it's extremely sheer & lacks that creamy pigmentation I always look for. It's nice for a subtle hint of pink for the office and it has a little bit of frostiness to it. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be so I don't think I'd buy this again. I might try other colors but I'd have to go to the store to swatch it first.

Pose, Sahara, Satin Sheets

I also had a chance to snap a few photos of my EOTD from yesterday. I used Maybelline’s trio in Positively Purple.

I like this palette. Purples are great colors for brown eyes and this palette has a nice iridescence to it.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! It's been snowing all day here and tomorrow we're going to a Redskins game! Woohoo! Go Skins!

Tag: 8 Most Worn Things

2009-12-03T11:15:00.001-05:00

I was tagged by the fabulous blogger Michelle of Mup North Blogging all the way from Norway! Her blog is awesome and you should check it out! Mup North Blogging ß click it!

1. Most worn lipstick/lipgloss:

Maybelline Color Sensational Pink Please, MAC Utter Pervette (LE), Urban Decay Naked, YSL Rouge Volupte #2 Sensual Silk, MAC Dazzleglass in Money, Honey. All of these colors are a creamy pinkish beige color (my fav!). This was the hardest category to pick products. I couldn't pick just one!

Here are closeups of Urban Decay's Naked

2. Most worn earrings: a pair of Swarovski crystal studs

3. Most worn shirt/top: I love this shirt because my puppy’s name is Mochi. Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake that is eaten as a snack or dessert.

4. Most worn nail polish: OPI Mod About You, Sephora by OPI in Metro Chic

5. Most worn shoes: BCBGeneration Tinas black platform pump & Ugg tall boots.

6. Most worn hair products: Cibu Miso Knotty leave in conditioner.

7. Most worn perfume: Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy

8. Most worn handbag/purse: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Damier Azure: I got this bag for my 29^th birthday and I lurrve it.

I love this photo! My guy took this picture of me before I took Mochi to the groomers. It makes me miss summer!! I was so tan. :'-(

I tag the following lovelies:

mzfili – Ashlee

LaBelleMEL - Mel

TheBeautyBrat – Nat

Bittenbefore – Yumeko

Beauty...and whatever else – Amanda

Silver Lips Beauty & Musiq Haven

Thanksgiving Black Friday Haul

2009-11-28T11:40:00.002-05:00

Every year my parents brave out the crowds on Black Friday for all the Thanksgiving sales. I normally go with my guy later in the afternoon/early evening when the crowds have dissipated.

The Gap had a really great deal of buy one sweater get a second sweater free so we took advantage of that.

I popped into ULTA and they had buy 2 Essie nail polishes get 1 free. I don’t think this was a special Black Friday promo as they always seem to have this deal whenever I’m at ULTA. I bought Lovie Dovie, Mod Squad, & Lolipop. I also picked up Essie’s Matte About You which is a top coat you can apply to any nail polish and it will give you a matte finish.

Matte About You, Lovie Dovie, Mod Squad, Lolipop

I also picked up 2 Too Faced Girls Dig Pearls lip glosses. I was telling bestie the other day that I will not buy any more lip glosses but I can’t seem to follow my own rules. Smh

I picked up Shell and Pink Bling. These are made using real crushed sea pearls. It has vitamin E and peppermint extract for a slight minty taste. It’s glossy & has a lot of shimmer but it’s not too tacky/sticky.

Shell and Pink Bling

Shell

Pink Bling

Then I ventured into MAC to check out the new Baroque Boudoir collection and to pick up Viva Glam V. After reading Temptalia's posts on the collection I was convinced I wouldn’t haul anything but I swatched two of the lippies and I walked away with Prive. The lipsticks in this collection are more expensive than normal MAC lipsticks but I’m happy I bought it. I’m in love with the damask design on the tube! :D

Prive

Viva Glam V

Swatches: Viva Glam V & Prive

For Thanksgiving I made mini pumpkin pie bites. They were so delicious. I was running late and had to jump into the shower so I had my guy pipe the chocolate drizzle. It was supposed to look like this

But when I got out of the shower I went downstairs to the kitchen and found this lol!

I laughed so hard when I saw this. I figured he must’ve gotten frustrated and impatient since the design had to be so small and intricate. These bites wouldn’t be complete without the chocolate so I’m very proud of the huz for steppin up to the task. :D Doesn’t it look like plaid? Hahaha.

Hope you lovelies had a great Thanksgiving! Did you brave the Black Friday frenzy?

Japanese brand cosmetics: my scanty stash

2009-11-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

Recently I’ve been hauling a lot of Asian brand cosmetics & skincare. I’ll save the skincare products for another blogpost but for now I’ll share my meager collection with you.

*Click on the pics to make them bigger so you can really see how cute the packaging is!*

Shiseido Majolica Majorca: BR751 Trick on Powder

Coffret D'Or

Coffret D'Or: Blend Color Blush PK-24

Coffret D'Or : CM Eyes 04 Lavender-Purple Mix

Jill Stuart Cosmetics

Jill Stuart: Blush: 03 Coral Glow

Jill Stuart Eye palette: 02 Fantastic Light

Jill Stuart Eye palette: 04 Aqua Crystal

So far my favorite brands are Jill Stuart and Coffret D'Or. I love the packaging of Jill Stewart line.

There are so many other brands I want to try. These are the brands on my lust list:

Kanebo Lunasol

Kanebo Kate

Kose Visee

Kose Esprique

Hope you lovelies have a safe & happy thanksgiving! Eat lots of bird! :D

xoxo

Eye spy … a well rested eye?

2009-11-19T15:25:00.001-05:00

Not really! Lately I haven’t been getting enough sleep. This past Friday I didn’t get to sleep until 2AM. Saturday we went to a party to watch the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight and didn’t get home until 3AM. I woke up at 9 AM on Saturday & Sunday. That might be enough sleep for many of you but I would like to try and get 8 hours on the weekend.

As we age, our skin begins to thin and dark under-eye circles appear. Now that I’m dangerously teetering into that age bracket where I need to pay more attention to my skin, I feel justified in throwing more of my money at a fancy skincare regimen. I’m no spring chicken you know!

I have an arsenal of eye creams, serums, depuffers, anti-wrinkler’s, brighteners & whiteners. Each of them promise help treat the delicate skin around your eye and make it more radiant. No one wants to have bags, dark circles, uneven skin tone or wrinkles! That’s why I never forget to apply my eye creams at night & in the morning before I apply my makeup. Even on my no makeup days I still apply my eye creams with my moisturizer. When choosing my eye cream for the day I made sure it had an SPF in it as well. SPF will block against harmful UVA/UVB rays which cause premature aging & wrinkles.

Concealing is my best friend when it comes to disguising darkness. I love using Benefit’s Erase Paste (concealer) or Maybelline’s Dream Mousse Concealer to make my peepers appear more awake. Don’t you want to look bright eyed & bushy tailed too? But you can’t always just cover it up then pile on the makeup. You have to treat the skin underneath your makeup to create that beautiful clean canvas we all strive for.

*Click pics to make them bigger

Clinique All About Eyes (reduces puffs, circles) use in PM
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Recovery Complex (good for lines, dryness, puffiness, dark circles)
Clinique Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream (good for lines, wrinkles)
Doctors Dermatologic Formula Erase Eye Gel (minimizes dark circles, puffiness)
Loreal Advanced Revitalift Double Eye Lift (Under eye wrinkle cream + upper eye lifting gel = double awesomeness for under $20)
Clinique Advanced Stop Signs Eye Preventive Cream SPF 15 (prevents photoaging & brightens)

I don't use all 6 every day. I switch back and forth between products but my favorites are #2 Estee Lauder, #4 DDF, #5 Loreal and #6 Clinique Advanced Stop Signs.

Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (Light 4-5)
Benefit Erase Paste (No. 1 fair)
Benefit Powderflage

After I apply my serums/creams in the morning I use these concealers + Powderflage to set the concealer.

My name is Jenn and I am an eye cream junkie fanatic.

Hard Candy: A Drugstore Haul

2009-11-19T13:42:00.001-05:00

This past weekend a new Super Walmart opened near me so we went to check it out. It is HUGE and all of the makeup shelves were fully stocked. :D

I had heard that they were carrying HardCandy cosmetics which is a brand exclusive to Walmart.

I bought 3 eye shadows which were $6 each. Two are baked shadow duos. I’m impressed with them so far. I’ve read reviews from Musings of a Muse that the baked blush was awful. She really had to work her brush into the product to get anything to show up onto her cheeks. You can read her review here:Musings of a Muse

These eye shadows are different. They’re pigmented and easy to work with. You can use the baked duos wet or dry. They are on the shimmery side but not too shimmery to make you look like a disco ball.

The 3-pan palette had three colors that are perfectly coordinated. This palette was more matte with a little shimmer. It also came with a teeny tiny black eyeliner.

I didn’t have any interest in their lipsticks or glosses because the packaging looks a little immature for me but the eye shadows were cute and I’d definitely haul more.

Click on the photos to make them bigger :)

Rush Hour

Secret Rendezvous

Eye Love You

The Eye Love You trio has perfect colors for the office! I love it. You can also order these on Walmart's website. What do you think? Do you have anything from Hard Candy?

