tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38342750989501427162024-03-13T22:47:50.850-04:00All Tarted UpAlphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-32836888838710221402012-08-05T15:49:00.001-04:002012-08-05T18:08:15.100-04:00Winter/Spring/Summer 2012 Favorites!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpm9hrZo_jYy5tl-j3DTM5gN4ndnGCH-cYxdMRktrpV55sPiIM7nJkiE18jtRUWhyEvy2wsmG57zV_evgwfqBnDschtytbE3MlX_GKkle47uGR-LWustA4FaXPk7K5_pKhtdN_RbSmQ/s1600/Hello+Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpm9hrZo_jYy5tl-j3DTM5gN4ndnGCH-cYxdMRktrpV55sPiIM7nJkiE18jtRUWhyEvy2wsmG57zV_evgwfqBnDschtytbE3MlX_GKkle47uGR-LWustA4FaXPk7K5_pKhtdN_RbSmQ/s400/Hello+Flowers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holy crap, you guys. I cannot believe how long it's been since I posted anything! I really have no excuse. Christmas time was super busy, and so was January. Then I kind of went through a dry spell with makeup and I was trying to save some money. I also had turned my attention to other things like fixing up our house and making crafty things for various people. But! I have been enjoying quite a few great products along the way, and I'd like to run through some of them today for you. Even though it's the middle of Summer, let's just call this my "Favorites from the last 8 months or so". LOL</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUI9_aQlmvcgEVsbOJkvO8CtU2BSl7-vQbrGC5FG6GG5N6EsRgtt8xPJbhvgknK3VwMQe82dt63pjlJC7H0iMutve05ok7SH7yrCY0vKZyusCgfulyO65wDTTtswvh_EkxYnPvZFEig/s1600/Gelish+French.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUI9_aQlmvcgEVsbOJkvO8CtU2BSl7-vQbrGC5FG6GG5N6EsRgtt8xPJbhvgknK3VwMQe82dt63pjlJC7H0iMutve05ok7SH7yrCY0vKZyusCgfulyO65wDTTtswvh_EkxYnPvZFEig/s200/Gelish+French.jpg" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My nails with a Gelish <br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best thing that's happened to my nails in a <i>long</i> time is the Gelish do-it-yourself gel nail kit by Harmony. I am never able to grow my nails much further than just over my finger tips. My nails are brittle and peel like crazy. Especially on my index and middle fingers they start to peel just as they grow over the tips of my fingers and it forces me to cut them down immediately. But with the Gelish manicure, I'm able to seal everything up and grow my nails as long as I want! And it creates extra layers of strength and protection. Not to mention the manicure will remain in pristine condition for several weeks. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It is a DIY gel nail kit that you do need a UV lamp for curing - that's the only possible downside. It applies just like polish, so it's incredibly easy. But do be prepared to set aside at least an hour at first. But over time it will go faster as you become more familiar with the procedure. I got my kit (and LED lamp sold separately) through Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gelish-Basix-Kit/dp/B0057JCYYE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336747512&sr=8-1" target="_blank">click here</a> for the kit) and it's a starter kit with smaller bottles, but honestly they last a very very long time. I have had to replace the kit with a new one, but only because I was an idiot and one day did my manicure in a beam of sunlight at the dining room table. Sunlight (b/c of the UV rays) will cause the brushes and the gel inside the bottle to cure and harden almost immediately *face-palm*. So try to do it either in a room with no direct sunlight, or in the evening. There are TONs of tutorials on YouTube, which I watched first before attempting the manicure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another favorite thing, which has completely saved my skin, is the Clarisonic Mia. I got it around Christmastime (late on the bandwagon, I know) through <a href="http://www.sephora.com/" target="_blank">Sephora</a> b/c they were having a sale. I was skeptical at first. I had heard both good and bad things about it, so it took me awhile to just give in and try it already. My main goal was to have fewer blackheads. I swear I've been dealing with blackheads straight out of the womb. I can't remember a time when my nose didn't have little black dots all over it. Lucky for me it has totally worked! My skin feels and looks better and I have fewer breakouts and fewer blackheads on my nose. It's made by the same people who created the Sonicare electric toothbrush, using the same principle - sonic waves to deep clean. I sanitize the brush every week using a mild bleach/water solution (thanks for the tip, Alex!) and I replace the brush itself every 3-4 months. I use it only once a day in the shower with my usual Purpose facial cleanser. I have really sensitive skin so I didn't want to stress it out by using it more than once a day. Plus, I heard that if you use it too much it can cause broken capillaries (eek!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the makeup side of things, I am still completely in love with the Naked Palettes by Urban Decay. After a lot of consideration I broke down and bought the Naked 2 Palette, and I'm really glad I did. It has come in SO handy for all the weddings and other functions I've been going to a lot this Spring and Summer. Not much else to say about it, except that the two palettes combined offer an endless variety of neutral, smoky, or quick & easy looks to choose from. Highly recommend having these as staples in your collection. I also highly recommend the Urban Decay 24/7 liners. I've been using them for years and they hold up beautifully in the summer heat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bmOGxeHSrdrhCGc9lEQ6I28RJB4DTEybt6C_KcC4cE-xCDUAOcNhCEX52MlqZ5iwRsHHfImfH4N2JX6WExt0HoRIElc9AwvA_HRQhqXiG0-Ap-pldRhSlGVCIo6ErifZYfmjC-RvZg/s1600/IMG_2447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bmOGxeHSrdrhCGc9lEQ6I28RJB4DTEybt6C_KcC4cE-xCDUAOcNhCEX52MlqZ5iwRsHHfImfH4N2JX6WExt0HoRIElc9AwvA_HRQhqXiG0-Ap-pldRhSlGVCIo6ErifZYfmjC-RvZg/s200/IMG_2447.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neon polishes from Love & Beauty</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NEON!!! I've fallen victim to this year's neon polish craze, I'm afraid. Yes, I'm 31. Yes, I remember the late 80s and early 90s when neon was the height of children's fashion. No, I'm not embarrassed to admit that neon anything still makes me happy as a pig in slop. Whatever. It's cheerful, awesome (totally rad?), and completely acceptable when the temperature is above 75 degrees. If you're bashful, wear it on your toes or as a french manicure! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain. It's a mouthful, but holy crap, this stuff is AWESOME! Revlon has really been coming out with winners lately in the lip department. First it was the Lip Butters and now it's these Balm Stains. I've been wearing these pretty much every single day since I discovered them a month or so ago. They are really good lip stains in a chubby pencil stick that you twist up (don't sharpen!). They have a slightly minty flavor to them and are moisturizing, but not as much as the Lip Butters. I find them moisturizing enough for me, but the reason I'm so obsessed with them is because the staying power is <i>really</i> great. I have them in a few colors so far and I'll do a more in-depth review with swatches in the near future, so stay tuned. The brighter the color, the longer-lasting the stain - even after a meal! So keep that in mind if you want to give it a try. They have a really nice variety of shades, too. I hope they keep new colors coming in the future; at the moment most of them are pretty summery. I look forward to some autumnal shades. I had purchased a few of Revlon's original Just Bitten Stains in the "marker" type applicator, but for whatever reason I didn't reach for them as much as I do these Balms. Color me impressed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One more lip product...and it's another stain. Surprise surprise. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's <a href="http://www.sephora.com/rouge-pur-couturevernis-a-levres-glossy-stain-P304003?om_mmc=esv103264-GG&om_kwpur=341657259&ppc_crid=8818359017&site=us_search&esvcid=S1344198931_ADOGOE_AGI3733465_CRE8818359017_TID341657259_RFDd3d3Lmdvb2dsZS5jb20%3d" target="_blank">Yves Saint Laurent's Glossy Stain</a>, which is a deliciously scented </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(rose, maybe?) </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lip gloss/stain that goes on super creamy and stays on for a long time. It's very moisturizing and envelops your lips in fancy pigmented goodness. I gave some to my mom for Christmas and she really loves them, too. I rarely splurge on a lip product like this but sometimes you just have to treat yourself. Especially on something of quality where you know you'll get good wear out of it. And I'm not going to lie...whipping out a YSL product from your purse kind of gives the ol' ego a boost, am I right? The applicator is really nice, too. It's pointed for precision, but also spoon-like so it gets a perfect amount of product out with no gloopiness. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sHiXlF2cq-6Cy59snuHyCQeJfmfrVfgVaepRvTG2ZoYzzPzpiO43_2XuWNULuD8AkpES-YdmslX7aqf_cQDjYuHKNfJ5BLN9wM4W3qt9MrFIPuha0FKSxbBBZPQmCajDYKLalKOjjw/s1600/81XF2GqLNaL._AA1500_.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sHiXlF2cq-6Cy59snuHyCQeJfmfrVfgVaepRvTG2ZoYzzPzpiO43_2XuWNULuD8AkpES-YdmslX7aqf_cQDjYuHKNfJ5BLN9wM4W3qt9MrFIPuha0FKSxbBBZPQmCajDYKLalKOjjw/s200/81XF2GqLNaL._AA1500_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real Techniques Core Collection Set</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've finally found a brand of makeup brushes that I consider absolute perfection. I've purchased SO many different high and low-end makeup brushes over the years and I think I can safely say that none have impressed me as much as the Real Techniques line of brushes by British makeup artist (and YouTube beaut</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.125px;">y guru) Samantha Chapman. They are synthetic, durable, and unbelievably soft. I have several brushes for face and eyes and have been using them since this past Winter. Not once have they shed during use or during cleaning. Seriously. No, seriously.<br />Also, they are a breeze to clean! I use my Expert Face Brush every single morning to buff in a perfect foundation application, and the fat fluffy Blush Brush for blush or powder. I got mine at Ulta, but you can also order them on Amazon.