Makeup Faux Paus

There are a ton of "normal" makeup faux paus out there: Overdoing the orange bronzer, sharpie eyebrows, or lipstick on your teeth. But I think there are some that people don't realize looks bad. I'm not usually a negative Nancy, but there a few things that have been bothering me for sometime and since I write this thing, I can post about it! Right? Of course right!

1. Too light/unblended inner corner highlight: There is nary a You Tube video tutorial that doesn't include inner corner highlighting. And yes, inner corner highlighting can be a good thing, but not when it looks like this. Yes, this was created in Paint and yes I was dumb and drew in the features before filling in the "skin" color. Gotta love the flat head, right? Anyway, this is not attractive. If you are going to use an inner corner highlight, please blend it. Even better, use a tone very similar to your skin tone or slightly lighter. Some shimmer is ok but please exercise caution! The point is to make your eyes look big and bright not to make people notice bright white dots next to your eyes!

2. Using too light concealer and highlighting the wrong places. Let me explain this (and sometimes I am guilty of this). If you put concealer on either side of your nose and let's say you might have some natural darkness underneath your nose (coughfacialhaircough) you are inadvertently creating more shadow there by concealing the area around your nose. If you suffer from hormonal acne around your chin, you may make your chin look larger if you are using light concealer if you don't go back and contour the area (also the coughfacialhaircough). The area between your chin and down to your neck should have natural shadow since it's below your head! I'm sure many are already aware of reverse panda eyes no explanation needed! The only other thing I want to mention is if you are using a red corrective concealer, one with a bit of yellow or green in it, it may be canceling the red out, but it may be highlighting that area! Be sure to go over with your normal concealer which is the color of your skin!

Any others you want to add? And yeah, sure I'll do a paint-version of your comments if you're amused by this.

Do You Love Bath & Body Works?

Well, they love you too!

Bath & Body Works has brought out the Love BBW Club. This club is free to sign up and apparently gives you a gift 1 Thursday of the month from January 1, 2011 – May 31, 2011 in stores only. And no purchase is necessary (though I'm sure they'd like one)!

You will receive your monthly gift by visiting U.S. Bath & Body Works stores on any Thursday during each calendar month and presenting your Membership Card. Membership Card must be presented, and will be punched, each time a gift is received.

And after I submitted my info, I got this message:

Thanks for submitting your request for a LUV BBW Club Membership Card. You will receive your Membership Card by January 3, 2011.


We look forward to seeing you soon to get your FREE monthly gifts!

Who doesn't love getting free stuff?

Forget About Cyber Monday - Go To BeautyBloggers.org!

Even though I love the deals that are out for Cyber Monday, why not take your money to buy products that do something more?

Stop by the Beauty Bloggers auction site today through December 20th 2010 5pm CST to register and bid on fabulous products, some of which are limited edition, discontinued or hard to find!

Yes, international bidders are welcome!

BeautyBloggers.org is the collaboration of almost 50 different beauty bloggers and brands. In the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to make a meaningful contribution to charity — knowing that the most effective donation to any charity is cash.

So we’re putting our makeup on the auction block*. Winning bids will be donated directly to Doctors Without Borders.

We’re raising money for Doctors Without Borders because women are always disproportionately affected in any disaster. This organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people in crisis, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. They treat rape victims in Papua New Guinea; they make sure women don’t die in childbirth in Pakistan; they helped flood victims in Mexico and earthquake victims in Haiti. They work in 65 countries around the world, and your donation will make an immediate impact. Click here to learn more about MSF.

Contributors include:
Afrobella, A Girl's Gotta Spa!, AlyWalansky.com, Armani Beauty, Bay Area Style File, Beauté Cosmetics, Beauty Alchemist, The Beauty Look Book, Bobbi Brown, Cafe Makeup, Cargo, China Glaze, EnKore, Estee Lauder, For the Love of Beauty, Givenchy, Gloss Menagerie, Gouldylox Reviews, Grace Gold for AOL StyleList, KarlaSugar, KraseyBeauty, Lancome, Leonor Greyl, The Makeup Girl, Miss Whoever You Are, Musings of a Muse, My Lips But Better, Nadine Jolie, The Non-Blonde, Older Girl Beauty, OPI, Out in a Pout, Pink Sith, Prime Beauty, Product Girl, Pursebuzz, Renee Rouleau, Sasquatch Swatch, Sicka Than Average, Spoiled Pretty, Talika, Three Custom Color Specialists, and Votre Vu

* According to Karla Sugar, the site's organizer, all the items are new, so perfect for the gift giving season!

Amazing Stila Warehouse Sale!

Anyone that loves Stila needs to head over to their site for the Cyber Monday Stila Warehouse Sale! It is seriously amazing with some amazing sets that will make great gifts!