Sephora VIB Exclusive Holiday Shopping Event Haul

2009-11-12T21:48:00.001-05:00

Sephora had a V.I.B. Exclusive Holiday Shopping event where V.I.B. members received a 20% discount. I placed my order on Tuesday morning and my package arrived two days later! I didn’t even choose expedited shipping. I chose the standard free shipping 5-7 days. I’m so freaking lucky the Sephora warehouse is in Maryland. It’s so close to me! I also bought a few Christmas presents for friends but that will stay under wraps. ;-)

I wanted to try the NARS Multiple trio set but I read reviews online that they were teeny tiny so I bought a full size of the newest Multiple in Luxor (recently debuted in NARS’ Holiday Collection). It’s an iridescent pink with cooler tones with just the right amount of shimmer. It’s sooo pretty!

NARS describes The Multiple as “the original all-in-one, cream-to-powder, multi-purpose makeup stick. With fingertip application, The Multiple highlights, sculpts, and warms eyes, cheeks, lips, and body in an array of shades from sheer accents to mauve and bronze.”

I won’t be sporting this on the eyes & lips but just as a highlight on my cheeks.

Ooh la la! It's pretty, eh?

Next I bought Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero. I have heard so many people talk about how this is the best eyeliner for the waterline. I heard it has amazing staying power & doesn’t smudge or move for the whole day. I can’t wait to try it! Hope it lives up to the hype! :cross fingers:

Next I bought the limited edition Glitz & Glam Shimmer and Shine deluxe sampler. Sephora has a ton of sampler sets with a good price tag. They’re only being sold for the Holiday season so I have a feeling these won’t stay on the shelves for long. The set is a $113 value and is sold for $38.

This set contains:
- Tarte Celebutante Dry Oil Shimmer Spray
- Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion in Flash (iridescent pink)
- Tarte Glam Gams
- Tarte Lock & Roll in Bronze (shimmering true bronze)
- Guerlain Meteorites Powder Pearls for the Face in Beige Chic (golden glow)
- Tarte Cheek Stain in Eco-Cheek (coral with a touch of shimmer)
- Sephora Super Shimmer in Desert Gold (rosy tan with pink and gold shimmer)
- Laura Geller Blush-N-Brighten in Sunswept (bronze, coral, and rose)
- Smashbox Eyeshadow in 24K (true gold shimmer)
- Laura Geller Lip Shiner in City Lights (pink and gold flecked glimmer)

So did you haul anything from the V.I.B. Shopping Event?

Kirkland Borghese Brush Set from Costco and NOTD

2009-11-10T22:17:00.001-05:00

Hi lovelies! First I want to show you my NOTD since I haven’t done one of those in a while. I picked up Essie’s Mint Candy Apple from the winter 2009 collection. It’s a pretty minty jade color & I absolutely love it. These unique colors always put me in a good mood. I got it from ULTA for around $6. You can also get it from Essie.

Every year Costco puts out a brush set around the holiday season. I miss it every year but this year I finally got my hands on a set! I’m so excited. The Kirkland Borghese brush set is only $19.99! These brushes are super soft! It includes 8 full sized brushes in a bag, 4 travel size brushes & an eyelash curler. It is made of synthetic hair that is anti-microbial & cruelty free. My only complaint so far is the eye shadow brush isn’t as dense as I’d like it to be. It’s too fluffy so it doesn’t pack on the color as intensely as my other brushes but other than that the other brushes in this set are great.

Click on the pics to make them bigger.

Full size set:
• Powder brush
• Flat top bronzer brush
• Angled contour brush
• Eye shadow brush
• Blending brush
• Smudge brush
• Flat eyeliner brush
• Angled eye shadow brush with spoolie

Travel set
• Blush brush
• Eye shadow brush
• Blending brush
• Flat eye liner brush

LUSH and Sephora F+F Haul

2009-11-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

On Halloween I went to my local LUSH store because they were having an event. I try to go shopping only during their events since I always walk away with a goodie bag & other freebies. I picked up a bunch of stuff for my bestie while I was there as well. I bought one Satsumo Santa (bath bomb), two Gnome Name’s (bubble bar) & two Christmas Eve (bubble bar). I prefer bubble bars over bath bombs so I had to get two of each because they smell amazing! Since I RSVP’ed to the event I was able to pick an item out of a basket so I picked the Cobweb Bath Bomb (from their Halloween collection). Also, since I spent over a certain amount they let me pick out a bath bomb so I chose a Jacko Bath Bomb!

Inside the goodie bag I got a chunk of Demon in the Dark soap, Pied de Pepper, Mask of Magnaminty, Goth Juice Syling Gel & Tramp Shower Gel. I have way too much fun shopping at LUSH.

Here’s a pic of the goodies in my new white box I made.

The white box was super easy to make. I love it. I just need one more lamp.

I also received my Sephora friends & family package. I bought Benefit's Coralista & Thrrrob. I also picked up a tube of Smashbox's O-Gloss. I love this stuff! It goes on your lips clear but reacts with your chemistry to create a unique shade of pink.

I had a lot of fun testing out the new white box but I need another lamp. The shadows are driving me crazy and one more lamp would pick up the true color of the products. It would also help if I had a new camera but I'm saving up for that. Hope you lovelies had a great weekend! xoxo

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T17:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween my lovelies! Here are a few photos of my look for Halloween. I named it Deadly Dame because she will crush your heart. This look was inspired by the lovely Pam. I used Freshlook Colorblends contacts in Sterling Grey. For the heart I used Calypso Minerals eyeshadow (from Etsy) and NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow pencil in Black Bean. On my lips I used black eyeliner & MAC's Russian Red. Excuse the massive spot I have on my cheek.

Madame Mochi turned into a pumpkin that night. She wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a good shot of the cuteness that she is.

Also, here is a shot of my first Konadicure that was decent enough to show you. I'm still struggling with the rolling of the stamp so you can see where the white smudged. I used image plate M57 with white Konad nailpolish. The pink is China Glaze in Mom's Chiffon.

In another note of randomness I decided to make sinigang ng isda for lunch. My guy & I finished our whole bowl! It was awesomeness. I used salmon. :) You might not be able to see from the photo but there is a mound of rice in the bowl as well *.~ Here are the obligatory food p0rn pics:

my bowl

his bowl

and done ...

So I hope you lovelies had an awesome weekend & a safe Halloween! Ciao! xoxo

Guerlain Spring 2010 Cherry Blossom Collection

2009-10-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

I am so stoked for the Guerlain Cherry Blossom Collection which comes out in the Spring of 2010. The release date is January 26th. I've always been a huge fan of cherry blossoms so much so that we had a cherry blossom themed wedding.

Guerlain Voyage Meteorites
Guerlain Eyeshadow Quad Ombrelles
Guerlain Cherry Blossom Blush
Guerlain Insolence Blooming Perfume

I'm a sucker for the soft shades of pink. I'm definitely hauling from this collection.

Two items on my lust list:

Eyeshadow Quad
Blush

What do you think? Will you be hauling from this collection?

Image credits to the Lushious Beauty Blog

Sephora Friends and Family Discount

2009-10-19T10:39:00.004-04:00

The Sephora Annual Friends and Family discount starts today Oct 19th and ends on Nov. 2nd! Save 20% with your online order. Just enter code FF2009 at checkout. Happy Hauling!

What are you planning on hauling?

LUSH Herbalism Cleanser

2009-10-18T22:31:00.000-04:00

In my last HAUL post I forgot to mention I picked up Herbalism Cleanser. This stuff is amazing! Here is the description blurb from the website: LUSH.

"Detoxifies and exfoliates oilier, problem skin

Herbalism has China clay to remove excess oil, ground almonds and rice bran to exfoliate away dead skin cells, sage, chamomile and marigold to soothe inflammation and rosemary and sage to banish nasty microbes. As well, the combination of the clay and rice bran leaves a matte finish to the skin. Some people who have used the Angels On Bareskin and found it too rich, find the Herbalism to be lighter. If you persist and use this cleanser every day, we guarantee results that are well worth the bother."

It smells earthy & clean and my skin feels so smooth after each use. I take a pinch of the cleanser, place it in my palm, add a little bit of water and crush it up into a pulp. Then I lather it onto my face & I can feel it exfoliating. I inquired about the Dark Angels Cleanser however the lady that works there told me it can be too harsh for my skin since I have sensitive problematic skin.

Because the ingredients of this cleanser are fresh it only has a shelf life of 3 months but I think I can use this in 1 month. Lately I've been showing signs of irritation around my eye area when I wash my face and Herbalism is a vegan/organic product so this has been a warm welcome to my cleansing routine. :)

Collective Haul

2009-10-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

Last week on my lunch break I went to MAC to check out the new 2009 Holiday Collection called Magic, Mirth, and Mischief. I'm so impressed with myself. I only walked out with one item from the collection! :-D I ended up getting the Devil May Dare Warm Eye Shadow palette. I am a sucker for golds, warm browns, pinks & beiges. All six shades are limited edition and the palette is $36 USD. I always opt for buying palettes rather than buying single eye shadows since one MAC e/s is $11.

