Nov

I used to think Long’s Drugs had everything… ughhh.

I saw an amazing commercial starring one of my favorite icons, Linda Evangelista, for the new L’Oreal Beauty Tubes Mascara. Practically jumping up and down, I immediately went out to the nearest drug store to find this stuff.

I’ve heard of the Kiss Me mascara, which is supposed to create “tubes” around each individual lash and create the appearance of false lashes. I am usually skeptical with claims that cosmetics companies make about mascara… but I really wanted to try this! I looked around at Long’s Drugs, there was an entire wall of L’Oreal mascara, my vision was blurring from all of the choices circling my head. I couldn’t quite remember what the tube looked like, all I know is that it was double ended. One side was a primer and the other side was the mascara… ughhh.. my fiancee was growing impatient in the line at the checkout and I knew that I had to make my choice immediately. I picked up whatever looked good and ran to the checkout.

I ended up with L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara.. very strange brush that looked like a caveman weapon. I thought it might be similar to my absolute fave, Maybelline Lash Stylist, but sadly, it didn’t even come close. The brush was floppy and a little hard to control. My lashes looked horrible.. yes, I hate to say it, horrible. I looked like a psycho killer doll with lashes that stuck together in big pointy clumps. Not loving.

I am going to Target to see if I can find these beauty tubes.. I must know the magic of the tubes. Pray for me!! haha

Oct

M.A.C cosmetics has done it again.. just like they do every single year.. they created yet another kick ass holiday gift set. WOW.. these are cool. Check it out:

The retro-starlet allure of Hollywood glamour, with a modern twist. A season where lips connive, then confess in shades of provocative holiday reds. Party season and passions flare! “Red” She Said, and no one could resist her…

The mineralize eyeshadows in this line are AMAZING. They are also really huge. They are like big domes of wonderous shimmer. The color I am REALLY wanting and hopefully will get soon, is Danger Zone.

Check out the look you can get with this:

If that’s not hot, I don’t know what is!!!

My other favorites of the holiday collection are the six eye shadow sets. FREAKING amazing. All in a red jeweled compact. Tres Chic!! Tres MINE!

Now, if you are in need of a basic brush set, this is the time of year to purchase. For only $49.50, you can get this set of 5 basic brushes in a cute metallic bag:

Even the brushes are adorable!!

Check all of this out and more on the M.A.C official website: M.A.C Holiday 2008 Collection

Oct

I believe these products are in a development stage, but after taking survey about cosmetics that I use, I found out about these new Cover Girl products that seem pretty new and different.

Simply Ageless Color Revivial Foundation:
What does it do? Claims to revive the skin tone and help restore a youthful complexion. For mature skin or people concerned about aging skin. SPF 15.
Features: For sensitive skin, oil free. Comes in a jar.

Genius Regenerist Mascara:
What does it do? Claims to help promote lash growth with vitamins.
Features: Looks like there will be another one of those plastic brushes.. the mascara is $9.00.. probably the most expensive drug store mascara ever.

Genius Vibrant Color Foundation:
What does it do? Claims to give full coverage while creating vibrance to the skin.
Features: Oil free, SPF 15, pump form. Contains high definition pigments.

Pure Perfection Foundation Pods:
What does it do? Claims to be full coverage with a pure formula.
Features: The foundation comes in individual daily packets. Seems very sanitary.

Outlast Stay Fresh Foundation:
What does it do? Claims to be a 2 in 1 long wear formula with shine absorbers.
Features: SPF 15, Oil Free.

Keep your eyes peeled for these new products!! I will definitely have to try the foundation out and possibly the mascara.

Oct

LIMITED EDITION Night Sky Long-Wear Eye Palette:Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

$55.00 retail price.

Well, is it worth the money?? I’d have to strongly say NO. After trying this palette out for a month, I am impressed with only one thing about it.. the Black Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. The gel eye liners cost about $21.00 alone, but I was unimpressed with everything else in the palette besides the liners. I was tempted to return the palette and buy two gel liners instead.. but I think I will stick with what I got and see if I can work with the two cream shadows that come in the set. The double-sided application brush that comes in the set is really good quality, but I feel that my finger is the best applicator when it comes to those cream shadows.

Cream Shadows: the colors are pretty amazing.. very rockstar-glam. The cons about the creme shadows is the consistency. The formula tended to get a little clumpy during the application and it was a bit hard to work with.

