Happy New Year!

Usually my husband will wake me up at 12am to wish me a Happy New Year and give me a kiss, but I may actually stay up till midnight tonight! Very exciting, I know. As you've already guessed, we're not doing anything.

I want to wish all of my lovely blog followers a happy New Year. 2010 was definitely the year of Jeweled Thumb. My resolution was to post everyday and though I didn't do that exactly, I did wind up with 388 posts in 2010. Thank you to everyone that reads this little blog, new readers as well as ones that have stuck by me since day 1. I appreciate you more than you will ever really know.

Here's to another great year of blogging!

If you'd like, please leave a comment telling me what you'd like to see here in 2011.

♥ ivy

CVS Sale Update

I stopped by another CVS today after work to check on the sale items and a store that had the majority of their stickers up. Something important first:

**Important**

The stickers are not always matching up with the sale price. Some items have stickers that aren't on sale. Some stickers have the wrong discount amount on them. 

For instance, the Maybelline Pulse Perfection had a 75% sticker but when I went to check out, it was only 50% off. The Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Raspberry had a 75% off sticker but it was full price! Please check the prices at the scanner or pay attention when you check out so you don't have to go running back to the store to get an adjustment or return.

Now onto the fun stuff!

On the Revlon display, a few colors of various products was on sale 75% off, including Super Lustrous lipglosses in Nude Lustre and Lilac Pastelle (which I hope they aren't discontinuing!), Colorburst lipstick in Lilac and a few odds and ends in the other lip lines. A few of the single eyeshadows and some boring nail polish was on sale as well.

All of the Maybelline sale items were 50% off, including the full color selection of the Dream Mousse Concealer, all the shads of the Dream Matte Powder, the 2 darkest shades of the mineral power concealer, all the Moisture Extreme lipsticks and other bits and pieces of all their lines and of course you already know Pulse Perfection mascara was 50% off as well.

Quite a few L'Oreal products were 75% off as well, including a few from the HIP line including 6 or so eyeshadow duos, all of the Guerlain kohl knockoffs, the brown gel liner and the L'Oreal items that we've seen on sale for quite a few weeks now.

I hope this post was helpful! Just to reiterate, please understand that due to human and most likely computer error, some items that are stickered might not be on sale and pay attention while shopping!

I tweeted all of these pictures as well if you follow me on there, if you don't, you should! I'll be trying to take pictures as the stores around here finish stickering all the displays!

JT Wants

Storage!

My collection is a disaster. I never quite unpacked it and there is stuff all over the freaking place. I do my makeup in my bathroom (bad I know) which is down the hall from the room that I want to store it since there's no proper room in our bedroom and we still haven't even bought a dresser yet (and I want to redo the closet)... anyway.... wahh!

The IKEA Malm? $149 but likely hard to put together.

Something less sturdy, cheaper and easier to put together (and hopefully not as... ahem... colorful?)

$145 at Target but can be gotten more cheaply elsewhere but likely to fall apart after not too long (I'd probably get the 10 bin one which thankfully comes in "smoke" aka gray).

Sterilite bins? Can be gotten everywhere and pretty cheap. Might not last very long. Also, so ugly and utilitarian. Sigh.

If only I weren't indecisive and if only I didn't want something that both looked good and didn't break the bank.

How do you store your makeup?

It's That Time Again!

CVS Beauty Sale Time!

I stopped by the CVS near work and the Beauty Advisor was right in the middle of putting up the signage and putting stickers on the sale products. By the way, I don't know how you ladies that take pictures in drugstore do it. I don't have the "shutter" sound on my Iphone when the sounds off and I still felt like I was stealing in some way trying to slyly take pictures around the shelves. I didn't get any shelf shots but I will share my (tiny) bit of loot.

Usually CVS will use pink (50%) and green (75%) stickers to denote sale/clearance items. This year it looks like the store I was at decided to go for a peachier theme. Here is the Revlon Age Defying concealer (which I've been wanting to try but not at the ~$10 price!) for 75% off. Around the display there was also a coupon for $1 a Revlon product with the purchase of a Diet Coke and since I was thirsty, well I partook (don't mind the toilet paper purchase)!

From what I could see, there were these signs around the Cover Girl blushes, the Burts Bees display and these Revlon concealers, a couple of the Revlon eyeshadows and some of the rounded baked blushes. She hadn't yet gotten to any of the other displays besides the Revlon one and I did not feel like waiting around. I'll probably head back tomorrow to scoop things out so stay tuned.

As usual, your store is likely to not affix stickers to the products in question long after this sale has officially started so just because things are un-stickered, doesn't mean they aren't on sale! Always check the red box of awesome to be sure. Hopefully I'll have a more comprehensive list tomorrow! Happy shopping!

Amazing Beauty Ticket Deal!

From now until... an unknown time, take 50% off everything at Beauty Ticket! They have quite a few high end brands with a big markdown and this code works on their mystery sets as well. Time for haulin'!

Code is NEWYEAR50. Shipping should be a bit over $5 or so it appears.

*edit*

The lovely Heather from Eyeconic Makeup alerted me the code runs till Jan 1 2011!