I did get two more items that aren't from the Holiday Collection and it is Russian Red & a Cremestick Lip Liner in Red Enriched. Russian Red is an intense bluish red with a matte finish. It's gorgeous. Red Enriched is an intense auburn color that goes perfectly with Russian Red.

After I went to MAC I popped into LUSH! When I go to the mall it's hard for me to only grab something from MAC & go. LUSH & MAC are practically right next to each other and it doesn't help that I can smell the decadent scents from the MAC counter. So, either the ladies of LUSH have amazing customer service or I seriously have a shopping problem. The minute I walked into the store they recognized me and called me by my first name lol. I love the ladies at LUSH. They're so helpful & sweet. :)

I ended up getting Karma Kream, Smitten, Shave the Planet (for the huz), Handy Gurugu, Lemony Flutter & So White bath bomb. I get terribly chapped & dry hands in the winter so these hand creams are doing a great job of restoring the moisture.

They had a special promotion where if you spent over $45 you get to pick out a free bubble bar so I chose Candy Cane. LOVE!!

So White smells AMAZING! I don't want to use it. I just want to keep it in my bathroom cause it smells so yummy. It smells like apples ... mmm. Candy Cane bubble bar smells like sweet candy. :) Both of these items are Holiday items so they're seasonal and not permanent. :( I need to get another So White before they're all gone!

BB Cream

2009-10-18T19:58:00.005-04:00

<3
I found my HG (Holy Grail) Foundation

I’ve recently changed my foundation routine since I don’t want to be tan in the fall and winter months. In the spring/summer months I would use MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW 35 or Revlon ColorStay in Natural Tan but lately I’ve been using BB Cream (Blemish Balm Cream).

BB Creams are the latest rage in Asia and the two that I use are L’EGERE products which is a Korean brand. I usually buy all of my Korean cosmetics from a local Korean store called Cinderella but you can find these products online here (click me!). I use the White Multi Blemish Balm Cream & L'EGERE SPF34 UV Whitening Blemish Balm Cream.

Both of the BB Creams I use are whitening, conceals dermal blemishes, evens out the skin tone & gives me a smooth, flawless coverage. It’s like a tinted moisturizer with light to medium coverage. It’s easy to blend so I just use my fingers to apply this product. BB Creams are especially good for sensitive, peeling or irritated skin. While serving the purpose as a base and foundation it also works as a treatment to minimize wrinkles, treat pimples and lighten blemish scars all in one! They have a reputation for being a miracle cream because they are gentle enough to use on skin that recently underwent laser procedures.

After I apply this my skin is illuminating & has a beautiful glow. I’ve fallen in love with this product and I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to MAC’s SFF. I believe I have found my HG!

Thermal Masks - a drugstore alternative

2009-10-18T00:19:00.000-04:00

Within the makeup community everyone has been raving about MAC's Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask from the recently launched Style Black collection. Here is the description of the mask from http://www.maccosmetics.com/

"Formulated with Volcanic Ash and natural oils, this ash-black facial mask simultaneously deep-cleanses and treats the skin. When water is added, the mask heats up and the oils instantly lubricate the skin, leaving it feeling soft and clean. Helps keep skin moist, clean, soft, and evenly-textured. Limited edition."

This mask went flying off the shelves within days of the release and is sold out online. It was $19.50 for a 3.4 FL tube.

I however, have been using a drugstore version of a thermal mask for a year now and I am glad I didn't rush out to the MAC counter to grab this mask. I've been using the Biore Purify Self Heating Mask.

The box contains 8 packets for around $7.99 and can be found in any drugstore that sells Biore products. It isn't the traditional mask that you apply and let it dry on your face for 10 min then rinse off. First you moisten the face, apply mask, massage for about 1 minute then rinse off. The mask instantly heats up on contact with water and it feels amazing. It removes pore-clogging dirt & leaves my skin smooth and radiant.
So if you skipped out on the Style Black Collection or you didn't get a chance to pick a Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask before it was sold out, you always have this alternative. :)

Have you tried any other thermal masks out there?

Halloween Look: Pretty Peacock

2009-10-17T19:14:00.001-04:00

A good friend of mine, Stacy, requested me to do a Halloween look for her. She will be dressed as a peacock and this is what her costume looks like. Isn't it cute?! I love it.

So here is the look I came up with. It’s really bright & fun and matches her costume.

I used the following:

Make Up For Ever eye shadow - 168 Lagoon Green

Make Up For Ever eye shadow - 93 Irish Green

NARS eye shadow duo – Rated R

Calypso Minerals - Aquadelic & yellow

MAC pigment – Cocomotion

NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil – Horse Raddish

MAC Technakohl Liner – Artistic License

Loreal Telescopic Eye Liner – Carbon Black

Loreal H.I.P. Color Chrome Eye Liner – Gold Charge

Maybelline Colossal Mascara – Very Black

Ardell Elegantly Wild Lashes

Duo Dark Tone Eye Lash Glue

You can wear it plain like this ...

... or jazz it up with a few more embellishments like falsies & pretty peacock patterns.

Hope you are all having a great weekend so far! XOXO

Feroch

2009-10-11T18:37:00.002-04:00

On Saturday I made plans to go to Christian Siriano's book signing in DC at Borders on K St. I LOVED Christian Siriano on Project Runway and I'm dying to try his Victoria Secret makeup but it's always sold out whenever I go to the store! :( While we were walking to Borders we ran into Cibu Jenn. Follow Jenn on Twitter here @cibu17 (Christian made her wedding gown!) She informed me that Christian had already left Borders but he went over to Bubbles on K & 20th and I could catch him there. She gave me one of his books so I could get it signed but by the time we found Bubbles he was already gone. :( For those of you that don't know he used to work at the Bubbles in the Westfield Annapolis Mall when he was in high school. So, needless to say I was really bummed I didn't get a chance to meet him at the signing but I was super happy to have run into Jenn :D

Over weekend huz and I popped into Nordstrom Rack to do a little shopping and I discovered a whole makeup section that I never knew existed! There was Trish McEvoy, Stila, Smashbox & Shu Uemura. I had no idea they sold Shu makeup there! I picked up three shadows & a lippie.

Lipstick: Rouge Unlimited PK338
Eyeshadows:
Matte Brown 850
Iridescent Pristine Green
Pearl Pink 100

Regular price lipstick: $23
Nordstrom Rack: $13.97
Regular price eye shadow: $20.00
Nordstrom Rack: $11.97

Twitching for my tweets!

2009-10-08T12:52:00.000-04:00

Twitter is down again today. :( I'm feeling anxious because I can't read my updates. I need to know if @MakeupbyMel got her new halloween costume & which one she bought. I need to know if @blairbear111 is finally going into labor (she's past her due date). I need my daily dose of wisdom from @RevRunWidsom. I also need to know if anyone has bought any makeup lately and what they've hauled lol. Uuuggghhh!

Coastal Scents Italian Badger Buffer Brush Review

2009-10-07T11:34:00.000-04:00

For two months I’ve been using the Coastal Scents Italian Badger Large Buffer Brush to apply my liquid foundation. For reference I’m using MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid in NW35 & Revlon Colorstay. This brush came highly recommended by my friend Amanda. Here is a link to Amanda’s Blog.
This brush is awesome! Not only did I buy it for $11.95 but I prefer it to my Sephora High Definition #55 Airbrush brush. The handle is made of wood & it’s nice and thick. It is super soft, blends & buffers like perfection. I absolutely love it! It did shed a few hairs during the first few times I used it but it doesn’t shed anymore.
So if you’re looking for a new foundation brush I highly recommend this brush.

You know you love me!
XOXO

Hahaha sorry to be so daft but the most recent episode of Gossip Girl with Hillary Duff was too cute. Love that show.
Happy hump day bitches!

My other blog

2009-10-02T23:00:00.001-04:00

Hiya beauties!
So I've decided to create another blog. It's called What's in My Closet? I'll be posting about fashion-related topics on that blog and all the beauty posts will stay here. What’s in My Closet? :click me:
So come on over & let me know what you think! (It's still under construction so please bear with me) Thanks!

Haul

2009-10-01T21:53:00.001-04:00

Two nights ago bestie and I went out to dinner then decided to make a quick trip Sephora and LUSH. We both ended up buying the Kat Von D palette in Gypsy. ^.^ I’ve been eyeing Gypsy for a few months now and I never got around to buying MAC’s Photorealism palette (all greens) so I had to get this. The shadows have high pigmentation and they have awesome staying power. I wore it to work the next day and checked my makeup at 4.15 pm and it didn’t crease at all! I am impressed. The only drawback I found is they’re a bit chalky. When I used my 239 brush to pick up the color there was a lot of fallout in the palette so it’s not completely smooth but the payoff is worth it IMO.

After we shopped at Sephora I introduced bestie to LUSH! She had never been there before and I let her smell all of my favorite soaps like I Should Coco, Honey I Washed the Kids, Alkmaar, Porridge & Sultana of Soap (to name a few). She picked up a nice chunk of Rockstar soap & I bought another huge chunk of Sultana of Soap. I also picked up another MaBar Bubble Bar & Honey I Washed the Kids solid perfume. It's awesomeness.

