I Think I Mastered The Wing

A momentous occasion indeed. I was messing around in the bathroom when I rediscovered a slightly bendy thin brushed eyeliner pen and decided to give it a shot. Now, my eyes are slightly more round so drawing wings can be tricky, I also have a little sunken in bit right at the outer V which causes liners to skip trying to go over that spot. What's weird about my mastery was that I was completely distracted. I was speaking to my father on speaker phone during one of our weekly chats and wasn't really paying attention, maybe I've been thinking too hard?

Anyway, I made a bit of a mess, cleaned it up with a makeup remover soaked cotton bud and here are the results.

Something tells me the wings aren't completely even, but I don't care! I don't (at least in my opinion) look ridiculous!

Oh and I just wanted to share one last thing (aside from Happy Halloween!). I am returning the HD camera that I bought as it only selectively turns on. However, I discovered my digital camera takes video and it's not half bad! I actually tried to film a Sephora haul today but my husband (rudely!) interrupted me and asked what in gods name I was doing (he doesn't yet know the whole youtube video making thing). He wasn't actually rude, but I quickly turned my camera off and claimed to be cleaning!

Anyway, I'm going to refilm said video after work tomorrow so the channel should be active soon.

Giveaway Winner (Finally!)

Sorry guys this took so long to put up! Well, I finally went through the entries and used the handy random.org to choose the winner of my 400 post giveaway and the lucky winner is...

*drum roll*

Stephanie!

Stephanie
julujewelry@gmail.com

I'd love to see more nail stuff. I've been searching for that Milani Bare to Wear at all my CVS stores, but they've gotten rid of them now! I'm so happy you put that in there! :D

Stephanie, I'm going to e-mail you now!

Thank you to everyone that entered.

Review: Pangea Organics Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom Lipcare

A few months ago, I picked up this lip balm at Beauty Express, which is a store similar to Trade Secrets at my local-ish outlet mall (yes the same one with the CCO). These sticks usually retail for $12 but I managed to pick this up for only $3 so I figured it was worth a try. I recently finished the Cocoa Butter Care Stick from The Body Shop so I switched to another lip balm in my arsenal/collection/obsession pile.

Pangea Organics is a natural line of mostly skincare and bath & body items. The brown eco-chic packaging is simple but smart. I find the line pretty pricey, $14 for hand soap? $12 for lipbalm? Organic or not, you'd be hard pressed to find me paying that kind of cash on a regular basis.

Even with the $12 price tag, this lip balm packs a hefty size. The tube is .25oz (for reference my TBS balm is .15oz). It's your typical plastic packaging but the twist to lift the product is at the top. I find the texture of this has slightly more slip, but it's not oily like some balms. The beeswax (note to vegans... not vegan) gives it enough firmness so that it doesn't melt or slide all over your lips.

The "flavor" I have, the lavender cardamom is very soothing with a little bit of spice. It's a great slather at bedtime type of balm and my lips are moisturized and smooth the next morning.

Would I buy again? Sephora recently had this on special of the week for $6 which I'd definitely pay, but I highly doubt I'd pay full price. Maybe with Friends & Family or other discount code but as a regular thing (though how often do I really re buy lip balms with any regularity since I have so many!) it just seem too high. When I can get multiple tubes at the drugstore for less, or the ELF sticks (which are fab by the way) for a buck it seems silly to spend $12 on a tube of special smelling chapstick.

TBS - Your Guide To Semi-Annual Sales

I've been getting a lot of google hits with key words including The Body Shop Semi-Annual sale and when it generally is. Thanks to Fee for this fab idea and by the way, can I say how obsessed I am with checking my blogger stats? I love them.

I've been a TBS shopper for quite a few years now and I've almost always taken advantage of their semi-annual sales. While the prices aren't outrageous to begin with, the sales make an excellent time to stock up on your favorites, holiday and birthday gifts without breaking the bank.

Since I'm an e-mail pack rat, I can give you a synopsis of when the sales usually are.There is generally one sale in the summer and one in the winter. The summer one is generally a mishmash and I've found it's a little less extensive than the winter one, where you can get all the holiday sets that come out at a major reduction.

The summer sale generally starts in mid-June and runs till mid-July or when stock runs out.
The winter sale generally starts just before Christmas (e-mails indicates Dec 17, 25 and 28th in years past)

There is generally more makeup involved in the winter sale and select items usually get reduced to 3 for $10 with possible further reductions as the sale goes on (I've seen as low as 5 for $10 towards the end).

