FOTD: So Fresh and So Clean!

The other day, it was super hot here, and after exercising, I just didn't feel like putting on a full-face of makeup. I was pretty happy to see how my skin looked though!

Face:
-Bare Minerals 'Fairly Medium'
-BE Mineral Veil
-MAC 'Beach Bronze' Cream Bronzer
-Illamasqua Cream Blush in 'Lies'
-Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray

Eyes:
-MAC e/s in 'Texture'
-Maybelline Define-A-Brow
-MAC Opulash Mascara

Lips:
-MAC 'Fleshpot' Lipstick









PS- Excuse all the crap in the background- my makeup area is in my loft which is also my storage area! :P

Review: Clean & Clear 'Finishes' Moisturizer

I learned about 'Finishes' Pore Perfecting moisturizer from...television! That's right, I saw the commercial three times :) But really, the commercial touts this product as a moisturizer that uses light to perfect your skin, and that sounded good to me, so I decided to try it! The results? Keep reading! Warning: You are about to see my BARE face, so be prepared! :)

LOTD: MAC So Chaud Lipstick

Ok I don't know if this really counts as an FOTD, because the eyes are the same as the Stowaway Quad FOTD I did earlier, but I wanted to quickly highlight MAC So Chaud lipstick. It is a gorgeous orange-red matte, just so pretty! I honestly don't know how popular it is as I never hear anyone talking about it, and since I love wearing bright colors every now and again, I figured I might as well share it with you all!

What do you think of So Chaud?

FOTD: MAC Stowaway Quad

I had a couple requests for a FOTD of my use of the Stowaway Quad (which I recently raved about on this blog), so here you go! I get frustrated that I can't get very vivid photos of the colors with this camera, but hey, I tried! Keep reading for more :)

Review: Flirt! 40-Piece Eyeshadow Set

I know this is sort of an irrelevant product right now, as Christmas is still a few months away, but reader l0verada requested a review of this, and it just so happens that I conveniently had photos of this, so why not! Plus it will get us excited for the holidays! Keep reading to see more :)

QOTD: What is your favorite MAC packaging ever?

MAC is notorious for their fun and festive special collection packaging. In the past 7 years, I have items in turquoise, white, orange, gold, pink, red, purple, and avocado green packaging- and so forth!! The list is endless. What is your favorite special packaging of all time? What is my favorite special packaging ever? Keep reading to find out!

Review: Victoria's Secret Soothing Lip Balm

I truly did not expect to ever find a beauty product from Victoria's Secret that I would swear by- sure, I love their bras, but I guess I don't usually consider VS to be the leaders in lip care. But, when nothing else seemed to tame my chapped lips, I came across VS' Soothing Lip Balm. Keep reading to see why I love them so much!

A Surprise in the Mail!

I kinda had a fun surprise show up in the mail today. Definitely not expected :) While I do shop online a bit, I have never purchased anything from walgreens.com, so imagine my surprise when I got a small little box addressed to me, from Walgreen's.

I opened it up, only to find this Revlon 'Porcelain Pink' lipstick inside:

No note, no information about where it came from, just a lipstick (and a coupon for Chapstick). 

It is a fun, pearly pink- this color is right down my aisle!

What do you think of my surprise?

Speaking of free lipsticks, I recently got a call from a friend who found a MAC lipstick on the ground and was wondering if I wanted it. I asked what color it was, and he said Pink Plaid- which amazingly I didn't have, but I am so excited because I've wanted to try it out for a while! It is almost brand new. I haven't figured out how to sanitize it yet, but I figure a little rubbing alcohol should do the trick. 

Thoughts? 

Review: Flirt! Cosmetics

If you haven't heard of Flirt!, allow me the pleasure of introducing you to one of  Estee Lauder's most recent acquisitions. Flirt!, available at Kohl's (and kohls.com) is a makeup line targeted to young adults. It has a similar style of MAC, and some products I would argue, certainly rival MAC in terms of color and quality. However, Flirt! is able to hold its own by offering some unique (and awesome!) products that MAC does not. Wanna know Flirt's best-kept secrets? Keep reading to find out!