Go Go Go!

Review: H2O Sea Pure Line

My skin has always had a bit of an identity crisis. I've always known my skin was a bit drier than normal, but I also have considerable breakouts. And whenever I go to the shops and get recommended products, they are hesitant to give me something for dry skin as there is always the fear that the product will break me out (and they will invariably lose their commission when I return it). Either way, most moisturizing products don't tend to last very long on me and I'll be left with dry cakey foundation by the end of the work day (yes, I know, most foundations last all day on me, you oily girls have it hard - hey less wrinkles!).

As a Beauty Stat Blogger, I was recently given a chance to try a new skincare line by the brand H2O. My guess is many of you (or prove me wrong) have never heard of this brand before. I actually was a big fan when I worked at ULTA (their hand cream is quite nice by the way among other things). I'm actually kind of excited that they've started using social media to promote their products as what I've tried has been quite good but it never sold well. That's not to say I'll not be honest, of course.

Anyway, I was sent quite a few items from the Sea Pure Line which is their all natural (or close to) line and I've had a good amount of time to try them out and you can read my rambling thoughts below.

H2O Claims:
- Naturally awakens skin's renewal cycle (aka exfoliation)
- Reveals younger looking skin (aka anti-aging)
- Supplies antioxidant-rich moisture (aka for dry skin)

Now, this line says it is good for all skin types and I'm going to disagree. You'll absolutely love this line if you have dry skin. I think you'll find many of the products far too rich if you have oily skin.

Sea Pure Creamy Facial Cleanser $20.00 

A creamy, foaming cleanser that gently washes away makeup and impurities without stripping the skin's natural oils with Cell-Renewing Amino Acids, Apple Proteins and Sea Moss

This is a very thick, creamy cleanser that smells of lemons. It actually removed my face makeup (Revlon Photoready among others) but I would not recommend putting this close to your eyes as the lemon could be an irritant (could means I was dumb and got it in my eyes and it burned). I need about a pea sized amount for my entire face and it lathers well with a bit of warm water. I didn't feel as though this stripped my skin but I didn't experience any kind of oily residue (my skin felt clean). A few times I followed up with a cleansing wipe to notice no remaining makeup (sans eye makeup) on the cloth. I'd buy this again (for the first time? Like a virgin).

Sea Pure Renewing Prep Tonic $18.00 

An non-drying toner to revitalize skin and enhance the effectiveness of moisturizers with Cell-Renewing Amino Acids, Alpha Hydroxy Acid and Sea Moss

This also smells of lemons. I found the packaging of this quite ingenious has there is a nice pump on the product. A lot of tonics and toners have no dispenser or are a spray which unless it can do double the work and set your makeup makes little sense to me. This felt really nice and refreshing and didn't strip my skin. I'd buy this as well.

Sea Pure Gentle Refining Polish $30.00

A gently exfoliating scrub massages away dull surface cells to reveal visibly brighter, smoother, glowing skin with bamboo extract and sea moss

This was something I wasn't the biggest fan of only because it seemed too gentle for me. I like when my facial scrub feels like it's doing something, and this almost seemed too rich like I would need to re-cleanse after. I bet this is probably the type of scrub my skin would prefer, as the MAC Microfine refinisher can be quite abrasive, but I prefer the uber-scrubbiness nonetheless. This I wouldn't buy.

Sea Pure Perfecting Eye Cream $32.00 

A fast-absorbing eye cream formulated to help visibly repair and refresh the delicate skin around the eyes with cell-renewing amino acids, jojoba seed extract and Atlantic sea flora

Quite pricey for a little jar though most eye creams are. I do like this but I haven't noticed any huge difference in my under eye area. I have noticed it hasn't been quite as dry as I am really bad about using eye creams in general so any sort of moisture is good. I have applied this at night so I haven't been able to test whether or not this shifts my eye makeup during the day. I probably wouldn't buy this again, only because it's pricey and I never remember to use eye cream unless I'm testing out something for the blog!

Sea Pure Deep Moisture Cream $40.00 

I LOVE THIS STUFF! I am usually never so quick to profess my love for a $40 pot of moisturizer. This for me is the standout product of the set. It is very very rich. It takes a minute to absorb into the skin but this is something that has stopped the flaky dryness that I've been experiencing after wearing foundation for more than a couple hours. I have gone through about 1/5 of the pot (just my guesstimate of course) and I love it. Did I mention I love this? If you are very very dry and suffer from your skin sucking all of your foundation and causing you to look like a chalkboard and you can't powder after applying foundation, this is for you. This has made me look dewy for the first time in ages and a plus, it hasn't broken me out. But very rich and I'd stay away if you have oily or even combination skin. I will definitely be buying this again.  

