Travels

If you're reading this when I told it to actually post, I am on my way traveling down to Georgia for vacation with my in-laws (oh yeah and DH). At the time I'm writing this (Friday at 6pm EST) I'm a tiny bit stressed out since I have homework due tonight and a midterm due on Monday (yes, this means I have to do homework during vacation). I had grand aspirations to not only pack and finish said homework, but to have some scheduled posts for you guys this week in case I don't get the chance to visit blogger myself, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. So I apologize in advance (just in case) and hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Beauty Blog Link Love - 4/24/10 - #8

Curious about the new Balanciaga Paris fragrance? So was Rae, over at theNotice -- but she's since quenched that curiosity. (And fallen in love while doing so!)

Beautyjunkielondon finds a perfect coral nail shade for spring, by Rimmel.

Sarah has found a new anti-aging moisturizer and eye cream and shockingly... they actually work!

It's a plane, no, it's a monster (well actually, yes), no -- it's just Jeweled Thumb's enormous coiffure! Be scared, be very scared.

Red lips are always high on The Lip Print's agenda - check out her latest obsession, Lipstick Queen Medieval.

Louise takes a look at the Guerlain Summer Limited Editions this week, and is surprised at what she sees.

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for April is Glamour Doll Eyes. Find out all about Vee, the owner of GDE!

As Lime Crime's ultra bright lipsticks finally hit the UK high street, Lipglossiping puts them under the spotlight!

Krasey Beauty tours the exclusive Tokidoki collection for Sephora, and has the swatches to prove it!

Madame B Fatale shows you how to create an up-do suitable for day and night

Might as well face it -- Cindy from Prime Beauty is addicted to Dior .

Amy Antoinette tries epilating for the first time.

PinkSith talks taupe with MAC Greasepaint Stick in Dirty.

In the hunt for a wasabi green nail polish? Hell Candy Make Up discovered a new shade by Barry M. Like it or loathe it?

Yinnie reviews the unsuspecting formula that is the Estee Lauder Total Make-up Remover.

***
Win a full set of ELLIS FAAS makeup, no strings attached, on beautywoome this month.

Want to win Audrey Dao's April Reader of the Month Giveaway? Just leave a comment and you're entered!

Earth Day Sales III: Tarte

I realize that today is the day after Earth Day, but I thought I would post this code anyway since it doesn't expire for a few more days. Celebrate Earth with code EARTHDAY for 30% off all purchases. Free shipping over $40, free set over $60. Code expires April 25th.

As you know by now, Tarte puts out discount codes often, so no rush.

Earth Day Sales II: Zoya

From Zoya's blog:

"
Zoya Nail Polish Exchange*

Keep the planet a little bit greener one bottle of nail polish at a time!

Announcing the 2010 Zoya Nail Polish Exchange. For a limited time, kicking off on Earth Day (April 22, 2010 - 12 PM EST), Zoya Nail Polish will exchange your old, out-of-style, unwanted nail color and replenish your nail polish supply with fresh Zoya fashion colors. Simply send in six or more bottles of old polish - any brand other than Zoya, Qtica or Nocti, new or used - and we'll send you the new Zoya colors of your choice in a bottle-for-bottle exchange.

That's right - no exceptions, no questions. All you pay is $3.50 per bottle to cover shipping and processing. Choose from over 300 formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) free, long-lasting, award winning, healthy colors to replace your old color! Zoya will properly dispose of your old polish according to EPA guidelines.

* Any brand other than Zoya, Qtica or Nocti. New or used, empty or full. Minimum of six bottles. Send with the required shipping, processing fees and documentation to have the old color disposed of according to EPA guidelines and to qualify for NEW Zoya Nail Polish at no charge. Shipping and processing fees required for exchange. Restrictions apply. Available in continental US only. Limited time offer. Exchange ends June 30th, 2010."

Technically, this isn't free since you'll have to pay $3.50 per bottle as well as any shipping fees to send your bottles to Zoya, but still, it's like getting Zoya for half price and thankfully it's for a decent amount of time so no need to furiously sort through polishes you may dislike or anything. Will you be participating in the exchange?

Earth Day Sales I: Origins

This isn't so much a sale, because it's FREE (perhaps one of my favorite words)!