Gel liners: great consistency, very long lasting and doesn’t move! The trick is to use very little and work it around, it goes a very long way. I tried the product with a slanted eyeliner brush and it worked great, the brushes in the kit are thicker, so you may have to purchase a thinner brush for a smaller line result.

Not too much of a Kat Von D. fan (after she broke up with Orbi.. what was she thinking??) but I decided to give her cosmetics line a whirl and see what the hype was about. I only tried the lip glosses in the store and decided to purchase the black gloss called “Gunshine”.

Well, it’s not like the black lipgloss I used to own back in my goth days (Wet N’ Wild during Halloween time) but it’s a more sophisticated shade that is very flattering when worn alone (no lip liner or lipstick). Gunshine is a sheer dark silver shade that turns my lips a really nice plum shade. The gloss is very comfortable to wear, great scent and taste, and surprisingly long-lasting. The packaging is adorable, even the cool clear wand that you use to apply the product with is awesome. I hate to say it, but I love it. Speak of the devil.. L.A. Ink just came on TV as I am typing this. Check out the line only sold at Sephora (Please let me know how the shadows are): Kat Von D. Lip Gloss

Oct

The art of makeup.. ahh.. isn’t it a beautiful thing? Doesn’t it piss you off when someone comes along and shits on your cosmetic parade? For instance, I worked in Berkeley for a few years and a lot of my local clients were very granola-hippie. They wanted to know the ingredient lists and what chemicals and cancerous carcinogens were contained in the makeup. Hmm.. why is it that I totally blew them off? It’s simply annoying. I had a job to do : sell. I didn’t have time to bullshit about weather, ex-boyfriends and the latest colon cleansing products. If you are concerned about a products ingredients, please go online to find out the info yourself. Not trying to be mean.. just warning you. Most salespeople don’t know a whole helluva lot about ingredients and what causes cancer, most salespeople are only there to sell and make commission, so they don’t have time to sit and talk to you about that kind of stuff.

There are great resources online for the people concerned about getting cancer from cosmetics: http://preventcancer.com

Here is also a list of cosmetics companies who have pledged not to use chemicals: Signers of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics

A blog that lists 11 lead-free lipsticks: Lead-Free Lipsticks

Here’s the last link I will give you.. you gotta Yahoo or Google your own queries to get more answers to your chemical questions. Here is the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. You can see ratings to popular cosmetic products on this site.

Am I worried about chemicals in cosmetics? Not at this point in my life. There are chemicals everywhere and cancer-causing agents all over the place.. I would have to live in a bubble to protect myself from it all, and what fun would that be?

Oct

Tis the season to be spooky! I really liked last year’s MAC Halloween looks, this years.. well.. judge for yourself. M.A.C cosmetics Halloween Looks

I am really digging the Midnight Bloom flower child look:

Nothing is really grabbing me.. so I am going to stick with my plan: I am going to be Samantha Ronson for Halloween. Yes. My friend Jenn is going to be Lindsay Lohan. We are going as “Lezlo”. Don’t ask. We are just being silly. =) This is probably the first Halloween where I won’t be required to wear makeup.

Sep

Haven’t blogged in a little bit.. but I am still alive! Had a really busy few weeks, but I have some stuff to share with you all.

For models, actresses, actors, anyone recorded in HD (even us chicks that take digital camera pictures before a night out on the town) you have to check out the new high definition makeup that is available for the public and not just for Hollywood behind-the-scenes use.

Pores, fine lines, uneven skin.. you will look amazing when these flaws are minimized. Cosmetic brands like Christian Dior, Cargo and Makeup Forever are coming out with high definition makeup that looks good not only in print and tv, but out in the sun, at the office, anywhere!

When I tell friends about these products, they always assume the makeup is going to be thick and heavy like theatrical makeup, but that is actually the opposite. The key ingredients in HD makeup is the photochromatic particles which reflect light away from the skin, instead of absorbing light. This gives skin an airbrush effect and softens lines and pores.. what could be better than that? There are a lot of light-reflecting products already on the market that offer the same results, but how do we know it’s “safe” to use for HD? Well, I guess you can just go looking for the “HD” labels on products, or you can experiment around with what works best with the camera.

The only official HD labeled product I’ve used is Makeup Forevers HD Microfinish Powder:

This stuff rocks! It’s translucent, so you don’t need to worry about what color to purchase. 100% silica is the stuff that gives it the airbrush look. At $30 for .35 oz, it’s a little pricey, but worth a try if you want to look a little bit more flawless. Makeup Forever also offers a whole line of HD products, so you might want to test some of that out at Sephora next time you go in.