Weekend Beauty Reads

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic has the huge NYX SoHol Makeup Palette and you can enter to win!

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at the Verseo eGlide: affordable and permanent home hair removal for under $100.

Phyrra raves about MUFE Aqua Creams. See what she loves about them!

EyeshadowCult.com tried a Cabernet Sugar Body Scrub by Green Visions. Did we like it? Find out here!

The Makeup Divas reviews two holiday palettes from Sephora, Tarte The Jewelry Box and Lorac Box Office Sensation.

Retrodiva's Beauty discovers serum by Votre Vu that has calmed her troubled skin.

Jeweled Thumb recalls childhood smells & scenes while reviewing the Haus of Gloi Snow Wolf scent.

Kat Von D Adora

I won't say this is a fragrance review as I am not exactly what you would call a scent expert, however, I do love and use fragrance. Back when I reached the precocious age of 12, my uncle would often buy me a fragrance set for my birthday or the holidays. He always selected fragrance sets which were far past my age, Estee Lauder scents housed in a gold box. My mom was always a little confused by this and I'm sure she gave my uncle a few key words after the gifting took place.

Anyway, in a recent Sephora order, I received a sample of Kat Von D's Adora fragrance. 

According to Sephora, the notes are: Lychee, Boysenberry, Thyme, Cassis, Hyacinth, Jasmine, Mango Flesh, Patchouli, Sheer Musk, Amber Wood

After smelling the vial, I automatically knew I wouldn't like it but I gave it a chance on the skin. First thing that hit me, Estee Lauder Knowing from one of the fragrance sets of my youth, kind of a warm, slightly sweet but spicy scent.

Top Notes: Rose, Tuberose, Mimosa, Plum, Pittosporum
Middle Notes: Jasmine, Patchouli, Orange Flower
Base Notes: Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Amber

Not very many notes match up, but I guess the Jasmine, Patchouli and Amber are enough for my untrained nose. Either way, you can get the Adora fragrance set at Sephora for $39 plus an extra 20% off with code EXTRA thought January 1 or while stock lasts if that's your kind of scent.

Review: Senna Sheer Lipsticks

Some of you may remember I reviewed a Senna lip gloss that I received from Beauty Ticket after winning a twitter giveaway. I wasn't a fan. I'm not a fan of sticky lipglosses. I feel they dry out my lips more and are unpleasant to wear. After posting the review, a representative from Senna contacted me and asked me to try out a few more of their products. I had a look around their website and picked out their tinted moisturizer (review up shortly by the way). The very sweet representative sent me quite a few extra products, their lipsticks being one of them.

I received two of the sheer formula: Brocade (pink) & Exposed (red). These have acquired a permanent spot in my handbag. I love them. They have their faults of course, but all in all, they are a great formula, chic packaging (that stays shut) and flattering colors (a plus they also have SPF of 15).

These lipsticks are sheer and glossy but not too glossy and they can be built up for more opacity. That's reflected in the swatches below.

Left to right we have Exposed applied heavily, 1 swipe of Exposed, Brocade applied heavily and 1 swipe of Brocade. I hope you can see the glossy texture of these. Exposed is a brown-based red, but not too warm, it's kind of like a dusty red. Senna describes it as "Brick". Brocade is a lovely neutral rosey pink which is just a bit brighter than my natural lip color and very appropriate for everyday wear. Senna describes it as "Berry Pink".

 Exposed

Brocade

Senna's lipsticks retail for $18 which I feel is a little steep, however you can often get their cosmetics on discount sites such as Beauty Ticket.

Besides the price, the only other negative about this lipstick is it tends to have the SPF lipstick smell/taste which is a minor annoyance for me but may bother others more. The vanilla scent is almost completely covered up with eau de lipstick, however it's something I'm willing to ignore due to the fab formula. These are heading straight back into my bag.

Disclosure: These were provided by a representative of Senna Cosmetics. I'm not being paid. All thoughts are my own. I'll most likely be buying more of these with my own cash.

Clarisonic Dupe?

I'm subscribed to fewer and fewer magazines every year. Rarely are they useful. I find most of the information on beauty blogs anyway but today I received my Self magazine and flipped to the first page and saw this.

The Clarisonic has been creating a buzz for years but many people are put off by the price. Some choose to go the (slightly) less expensive route and buy the Mia, the Clarisonic's little sister. Others just don't buy and lust from afar.

The ad of course doesn't mention the price for the system but it does include a link to their website which does have the price.

$30?! That's very intriguing. Have you seen this at your local drugstore? I personally haven't but I'm tempted to order to compare it to the original. Thoughts?

Review: Haus of Gloi Snow Wolf

I've always had a thing for the scent of pipes. My father smoked a pipe that smelt of burning tobacco and vanilla every so often when I was little. He left it out on his desk in his study in the basement and that mixed with the smell of old books was something I remember fondly as a child. After a few scoldings from my mother, I believe he stopped but the smell lingered in my memory.

I've always loved the smell of a warm fireplace billowing smoke from the top that scents the whole neighborhood. You know it's winter when you inhale the fragrant air and see your own breath as you exhale.