So once again, the summary is in general I really like this line and I'll definitely be buying at the very least the Moisture Cream in the future. Good for dry skin, probably not so great for oily skin. Any questions, ask! Oh right, those that tend to dislike citrus scents should probably stay away as well (or those with allergy to citrus products), DH calls me lemon face every night when I get into bed now.

H20 is offering $25 off a $100 or more purchase with code 100288 through Monday, November 29th. They are also sold at ULTA. From what I've seen H2O routinely offers promo codes if $100 is more than you want to spend to try them out.

Disclosure: These products were received for review purposes.

Face Of The Saturday

A family friend came and visited us today and as such we went out to dinner, so I thought it would be a good idea to look presentable (and the lack of family ensured I could use the Illamasqua pigment and not get weird looks).

Face:
ELF TM in Ivory

Eyes:
UDPP
Illamasqua Conquer all over the lid and blended into the crease with
Wet N Wild Iris I Was Rich
Clinique Black Diamond Creamshaper at lashline and a tiny bit on the waterline
and then I reapplied the Illamasqua right over the Black Diamond for added oomph!
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof

Lip:
clear balm

Another MySpace (esque) look to show the full face.

I do really like the pop of green at the lashline but I'm not sure I'd be able to pull it off for work.

Black Friday

Wow, companies really pulled out all the stops for this year's shopping holiday season. Anyway, I only have a few additional sales going on, but the following ladies have a more comprehensive list.

First of all, KarlaSugar has a pretty good list going on of all the sales.
As does Jessica Allison.

In addition, Missha is having an awesome 40% off sale sitewide, including their BB Cream for $8.99 and some awesome Holiday sets. Free shipping over $40. I took this opportunity to get the BB Cream in the newer lightest shade.

Stila is offering a set worth over $100 with a $50 purchase or 20% off your purchase with codes, BLACKFRIDAY or STILALOVE.

Anything else, feel free to leave the info below!

Added:

Eyeko is offering 25% off sitewide till tonight at midnight UK time, so soon with code CHEER25. Use my ambassador code E11926 and I believe you will get a free gift upon checkout.

Beauty Blog Backstage Nov 2010 - Featuring Cosmeddicted!

I've been meaning to join the Beauty Blog Backstage family but I always remember at work and then by the time I come home, well, I forget since I have an awful short-term memory! Anyhow, for my first go, I was paired up with K from Cosmeddicted and here are her answers! I highly recommend joining if you are a blogger, it's so fun and I wish I would have signed up sooner!

1. What was your very first LUSH product?
My very first LUSH product was a bath bomb which I really did not like. I tried it 3 or so years ago, and I stayed clear of Lush after that. It was only after I tried other LUSH products that I started to find ones that I liked!

2. Did you go to college/university? What did you study?
Yes, I went to university. I have a bachelors and masters in mechanical engineering. It's a very rare field for women, and less than 5% of my class was female. It was a really interesting experience. And yes, I'm still an engineer.

3. What store did you wish existed in your country?
I'm happy with the stores that exist, but not the prices. I really wish that Lush and MAC in particular would lower their prices. The MAC 187 is $80!

4. What's your favorite drink?
I really love my coffee, and I'm very particular about it. I like medium to dark roasts, and I love my French Press. I drink my coffee black. Sweetened coffee drinks are nice as desserts to me, but I like black coffee in the mornings!

5. Is your current hair its natural color?
No, it is not. I get my hair lightened and highlighted. As my highlights get lighter over the course of a few months, I'll even find some blond streaks in my hair!

6. Do you prefer gel, cream or pencil liners?
I like liquid eyeliners, because i really like thin, dark lines. However, liquid eyeliners are a little bit time consuming, so I reach for my pencil and gel eyeliners as well.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up when you were little?
I was a huge Trekkie, and I wanted to be an engineer like Geordi La Forge from Star Trek The Next Generation. At least I was able to become an engineer!

Thank you for reading! And a very happy turkey day for all my US readers! We had turkey lunch and my husband and I are both still absolutely stuffed! Turkey coma time.

It's My Birthday & I'll Haul If I Want To!

I had this title all ready to go, isn't it smart? And then of course I don't go and actually buy any makeup on my birthday! Blog fail.

So this is actually relevant, go wish my belated birthday twin a happy birthday (and go 'follow' her while you're at it)! Hers is actually today!

Latest Brilliant Buy

Once again, I blame all you lovely UK ladies for my use of the word brilliant.

Anyway, if you read Nouveau Cheap, which you should if you don't, you should know that there are a bunch of L'Oreal products 75% (including some in the HIP range). I had a coupon this weekend for $5 off a $30 or more purchase and to help me get to that amount, I picked up one of the HIP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolors in Euphoric a neutral pink with pink shimmer for the very reasonable price of $4.