Gift sets are often reduced up to 75% towards the end of the sale as well (early January generally speaking or until stock depletes enough to justify an additional reduction).

There are almost always excellent deals right off of items with little back stock and they go very fast. Usually when the sale starts these items will sell off within the first day of the sale (especially online).

I hope this was helpful and if you have any additional comments or questions, please leave them in the comments below.

The minute I know about this year's winter sale, you guys will be the first to know!

wow, I rhyme

Let's Get Nekkid

Nails that is...

Thank god my cuticles are looking less nasty! I have an interview tomorrow (hence the nakedness). Show me yours (nails)?

PS I am super behind in all things blog right now. I know you guys are anxiously waiting for the giveaway winner and some actual reviews! They are coming. Next time remind me to use that google doohickey so I don't have to count and organize all 99 entries!

Sephora Friends & Family - An Offer

I know many of my international readers are mumbling to themselves as they hear of all our Sephora hauls (although I am not going crazy ordering, I've still only bought that one MUFE set). I put this offer out on twitter with no bites so I thought I would offer here.

To be completely honest, I am hesitant about putting this out there, but I also want to be helpful. I live in the same state as their distribution center so I typically get items the next day after I order.

Anyway, ramblings aside, I am willing to do international CPs (custom purchases) for those of you that would like to order but live out of the country.

Rules:
1. You must be 'visible' online. Either have your own blog with a following, be someone I've swapped/sold to before or something similar. I feel better dealing with someone I 'know' - makes it less of a risk for me.
2. You pay price of item less 20% deal plus paypal fees and shipping cost to you. It's up to you whether you chose to insure the package though it's significantly more expensive - I can not be help responsible for any loss or damage and all items will be packaged appropriately. I'll put "gift" on customs forms. I would appreciate the money up front so this isn't a huge expenditure for me.
3. I obviously I can only order in stock items!
4. I think that's it?

Leave a comment with your e-mail and we can discuss any particulars if you're interested. =)

Pretty In Pink Beauty Sale @ Billion Dollar Babes

It's been awhile since I've featured a Billion Dollar Babes beauty sale, but there's one today! The Pretty In Pink sale features products from Cargo, Jane and several other beauty brands with an up to 40% off savings.

Pretty in Pink: Inspire. Support. Shop.
We're back with another special sale for breast cancer. We'll be donating 5% of proceeds to Boarding for Breast Cancer, a fantastic organization that educates, supports and advocates for those close to the cause. This collection celebrates the beauty in us all, while reminding us we can all use a little pampering. Pucker up! It's time to think pink.

Disclosure: This post includes a referral link.

Beauty Blog Link Love - 10/23/10 - #20

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for October is with Amy of Sugarpill Cosmetics!

Check out this great Splurge vs Steal over at Prime Beauty. Cindy did a look with both palettes--can you guess which is which?

Sophie shows her amazing Sleek Makeup prize package that she won, lots of goodies included!!!

My Lips But Better swatches MAC's upcoming holiday collection, A Tartan Tale.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed checks out new products from Olay Regenerist and wonders if they will be as popular as the last one!

Sarah from IHeartCosmetics shows swatches of her collection of Korres Colour Cherry Oil Lipgloss.

The Lip Print discovers a cheap and cheerful treat for shoppers on a budget.

Eyelining has a look at a rather pretty multitasking marvel from Rituals.

Amy Antoinette organises her makeup collection and showcases her new dressing table.

Has Emma finally found her HG foundation? Head over to BirdsDecorateBranches to see if YSL Teint Resist might just be yours too!

Pink Diva's Beauty Spot loves all of the pink beauty products for Breast Cancer Research month. Check out some of her favourites.

Retrodiva checks out Annemarie Borlind to see if going natural is possible with oily and breakout prone skin.

TheGlossGoss reviews her Haus Of Gloi haul. Halloween themed products -- perfect for the Autumn season!

theNotice takes an early look at Clinique's Strawberry Fudge Holiday 2010 collection (yes, with swatches) and loves it!

Good bye Neutrals, Hello Drama! Jenn spices it up over at Spiced Beauty.

Jeweled Thumb shows evidence that makeup is magic!

Pink Sith says you can't put a price on FEELING pretty. Come find out why she thing Guerlain Meteorites Voyage Compact is the bee's knees!