Last month Hautelook had a huge Kevyn Aucoin sale. Dark red lips are totally in this fall so I picked up Leaharia (pinkish beige), Talula (coral red) and Poppia (basic red).
They’re gorgeous, creamy & moisturizing! On the Kevyn Aucoin website they retail for $23 but I got them from Hautelook for $9.20. Honestly, I didn’t order 3 lipsticks. I actually only placed an order for the two reds Talula and Poppia but they sent me Leaharia by mistake. Oops!

Moving on … I had a VIB coupon for Sephora so I placed an online order for YSL Rouge Volupte 19 Frivolous Pink which is one of their new shades. It’s a beautiful mid-tone pink with blue undertones. I also bought an Illamasqua lippie in Liv which is a matte, milky lavender pink. It reminds me of MAC’s Lavender Whip or Fashion Mews. Fashion Mews was a limited edition color that came out with the MAC Hello Kitty Collection and I regret not getting one. Illamasqua is a UK brand and it was only until a few months ago when Sephora started carrying this brand. I’m so happy I got this. I love it!

Hope you lovelies had a great week so far! The weekend is almost here! Yay!

Ultra Bland Cleanser

2009-09-30T17:07:00.000-04:00

I have been using LUSH’s Ultra Bland Cleanser for two months now and I like it! However, I have both a rant & rave for this product. First off let me begin by giving you the background on the product.
From their website:

Ultra-gentle, thorough facial cleanser

This supreme facial cleanser, with magnificently softening rose water, peanut oil and beeswax cream, takes off everything you've plastered on and makes your skin astonishingly soft. It's a marvel. Ultrabland is not the simplest cleanser to use, but it's not that hard and it's definitely worth it. Smooth it on, then remove it thoroughly with a slightly damp cotton pad or face cloth. Gently remove until your skin feels soft and not oily.

Rant:
This product is supposed to be used as an all-over face cleanser. I tried doing this at first but it was very messy. Since I use liquid foundation, blush, powder, eye makeup & lipstick I had to use a lot of damp cotton squares to wipe everything away. After I wiped it all off I still felt the need to wash my face again with a mild cleanser like Cetaphil.

So if I don’t use this as a facial cleanser what do I use it for, you ask?

Rave:
I use this as my eye-makeup remover. In the past I would use Neutrogena’s eye makeup remover until it started irritating my eyes. My eyes would burn & sting and I was left with a red blotchy mess. But LUSH’s products are all natural & free from harsh ingredients so it’s very mild & gentle yet strong enough to clear away the gunk piled on my eyes. All I have to do is take a finger tip worth of product, rub it onto my eyes then clean it off with a damp cotton square, et voila! It removes my numerous coats of mascara, liquid eyeliner, eye shadow & it even removes waterproof mascara/eyeliner. Yay!
After I remove my eye makeup I stick to my regular routine of washing my face with Cetaphil or Clean & Clear facial wash. Overall, I give this product 5 stars.

I'm back!

2009-09-27T22:11:00.001-04:00

Hello lovelies! I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last post but I’m back! Work sent me up to Eatontown, NJ for the week. I came home on Friday and I just want to do a quick update about what I’ve been up to these past few days. While I was up in Jersey one of the locals suggested we eat at Bobby’s Burger Palace. My coworker and I are huge Food Network fans and we adore Bobby Flay so we couldn’t pass this opportunity. I believe there are only four Burger Palace’s and they are in NJ, NY & CT.

I thought it was a sit down restaurant but it’s more of a casual dining deal. This was my burger and the locals were staring at me like I was crazy for taking a picture of my food. It was delicious with a side of sweet potato fries. I ended up buying a few jars of Bobby Flay’s burger rub, jalapeno sauce & fry sauce for the huz. Yum-o!

After work and dinner we’d go back to our hotel rooms and keep working. On our last night there we drove out to the beach & walked along the shops. When we got back to the hotel I was able to relax and do my nails while watching Grey’s Anatomy. :D
I used OPI’s new Suede Collection for Fall 2009. I used Russian Navy Suede. It’s ahhmazing! I can’t get enough of the matte finishes but now there is a suede finish as well! It’s smooth & it dries fast. OPI’s Suede line has such a unique finish and I can’t get enough of it. I used two coats on my nails but you could definitely get away with one.

Last weekend I stopped by ULTA to pick up dry shampoo. I’ve always been curious about it and I wanted to experiment with the options that are out there. I picked up TIGI’s Rockaholic dry shampoo & Big Sexy Hair’s Volumizing Dry Shampoo. I was determined to find out which one has more bang for your buck. I can only provide a partial review since I’ve only been using Big Sexy Hair for a week. This week I promise to use TIGI.
Here are a few differences so far:
Big Sexy Hair is 3.4 oz and I bought it for $16.95. It is a mineral & clay based dry shampoo that absorbs impurities, excess oil & product build-up while creating additional volume.
TIGI Rockaholic is 6.3 oz and I bought it for $18.95. The bottle only says that it will “absorb excess oils, make hair smell fresh & keep it rockin’ one more night”.

Here is my before & after pics. I used Big Sexy Hair. It smells great, it gave a fair amount of texture & volume. You can’t really tell from the pictures but I could definitely see a difference. I like it so far and I’d definitely purchase this again however it’s half the size of TIGI and it’s only $2 less. I’ll let you know next week which one I’d repurchase.

So while I was away I was desperately missing my bathtub time with LUSH. For those of you who don't know about LUSH it is a store that makes vegan products for the bath, shower, hair, face, body etc. Their soaps are all natural and doesn't contain any preservatives or harsh ingredients to irritate the skin.

I’ve already used a lot of what I hauled & unfortunately I didn’t snap any photos of what I hauled. Here is what I have left. I didn’t take any pics of the freebee’s I got from the events. I also didn’t take pics of the chunks of soaps because I want to leave that for another post.

I think this is called the French Kiss Bubble Bar? It smells amazing!

This is the bubble bar I used last night. It smells like roses & after you crumble it under the water there are little rose petals floating around.

Sunny Side Bubble Bar. This has a lot of citrus scents like orange & tangerine. It has a lot of gold glitter so I'll be using this on the weekends only. :) I mean seriously, who doesn't want to take a bath in glitter?

This is the Comforter Bubble Bar which has a lot of decadent berry scents. The description on the LUSH website is, "Velvety berry and cream bath parfait softens skin with lavish bubbles. Comforter bubble bar is perfect for pampering yourself after a long work week. Cypress and bergamot oils soothe skin while cassis adds a mysterious and seductive aroma."

I'm not sure what the name of the bubble bar on the left is but it smells amazing. The one on the right is Pop in the Bath Bubble bar. I love this scent. This is my second bar. It has a flowery & citrus scent & it makes your skin silky soft.

Bath Bombs "Pop one in a pre-run bath and watch it erupt in a mass of fragrant fizzing, gently scenting the water with natural essential oils."

On the left is the Sex Bomb Bath Bomb which smells like jasmine.

On the right is the Butterball Bath Bomb. It smells like vanilla & turns the water to milky white. This is supposed to be very moisturizing for the skin.

Massage Bars

After a shower or bath I usually like to use their massage bars to moisturize. It is made with moisturizing cocoa, coconut & shea butters.

On the left is Soft Coeur (The Honeymooner) Massage Bar. It is made with milk chocolate & honey.
On the right is the Heavenilli Massage Bar which smells like vanilla & jasmine.

When you purchase two massage bar you get a massage bar tin for free.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! What are your favorites from LUSH? Do you have any recommendations of products I should try?

Zoya Matte Velvet Collection Fall 2009

2009-09-17T20:42:00.005-04:00

The new trend this fall is matte nail polish. Many brands are launching a range of colors that come in a matte finish. Other brands like Essie have designed a top coat which you can use on top of any nail polish formula to create a matte finish. Personally I am falling in love with Zoya’s Matte Velvet Collection for Fall 2009. These colors are gorgeous! There are three colors in this collection:

Loredana (matte gunmetal shimmer)
Posh (matte ruby shimmer)
Dovima (matte black shimmer)

This formula dries extremely fast compared to regular creamy varnishes. It is also advised not to use this in conjunction with a base coat, top coat or speed dryer. It doesn’t last that long and it chips easily however I am so in love with this finish that I don’t mind only wearing it for 3-4 days. Zoya is also coming out with 3 more colors in their Matte Velvet Winter 09 collection. There is a matte purple, a matte plum & a matte forest green. They look gorgeous! You can buy them on their website here: Click me!
xoxo
PS: I apologize for the blurriness & the sloppy swatches. I wanted to swatch all three colors real fast so I could post this.

Rock and Republic Haul

2009-09-16T22:32:00.004-04:00

So I think I've posted enough non-makeup related posts. Let's keep our eyes on the prize shall we? On to more important things like makeup! :D
Last month I went shopping at Hautelook because they had a Rock & Republic sale! Here's an invitation if you'd like to shop here as well :) Hautelook invitation (click me)
They basically sell high-end brands at a discounted price.
I bought two blushes & one gel eye liner. Isn't the packaging amazing?! It's LOVE!

