On Saturday I received a text from a friend with a picture of this lip cream and the word "yummy." Nothing else. But I was intrigued.
Two hours later I was slicking this stuff on my lips, and let me tell you, it IS yummy. It's like smearing lemon pound cake on your lips, but without the calories or the mess. It's super-moisturizing, too, and subtly shiny.
(Don't get this confused with the lemon mentha lip shine, which is probably also yummy but not the same thing.)
So years ago I used to work in a high-end flower shop in a mall across the hall from The Body Shop. You'd think the scent of fresh flowers and all the shit The Body Shop was constantly pumping out into the hall would be lovely, but it wasn't! In fact, I got so sick of breathing in all those fucking Body Shop oils and what not all day everyday that after I left that job at the mall, it was years before I'd step foot anywhere near a Body Shop.
But then today I happened to pass by one on 6th Avenue and there were all these 'Sale' signs in the window and if there's anything more powerful than the scents of all those oils and crap at The Body Shop, it's a '75% off Sale,' so I went in. And among the things I sampled and dipped my fingers into and tried on was the raspberry color liquid lip color, and you guys, it was awesome! So awesome, in fact, that I may even brave all those oils and crap and go back to the store again sometime.
Then again, I'll probably just order online.
Over the years I've found some pretty good blushes--powder and cream alike--but without fail, I always go back to my old tried and true method of rubbing some plain lipstick on the apples of my cheeks with a dab of Vaseline on top. Nothing else gave me the color and gloss I wanted. Nothing, that is, until now.
Now I can actually save my lipstick for my lips and love notes on the mirror and my cheeks can be kissed by these awesome Tarte cheekstains! Seriously, these things are amazing. Just a little dab goes a long way and stays on all day! You'll look refreshed! Relaxed! Glowing! Happy! And your pores won't get all clogged with petroleum jelly. What a novel idea.
I have a very difficult time keeping my purse from drowning in Costanza Wallet syndrome, especially during the summer when it's so humid out I have to lug around my makeup everywhere.
Or not?
This mini foundation stick from mark. is the perfect size to fit in a purse pocket and keep it under the 5lb weight limit. It's 8 bucks, has a flawless cream-to-powder finish, and is seriously the size of a pack of Certs.
Whatever happened to Certs? If they're still around I need to fill up my purse!
This weekend I was feeling awful so I trekked to the beach thinking some sun would give me that much needed vitamin something or another that I'd been puking up for days. I basked in the beauty of the Glencoe Beach and when I got home three hours later I looked no different.
Where was my bronze!? Where was my healthy glow!?
Oh, that's right, I wear this obnoxious moisturizer with SPF 20 that doesn't let through any health or glow or color. At least I know I won't die of UV poisoning any time soon.
Pastiness, maybe.
In the summer my facial pores seem to expand to the size of tree trunks. I'm sure there's probably some scientific or biologic explanation for this phenemenon--blame it on atmospheric pressure or too many Margaritas, but the fact is, it's gross. So I started using this RetexturCREME a week ago, and it's awesome! It's really lightweight (like a gel) and it has a bunch of healthy stuff like antioxidants and vitamins so it nourishes my skin since apparently scientists haven't figured out how to make Margaritas do that yet (which would seriously make all of our lives easier, no?), and it fills out my enormo-pores and fine lines and all that stuff I don't want to think about. This stuff is great to wear under make-up since it creates an even texture, just don't forget to also wear sunscreen...where do you think those fine lines came from in the first place??
This seriously has to be the most adorable mini makeup pallete ever, and for $6 I can buy one for ever corner of my life:
That's $36 for SIX PALLETES! Just one of these from Stila costs $42, so for God's sake save your money and get it from our favorite Avon rep. Oh that's right, you can buy Avon online now!
I know, we're all doomed.
I recently received a few products from Lindsay's Candles and Stuff and I immediately fell in love with both the Silky Smooth Sugar Scrub and the amazing Whipped Body Butter. Both not only left my skin feeling really soft and smooth, but I also smelled like coconut sugar cookies for hours after bathing. In fact, I even had a dream about coconuts and cookies and when I awoke suddenly with a start, I was licking my arm, which I guess is probably TMI, but all to say: Lindsay's stuff rocks! (I also recommend the Jamaica Me Crazy candle).
Save 15% on orders until August 31st when you use code "awesome." Awesome!
Best. Lipgloss. Ever!
We've expressed our love for Bare Escentuals products in the past, and this post is no exception.