FREE full-size cleanser! One day only at Origins – Earth Day 4/22.

Now swap potentially harsh chemical ingredients for the purity of Origins. Bring your current skincare product (full or empty) to any Origins store and we’ll trade it for a FULL-SIZE of one of our gentle, high-performance cleansers.

Choose either Checks and Balances™ Frothy face wash 5 fl. oz./150 ml or A Perfect World™ Antioxidant cleanser with White Tea 5 fl. oz./150 ml.

Just bring in your current skincare – any full or empty tube, bottle or jar regardless of brand – to any U.S. Origins department store counter or Retail Store location on April 22nd to be recycled or responsibly converted to energy.

To find an Origins Store closest to you visit: Store Locator

Origins products are formulated without Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, PABA, Petrolatum, Paraffin, DEA and animal ingredients (except cruelty free honey and beeswax).

*Limit one cleanser to a customer while supplies last. Offer not valid on origins.com.

I hope my local store is participating. I'm going to call and hope they are and that they still have stock left after work!

Testers

This article from the LA Times has been making its way across the blogosophere lately and for good reason. I bet we all know that testers are not beacons of cleaniness but it certainly gives you the reminder that everything needs to be santized. I always cringe when I see girls in Sephora apply the tester mascara wands to their eyelashes which happens more often than not unfortunately!

What are your thoughts?

CVS Haul

I've kept something from you, readers. The redeeming qualities of a magazine that I felt was too "uncool" for me to post on Jeweled Thumb. I'll admit, I was a little embarrassed that I even subscribe. But, since Nouveau Cheap has started posting about it, it dawned on me. Hello awesome cosmetic coupons, hello great deals! The little light bulb popped on top of my head in the little white cloud!

It's All You. It's a magazine published by Walmart but the closest one to me doesn't carry it which is just as well, because you can typically grab subscriptions to it for $20 dollars (please don't order it at that price since they always have coupons, I've seen it as low as $10).

In the April issue, there were the following great coupons:
$5 off $10 purchase of NYC
$3 off 1 Neutrogena item
FREE Rimmel product up to $5.00

This entry is about the Rimmel coupon. Even though the coupon says, "use at Walmart" you do not have to use it at Walmart! I used it at CVS and since Rimmel is BOGO this week, I walked away with 2 Rimmel products for $1.99 (the lipstick was $6.99 so not completely free).

I picked up one of the new Moisture Renew lipsticks in Vintage Pink & one of the new Glam Eyes in Night Jewel.

Do you subscribe to All You? Do you plan on picking up a subscription knowing there are great deals to be had? For me, the subscription has easily paid for itself. Obviously, I do use lots of the other coupons as well: not just the beauty ones! And the best part about it is there's a little index in the front which lists the coupons and what page they are on! Talk about easy clipping!

Urban Decay @ Hautelook Today!

Urban Decay will once again be on Hautelook today! I have no idea what they are going to featuring (I'm hoping LE sets and not some of the old items we've seen in previous sales) or the discount amount but I hope it's good! Will you be "tuning" in at 11am EST?

Disclosure: This post includes a referral link.

Review: Goldwell Dual Senses Sun Reflects Leave-In Protect Spray

This is the first in the series of the Goldwell Dual Senses Sun Reflects line. As you'll remember, last week on living with JT hair, JT exposed the state of her hair in its natural state - frizz city! The world continues to turn?

Notice the awesome backdrop of my computer restarting.

The Leave-In Protect spray comes in a 5oz spray bottle which distributes a fine mist on hair and retails for approximately $15. This is unfortunately LE and I like it enough that I may pick up another bottle as a backup!

How Goldwell describes it: Shimmery shine and a healthy, smooth hair feeling for sun stressed hair.

My first concern was that there were shimmer particles in the product and any particles are a bitch to get out of my hair, as you can imagine. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there is no obvious shimmer in the product. If there are particles, I can't detect them.

Directions are to: Shake well (since it's a dual phase product of course) before use. Apply on hair and comb through before and after sun exposure. Do no rinse.

I can't use a comb on my hair (they nearly always break) so I sprayed and distributed the product with my fingers right after showering.