Rock & Republic cosmetics is sold at Neiman Marcus or the Rock & Republic website. At Neiman Marcus a blush retails for $40. I bought it for $24! The regular price for a gel eye liner is $24. I bought this eyeliner for $14. :) So I basically saved $42. Sweet! I fell in love with the names of the blushers right away! The names alone pushed me to make the purchase more than anything.
L to R: Blush in Tease (light rosey pink)
Blush in Foreplay (warm peachy beige)

Gel eye liner in Smut

Just for fun I had to throw in a photo of Mochi from the weekend. We took her on two hikes. On Saturday, we went into the mountains of West Virginia (Shenandoah Valley) and took her on a 6 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail. Sunday we took her on a 4.5 mile hike in Great Falls. She went swimming in the Shenandoah River & Potomac River. We're conditioning her :) She loves rock climbing and wasn't tired at all!

Hope you enjoyed this post & I'm sorry I don't have any product swatches. My camera stinks so it probably wouldn't have picked up the fabulous colors anyway.

Hope you lovelies are having a great week! xx

Here's to Happiness

2009-09-10T13:24:00.001-04:00

pic we took while we were at the beach

September 10, 2009

I realize I’ve created this beauty blog for the sole purpose of sharing makeup/fashion related things but lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic and incredibly inspired. I just wanted to share a random list of what inspires me.

10 things that make me terribly happy

1. Taking a deep breath while riding my bicycle
2. Feeling sand in between my toes
3. Sleeping with the windows open
4. Cuddling with two silly puppies for an afternoon nap
5. Walking barefoot in fresh cut grass
6. The sound of a golf ball hitting the bottom of the hole
7. Wishing on fallen eyelashes
8. Sharing one ice cream cone
9. Bubble baths
10. Sweet morning kisses

Magazine scans

2009-09-08T15:08:00.005-04:00

September 8, 2009

Hello hotties! I just wanted to pop into blogger & post a few magazine scans. Who doesn’t love to flip through magazines to look at fashion-inspiring spreads?

Click on the pic to make it bigger ^.^

Do you like the magazine scan posts? Should I do more in the future?

Splurge vs. Steal: Another CCO Haul

2009-09-06T22:46:00.006-04:00

Sept. 6, 2009
Last week while we were in South Carolina, I decided to make a trip to the Tangier Outlet mall in Myrtle Beach to see if they had a CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet). They did have one and they had the biggest MAC selection I've ever seen in a CCO. I have two CCO's here where I live and while the MAC section is decent it’s not as large as the one in SC! There were multiple stands overflowing with MAC products. There were bins of 2008 Holiday brush sets & 2008 Holiday Lipglass sets! BINS! Each shelf was overflowing with glorious goodies. They had every single MAC brush from their permanent line! They had MULTIPLES of brushes. I was extremely lucky to buy the last 109 brush from my local CCO! I’m not gonna lie. I went crazy. I won’t bore you with everything I bought but I want to highlight how much I saved by making this trip to the CCO. These are the brushes I bought on the trip.
MAC 168: Large Angled Contour brush. This brush can be used to contour the cheek area, nose & temples. It has extremely soft with firmly bundled fibers.
MAC Store price: $32.00
CCO price: $22.50
Savings: $ 9.50
MAC 150: Large Powder Brush
This brush is full & dense for dusting loose or pressed powder on face/body. The full, rounded shaped fibers is perfect for blush application.
MAC Store price: $42.00
CCO price: $29.50
Savings: $12.50
MAC 134: Large Powder Brush
This is an extra large paddle brush. It has soft natural fibers which is great for powder application to the face/body.
MAC store price: $52.00
CCO price: $36.50
Savings: $15.50

Grand total instant savings: $37.50! Cha ching! Need I say more?

In and Out number 2

2009-09-03T13:13:00.002-04:00

September 3, 2009

IN

· Road trips! The husband and I were able to take a few days off from work and go take a mini break to celebrate his birthday. We went to Myrtle Beach, SC which has 100+ golf courses. We stayed at a lovely hotel on the beach. We played golf, laid on the beach and sunned by the pool. We played 4 different putt putt courses and we're putt putt pro's now. The weather was perfect for playing golf!

· LUSH bubble bars. I’ve used LUSH Bath Bombs before but Bubble Bars have become my #1 favorite when I draw a bath. They smell decadent, extremely moisturizing & they create tons of bubbles! After about 30 min the bubbles begin to die down but I turn on the jets & the bubbles reappear and begin to overflow over the side lol.

· Urban Decay lipstick in Naked. It’s the perfect pink/nude color. Naked is the perfect MLBB color (my lips but better). It’s creamy & doesn’t dry out my lips. It has vitamins A, C, & E & it smells like caramel. Yum!

· Candles by Victoria: I have always been addicted to LUSH handmade soaps and I’ve been bummed they don’t have any of the solid perfumes in my favorite soap scents. The only scent I love in their perfume line is Honey I Washed the Kids. Then I found out Candles by Victoria has candle scents that are exact LUSH dupes! Now I don’t have to keep buying the soaps just to sniff them and I can take the candles to work to make my office smell heavenly!

· Zoya nail polish: they are Formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate & camphor free. They are listed as safe nail polishes for ladies who are pregnant. I’m not pregnant yet but I’m stocking up on the safe stuff. They dry fast, are long lasting and I only need 2 coats!

OUT

· Are you stressed & always on the go? I’m not! I’m relaxed and taking it sleazy. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off is out out out!

Bare Escentuals Natural Sunscreen Review

2009-09-01T18:37:00.005-04:00

September 1, 2009
Hello lovelies! I’m writing this review from Myrtle Beach, SC. My husband and I came down here for a few days to play golf and relax on the beach for his birthday. I’ve been using Bare Escentuals SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen every day so far on our trip. I cannot write enough good things about this product. It is a mineral powder sunscreen that is super easy to apply. I love how I can apply this to my face and body with ease and it doesn’t spill all over my luggage! All you have to do is take the cap off the top then spin the bottom of the tube and a brush pops up. Lock the brush into place and swirl/blend onto your skin. It comes in 3 different shades: light, medium, & tan skin tone. I use the medium skin tone shade. It doesn’t clog your pores or cause breakouts. It protects against UVA/UVB rays and it has Aloe Vera extract & antioxidants. Another reason why I love this product is it’s all natural. It doesn’t have parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dye, preservatives, petro-chemicals & it’s oil free. Since it comes in a powder form your face is matte & not shiny whereas if you use a lotion sunscreen you’re left with a shiny face. I love love love this product and I wish I wrote this review at the beginning of summer instead of the week before Labor Day lol. Go to your local Sephora and buy this. Seriously, go now! It’s awesome and I give this product 5 stars.
Hope you lovelies are having a great week!

My makeup collection!

2009-08-23T17:46:00.012-04:00

Sunday, August 23, 2009
Initiation Ceremony/reality check/collection post?
I had trouble deciding what the title of this post should be. It’s basically an assemblage of all three I suppose. I read/heard somewhere that a collection post is the rite of passage for every makeup ~~junkie~~ guru. I however was reluctant to do a collection post because it would further cement my pathological addiction to collecting essentially 489108732658113 different of shades of pink. Seriously, how many shades of pink lipstick does a girl need?
I don’t like to call myself a makeup junkie. Junkie has such a negative connotation. I like to think of myself as an enthusiast, a makeup visionary or fanatic. It sounds better right? Call me any of those things but junkie I am not.
Bottom line: this post had a lot of psychological effects on me. It forced me to count everything in my collection and publicly admit to how ~~bad~~ awesome it is. I am proud of my collection.

Lipstick drawer (the heaviest of the lot)

32 MAC lipsticks, 3 Yves Saint Laurent, 1 NARS, 4 Urban Decay, 7 NYX, 13 other random brands

MAC palettes

39 lipglosses

3 MAC palettes

2 Make Up For Ever palettes

NARS

Urban Decay, Stila, Cargo palettes

Blush drawer!

MAC blushes

NARS, Chanel, Lancome blushes/bronzer

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, MAC bronzers, MAC beauty powders & MAC Sculpt & Shape

Clinique has its own drawer

Random eye shadow pots: MUFE, MAC, NYX, Stila, H.I.P., Urban Decay

eyeliners, NYX Jumbo Pencils, MAC Shadesticks, lip pencils

MAC pigments, MAC Solar Bits, MAC Paint Pots, UDPP, cream liners

Make-up Art Cosmetics Collection

2009-08-20T21:48:00.007-04:00

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009
Today the Make-up Art Cosmetics Collection launched in the US. I showed a little self control and I only bought 3 items! :throws confetti: I had a bunch of B2M pots so I was able to get 2 additional lipsticks from the collection.

L to R: Front Lit, High Strung, Full Body

Front Lit is a light white yellow frost.

High Strung is a deep pink silver frost.

Full Body is a deep red plum lustre.

I normally only stick to nudes & pinks but dark vampy lips will be the fall trend so I've been venturing out of my comfort zone and experimenting with berry stains & darker lipsticks. Surprisingly, I don't hate it.

I picked up two Technakohl Liners in Artistic License (bright turquoise blue) and Colour Matters (bright lime).

I'm loving my new thigh-high boots. Over the knee boots are totally in this fall. I can't wait for it to get cold out so I can rock these with grey leggings & a black off the shoulder top. Hawtness. Also, in the pic I'm wearing Full Body on my lips.