I'm not sure why I haven't picked up one of these glosses in the past, my guess is the price. At $12.50 give or take, it's a bit much for a drugstore lipgloss. Out of the range, I picked up this shade and I recall there being more options but I guess it was edited with the last 75% sale.

The product comes in a slender tube with a sponge applicator which is a bit longer and slightly slanted. It deposits a good amount of the product on the lips. The lipcolor itself has more of a gel texture, is creamy, non-sticky and smells of cake batter. I found this wore off pretty quickly, but it smells so good I have no problem reapplying it! Also, the formula is quite moisturizing so absolutely fab in this dry weather!

Look out for these at your nearest CVS (some won't have the 75% off stickers up but that doesn't mean there is no sale)!

Birthday Dinner Look

I went out with my family last night to celebrate various birthdays. Mine is tomorrow, my Dad's was today and my brother's girlfriend celebrates hers this coming week. We went out to dinner as per tradition and I thought I'd share my eye look, though it isn't really out of the ordinary for me though I did use an Illamasqua pure pigment.

I was obviously still feeling the effects of the sangria since that was the only picture I took (and notice the wonky eyeball - thank you alcohol!). Peculiar. Anyway, I did my regular look but patted a bit of Incite right at the lash line for a little extra bronzey glow. I guess that shade is wearable after all! This was taken approximately 6 hours after application.

Sorry I'm so boring guys! I'm not sure how much color I can get away with especially around family!

Beauty Blog Link Love - 11/20/10 - #22

Emma shows the surprising amount of coverage offered by Laura Merciers Tinted Moisturiser over at BirdsDecorateBranches!

Whitney from Whitz World of Beauty tells the adventure of her Spa Day at Alexis K in Solana Beach, California!

Pink Diva's Beauty Spot has been busy trialling and testing new NIVEA skin care. Check out her honest product reviews on the products and share your thoughts on the brand.

Rachel discovers duochrome nails with the new Accessorize range over at at Queen of Turquoise.

Readers at Lipglossiping.com share their tried and tested tips for recreating the ultimate salon blow dry DIY style!

Beautywoome highlights the rebirth of the early '90s cream-mauve-plum nail.

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for November is one to be thankful for! It's an exclusive interview with Tammy from Meow Cosmetics.

The Gloss Goss found love in the form of Chanel Extrait de Gloss and ended up going back for more.

Retrodiva has five steps for getting glowing skin just in time for the holidays.

Madame B Fatale talks about how she likes to get hair free for summer.

Join in the weekly This or That fun over at Audrey Dao - Confessions of a Beautyholic.

The Lip Print go pink crazy with Lush's Snow Fairy Christmas treats!

Blaq Vixen Beauty recently learned that the CoverGirl Queen Collection is getting an upgrade in the lipstick collection come January 2011.

Jellyminx reveals a brief history of her hair through some comical photos!

Krasey Beauty takes a look at some of the newest editions to the Ellis Faas cosmetics range, just in time for the holidays.

Do you love NARS Orgasm but hate the price? Katie at My Lips But Better has the scoop on a dupe!

Makeup Zombie has a Blush Showdown featuring the cult classic NARS "Orgasm" blush!

Sarah at IHeartCosmetics decides once and for all if Cloud Nine hair straighteners are better than GHD ones.

Did you miss Toronto IMATS 2010? Don't worry Jenn from Spiced Beauty has the full event coverage here.

Jeweled Thumb discovers a Chanel Paradoxal dupe that has arrived on American shores!

Amy Antoinette has afternoon tea with Alexa Chung at the Lacoste Touch of Pink perfume launch.

Daily Polish finally conquers an 18 month lemming with Jessica's Birds of Paradise...possibly the most beautiful purple polish in existence? You decide!
***
theNotice gets a new "home" (okay, a new url...) and is celebrating with a flatiron giveaway!

Beauty Crazed not only shows you all of the Givenchy holiday fragrance sets, they are giving one away!

Make a Wish Smashbox's Perfect Pencils set on Prime Beauty--it may come true!

Illamasqua Pure Pigments

You asked for it, you got it! I haven't worn these for a full day of wear yet as I'm not sure how daytime these two shades are, but I will be using them in an eye of the day soon so I can remark on their wear time and application ease.

The two Illamasqua Pure Pigment shades I bought from asos were Incite & Conquer. These retail for $24 for a mere .04oz of product at Sephora, but I snagged them for $8.43 each from the asos sale. Now these aren't shades I would usually purchase but I have been wanting to try Illamasqua for quite some time but the prices put me off.