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.125px;">Just for fun, here are a few non-beauty related favorites:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.125px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000667GU/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15474501339&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=295480902945922349&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B0000667GU" target="_blank">Chef's Choice 675 International Cordless Electric Hot Pot</a>. My husband gave me this for Christmas and I don't know how I made tea without it! Oh wait...yeah, the microwave. But this thing is awesome. I use it ALL the time and it has gotten us both through a few colds (and even bronchitis...ain't nobody got time for that!) since I received it.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.125px;"><a href="http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4147333&cm_sp=FO-_-Home+%26+Candles-_-3-Wick+Candles&cp=12586994.12936192" target="_blank">Bath and Body Works candles</a>. I used to be a Yankee Candle girl for years and years, but I've eschewed the Yanks for Slatkin & Co. brand candles that BBW sells. Cuter presentation (with one of those metal decorative sleeves), stronger scents, and a more even burn make for a better candle in my humble opinion.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.125px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Reduced-Guilt-Brownies/dp/B0042LX5KU" target="_blank">Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Fat Free Brownie Mix</a>. Mmmmmm. It's just brownie mix that you use non-fat vanilla yogurt in instead of eggs and oil to make. I like to add chocolate chips to it for some extra chocolate flavor. Sooo good. Note that it's "reduced guilt" not guilt-free. :-) Your guilt levels may vary.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.125px;">Ta-ta for now! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;">♥</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-23329249864388881692011-12-11T15:59:00.001-05:002011-12-11T16:00:38.879-05:00Tips & Tricks - Keeping your eyeliner in once place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TQ4xD7T-ZPFqZKlr_gvcCOUw89UF4pyOjMAmCgSYkxjwDSxD9J4-Bz2qaN5KtCcyeOSpSLlSV7Jv3PWmBkDygaCzTdAWFfSFpScdSyIVbWUV8JleX14OaB_mJ7XrwGRS5qVb9L78Eg/s1600/Smudged+eyeliner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TQ4xD7T-ZPFqZKlr_gvcCOUw89UF4pyOjMAmCgSYkxjwDSxD9J4-Bz2qaN5KtCcyeOSpSLlSV7Jv3PWmBkDygaCzTdAWFfSFpScdSyIVbWUV8JleX14OaB_mJ7XrwGRS5qVb9L78Eg/s200/Smudged+eyeliner.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything useful. Between baking cookies, decorating, and crafting gifts, the holidays are taking up a lot of my time! :-)<br />
But I figured I should post a little something. So, here is a quick tip that has proven beneficial for keeping eyeliner from running amok throughout the day. On particularly hot days, or if I'm going to be out for a while and I know I won't have a chance to touch up my makeup, I like to use this trick to keep my eyeliner from running down the side of my eyelid or smudging under my eye.</span><br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, when I'm <a href="http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P202625">priming</a> my eye for shadow I'll bring a little under my eye where I plan to apply liner. I also bring some around to the outer corner of my eye. After doing all my eye makeup and liner I'll take a small brush and gently apply a dusting of silica powder (which is transparent) around the edges of my eye to seal everything in. This will absorb any excess oils and keep your liner from running or getting caught in your fine lines throughout the day. I get my silica powder from <a href="http://www.coastalscents.com/diy/makeup-ingredients/fp-010-reviews.html">Coastal Scents</a> which is a MUCH cheaper (and more generous) alternative to <a href="http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P210400">Make Up For Ever's HD Powder</a>. I've been using the Coastal Scents silica powder for years to combat oil and shine, and I swear by it. <a href="http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/powder/high_definition_powder">ELF</a> also has a similar product but I haven't tried it yet. I bought a huge jar of Coastal Scents powder about 3 years ago, gave half to my mother, and I'm <i>still</i> using the same jar. A little goes a long way. Using a water-proof liner in conjunction with this trick will also yield great results. </span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Holidays!!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-A</span></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-10500114478135055942011-11-24T10:55:00.000-05:002011-11-24T10:55:15.408-05:00Nail Polish of the Day #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;">Happy Thanksgiving!</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope everyone has a wonderful day with friends and family (and food) today!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the occasion, I thought I'd do something a little different using earth tones. This is 2 coats of Essence Colour & Go in "Walk of Fame" with polka dots in "Gold Rush" by L.A. Colors Art Deco (the nail art line with the skinny bottles). I just used a toothpick dipped in the gold polish to make the dots. Then topped everything off with a Seche Vite top coat. Super easy. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9SZN-hxSvebmSvQi0641FBg-DM-F0bR97eifc_ik41pW5Wu6c7CtihLgX7cLi_a1qIzbdEyntzvIWA8vMkaW_d7nb_CM6Mz7U8sMNJY1G0AtlKKVBrmSZJu5vmbmxdzlt32XgNriiQ/s1600/IMG_2149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9SZN-hxSvebmSvQi0641FBg-DM-F0bR97eifc_ik41pW5Wu6c7CtihLgX7cLi_a1qIzbdEyntzvIWA8vMkaW_d7nb_CM6Mz7U8sMNJY1G0AtlKKVBrmSZJu5vmbmxdzlt32XgNriiQ/s320/IMG_2149.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Essence polishes b/c they're small, cheap, and come in a ton of great colors. They also last a good amount of time for something that's about $1. I can find them at Ulta. I actually haven't seen them sold anywhere else in my area. (<a href="http://www.essence.eu/products/nails/nail-polish/colour-go-nail-polish.html">added bonus</a> - the caps match the color of polish! LOL)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2izVNGyNWoF3JFH3wwd1ASnJ5LPcSEGjpjYpuhYVfAGpx1aEfcPt_HYePDjgVqowjKyDcWqYoEwVSACFY-TjpiSCV91Sg2x-U0hviK71xtTzXwnRojsnOM0BCsyf-0G3hyTfN3BhA0A/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2izVNGyNWoF3JFH3wwd1ASnJ5LPcSEGjpjYpuhYVfAGpx1aEfcPt_HYePDjgVqowjKyDcWqYoEwVSACFY-TjpiSCV91Sg2x-U0hviK71xtTzXwnRojsnOM0BCsyf-0G3hyTfN3BhA0A/s320/IMG_2150.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great holiday! Gobble gobble!</span></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-67505330091042462172011-11-14T17:24:00.001-05:002011-11-15T19:16:16.472-05:00$aving$ - Wet n Wild eye shadow palettes and liquid liner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTthrT-DNwHwnkLDkjFXAF18hkIWysPXqZXOvlpk9XpB0PXNTYVo6xpIbtsDjH0YX7wE_x_pAu4HaNgoGT0CSwwziOqByQl89X0-pSy_kA6DrcAZq7hsahkZwj_y1ViJQhChSI2XwOA/s1600/IMG_2101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTthrT-DNwHwnkLDkjFXAF18hkIWysPXqZXOvlpk9XpB0PXNTYVo6xpIbtsDjH0YX7wE_x_pAu4HaNgoGT0CSwwziOqByQl89X0-pSy_kA6DrcAZq7hsahkZwj_y1ViJQhChSI2XwOA/s200/IMG_2101.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was younger, I used to buy Wet n Wild makeup because it was about .99 cents for nearly every item they offered. Never mind that the eyeshadow was powdery, translucent, and cracked out of the container half the time. Never mind that the lipsticks smelled like burning rubber, or the blushes only came in a few shades of unwearable pinks and browns...it was cheap, dammit! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lucky for me and my wallet, Wet n Wild have drastically stepped up their game in the past few years. The price has gone up just a couple bucks, and it's <b>totally</b> worth it. I'm a big big fan of their new eyeshadows and a new liquid liner. Keep reading for swatches and more info! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSEncnVGWugUekVGLPcfW4Z9j6hdk6tGEeRtxo9eb9Tv8OglJnITesVZA6ojSGg8FS9edaxZeR2OvS60xh723kvnJDMrlP_ltPNihuaufAlYNi287f4bENuHpgye37zHjS-cckYlifw/s1600/IMG_2095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSEncnVGWugUekVGLPcfW4Z9j6hdk6tGEeRtxo9eb9Tv8OglJnITesVZA6ojSGg8FS9edaxZeR2OvS60xh723kvnJDMrlP_ltPNihuaufAlYNi287f4bENuHpgye37zHjS-cckYlifw/s200/IMG_2095.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I get into the eye shadows, I want to mention the liquid liner pen. It's Wet n Wild's Mega Eyes Defining Marker, and it's awesome. It's liquid liner, but it's in a marker tip, so it's really easy to control. The tip is stiff and holds up to create a nice clean line. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUfFpJi0dLwQHNIsZcCqTlYfD-b2VqPq9j1AdVp6bTzzCAoLe8ldH08PgOS3fZ3o7Z-ArdLqdAm0acDeIrEvgMeUUBcbSbPkry_SO4jV3HGuZFepTL_Hk4uVXKtLoXk7nncuFuBn8Og/s1600/IMG_2125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUfFpJi0dLwQHNIsZcCqTlYfD-b2VqPq9j1AdVp6bTzzCAoLe8ldH08PgOS3fZ3o7Z-ArdLqdAm0acDeIrEvgMeUUBcbSbPkry_SO4jV3HGuZFepTL_Hk4uVXKtLoXk7nncuFuBn8Og/s200/IMG_2125.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see on my hand there that it's a good solid black with a crisp line. It's perfect for a winged liner look, which is in this fall and winter. That's exactly what I use it for and it holds up so so well. I wore this liner to an all-day outdoor party last month and didn't get home until probably 1am and it was STILL intact - wing and all. Impressive. I purchased it at Ulta for about $5, I believe. I've read a few reviews online where someone complained about the marker drying out quickly, but I've had this one since early September and it's still juicy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On to the shadows! For the most part they are all nicely pigmented and blend easily. With a primer they last all day. The only con I would say is that some of the colors can have a lot of fallout dust, so I recommend doing your eyes first and then your foundation. Each palette cost about $5 at Walgreens.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first palette I got is "Comfort Zone". Aptly named b/c it's all neutrals that are easy to wear and are office appropriate. All of the colors have a shimmer to them, though. I do wish the palest shade was a matte since I generally don't like putting shimmer on my browbone. But I tend to use the browbone shade from this palette on my lid anyway. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvojJjw66ZQ3BUzMgX4VEM5eCzFXE3aYF_3UhGhzMc-2sePvHfAoP8brKKXlyhqJRwuyBaajaxaibBzIMdlTBBPWVxFfSE9y9HBaKw_KjKwvnhcDwNOgw9kET9ly9uLqfIZFS5MJJqg/s1600/IMG_2109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvojJjw66ZQ3BUzMgX4VEM5eCzFXE3aYF_3UhGhzMc-2sePvHfAoP8brKKXlyhqJRwuyBaajaxaibBzIMdlTBBPWVxFfSE9y9HBaKw_KjKwvnhcDwNOgw9kET9ly9uLqfIZFS5MJJqg/s320/IMG_2109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some swatches (on my arm from L-R is the same as Down to Up on the palette):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ECUz9ZFY7nQY1lpWnEQgZP0FC0kGipzPcme6VioU2FBbmqfhfBn1PwElkoC8knobb0n6xgHEVBVpXgB971jT53uAZgy-jj-RBtSoZPR-IpkYbCtALAjdE3FMREst4oGeGC8TylTdLA/s1600/IMG_2112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ECUz9ZFY7nQY1lpWnEQgZP0FC0kGipzPcme6VioU2FBbmqfhfBn1PwElkoC8knobb0n6xgHEVBVpXgB971jT53uAZgy-jj-RBtSoZPR-IpkYbCtALAjdE3FMREst4oGeGC8TylTdLA/s320/IMG_2112.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a closeup of the most interesting shade (lower right in the palette) which is a shimmery red/brown tone with a blue/green sheen to it. Really gorgeous.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc5MmGoU8OTlajdXbvTxs0LCqR1KFOgyRjjE8LZE31fU6jrXwB4ncjL6knCD5naQoAUEdI6g7Eg2HGx5HrnVQEPzmpGTIxSEkl1iSGx3H_C2htM9LbIgtFtHZCJ0nCbSKsoZl5EmdIA/s1600/IMG_2111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc5MmGoU8OTlajdXbvTxs0LCqR1KFOgyRjjE8LZE31fU6jrXwB4ncjL6knCD5naQoAUEdI6g7Eg2HGx5HrnVQEPzmpGTIxSEkl1iSGx3H_C2htM9LbIgtFtHZCJ0nCbSKsoZl5EmdIA/s320/IMG_2111.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the second palette that I got called "Petal Pusher". It's all shades of purples and pinks, which I tend to wear the most after neutrals. This one has 3 satin colors and the rest are shimmery.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqF1rgdn3ofMfvmlXl6EKW0Jpy_3j_Ok9tu1M4nDivDRJ386FDRNZM2oanBwTqFShSdJ1tFYhDyag2jYR9dR3OklfdMeFNhdZeN8o2-snPdz_MxWzbHRJBPthO6RwQQSNTS_KSKHpw/s1600/IMG_2113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqF1rgdn3ofMfvmlXl6EKW0Jpy_3j_Ok9tu1M4nDivDRJ386FDRNZM2oanBwTqFShSdJ1tFYhDyag2jYR9dR3OklfdMeFNhdZeN8o2-snPdz_MxWzbHRJBPthO6RwQQSNTS_KSKHpw/s320/IMG_2113.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swatches:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6lM0BkdwptUdhl_dOEEsxwpBcGinQsjXkSpGVc0Xk5Tz0jCK98ac-DgKhDrHIJ6eZRHXtzCogxNfjLlQLvArFqRkcE2ms6-4N5VeLlvggBAdMjE_fQQqPmRaX5FqDqLrALpsPligAw/s1600/IMG_2116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6lM0BkdwptUdhl_dOEEsxwpBcGinQsjXkSpGVc0Xk5Tz0jCK98ac-DgKhDrHIJ6eZRHXtzCogxNfjLlQLvArFqRkcE2ms6-4N5VeLlvggBAdMjE_fQQqPmRaX5FqDqLrALpsPligAw/s320/IMG_2116.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second black from the left on the bottom row has some purple sparkle in it, but you have to make sure to "pat" it on thickly rather than "swipe" it on your eye or the purple won't come through.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsTbFVFWls10nJ_MnB4j0AmlzWgm4zLJ7EH5Qtwdy8nkIQtTMqJAjLi-ToptWl772k0Zr65s_22KyuT-xDdNbsLd804tkQGR7RJw91IjZMbk_zdvCircDz2yXHOlt1osxLzCvNSr2sg/s1600/IMG_2107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsTbFVFWls10nJ_MnB4j0AmlzWgm4zLJ7EH5Qtwdy8nkIQtTMqJAjLi-ToptWl772k0Zr65s_22KyuT-xDdNbsLd804tkQGR7RJw91IjZMbk_zdvCircDz2yXHOlt1osxLzCvNSr2sg/s320/IMG_2107.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last palette I purchased is called "Blue Had Me At Hello". All of the colors in this one are shimmery with the exception of the deep black on the lower left. But even that has a few bits of gitter in it. They won't show up much on your skin, though.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHO9akm6ZaH0sbW2tfiwfSFtE211eDIea9btTtwpM-Dmkz6LmubVYtyxAyVIOBsUhdkFJ6O0XYghJmBaplWhHXQh8oTNKT_wEbwh-v-EcwAlprxUsqqlLQGfRPBBAC_nZm65e-yp62A/s1600/IMG_2103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHO9akm6ZaH0sbW2tfiwfSFtE211eDIea9btTtwpM-Dmkz6LmubVYtyxAyVIOBsUhdkFJ6O0XYghJmBaplWhHXQh8oTNKT_wEbwh-v-EcwAlprxUsqqlLQGfRPBBAC_nZm65e-yp62A/s320/IMG_2103.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swatches:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibx5AEcUmeKfda7gWoG-J03Etv5KASFIn0kNT853a96aOJ5PIG046KV043rg2zqVTej0YRPP2tqR3GYv3vTLxPDA7mjUObqheGnebV-SmGBeYB26XAClzXqzyT5zDwnfSUaiWv1r3thA/s1600/IMG_2117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibx5AEcUmeKfda7gWoG-J03Etv5KASFIn0kNT853a96aOJ5PIG046KV043rg2zqVTej0YRPP2tqR3GYv3vTLxPDA7mjUObqheGnebV-SmGBeYB26XAClzXqzyT5zDwnfSUaiWv1r3thA/s320/IMG_2117.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a couple of stand-out shades from this palette that I think are gorgeous:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shimmery Navy</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_9s7ygcz1i2nblghv9Buad3uEY1BKkZ2WkL_JJinHx7WeVktYfs9-E59kZ2tSbutEziObx2lyA-zGSAANrix8ocfD1evl-bAzD3t3nGhJlOGgrssTZR8SOdYSp8_DalhvVkDiLFShg/s1600/IMG_2118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_9s7ygcz1i2nblghv9Buad3uEY1BKkZ2WkL_JJinHx7WeVktYfs9-E59kZ2tSbutEziObx2lyA-zGSAANrix8ocfD1evl-bAzD3t3nGhJlOGgrssTZR8SOdYSp8_DalhvVkDiLFShg/s320/IMG_2118.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Royal Blue and a vibrant Aqua</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW4XZepc94S5t9fR_o4s_uXVlxzztt9arSoblhFJc6XtIBpCH9x5G-j-UfgYeA51noU6NKDaNFdeFtMseRgroj9YUU36NDHsmyKL9SJEh_i3Exx10K5HVAtW2C7ECJ-65JuiTbMkmkg/s1600/IMG_2121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW4XZepc94S5t9fR_o4s_uXVlxzztt9arSoblhFJc6XtIBpCH9x5G-j-UfgYeA51noU6NKDaNFdeFtMseRgroj9YUU36NDHsmyKL9SJEh_i3Exx10K5HVAtW2C7ECJ-65JuiTbMkmkg/s320/IMG_2121.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to those 3 palettes, I also purchased 2 trios. Both are in the pink/brown family. Again, neutrals I can wear anytime. Each trio cost me about $3.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are "Silent Treatment" and "Knock on Wood" respectively, plus swatches:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEr24ejgpIWYPqm7qkf6-70y8XCPr6W89_2vF_jUuYkliIXjxwFcmZ-ZwIYpocpoj24XuYfnpkQzeKpsjH9mkebgGWMZbnbOteJSaYF1OE5KryCQ2CBDEdYXVtrQ3vVRI8ii1NztWSVA/s1600/IMG_2122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEr24ejgpIWYPqm7qkf6-70y8XCPr6W89_2vF_jUuYkliIXjxwFcmZ-ZwIYpocpoj24XuYfnpkQzeKpsjH9mkebgGWMZbnbOteJSaYF1OE5KryCQ2CBDEdYXVtrQ3vVRI8ii1NztWSVA/s320/IMG_2122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1G_l3HCjCr65HkgQM5pd5GxB2rgTZyRo9P38N04hMhHkwqBFvwq5z8ibaPGLSVsz9qAhk_J2z_Kq6W5QMqxcoiAijRQUt5r-xVr6_qVd9Mk51zqjukAkI8DzGboTSI8o4T_7g6j0NUg/s1600/IMG_2123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1G_l3HCjCr65HkgQM5pd5GxB2rgTZyRo9P38N04hMhHkwqBFvwq5z8ibaPGLSVsz9qAhk_J2z_Kq6W5QMqxcoiAijRQUt5r-xVr6_qVd9Mk51zqjukAkI8DzGboTSI8o4T_7g6j0NUg/s320/IMG_2123.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I use these trios quite often, actually. They're easily interchangeable, too. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wet n Wild are quickly becoming an excellent choice in bold, hard-wearing eye makeup I think. I'll be coming back when they release a new collection. They had a limited edition collection over the summer called Dream Weavers, but no matter where I shopped in my area nobody carried them. Frustrating!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope this was useful! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-A</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="goog_2071284604"></span><span id="goog_2071284605"></span></span>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-91288720932879591122011-10-24T14:08:00.000-04:002011-10-24T14:08:45.436-04:00Video Post! - Travalo Refillable Perfume for People on the Go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just got this really great device for carrying your own perfume while you travel. I figured I should videotape how to use it. Sorry for the less than fabulous video quality - I was using my digital camera and I don't have an HD camera or anything like that. I think you can see what's going on for the most part.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This <a href="http://www.travalo.com/">Travalo</a> refillable travel perfume vial is PERFECT for folks who travel a lot. It's also great for your purse, or gym bag, or whatever you need to use it for. It's airline approved, too! </span></div><br />
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</div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-5772868382050302802011-10-21T11:21:00.000-04:002011-10-21T11:21:43.441-04:00Nail Polish of the Day #3 - Halloween Nails!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ILdajRAnt5837ktl9yw3_mmlKnwgfSmwKhCl0FGS0Ej3P0bn8x3xEET294fRlsh1ksywTjhyG1O4eSiGcqYv2ukyTyfo5OmQdI6GEe08SM8LhG2pdGH0DsxD7_p9N52CXI2_NsNBA/s1600/edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ILdajRAnt5837ktl9yw3_mmlKnwgfSmwKhCl0FGS0Ej3P0bn8x3xEET294fRlsh1ksywTjhyG1O4eSiGcqYv2ukyTyfo5OmQdI6GEe08SM8LhG2pdGH0DsxD7_p9N52CXI2_NsNBA/s320/edited.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some reason this year I'm feeling super festive about Halloween. Which is weird b/c I don't even have a Halloween party to go to. But I'm not going to fight it! I'm going to dress up my nails even if I can't dress myself up. Here are my Halloween nails using the <a href="http://www.konadnailart.com/">Konad</a> stamping kit. I actually purchased knock-off Konad plates and stampers from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Monster-Stamping-Manicure-Accessories/dp/B004XJNQXW/ref=sr_1_3?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1319209694&sr=1-3">Bundle Monster</a> on Amazon, which is much cheaper than buying directly from Konad. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The base black color is Jesse's Girl "Blackout" which is a <i>fabulous</i> black. It's really opaque and dries quickly. I tried using Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics polish in "Tarred" at first, but that stuff does not dry! Anyway, I used 2 coats of "Blackout" and on the ring finger I used Wet n' Wild Fastdry in "Orange", which has a nice glitter to it. That actually took 3 coats b/c it's pretty sheer. I used my normal base coat underneath all of that, too. After stamping a pumpkin, witch hat, skull, and spiderweb, I sealed everything up with a top coat of Seche Vite. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a spooktacular Halloween!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-82286811928867220482011-10-16T11:25:00.001-04:002011-10-16T12:05:19.574-04:00Nail Polish of the Day #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUTCsKHHAB7QmI-ejgletsBagD_Z86RN5oaYDFNwoQ3F-V-kvt4hkY65-YPlzI96FqGx8w9bnrreQB3PwPrgbq1qJHMYMrJ5KzU6PzoP6hz11haPDbqXN3S8J8h2wEw1eyfkmDiJ0nw/s1600/Royal_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUTCsKHHAB7QmI-ejgletsBagD_Z86RN5oaYDFNwoQ3F-V-kvt4hkY65-YPlzI96FqGx8w9bnrreQB3PwPrgbq1qJHMYMrJ5KzU6PzoP6hz11haPDbqXN3S8J8h2wEw1eyfkmDiJ0nw/s320/Royal_1.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's polish is Revlon Top Speed in "Royal"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought this color over the summer at Walmart and hadn't tried it out yet. I'm pleasantly surprised. I usually enjoy Revlon polishes, and this one is no exception. In my experience, when a brand claims "fast drying" or "insta-dry" (ahem...Sally Hansen) it's usually a terrible (and messy) disappointment. But this one was <i>super</i> fast drying! The only down side was the formula was a bit thin (I guess that's what helps it dry so quickly), but that was nothing 3 coats couldn't fix. So this is 3 coats of Royal with a base coat and Seche Vite on top. This would be a great shade for the 4th of July since it's a true blue. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZrvdOL_DhBf8n02iqw3hrCwEccdob1LTJA2o11VQvPZk4gTpD-d6IAzBsUqtub1zcnOI56uceq224zj9r7MmERf4OpP7_KtA7gbMtJ4HGC5o_JWx43B2q9jjwyt_21Kioc-Ig03zzw/s1600/Royal_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZrvdOL_DhBf8n02iqw3hrCwEccdob1LTJA2o11VQvPZk4gTpD-d6IAzBsUqtub1zcnOI56uceq224zj9r7MmERf4OpP7_KtA7gbMtJ4HGC5o_JWx43B2q9jjwyt_21Kioc-Ig03zzw/s320/Royal_2.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a shot of it in direct sunlight. Love that bright shade of blue!</span></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-75818207187989903832011-10-14T12:13:00.001-04:002011-10-14T12:14:53.832-04:00October Birchbox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZ8-CvN9MtGNpuNQLpOtuihDHxgE2xd0wusxUy-1qdplflfgO-6l512HFkSMYid3b6M6WJkjQMPccLXftCP4AhVsagtfFIZag2pOK93PE-jTto-MD8CyleODw2D3RJkTEifItSdaNTQ/s1600/IMG_2028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZ8-CvN9MtGNpuNQLpOtuihDHxgE2xd0wusxUy-1qdplflfgO-6l512HFkSMYid3b6M6WJkjQMPccLXftCP4AhVsagtfFIZag2pOK93PE-jTto-MD8CyleODw2D3RJkTEifItSdaNTQ/s320/IMG_2028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My October Birchbox came a couple days ago and it is a lot more fun than the September box, in my opinion. :-)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I jump into my first impressions, I want to give a quick shout-out to my buddy Sara who recently signed up with Birchbox after reading about last month's goodies. She didn't realize they gave points to the person who referred them (me) so afterwards she wrote a super sweet email to them asking them to give me my referral points and even linked my blog! So I got +50 points thanks to that email. Thank you, Sara. You rock! :-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On to the box...!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-7RUQLtZXeybx4XvDI9ZPk7yueQh3E8svXg8mZxtdd9OKNTlOBiWuHkUKuYo00JRWc9M_BuwxmYO7Hp9qZ8JazK52tEvrUCe8hvMso4eMmh_tuhAHIRrRkzdJl2SMW1vwd2FiEvMSg/s1600/IMG_2029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-7RUQLtZXeybx4XvDI9ZPk7yueQh3E8svXg8mZxtdd9OKNTlOBiWuHkUKuYo00JRWc9M_BuwxmYO7Hp9qZ8JazK52tEvrUCe8hvMso4eMmh_tuhAHIRrRkzdJl2SMW1vwd2FiEvMSg/s200/IMG_2029.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up is a delicious body butter in a pretty good sized tube. It's a Guava Body Butter by Korres. A little goes a long way and it feels sooo silky. It also smells great. A little fruity, a little warm and buttery - just yummy. Can you tell I like it? A full sized tube of 235mL sells for $29. This 50mL is a nice amount and will probably last me quite a while b/c it's really rich and creamy. Here is the blurb from the card included in the box:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"This lush lotion has rich shea butter and healing quince extract to keep skin soft all day. Warning: the refreshing tropical scent will inspire vacation daydreams."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next product that I'm really excited about is a full-sized Stila eyeshadow single in the color 14k. It's a metallic gold shadow and is <i>perfect</i> for fall. I've been wearing a lot of gold shades and even gold jewelry lately so I was glad to see this in the box. It has a nice velvety texture and is well-pigmented, too.</span><br />
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It came it a teeny tiny tube, but the cream is really thick so a little goes a long way. I think I might try this on my cheeks where I have some hyper-pigmentation from old acne scars and see if it does anything to brighten my skin (and hope it doesn't make me break out!). It's got a slightly fruity/medicinal smell to it which isn't that strong. They say to avoid the eye area, though; probably due to the exfoliating properties.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQVMzR7yPTsOfKGsJuWqy5KuK1OKuhiLMrn0Ds0mqoncza5uW85Ry9nXKupyQMjavBwu5v0opRf9sKCcB1FKSuv0m1VgYX536q5Fc1-5k6qx9XVQg3JQcke4MfMxxDxzVZcgDp8jIcA/s1600/Before+and+After+Blinc+Mascara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQVMzR7yPTsOfKGsJuWqy5KuK1OKuhiLMrn0Ds0mqoncza5uW85Ry9nXKupyQMjavBwu5v0opRf9sKCcB1FKSuv0m1VgYX536q5Fc1-5k6qx9XVQg3JQcke4MfMxxDxzVZcgDp8jIcA/s320/Before+and+After+Blinc+Mascara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess if I want my "tubes", I'll turn to my Eve Pearl mascara or the L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizycRE7ZVTzdUnTr4L0-nyEb0dpW51WfAceVpJ5mFd8pQGtDk6jv6XsBdIQgxTYXRZX1xlQTlOBgKwvx5XFRnvjgNbdUC8lAv1l1CIFV-Lkmm_QvQ7jl3Bw1cnVIXHNvV8Yym949TefA/s1600/Delicate+Wash+Laundry+Detergent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizycRE7ZVTzdUnTr4L0-nyEb0dpW51WfAceVpJ5mFd8pQGtDk6jv6XsBdIQgxTYXRZX1xlQTlOBgKwvx5XFRnvjgNbdUC8lAv1l1CIFV-Lkmm_QvQ7jl3Bw1cnVIXHNvV8Yym949TefA/s200/Delicate+Wash+Laundry+Detergent.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a bonus, I also received a little packet of laundry detergent for my "delicates". I don't really have "delicates" - most everything is made of cotton. But, I'll probably use it anyway. You never know what random item Birchbox will include as your bonus, and I love the surprise!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope everyone's having a lovely October!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-A</span>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-58725377893141760982011-10-12T20:47:00.000-04:002011-10-12T20:47:48.401-04:00Nail Polish of the Day #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiEivyV0j-4vjUwfJwqJVlU6FJZ_SlJr5JFNS6MGI9XNhG1etKjMYTcjFGrFyZ4dVyhzHR9079-hIRWi5xKW7VKyEiv8-upI4zFIq1kPlwdAQRR9F0EgkcAxcB70NlKN57R2Je6WylQ/s1600/IMG_2025_EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiEivyV0j-4vjUwfJwqJVlU6FJZ_SlJr5JFNS6MGI9XNhG1etKjMYTcjFGrFyZ4dVyhzHR9079-hIRWi5xKW7VKyEiv8-upI4zFIq1kPlwdAQRR9F0EgkcAxcB70NlKN57R2Je6WylQ/s320/IMG_2025_EDIT.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's polish of the day is "Shay" by <a href="http://www.zoya.com/content/38/item/Zoya/Nude-Nail-Polish-Zoya-Nail-Polish-Shay.html">Zoya</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, I don't have enormous hands! This was actually a sample polish from one of my Birchboxes a few months ago and it's part of Zoya's "Touch Collection". I looove this color. It's a perfect neutral shade for me. I was feeling neutral after going a whole week with a very dark brown on my nails. I'm a huge fan of Zoya polish. It wears so nicely, and the formula is great and easy to apply. And it doesn't hurt that it's free of lots of the yucky chemicals that nail polish usually has. This particular color has just a hint of pink in it and a very slight shimmer. <br />
This is 2 coats of Shay with a base coat and Seche Vite top coat to seal everything.</span></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-85079061199072451872011-10-09T16:23:00.001-04:002011-10-09T16:33:24.532-04:00Tarte "Lip Service Limited-Edition LipSurgence™ Collection"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6bZx3hMX13WNXYs2DB6ROxrOwVd-qTnkgL4qkffrwwViWdzTpUt8K1wJR1oat8Xaz4kmlotvGTS3ZSuH32xtS4gVTO7KAz9gcaSBbcUQfzpfI8ElP6ut_428ZlOsjQLeZPBb0QxaJQ/s1600/IMG_1948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6bZx3hMX13WNXYs2DB6ROxrOwVd-qTnkgL4qkffrwwViWdzTpUt8K1wJR1oat8Xaz4kmlotvGTS3ZSuH32xtS4gVTO7KAz9gcaSBbcUQfzpfI8ElP6ut_428ZlOsjQLeZPBb0QxaJQ/s200/IMG_1948.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another portion of my birthday gift to myself from Sephora last month was a set of Tarte LipSurgence lip colors. It's a <a href="http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P296606&categoryId=C12001">Limited Edition Set</a> and for $29 you get 5 really nice lip colors in those chubby pencils that seem to be everywhere right now. I personally love the chubby pencil concept b/c it's really easy to apply accurately. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the set they give you 3 highly moisturizing "Natural Lip Luster" pencils plus 2 "Natural Lip Tint" pencils that are meant to act kind of like a stain and give you long-wearing color. I found the tints to be nice and moisturizing, too. And all of the colors are just sheer enough to look good on any skin tone. The color that you get will depend on the color of your actual lips b/c they are a bit sheer. But I really like that b/c it keeps it looking pretty natural.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep reading after the jump for complete swatches of each color! </span></span></i></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below, for your blog-reading pleasure, are swatches of each shade:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5Kn6vMmaThwo21eraFNCr2SQwPpb80selTyQEi1xL3kPr3Sl5UR2NaUqQzexRBwL-DZgyv-V2tMyw9Pk-ML8O5rQM-_d1nWifwjWcIh7JabI3-RRg8klJGinmlQUsX0elXKY_jxbzQ/s1600/swatches+on+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5Kn6vMmaThwo21eraFNCr2SQwPpb80selTyQEi1xL3kPr3Sl5UR2NaUqQzexRBwL-DZgyv-V2tMyw9Pk-ML8O5rQM-_d1nWifwjWcIh7JabI3-RRg8klJGinmlQUsX0elXKY_jxbzQ/s400/swatches+on+hand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perky & Swank are the two "Lip Tints" that are long-wearing color. The other three (Glitzy, Flashy, and Dazzled) are "Lip Lusters" that have a bit of shimmer and are highly moisturizing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glitzy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93TtuCoE1rUgQxPruwdLUx4Fq0gfnU0taxB4VLrLNXiTOpS0HZ8YhmR-NZc5MN0-BzRnf9aCWs40hrZ6f6kuHPetdOixOG7XiPXX6fsq8sWSuU-QtFuB83R5Si7uU24_-vjfg52uPPA/s1600/glitzy+lip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93TtuCoE1rUgQxPruwdLUx4Fq0gfnU0taxB4VLrLNXiTOpS0HZ8YhmR-NZc5MN0-BzRnf9aCWs40hrZ6f6kuHPetdOixOG7XiPXX6fsq8sWSuU-QtFuB83R5Si7uU24_-vjfg52uPPA/s320/glitzy+lip.