My first reactions? It smelled delish! Like very subtle, not overly sweet creamsicles and perhaps a little sparkling grapefruit and I noticed it didn't make my hands or hair feel greasy which was a plus (if you spray this on your hand, for instance, it doesn't feel sticky, just moisturizing). I let my hair dry naturally and these were the results. Usually, after I shower, I get a layer of fuzz on top of the curls (you can especially see it on the crown of my head - is that the term, I'm not a hair wiz?). Well, pictures speak a thousand words so see for yourself.

Quite the improvement over frizz city, eh? And a plus, my husband thought I had put on perfume, nope just my leave-in treatment, honey!

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG / PPG-18 / 18 Dimethicone, Passiflora Incarnata Seed Oil, Lactic Acid, Sodium PCA, Cetrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-16, Polysilicone-15, Cyclomethicone, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Glycoproteins, Glycerin, Vegetable Oil/Olus Oil, Octyldodecyl PCA, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance/Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Yellow 6 / C.I. 15985

Goldwell products are available at salons nationwide. This particular line is limited edition for summer.

Have you tried any Goldwell products?

Disclosure: I am not a genius when it comes to hair and simply know my own. How yours "reacts" to this product may be different than what I experienced!

Disclosure: The following product(s) were sent to me by a representative of the company for review purposes. They also sent pop rocks which is awesome, however, I will not be reviewing them!

An Expose On My Hair +

I was recently contacted by a representative from KPSS/Goldwell/KMS regarding some products for review. And since, summer or summer-ish weather is finally upon on (and who wants to write a paper on financial management of multinational corporations? Not me! Though I will... eventually - procrastination at its' best), I feel like it's time to break out the Dual Senses Sun Reflects sun protection line! However, I first want to share my hair, my hair in it's natural habitat - or state, if you will... you think I'm talking about a beast - well I am!

My hair can be described one way: A pain in the neck!

While others often compliment it and tell me how they wish I would leave it down (this is true) so they can admire it from afar (this part never actually happens or at least I hope not!), my hair is not what you would call easy to manage. Sure, it often looks the part and appears like I just let it dry and the full lush curls just bounce like magic, but in reality, it's a bit of a monster. You see, it's so thick, and unruly I only brush it right before I shower. If I don't brush it, I get dreads and sincerely regret it the next time I brush. I also have to brush it pre-shower or else the layer closest to my scalp will not get wet and no shampoo will touch it. It also soaks up product and water like a sponge. Anyway, I am a glutton for punishment, so I present you hair... after brushing, pre-shower!

Work it, baby!

Yeah, just like that!

Now do you believe me?

So, now that you what my hair looks like pre-product, I am going to posting my reviews of these new products from Goldwell/KMS. This new line from Goldwell is specifically formulated so that hair doesn't feel the effects of the sun and its a limited edition line for summer. The products includes an 'Instant Microfluid Technology' which includes passionate fruit and a UV oil filter to nourish and rejuvenate dry (check!), brittle (check!), and dull looking (check!) hair.

Here's a summary of the products in the line (that pesky pink topped bottle is something separate)

Leave-In Protect Spray: Defends the hair against the damaging effects of the sun, pool and sea water while using Goldwell's superior formula for detangling and moisturizing.
Leave-In Protect Shimmer Gel: Tames and controls the hair and provides intensive UV-protection.
After-Sun Hair & Body Shampoo: Cleanses and cares for hair after spending your day poolside by regenerating hair from the effects of the sun, chorinated or salt water; helps to retain the hair's luminosity.
After Sun 60 sec Treatment: This simple 60 second treatment can reverse the negative effects of the sun, pool and sea water and give your hair a powerful moisture boost.

Now, considering that generally my days don't include lounging at the beach the salt water and beach claims don't really appeal to me; however, the sun, even in small doses, can really wreck havoc on your hair. Add in some pollution and wind and my hair is obviously not in the greatest shape. So, so far, I'm really digging the smell (a light citrusy smell) but more thorough reviews will be forthcoming.

Goldwell/KMS projects are offered at salons and ULTA nationwide. I stopped by ULTA last week and this line wasn't available yet. I will get in touch with my contact and see when they should be popping up in stores.

Edit: Of course I googled after writing this up.


Disclosure: The following products were sent to me by a representative of the company for review purposes. They also sent pop rocks which is awesome, however, I will not be reviewing them!