These are the same concept as MAC pigments. Loose products that can be used alone on the eyelids or mixed with various products for application all over the body. I bet Incite would be great mixed with a little lipgloss for a middle of the lip pout or mixed with lotion or even foundation for a little shimmer and glow. The only major difference is the price.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment, $24 for .04oz = $600/ounce
MAC Pigment, $19.50 for .15oz = $130/ounce

It is obvious (even with the MAC reducing the size of the packaging) that MAC is the winner in value for money here.

A few photographs to show the slightly odd packaging featuring the shade Incite, a bronzy gold. I initially couldn't figure out how to open it as I had thought it was a twist off sort of top. No, instead you need to carefully lift up the cap (I used my nails) and then carefully pry off the lid. Now I know why so many bloggers have complained about accidentally flinging the packaging, losing the product and their general frustrations! Sure, it looks really cool, but it is not for those that are slightly clumsy.

This is a horrible swatch but it looked like liquid metal once applied (I sheered it out a little). Really pigmented, the pigment's texture was super smooth (not anything close to some of the chunkier MAC ones) and at first I could barely feel it against my finger. I was really impressed by how easily it adhered to the skin on my hand even without a base. Just a guess, but I bet it would stay on very well through the day.

Conquer is a brilliant emerald green and even with obvious shimmer/glitter in the product, it was still super smooth!

And here are two swatches of them side by side. Conquer on the left, Incite on the right. Second is blurred to show the shimmer (actually that wasn't intentional but it does show the shimmer so there!) .  Again, these swatches were done without a base.

So I'll be testing these guys out over the next week or so but I can assure you it won't be in the morning when I would invariably knock one of them over all over my bathrooms sink. Maybe I'll decant a little into 5g jars though then what's the point of having pretty packaging?

Have you tried the Illamasqua Pure Pigments? What did you think?

Stila Happy Hour - Free Brushes!

With the purchase of select face items (listed in the black bit, click to enlarge or check the site), you can receive either the super cute pink brush set or a double ended complexion brush. I'm not a fan of double ended brushes, so I went for the set. A really cute gift idea for sure! And free shipping! Thank you Stila! And don't forget Mr. Rebates, 10% back!

Disclosure: This post includes a referral link

Illamasqua Haul

You'll remember I posted about this amazing Illamasqua deal from asos, well, ages ago. Well, it finally arrived in the mail yesterday! It had been lost and I must say, I received fantastic CS from asos even though I was frustrated and I may have been a tad bitchy. A warning that if you do order, they still ship from the UK site so it can take your usual airmail 3-6 weeks for your package to arrive. And though they offer tracking in the UK, they don't offer tracking once the package leaves the UK, ie. when it's heading your way from sorting facility to your home, you won't have any idea when it'll show up, though I don't blame them for not having that, international tracking is pricey and shipping to the US on asos is free.

I can't wait to start testing and reviewing this for you guys! These are my very first Illamasqua products! Requests for what to test out first? I ordered Pure Pigments, Blushers and a Lipstick.


Disclosure: I copy and pasted every single time I put 'Illamasqua' into this post as I had no idea how to spell the name and I figured I would butcher it!

Expose On My Hair Part Deux

I'm sure you all remember the post I did on the state of my poor locks. I mean, sometimes they are nice, sometimes they are a pain in the butt. Like today, it rained, so I have a little helmet of frizz on top of my pony tail, lovely.

Anyway, the kind folks over at Hair Products Pro have offered to send me a flat iron to review and I have to say, I'm excited as it will be the first flat iron I've ever tried (they say it's the best flat iron? But I'm clueless) owned or used. But I'm also a little hesitant. I've never used a flat iron before. I don't want to literally iron my hair like my mother did in the 60s (yes, she admits, she stood over an ironing board with a hand towel and ironed her hair! And it was waist length!). I want to make sure I don't burn it off or anything. I know a heat protectant is key and I hope I don't have an amusing story about how I singed my scalp when I do.

Any funny or really painful hair styling stories you want to share? I promise I will be nice and won't laugh too loud? Maybe, possibly...

Disclosure: This post is sponsored. All thoughts, opinions, scary hair stories are my own. No money changed hands. A flat iron is in the process of changing hands. No hands were harmed in the making of this post.

Paradoxal Dupe Sighting on US Shores!

I know everyone has heard of the Barry M dupe for Chanel Paradoxal but many of us can not get our hands on Barry M. Well, I randomly stopped by Harris Teeter on my way home today since they had a Starbucks inside and I was really feeling the 5pm slump (especially sitting in traffic in the dark) and I found this! I have not seen this anywhere, not at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and believe me, I hit one of the three at least once a week. I saw this sitting on the newer display shelf and picked it up, saw the purple shimmer and ran to the register (well after getting my coffee that is)! Bonus points that Revlon polish is on sale for $2.99 at Harris Teeter this week!