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA7qdvkyYrJU4bozUR6OEa1MecRfqz_2uB0bcIxEi2EUjZvJ1IvdVbIs-qPn-l3FyijBc2wUN0jnVDvcs9krxUG0EdpUIzV5zhxaRhHFtD9CgaXPDlQtSfeB55w8ztdNfNz1Ls_8UQQ/s1600/perky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA7qdvkyYrJU4bozUR6OEa1MecRfqz_2uB0bcIxEi2EUjZvJ1IvdVbIs-qPn-l3FyijBc2wUN0jnVDvcs9krxUG0EdpUIzV5zhxaRhHFtD9CgaXPDlQtSfeB55w8ztdNfNz1Ls_8UQQ/s320/perky.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perky</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9hSvQhplQaSRf5mvrtLxh0-8sAJpPZjqWDHRiVYcs8Vw2rPRkdtWVdcklwpBKGKfaiN8DEtqY_GeehJONpwcVQ1Q4Ucg-10ADZtiiT8TI_7NklU94g_b7V2f1DO2ywbRWUzsdkboHA/s1600/perky+lip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9hSvQhplQaSRf5mvrtLxh0-8sAJpPZjqWDHRiVYcs8Vw2rPRkdtWVdcklwpBKGKfaiN8DEtqY_GeehJONpwcVQ1Q4Ucg-10ADZtiiT8TI_7NklU94g_b7V2f1DO2ywbRWUzsdkboHA/s320/perky+lip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4A1xVpasW1NyeJaDdI7nWcTWgmiDCa218QKsvlZM1DILAw594WlXiXn_C_xLPwO9kEwiJc44Mfy-FDuiLuxrBaV0B0LVH8ttKHrz1wa7cHerwVANavNPDXIyxPQ9wi1N5Qkr0TSasTg/s1600/swank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4A1xVpasW1NyeJaDdI7nWcTWgmiDCa218QKsvlZM1DILAw594WlXiXn_C_xLPwO9kEwiJc44Mfy-FDuiLuxrBaV0B0LVH8ttKHrz1wa7cHerwVANavNPDXIyxPQ9wi1N5Qkr0TSasTg/s320/swank.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swank</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUzYX2FZ1ffn0fmyPPrE2Uoq9KAYx0DlB3qdqJ5LpP78ZsF0zHoBLji6CNtqIMVcwuKFNN9bYdalkHdzJLHTPUOKsPOWrnWXQFG6a0DKaYGl12ZzCmFjdo0r7CINXEC6PCHdFwKzfvQ/s1600/swank+lip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUzYX2FZ1ffn0fmyPPrE2Uoq9KAYx0DlB3qdqJ5LpP78ZsF0zHoBLji6CNtqIMVcwuKFNN9bYdalkHdzJLHTPUOKsPOWrnWXQFG6a0DKaYGl12ZzCmFjdo0r7CINXEC6PCHdFwKzfvQ/s320/swank+lip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flashy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GZXO5J_GInOgv3VMi8eZn0jTf7niFlxMRh5rv6Ep_4e2DGlZo39nBoTiKMUsTZkYf2ez6WsL3T0wEnxHVpXf24OvermtECQBOns3opmj4FajIs-cKJumdvViEDGo6smFq8amkFdjw/s1600/flashy+lip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GZXO5J_GInOgv3VMi8eZn0jTf7niFlxMRh5rv6Ep_4e2DGlZo39nBoTiKMUsTZkYf2ez6WsL3T0wEnxHVpXf24OvermtECQBOns3opmj4FajIs-cKJumdvViEDGo6smFq8amkFdjw/s320/flashy+lip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dazzled</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEOdfK5PllZn6NdOYaTM4OGXJdtBX0r14OEmZqZyST8_Om5fFRCBS2Mn1-cW4kGBW9ZMj9l99zpqgRiICjmWAwubQiAQESReKkYPZoAR0sSTIstL9OoUhINPSYgE0lnny0C6wE2Nnlw/s1600/dazzled+lip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEOdfK5PllZn6NdOYaTM4OGXJdtBX0r14OEmZqZyST8_Om5fFRCBS2Mn1-cW4kGBW9ZMj9l99zpqgRiICjmWAwubQiAQESReKkYPZoAR0sSTIstL9OoUhINPSYgE0lnny0C6wE2Nnlw/s320/dazzled+lip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-50318921436707257342011-09-22T14:40:00.000-04:002011-09-22T14:47:27.436-04:00They're Real! (I swear)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawC_YYmV3CEa9FBBFkTChLw-gmkMt_JgyzvdCwFVCrC8mjrxM-Q3AgVWX70UvLiYkJYsN2rfdpvyu2Q4U7VBAYKy8Rky7b-qFvoll1jDexDrq5uaxXRWXygh_fcksMdLWHdaDHgO7uw/s1600/IMG_1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawC_YYmV3CEa9FBBFkTChLw-gmkMt_JgyzvdCwFVCrC8mjrxM-Q3AgVWX70UvLiYkJYsN2rfdpvyu2Q4U7VBAYKy8Rky7b-qFvoll1jDexDrq5uaxXRWXygh_fcksMdLWHdaDHgO7uw/s200/IMG_1984.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I recently gifted <i>myself</i> with a few fun things from <a href="http://www.sephora.com/">Sephora</a> for my own birthday last week (because I'm just that lame). One of those things is none other than Benefit's new They're Real! mascara. I've heard great things and had to check it out for myself. I gotta say - it was pretty much love at first swipe. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Keep reading for a picture-heavy review.</span></i></b></span><br />
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</i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Benefit's ad for this mascara states: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: PerspectiveSansRegular, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They're real!</strong> lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts & separates. Our jet black, long-wearing formula won’t smudge or dry out. A specially designed brush reveals lashes you never knew you had!</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They also give you directions on how to use it, which I thought was pretty hilarious. But in any case this stuff really lives up to the name. It really does make your lashes look like false lashes. It's intense. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoxHpf6WK1oxt9FOlAxGxUSZBjFchQ__9Sll4vhTDB9WAK5vbTDQEF50r4j2jS324_iZnQU_sQGUgwM4fGApTV-H3wZTjvKQyItCxQ2wTG0nrKTxrCgtYr6SMQUlmSXPvLuJ7B7k77A/s1600/IMG_1992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoxHpf6WK1oxt9FOlAxGxUSZBjFchQ__9Sll4vhTDB9WAK5vbTDQEF50r4j2jS324_iZnQU_sQGUgwM4fGApTV-H3wZTjvKQyItCxQ2wTG0nrKTxrCgtYr6SMQUlmSXPvLuJ7B7k77A/s200/IMG_1992.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The brush is a rubber brush with thin tapered bristles that are densely packed together in order to find each and every lash. And the funny little tip, reminiscent of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_star_(weapon)">Morning Star</a> (see? this blog is educational too!), can easily tackle your lower lashes and bring out hairs you never knew were there. I usually don't do my lower lashes because I'm prone to "raccoon eye" brought on by my oily skin. But I wore this mascara all day long on the lower lashes of just one eye and I suffered very little smudging. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>On to the photos!</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD6JED8goiGAKMHMQ0Gun-cj5OqicklhWGao9HUOwB3wINvrjbBwwq-1jfYgGkC41_1nFqWIOZ2R2PakQOe7F6lad0BVIPRAP3Ta5wqq0386A7FqJMBr9tXThT_ezJwoPg6-7cuWbQA/s1600/IMG_1917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD6JED8goiGAKMHMQ0Gun-cj5OqicklhWGao9HUOwB3wINvrjbBwwq-1jfYgGkC41_1nFqWIOZ2R2PakQOe7F6lad0BVIPRAP3Ta5wqq0386A7FqJMBr9tXThT_ezJwoPg6-7cuWbQA/s320/IMG_1917.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here you can see how the forumla builds up fibers on the lashes of my right eye to make them appear thicker and creating nice volume. I combed through them after applying several coats (about 3?) and it produced a nice, clean, and super long result. On my left eye I did only 1 coat for a slightly less dramatic effect. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDi8DG0wXUFc6okMPzFBTTOvHPocb2tPJI6jmcKUpfeSQ2rO4tKGOJXW4FHx2afArv-1jOliBF8EHDAMPOmERvsjzwI7HVlyutiKVII-FWqCm9dgzHEQlMtOCBH3p5k4S18eVEJKlsPw/s1600/IMG_1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDi8DG0wXUFc6okMPzFBTTOvHPocb2tPJI6jmcKUpfeSQ2rO4tKGOJXW4FHx2afArv-1jOliBF8EHDAMPOmERvsjzwI7HVlyutiKVII-FWqCm9dgzHEQlMtOCBH3p5k4S18eVEJKlsPw/s320/IMG_1919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Holy length, Batman! I probably wouldn't wear this mascara to the office. I'm actually pretty conservative with makeup for work. I would definitely wear this out on the weekends, though. If you're more glam than me (which isn't hard), girl, wear it to the <i>office</i>. WORK! (see what I did there?...)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxRJ7Vc1ppzE-M80MBUSd4CXnt7_P_T4Nbl8Pu8VrmNGcMS1epwVLm3eYKF9ZwdtCaL-nudd_sdLPRZ8BeT7bsQObu3tSTP42XrfsZyfFDIAu2MY7gbBXE0FGZJ-pPAa02vWxSELzig/s1600/IMG_1936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxRJ7Vc1ppzE-M80MBUSd4CXnt7_P_T4Nbl8Pu8VrmNGcMS1epwVLm3eYKF9ZwdtCaL-nudd_sdLPRZ8BeT7bsQObu3tSTP42XrfsZyfFDIAu2MY7gbBXE0FGZJ-pPAa02vWxSELzig/s320/IMG_1936.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my left eye which I only applied 1 coat to and I didn't put any on my lower lashes. You can tell the difference in person, and my eyes did look a little lopsided from one another. But! by applying it sparingly you can certainly achieve a less dramatic, more wearable look with just as much length as several coats (less volume though). It was after just the one swipe that I was immediately impressed. It's a less watery formula, too, which is what I look for in a mascara. A "dryer" consistency will smudge less, and hold a curl better because it locks in the curl faster. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I definitely give this mascara an A for actually doing what it says it will do. Taking it off isn't that hard, either. The only thing you should make sure to do is comb through them with a lash comb or an old clean mascara wand (which is what I use - cheap and easy!) between coats. It will keep the lashes from grouping together in spidery clusters. BTW, did you know that spidery lashes are totally <i>in</i> for this fall? What?! Please don't be a slave to fashion, people. Sometimes fashion is stupid. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On that note, I bid you adieu for today with one last derp-y photo b/c I'm in a tremendously silly mood.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQ38ldgw0F6zHKNErpvgf9ldWSLuJGukUgzGzGhSaYRGf-gxIPOgmafo5ORBEyYc5TDtmlhSDOsBItmC2qdmibdFLcDiX5Aa0wwDpXCjGizIH3LDoocLT5MaKbJHOiezQVCJiNP9s2w/s1600/IMG_1983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQ38ldgw0F6zHKNErpvgf9ldWSLuJGukUgzGzGhSaYRGf-gxIPOgmafo5ORBEyYc5TDtmlhSDOsBItmC2qdmibdFLcDiX5Aa0wwDpXCjGizIH3LDoocLT5MaKbJHOiezQVCJiNP9s2w/s320/IMG_1983.jpg" width="320" /> </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">à bientôt!<br />