Are you made for 'Fire and Ice'? Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More compares the legendary Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice to other red lipsticks in her collection.
***
Audrey Dao has 2 giveaways going on for the month of October. Check them out now before it's too late....

Mein link: Win a basket full of beauty products from Boot's on Beauty Woo Me.

Daily Polish celebrates reaching the 1 year mark of daily posts of new polishes and manicures with a giveaway where the first prize is worth over £200!

Jellyminx has a spooky giveaway, enter before it closes on Halloween!!

Review: LUSH Spice Curls

Some of you may remember my review for the LUSH sugar scrubs (found here). To recap for those of you who didn't or don't want to click on the link, I wasn't a big fan. The scrub disappeared after barely 1 use, it stained my shower and made it slippery. It was money wasted (down the drain) as far as I'm concerned. So I was poking through my LUSH soap stash and found Spice Curls and decided to give it a go.

I've since discovered that this particular soap has been discontinued by LUSH which is a shame because it's a fab scrub! As a soap it kind of sucks. It doesn't truly lather, it's gritty, I'd be kind of afraid of using it to clean my uh lady bits because it's quite pungent (cloves and cinnamon are two main notes). But as a scrub this thing rocks and it's been sitting in my shower for a few weeks and hasn't completely dissolved (cough-unlike-lush-scrub-cough). My only complaint is the orange-red base does tend to drip and coat things but I discovered if I store it on top of another piece of soap it doesn't cover my white soap dish in red.

So if you can manage to get your hands on this, I'd give it a try if you like firmer scrubs. Fab on elbows and legs, not so great on more sensitive parts like arms. I know I'm going to be on the lookout for this as I'd like another bar!

Rite Aid Scunci Bargain

I popped by Rite Aid after work today and happened upon a great deal that I wanted to share with you guys (well those of you that have access to a Rite Aid at the very least). I'm always in the market for hair ties. My hair is thick and it has a tendency to break them so I like to stock up when I can get a good price.

I found these bags of Scunci products for $2.99 around the end cap of the aisles (nowhere near the haircare section btw). There were a variety of bags available and I picked up a few. Um did I mention these were only $2.99?

Inside this particular set:
Scunci Flexible Headband (link here $7.99)
Scunci 6 piece No Damage Bands (marked $2.99)
Scunci 24 piece No Damage hair ties (similar here $3.69)
Scunci 12 piece No Slip Grip (similar here $3.99)
Scuncio Girl Ribbon Clips (similar here $5.99)

Adding that all up, makes it close to a $25 value and the bag only claims $14.99. If you need to stock up on holiday gifts for nieces, daughters, etc the "Girl" branded items would make cute gifts or stocking stuffers (you bet I'll be saving these till the holidays for some younger cousins of mine!) and the regular bands are great for us old(er) people.

I may even go buy some more. They seemed to have a nice assortment of different bags. I paid just $2.69 a bag since I'm a silver level rewards member.

Also, don't forget my giveaway ends tonight!

*EDIT*
Thanks to a lovely reader for pointing out these are popping up at CVS too! Thanks Nancy! =)

Sephora Friends & Family Live!

I'm sure you've all heard about Sephora Friends & Family already. The code FF2010 will get you 20% off the entire store from October 22nd through November 3rd, however, the code is working now!

What are you hauling?

I actually just placed an order for this Make Up Forever set and I'm eying a few of the holiday sets, but I don't know which one to pick (I had some online credit burning a hole in my pocket so the above cost me just $30)! These sets are a great value and exceedingly more so with the discount. Don't forget Ebates!

Disclosure: This e-mail includes a referral link.

The Power of Makeup

My skin is freaking the f-out lately. I think it's a combination of nerves, weather changes and hormones. Anyway, I wanted to show you just what a little foundation and concealer does. And while you may still see the blemishes, I swear I feel so much better knowing that a lot of people see less of them than I do at home! Now these "before" pictures were actually taken "after" aka I just removed my makeup. I don't even want to think what would have happened had I walked around with a big tear drop on my cheek, not good things for my professional life anyway! And yes, the foundation/concealer pretty much stuck around all day (though it has left my skin a bit dry/patchy - it probably looked better this morning). For those interested it's the Revlon Photoready in Ivory 001 reviewed here and the concealer is the ELF liquid one in Ivory reviewed here.

You can still see the blemish on my chin and no I'm not wearing eye makeup and yes, I am exhausted, thank you!

Do you see the unevenness, redness and well, that big red thing on my chin? Cause I do, and it's sad! It made me cry a big asymmetrical eyeliner tear!