Before I get to the pictures, please excuse the nasty state of my cuticles.

 Perplex, very cute Revlon.

It's pretty faint and the bottle needs a good shake to distribute the shimmer but it's there! This was taken under a lamp. I don't own Chanel Paradoxal to compare, but this looks pretty damn similar after looking at pictures on the net!

In the shade. Sorry for the fuzzy picture. My camera did not want to focus tonight!

If you find Perplex, snatch it up if you've been wanting Paradoxal, or if you just like dusty purples like I do!

Review: Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse

The blogosphere has been abuzz regarding this newish foundation from Maybelline so when it went on sale at CVS a couple weeks ago, I decided to pick it up. I picked up the shade Porcelain Ivory which I believe is the lightest shade offered in the range, or at least the lightest shade offered at my local CVS. The only Maybelline foundation I have been able to wear that wasn't too dark or yellow was the Pure foundation that was more like a tinted moisturizer that they have since discontinued.

I generally don't have good luck finding a color match with Maybelline foundations. I'll cut to the chase and say this time was no different.

The compact.

The compact next to my arm, uh oh.

I'm not especially happy here! I was really hoping to love this foundation!

So, even if the color match worked, I'm not loving the formula either. It is supposed to be "ultra-hydrating" but I found it drying (even though it was only on for a few minutes). It accentuated dry patches and went on a bit uneven. I used a flat topped buffing brush to apply.

Obviously I won't be repurchasing and this is going right back to CVS!

Meet IPhone

Sorry, I'm quite excited! I'm thinking of naming it/him Fred? What say you?

Review: Senna Cosmetics Lip Lacquer in Ambrosia

I recently won a Beauty Ticket twitter giveaway for one of the Senna Cosmetics Lip Lacquers. After looking at swatches over the internet, I chose the shade Ambrosia. A sheer pinky shade with gold shimmer.

I'll be totally upfront and honest and say although the shade is pretty, I am not a fan!

The formula is sticky, so sticky, that the wand needs to be constantly swirled in the tube to pick up product and I felt the skin on my hand tighten when I swatched the product (and then when taking off the product, there are a bunch of sparkles that stay stuck to your skin).

It's a very pretty color but very very sheer. I'm going to show 2 different lip swatches. One was taken in my bedroom and one in my bathroom.

 bathroom

bedroom

So yeah, if you are a fan of MAC lipglasses (I am not) you may like these. Scent seems slightly vanilla-ish to me. 

Senna Lip Lacquer (they weren't joking about the lacquer part!) retails for $19 and can be purchased at various e-tailers the world over (I think).

What's weird is the Senna site describes the gloss as non-sticky?

Lip Lacquer
The yummiest, longest-lasting gloss ever

Super delicious vanilla flavor, amazing lasting power, and full-textured but never sticky formula in the richest colors this side of the rainbow makes this the lip lacquer of choice for any serious lip gloss lover. The icing on the cake is that it conditions lips with Vitamin E and Jojoba. Worn by ‘A’ list celebrities, you may get hooked!
$19.00

 Weird, maybe I got a bad one? Have you guys tried this? What were your thoughts?

Haul, Rambles & Another Dupe

I've been feeling less than spectacular lately. Yesterday I actually stopped by the CVS Minute Clinic to test for strep as that what it felt like (though I have no tonsils). However, according to the quick test and the 24 hour one, it is not strep, which makes me think it's just another mono relapse. Even though my voice is scratchy, my throat hurts and I went to bed at 7pm last night and woke up 10am, I decided to drive to the outlet mall. I need new work pants, I wanted to check out the CCO and generally get out of the house and the Sephora VIB event thingy was tonight.

I only managed to get 1 pair of pants and then a cute tweed short sleeved blazer from a store I would never walk into most days but I saw something hanging on the $4.99 rack and wandered over to this cute thing. I think it will look great with a cami underneath and some black pants for work.

And the CCO. There was a ton of stuff there and I walked out with a few things I've been eyeing.

Liquid Foundation by Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation. This was $31.50 at the CCO and the Alabaster is a near perfect match for my skin in this formulation. It actually kind of reminds me of the Prescriptives foundation I loved (custom blend with extra moisture). Perfect for dry pale skin!

I also picked up a MAC greasepaint stick in Below Ground which after I actually got in the car and looked at my swatches... Well, look at this.