A bit later, and a departure from the flowery descriptions, I adored drinking Diet Vanilla Coke. It was as though I could smell all the previous scenes and events in a single sip. I could swear it smelled like my father's pipe.

Now I am drawn to deep warm sweet scents. I adore perfumes with vanilla undertones and the vanilla always gets brought to the top on my skin regardless of where it falls in the scale (sorry that was a little corny).

Anyway, the long and short of it is, this scent is amazing.

It started out very sharp, smoky and a bit harsh but mellows wonderfully into the skin. After it gets absorbed, I swear I smell like my father's pipe, in a good girly way. It is utterly fabulous.

Thank you Haus of Gloi for invoking the past.

PS I bet this would layer beautifully with a perfume like Flowerbomb, or Lempicka Lolita L (one of my very favorites). And I am mad it is LE.

Quick & Dirty Green Smoky Eye

After buying the palettes from Dollar Tree I featured previously, I played around with them a bit and I did an eye look with a couple of the shades from the Smoky Eye palette. These went on easily but had to be built up a bit to achieve maximum color payoff after blending. I only used UDPP as a base and I'd bet they'd be even more vibrant over a black base. This look isn't perfect. I didn't blend the edges since it was just a quick look that I quickly removed after (and I only did one eye!).

Aside from the palette I used UDPP, and a little Clinique Black Diamond Creamshaper in the waterline and Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous which I think is on its last leg. Sigh. Guess I need to throw this one away and open a new mascara.

I used the darkened taupe shade all over the lid and a little into the crease and took the green shade in the outer V and a little under the eyes as well. I applied the cream shaper on my waterline, curled my lashes and applied mascara and was done. This was really quick and simple and only took a couple minutes.

Channeling Too Faced II

The next palette in the Dollar Tree Too Faced look a likes is this smoky eye palette and as all Dollar Tree items go, this was only $1!

This palette is my favorite of the two as there are a couple gorgeous taupey shades and this runs more cool than the Natural one.

One again, what appears to be silver shimmer is just overspray.

The shades in this palette are gorgeous! The formulation of the eyeshadows in this palette are slightly harder and less powdery but still very pigmented. These swatches were done (as usual) without a base.

The shades actually look better when swatched in my opinion than in the pan. We have a medium toned brown that borders slightly more bronzey with a bit of silver in it, a silvery taupe, a gorgeous dark olive green which looked nearly black in the pan, a dark black grey, a silver and a blackened taupe/brown. Gorgeous shades!

All in all, I'm really impressed by these though I haven't worn them on the eyes yet. Just from swatches them, I think the texture will work well and I don't tend to have a problem with eyeshadow not lasting on my normal to dry lids. I would pick these up if you see them, they are after all only a bucks!


Have you seen these at your local Dollar Tree?

Taupe Eye Look

I stupidly left the house today as we were nearly out of bread. Once again, I didn't learn that the week before Christmas everyone is out and stores are a disaster.

I used the taupe x-ed color from the Natural Eye palette, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha as a base and some black mascara (recently opened up Revlon's Beyond Natural mascara and I quite like it!). Oh and I stuck a tiny bit of Clinique's kohl pencil in blackened taupe in the waterline but this was super easy. The rest of the face was nothing special, ELF TM and a little MAC Speed Dial pressed into the lips and Studio Fix powder to set.

How's everyone's Sunday? I just confirmed that I have jury duty tomorrow which from the stories I've heard, will prove to be either extremely boring or far too interesting and potentially disturbing. Fantastic.

Weekend Beauty Reads

I'm not sure I've talked about the Beauty Blog Network but a few months ago I was accepted into this great group of over 70 beauty bloggers. We've restarted up a weekly posting. Hopefully more of them will contribute in the coming weeks but this week has some my favorite bloggers.

Phyrra is giving away 5 colors from the Aromaleigh Wonderstruck Collection!

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at the Best Makeup Brushes in both affordable and professional brushes.

The Pink Sith Blog has Joeybunny reviewing Calvin Klein's new fragrance called Beauty Even her biased nose enjoys this feminine scent.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic checks out the polishes from Julep Nail Parlor and you can enter to win!

Jeweled Thumb reveals the contents of her mystery package and does a brief initial review of her thoughts on Haus of Gloi.

Stay tuned next week.

Channeling Too Faced

I was in another part of town going to an allergy doctor (by the way apparently it is possible that I am not allergic to anything yet I have all the symptoms of allergies all year long - lucky me, right?). Anyway, this particular area has a Dollar Tree as well as a Big Lots, discount shopping heaven I tell you!

I obviously walked down the cosmetic aisle and found these.

Remind you of anything? How about these from Too Faced?

 

Something tells me the shades aren't exactly the same and I don't own the Too Faced palettes to compare (not withstanding the fact the palettes don't look the same at all, just the pictures used). However, for $1 a piece, I thought I'd at least give them a shot. The brand is called Almar and it looks like they produce a lot of off-brand products but I haven't heard of them before.

The palette includes 3 warmer shades (top) and 3 cooler shades (bottom), each looks like it is glitter city, but the silvery pigment is actually over spray.