Magic!

Welcome New Readers! Do You Blog?

I want to know about it!

I've acculuated quite a few new google followers on Jeweled Thumb and usually what I do is go through each one of them and see if they have a blog of their own, but I just don't have the time (or patience) to do that, so I'm putting the proverbial weight on your shoulders.

If you blog, please leave a comment in this post so I can check it out (a simple note on what the topic generally is would be cool too). I know there's been quite the discussion lately about leaving blog links on individual comments aka self promotion. While I'm not a big fan of this and prefer you guys don't do this, I thought I would give you the opportunity to "advertise" on this post.

If you're not the type to comment on posts, now is the time to do it!

NOTD aka Me Attempting Free Hand Nail "Art"

Now, even though I have my Bachelor's in Art, I never claimed to be good at drawing on my nails! Give me a canvas over a slightly shaky hand any day (yes I did just link you to one of my older 'portfolio' sites back when I made web pages for fun). Anyway, here is tonight's Nail of The Day.

Ignore the cuticles, thank you Dazzle Dry for the shine! The gray is a shade I'm testing out for Beauty Debutante and the red is the LE Sally Hansen Fireberry. Quite pretty. Only needed a thickish coat of each for the base and the free hand "french". Next time I should be less lazy and use little guides. All my "french" - ies are different shapes!

Product Rave

I know sometimes you don't realize you love a product so much until you've used it up, go searching for it and can't find it anymore and then take to swagbucks hoping you will be able to find and order it. In my case this was using up a pack of the Essence of Beauty Eye Make-Up Remover Pads Non-Oily. These things are awesome and I ran out, looked through my local CVS and could not find them anyway and promptly freaked out. These do a great job of removing eye makeup and even the most waterproof mascaras. And at $5.99 for 80 pads, it doesn't exactly break the bank. Well thankfully, they are still available for purchase on the CVS website though the site doesn't have a 'page' for the product so I hope they aren't discontinuing them! Either way, if you've been looking for a gentle makeup removing product that doesn't irritate sensitive eyes but takes off the most waterproof of mascaras, I'd give these a shot. You bet I'll be ordering a few bottles? jars? containers? of this myself as I do not want to run out again!

Disclosure: This includes a referral link to Swagbucks which is awesome btw. =)

Zoya Deal

It's been a little while since the last Zoya deal, but as usual they do a great job of spoiling us. Through Sunday, receive 3 free polishes for free with any $10 purchase. Snippet from website:

VAMPY KISS can be yours with any purchase over $10 on Zoya.com! What is Vampy Kiss? Vampy Kiss is a half oz. bottle of   Zoya Trixie, Zoya Raven and Zoya Delilah!  Best of all Vampy Kiss can be yours for FREE*.

Starting on Wednesday October 13 and ending on October 17*  when you purchase over $10 at Zoya.com you can use the code:VKISS and get all three Vampy Kiss colors added to your order for FREE! This is our Halloween gift to you so get to Zoya.com now! Don't wait "Bite" now! :)

 
I picked up a 8oz bottle of Remove+ ($9.99) and a Spoon ($.50) to push me over the $10 limit. Shipping for me was an extra $6.95 but it still came out to be a good deal. I'm glad these are 3 Zoya colors I don't already own - hooray for slowly and cheaply growing my Zoya collection!

In Which I Ask You For Help

I appreciate all of you who read Jeweled Thumb for reviews, swatches and other rambles but I don't have all the answers (obviously). So as much as I love the La Roche Posay Cleansing Gel and a whole host of other products to remove my makeup, sometimes a girl has got to pare down. And in this case I'm not talking about my makeup stash. What I am looking for is something, or shall I say, one thing (!) to remove my makeup.

My wishlist:
Something that removes face makeup and waterproof mascara, something in a state other than liquid form and something that doesn't burn my eyes! Oh and not irritating my sensitive skin is another plus.

I was eyeing the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. Has anyone tried this? I also recently tested the Estee Lauder briefly at the counter and it at least did a good job of removing the makeup on my hand. Have any other suggestions?

I know many of you like cleansing oils, but I need something I can wipe on and take off easily that isn't so liquidy and messy!

I'm Over At Beauty Debutante Today!

Just because it's fall, doesn't mean you should ignore this fab summer palette from Motives Cosmetics I am reviewing over at Beauty Debutante. Take a peak. You may be surprised (especially if you liked the MAC Style Black Collection, NARS Night Series shadows and the recent Bobbi Brown sparkle collection).