NOTD: Finger Paints Mystery Muse

More like mystery poo! This polish looked so pretty in the bottle, a shimmery, slightly metallic taupey beige, but no, it's a streaky mess. Thankfully it was only a little over a dollar and maybe it will work for layering (?) but pretty awful on its own.

So disappointed in this one. Hope the other Finger Paints aren't like this.

Korres Does Fragrance

I have been waiting for Korres to release some of their scents in fragrance form, and they have... sorta. They've actually created completely new fragrances that don't seem to completely match up with the scents in their "normal" collection. I'm tempted, really. The price point isn't too bad; $45 and they are currently running a deal.

What they say: "Korres Fragrances are an expression of individuality and mood, a reflection of the various sides of one's self created from natural ingredients such as Rosewood, Cyclamen, Cardamom, Jasmine, Saffran, Pepper, Passion Fruit: Aromatic blends that balance luxury and simplicity, timelessness and modernity."

There are 3 scents currently. Kind of wanting a few more choices to pick from, myself. *hint* I'm actually digging the scent description for the "male" scent.

With top notes of Cardamom, Bergamot and Cinnamon, a heart of Saffron, Cedar wood, Carnation, Sandalwood and the strong, masculine base notes of Amber, Agarwood and Vanilla Korres fragrance for men offers a timeless male scent that is intense yet gentle and infused with woody and amber notes.
Saffron, was first cultivated in Greece. Kozani in northern Greece continues to produce the world's best quality saffran. With over 150 volatile and aroma-yielding compounds, saffron's original and seductive aroma has often been described by connoisseurs as reminiscent of metallic honey with grassy, hay-like notes.
Agarwood, or Agar, is the aromatic resin that is formed within the heartwood of the Aquilaria trees. The complex yet pleasing and distinct aroma of agarwood is unique.
Cardamom, one of the most expensive spices, carries a strong unique taste and intense aroma. A traditional open flame drying process lends a smoky flavor to the spice.

What do you think? Do you think us gals could rock that?

There are 2 other scents; one labeled for women and one unisex. I kind of almost wish Korres had just put the scents out there unlabeled.

Korres fragrances retail for $45 and are 3.38 floz. Unfortunately, they can't currently ship them to California which is somewhat odd, but those are the rules!

Until April 27th, you can also get this free gift!

What do you think? Haul worthy?

NOTD: Zoya Heidi

A few months ago, I swapped for some Zoya nail polishes and this is one of them. Zoya Heidi. It is a fairly bright true orange (I wouldn't say it leans pink). I can't say I'm a huge fan of oranges on me and I'll probably take this off tomorrow (or layer something else on top). The formula applied a little thick and streaky for me (could be because I'm the 2nd owner to this bottle); these photos were taken after 3 coats. I also felt this dried to a more matte or satin finish, so I applied a shiny topcoat on top.

This photo isn't very color-accurate. The next one is better.

In other news, my husband is away for a conference for today and tomorrow. It will be the first time since we moved in together that we've spent the night apart (that's not exactly true, while we were still dating and visiting his parents we slept in different beds - but but this time we're in different states!). I know, I'm a big pile of mush but I miss him!

Saturday Haul

I usually don't post a lot of haul posts but I thought I would share what I picked up at the mall yesterday. If you guys want to see more or less of these sorts of posts, please let me know.

First I stopped by Sephora for the VIB sale (15% off). I had store credit so even though I usually shop online, I had to buy in store. I picked up the very last Legally Bronze set (hooray!). I've been wanting this set for quite sometime so getting it for under $30 was awesome!

I also bought one of the Korres shadows I've had my eyes on 46S. For $7 or $5.95 after the VIB discount, I didn't feel guilty spending a few extra dollars above my store credit. It's one of those, not quite green, not quite gray shades. And silky smooth as most of the Korres shadows are. Love! After discounts and store credits I only wound up spending $7.10 - definitely keeping in line with my spending diet.

I also was due for my 4 point gift from The Body Shop's Love Your Body program. The 4 point gift is after you've spent roughly $100  and you get $15 off any item. I was looking forward to going to TBS because they brought back the Ginger Scalp Care Shampoo! As I've mentioned, my scalp is a mess but my husband isn't a fan of tea tree scents; this is one of the only non-scented tea tree shampoos that actually works. And haircare is currently BOGO50 so I stocked up in fear that they'll discontinue this again!