Buxom Lips is Bare Escentual's newest product for lips (duh) that can take even the thinnest of lips (Hello, Jennifer Aniston?) and make them look full and pouty (but not quite of Angelina Jolie proportions).
I love the tingly sensation that it gives my lips after applying (mint or menthol?), and it even contains some vitamins or something that are good for my lips. Whatever's in there, I can attest that this product makes my lips look totally hot! Plus, the packaging is totally cute with its retro styling... illustrations of burlesque dancers grace the box.
With this stuff, I can pretend that I'm a movie star! Or a stripper burlesque dancer!
It looks like that blizzard in Colorado has migrated to your face, since it's flaking pretty bad 
in the title, it's really good for the skin of any human being INCLUDING GUYS YES I SAID IT! GUYS START A SKIN CARE REGIME PLEASE! INVEST IN YOURSELF!!!
Oh dear, it's about 10 degrees here in Chicago today and that's not even the worst news. The worst news is that all the summer color has long disappeared from my face and my complexion is the color of Nicole Kidman's ass. By the way, has anyone seen her on the current cover of Vogue? I take it back--that's the worst news!!
Anyway, luckily for us all, Rosie Jane cosmetics has this fabulous cheek gloss that I've been using that gives just the right burst of rosie color and shine to my cheeks and makes me look all happy and shit...and it doesn't even leave me with a hangover the next morning. I'm sold, and you should be, too.
My hair is really, really important to me -- like more important than nutrition and exercise and a good night's sleep. I didn't realize this so much until about three weeks ago when I accidently got a mullet cut and I've had to resort to hiding my hair under a head scarf ever since.
I can't wait for my hair and waves to grow out again so I can indulge in one of my favorite styling products ever: MOP (Modern Organic Product) form foaming gel with light hold. This shit's awesome! It's a little like mousse and a little like gel and it's so lightweigt, there's no disgusting, sticky build-up weighing hair down. No, with the foaming gel, hair is lustrous, controlled, wavy...beautiful.
God, I hate my mullet.
Just in time for summer, go pick up your must have mini makeup kit from Stila, full of their hottest colors for this season.
It's a teeny little zipper pouch stuffed with the sweetest eye and lip color you can find, custom made to compliment your bronzy summer glow.
I'm actually not one to carry a make-up bag. I have a little zipper section on the inside of my purse -- the same purse I've carried almost everyday for the last 2 1/2 years -- where I keep one softlips lip balm, one colored shimmer lip gloss, and my secret weapoon: the clear gloss.
But now I'm looking at this oh-so-adorable make-up bag from Greener Grass Designs and I'm thinking I might have to re-think my strategy. Perhaps I really do need a make-up bag, in which I could carry a little dusting powder for my oily summer face, and a bit of eye shadow, mascara, and a touch of blush.
Wow, first baking, and a new make-up bag. Next thing you know, I might even buy a new purse. This site is turning me into such a girl.
I'm sort of obsessed with my eyebrows. I love to put a crappy tv show on in the background and stare at my face under my very excellent kitchen stove light while wielding the Tweezermans. Yes, I'm kind of a weirdo. And you've heard all the hubbub like "the right brows can open up your whole face!" and all that stuff and I believe it ALL.
Okay, maybe not ALL. But this kit by Anastatia will get you started if you have some kind of uni-brow/Bert situation or help you maintain your already fabulous face.
Come on, you know you want it.
Okay, ladies, listen up -- this is a big moment in our relationship! I've given it a lot of thought and I've decided it's time to take a big leap of faith, and to trust you with one of my biggest beauty weapons ever: Elizabeth Arden Crystal Clear Lip Gloss.
This isn't any old lip gloss, and it isn't for the faint of hearts, or for women who can't handle mad attention -- the kind of attention that requires big, black bodyguards -- this is for women with confidence in reserve. A dab or two of this gloss on your lips, and I guarantee you'll have people staring at you all day, wondering what's different, why you suddenly look as if you've spent a month gallavanting around a secluded island making out with Banana Republic models and drinking Mai Tai's under palm fronds for dinner every night. And, you know, for the price of a lame Tom Cruise movie, that's pretty good stuff.
Warning: Use with Caution! Men may spontaneously explode at the sight of you.
If you're still wearing liquid foundation, I don't know how to get through to you. Maybe I should say that liquid foundation rests in the wrinkles on your skin and actually makes it look duller and older? Or maybe I should say that your face and neck are a different color than your body, and liquid foundation is one matte color that will never match evenly?
Or maybe I should tell you that Neutrogena now has an alternative to liquid foundation that's oil free, fragrance free, completely pure and totally cheap?