Are you planning on hauling anything from the collection?

xoxo

Back 2 MAC!

2009-08-19T21:41:00.011-04:00

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
MAC has an amazing recycling program called Back 2 MAC (B2M). Basically if you return 6 MAC packaging containers to a MAC store you will receive a free lipstick/eyeshadow/lipglass of your choice! If you return them to a MAC counter you will receive a free lipstick. I wish there were more cosmetic brands that did something like this. It's great for the environment & great on your pocketbook. :)

Two weekends ago I bought an empty palette so I could depot 15 eyeshadows. I recruited my husband to do a demonstration on depotting so I could take the pictures. ;)
Here's a little how-to on how to depot MAC shadows.
Warning: this post is very pic heavy!

You will need the following:
MAC eyeshadows
Isopropyl Alcohol
a small dish for the alcohol
wire cutters
a small knife (if you are under 18 please only do this with adult supervision)
magnetic strips with adhesive backing (you can find this at any craft store)
an empty MAC eyeshadow palette
round adhesive labels
paper towels
First you will place your knife in the lip on the side of the eyeshadow case shown above. Twist your knife around and it should pop right out.

This is what it will look like after you've popped it out of the packaging.

Next with your wire cutters cut into the black plastic on one side of the lip. Then make another cut a few inches away from the first cut.

Next hold that piece of plastic (in between the two incisions you made) with your wire cutters and pry the plastic piece back to expose the metal eyeshadow pan.

Dip your knife into the alcohol and slide the tip of your knife in between the metal pan & the black plastic packaging.

Let the alcohol drip in between the metal pan & plastic. Just a few drops of alcohol will dissolve the glue that holds them together.

Wait a few seconds for the alcohol to dissolve the glue then slide your knife under the metal pan. Jiggle your knife around until you can pry the metal pan out. You can use a paper towel dipped in a little bit of alcohol to clean off the glue residue from the backside of the metal pan. Cut a small piece of adhesive magnet & stick the adhesive side to the metal pan. You can use the round labels to print the name of the eyeshadow then stick the label to the magnet. Now you're ready to place your eyeshadows into your empty palette!

These are the empty pots I will be taking to the MAC counter in exchange for my free lippies! :)

I didn't have any round labels on hand so I printed the names and stuck them to the lid of the palette. Eventually I'll get around to buying round labels.

I hope you enjoyed this quick how-to depot demo! Happy hump day everyone! The weekend is almost here! *.~

ETA: there are a few freestanding MAC stores that do not accept the eyeshadow packaging without the metal pan. I suggest checking with your local MAC store/counter before you try to B2M. My local MAC counter at Macy's does accept the eyeshadow pots without the metal pan. Yay! :)

Updated! Fill up your cart at Sephora & score a free palette!

2009-08-13T10:27:00.003-04:00

This morning I saw this post on Sephora's Blog and I had to share this with you lovelies. It's a promo for Make Up For Ever. If you purchase 3 of their eyeshadows, diamond eyeshadows or blushes you will get a MUFE refillable 10-pan palette! This is seriously an awesome deal because the palette itself is $20. The eyeshadows & blushes are really easy to pop out of the packaging so you can add them to your palettes. I will definitely be taking advantage of this promo.

Happy shopping, loves! xoxo

Aug. 14

ETA: A reader informed me that this promo blogpost on Sephora's blog is no longer there. I'm not sure how long this promo will be in effect since it doesn't mention in the ad above however I used the code yesterday and it worked. I hope you get the chance to take advange of it! :cross fingers:

My Life According to No Doubt

2009-08-12T11:58:00.015-04:00

I had so much fun doing this tag on Facebook that I decided to do it here on my blog except this time I did it with No Doubt. The post on Facebook had Tori Amos songs. I'm tagging everyone so if you post this in your blog please include your link in the comments below because I enjoy reading everyone's answers! :) Just copy and paste everything below and change my answers to yours.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 20 people including me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "My Life According to ____________" If I tag you, it's because I am intrigued by your taste in music or because I know that you have plenty of free time to fill these out, or because you tagged me :)

Pick Your Artist: No Doubt
Are you a male or female? Just a Girl
Describe yourself: In My Head
How do you feel: Hella Good
Describe where you currently live: Greener Pastures
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Home Now
Your favorite form of transportation: Sailin' On
Your best friend is: A Little Something Refreshing
Your favorite color is: Blue in the Face
What's the weather like: Paradise (unreleased)
Favorite time of day: Sunday Morning
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Beauty Contest
What is life to you: Simple Kind of Life
Your current relationship: A Real Love Survives
Looking for: Big Distraction
Wouldn't mind: Leftovers
Your fear: Snakes
What is the best advice you have to give: Magic's in the Makeup :) :)
If you could change your name, you would change it to: Paulina
Thought for the Day: You Can Do It
How/when I would like to die: Too Late
My motto: That's Just Me

Lust list

2009-08-06T15:01:00.008-04:00

What a day! Twitter was down this morning for about 4 hours which means I would've been better off staying in bed all day since nothing else matters jk jk *.~
After reading emails, looking at friend's pictures on Facebook & refreshing Twitter a hundred times I was finally able to catch up on blogger. Every time I read posts from the beauty bloggers I follow I have a post-it note as long as my forearm of things I lust after.

Here are a few items on my lust list.

A new digicam. I'm not sure which model I want yet. I'll need to do more research but I think I'd like something in the Nikon Coolpix range. 12.0+ mpx is preferred. (my strong argument point for the hubz will be "I need a good digicam to pick up all the adorable moments our future kids have as babies!")

Japanese cosmetics: Shiseido Majolica Majorca, Lunasol by Kanebo & Shu Uemura are the three brands I'm lusting to try. Their products look so fab. x3

A subscription to Japanese fashion magazines. The magazines I'm interested in are harajuku, kawaii, & manga type fashion mags. The fashion world in Japan is completely different and I love flipping through pictures for inspiration. Here are a few magazine scans from Eki's blog. Check it out. She's so cute!

So what are you pining after?

Click on the pics to make them bigger. xoxo!

Birthday look

2009-08-05T22:59:00.009-04:00

Hello beauties! I've decided to do a birthday look inspired by August's birthstone Peridot. Most of the products I used are by Make Up For Ever. MUFE's shadows are highly pigmented and are super easy to blend.

First I primed my lid with NYX's Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk. I applied a thin layer with my ring finger to my lid up to the crease.
Next I took my MAC 242 eyeshadow brush and loaded it with MUFE 304 Diamond Lime.

I applied Diamond Lime to the tearduct and 1/3 of the inner corner.

Next I used MUFE 93 Irish Green

I applied Irish Green to the middle section of my lid. Blend the Irish Green & Diamond Lime together so there aren't any harsh lines. Leave the outer 1/3 of the lid bare.

Then I used the other side of my 242 brush to grab MUFE 168 Iridescent Lagoon Green

I applied this darker shimmery green to the outer 1/3 of my lid and into the crease. Don't forget to blend people!

Blend the darker green into the crease

With a pencil brush (MAC 219) I used MUFE 167 Iridescent True Blue to darken the crease. I also used this blue on the lower lash line.

Next with a fluffy brush I used MAC's Vanilla for highlight.

Apply eyeliner to upper/lower lash lines, add mascara and you're done!

What kind of eye looks would you like to see? If you have any requests please leave them in the comments below. :) Ciao for now lovelies!

xoxo,

Love That Look Tutorial

2009-07-29T22:04:00.009-04:00

Hello lovelies!
Today's EOTD is using all e/s from MAC's Love That Look collection that released last Thursday. I am so impressed with the formulation of these eyeshadows! They are super silky, smooth & creamy! They are rich in color and have a pearl/frosty finish. These limited edition eyeshadows should be permanent! (you hear me MAC?!)
The brushes you see in the photos below are all MAC. The only non-MAC brush I used for this look was the pencil brush by POSH (you can find these at Bed Bath & Beyond).

First prime your lid with a cream base. I used MAC's Soft Ochre Paint Pot.

It should look like this

Next I loaded up a 239 brush with Glamour Check!

Apply Glamour Check all over the lid.

With a 222 brush take Style Snob

apply Style Snob to the crease and work back & forth using a windsheild wiping motion.

Blend, blend, blend!!

Next take Grand Entrance with a fluffy brush (I used 224)

and apply Grand Entrance to your browbone as a highlight.

With a pencil brush I used Style Snob under my lower lash line.

Apply black eyeliner to your upper & lower lash lines, curl your eyelashes, apply mascara et voila!

xoxo, J

Make Up For Ever

2009-07-24T12:19:00.004-04:00

I'm so pleased to announce Sephora is now carrying Make Up For Ever empty 10-pan palettes! In the past if an addict wanted to get a hold of this treasure they had to call the MUFE boutique to order it. I called my local Sephora at Tysons last month to inquire if they sold MUFE palette's and they didn't. They're not as knowledgeable either. I called Sephora two days ago to find out if they were going to carry Illamasque (since they recently started selling them in stores at the Times Square NYC location) but they didn't even know what Illamasque was! :shockhorror:

Sephora isn't selling the individual refill pans yet however all of their eyeshadow pans pop out of their case. :)

I'm so excited. I smell a haul.