So let's see, on the far left is MAC Slick Black, then MAC Below Ground and then MAC umm I think it's Uniformly Blue and then the blue Benefit liner in the Femme Metale Set (not a bad dupe but a touch lighter). And guess what's below the bronzey MAC shade? Oh yes, that would be NYX Jumbo Liner in Iced Mocha. Foiled again (as you'll remember this is also a dupe for the MUFE #15 aqua cream)! Why do I buy the same color multiple freaking times?!

So then I ran to the Sephora event. No chocolates as promised but I did get a cute reusable shopping bag. I also sniffed Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb and applied it. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. On me, it smells exactly like Lempicka Lolita L which is significantly cheaper. I did pick up the Some Beauty To Love Benefit set and got my Birthday Gift and the mini MUFE cream blush as my 100 point perk.

How's everyone been? If you are a VIB you can get 20% off your order with code VIB20. Anyone go to their local Sephora for the VIB event tonight? Did you get chocolates?

Dupe Alert Dupe Alert!

One of these is a $4 drugstore item and the other is a $22 high end product. Can you guess which is which? They aren't exactly the same but more or less indistinguishable once on the eyes.

On the right we have the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha, on the left the MUFE Aqua Cream in #15.

I did an eye look with each of them on different days and finally today I had an "aha!" moment. To be completely honest, I prefer the NYX. I prefer the pencil delivery system over the pot. I also don't experience creasing when I apply over UDPP. If you tend to have oily eyelids, I'd obviously go for the MUFE but if you don't have creasing issues, save your $18 and get the NYX!

Face of Day

I am heading off to do some chores which obviously means I need a full face of makeup. Anyway, today I just felt like putting a little effort into my look and making sure the wing success wasn't a fluke. Nope, worked just fine this afternoon too. What's odd is I've been able to do the wing on other people for a good 5 years but on myself, not so much, till now anyway.

And what DH has dubbed the "My Space Look". Does anyone even still use MySpace?

What I slapped on my face
ELF TM in Ivory reviewed here
MAC Studio Fix in NW15 to set
Giorgio Armani blush creme in #4 (I think)

Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha
Wet N Wild ColorIcon in White (on waterline)
Majolica Majorca Neo Automatic Liner in BR622 (for wing)
Maybelline Lash Stilletto Voluptious reviewed here and here

clear lip balm

Anyone doing anything exciting today? Hope you all have a great Sunday!

Beauty Blog Link Love - 11/06/10 - #21

Krasey Beauty tells a tale of tartan with MAC Cosmetics' Holiday Collection, A Tartan Tale!

Jellyminx puts together a smoky purple look for a night out.

Melissa of Lovely Android is still recovering from extreme cute overload after seeing this new perfume from Happ and Stahns.

Check out Audrey Dao's Lipstick Diary as she takes the 30 lipstick colors in 30 days challenge!

Amy Antoinette writes about her experience with DIY Ombre Hair.

K from Beautifully Addicted To shows her naturally glam wedding makeup in her FOTD!

Sarah from IHeartCosmetics shows off John Frieda's brand new Precision Foam Hair Colour.

Over at Eyelining Obsessions, Claire strays out of her black liner comfort zone with some rather fab ELF Cream eyeliners.

Hot Beauty Health shares an easy way to keep your perfume scent lasting longer.

Phyrra debuts Alima Pure's new LE Holiday Collection, Fairy Tale.

It's a classic product! Lipgloss86 shows some love for Liz Earle.

Musicalhouses shares a pretty darn awesome dupe of Orly Galaxy Girl nail polish!

Want a little bit of Lush luxury? The Lip Print tests out Lush's Creme Anglaise Body Creme for smooth-skin goodness.

Curious about the Clarisonic Plus? Sophie has a in depth review of it on her blog. Check it out!

Jeweled Thumb trials a new mascara which held up to a sweaty workout (and she has proof!)

theNotice shares The Lazy Lady's Guide to the Holidays, an easy-to-use compilation of many of this year's Holiday collections, sets, and exclusives.

Been looking for some decent purples to wear, but can't figure it out? Aijuswhanakno has some beautiful swatches she'd like to show you.
***
Always wanted to smell like Kim Kardashian? Here's your chance! Enter the Beauty Crazed Perfumania contest!

Jenn from Spiced Beauty celebrates 600+ followers with a great MACgiveaway!

Vera Wang's Anniversary takes Cindy back to a special memory of gardenia flowers. Enter the Anniversary giveaway on Prime Beauty and make your own special memories.

Kim Porter and Yagolicious are giving away Paint Quads and tickets to the Yagolicious Beauty Affair in December.

On a recent trip to France, Hellcandy picked up three travel sized bottles of the HG cleanser...Bioderma Crealine H20! Click here to enter the giveaway.