Capture Totale by Christian Dior, $75 for 1 oz. Available online only.

One of the best selling HD foundations out there, a customer fave Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation with SPF 15. Oil free! $38 for 1 oz.

Only available at Sephora:

Cargo blu_ray Collection with an assortment of cosmetics that are perfect for bridal shoots, modeling, etc. $59 for a gloss collection, blush and highlighter, pressed powder, mattifyer and mascara.

Sep

I haven’t followed too closely on the presidential issues (I know.. that’s bad, slap me) and honestly, I don’t know who or what to vote for because I don’t like either candidates. Everyone is having attitudes and saying things like, “Obama or die”.. but personally, I don’t trust anyone, especially a slick talker. People of this nation shouldn’t make others feel guilty for their choices.. you might as well support Sarah Palin if you are going to act like that.

I was reading Perez Hilton.com, as always, and he seems to be posting news about the election on a daily basis. He posted a photo of Obama with his “Change we can believe in” slogan and I instantly felt mesmerized by the logo.. like it was calling to me as a woman.. why?? Check this out:

Chanel.. Change? I am really confused. Why did they PURPOSELY use the same font? Hmm.. maybe to catch a woman’s eye, make her pay attention, because if she does, she might get a free Chanel lip gloss in the mail. You know this was well thought out.. you don’t just use the Chanel font for the heck of it. Call me obsessed, but I swear, everytime I see that logo on TV, I instantly think it says Chanel. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, or if I am the only weirdo.

Sep

I am trying to hook my Flickr account up to this blog, but I am having some technical difficulties. I moved here from Vox.com, which was a cool place, but I’d rather take on this blogging project into my own hands.. how do you like it so far? I am adding widgits like a mad woman..so within the next few weeks, it should be pretty pimped out.

I went on a Sephora run last night and picked up two items. Stay tuned for more.

Sep

Seche Vite Top Coat for Nails:

I have acrylic gel nails and normally my nail polish doesn’t chip at all on synthetic nails. I have trouble getting nail polish to dry and I work with computers all day and night.. so if I want to change my color, I feel as if I can’t use the computer all day!(or use the restroom..)

So, I heard about the Seche Vite top coat on ebay, with rave reviews. I found a bottle at Target in the Professional Nail section of cosmetics and purchased it at $9.98. I found this to be pretty expensive for a clear top coat. I even have trouble buying OPI at $7 dollars! I wanted to give this top coat a whirl since I heard so much about it on here and I have ZERO time for drying.

It’s pretty thick like honey, but it def. makes my nails look awesome. It dried my nails in about 60 seconds. I was able to touch nail to nail and they didn’t stick together or feel tacky. The downside to this product is that it peels terribly. I think the product is a good emergency item to have if you need your nails dried in 30 seconds… but prepare later on for the peeling.

Urban Decay Primer Potion:

This is one of my “Can’t Live Without” = CLW beauty products. If this product ever becomes discontinued, I will hang myself because life won’t be worth living. Ok, that is really bad of me to say, but let’s just say that I will be really pissed if this product goes bye-bye any time soon.
UDPP is the acronym for this product that I will use throughout the blog.

UDPP is an eyeshadow primer, with staying powers beyond anything you can imagine. The product looks small, but it lasts for two whole years! I have tried many products that claim to keep the shadow on, but all have failed except for UDPP. MAC paints.. you can keep those.. because they never have worked for me. With UDPP, my eyeshadow does not crease, get greasy or fade away.

How do you use it? Well, I normally place some product on my finger (clean finger!) and pat it on my entire eyelid. I don’t use a lot, just a little is enough. When the product seems to be getting low, I start using cotton swabs to get more product out.

Maybelline Lash Stylist Mascara:

This has got to be the most underrated mascara in the world! This is another CLW for my collection. The brush looks like something that Satan might torture hell’s “noobs” with, but it’s just a mascara wand, it’s just not as fluffy and cute as the ones you grew up with.

I wish I had a video of how I apply this mascara, but I am on vacation and lazy at this point, so I will try to explain. I start at the base of my lashes and wiggle the brush upward as I comb it through. I comb it several times and I do not add a second coat. I do the bottom lashes very carefully.. just take your time and practice and you will get good at using the special comb brush. This formula is thick, so the mascara will only last you a month, but the price is nice.. around 5 bucks.. and you will have Saturday night - cocktail slammin’ lashes.

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