You can kind of see the colors better after I swatched them.

In this palette we have a peachy coppery shade, a gold, a buttery yellow highlighting shade, a bronzey brown shade, a taupe and a slightly lighter bronzey brown shade. 

I'm actually really impressed with these. The shadows are buttery soft, highly pigmented and are a softer metallic (if that makes sense). All swatches were done without a base. My only complaint is they are a bit powdery but other than that definitely worth $1! I'll be swatching and posting the shades from the Smoky kit shortly.

Have you seen these at your local Dollar Tree?

Beauty Blog Link Love - 12/18/10 - #24

Dare to wear red lips this holiday season? Check out these three options on Katie of My Lips But Better.

Amy Antoinette reviews Estee Lauder's Double Wear Foundation and Concealer.

See a sneak peak at the Nicole by OPI liquid metals collection, and a nail of the day!

Dare to wear red lips this holiday season? Check out Katie's picks ranging from sheer to bold on My Lips But Better.

Do you love rock n' roll? Find out what product Cindy at Prime Beauty uses to channel her inner Rocker Chick. Soft Rockers, don't fret; there's a look for you as well!

Shela at Confessions of a Beauty Guru is going cuckoo for Korean lip products!

Curious about more unconventional skin products? Rachel tells all about Witch Hazel Wonders at Queen of Turquoise.

Retrodiva experiments with the Estee Lauder Holiday Collection and likes what she sees.

Emma compares two similarly packaged mascaras to see if they really are the same.

Got a sticky compact and don't know what to do? Musicalhouses shows you how to clean up a sticky NARS, Smashbox, or Becca casing!

Need holiday makeup look ideas? Check out Audrey Dao's Holiday Look Book for ideas and tutorials!

At theNotice, Rae checks out a Benefit cult favourite -- but doesn't like what she sees.

Red lips are hot for Christmas! Lipglossiping trawls through her collection and uses a Red Lip Series as a great excuse to buy more!

Daily Polish falls head over heels (but manages not to lose her head!) for Rescue Beauty Lounge's 'Catherine H' from the new Tudor collection.

At Pink Sith, Joeybunny introduces you to the Wet n' Wild Night Elf Palette. See why she's swooning!

Chanukah may be over, but that doesn't mean you still can't enjoy this LUSH Fizztival of Lights gift set!

Beautywoome has published its Christmas gift guide, because you know you haven't done your shopping yet.

Hellcandy stumbles across her first dupe! Find out which drugstore brand matches the gorgeous fucshia of Nars Funny Face lipstick here.

Acquaintance gifting causing you stress? Jeweled Thumb shares her coworker holiday gift guide to put your mind (and wallet) at ease!

L from Beautifully Addicted To rediscovers Erase Paste.

Kim Porter shares some skincare tips for the cold weather.

Take a sneak peak at Dior’s Cannage eyeshadow palette from the upcoming Spring collection over at Pleasureflush!
***
Jenn over at Spiced Beauty is celebrating her 2 year bloggerversary with a Huge Annabelle Cosmetics giveaway!

Phyrra is giving away 5 eye shadows from the Aromaleigh Wonderstruck Collection!

Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More loves Revlon's Perplex Nail Enamel so much that she is giving away four bottles to her readers!

Beauty Crazed loves Burberry Beauty and wants to give you a chance to love them too!

Review: Haus of Gloi Soft Bubbling Scrub Eggnoggin

I'm a huge huge huge huge fan of scrubs (not all scrubs mind you, there's a rather negative review hidden in those links).

So enter the Haus of Gloi Soft Bubbling Scrub. I had heard that the Haus of Gloi scrubs were thicker than the av-er-age scrub and that piqued my interest (anyone get the reference?). Of the scents I received in the scrub formulation, I decided to try Eggnoggin first - tis the season after all. By the way, even though I'm Jewish I love eggnog though I usually pick up the Silk Soynog as it tends to be a bit healthier, still a bit gluttonous but not bad as the full fat variety.

ahhhhem - oh there you are

As I mentioned in my introductory Haus of Gloi haul post, I purchased the sample sizes of a few of their holiday scents. This size is 2oz and clocks in at $3.50 and comes in a sturdy plastic tub with waterproof label (the angels sing because a lot of indie brands don't do this and it is a mess!).

I'll touch on two things here: 1) this scent and 2) the soft bubbling scrub formulation -

The Scent
The Haus 'nog! Cream, sugar and a shot of dark rum topped with fresh nutmeg

I get a whole lot more rum than cream or sugar with this scent. Eggnog usually has a very creamy scent that covers a lot of the rum taste and smell in at least the commercial variety. This actually reminds me more of the rum buns which are like cinnamon buns except drenched in a rum runny icing sort of thing and usually has some raisins in it. That's the sort of smell I get. Very delicious but much less of a creamy scent than I was expecting. It also smells a tiny bit sharp as if you've just sniffed a bit of real rum which makes this a great scent to use when you want to wake up. I'm not sure how this scent would work as a body lotion or fragrance though as the strong note of the alcohol would make it more masculine smelling to me. Might be something for your significant other to try.