Review: Exuviance Introductory Collection - Sensitive / Dry Skin

I was recently (ok, not so recently, but it was slightly recent) sent the Exuviance Introductory Collection for Sensitive/Dry Skin. I've been a fan of the Exuviance line for quite awhile. I was first introduced to them when I worked at ULTA. We almost always used the Cleansing Gel to remove makeup on clients. It removed everything and didn't sting the skin or eyes. And of course, I love their foundation as well. Since my skin tends to be on the drier side, I was sent the above collection for review.

You might also remember, that I was breaking out more. Now, I have absolutely no problem giving negative reviews but knowing that their products in general have never broken me out I wanted to give it more time.

Well, after testing that new makeup removing gel (which I still love), I discovered the problem. This sensitive skin formula does not remove makeup. It is super super gentle. Actually, yesterday when I was randomly offered a job at one of my local beauty stores, I told the sales associate about this stuff because if you do have extremely sensitive skin this is the cleanser/toner for you. I'll get into the lotions in a minute.

First of all, sometimes cleansers can cause my skin to get a bit of a prickling sensation, not completely uncomfortable but on others it could burn or sting. Not with this. And not even with the toner. I accidentally got some of both of these products in my eyes and they didn't sting! My house has really hard water and sometimes in the mornings the water itself will make my eyes sting. Not this stuff.

So, I'm a huge fan of the cleanser and toner but they absolutely need a separate item to remove your makeup. Personally, I'd rebuy the toner but not the cleanser. I'd prefer to use their gel cleanser which removes makeup but isn't irritating to cut down a step as I am super lazy.

The lotions weren't my favorite. They are heavily fragranced and while they didn't break me out, the night one seemed slightly too thick and the day slightly too thin. I'd rather use a separate moisturizer and sunscreen just so I can overdo the moisture and not have issues with piling on my face or a white case. And I honestly couldn't tell a difference using the eye creams but it is possible they just didn't have enough product to use it for an extended time to tell the difference.

Even though I wasn't crazy about this kit, I love love love the Exuviance line. I'd recommend not getting the kits and instead mixing and matching different products in all of the lines they carry to find the right combo that works for you. For me, the best combination is the Cleansing Gel and the Soothing Toning Lotion and lately for a moisturizer I've been loving my SkinMDNatural (on my 2nd bottle!).

Disclosure: These products were sent by the brand's PR for review purposes.

I Lied (aka read me now!)

I made one last Sephora Friends & Family order and you want to know why?

NARS
NARS duo eyeshadows
NARS duo eyeshadows for $10

Nope, I'm not kidding.

You can thank me later. Till midnight (I believe EST) you can get both Wicked and Cheyanne for $8 each with the Friends & Family code (FF2010). Amaze balls.

Zoya BOGO

I'm a little late in posting this deal, but it's still on so I thought I would let those of you know who were unaware. Here Zoya goes spoiling us again! Gotta love them!

Zoya has a BOGO deal for you.This week only -  Buy One Zoya Nail Polish, Get One Free!*

Today thru November 5th at Zoya.com only. This ZOYA BOGO OFFER (Buy One, Get One*) is a perfect time to buy fall favorites like Zoya Kelly and Casey! Be sure to check out all of our collections at Zoya.com. If you see online - you can BOGO IT!!! Zoya has the mattes, creams, glitters and metallics your style craves. Stock up on gifts for others and treat yourself at the same time. Zoya is the new color of fashion. So pick your favorites today and use the BOGO CODE: BOGO5 shown above at checkout to SAVE!

* BOGO offer not to exceed 5 polishes on zoya.com (Limit 5 free polishes per order). Available on consumer orders only. Continental US only. Offer not valid in conjunction with other promotions, discounts or offers. While supplies last. Offer ends Friday, November 5, 2010.

Read more...

Unlike some other nail polish companies, you can get items from the newer collections although some of the items are backordered. I've already hauled. I picked up a total of 10 nail polishes and a holiday set to get me over the $55 minimum for free shipping.

Zoya Mini Color Lock System - Holiday Minicure
Valerie
Shawn
Kelly
Crystal
Gloria
Cheryl
Julieanne
Edyta
Sarah
Tiffany

The set was $20 and my order was $55 even, great deal!

What are you hauling?

First YouTube

My first thought is oh my goodness, double chin ahoy? Totally need this diet.

Another Day Another Blog

I've decided to start another blog. No worries, I'm not getting rid of Jeweled Thumb, what I am doing however, is starting (well started) a blog that I can put everything that's not makeup into. I just started something called The Fresh Diet and I'm chronicling my experiences, rambling about books, shopping hauls that don't involve makeup and other fun things. Possibly more boring things, but more things nonetheless.

Anyway, if you are interested in following the other other other white meat blog you can find me here.

I'd love if you went and followed me there but will completely understand if you don't!