11 favorite MAC lippies

2009-07-23T22:04:00.004-04:00

The tag that is going around is to list your 10 favorite lipsticks however I don't follow rules well and I picked 11. My bad. *.~
My favorite lipsticks are essentially variations of the same color but each one is slightly different in tone or texture. My favorite look is obviously a pink matte nude. The only lipstick in this bunch that stands out from the rest is smack dab in the middle. It is Saint Germain and it is a bright opaque Barbie bubblegum pink. It is love.
This list is in no particular order because I love them all equally. The majority of these are permanent colors and I believe only 3 are limited edition. (I'll note which ones are LE in the list)

From L-R we have:

Myth, Blankety, Pretty Please, Pink Plaid, Hue, Saint Germain (LE), 3N (LE), Snob, Creme D' Nude, Creme Cup, Colour Crafted (LE)

I'll post another list of my favorite drugstore/non-MAC brand lipsticks soon. Stay tuned! xoxo with flash w/o flash

Tequila Sunrise EOTD

2009-07-22T21:53:00.008-04:00

Hello lovelies! Today I decided to do a vibrant look using minerals I bought from an Etsy shop called Calypso Mineral Beauty
These minerals are highly pigmented & blend easily! I ordered the rainbow stack that has 13 colors & I received 4 free samples along with my order.
Without further ado here is the look I came up with. I couldn't figure out what to call it. I was toying with the idea of golden sunset, rising phoenix from the flame lol or hail to the redskins. Brian named the look Tequila Sunrise & I think that was quite lovely. *.~
I used the colors: Bandana, Tango, Mango, Lolita & Velvet.
xoxo,
J

Happy Birthday indeed!

2009-07-21T13:20:00.003-04:00

On Friday the hubs took me to Neiman Marcus and got me the Speedy 30 for my birthday! This pic is me & ms. speedy at my brother's house. Giggity giggity!

ps. sorry for the bad pic, it was taken with hubs' blackberry.

NARS haul

2009-07-20T20:41:00.009-04:00

My NARS package came today!
I am so excited to share swatches with you because I ordered two items from the Fall 2009 Collection. Those two are Indian Summer eyeshadow duo & Mekong. Mekong is love!
I wanted to order Taiga but it's not available online yet. :( Also, sorry about the swatches, my hands are super wrinkly in these pics :-P If you get a chance to swatch these at Sephora or your local NARS counter you'll be able to see the shimmer in Mekong and it is absolutely gorgeous! It's very subtle and won't make you look like a disco ball I promise!

I know, you must be thinking I have a bad shopping addiction. I'm going to take an inventory of all the makeup I have and it will put me in check no doubt. Stay tuned, I'll post about the inventory soon.

xoxo!
J

Mekong - espresso infused with gold

Galapagos - bitter chocolate infused with gold

Night Breed - black with silver glitter

Indian Summer - frosted champagne & mustard seed

Rated R - chartreuse green & cobalt blue (both shimmer)

Laguna bronzer - brown with golden shimmer (Not sure what happened to this pic but it must've been the flash. It's much darker IRL)

L to R: Indian Summer, Rated R

L to R: Night Breed, Mekong, Galapagos, Laguna bronzer

Hisuri NOTD

2009-07-20T20:25:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend hubz & I went to Lotte which is an Asian supermarket. In addition to being a giant grocery store there are little specialty shops along the walls of the store. I headed straight for the cosmetic store called Cinderella. :) Most of the cosmetics in this store are Korean and I've never tried any but I've read a few positive reviews on the brands they carry. I finally found the neon yellow I've been wanting! These were $3.99 each and I had to use 3 coats for the yellow. I only needed 2 coats for the pink because it's fairly opaque. Please excuse the sloppy manicure. I was in a rush!
Have you tried any Korean makeup brands? What do you like about them?

Monica Wants It Contest!

2009-07-17T09:04:00.006-04:00

Today I'm going to share the love. I'm super excited to announce my friend Monica is having her first give away on her blog! Monica is super crafty & loves to write about her DIY craft projects & home decor. I encourage all of you to check it out and subscribe to her blog.
The prize is a 16x20 canvas poster of your favorite summer photo. How flippin sweet is that?!

So go now and enter here Monica's Blog!

I'm turning a speedy 30

2009-07-16T18:52:00.006-04:00

I'm getting old. I'm turning 29 in August and this makes me sad. I'm loving my 20's! I'm not ready yet! I decided to draw up a wishlist of items I would like to receive for my birthday. It sounds completely selfish and it is but this would truly make me a happy woman who will be one year away from turning 30! Here is a photo of Audrey Hepburn sporting a Louis Vuitton Speedy 30.
Ok scratch that, I only have one item on my wish list and I truly believe this item will make me look younger than 29. ;) This is the Speedy 30 from the Damier collection in Azur. I might want the Speedy 25 since the 30 might be too big for me but it's only a difference of $40. I'll just have to take a trip to Neiman Marcus to see which size suits me better. I prefer the pattern of the Damier collection rather than the classic LV design because it's not so in-your-face look at my Louis. Yup, so this is all I want for my birthday. This and a few cupcakes from Cupcakes Actually (my favorite store ever). It's beautiful, no?

Studded handbags

2009-07-16T18:24:00.004-04:00

Here is Mary-Kate Olsen (lookin' like she crawled out of a dumpster again) rockin the beloved Alexander Wang Coco Duffel. {le sigh} It's beautiful. It's not completely out of my price range :rolls eyes: however it is sold out on every online shop. (This highly sought after handbag retails for $850!)

An alternative would be this gorgeous piece right here. I present to you the Studded Satchel by Tory Burch for a mere $595. :) I love it however I will not be hauling it anytime soon.

I did manage to find this beauty and the price didn't look too bad either! Behold, the Shawna handbag from Bakers. I purchased this for $69.95 and to my dismay I looked at the website today and it's on sale for $49.99. Don't you hate when that happens?! I haven't even used this purse yet! Regardless I'm still happy I hauled it and I just wanted to share that with my lovely readers. :)

xoxo,

NOTD

2009-07-12T08:59:00.005-04:00

Good morning lovelies! Yesterday I found some time to do my nails and as I was digging through my box of varnishes I stumbled upon this gem: Pink Voltage by China Glaze. It's a the most vibrant shade of fluoro pink with a subtle hint of shimmer. It's gorgeous. I have the whole Knockout Neons collection and I'm a bit sad they don't feature a neon yellow. That is the only color I don't have! Needless to say that was added to my list to keep an eye out for the next time I'm out shopping. The light pink at the very end of the collection is my favorite shade of all. It's the brightest pink I've ever seen. I'll be sure to post photos next time I do my nails with this lovely color.
How about you? Have you seen any beautiful neon yellows out there? Please let me know in the comments below what brand I should look for and where. I heard Sally Hensen recently came out with an HD neon line and they look beautiful. Are they out in the stores yet? Have you seen them?

Colour Craft Haul

2009-07-09T21:51:00.012-04:00

The photos above are the Colour Craft photoshoot & behind the scene pictures from MAC Cosmetics Facebook fan page. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/MACcosmetics?v=wall&viewas=687262059

So let me start off by saying I have been so excited for this collection to hit the stores. I've been reading about it for months and I set aside money specifically for this LE collection. I didn't even buy everything on my list!

Below are product photos and a few swatches of the eyeshadow quads. I did pick up the 226 small tapered blending brush but I didn't take a pic of it.

On top of Colour Crafting today Big Brother 11 premiered tonight and it was so good. I had my popcorn popped and I was just waiting for the fireworks to begin. I admit I'm not too happy about Jesse winning HOH. I was hoping Jessica would come back!

One more day 'til the weekend!

Have a good night my lovelies!

xoxo,

ps. click on the photos to make them larger

Odd Bits Mineralize Eye Shadow quad

Girlish Romp Mineralize Eye Shadow quad

Fashion Patch Mineralize Eye Shadow quad

Triple Fushion Mineralize Skinfinish Trio

Smooth Merge Mineralize Skin Finish Trio

Porcelain Pink Mineralize Skinfinish

Daft Pink Mineralize Blush

Odd Bits quad

Girlish Romp quad

Fashion Patch quad

Forever haulin

2009-07-08T21:12:00.009-04:00

My package from Forever 21 arrived today! I bought two maxi dresses, two short strapless floral dresses ($12), a Hello Kitty tee & chandelier earrings. I love maxi dresses however I'm only 5'0" so I don't buy too many. These maxi dresses were $22 each and if I choose to get them hemmed I'll have to pay half of what the dress cost just to get them hemmed. I think I'll just shop for new comfortable wedges that'll add on 3-4". OR I could just learn how to hem them myself since every singe pair of pants I buy needs a trip to the taylor. Meh. I'll just buy the wedges :D
Click on the pics to make them bigger. :)
Hope you have a good rest of the week! Friday's almost here!

Monday Poll

2009-07-06T12:52:00.005-04:00

Today's poll is from Karen's fabulous beauty blog. http://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/

Mood: Energetic. I just finished my lunch and food always gives me more energy!