-A</span></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-87547730404830626902011-09-20T16:27:00.000-04:002011-09-20T16:46:00.233-04:00September Birchbox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG4S4ugPeOwtX8GdyIw0LtboxDzoYHG8gMgm5nIokDSAjY_iH9QswpWT8e24mqstu0ygmip39W-oWYpISCQ-vw5VMFh-16pFL5B2Otua8Z_yj8qbEjG0iKiFN3vzG85aYT41oAgaxNA/s1600/IMG_1906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG4S4ugPeOwtX8GdyIw0LtboxDzoYHG8gMgm5nIokDSAjY_iH9QswpWT8e24mqstu0ygmip39W-oWYpISCQ-vw5VMFh-16pFL5B2Otua8Z_yj8qbEjG0iKiFN3vzG85aYT41oAgaxNA/s200/IMG_1906.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">September's Birchbox came last week so I thought I'd go over its contents with you and do a little quick first-impressions review. For those who aren’t familiar with <a href="http://www.birchbox.com/">Birchbox</a>, here is a little explanation: It’s essentially a “makeup of the month” club where for $10 a month, you become a member and they ship you a few sample sizes (or sometimes full sizes if you’re lucky) of high-end skincare products and cosmetics. If you like them enough to re-purchase, you can buy that item on the Birchbox website and earn points which you may later use as discounts on future purchases. You also fill out a short questionnaire about what your skin and makeup concerns are so that they can tailor your box based on your needs and likes. If you are interested, I recommend visiting the website for more information, as I’m sure I’m not covering everything there is to know about being a Birchbox-er. In short: if you like samples, you’re going to enjoy this club. </span><i style="color: purple;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Keep reading for more info and photos.</span></span></b></i><br />
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<a name='more'></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The card that comes with the box explains that this month is the one year anniversary of Birchbox starting up. So they put together a special little box that is supposed to represent them: "open-minded and multi-faceted, girly one day and minimalist the next." I must admit, this also represents me. So I was excited...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inside the box was: </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGA-2qiixMs55ZiiAS7IUUHO_qFWHArAIWbzKTI6XPWtrlS_sxg1gyXA-ScO2vt00Wn2kKt5sEpQ1X980Df-P4fXG_gHVOcZDwufF8y0yfhrRtEN9RE98awqzu4lU-AOq9WF1BY6Nxjw/s1600/IMG_1911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGA-2qiixMs55ZiiAS7IUUHO_qFWHArAIWbzKTI6XPWtrlS_sxg1gyXA-ScO2vt00Wn2kKt5sEpQ1X980Df-P4fXG_gHVOcZDwufF8y0yfhrRtEN9RE98awqzu4lU-AOq9WF1BY6Nxjw/s200/IMG_1911.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A nice sized pot of Colorescience pro SPF mineral powder. I've actually been using this brand for years after reading a random article where Cameron Diaz recommended it as a dry SPF for your face. I hate putting SPF cream on my face. It makes me itchy and I just don't like the feeling of it for some reason. I've actually worn this powder out and had my body burn and my face be completely protected, so it really does work. And this version provides some coverage like a normal mineral foundation would.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSF7XK2FZ56K8nQm_E7u0iaE78QbybmcljF5urougec3xru0aEGlf1jDKP2fprOnfO0I00gX_QVX3_H35kpOliJ11EOIOxkLTONV0dOb-0rXhFLcXImg5BNIelGZlRuTrQwfqpw8n1w/s1600/IMG_1912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSF7XK2FZ56K8nQm_E7u0iaE78QbybmcljF5urougec3xru0aEGlf1jDKP2fprOnfO0I00gX_QVX3_H35kpOliJ11EOIOxkLTONV0dOb-0rXhFLcXImg5BNIelGZlRuTrQwfqpw8n1w/s200/IMG_1912.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They also sent a pretty cool set of nail polish strips from a brand I haven't heard of before called Incoco. I'm a HUGE fan of the </span><a href="http://www.sallyhansen.com/products/nails/nail-color/salon-effects-real-nail-polish-strips" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sally Hansen Salon Effects</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> nail polish strips and I've had great long-wearing results from those. I hope this brand works as well because the pattern they sent me is fabulous. Animal print with glitter called "All That Glitters"! Look at all the different designs they have on their </span><a href="http://www.incoco.com/product.aspx?productid=101&categoryid=70#153" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">website</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">! They also have solid shades available. I'll try and do a review on these strips soon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxJBr-RO1-1GMYgBKfXYsqfnXii9sTzVCXQzsue31R-c-9tZ6WTp-VtRdsWxNS21uCtth9F4uV2LmjgQgvdMMqBkeC6cE25z-u_ZJwvevxFAv3ePnrAw1VEmTYz5whh9ALVJMSh7l6g/s1600/IMG_1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxJBr-RO1-1GMYgBKfXYsqfnXii9sTzVCXQzsue31R-c-9tZ6WTp-VtRdsWxNS21uCtth9F4uV2LmjgQgvdMMqBkeC6cE25z-u_ZJwvevxFAv3ePnrAw1VEmTYz5whh9ALVJMSh7l6g/s200/IMG_1910.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next up is a teeny Jouer lip balm. Awwww, how cute. They tend to give away Jouer brand lip products pretty often. They are nice, but nothing to really write home about. I tested the lip balm on my recently chapped lips (does anybody else get chapped lips from talking too much?...no?...) and it really did do a nice job of softening them back up quickly. But at the price of $14 for a full size, I think I'll stick with my trusty drugstore Carmex lip balm which also doubles as a cure-all for pretty much any dry skin issue you might have. The Jouer had a nice, light, perfume-y smell to it, and no flavor, but a hint of color on the product itself that doesn't translate to the lips.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlk5amBAgmGECb7cv2aM-NqjxQN47v8tzMR3xboTx3pk319qohhe4XYQhgFj-AkC5MNVjjHPFSzEhgkWZYQCRb0kmj-dI_0cMw7RHi55Bu54ytmba2oPcQ9Xs_dx1fNNcZb1xgnxmGA/s1600/IMG_1915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlk5amBAgmGECb7cv2aM-NqjxQN47v8tzMR3xboTx3pk319qohhe4XYQhgFj-AkC5MNVjjHPFSzEhgkWZYQCRb0kmj-dI_0cMw7RHi55Bu54ytmba2oPcQ9Xs_dx1fNNcZb1xgnxmGA/s200/IMG_1915.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also got a tube of Jurlique age-defying cream (uh...is this b/c I turned 31 this month, Birchbox?!) which I have no intention of using. I'll probably give it to my mom for her to test out. I did put a small dab on my face to see if it did any immediate "firming" which it didn't, but it did leave the area feeling highly moisturized.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzp07H60Wjd7wsojmvOc6NwhEh-4DkkhZCqgxdY4WvsFwQVv86ZjsuuQGvr_j03pnLAhlG1xlXBsxRjzu3y3Pskv-12bTAH3Zw6AM6lrC9KLrzHjGun98FUPSitywh971yGA-4EZ6mA/s1600/IMG_1914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzp07H60Wjd7wsojmvOc6NwhEh-4DkkhZCqgxdY4WvsFwQVv86ZjsuuQGvr_j03pnLAhlG1xlXBsxRjzu3y3Pskv-12bTAH3Zw6AM6lrC9KLrzHjGun98FUPSitywh971yGA-4EZ6mA/s200/IMG_1914.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There was also a sample spray of Ferragamo's perfume Attimo L'Eau Florale. They're not kidding about the Florale. At first spray, it's crazy-strong floral which I'm not usually a fan of. It's strong and very mature. But it keeps changing on the skin over the course of an hour or so and does fade to a less intense floral scent, but it's still too "sharp" for my taste. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdm7sKWgbaJ2_yT31wi-vTz-HNVSERHzIr1iqWfTcx0Xx1wow5ezYsadY12tETQumQmdXVlwuQx4etl60YqWFq3WXQ48MbeYXMP7HkKH7rV9bzQkmZ1TJMJuvyqvVmoaPfqglMmeqtQ/s1600/IMG_1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdm7sKWgbaJ2_yT31wi-vTz-HNVSERHzIr1iqWfTcx0Xx1wow5ezYsadY12tETQumQmdXVlwuQx4etl60YqWFq3WXQ48MbeYXMP7HkKH7rV9bzQkmZ1TJMJuvyqvVmoaPfqglMmeqtQ/s200/IMG_1913.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lastly, they included a "treat" which is sometimes a food item and sometimes a random beauty item. I like the food ones best. ;-) This time it's a little friendship bracelet with the Birchbox signature square on it. I probably am not going to be wearing this glorified piece of string. But I might be able to use the charm for something else...maybe...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am really excited about the nail strips and the mineral powder, but all in all this month's box was kind of "meh". But that's actually part of the excitement of getting a Birchbox every month. It's a gamble! Maybe next month there will be a full-sized Laura Geller product or a Zoya polish like in past months. :-)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-A</span></div></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-47182524976417119582011-09-19T09:52:00.000-04:002011-09-19T09:52:18.238-04:00Quick Birthday Eye look<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, I practice what I preach. :-) As proof, here is a easy eye look I wore to go out to my fancy birthday dinner with the hubs. I used the Balm's The Balm and the Beautiful palette and a few other items that I've previously reviewed.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwvm5qIIJ4my4H6h9k8zV5gD8ermg7I0CptwnDb4SKqDXMSkkFM49l7SYGagwyCHD9v5qvBLv08OLHIeKp7jAn3MsI0o4DyFOeZo7CBxo6XVKVakkeHD5eknTO-G2WM8t-thh6TRbbA/s1600/IMG_1871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwvm5qIIJ4my4H6h9k8zV5gD8ermg7I0CptwnDb4SKqDXMSkkFM49l7SYGagwyCHD9v5qvBLv08OLHIeKp7jAn3MsI0o4DyFOeZo7CBxo6XVKVakkeHD5eknTO-G2WM8t-thh6TRbbA/s200/IMG_1871.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No flash</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's just "The Supermodel" over the entire lid (with Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a primer underneath, of course) then a bit of "The Bad Boy" in the outer corner and into the crease. That's it! It's an easy natural eye that I thought would compliment the gold jewelry I was wearing that night with my black dress. The eyeliner on top and in the waterline is that Stila waterproof Smudge Stick I reviewed earlier. And on my face is my BB Cream. Mascara is none other than my beloved Cover Girl. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy peasy!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazeNlo18o5L2kx-Xk_wQCxTaVtmsBmoky72NFKfSoq_X7GoSfv4EqbUbYbwCwucfQFMUrpkp784uI_n6ADVPo2EN4xefq2fYTGlQxj9bkqMx2QiMgnTIYg4hOP6yO2vWSC3AG1_gTrg/s1600/IMG_1881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazeNlo18o5L2kx-Xk_wQCxTaVtmsBmoky72NFKfSoq_X7GoSfv4EqbUbYbwCwucfQFMUrpkp784uI_n6ADVPo2EN4xefq2fYTGlQxj9bkqMx2QiMgnTIYg4hOP6yO2vWSC3AG1_gTrg/s200/IMG_1881.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-sVYmZj63EwiRnHu4cRQ8mo_-h7nwNlvilQuC_ug9-8Zs46pLaiK8yhbadzweJGCrWwyteHiomNrWdUH24PWka3vhVnLWsrt-JNAUhDMraR9ac_gvExAmzOawdWFG0_s-44_zOBweA/s1600/IMG_1893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-sVYmZj63EwiRnHu4cRQ8mo_-h7nwNlvilQuC_ug9-8Zs46pLaiK8yhbadzweJGCrWwyteHiomNrWdUH24PWka3vhVnLWsrt-JNAUhDMraR9ac_gvExAmzOawdWFG0_s-44_zOBweA/s200/IMG_1893.