My Recent Go-To Eye Look

I tend to be one of those people who gets into routines with my makeup. I'll end up keeping out the same eyeshadow(s) and wearing it over and over again. Granted, it seems I'm never quite able to finish it, but I'll wear it tons before moving it to a drawer and loving the next best thing. I wanted to share my recent go-to eye combo. Now that the weather isn't so warm, my allergies aren't so severe and I don't feel the constant need to rub my eyes. I'll stop rambling and get on to it.

First I'll apply Urban Decay Primer Potion all over the lid and up to the brow. Then I'll take the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha and draw a little bit of it all over the lid and a tiny bit in the crease and blend with my finger. I'll then take a big fluffy brush and brush the taupe side of the Wet N Wild Craze duo in Irish I Was Rich reviewed here and sweep that all over the lid and up and slightly over the crease. I then go back in with the NYX Jumbo Pencil and layer that right at the upper and lower lashline as liner, curl my lashes and then apply a liberal amount of the Lash Stiletto Voluptuous on my upper and lower lashes reviewed here (or another mascara of the moment) and I'm done. It's a very quick easy look that doesn't require a separate crease, outer V or highlight shade and makes it perfect for the work week, although I wore it today to buy groceries.

In case you don't want to click to see my review of the duo, here's a better close up shot. It is gorgeous! You can kinda see I've made a decent gouge in the product already. This is a beautiful silvery taupe shade, very pigmented and leans more silvery. I've basically ignored the purple.

I threw a little MAC Cyndi on for the photo op. Skin is just some tinted moisturizer and concealer although I cleverly showed you my "good" side. The other side of my chin has a large raised pimple that doesn't seem to want to disappear!

Super easy look but still looks like you put some effort in. My husband said it made my eyes pop. Nerd.

Review: The Natural Lip Scrub

As I was driving home on Friday (more like sitting as there was tons of traffic), I decided to stop in a small store called Beauty First. I go in there every so often and you can sometimes snag great deals. After talking to the sales associate about how awful Maryland drivers are, I went looking around the store. They are having a "pre holiday" sale and there were lots of products 50% and 75% off. I happened upon this cute little box on the 75% off rack and picked it up.

It didn't seem to be a brand, or at least a brand I had heard of before, but for $3.74 after the discount, I happily picked it up. I have been meaning to try the LUSH version, but for the price it seems a little ridiculous. Granted the original price of this (sticker price is $14.95) is even more ridiculous than the $9 or so for LUSH.

I did a little research on the company when I came home. Apparently, it is a fairly small woman owned company based in Colorado. The company name is simply "The Natural Lip Scrub" and this is their only product which comes in several flavors. I'm kicking myself for not picking up the cute little orange box now as they are all different flavors.

It all started one day when two product junkies from Colorado were experimenting with a well-known lip scrub - very intriguing, except when they noticed the ingredients... Petroleum - Parabens - Sucrose!  Yuck!! 
So, The Natural Lip Scrub was conceived, and after months of trial and error, the formula was perfected and launched to retailers and consumers in October 2008!
We are very proud of our achievments - now selling The Natural Lip Scrub nationwide at independent boutiques, spas and salons!

This retail for $20 (I guess Beauty First got a wholesale deal) which is a bit ridiculous, but I admit, the company nailed the packaging. How cute is this?

Each scrub comes in a little box adorned with a ribbon and tissue paper inside. The box itself is very sturdy and has a nice texture to it. The jar itself is solid heavy plastic with a silver lid.

Inside, the scrub is very firm and has an grainy texture, though it isn't rough on the lips. The one I got is (I believe) the lemon version though the specific flavors don't appear to be labeled (if they were, I would have picked up the other one for sure). This scent and taste of this is really delicious. It reminds me of those Sunkist Fruit Gems which I threw and got thrown at me at my parent's synagogue (can be pelted, individually wrapped and not dairy!) at celebratory events.

The ingredients are: organic sugar, organic flavor oils, coconut oil, hydrogenated castor oil, vitamin E, castor seed oil, safflower oil and beeswax.
I'm not sure I'd repurchase at the $15 or full price, but for just under $4 dollars it's nice for myself. I may repurchase at full price if it were a gift though since it is packaged beautifully!

Have you tried or found this anywhere?

