Thursday, July 28, 2011

Today....

Nothing says I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired like throwing on some cheery perfume and bright eyed shadow! If I have to feel like butt, I can at least trick myself into pretending otherwise!

Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara is a bit of a misnomer, I wouldn't say it actually doubles the lashes (go to Lancome Hypnose for that) but it does a wonderful job of lengthening and separating. It's a perfect mascara for daytime use when you want your lashes to have some flash but don't need nighttime Kim Kardashian action. It gives some curl and is marvelous at catching even the tiniest, featheriest lashes with it's tapered brush. If you use mascara on your lower lashes like I do, it makes them look perfect- a pretty framing fringe without making them look all fake and creepy and spidery. It stays in place even though it's not waterproof; in the Texas heat I need that since a trip from your car to the front door causes a mask of sweat to cover your face. A good, affordable daytime use mascara. Available at Sephora, Free Caudalie Vinoperfect moisturizer with any $25 or more order ($23 value). Enter VINOSPF at checkout.

Coty Celebrate! perfume is a floral, but instead of being sweet, it's a sharp floral, if that makes sense. I suppose you'd say a sweet citrus. It's a very clean scent, very summery. It smells like how I feel after a cool shower on a hot day. I like to spray it into the air around me and let the mist fall over me as opposed to spraying it directly on the skin, or I spray it onto my clothes before I hang them in the bathroom to steam out wrinkles. Available at FragranceX.com, FREE Shipping

Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion is not for those with chapped lips. It can be a bit drying if you already have a problem, no doubt about it. It works by providing your lips with a smooth dry surface to apply your lipstick to, causing the lipstick to adhere more readily to your lips. It works best if you exfoliate your lips regularly (with an actual exfoliating scrub or even by using your toothbrush) so it has a nice smooth surface to cling to. If chapped lips aren't your condition, then Prime away! I have a massive blabbermouth, so it seems like my lipstick comes off from the sheer force of the air propulsing offa my lips, but when I use this I find my lipstick rocking steady all day long. I've read reviews where people whined about what an awful lip balm it is. HELLO! It's a primer. Caveat emptor: if you use this, you'll have difficulties applying a liner- which is pointless anyway if you're using a primer. Duh. I like to use it with lip glosses, because it gives them the staying power of a lipstick while letting you still have a sheer, natural colored lip. Bonus! It has an SPF 15 to keep you from getting wrinkly old scabby lips! YAY! Also available at Sephora, with Free Caudalie Vinoperfect moisturizer with any $25 or more order ($23 value). Enter VINOSPF at checkout.

pop Beauty Lid Neon is one of my favorite sets ever! I can be in the mood to kick puppies and then I put on these colors and suddenly I'm breaking out into song! Just like the nail polish I raved about a few days ago, the colors are 100% true. Wild, crazy, psychedelic true! And while you may be asking, "what's that burnt orange doing with all those bright colors?" It works as the perfect foil to every single other color in the set, and can even be used as your main color with the others used for tiny bits of color highlight if you're afraid. Not for the meek- these are bold and brazen and scream LOOK AT ME! pop Beauty- I love you.
p.s.- normally enclosed sponge applicators bite, but I actually like this one. The tips have a point, making them perfect for doing fine, defining work. These are for doing eye art. Available at Ulta
FREE Shipping on orders all orders of $25 or more with coupon code 55061. Now through Saturday.

L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base "You take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and there you have the facts of life- the facts of life..." Pro: you can now buy primer at the chain stores. Con: not nearly as good as brands like Laura Gellar, Smashbox or Urban Decay. It works well for the first bit of the day, but I noticed that it was not up to my standard 12 hour blow and go. When you first apply it, it does give a lovely airbrushed effect, but it feels a bit heavy and doesn't apply as smoothly as some of the other potions on the market. I'd rather use this than nothing, as I have large pores, but it won't ever be my go-to. If you don't want to shell out for the pricier brands, I say give it a shot as it works decently well just not like some of my more beloveds. I have tough standards. Oh- and it's in a jar with no scoop so it gets under your fingernails. Ick. I'd use something to get it out to avoid contamination if I were you.

e.l.f. Mineral Booster proves that I am not a price tag queen. $5 for a big ass jar! That's right- FIVE DOLLARS. If you are super crazy pale like me, the sheer is not as sheer as I'd like, it has just enough of an pinkish tone that it'd be perfect on those with a bit of color to their face but I have to be careful with it. I just use a tiny light dusting to set my makeup (which it does perfectly), but super pale needs to go for the Shimmer shade, or if you have redness go for the corrective yellow. It's vitamin infused so it feels extremely luxe and soft on the skin and it really evens out your skin texture. It's really long lasting without being drying and absorbs excess oil wonderfully.
It applies beautifully with another great e.l.f. product- their Complexion Brush #91201. This antimicrobial Taklon brush is crazy soft and applies powders evenly and smoothly. It holds onto your powder so that it doesn't fall all over the place, and it gets into all of your cracks and crevices. The bristles don't shed either! And it's only THREE DOLLARS! Just as good (if not better) than some of my expensive fancy pants brushes. (ahem, bare minerals...) AND they're vegan friendly!

e.l.f. Mineral Lip Gloss in Au Naturele completes my e.l.f. triad for today ;-) It's quite neutral but slightly glittery, so I don't feel like I'm wasting my time and could have just worn lip balm. It's got shine without feeling overly gloppy or sticky and has great staying power. It's never going to give MAC a run for their money, but it's also not going to give my WALLET a run for it's money! Another $3.00 bargain! " Infused with Coconut Oil and key vitamins A & E to protect and moisturize your lips. All our mineral makeup is 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes" As seen in Glamour magazine's article, 6 Things Every Woman Needs In Her Makeup Bag! (they called this shade "a go anywhere, nude lipgloss") 
And right now, they're having a huge birthday sale with special pricing, shipping deals, contests and more!

Birthday Palette!



Okay, enough with the e.l.f. already! I just used up the last of my Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Sun Damage Eye Cream SPF 15 today, and I must admit I'll be a bit sad.
After a month of use, my verdict is that it didn't clog my pores, absorbed quickly, felt rich but not greasy, and gave me the peace of mind of SPF. Why oh why do more eye creams not have SPF? Isn't that one of the most ravaged parts of our face? COME ON, PEOPLE! A great eye cream that you can get at the corner store. Bonus- I got some in my eye the other day and it didn't even burn or make me go blind. SCORE!



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