The FormulationThis scrub is very thick and grainy which I like. The granules are slightly smaller than I'm used to and dissolve after a few seconds of being exposed to water. You can kind of see that around the outer rim of the jar in the picture above. The scrub itself before introducing water however, is very firm. You can easily pick up some product and form a small ball in your hands and it won't fall apart or lose it's shape. I found that while not greasy, it reached medium scrubbiness (yeah yeah, not a word but it works well). The formula didn't leave a thick greasy layer on my skin, but I could still kind of feel it after washing away the product. This is good for my dry skin but others may not like this. It also made my shower floor a bit slippery but nowhere near the magnitude of the LUSH scrub. I can't detect that the scent stuck around so it wouldn't interfere with other scents you wore but I didn't use it all over.

If you like a real intense scrub, I'd apply this on dry skin before showering to get the full effect. If you prefer a lighter scrub, you can use it in the shower (just make sure you don't get water in the tub). I'm going to try applying it pre-showering the next time I use it.

It's too early to tell if I'll repurchase this, but I think I'll stick to other scents if I do. Eggnoggin is too heavy on the rum for my tastes.

Mystery Package

Thanks to those of you who guessed what the mystery package held. Petra nailed it, it was Haus of Gloi. So many bloggers have been talking about this company, including a few of my favorites: The Gloss Goss, London Makeup Girl, Phyrra, MLBB among others.

I ordered 6 different "sample" sized jars, each containing 2oz of product and ranging from $3.50 to $4.50. For sample sizes, Haus of Gloi does not skimp on packaging. The labels are gorgeous and a nice departure from most indie bath & body brands. A lot of brands go the cutesy route or go all the way to the other extreme with skull & crossbones and the like; neither are really my style.

I'm still playing with the scents but I'll touch on perhaps the most important thing. For me, many of the scents I've sniffed smelled sickly sweet or very strong in the pots, and for the body butter especially you really need to wait a little to see whether or not the scent works on your skin. It's almost like perfume - they adjust with your body chemistry. I can see these working as pulse-point perfumes rather well as the scent seems to stick around with only the tiniest application. I'm not sure I'd slather myself in these scents from head to toe!

I'll post proper reviews when I get the chance to play around with the products.

Here are the scents I ordered in varying formats - scrub and/or body butter (all from their Yule collection):

Hearth, Eggnoggin, Parkin, Snow Wolf


Have you tried Haus of Gloi?

Beauty Blog Backstage Dec 2010 - Featuring Sparklecrack Central!

Has it really been nearly a month since my last Beauty Blog Backstage interview? Wow, crazy. Anyway, I had the honor of interviewing LiAnn from SparkleCrack Central (also the coordinator of Beauty Blog Backstage - cool huh? I feel special). This time is a little different. Obviously you'll see the questions I came up with and LiAnn's answers. But this month, I've decided to also add my own comments to her answers. My comments will be grey, italized and be inside little squiggly {} thingies. What are those called anyway?

1. You've mentioned mineral repackagers but how do you feel about companies that buy wholesale and then get their brand name put on the package?

If they sell it for a reasonable price, with a minor markup to cover their own costs, and don't try to claim that it's their own product...I personally don't have a problem.
In all the world, most people selling something are resellers of one type or another. If a company -=adds value=- to what they're reselling, or makes available something that individuals can't buy except in large bulk lots (such the cosmetics from Lady Burd, which has a $100-minimum order), I don't have a problem with that. As an example, those indelible eye creams and gel liners from Lady Burd were (and still are) sold by many indie MMU companies. The companies that marked them at $6 or $7...I'd buy those items from them. The companies that priced the exact same items at $12 or $13...I wouldn't buy those items from them. I own several of those cream shadows and liners, but I didn't buy any of them from Aromaleigh - from which I bought LOTS of eyeshadow and blushers - because I could find those items elsewhere for less. {I feel similarly and I'll always look for the lowest price.}

I do have a problem when a company adds a 50% markup (or more...sometimes much more) without adding any value besides "branding" (there is no intrinsic value in branding) and / or when they specifically try to claim that the product in question is their own original creation. (I think my other least-favored verbiage to find on any MMU site is "I created a makeup line because I couldn't find what I wanted!" What, you don't know how to use the Internet? Ebbeh...)

2. What's your favorite drink?

COFFEE!! {a girl after my own heart} My daily stuff is Kirkland brand (Costco) house blend. Around the holidays, I'll get espresso roast and add a little bit of eggnog (generally I take my coffee black, {This not so much, I like "coffee milk", 1/2 coffee 1/2 skim milk or soy or almond...} like the depths of my soul. :D ) My favorite "treating myself" coffees are Shock-o-Rama, Mystery Manor, or Zombie Dirt from Coffee Shop of Horrors.

I also like Dr. Pepper and ginger ale (Canada Dry, sil vous plait. It tastes better than any other kinds I've tried.) {I'm a diet 'anything' kind of girl though I've been on a Diet Mountain Dew kick as of late which is probably a very very bad thing}
3. What are your top 10 mineral eyeshadows?