Not only is it great for your face and your skin, it comes in an all-in-one ingeniously designed case. The powder is so sheer you won't even realize you're wearing makeup, but it'll even out your skin and give you a healthy glow that goes great with your new summer tan. How's that for $12?
So, you know when Sarah's birthday is and I know you'll be buying her what she wants. And you should also know that my birthday comes a mere two weeks later and this year I WILL BE THIRTY, y'all.
Since I know you want to get me exactly what I want, you should check out the beautiful Berryland products made in Italy by monks.
Okay, I don't know that they are made by monks but they smell completely HEAVENLY. I especially love love love the whole well being natural vitamins line. Ooo, so delicious! With combos like vanilla and avocado or citrus and olive. Or my very very awesome personal fave, iris and wheat which smells mildly like the most subtle and wonderful orangy goodness, or something only holy people could create.
I had to go to Italy to get my bottles but I know that they will mail order them to you if you ask nicely. Just make sure it can get to me by July 16th, okay?
Thanks, you're the best.
Ok seriously, people! That perfume you wear doesn't smell good and it's strong! Why don't you try something subtle for a change?
I love the new scent Pink Jasmine by Fresh. It's a cool, floral scent that is entirely perfect for crisp spring nights and isn't overwhelming like all those musky winter scents you people have been wallowing in since October.
And I don't care that it costs seventy-five dollars, it's worth it! Sacrifice a week's worth of Starbucks for it if you have to! It's a small price to pay for smelling good!
I've written before about my misuse of lip plumping glosses, and since then I've sworn them off for good. Until today, when for some reason I slopped on some of this Lip Injection from Too Faced at Sephora.
Jesus H, that place is black hole of judgment and foresight, and holy crap am I glad you have to walk in and leave all your opinions and past experiences at the door. Otherwise I never would have tried this stuff, and I never would have known that lip plumping gloss can actually work!
And not send someone to the hospital!
Yesterday my friend gave me a new bottle of Creme de Corps from Kiehls and it was like unicorns kissed me or I walked into a rainbow or something equally weird and wonderful. I was so damn excited! Part of this comes from the fact that I love lotions but also because it's just so rich and creamy! Delicousness!
I use this cleanser and moisturizer every night and the I just needed a little reminder of how awesome I think all their stuff is. Kiehls! Fabulous!
Our friend Jennifer wrote in to ask, "I am looking for this stuff for your eyes and it makes them look glossy / wet. It is NOT glitter or glitter-like from what I recall. Do you guys know what I am talking about?? It's driving me nuts."
I think what you're thinking of is "foiling", which is using glimmer powder shadows with a wet brush to make them glisten even after they dry. They're sparkly but dry sort of matte so you don't get that late-90's raver glitter look. The best choice for this is a foil set from Bare Escentuals, made with pure, all natural ingredients that won't smudge or spoil even if your face turns oily with makeup on. The color is vibrant and stays put and gives off an eye popping glimmer all day!
But before you go spending your cash, try finding a cheap powder shadow at your nearest drugstore (Like jane or Physicians Formula) and experimenting by doing some foiling on your own. Just get a firm angled brush and dip it in a bit of water before applying it to your eye and it'll go on soft and smooth just like a liner.
Hope that helps, Jennifer!
BeneFit Cosmetics are something I have been spending too much money on for a long time. They have a things that are staples in my makeup diet. I personally love their BAD GAL eyeliner which is totally easy to manage and smugeable and just great. And I have been worshipping at the alter of their Boi-ing concealer for just as long. One $18 compact lasts for months.
Until March 5th they are offering Free shipping with any $45 dollar purchase. Just enter the code EFSC45 in the promo box. They also send you two free samples with every order. So shop away! Your face will thank you.
I love lipgloss, great mascara, and romantic comedies, but somehow,
despite all that girlie-girlie-ness, I pretty
much hate perfume. I think most of it stinks, it gives me a headache,
and makes me sneeze. But! One day, strolling through the cosmetics floor in Saks on Michigan Avenue, I discovered l'Artisan Parfmeur. Feeling adventurous, I spritzed a little of the Mimosa on my wrists, sniffed, immediately fell in love with the soft, subtle, barely-there spice scent, and proceeded to spritz my neck, behind my ears, my cleavage, and my armpits, too. I probably would have even spritzed beneath my skirt, had I been wearing one. This stuff is good.
Ladies, be careful. The most dangerous thing you can do is under-estimate the power of a good perfume. Just a few spritz of that stuff years ago, and the boys are still clamoring for a piece of me. Okay, so maybe it's just that one old toothless guy at the train station who needs a quarter to buy breakfast, but I'm telling you -- he really likes me!