*edit*
Hillary from http://www.byhillary.com/ reminded me that I didn't actually write how well the scrub actually worked and isn't that the real reason for a review?! Anyway, as I responded to her, the scrub did a good job of exfoliating my lips and left them moisturized. My only qualm with the product is the sugar granules are quite large and a little unruly and they got under my nails which is a little annoying. However, I was able to rub them over my lips, though a slightly damp finger is probably easier. The sugar does eventually dissolve and leaves a nice layer of moisture. All natural ingredients so you can easily leave this alone and a little can get in your mouth (even the website leaves that as an option).

Beauty Blog Link Love - 10/09/10 - #19

My Lips But Better writes about the MAC Venomous Villains launch party and shares her thoughts about the products.

Check out the duo-chromed awesomnicity (yes that is a word!) that Aijuswhanakno found through Persephone Minerals.

Tammerly at Pink Diva's Beauty Spot gives you the 'gloss' on the 2010 Sydney International Beauty Expo.

Amy Antoinette experiments with Kim Kardashian curls.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed gets to pretend she is a real makeup artist with the TEMPTU AIRbrush system!

Kim Porter reviews Dr. Miracle’s Follicle Healer Hydrating Oil, a great product for dry, damaged hair.

With blogger events and launch parties, it's Illamasqua overload at Hellcandy make-up! Check out the photos from the launch party here.

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Mascara and Yinnie's lashes become BFFs over at Looking Glass Beauty.

Daily Polish professes her love for all things Catrice with the turquoise lacquer, "I Sea You!"

Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More gives you a sneak peek at the new Sleek MakeUp Bad Girl & Good Girl Palettes, due to be released on October 27th!

Eyelining uses some NYX pigments to demonstrate how bad packaging can ruin a perfectly good product.

Vex in the City shows you how to step up your nail game on the cheap, with the new Instant Nail Effects from Barry M.

Emma swatches the best Orgasm dupe yet for only £3.99 at BirdsDecorateBranches!

Melissa reviews Smell Bent's limited edition Halloween Killer Smellies over at LovelyAndroid.

You need an idea for Halloween? Vesna at Beauty addict blog has one: turn yourself into a Dark Fairy for this year's Halloween!

Love NARS makeup but not the price tag? Lipglossiping signals the "dupe alert" siren when she shows off a serious but affordable dupe for NARS Albatross!

The Pink Sith is less than impressed with the Too Faced Naked Eye Palette, despite it having a few great taupe shadows.

Jellyminx jumps on the naked band wagon and shares a look created using the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Jolie Laide girl gets to work showing you the best of the Elf Mineral Shadows.

Louise spends a day chatting with Daniel Sandler and getting a whole new look!

The Lip Print discovers a products with a Happy Philosophy; you can share the love too!

theNotice finds a fab product to banish under-eye bags, and it's under $5!

L at Beautifully Addicted To gives a run down on Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanse.
***
Jeweled Thumb is celebrating reaching her 400th post with a giveaway! Enter to win Stila, ELF, BE, Milani Bare To Wear and more!

Enter Phyrra's Beauty for the Earth The Wizard of Oz-Some Giveaway for a collection worth $60!

A MAC Story

When I got off work today, I got on the road leading to the highway I take home and saw a line of trucks and cars sitting on the overpath so I decided to take the scenic route home through an area with a shopping mall with a Macy's and a MAC counter. I was interested in looking at the Villainous Villains collection even though I wasn't a huge fan of the packaging and I was sure that most of the line was sold out. And I kind of wanted to try out the Pro Longwear foundation even though MAC foundations generally aren't the best color match for my skin.

I made my way to the counter, looked around for a bit and one of the artists came around to help me. I asked about the Pro Longwear foundation and was soon whisked off to one of the chairs. He started by applying the Studio Moisture Cream which was actually really nice. I think the MAC skincare line is often overlooked, especially by me (although I do love the Microfine Refinisher). Then he pulled out a MAC 190 brush and started applying the foundation in NW20. I wasn't a huge fan of the color on me, it pulled a bit yellow on my skin, at least I thought so. Then we tried the Mineralize Foundation which I felt was also a bit off. Finally, he pulled out Studio Fix Powder in NW15 and I was a bit reluctant as my skin is dry and is a bit dehydrated right now (partially my fault). But after applying it with the MAC 109 brush, I looked like my skin was airbrushed and the color match was perfect so I might go back for that.