Oh, geez...that's a toughie!! I'd say:
Pure Luxe's Kaleidescope colors, as a group: the TKB colorshifting micas blended with a colored base (mmmmm...duochromes...)
Morgana Minerals' Chameleon Sea
Morgana Minerals' Zaria
The SheSpace's Knights Trump Dwarves
The SheSpace's Define Beauty (or Aromaleigh's Angelique, which is almost exactly the same shade)
Aromaleigh's Butterscotch
Bare Escentuals' Fire Opal
Bare Escentuals' Gigi
Meow Cosmetics' Bromeliad
Shiro Cosmetics' Clefairy

{You guys should already know I'm far too accident prone and blind to use mineral eyeshadows with any frequency!}

4. Is there a makeup brand that you've wanted to try but haven't?

Not really. I tend to look for functionality first, then price. {I so wish I could do this} I'm not quite as into brands and branding as I am "what works for me?" (This attitude utterly baffles my cousin and her mom, who are both extremely brand- and status-conscious.)

I guess I'd like to try Illamasqua, but mostly just the nail polishes - specifically, the two from the Art of Darkness collection. (Illamasqua doesn't do too much loose-powder stuff, and what they do, costs more than what I use. So unless they introduce a wicked line of duochromes, I'll leave their loose-powder stuff to the hardcore brand devotees!)

5. If you had to recommend a local restaurant in your town/city to a visitor, which one would it be?

High end: it's rather tourist-y, but the Skybar restaurant atop the Seattle Space Needle does serve really excellent meals {It's also very cool, was there a few years back}. Meals there can be about $50 a plate, though. Midrange: Scott's Bar and Grill. Good nibblies, has a great sitting area, and won't bust the bank. $10 will get you a complete entree and dessert.

6. Which products would be included in your 5-minute face or your go-to daily easy look?

After the cleanser-moisturizer-sunscreen: Meow Cosmetics' foundation, Urban Decay Primer Potion, any single medium-light pink or brown shadow (probably Aromaleigh or Shiro), Bare Escentuals' Flawless Definition mascara, Buxom lip stick in San Francisco. {A fellow UDPP girl!}

7. What's your biggest skin concern?

Skin cancer. A predilection towards things ending in "oma" runs in my family (glaucoma and melanoma on both sides, whoopee me) and so I'm damn sure to always wear actual sunscreen. Not the "SPF 25" mineral silliness, that won't protect worth beans unless the foundation is either applied wet, or REALLY caked on; but actual sunscreen. Neutrogena Dry Touch sunscreen is a part of my daily routine. Generally I wear SPF 70 - currently, it's the same price as SPF 55; and while you get diminishing returns for ever 5 points up the scale after SPF 50 or so, I'll gladly buy the highest-SPF sunscreen available, if I end up paying the same price.

Wrinkles will happen. Dry skin can be moisturized. Acne is part of the price I pay for having won the genetic lottery and looking like I'm in my 30s when I'm in my 40s. Skin cancer...now that's nasty, and horrific, and preventable. (I do not wear a hat or gloves when I go out in the sun. I do wear sunglasses, and always have my tube of SPF 70 with me, though. I don't care about staying lily-white, just "not getting skin cancer.") {hear hear, don't you all forget this!}


Thank you LiAnn for answers my hard question(s). This concludes the segment of Beauty Blogs Backstage. Stay tuned for next month as the world continues to turn. {wink}

You can see my answers to LiAnn's questions on her blog here.

Yet Another Reason To Love Stila

I've been a fan of Stila for quite some time and I couldn't pass up the "grab bag" deal they had on Cyber Monday. Usually Stila ships quickly and after a week I was wondering where my package was. Since the "grab bag" deal was limited to a certain number of customers, I just assumed that they had run out of stock and my order had been canceled (even though I jumped on the deal quite early).  A package from Stila finally arrived today and enclosed was this note:

"Dear Valued Stila Customer:
We at Stila Cosmetics apologize for the recent problems you experienced with your order. We regret being unable to ship your order by the original estimated time.

To compensate you for the inconvenience we have caused, please accept this token of appreciation for your continued support.

We again apologize for not exceeding your expectations. You are important to us and we appreciate your business. Please don't hesitate to contact us should you have any issues that have not been addressed. We are committed to resolving each individual situation.

Sincerely,
Stila Customer Care"


edited for grammatical errors only

Now, I never once contacted Stila inquiring about the status of my package. I figured they had tons of orders on Cyber Monday and throughout their whole warehouse sale. In my experience, a company will seldom admit wrongdoing unless a customer complains about service. 

So imagine my surprise when this letter arrived tucked into my box with not a sample, nor a coupon (which is what most companies will do) but a full size product. And not something old either; they included a full size of their Acai Crush Lip & Cheek stain, a new and current product brand new in box.

I will continue to support Stila and am thrilled that they are focusing so much on customer satisfaction. Can't wait to see what products they bring out in 2011!

You're Kidding Me, Right?

A super exclusive Beauty Insider Limited Edition... powder
for...

$150? No way is this going to sell.

Last Night Winners!

