The Newest Addiction: Nail Polish

I think it may be the blog universe's fault that I have succumbed to polish. I used to love nail polish but eventually got too lazy to apply it. Plus, for years I was working with heavy duty equipment and things like wood glue which did not play well with polish. Then when I worked at a medical facility (not doing clinical stuff mind you) we were not allowed to wear specific colors or decoration so I simply didn't bother.

Anyway, now I'm allowed to pretty much wear whatever I want and I have fallen in love with some new products. And I'm going to present my very first photographed NOTD. Aren't you excited? Actually, it looks pretty awful. I'm still getting the hang of this stuff.

I am blaming The Pink Train Case who after looking at her blog, has just made me make plans to hop over to my local Walmart (of course). Ok, well awhile ago, she showcased the latest Orly collection based on fairytales. I am a sucker for them. And recently I went to Sally's and found them on sale ($3.99)! So I picked up 2: Prince Charming (a chocolatey taupe color) and Happily Ever After (fuschia). I also was intrigued by the matte products so I picked up Orly Nails for Males. Oh, and last week at CVS they had Sally Hansen nail pens on sale BOGO so I picked up Silver and Pink (they are kind of craptastic and skip but a review for another time). So today I am bored and it is raining.

Prince Charming + Matte + Silver=

Ok, yeah it may look good on this hand... you don't even want to see my right hand... it's a squiggly line disaster.

Review: E.L.F Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths (aka They Burns Us Precious*)

E.L.F's makeup remover cleansing cloths are part of the new Studio Line. As I posted awhile ago, I was able to get some Studio projects for an absolute steal (75% off)! As I hurriedly filled up my cart, I noticed these and thought 'what the hey'. I mean, all makeup junkies need something to take off the makeup at the end of the day. And, well you can't beat $.75 (I believe all of the Studio products are $3). So I threw in 2 packs of these since there are only 20 wipes in each pack.

Well the packaging gets major points from me. I have tried many many wipes and some excel in the packaging area while others fail (Korres, I'm talking to you!). The companies that simply make the tab holding in the wipes sticky doesn't work and the cloths dry up. Then there are companies that put the wipes in a separate plastic container that pops open which is super bulky. However, E.L.F got it right. It's in a coated plastic baggy and there's a pop top! No dried out cloths and no bulky packaging!

So, onto the bad. Silly me didn't read the back of the baggy before I used it. Important to note: the ELF website says, "Gently and easily cleans skin to remove all traces of makeup and dirt, even waterproof mascara. Great for on-the-go travel. Gentle cloths are soft and soothing for even the most sensitive skin. Infused with Aloe Vera Extract for deep hydration and moisture. 20 Pre-moistened cloths included." So they expect me to get mascara off with these wipes. Excellent. But then if you read the back of the bag, "When using this product, do not get into eyes. If contact occurs, rinse thoroughly with water" - ok... Well, as you can probably tell, I did not get this pertinent piece of information before removing my eye makeup with these.

As far as makeup removing pads go, it did a decent job of getting my eye makeup off and just as I thought "hey, these aren't too bad, they don't even bur-"... oh yes, the burning started. And then it got worse. And then I ran downstairs in a panic to use the kitchen sink to get as much water as possible into my eye. Don't ask me why I ran downstairs instead of using my bathroom on the same floor. I don't know. But I did. After the irrational panic subsided and my eye had been rinsed with water, I felt a bit better.

But a fair warning to everyone else. They work... but they burn. I'll stick with (well, I rotate - Korres, Garnier, Equate, etc).

*DH has infected me with his nerdom, what can I say?

My Favorite Lesser Knowns - part I

Visiting beauty blogs and boards, there are plenty of items that get a whole lot of love. Early on in my foray into the great cosmetics of the internet circa 2005, there was a lot of love for Smith's Rosebud Salve (maybe there still is but I don't hear about it nearly as much). I tried the stuff and just couldn't get into the potted balm and I wasn't a fan of rose so I got the strawberry kind. Still reminded me of lightly tinted over-priced petroleum jelly. I still have that little tin somewhere... hm...

But there are some great things out there that are infrequently mentioned, and that is what today's post is about!