I want to just say that the artist, by the way his name is Joe and he's the counter manager, was super fun. I really didn't feel like I was getting a makeover as such, we basically, what's the phrase, "shot the shit". I asked for a winged eye look and he did a great job considering my eyes are round but it just doesn't look right on me (it's nice knowing it's not just me being near blind during application!) and the smolder eye kohl kept on transferring which was a bit funny. Smolder was smoldering! Ok, maybe you had to be there.

He tried a few different beauty powders from the collection. They didn't impress me too much. For my eyes he went for a very soft daytime look besides the crazy wing (which garnered attention from a nearby soccer mom. Joe joked, "we're doing the makeup for her wedding" and the soccer mom looked aghast and said it was a bit strong... just kidding lady!) He used a little bit of Omega (if I remember correctly) in the crease, Sweet Joy (from Cruella) on the lid with a tiny bit of Paradisco right along the outer lashline for a pop of color. Very nice soft look.

I felt sorry for taking up so much of his time (I think I was there for a bit over an hour) and apologized for not wanting to buy a lot, but he was totally cool. No hard sell, friendly, humorous and very fun. I did wind up picking up a replacement brush cleanser and one of the Nail Lacquers from the new collection.

I highly recommend if you are near the Wheaton's Macy's to stop by the MAC counter and let Joe take care of you there. They also have quite a bit of the Villainous Villains collection left in stock if you've been looking.

Joe also claims he is coming to read the blog so Hi!

Lemming A Clarisonic?

Have I got a deal for you. The Today's Special Value on QVC for this Saturday, is a Clarisonic & Philsophy Set. It is a $276 value for $189.10 with free shipping and available for 4 Easy Payments. And because I love you guys, I have the link for you in advance!

One rechargeable Clarisonic PLUS skin care brush

One delicate brush head

One sensitive brush head

One normal brush head

One spot therapy body brush head

8-oz purity made simple cleanser

16-oz cinnamon buns 3-in-1 shower gel

0.5 oz hope in a jar moisturizer

And don't forget it's on both Extrabux & Mr. Rebates for 4% cashback! Simply add the brush to your cart, go to the rebate site and click through and the special price should be there waiting for you when you come back!

Disclosure: This post includes referral links.

I Did It

I quit my job to pursue my makeup dreams...






Sike!

Wow, did I just age myself or what?

No, what I did do is purchase an HD camcorder. I'm sharing the deal with you guys too if you've been in the market for one. Now, for me this means that I'm seriously considering starting a youtube channel, for normal people, it would mean buying a camera to take on vacation or tape important life events (using it for that too).

Anyway, until Saturday Office Depot is offering an HD Camcorder for $69.99. If you do this deal, you will need to buy a separate memory card as well (and I highly recommend getting it somewhere like newegg.com because Office Depot is much more expensive - we're talking $60+ for 16GB vs $25+ at newegg). Anyway...

This is the camcorder. It's usually $149.99 and is on sale for $80 cheaper through the 9th of October. Free shipping in the US. Don't forget Ebates if you get it (2% back).

And while I gather extra rough skin before starting this, any video recs? =)

Oh, I guess this counts as a haul, right?

Disclosure: This post includes a referral link

How Waterproof Is Waterproof?

Yesterday, I had some fun on my Wii Fit Plus and boy am I feeling it today. Anyway, I didn't have the chance to remove my makeup before exercising. I was of course wearing my Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof reviewed here, and some Motives eyeshadows, reviewed here.

Oh, well, I suppose I'll share the eye makeup as it was around the time I applied it:

And one for fun, since I'm a big goof.

Then I work out and guess what's still on my lashes? You guessed it. Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof. I'm not sure you can see the amount of sweat on my face, but believe me, it's there. I was sweating hard!

Please ignore my mug (and my eyebrows, dear lord) but do you see the sweat? Now do you see that there is nothing black below my eyes? Mascara win!

And to answer my question, very waterproof!

Spell Cosmetics 'Closing'

It seems the mineral makeup community is going through a few big changes recently, the biggest news maker is the closing of Aromaleigh (some stock still available on final clearance), but my other favorite, Spell Cosmetics is also closing the consumer portion of their company, ie. they will be concentrating their efforts on wholesale & private label orders. The liquidation of their consumer stock ends October 10th and Elle is offering some deals on the remaining inventory and bringing back some older collections.

I've reviewed the Jewel Thief Collection here if you are interested in ordering from them before they close the consumer portion of the website on the 10th.