#37
liloo said...
What a gorgeous giveaway!
Please excuse this second comment.
I have just tried to comment and it crashes while I was trying to post it.
My first choice would be golden goddess and the second would be sugar plum
i follow though twitter and google friend connect
liloo/@tsunimee
liloo@hotmail.com
(I live in the UK)

#6
Andi said...
I follow you as Andi on GFC~

and my email is Rbelsheepsaymoo@yahoo.com

1st: Golden Goddess
2nd: Snow Sprite

#21
deerest said...
Yay!! :D I'm a follower!

Email: xox.tramieee(@)hotmail.com

1) Golden Goddess
2) Plum Fairy

thanks!! :D

#27
Emily said...
:) My name is Emily.
evruddock at gmail dot com

first choice, Night Elf
second choice, Sugar Plum Fairy

thankyou!!
**************
The choices that are bolded are the palettes that you (the winners) will receive! I will be contacting everyone through e-mail. Congratulations to the winners and don't worry, I'm planning another giveaway soon!

More Hard Candy @ Walmart

This in-store picture was taken the same time I picked up the Blush Tints. I quickly made a pass through the Christmas aisles, which by-the-way are crazy, at least at my Walmart. For those looking for the Hard Candy nail polish or makeup kits (which I have heard aren't good at all, witness the Muse's review here) the aisles are disorganized and due to the copious amount of people in Walmart any given day, I doubt they have the man power to make sure the aisles look pristine. Anyway, there is no one specific Hard Candy section and I found various Hard Candy sets and kits in each aisle.

You see the little Hard Candy boxes kind of thrown haphazardly around Body Fantasy sets and lip balm? That's how the whole Christmas section is!

If you don't want to shell out $5 for a set, in a completely different row I saw these and quickly picked them up.

For $1 each, you receive a tiny little .14oz bottle of Hard Candy nail polish and a little heart shaped emery board. I only found these 3 colors but there may be others. They also had various eyeshadow sets but after the rather bad review of those, I think I'll skip them.

Any other holiday goodies you've found at your local Walmart?

Face of The Saturday

I decided to go out and do some chores today like the rest of civilization. I swear, everyone and their mother was out today, so much so that I was in back to back traffic on one of the major roads around here. Don't get me wrong, I love living in the DC Metro area but sometimes it makes me want to move out to the country!

Anyway, I went to ULTA (had coupon expiring) and the Mall and now I'm exhausted and my back hurts. Maybe it wasn't such a hot idea after all but it means I don't need to leave the house till I go to work on Monday.

So without further adieu and so I stop rambling, I'll move onto the face of the day.

Face:
ELF Tinted Moisturizer in Ivory, MAC Studio Fix powder NW15, NYC Blushable Cream Stick in Wild Berry

Eyes:
UDPP, NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha, Senna Mineral Eyes Trio in Satin Doll, Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous

And then I added some of Senna Sheer Lipstick in Exposed

Wow, I look like a deranged doll. And the red lippie looks more mauvey here. Weird lighting.

Horrible picture taking with my IPhone, but at least you can see the red a bit better. Reviews coming soon for these Senna products.

What is everyone up to this weekend?

A Peek Inside A Box

Pretty huh? Any guesses?

Gifts for Coworkers

There are a lot of great gift guides out there; gifts for her, him, mother, daughter, sister, brother, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife. But what about the gifts for people that aren't the most important to you? The people you probably need to buy something for, but you don't want to spend a lot of money on. Now is not the time to present a coworker whom you may barely speak to with an item that costs a lot of money. Or maybe it is, but I don't have the cash for that sort of thing. So I present you with my personal co-worker gift guide!

Food Stuffs

Chocolate, cake and cookies always go over well. This is especially suggested if you have male coworkers, they do say the way to a man's promotion (?) is through his stomach! Just kidding, boss (don't worry my boss doesn't read Jeweled Thumb)!

Nail Polish

They say the way to a women's heart is a bottle of nail polish (kidding)! But I don't think there's many women out there that would say no to a bottle of nail polish. The ULTA brand usually puts out special holiday colors with silver glitters, gold foils and reds (a plus they are usually on sale for under their $5 retail price through the season). And if you are really thinking of splurging, you can always pick up a few OPI or China Glazes in the holiday colors.

Gift Cards

I know gift cards can cost a lot of money, but even something small like a $5 gift card will be well appreciated by coworkers and not break the bank.

My signature coworker gift is usually a small cosmetic item, nail polish, lip balm or a neutral lipgloss - nothing that you would need to match to skin tone in a bag with loads of different candy in holiday colored wrapping! If I know someone isn't a fan of cosmetics, I'll usually buy a small valued gift card ($5) to a place like Starbucks. Even if they don't drink coffee they can buy all sorts of thing at one of the shops. The safest route is probably some kind of mug or cup filled with candy, pretty inexpensive to buy, easy to make and usually goes over well!

Small festive bags can be gotten at Michales and you can make your own personalized labels with things around the house (ie your computer and some labels). Add some twine or tie a bow with some string and you have something semi-personalized that didn't take a lot of time or cost a lot of money.