Prescriptives Moonbeam Reflective Eye Color $16 - I'm sure many of you have heard about the unfortunate end to Prescriptives. They will stop selling the line at counters globally January 31st 2010. I'm quite crushed over the fact that I will no longer be able to purchase the custom foundation that I have come to love. It's really the only thing that matches my super pale, super pinky skin. But I'm going to talk about the eye color. Moonbeam Reflective Eye Color is awesome. Although you would never expect it to be, the color that I love the most is called Satellite Wine. You would think it's a cranberry or burgundy color, right? Wrong! It's a beautiful taupey plum. Sheer it's the perfect base for taupe eyeshadow and layered a bit it is a great neutral eye for those of us on the go. I'm about halfway done with my tube (insane for the amount of makeup I have) and it's already gone from the website (curses!). I will miss it when it's gone. Wish it and the line got more love.

Studio Gear eyeshadow $14 - Studio Gear is one of those lines that not everyone knows about and they seldom get introduced either in store or online. This line is only carried at ULTA and I got introduced to it when they were giving out gratis in the store that I worked at several years ago. I was allowed to pick $50 in product so I selected the eyeshadow in Crystal Taupe (above), one of their lipsticks (a color Bliss which has a texture similar to MAC's lustres) and their pressed powder. Very underrated brand. The eyeshadows are ridiculously silky and pigmented and the lipsticks are moisturizing, have no offensive smell or taste and come in tubes that lock in place (the thing I may hate most is when lipsticks open in the makeup bag in my purse smearing their color all over everything else).

So those are my first two. What are your favorite lesser known products?

ULTA GWP

I generally post a bit on a makeup board called makeupalley and it wasn't until ULTA sent me an e-mail that I knew anything about these gift with purchas(es) going on. I had popped in the store the other day but my "haul" consisted of tweezers. Super exciting, I know. Mine got lost somehow in the middle of the move. I gather that the minute I start unpacking "la stash" I will find 10 of them, but really, can a girl ever have enough tweezers? I don't think so. Personally, I like the idea of one in every room and a pair in the car, a pair at the office and one tucked into my makeup bag in my purse.

Anyway, there are several good deals going on at ULTA right now, which is surprising, since most of the time, their gift with purchases are solely on perfume (or they are make up bags that are bulky and most of us have no use for) and they are usually bizarre; bathrobes, faux jewelry... I've even seen pillows. I know if I jumped at the opportunity for bag related gift with purchases everytime they ran one, I'd have a room I would need to devote just to cheap bags.

Anyway, here's the deal ladies (and gentlemen - though as I mentioned previously, I only have 1 follower and it's a she).

Most every line that ULTA carries in their mid-high end department is having a gift with purchase. Some are better than others. Note: I haven't listed all of them but if you go to ULTA.com you should see a special box with the fall gift with purchase special.

• Bourjois: free lipgloss charm in Brun Galactic with any 2 items (though I purchased 1 and it still gave it to me)
• Sue Devitt: free Microquatic pore filler pen thingy (?) a $28 value with any $25 purchase

Unfortunately, most of the line is $21-22 and the 2nd cheapest thing is a $10 sharpener so not really a good deal if you want something under $25.

• Smashbox: free Eye Liner Brush #9 & Angled Brow Brush #12 a $30 value with any purchase
• Korres: free deluxe sample of primrose eye cream with any purchase
• Fusion Beauty: free deluxe sample of Lip Fusion XL with any purchase

Again, the cheapest item is ridiculously expensive, so unless the line is something you're familiar with and use, I wouldn't chance it just to get the tiny GWP.

• Benefit: free Miss Popularity precision highligher full size with any purchase
• Urban Decay: free mini sin primer potion with any $25 purchase

And there are other GWPs for other brands like, Pur, DDF, Murad, Ahava, Nick Chanez, Cosmedecine and others.

There is no code required to score these deals. If you reach the requirements, they will automatically pop up as a pull down menu in your basket (not that you can actually choose anything, they are preselected). And yes, you can stack the $3.50/$10 code with the gift with purchases.

Don't forget to use ebates for cashback, and there's also a $3.50 off $10 coupon floating around, though it doesn't apply for what ULTA called the prestige brands (basically everything mid-high end in the store) - 21866 is the code.

I hauled quite a few things, thanks to the free gifts and only spent around $50 including tax (shipping was free). I'll report back with my... findings when I receive the package.