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closed eye with flash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-12213209668831183782011-09-13T19:33:00.000-04:002011-09-20T16:46:33.716-04:00the Balm and the Beautiful palette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbqELEZb1wSYDf9fPaSSqI__ec1LwI290YNNvWdW8cuSzSw889p-K1PZdfK0TDTP9TcVxmLSUl7G9ThJ1X1jDixFJmp5Q-89ZOfoXntdo5osuK2zSlBktsgaYjPZlNSfyi2ZFMIz0Lg/s1600/IMG_1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbqELEZb1wSYDf9fPaSSqI__ec1LwI290YNNvWdW8cuSzSw889p-K1PZdfK0TDTP9TcVxmLSUl7G9ThJ1X1jDixFJmp5Q-89ZOfoXntdo5osuK2zSlBktsgaYjPZlNSfyi2ZFMIz0Lg/s200/IMG_1823.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thebalm.com/">the Balm</a> has recently released a new limited edition palette with a Muppets theme called "Cast Your Shadow" that is not <i>only</i> limited edition, but also limited <i>number</i>! They only made 1,000 palettes. Luckily, they are also releasing an <i>identical</i> palette with a different theme and therefore different packaging based on soap operas called the Balm and the Beautiful. Supposedly the Balm and the Beautiful is their holiday 2011 palette to be released later this fall. However! It is bizarrely available for more than half the price currently at T.J.Maxx. Craziness! Once I learned this, I immediately went to my nearest T.J.Maxx and grabbed one of the 2 that were left on the shelf and bought it. Original price on the tag is marked $44.50, but the price I paid at T.J. Maxx was a steal at $19.99. <i style="background-color: white; color: purple;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Keep reading for swatches and photos!</span></b></i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The palette consists of 16 beautiful shades of eyeshadow in generous sizes plus under that flap on the bottom there are 3 lip colors, 2 of which can be used as cheek colors (the more neutral shade is a lip gloss). </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRMjH_d3Qyg661-5nXGSS9y0OmIxgC5QuA646ieKVOm5lP8TeSrhOsMTYWvCR-7WAVPpyXZ8hYK1zyt7b6LTwHFL-Q-DSmc68H7dYfo93LohUAaj37-cyvVa488lYZiyGWuk5DitLbQ/s1600/IMG_1824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRMjH_d3Qyg661-5nXGSS9y0OmIxgC5QuA646ieKVOm5lP8TeSrhOsMTYWvCR-7WAVPpyXZ8hYK1zyt7b6LTwHFL-Q-DSmc68H7dYfo93LohUAaj37-cyvVa488lYZiyGWuk5DitLbQ/s320/IMG_1824.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are the lip/cheek colors under the name flap on the bottom. Plus a cute little "TV Guide" with some suggestions for color combinations and looks. Aw.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3zsP5kXjPCq-5VOrkXI5ZbY67gYyOMEnhMLVASgnR2bErW2C3OXSYRAwY7iOKPsUWFO5_WXH5sMpLDdhroD8OecQqmYAZPnmicM8YhD1tXMNKLefk-eVfLwXm36K0YbF4ewwNb5BsA/s1600/IMG_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3zsP5kXjPCq-5VOrkXI5ZbY67gYyOMEnhMLVASgnR2bErW2C3OXSYRAwY7iOKPsUWFO5_WXH5sMpLDdhroD8OecQqmYAZPnmicM8YhD1tXMNKLefk-eVfLwXm36K0YbF4ewwNb5BsA/s320/IMG_1828.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Closeups of the shadows with their awesome soap opera inspired names. I think my favorite name is "The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die".</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJxIbO059U7ODHx8ZJdiWpCzuXEckPdFZ71j_DzGMq5dX02W7EtaoPv8wCgyvDpmq80nlyWNqW40pqZjw4tcI3GxGhe-csHonbvhoat4zMzsDQUKlp2pO55M9XAWel8yI09mr6UcuRLw/s1600/IMG_1825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJxIbO059U7ODHx8ZJdiWpCzuXEckPdFZ71j_DzGMq5dX02W7EtaoPv8wCgyvDpmq80nlyWNqW40pqZjw4tcI3GxGhe-csHonbvhoat4zMzsDQUKlp2pO55M9XAWel8yI09mr6UcuRLw/s400/IMG_1825.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazsf5mbZJjE3QqrIPqt1T_C0jHb_Wut9zzAvotCuXY1Nlv2YEPaNzTDWmKYxcw6IpoSCSd6ywPbO-TZn4Gp5-wQLxodGyw-4NQMV6OxvbS4QOTtp_uPz_FkdKp9zThWwZ_yv1FqATzQ/s1600/IMG_1827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazsf5mbZJjE3QqrIPqt1T_C0jHb_Wut9zzAvotCuXY1Nlv2YEPaNzTDWmKYxcw6IpoSCSd6ywPbO-TZn4Gp5-wQLxodGyw-4NQMV6OxvbS4QOTtp_uPz_FkdKp9zThWwZ_yv1FqATzQ/s320/IMG_1827.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Swatches:</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiCNylh0SUWR5RkeB_s4JMPTuoT77DxPiu3H3RCxHCB_fevJwimI7n8mNyPPEt0VMukDfbP5rVdu21XfLuZCqpGMXzrxrmcbDlB-E3kCl3SawMUBacDQEQ3aPSd5VPqexnoL2lTEaCQ/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiCNylh0SUWR5RkeB_s4JMPTuoT77DxPiu3H3RCxHCB_fevJwimI7n8mNyPPEt0VMukDfbP5rVdu21XfLuZCqpGMXzrxrmcbDlB-E3kCl3SawMUBacDQEQ3aPSd5VPqexnoL2lTEaCQ/s320/IMG_1830.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">L-R: The Oil Tycoon, The Estranged Man, The Supermodel, The Bad Boy</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbj8r1MeA2HQhiUL-t4ER-xL-YuQshz0FVulfRTP_VFtaCwmPfQTegktcvPwa271WwWy0fx6dZ8Ih7DGY07KB_kh3Y4Y5PRd90B7IuUPJh02KWf0V9vDQz7VCPvfVccpWf7Vkl4LtGg/s1600/IMG_1833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbj8r1MeA2HQhiUL-t4ER-xL-YuQshz0FVulfRTP_VFtaCwmPfQTegktcvPwa271WwWy0fx6dZ8Ih7DGY07KB_kh3Y4Y5PRd90B7IuUPJh02KWf0V9vDQz7VCPvfVccpWf7Vkl4LtGg/s320/IMG_1833.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">L-R: The Southern Belle, The Mother-In-Law, The Guy Who Died But Didn't Really Die, The Mistress</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7yMn8bl9tvKRCOiiIpaobXDhZLnBCVk4JeytOtxBaN3cgS2bvbG3nz9SdA7-DjfeRfTQ3GZx_iEJ-H_fSa2Od9eyOev4rPLbysyjg1l_H7MOK7RpdDGDnFPDRk3QIg2hjmxor3c29g/s1600/IMG_1839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7yMn8bl9tvKRCOiiIpaobXDhZLnBCVk4JeytOtxBaN3cgS2bvbG3nz9SdA7-DjfeRfTQ3GZx_iEJ-H_fSa2Od9eyOev4rPLbysyjg1l_H7MOK7RpdDGDnFPDRk3QIg2hjmxor3c29g/s320/IMG_1839.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">L-R: The Step Brother, The Coma Patient, The Police Man, The Brain Surgeon</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhz0x6UPPaemicgDukZhR8u7xcGdotYWoT_kPCofVOl5ak_RR3HZwkdJXNQWpPy6DnU45Vph4OBIkZ3ZVbx3hsIrUWcF5r_N3eqZ8dq5cPGiQDu-pmF5ytmFS4r64juQR4fm83iQ_pQ/s1600/IMG_1841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhz0x6UPPaemicgDukZhR8u7xcGdotYWoT_kPCofVOl5ak_RR3HZwkdJXNQWpPy6DnU45Vph4OBIkZ3ZVbx3hsIrUWcF5r_N3eqZ8dq5cPGiQDu-pmF5ytmFS4r64juQR4fm83iQ_pQ/s320/IMG_1841.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">L-R: The Neighbor, The Stock Broker, The Basket Case, The Older Woman</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXcmHJmLhX9seKhT68-s3ERpd5B4M0BoBOfgMmVCe_TnAIiLGukzJi4sqXioLeIwF0R9CCpMLGCJc220rpK-_gDOcXkf_0SaMbZDh7S84hy77emuMCB-gcBClYONWyYOzy5_olUt_Zg/s1600/IMG_1845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXcmHJmLhX9seKhT68-s3ERpd5B4M0BoBOfgMmVCe_TnAIiLGukzJi4sqXioLeIwF0R9CCpMLGCJc220rpK-_gDOcXkf_0SaMbZDh7S84hy77emuMCB-gcBClYONWyYOzy5_olUt_Zg/s320/IMG_1845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">L-R: The Drama Queen, The Perfect Man, The Evil Twin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, they are all really nicely pigmented and blend really well. The only one that isn't as dynamic on the skin as in the pan is probably The Bad Boy because it needs a colored primer or creme base underneath and the gold glitter doesn't show up as well, which is a shame because that glitter makes it look so yummy in the pan! But the rest seem really rich and lovely. The Supermodel is an especially vibrant gold/copper shade that really looks great on brown eyes, and would make blue eyes pop. </span><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Speaking of vibrant eyes, here are some gratuitous shots of my beautiful buddy (and fellow makeup enthusiast) Alexandria with a gorgeous eye look from her LE Muppets palette (lucky lucky!) using Great Gonzo (or The Policeman). Who knew bright blue could be so classy?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WcuIUrdd5P8XtI6A5N1TyqHU9V5HfNYQoBdPsfy5q9NeiwPc-Lr8tHU9jCXt93h9pqyFcAkCQ1DxggkLNVabr4KUqfMkan31i5v6Of0YZOHCfcCochGgqzpzwxQnCmV4W7TwuPUSyg/s1600/Alex_eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WcuIUrdd5P8XtI6A5N1TyqHU9V5HfNYQoBdPsfy5q9NeiwPc-Lr8tHU9jCXt93h9pqyFcAkCQ1DxggkLNVabr4KUqfMkan31i5v6Of0YZOHCfcCochGgqzpzwxQnCmV4W7TwuPUSyg/s400/Alex_eyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDnRMGxiotbCz4Qn7XwzSvXs-vuMkAZdPPHmHD0dyb2USxG6oSr_ZzIQJ21c28HtSm2ZM62E00mW5_gdMgoGDEAvcAsSkzNV1FEmmGion10Keoyc9XDyZWwToKcp-r9V9l7RxoGv-Pw/s1600/great_gonzo+019.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDnRMGxiotbCz4Qn7XwzSvXs-vuMkAZdPPHmHD0dyb2USxG6oSr_ZzIQJ21c28HtSm2ZM62E00mW5_gdMgoGDEAvcAsSkzNV1FEmmGion10Keoyc9XDyZWwToKcp-r9V9l7RxoGv-Pw/s320/great_gonzo+019.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">:-)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-A</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-34916128539976910202011-09-11T20:23:00.000-04:002011-09-11T20:27:39.537-04:00Eve Pearl products<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I recently purchased two Eve Pearl products via <a href="http://www.hautelook.com/">Haute Look</a> that I'm really enjoying: the Dual Salmon Concealer & Treatment and a Glamour Lash Mascara. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For ages I've heard makeup gurus sing the praises of salmon concealer, but I just never got around to trying one out. The idea behind it is that the salmon hue cancels out any blue undertones in your under eye circles, and it really does work. I was kind of skeptical because it was such an overhyped phenomenon, but I was really impressed with the Eve Pearl concealer. </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFcFzcJDcLzs5bhyni9zTvnI2cPjsnlxxXenhyphenhyphenyfBqMFFCGbxUZq89gqPPJGBYv_vfTmaL-0t-rjg_H2iLa24n6eduI6_gdidkcI28ux1JsEogfnBxTUmKik0TJAkiFfauGCRiubCaA/s1600/IMG_1818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFcFzcJDcLzs5bhyni9zTvnI2cPjsnlxxXenhyphenhyphenyfBqMFFCGbxUZq89gqPPJGBYv_vfTmaL-0t-rjg_H2iLa24n6eduI6_gdidkcI28ux1JsEogfnBxTUmKik0TJAkiFfauGCRiubCaA/s320/IMG_1818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I chose the Light/Medium (I'm an NC30-NC35 in MAC foundation) and it's a really good match. I put the medium shade on first and pat it in to cancel out most of my dark circles and then pat on a thin layer of the lighter shade to blend everything into my skin tone. It's super creamy and very pigmented, too, so a light application is sufficient. Once it's topped off with a powder it should last all day.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56TVSZnF3fy74wm4OeK1qn8dVRO9vExEic3xJYVNRd8YC2I8W3Ke_GkZ0YFt9XJ1kqhwfP5BAqx_UbuhGOJu9qhD0URQ1ZAZxPp9qze3wAIdaelXb-ceRhvpiZG0YVrs75c24VNoUfg/s1600/IMG_1821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56TVSZnF3fy74wm4OeK1qn8dVRO9vExEic3xJYVNRd8YC2I8W3Ke_GkZ0YFt9XJ1kqhwfP5BAqx_UbuhGOJu9qhD0URQ1ZAZxPp9qze3wAIdaelXb-ceRhvpiZG0YVrs75c24VNoUfg/s320/IMG_1821.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Glamour Lash Mascara builds lots of length due to the micro-fibers in the formula. It also claims to build volume, but I didn't notice as much of that compared to the length. Honestly, my favorite volume building mascaras usually come from Cover Girl (like Lash Blast in the orange tube). But what really impressed me was the fact that after a day's worth of wear and sweating, there was no transfer to my lower lids or under eye area. That's always a pet peeve of mine. By the end of the day when it was time to remove my makeup I realized why there was no transfer. It comes off in little tubes! It literally surrounds each lash in a little tube of mascara and washes off with warm water and a little pressure. I had NO idea that was part of the deal, so I was pleasantly surprised. If you're at all familiar with <a href="http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:pdp//objectid+Cos10c_1//{pdp_tab:pdp_overview//objectid+Cos10c_1//}|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank}">Loreal's Double Extend Beauty Tubes</a>, it's exactly the same idea. I'll probably always be loyal to Cover Girl, but on days when I know I'll sweat, or if I want to apply mascara to my bottom lashes, I'll probably turn to Eve Pearl.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:-)<br />