Due to the 4 point gift, I only spent $7.16 on both bottles. Score! Cheaper than drugstore shampoo.

The next item was a bit an impulse buy. I usually stop into the LUSH at this particular mall (which I don't go to often since it's often crowded and not super close by) but I don't buy often. Anyway, I noticed they had the Naked set available so I took a look-see and bought it. You can read about the particulars on the LUSH site - for $20 it's a good way to try out a few different products, and I haven't tried about 1/2 of them myself. The super nice sales associate also threw in 2 samples for me.

So not too much damage! For about $36 I got a lot of new goodies to try out.

Eye Of The Day (EOTD)

I almost never post EOTD posts only because I am horrible at taking pictures of myself and I usually lose any detail by winking or moving just so so that the photo never turns out right. So, even though this picture is probably crap, I am sharing it because it is by far my favorite eye look and it is as simple as can be.

By the way, I'm not sure if you can tell, but I'm wearing Fyrinnae's lip lustre in Bloodstains on my cheeks! I posted about this on twitter but in case you don't follow me, I'm going to share it again. Either way, I wasn't thrilled with the way Bloodstains looked on my lips (it went quite brown), but on my cheeks it's just a lovely healthy reddish flush! Here's the post where you can see the swatch. Now if you're going to do this, be sure to only use a little dab and blend it quickly!

Anyway, I used:
Lumene eye primer
Stila Wheat (my absolute favorite eyeshadow and my favorite Stila)
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Rockstar (dark purple)
Bourjois waterproof mascara in brown
Sue Devitt Starlights Clear Water Eyeshadow in Leo (just a dab patted with my finger on the center of the lid over the Wheat for extra shine)

Many swatches of these products can be found in my 5 Minute Face/Eyes post. Can you tell I tend to use the same things over and over again? Now you do.

This was one of my quick and dirty, I need to actually wear makeup when I go to Sephora, looks (and it was applied about 5 hours ago so you can see how it wears). The eyeliner isn't completely even but I didn't care. Ooh, speaking of which, I finally got the Benefit Legally Bronze set which I'll feature shortly.

(Also please be nice and ignore my hideous eyebrows. I've been meaning to go get them waxed but I'm scared to try a new waxing place since we moved!)

Sally Beauty Haul

Sally's Beauty Supply is having yet another extra 50% off red tag clearance items this weekend. I stopped by yesterday after work and then did our taxes which apparently wore me out since I slept for 12 hours! Anyway, given that it is around noon, I hope that this gives you enough time to stop by before their stock depletes. Either way, I thought I'd show my bounty.

This wasn't part of the sale but ever since Lipglossiping posted on how to press loose pigments without their own binders, I've been meaning to pick up a bottle of Biosilk Silk Therapy and since I was in Sally's I thought I would look around to see if they had a dupe. They do! In fact, it's fairly obvious as on the bottle it says that it is the generic version of the Biosilk. This was only $7 and it's a quite substantial bottle.

Apologies in advance for this awful picture. Anyway, there were a number of Finger Paints polishes on sale (though they were still in their original display, not on the sale table). They came out to $1.75 each with the sale and guess what? The sales associate gave me the third ones free due to the buy 2 get 1 polish sale. I think this was a fluke, but I am not complaining! So I paid $7 for 6 Finger Paints polishes.

So if you get a chance, I would recommend you stop by Sally's for at least a look.

Spell Cosmetics

Due to Lillian's review of some Spell Cosmetic items, I made an order during their 40% off sale. First of all, I received excellent customer service even before I made my order. The website wasn't taking the discount off the items and I was retweeted quickly and very nicely by the owner, Elle (at least, I think that's the face behind the twitter account) regarding the glitch. It was corrected rather quickly and I happily made my order.

Well, after a few weeks of waiting and not having received my package, I tweeted Spell again, asking if there was anyway to track my order since I hadn't received it yet. Once again, Spell responded quickly and very politely asking for the name the account is under (I don't have my packages shipped to the most elusive 'Jeweled Thumb'). Even though the response time was more than adequate, she apologized for the delay.