What’s your favorite type of music? Top 40 I love all types of music but since I have to pick just one type it'd be the mainstream top 40 songs you hear on the radio.

Do you like to match your toe and finger nail polishes? I always wear colors that complement each other.

What do you like to do on your days off? I love hanging out with my huz whether it be at home with the dogs or at a golf course for a quick round of 9 holes.

Eyes/lips/cheeks: Eyes: Infatuating Rose 2008 Holiday Palette cool eyes, lips: MAC Pink Plaid, cheeks: MAC Grand Duo Love Rock

Dudes who wear eyeliner: hawt or not? While I don't find myself attracted to men who wear as much makeup as I do I can appreciate their love for eyeliner. Does that make sense at all? Basically I don't think there's anything wrong with dudes who wear makeup. Who doesn't love makeup?

Are you a planner or a spontaneous kinda girl? Both I don't mind when friends drop by just to hang out or say hi. I enjoy low key vacations where we can relax and do whatever comes to mind. On the other hand I do like to plan out my day and stay organized otherwise nothing will ever get done. I make tons of lists on my blackberry of things to do/buy.

Do you have any phobias? I'm so afraid of spiders. They give me the creeps and I don't even have the nerve to kill them myself. I can just imagine their disgusting bodies being squished under my foot and it gives me goosebumps. I get disgusted by all 8 of their legs moving simultaneously at once. Blech.

Outfit: Black slacks, black peeptoe slingback pumps, purple top from Hennes & Mauritz.

Weekly goals: I need to finish reading Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey before Thursday. Thursday is the premiere of the time consuming, greatest reality show ever, Big Brother 11. This means in addition to 3 one-hour long episodes on prime-time TV per week, there will be 3 hours of Big Brother After Dark every day from midnight to 3 AM. I love summer time. ^.^

88 palette EOTD

2009-07-04T19:43:00.010-04:00

Today I decided to create a look only using e/s from my Coastal Scents 88 Color palette since it rarely gets any love from me. This is a really affordable alternative for makeup if you don't want to shell out on the high end products. This palette comes with 88 matte (some with a subtle shimmer) colors for around $20.00. They are all pigmented and easy to blend. They sell shimmer palette's, blush palettes, neutral palettes, brushes etc. This was a really fun look to do since I never play with yellows. Enjoy!
Since the colors in the palette don't have names I numbered the colors I used. I love how the yellow and the pink blended together created a peach in the middle.
1. all over lid and lower lash line
2. inner corner of the lid close to the tearduct
3. outer v and into crease
4. define crease color
5. brow highlight
For my lips I used MAC's Speed Dial with Baby Sparks Dazzleglass

For the cheeks I used NARS Deep Throat (LOVE!) & NARS Albatross as highlight.

My OOTD!

In and Out number 1

2009-07-03T22:29:00.005-04:00

I'm totally jumping on the In & Out bandwagon since I enjoy reading everyone else's posts. I may make this a monthly update or maybe even a weekly post since the things I love change day to day.

In's:

1. Being a newlywed is so in! This won't ever end for me since I'll always be in love with huz and have that newlywed feeling so the newlywed status will stick with me for good.

2. Brave New Bronze from the Style Warriors collection with Smile Dazzleglass layered on top is an amazing lip combo. I've been reaching for it daily for the whole week. It's the perfect nude. Call it the "my lips but better" color.

3. Late night jam sessions on Guitar Hero: World Tour. DH and I can't get enough of this and I can almost play The Joker by Steve Miller on medium w/o missing a note. I know, I'm such a dork.

4. The Patch! This is my anti-bitch remedy. I forgot to wear my patch one day this week and during my commute to work I had insta-roadrage every five minutes. I have an hour long commute to drive 19 miles. It was very intense.

5. Whole Foods. We try to get our groceries from Whole Foods as much as possible but since it's not as close to us as other markets it's just not happening. Everyday this week my breakfast & lunch has consisted of cereal & sandwiches from Whole Foods. Everything is organic and doesn't contain artificial anything, no trans fats, no short cuts — just food in its purest state, unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives. I honestly feel a difference. I feel great!

6. MAC's Eversun blush from Style Warriors. It brings the perfect warmth to my cheeks.

7. My pink Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer. I love baking cupcakes from scratch with this baby. It freaking rocks.

Out's:

1. Marlboro Menthol Lights. I haven't had a cigarette in 9 days! This is my third time trying to quit and it's going really well so far. And no, I'm not pregnant! Everyone keeps asking me if that's why I quit.

2. Neon nailpolish. NFT

3. My new name. It's not that I don't love my married name, I do! But I'm still getting acclimated to it. Everytime I hear Mrs.xoxo I think of his mother. The other day at work I introduced myself as Mrs. maiden name. I'll get there eventually.

Hope everyone has a lovely 4th of July! Be safe!

Mutiny EOTD

2009-07-03T17:57:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pics of the look I did today. I used all MAC products.
Mutiny pigment
Carbon
Vanilla
Gesso

Mario Badescu Haul

2009-07-01T17:31:00.012-04:00

My Mario Badescu order arrived today! I'm so excited to try these products out tonight. I first heard of MB through Risa who is known as MakeupbyRisa on YT. Currently I am using drugstore products for my cleansing routine. When we came back from our honeymoon I started getting horrible cystic pimples on my left cheek. It was the weirdest thing b/c I only broke out on the left side of my face all the way from my chin to my forehead. I figured it might have been from when I was laying out on the beach and I laid down on my towel that had all the sand & beach grime on it. It took weeks to clear up so that's where my search for a new skin care line became my obsession.

Here is what I bought:

6oz. Acne Facial Cleanser $15.00

This contains Salicylic Acid, Aloe Vera & Chamomile to help heal & prevent acne.

8oz. Special Cleansing Lotion C $15.00

This is oil controlling with sulfur. It will help dry up any existing spots and give my skin a deep clean.

2oz. Special Mask for Oily Skin $18.00
This is a clay mask with Calamine for oily skin.
2oz. Drying Mask $18.00
Colloidal sulfur based mask for oily skin. Great for acne!

0.5oz. Healing Cream $15.00

I'm really excited to use this lovely product because it is advertised to prevent scars & will speed up the healing process. It is a sulfur based cream and it just sounds like the perfect product made specifically for me. :)

0.15oz. Lip Wax SPF 15 $7.00

This has vitamin E, Rose Hips, Palm Oil and SPF15. It smells yummy, goes on very smooth and feels super moisturizing on my lips.

And finally with my order I was able to choose three trial products for free. I chose the Glycolic Foaming Cleanser, Glycolic Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion & Seaweed Night Cream. The Seaweed Night Cream smells absolutely lovely and the trial size includes a generous amount. I'm very excited to try all of these products and hopefully see results very soon. ^.^

Style Warriors EOTD

2009-07-01T13:39:00.011-04:00

Today's EOTD was minimal and neutral since I went to work for a half day. I mainly used a lot of products from MAC's Style Warriors collection released in the Spring. Enjoy!
Products used:
Bare Study paint pot
Tempting - all over lid
Night Manoeuvres - crease
Soft Force - inner tearduct
Vanilla - highlight
Amberlights - bottom lash line
Eversun blush
Lips: Blankety + Smile Dazzleglass
:)

CCO Haul

2009-06-30T20:21:00.008-04:00

Over the weekend DH (darling husband) and I went to the outlets in Leesburg and I was able to pick up a few goodies from the CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet)!

They still had a few MAC 2008 Holiday palettes so I bought Intriguing Scarlet: Warm Eyes and Infatuating Rose: Cool Eyes.

They didn't have a huge selection of Paint Pots but I didn't have a blue cream base in my collection so I picked up Rollickin' Paint Pot.

I also bought a backup of Pleasureseeker from the Neo Sci Fi Collection and a Tinted Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 in Strobe Kiss. I'm really diggin the Tinted Lip Conditioner because it's a little sheer with a pink tint & it's extremely moisturizing. I might have to pick up a backup when I go back. :)

I perused the pigment section and Reflects Very Pink & Reflects Duo Purple caught my eye. The colors are so bright and shimmery and I couldn't wait to do a look with them. When I got home and swatched them they were very sheer and not pigmented at all! I think I might have to layer them on top of an eyeshadow because they are so sheer. :( I was really disappointed with these two products. If anyone has any tips for these two please let me know.

Well, that's all for now!

xoxo,

Jennifer

Purple EOTD

2009-06-30T20:12:00.008-04:00

For this EOTD I used the following products:

Stila Pon Pon Gerbera eyeshadow trio (the dark pink e/s) all over lid

MAC Stars 'N' Rockets - crease

MAC Carbon - outer v

MAC Vanilla - brow highlight

Almay Intense i-color in Purple Amethyst - lower lash line

L'oreal HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in black

Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express in Glam Black

Intro

2009-06-30T18:59:00.006-04:00

Hello lovlies!

So I've decided to start a blog. It will mainly contain posts about beauty & fashion however I might throw in a few craft & wedding related posts. I love reading about other beauty blogger's hauls & reviews so I decided to take a stab at it myself. Other than hauls & reviews I'll also include posts with EOTDs (eye of the day), FOTD (face of the day) & NOTD (nail of the day).

So I hope you enjoy this and thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Jennifer