Awesome Bargains

Just thought I'd pass along these current deals!

-Glamour Doll Eyes- Customer Appreciation sale - 50% off any orders of Eyeshadows, Eye-Lights and Twi-Shadows. Must buy a minimum of 8 before discount code works, but if you spend $30+, you get free shipping worldwide! Use code: lovegde
(expires Aug 12)

-Tarte Cosmetics- Friends & Family 40% sale- Includes a "free gift"- Use code: FFAUG
(expires Aug 9)

-Eyes Lips Face- Free Shipping with Orders of $10 or more! Ends tonight though, so hurry! Use code: TA2M

MAC Dare to Wear: What are you hauling?

As usual, it will probably take a week for my goodies to get here. But I did order:

-Going Bananas e/s
-Sassy Grass e/s
-Zingy e/s
-Ban This! l/g
-So Bad l/g

I also got Kinda Sexy l/s from the perm line.

What about you, are you hauling from this collection?

MAC In the Groove: What are you hauling?

Well things are kinda hectic here right now, so I haven't had much time to update! But I did manage to pre-order for MAC's In the Groove collection, which is being released on July 8. This looks like such a beautiful collection- I'm really excited for it! I pre-ordered:

-Stereo Rose MSF
-Hang Loose MB
-Jazzed l/s
-Go for it l/s
-Chillin' c/g

I have had my eyes on several of the mineral eyeshadows, but when it comes down to it, I am swamped with eyeshadows, and I hate to buy things that I will probably end up selling off later anyways. I love that satin texture though!

The lipsticks seem so pretty from all the pictures I've seen- they just look rich and vibrant- can I have them all? :D I am drooling over how Go for it l/s with Chillin' c/g on top will be! Totally funky!

And although I try to avoid most mineral blushes (just b/c I have too many!), I couldn't skip the lavender/pink Hang Loose.

Finally of course is Stereo Rose. I will be limiting myself to one (some people are getting 3 or 4- crazy!), since I am honestly just buying it for the hype. I imagine it will be beautiful like in the pictures, but I have not used an MSF up yet, and I've got some from 5 years ago.

Anyways, what about you- what are you eyeing from In the Groove?

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!

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? 

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.

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? 

Reminiscing...

I was organizing my makeup earlier today and came across my very first MAC product I ever bought! Wanna know what it was? Keep reading to find out!

To the Beach: What did you get?

So, I just placed my order for MAC's To the Beach collection...because I currently live in Alaska, I don't have a MAC within a 700 mile radius. :D So yes, it will probably be a bit before I'll have swatches and reviews for you.

Anyways, I picked up:
-Marine Life (luckily grabbed it when it was up on nordstrom.com)
-Sand & Sun e/s
-Firecracker e/s
-Temperature Rising l/p
-Lazy Day l/s
-Beach Bronze cream bronzer (very intrigued by this)

I think that's it. I already have Hipness, though with the green packaging it was definitely tempting me! So we'll see if I can hold out...the other blush (bronze one) is interesting too..and the eyeshadows- I almost got Sweet & Punchy, but as I already have Rated R, I managed to resist. I haven't even used Rated R! I have Humid, and although I don't have Shimmermoss, I can't find myself using it any time soon.

Now, can we just talk about the Marine Life hype for a sec! I have to say, in all my years of collecting MAC, I can't remember a product with as much hype as this one. The most recent one that comes close is Ripe Peach, but I feel like there was a delay in RP's popularity...it took a couple days to sell out, at least from my recollection. I admit I might have bought ML for the hype; but let's face it, the "chase" is kinda fun, especially when you find this sought-after item. I also LOVE these kind of pinky/coral colors, so I know it will get plenty of use from me.

What about you, what did you end up getting from To the Beach? What were the hits and misses?

Skincare: My Routine

A lot of times, we tend to think of makeup as a safety net that will cover basically any flaws in our skin- have you ever thought, "eh I'll just cover it with makeup?" I know I have. This mindset can be risky though, because the truth is, beauty starts under the skin and works its way out. The better your skin looks, the better your makeup will look, and that's why skin care is so important to me. Here, I will share my skin care routine.

The Search for True Beauty

I love makeup. It's so fun and even therapeutic to apply it everyday, in a way different from the day before. I love it as a means of expression, a way to make myself stand out from the crowd. I love makeup because it's just pretty. But I would be lying if I said I didn't wear makeup to boost my self-confidence. 

Last week, Kathy Lee and Hoda went makeup free on the Today show. They are just a few of the growing number of celebs who have recently posed sans makeup. One of the comments that stood out to me was that they felt "naked" without their makeup. When I heard this, I could definitely relate, as that's how I feel when I don't wear makeup. And I realized how much of a safety blanket makeup can be for me. Without it, I do feel naked, vulnerable even. But when I put my whole face on in the morning, it's like a mask I can hide behind.

Now, where do I draw the line between loving myself with or without makeup, but also being able to enjoy experimenting with this art form? Is there an easy medium? 

To be honest, that's a question that I've yet to answer. But I do know that us women, we spend so much time critiquing ourselves and dissecting our imperfections, and it makes me start to wonder how much of our lives we are wasting by constantly thinking, "I'm not skinny enough" or "My nose is too big". What if we were to stop judging ourselves and just enjoyed life? 

I love makeup and the artistic freedom it brings me, but I don't want to feel like if I'm not wearing it then I'm not beautiful. One of the things my life coach has told me to do is to tell myself daily, "I'm outrageously gorgeous". And it really does help! 

Anyways, what do you think?