Ok, just a side not here. You know how I posted the "what not to do's" for businesses using social networking sites? Spell passes this with flying colors (which is one of the reasons I ordered from them). I follow them on twitter and they are just "there" enough, very responsive, but not offensive at all. Their blog also shares enough and shows they care about their customer base and they often do charity events.

Back to the customer service review, can you tell I'm pleased yet?

Anyway, without as much as a peep from me, Elle didn't just offer to resend my package (which I'm assuming that my post office lost, as they did that Stila package that was supposed to be part of one of my previous giveaways - remember that? Yeah, still no sign), she simply messaged me back saying she sent it a second time!

So, what did I order anyway?

Oh, another thing, for a "replacement" package, it was still wrapped with care. Everything, excluding the free full sized eyeshadow sample, was wrapped in purple tissue paper with a nice stretchy silver bow.

I ordered the entire Jewel Thief collection as I couldn't pick just one, "Our Autumn '09 Collection of 7 "de-dusted" shadows, specially formulated with moisture attracting properties! Available in 7 lusterous shades!" - can't wait to try. The colors look very rich.

And I also ordered the set of Hologlosses after Lillian raved about them. I can't wait to try them over some lipstains. To me, they looked just like the crazy expensive Thierry Mugler glosses that have been making their way across the blogosphere. And finally the free shadow, Bellini.

I really like the understated silver and black logo. It's elegant to me and almost has a Gothic (not Goth - Gothic - like Gothic Architecture) feel to it - the scroll work on the label of the sample shadow especially (I'm not sure if you can see the scroll work since it's shiny). I also appreciate the safety seal. It seems like it is coming from an established company.

Anyway, I will be posting reviews of the actual products in upcoming posts, but until then, as far as customer service is concerned, I give Spell shiny gold stars. I hope their products perform just as well!

Disclosure: I was not paid to write this review or even suggested to. I bought all the above (excluding the free gift that was a site special) with my own hard-earned cash. =)

Pixi @ Hautelook Today!

Today, you can grab some Pixi makeup for up to 70% off at Hautelook! These prices are about a quarter of what you'd pay at Target so if you have had your eyes on Pixi products, now would be a decent time to pick them up. Palettes are running $8.40 and under. Not too shabby.

disclosure: This post includes a referral link.

Sephora VIB 15%

Starting today, use code VIBMADNESS to get 15% off your total order at www.sephora.com - the sale ends April 19th, 2010. Sephora has also shipped out a mailer that has an extra 15% in-store for a friend tonight only. It also includes a coupon for you that can be used during the sale dates.

How do you know if you're a VIB? Typically, you are part of the "very important beauty insider" program if you spend $350 or more in a calendar year. You should have received an e-mail inviting you to the program with a 10% off coupon initially.

I'll probably go into the store since I have some store credit that I haven't yet used and it won't dip into my weekly diet as much. What are you going to haul?

Goest Thee To The CVS! Dost Thou Want to Save? Then Go!

And I shall wait all day... wait, what?

Ok, I'm sure those of you that don't live near a CVS are getting tired of these posts, but obviously if I talk all Renaissance-like, I'll be back in your good graces. Right?

So CVS is having an Extra Bucks related sale on the new Physician's Formula Healthy Wear and ever since Nouveau Cheap reviewed it, I've been waiting for a sale to get my hands on it! Well, even though I was without the $1 off coupon that I nabbed in the paper, I went for it because I didn't want these to sell out. Ok, so first of all, the new Healthy Wear foundations and bronzers are $14.99 and this week you receive $7 Extra Bucks with the purchase. So that's pretty decent by itself, but then wait.

What did I spy with my little eyes?

There were 2 in this pack! Both the foundation and the bronzer which usually retails individually for $14.99! These were in the normal display, which is somewhat odd because generally these special 2-1 usually get a temporary display. I saw a few translucent light/light duos (the one I bought since I'm pasty) and a few translucent medium/medium duos at my CVS but of course stock varies from store to store.

Only one side of the package will show, but you can see on the top right that it says "BONUS - with purchase of foundation" which doesn't really speak "omg buy 1 get 1 free" to me but maybe that's good for us beauty lovers since most people won't notice. I also noticed that my CVS did not put up the sign that these were on an Extra Bucks sale this week so they were more or less fully stocked (of course varies by store).