Makeup 101: Foundation

The name "foundation" often makes us think that foundation is just that- a foundation to your makeup routine. While this is not exactly true (remember, good skincare is the real foundation!), it is usually the thing that makes or breaks your overall makeup. That's why the right foundation is most important- because in my opinion, there is no one "right" foundation for everyone. Here is a guide to some of MY favorite foundations.

Depotting: Yes or No?

Do you depot your eyeshadows? Why or why not? This has been a debate for a lot of collectors- whether they should depot all their lovely eyeshadows and put them in to one place (and exchange them via B2M!), or if they should keep them in individual pots. To see what I did, keep reading!

NOTD: MAC 'In the Buff'

Ok so I promised I would do a NOTD of 'In the Buff', so here it is! I love this nail polish! It is such an unusual color, akin, as I've said, to an aging avocado (and yes baby poo hehe). But I've also seen a similar color on people's dining room walls, and it usually looks good, haha. I like that it can look green sometimes, or taupe in other lights.

What do you think of 'In the Buff'?

QOTD: Have you ever had an unexpected love w/ a product?

Have you ever seen a product that looked fug at first sight, only for it to become one of your favorite products ever? I think I am always attracted the least-favorite products of a collection anyways, but I will say there is one product that I almost did not buy, but thanks to an open mind, it has become one of my favorite products! What is it? Keep reading to find out!

To Back-Up or not to Back-Up?- That is the Question!

When it comes to backing up makeup products, it seems most of us are either avid backer-uppers, or adamantly refuse to do so. Then, there are people like me, who will backup occasionally, and selectively.

So, what are my back-ups? Keep reading to find out!

Review: MAC 'To the Beach' Collection

Yes, I know, I am like a month late in sharing my haul with you, but since I find myself living in the middle-of-nowhere, Alaska, this is pretty much the reality of my life! :P And, I found myself enjoying this collection a lot more than I originally expected! Keep reading to find out what I got, and what I think about everything!

NOTD: China Glaze 'Dorothy Who?'

Since I work in the customer service industry, I am usually required to wear "natural" looking nail polish- which usually excludes sparkly rich blue shades, like 'Dorothy Who?'. However, when I had a nice couple of days off, this was the color on my mind!

'Dorothy Who' looks like  a royal blue; but when it is actually applied, it is a lighter, cyan blue. Still just as amazingly sparkly, but the color is just gorgeous when on the nails. I picked up the entire 'Wizard of Ahz' collection, and I have to say, 'Dorothy Who?' is easily my favorite of the bunch!

Oh and by the way, I am giving away a brand-new 'Dorothy Who?' HERE. All you have to do to qualify is leave a comment-- but hurry, contest ends June 30th! :)

Refreshing!

I just read an article about how Marie Claire's France edition used plus size models in their latest spread- You can see the article and some pics (watch out some nudity) at this link:  http://fashiongonerogue.com/laura-catteral-hayley-morley-marie-claire-france-june-2010/

I am so impressed by this! First off, they all look beautiful. Second off, I am feeling pretty curvy these days and have been a little self-conscious about my new weight (20lbs heavier than I was when I got married 3 years ago!), but seeing these pictures, I feel much better about who I am. They aren't super heavy, no, but they're definitely huge compared to the rest of the industry's models. It's nice to see real looking bodies.

Sometimes I honestly think it's so ridiculous how we have this standard of beauty that is quite frankly, not only pretty unattainable, but also a little unnatural. I look around everyday and I see "real" women: women w/ unkempt hair, women with extra weight, women wearing clothes from Wal-Mart, women with an asymmetrical nose, small boobs, and big behinds. And yet I still think a woman is "supposed" to be thin, big-boobed, perfectly coifed and so forth. It's so odd how t.v., magazines and the internet keep telling me that I'm "supposed" to be something else. Why can't I just be happy who I am?

Once I heard something about how beauty standards were created so companies could sell products to people that would help them attain that beauty. Not sure if it's true but I'm not doubting that our social structure is also somewhat inspired by businesses trying to make money. Notice though, that one or two beauty products are never enough- we are constantly guzzling them down, buying them in bulk, trying out this foundation and that, this blush and that, waiting and hoping for the "perfect" item- and yet there's never one. We keep wanting more.

What do you think? Am I on to something or completely out in left field? What do you think of the Marie Claire spread?