I find the key with gifts for coworkers is not to get too personalized unless you are close. Give similar gifts to the whole office, don't make it look like you are playing favorites! If you have more you'd like to give wait till after office hours to gift!

I hope everyone has a great, non-drama-filled holiday season!

Eyeko Code

You know how I mentioned the Eyeko Surprise Gift set yesterday? It gets better, through tonight midnight UK time you can receive 10%, 20% or 30% off your order too! I just ordered (again I know - shhh) and the codes work on the surprise gift bags, so even a better deal! The free ship over $55 is before code use (shh don't tell Eyeko).

* Enter TEN into the discount code box at checkout for spends over £10/€12/$15.
* Enter TWENTY into the discount code box at checkout for spends over £20/€25/$30.
* Enter THIRTY into the discount code box at checkout for spends over £30/€35/$50.

Use my ambassador's code: E11926 also if you like. Personally, I used my dear blogging buddy and birthday twin's code as I figure someone should get the commission from my order(s). Can't wait to start reviewing everything!

I promise there will be posts of substance soon!

Too many deals around that's for sure.

Disclosure: yadda yadda ambassador code yadda yadda refferal code yadda yadda commission yadda

Eyeko Gift Set

Need some stocking stuffers? Eyeko is offering a Surprise Party Gift Set for the next 24 hours. I missed out on the last one so I'm excited they've brought back an even bigger one. For $20, £15, €39 depending on your country you can receive twice the product. And I would be most appreciative if you used my ambassador code E11926 if you buy - it would be my very first "sale" and you'll also get a free gift. Hah. Anyway, I'm definitely going to be picking this up.



Disclosure: Sorry for the shameless plug. =p

Last Night!

When I was growing up, my parents would always give us the best Hanukah gift the very last night. And that is tonight so I'm having a giveaway! I know everyone has been looking all over for the Wet N Wild Limited Edition holiday palettes and I picked up extras. So, here are the rules:

1. You must be a follower.
2. This is open worldwide.
3. There will be 4 winners, each will get their choice of 1 of the holiday palettes, first come first served (there is only 1 of each palette available).
4. I don't want to this to drag on too long so let's say it the giveaway will end December 12th at 11:59pm EST.
5. You must be over 18 or have parental permission.
6. Leave a comment with your name or alias, e-mail and your 1st and 2nd choice.

Sugar Plum Fairy (purple)
Night Elf (red/smokey)
Snow Sprite (green/blue)
Golden Goddess (bronzes)

That's it!

Good luck everyone!

November Favorites

I got my epidural injection yesterday and the doctor didn't want me driving, lifting or really doing anything for 24 hours so with my husband's insistence I stayed home today. It's been rather boring since I can't be productive, but it's all as well as the procedure was much more painful this time though I won't get into it! Anyway, I managed to film my November Favorites. For anyone new, I have 2 herniated discs in my back along with a slew of other problems hence the procedures and my rambling about my back every so often. This is also the reason there hasn't been any NOTDs lately as I have to sit on a chair for that and well, it hurts to sit on a chair. Anywhoo... video below! Hope everyone is doing well!

This video was taken on my new Iphone 4 (so I could see what I was doing finally)! Unfortunately the lighting was less than ideal as I look practically clear! Notice my glee when I closed a compact and got the 'click' action going on! Hah!

Review: Hard Candy Hide & Glow: Pillow Talk

The next in my series of the Hard Candy Hide & Glow Cheek Tints is Pillow Talk. Pillow Talk is on the far right on the picture above and contains what look to be two bright pinks, one more of a rosy color with a little shimmer.

As I mentioned in the previous review of In Love, the color of the sticks does not get translated when swatched or worn on the cheeks as they are more sheer and more of a gel.

When swatched, both of the pinks look very similar, though the more fuchsia colored one still looks a tiny bit brighter.

PS I lied, you are going to get pretty swatch collages because they look much better than your random thrown in swatch picture. I hope this doesn't become a habit because they take a lot longer to do than they look!

I reversed the swatches in this one. The more intense color is on the right while the slightly lighter shimmery color is on the left. You can see these pinks are a bit more vibrant than the corals in the In Love shade.

I once again went through my cream blush stash looking for similar colors (which I obviously found since I buy the same freaking colors over and over again).

I excluded the The Body Shop cream blush in the picture above only because it was impossible to hold more than 3 products at a time and have the picture come out decently well!

So here we have:
The Body Shop Cream Blush in Grape reviewed here (that I have been dying to find a dupe of!)
Hard Candy Pillow Talk (shimmery side on left, brighter side on right)
NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Wild Berry (LE)
Models Own Face Paint in Neon Pink reviewed here

Now I did find a dupe of my TBS blush, but I also discovered a dupe I wasn't expecting. You can see that the Hard Candy isn't near a dupe for the NYC stick, however, Models Own Neon Pink is! And the Models Own isn't a limited edition color! So for £5.00 UK-ers can finally get a hold of this color (though I do prefer the stick delivery system) and Americans can get a hold of this product with a CP.


Please read the previous posts in this series for wear, texture, price, etc.