I haven't tried it yet but I love the packaging. It's adorable and you can't beat $3 or so a piece for these after the Extra Bucks. And of course I used Extra Bucks to pay for them in the first place.

When I stacked them like this, I was reminded of french macaroons which are Nouveau Cheap's favorite (what? me? stalker?).

The bronzer actually looks a little light (wow, I just said that?) but we'll see.

Underneath the compacts. In the foundation, it's a sponge and in the bronzer it's a little brush. Love the pop of pink! So cute.


So go! And pick up some clearance Easter candy while you're at it.

Urban Decay Friends & Family!

Now you know why the UD twitter gal(s) have been hinting to join the newletter for the past week or so. Urban Decay Friends & Family! Hooray for 30% off.

April 6th-April 19th with code 1SFNF!

An Old Rediscovery

And of course, as my luck typically goes, a discontinued product from The Body Shop. Like many with large-ish stashes, I tend to rotate my products and often forget about ones not currently in rotation, like these gems. I'm afraid this post isn't particularly helpful for most of you though you might still be able to find these on swapping sites or Ebay. I don't recall when I bought these, or how much they cost. I don't know when they were discontinued. But The Body Shop gods brought back another product I loved so I can hope they do it again, right?

I'm referencing The Body Shop Cheek Blush/Blush Cremes. Each little tube has 8mL of product (or .2oz). I own two. Grape/Rose #5 which is the perfect "I just got in from the cold" flush and Golden Pink/Rose #4 which kind of reminds me of Nars Orgasm, a peachy pink with very fine golden shimmer (not glitter!). You can tell I've made quite the dent in the Grape/Rose color as it's been my go-to shade for the past 2 weeks now that my cheeks aren't quite as red or bumpy thanks to the new skincare! I'm always been hesitant in the past to go with red-ish blushes due to my ruddiness and instead opt for peaches, but now I have other options.

These blushes are silicone based, so they glide over the skin and have great staying power. A small little dab is quite enough for a natural look (you'll see in the swatches below just how pigmented these guys are). I find the formula keeps them for sinking into pores or lines on the face (or dry patches). What can I say? I love them.

The top two photos are natural light and the bottom two are artificial. I've shown varying opacity so you can see how they are at full pigment and spread out to more of what effect you'd get on your cheeks. I love these. The Body Shop, bring these back!!!!!!!

ingredients: propylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, isododecane, polymethyl methacrylate, dextrin palmitate, silica, myristyl lactate, cyclomethicone, disteardimonium, hectorite...

uh, I just discovered that I smeared off some of the ingredient list, oops (yes, I'm typing this all out by hand and yes the writing is teeny tiny)! Anyway, you get the idea. There's also mica, a few dyes, talc, propylparaben, barium sulfate, titanium dioxide, marula oil and a few other things.

Either way, as you can see, I'm not terribly sensitive to ingredients and I don't read prior to application. Um, and these are the bomb! Why do bad things always happen to good people? I deserve good things, like awesome blush that probably has a reasonable price tag! Right? Of course Right (Fiddler reference)!

Current Skincare Routine Additions & Reviews

Several weeks ago, I was sent SkinMD to try out. After hearing about it on the blogosphere for quite some time, I was actually considering purchasing it myself since I deal with eczema and dry skin. About a week ago, I was sure that the new additions to my routine had solved my skin problem, until all the little spots that I get came back. I obviously wasn't going to praise a product if it wasn't truly working but it turns out that it was actually my time of the month and now that my hormones are back in check, the spots have once again disappeared so I feel comfortable writing this review.

So what is this miracle combination?

SkinMD Natural and The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment

Ever since I started using these two products together, my skin has been mostly spot-free and better hydrated. And for the first time, I haven't had to resort to antibiotics to get rid of the pimple-like bumps that usually spot my face. I also have noticed that foundations that should dry me out (and will when I'm not well hydrated), look much better at the end of the day even after 12+ hours.