-A</span>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834275098950142716.post-38154449415433192512011-09-10T12:08:00.000-04:002011-09-20T16:46:59.621-04:00Welcome! and August Favorites<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Welcome to All Tarted Up! </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought it might be a good idea to just jump right in with a list of some products that I've used and loved pretty extensively within the past month of August.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrZN3fKRdrK5qg5_7C70FQqpIh77wsoojpEaSNnriKsUcNeVjYTijsYG2-G7HVwfCgusUzc1B1V0wykSgLGwW2GwnCj5bZmGQqiFNQSuS9PfHA-5HkCTqWENpabIo5mvzi9tIu3andA/s1600/yhst-46251602920947_2166_3186024.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrZN3fKRdrK5qg5_7C70FQqpIh77wsoojpEaSNnriKsUcNeVjYTijsYG2-G7HVwfCgusUzc1B1V0wykSgLGwW2GwnCj5bZmGQqiFNQSuS9PfHA-5HkCTqWENpabIo5mvzi9tIu3andA/s200/yhst-46251602920947_2166_3186024.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First up is an amazing nail polish remover by Karma Organics. This is an organic soy remover with a lavender scent, and it works like a charm. It comes in a cute brown glass bottle, and you don't need to use a lot at once so it will probably last a really long time. It removes polish faster and cleaner than any non-acetone remover I've ever tried. And the the most important part (in my opinion) is that it doesn't strip your actual nail! I have suffered from dry, peeling, flaky nails for a long time due to using pure acetone and even non-acetone removers. But Karma Organics has kind of an oily formula that doesn't strip my nail, and I feel like it's actually nourishing them. I've been using this stuff like crazy and my nails have really improved. And it <i>really</i> does a great job removing polish. I was able to use just one cotton pad to obliterate 2 coats of dark red polish (plus base coat and top coat) on one hand and it <i>still</i> had enough juice to move on to a couple fingers on my other hand! It doesn't "carry" the polish around to stain your fingertips either, which is a pet peeve I always had with non-acetone removers. I think it's some properties in the oil that trap the color in (yes, that's my scientific opinion). The only downside I can think of with this one is the price. You can find it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Polish-Remover-Karma-Organics/dp/B00363H8IU">Amazon</a> for $11.99, which is where I purchased it. You're not limited to the lavender scent; it's also available in unscented and Tea Tree. But even at nearly $12 for a 4oz bottle, I think it's completely worth it for how powerful it is and how well it treats your nails.</span><br />
<div style="color: purple;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Keep reading for more goodies!</b></span></i></div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVwgE5J5g6QO2sn58DOVpnCpYYnSwTXD8MP1U5Zt0rlwE0JIVxOpWL_G9Naas-PnLB3gfuqW4gsXPkcNGz95qOFt5S08JM0Yv9GlQx2edm-0uj5Cu4KV2xD2oXgpMTvAhBB82qpIhMQ/s1600/BB+Cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVwgE5J5g6QO2sn58DOVpnCpYYnSwTXD8MP1U5Zt0rlwE0JIVxOpWL_G9Naas-PnLB3gfuqW4gsXPkcNGz95qOFt5S08JM0Yv9GlQx2edm-0uj5Cu4KV2xD2oXgpMTvAhBB82qpIhMQ/s200/BB+Cream.jpg" width="129" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next on the list is a BB Cream that I've been wearing pretty much every day for the past month and a half. If you're not familiar with what a BB Cream is, then here is a short explanation compliments of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BB_cream">Wikipedia</a>. In short, it's an all-in-one tinted moisturizer, SPF, wrinkle cream, and complexion evener. The one I've been using and loving is the <a href="http://www.misshaus.com/pageControl.php?page=mainProductDetail&p_code=MSMS1052&ctg=AAA">M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> by Missha in shade #23 Natural Beige. The texture is lovely, it blends effortlessly, it smells nice, and it wears beautifully throughout the day (I just top it off with a light dusting of powder). And the best part for me is that it doesn't break me out. I've combo-to-oily acne prone skin, so it's always a concern when I try out a new foundation. The thing about BB Creams, though, is that they first apply with a grayish tint to them and then oxidize after a few minutes to blend better with your skin tone. Although I don't find the Missha creams to be TOO grey, it does take some getting used to. And you don't need much for medium coverage (which is what I prefer). It is build-able for fuller coverage, but for every day at the office I try not to look like someone frosted me with an offset spatula. The smaller 20ml size shown in the photo is one that I bought from a Korean seller on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003RYQ3OS">Amazon</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> for only $5.99! Like I said, I've been using it for over a month and I still have tons left. So, if you are curious about trying a BB Cream but not sure if you want to spend $30 on a 50ml tube, I recommend testing the smaller one. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmtf1Oc7T2raoRxSDBR_PtUvUHKY8pmdTsbasT-Vg2gK1Azn07mW-tunO6yl-Py2zFnvsxefSPyAh16pW2F-AqJ1mxSoB6zKxAYv0P-prmVWPjLfxS_nh4qaXD9LVANSbnIVYClhTdQ/s1600/Stila+Smudge+Stick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmtf1Oc7T2raoRxSDBR_PtUvUHKY8pmdTsbasT-Vg2gK1Azn07mW-tunO6yl-Py2zFnvsxefSPyAh16pW2F-AqJ1mxSoB6zKxAYv0P-prmVWPjLfxS_nh4qaXD9LVANSbnIVYClhTdQ/s200/Stila+Smudge+Stick.jpg" width="97" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Third item in my recent favorites is Stila's Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner. Holy crap this stuff really has staying power. It's pricey at <a href="http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P261621&categoryId=B70">$20</a> but you get your money's worth. I purchased the black one for practicality's sake, but it comes in 7 other colors as well. I've been a loyal Urban Decay 24/7 pencil user for ages, but this liner gives UD a run for its money in terms of waterlining and tightlining. The real test of a good waterproof liner is whether or not it stays on your waterline. It does.<br />
I did have to touch up the waterline after a few hours, but I have pretty watery eyes anyway. Still, it was the best job of waterlining that I'd ever experienced. I've used it quite a bit and still haven't had to twist up the self-sharpening pencil to get more. So, really $20 is a pretty good bargain. It's very pigmented and you get a nice dark black line. It is smudgeable, but there's a short window of time before it sets in, so work quickly. I will still use Urban Decay's 24/7 pencils for more blended or smokier looks, though. I have several colors of the UD pencils, and I've been a loyal customer for a while now. Plus, you have more time for smudging (and it's $2 cheaper). But all in all, you can definitely count on this Stila pencil to give you a good waterproof liner.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuRc5HD5UBRmRKkoBrpM4_agil_GQ7qXbaO8iZZw85IBvmwHgwrdq2OXGbAXAyjG5DtFwFzmbLTIUgWkKTT_YZtaJHbiwwFERNEUKdbgwQDKTngUTBLoo7eMHFCJV_CEQlCCjNug07A/s1600/Bobbi+Brown+Eye+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuRc5HD5UBRmRKkoBrpM4_agil_GQ7qXbaO8iZZw85IBvmwHgwrdq2OXGbAXAyjG5DtFwFzmbLTIUgWkKTT_YZtaJHbiwwFERNEUKdbgwQDKTngUTBLoo7eMHFCJV_CEQlCCjNug07A/s200/Bobbi+Brown+Eye+cream.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lastly, I want to quickly mention an item that might not be terribly exciting to some folks, but as a soon-to-be-31-year-old, I've really been enjoying it. It's <a href="http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY22769&PRODUCT_ID=PROD16211">Bobbi Brown's Hydrating Eye Cream</a>. Okay, I know what you're thinking: "holy crap, Alpha, $46?!?!". Yeah, I know. But this stuff is awesome. In the past I've tried lots of eye creams that didn't impress me. They either made my eyes water and sting, dried out my skin instead of hydrated it, made me itchy, gave me <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002343/">milia</a>, or just didn't do anything for me. This eye cream does everything I want an eye cream to do. It's gentle, it sinks in nicely, it doesn't clog my pores, and I can tell the next morning after putting it on at night that it's left my skin plumped and hydrated. Eye creams can vary person to person, but as someone with sensitive eyes, combination, acne prone, and sensitive (generally a pain in the butt) skin, this does the trick for me. And you only need a teeny bit, so for $46 you get your money's worth out of half an ounce.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That completes my favorites list for the month of August. I hope this was useful to some folks!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ciao!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-A</span></span>Alphahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15594879884558716894noreply@blogger.com0