One of the many many things I am addicted to (next to coffee, and cheese, and lipstuff, and hair products, etc etc) is lotion. Actually, any good smelling body product calls out to me like a spirit in the night, "Buy me! BUUUUY MEEEEEEE!" and I am powerless to resist. Lately I have been especially bad about surrendering to this and I am running out of time and body mass to apply lotion to. But I'm very soft! That's for sure.
My current faves are the Body Shops Sesame Body Butter, which smells so subtle and yummy. If I was a cannibal I might start chewing on my arm. I smell delicious! Second to that I love Benefit Cosmetics cream with the funny name, Touch Me Then Try to Leave. Insurance when you are dating a boy who has the potential to flee. Or something! It smells like strawberries and cream and possibly a hint of vanilla but it is also very lovely and not overpowering. I want to be soft and shiny but I don't want to smell like a Strawberry Shortcake doll. I have my standards, you know.
This Christmas I got a lot of amazing gifts, a new camera and iPod and iPod speakers and some other stuff, but the best gift ever came from my brother. At the risk of spoiling his masculinity by declaring this on the internet, my brother got me bareMinerals!
I cannot tell you how long I've wanted bareMinerals! For probably five years now I've been using lots of other powder foundations, but I've always, always, wanted to try bareMinerals. And now that I have I can only say one thing: UNBELIEVABLE.
This is the purest, most lightweight powder foundation I've ever felt. And even with how sheer it feels it still manages to cover my freckles flawlessly. (And we're talking Pippy Longstocking freckle proportions here, people.) I just watched the demo videos online and before long I was an expert, swirling, tapping and buffing with the best of them.
I just have no idea what took me so long to get it. Oh wait, I do know: THE PRICE. But guess what? For a very limited time, bareMinerals is on sale at Ulta for $60! That's ten cups of coffee at a certain chain retailer we all know, so do yourself a favor and skip a week of those lattes. Save your pennies and invest in bareMinerals. You won't be disappointed.
I once had a very bad experience with "flavor infused" lip gloss. Ok, it wasn't really just lip gloss, it actually had the word venom in the name, and let's just say this guy I knew was, ahem, allergic to cinnamon. And maybe I spent the evening of our fourth date in the emergency room watching Home Improvement reruns while he was being...sedated. Or something.
That being said, I swore off any kind of infused lip gloss forever, until I found C.O. Bigelow's Mentha Lip Tint No. 1139. It's a sheer, glossy lip shine made with peppermint oil that gives your lips a fresh sting in the cool winter wind. It's just like sipping a cup of that over priced seasonal peppermint white mocha, and guess what, it costs the same amount! (That's $5 in Starbucks currency.)
And the best part is that the strong minty flavor is designed to last, which means a quick lick of your lips will mask that wretched coffee breath you've got.
(PS, according to the packaging, it contains "active levels of therapeutic apothecary ingredients." So, be yea warned.)
Stila is offering free shipping this week when you order from their website. Use the offer code HOLIDAY at check out.
I personally like this little lip gloss set, which would make a great stocking stuffer.
I already bought this for someone, I am not ashamed to say the packaging was what sold me. I'm so easy.
I love these little solid perfumes from L'occitane. They're small enough to throw into your purse, or even into the pocket of your tightest skinny jeans, and they not only smell divine, they're only 6 bucks at the store (8 on the web)! My favorite is the magnolia scent. Dab a little behind your ears when you spot a cute guy and just watch what happens...
Anyway, they are only $12.99 which is about the cheapest you can get anything from Sephora (which is fun but kind of ridiculous, pricewise). The whole Sugar line is fun, in that teenage girlie way. Which is just the thing one needs when their boyfriend is being an idiot, between you and me...
I love love love lip gloss. I am currently carrying around more than $60 worth of lipstuff, in case you don't believe me, and this one is so nice. Not gooey, not sticky, but totally appealing in that My Boyfriend is Cuter Than Yours and My Lips Are Prettier Too! sort of a way. Is that a way you want to be? I don't know. But Pop Beauty is from the UK and that is just ONE reason it is so fabulous.
Stateside, you can buy their shit at Sephora.
It''s 16 degrees in Chicago this morning, with a windchill of below zero, which means CHAPPED HANDS! Every winter I try all sorts of different (expensive) hand creams to combat the brutality of the season's wrath, but nothing is ever quite as great as this regular drug-store stuff. If you know of some other fabulous hand cream, please let me know!