I find that SkinMD does a fairly good job at keeping me hydrated, the only exception to this is right after I shower. In this case, I generally do one application right after I get out of the shower and then a second before I apply my makeup. I also use the remainder of whatever I squeeze out on my super dry and itchy arms and my ears. Why my ears? Well, I usually get patches of eczema there and I am now sore free! I'm going to be replacing my bottle when it's used up. I only wish it were a bit bigger (and cheaper - but I've used much more expensive moisturizers - like Murad - ouch!). I see they sell an industrial sized gallon container and I'm honestly a little tempted.

The Body Shop Seaweed Night Treatment was a bit of a surprise quite honestly. For one, the ingredient list is a bit astounding and it is heavily fragranced (it actually kind of smells like the discontinued Spirit of the Moonflower fragrance which was one of my absolute favorites). Though it's a serum, if I put too much on my face, my face sometimes feels a bit tacky and of course, it's for oily skin, which I don't have! When the sales associate suggested it to me in lieu of the sensitive skin formula, I was a bit hesitant to try it, but it seems to be working for me so I've been pleased.

The Body Shop Seaweed Night Treatment retails for $20 for 1oz and is available at The Body Shop.

SkinMD Natural retails for $18 for 4oz and is available on skinmdnatural.com and select retailers.

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Disclosures:
I was sent SkinMD Natural for review.
I bought The Body Shop Seaweed Night Treatment.

Beauty Blog Link Love - 4/3/10 - #7

Rae just finished a four-week "photo diary" review series with the new L'Oreal Lash Boosting Serum. Check out her results and enter to win a tube for yourself!

Find out everything you want to know about Spring 2010 beauty trends at Makeup4all Online Beauty Magazine!

Vex in the City shares what On Location Tours have in store for SATC fans on the release date of SATC 2.

Makeup by Kim Porter teaches you the importance of cleaning your makeup brushes.

Betty's got a sweet tooth for Sugarpill Cosmetics and has a candy inspired look with pink, silver and bright blue!

If you're battling limp hair, Arianne of Glitter Geek has found the hair product that's made for you.

GlossQueen tries the Olay Professional Pro-X Anti-Ageing Starter Kit and tells us all about it.

Hot Beauty Health shares 8 homemade
hair conditioner recipes that truly work!

Madame B Fatale talks about her new hair saviour.

Sophie from melovemakeup talks about her experiences with Trilogy's Everything Balm.

Check out Tsahi’s interpretation of Nicole Ritchie's look at this year’s Academy Awards.

Krasey Beauty has exclusive images and swatches, plus a Sneak Peek of Make Up For Ever's Holiday Metallic Collection.

Louise pops along to London Fashion Week and finds out what Alex Boxreally thinks of beauty bloggers.

Ever wondered how to press those pesky loose minerals? Wonder no more... Lipglossiping has the answer!

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed enlists some Chanel to fight her dehydrated skin!


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Retrodiva is giving away a Cle de Peau Beaute skincare sampler set!

Phyrra has an exciting Beauty of the Earth Sponsored Giveaway.

BBLL will return in three weeks' time (instead of two.) See you then!

NOTD: Essie Rubies/Ruby Slippers

Also known as the blingiest bling that ever blinged.

I asked DH what color I should paint my nails tonight and offered up the shades that I bought yesterday. Speaking of which, the Nina color held up remarkably well - I had some tip wear yesterday and today, there were a few chips but it could have stayed on a few more days if necessary. Anyway, as I listed off the colors, taupe, "what?", pink, red glitter.. he chose the red glitter.

I don't know what it was about this manicure, but the Essie that I used as my first coat (the red in the trio "Rose Bowl") went on so smooth! I was shocked how easy it was to apply and the first coat was near perfect! Maybe it was the Barielle that I used as the base coat? Anyway, this manicure was a few steps but I have bad experiences with glitters peeling off after only a day or so, so I tried a few thin coats rather than globbing it on so it would show.

Base Coat: Barielle Natural Nail Camouflage
First Coat: Essie Rose Bowl
And then 2 very thin coats of Essie Rubies Slipper (is it a typo? Shouldn't it be Ruby, singular, one ruby slipper? Anyway, what you really want to see are pictures, right?)

My photography skills are lacking, well it's moreso that I'm dealing with yellow-ish artificial lighting. This is much more "red" than it looks here.

Bam!