Review: La Roche-Posay Rosaliac Micellar Make-Up Removal Gel

whew, long title!

I'm in a process of testing out a range of skincare for le blog and discovered I was getting more break outs than usual. I initially assumed that it was the new skincare range so I stopped it for awhile and I was still getting the breakouts. Well, I found the culprit, or culprits. First of all, the skincare system that I'm testing is for sensitive skin and doesn't remove makeup (#1) and (#2) - my makeup removing wipes were nearing the end of the pack and were starting to dry out and not thoroughly remove the makeup I was wearing.

So, I broke out this strange gel that I had picked up on a whim on CVS on clearance. La Roche-Posay is a french brand that gets a lot of love all over the blogosphere and I like as well but it can tend to be a little out of my price-range.

Before I go into detail, this particular product seems to be discontinued, however there are two similar products by the brand on the market (also cheaper - huzzah) Physiological Micellar Solution by La Roche-Posay and the La Roche-Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel. One is a liquid and one is a gel, both require no water.


Anyway

I paid far less than the $24.50 retail price for this, but was intrigued. It's specifically for those with sensitive skin and promises to remove all face and eye makeup. One of the main problems I have while cleansing my face is making a complete mess of my sink and bathroom in general. This is especially problematic with things like cleansing oils, they run, they slip, I can't see and complete chaos ensues!

Here's how I tested this out. First, I rubbed my face with the cleansing wipes I was using (the Super Aqua Perfect Cleansing Tissue by Missha btw) then I applied some of the cleansing gel to the same wipe and wiped my face again. Oh my gosh, there was a lot of product that the other wipes were leaving behind! So I did my whole face. The only thing that this didn't remove was my waterproof mascara (the Lash Stiletto I reviewed here). I really like the concept of this and it wasn't harsh at all. I even got some in my eyes... slightly on purpose and it didn't sting. So even though it didn't remove my mascara (yes, I got to use yet another product for that) it was a fast mess-free alternative to wipes. And could be a lot less wasteful if you use a reusable washcloth or muslin cloth.

So, in closing, really cool product and a great alternative to wipes or separate cleansing oils. I wonder if the two newer version remove waterproof mascara, cause if so, I am super intrigued and will be testing them out. Also stay tuned for a review on said mystery skincare line I was referring to!

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

CVS & Rite Aid Haul

I was out for a brief period of time today to drop off a prescription and stopped at two of my local drugstores, CVS & Rite Aid - obviously per the post title and I thought I would share my haul with you guys, since I got a few requests for more hauls in my giveaway post.

First at CVS I wanted to do the Revlon deal to try out their lipstain markers, even though I haven't heard great things about them. I managed to get a hold of a $1 off Revlon lipstain coupon too, so I picked one up in the color Beloved and also another Colorburst Lipstick in Rosy Nude. I then saw a rack of clearance items so I picked up the Barielle for just $2.75 and the 24.7 makeup remover for $2.60. And of course, I had to get my free beauty charm with $15 purchase. Not sure what I'm going to do with it though.

Next at Rite Aid I totally lucked out! I have been looking all over town for the LE Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear collection! I know everyone has been blogging about this collection for ages and once again the DC area is the last area to get it! However, my neighborhood Rite Aid had this collection on top of some of the shelving, hardly reachable even at my height (5'7") and they had all the colors (though the display was about half full). I managed to get 1 of each and even though the cashier looked at me a bit nuts with my basket of nail polish and only nail polish I was thrilled! I also paid full price (well less my 10% wellness+ rewards discount - I'm at the silver level).

So there's my very successful drugstore haul. I'll be back at CVS hauling the Revlon polish on sale tomorrow (and picking up my prescription).

Holy Crapizzle!

Ok, I need to get this post up ASAP (btw happy October!) because I just discovered the goldmine of UK goodies, with free shipping, and no customs or duties. I'm sure you've heard of Asos.com - yes, our UK friends love to taunt us with their splendiforous hauls. Well, apparently Asos is now shipping to the US for FREE! Yes, for free, which means you too can grab most of the items on their site without begging for a custom purchase (except for nail polish it looks like).

And right now they have a ton TON a metric ton of Illamasqua on sale!

How about some of their Illamasqua NEW Light Liquid Foundation (in select colors)? Only $13.48 and free shipping!

Or maybe you were looking at their Powder Blushes (select colors)? $10.11!!!!

You can also get Barry M and loads of other makeup on their site. Holy frick I'm excited!